Country song explores heartbreak through UNC basketball

Prior to its release on March 22, country song "UNC" by Gary Frost was being passed around social media, including the satire account catered to UNC students, UNC Chicks.

"That baby blue don't mean what it used to," he sings in the widely-circulated chorus of the song. 

Originally from New Jersey, Frost grew up in a big basketball family, with relatives from North Carolina. Throughout his childhood, he played and watched a lot of basketball, and was also a big fan of Michael Jordan, he said.

He did not attend the University and ended up going to trade school, but Frost, along with his co-writer, J.W. Griffin used UNC basketball as a pivotal point in their song “UNC.”

However, this new country song is also a story of heartbreak.

“We decided to write kind of that love story of loving a place, but you know, not being able to love the girl anymore,” Frost said.

Griffin said the song explores college relationships that change as people grow apart or separate as one goes off to school.

“We wanted to make it relatable and tie into basketball season, which I think we got it done just in time for March Madness,” he said.

Frost’s favorite line from the song is the first line, “We used to dream about that chapel on the hill,” because the imagery of "chapel on the hill" ties UNC into the story of loving somebody, then getting your heart broken, but still being able to love the place.

"Another case closed in the ACC / Game's all done, but there's no OT," he sings. "Used to be you and me, now it's just UNC." 

Both Frost and Griffin had relationships that were affected by college and left them heartbroken, Frost said, but they wanted to pick neutral school that was not where either girlfriends had attended. UNC was not too direct, he said. 

Dan Roman, Frost’s media manager and hometown best friend, helped craft some of the media for this single, such as the cover.

The pair met six years ago in New Jersey at Frost's shows. As they became better friends, Roman said Frost asked for his help doing cover photos, promos and other media elements.

For “UNC,” Roman used a polaroid photo that was taken at one of Frost’s shows earlier this year. He touched it up, and they used that image for the song, he said.

The first time Frost became hooked onto country music was when he was 13 and his dad took him to a Florida Georgia Line concert.

Frost said he thought to himself, “this is awesome,” and went home and started writing songs and playing guitar.

He said his music journey took off from there.

In 2017, he started a band which played mostly along the East coast in beach bars, he said. Eventually, he began putting out his own solo music.

To continue his career, he relocated to Nashville, Tennessee in 2022, and has been writing songs and playing writers rounds — where he collaborates with other artists on stage, networking and growing his social media, he said.

“It’s pretty much just been a work in progress, just trying to put out the best music that I can,” Frost said.

Frost's country style was influenced by the blend of rock and country music that he said people would go crazy for during his youth on the Jersey shore.

Following the release of “UNC,” his goal is to eventually get signed with a label. He is also going on tour this summer along the East coast.

“I just love writing songs,” Frost said. “I just love the culture of being a songwriter and a musician.”

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