Rising country star Brett Young dishes on his debut album, love, and his biggest source of inspiration

There is probably no other man as romantic and charming as rising country star, Brett Young. The Southern California native sat down with AOL to talk about his debut album, why he's a hopeless romantic, and his biggest source of inspiration.

"When you put out your first record it's a listener's first chance to get to know you a little bit," Young said. "If there's a way to put out a lot of who you are into your music, then they come away listening to your record not only as hopefully a fan -- but also as some sort of feeling a connection with you."

His self-titled debut album was released earlier this month, encompassing his signature "Caliville" sound with Young co-writing 11 of the 12 tracks.

"For this first record, my biggest source of inspiration was life experience," the country singer said. "I mean, I can go in and write a concept but if there is a way to write something that I have lived, something that I personally connected to, those are the songs that end up meaning the most to me."

Young found his love for songwriting after an injury sidelined him from his dream of playing professional baseball. The songwriter credits his love of writing songs to Gavin DeGraw, his biggest musical idol.

"I found his first record 'Chariot' right after I injured my arm and that record was the reason why I wanted to start writing," Young said.

The self-proclaimed hopeless romantic revealed that heartbreak also played a major role in creating his new record. His favorite song, "Mercy," is about being in a tumultuous situation with a person post-breakup, yet they still can't find a way to let you go.

"It's the one concept that is so relatable across the board to everybody," Young said. "You get to that point where you're like, 'listen, if you ever loved me at all, you need to let me go,' because it's almost impossible to move on unless you completely cut ties."

On the topic of love, the country heartthrob revealed a major quality he looks for in a lady.

"I'm really big on people that speak their minds and say how they feel but are also kind and generous," Young said. "Those tend to be people that are sometimes brutally honest, you know, what you see is what you get."

While his idea of a perfect date is some red wine and Netflix, the singer also adorably gushed on the incredible love he has for his fans.

"I want to meet everybody, people that are buying the music, coming to the shows, are the reason why I get to do this for a living," Young expressed. "I'm always interested in saying hello, and getting to know [the fans]. I'm very appreciative of the opportunity they are giving me."

You can catch Brett Young on three major tours this year, including opening for Luke Bryan and Lady Antebellum. His No. 1 country radio debut hit "Sleep Without You" is available to watch here.