via: www.ericethridge.com
Although Eric Ethridge Is a newcomer, his brand started to gain serious momentum after the release of a series of orchestra country-pop music videos in January 2015; one of which garnered him a mention in Rolling Stone Magazine.
Subsequently his social media presence enjoyed a drastic increase with over 250,000 Youtube hits and an increase to over 1400 YouTube subscribers. In August of 2015 Eric was the runner-up in the Boots and Hearts emerging artist showcase, and has since had continued interest from both American and Canadian record labels, and is now one of the newest additions to the Feldman’s Agency roster.
In early 2016 Eric was selected by a panel of industry professionals from across Canada to be one of the top 6 finalist for the CCMA Discovery Program, he then went on to win the CCMA Discovery Award. He has shared the stage with major acts such as Jess Moskaluke, Brett Kissel, Emerson Drive, Chad Brownlee, The Bros. Osborne, Randy Houser, Chris Young, Billy Currington, Thomas Rhett, Kip Moore, Eric Church and Florida Georgia Line.
Eric’s latest single “Liquor’s Callin’ The Shots” was produced by JUNO Award-winner Brian Howes (Nickelback, Keith Urban, Chris Daughtry and Hinder), and showcases Ethridge’s passion for country music delivering a knockout stadium anthem.
Ethridge is currently working with several producers: Jeff Coplan (Love & Theft, Tim Hicks, Black Jack Billy), Todd Clarke (Phillip Phillips, Autumn Hill, Madeline Merlo), and Brian Howes (Nickelback, Keith Urban, Chris Daughtry and Hinder) on his debut EP which is slated for release later this year.
We had the opportunity to catch up with Ethridge and discuss inspiration, role models and career highlights. Read the interview below:
Kat: What inspired you to become a country artist? Has country music always been a part of your life?
EE: For me, being a country singer didn’t really feel like a conscious choice actually. I didn’t grow up on country music as a kid, my family and friends weren’t particularly big country fans, so I wasn’t exposed to it too much. As I had learned to sing and play guitar, and eventually perform in clubs, I would often have people come up to me and say things like, “I bet you could sing country music really well!” which I thought was strange at the time! As I began to write music, everything I wrote seemingly turned out to be country. Everything from the style, to the lyrics, to the subject matter. Even though I wasn’t raised on it, I seemed to have fallen into country music very organically.
Kat: Is there a specific country song or artist that has left a lasting impression on you?
EE: I’ve had the opportunity to open for the Brothers Osborne a couple times, and I would say they have definitely left a lasting impression on me. I was on their first Canadian headlining show in London, ON and I was able to pick their brains about the music business that day.
They were really friendly guys, and eager to tell us about their path to getting to where they were (at that point, their single “Stay A Little Longer” was just about to reach #1 in the U.S.). Conversations with them definitely left a lasting impression on me and gave me an eye-opening understanding of what really goes into being successful in the music industry.
Kat: Musically speaking, who would you consider to be your role models, as far as sound or career?
EE: In terms of my sound, I like artists that are pushing boundaries and aren’t scared to experiment. Artists like Eric Church, Keith Urban and Sam Hunt all seem to fit into that category for me. I want my sound to be big and I want it to be trend setting and impactful.
In terms of career, I try to model things after artists that seem (at least on the surface) to have a good work-life balance. As people in the industry know it can be tough to build a music career and sustain a family. Artists like Dallas Smith, and Tim Hicks seem to be very family oriented which is also very important to me.
Kat: Could you speak a little bit about the inspiration behind your first single “Liquor’s Callin’ The Shots”?
EE: The song “Liquor’s Callin the Shots” has a sentiment that I believe most people can relate to. Sometimes we go through times of heartbreak or hardship and sometimes we don’t deal with it very well. However, I do feel that going through those times, we come out the other side as stronger people.
Kat: What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?
EE: Definitely winning the CCMA Discovery Program last year was probably the biggest highlight of my career so far.
Kat: What’s next? Can fans expect an album soon? More tour dates?
EE: Right now the plan is to release single #2 in the coming months as we gear up for festival season! I am planning on releasing an EP in early 2018. In between festival dates, I’ll be back and forth from Nashville and LA likely working on completing the EP.
Want more Eric Ethridge? Make sure to request “Liquor’s Callin the Shots” from your local country station.
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