Brett Eldredge has been in a reflective mood as of late. The singer — who has had three No. 1 singles in a row — made his very first appearance on the LP Field Stage during last week’s CMA Music Festival. However, it wasn’t always such a fast pace for the singer. His first hit, 2010’s “Raymond,” hit No. 23 on the singles charts, and the follow-up, “It Ain’t Gotta Be Love” missed the top 40. He said that he owed his career rise to hard work and perseverance.
“You just have to go through it, and fight the fights you got to fight to make it in this career. You take a lot of punches, and get back up and keep on coming. I’ve learned a lot about myself through this whole ride. When ‘Don’t Ya’ hit, and it got to the top of the charts, you’re flying airplanes — getting up at 5 in the morning, going to bed at 2 in the morning, and doing shows, you learn a lot about yourself as an artist and what it takes. Once you start having success, you want to keep doing it even more. Then, all of a sudden, things snowball, you’ve got momentum, and there’s three No. 1s. That’s a crazy thing. I was laying on my bed four years ago, wondering if this was ever going to happen,” he recalled.
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Now, the singer is trying to help someone else earn a turn in the spotlight. Eldredge and Snagajob, America’s largest network of hourly workers and employers, are looking for America’s most musically talented hourly worker to give them their big break and a chance to showcase their talents by opening for the singer as part of his summer tour.
“It’s a service for people who want to have hourly jobs, but maybe not for their whole career,” Eldredge told Billboard. “It gives them work when they need to get by. Snagajob brought me into this thing where they get people to submit their videos of their original music — people who have regular everyday jobs to support themselves and try to chase this dream down. They will submit the videos, and we’ll narrow it down to about twenty-five people, and then to five. From there, the people will choose through online voting at www.thehourlygig.com, and that person will get to open a show for me.”
He’s glad to extend a helping hand, just as one of country’s biggest stars did for him. “I remember when I was just dying to get an opening slot for somebody, because that can give you that next boost in your career. To be able to help somebody in that way was something that I thought would be a special thing, because I remember that feeling. I remember the one who gave me that hand — Blake Shelton. I’ll never forget what I learned from that or him. I want to be able to give someone that opportunity.”
Whoever wins the contest, Eldredge says that they will have to work hard at improving their craft — just like he has done. As much as he wanted success in 2010 and 2011, he admits that you have to be ready for it. Now, he realizes that he wasn’t. “If you put me in front of that crowd a few years ago, I wouldn’t have been prepared. I needed to sweat it out on those little stages, and learn about gaining fans and pulling people in when they don’t know your name, and entertain them.”
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His brand of entertainment seems to be working just fine. His latest single, “Lose My Mind,” is sitting at No. 97 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week. Though “Bro-Country” seems to be very much the style for male artists these days, Eldredge’s records evoke a soulful sound, similar to a Con Hunley or T. Graham Brown. He says he’s just trying to be himself. “For me, I just try to stick with what I know. I try to stay inspired, and write songs that I love. Take “Lose My Mind,” for instance. It’s totally different than anything else I’ve done. It’s my soulful side that I wanted to get out. It’s fun to venture out there and put my own spin on it.”
And, there’s his status as a heartthrob among country’s female fans, which he admits that he is still getting used to. “I still don’t know what to think about that. I saw a People Magazine cover that said ‘Country’s Hottest Guys,’ and I’m on the cover with Tim McGraw and Dierks Bentley. That is so weird, because I don’t think of myself that way at all. It’s funny, but if they want to think of me in that way, I’ll take it. I’ll just keep being me.”
“Lose My Mind” is from Eldredge’s sophomore album, Illinois, which will be released Sept. 11.