There’s a saying in the music industry that you are only as good as your last record. If that is true, Dylan Scott is coming up roses these days. “Hooked,” his follow-up to the chart-topping “My Girl,” performed quite well on the Country Airplay listing, settling in at No. 2. Being able to follow up his first major hit with another is something he takes a great deal of pride in.
“People are showing up for shows and we’re selling places out and ‘Hooked’ went No. 2 which is, shoot, I think I’m No. 2 all day long, so we got a No. 1 and No. 2 and get ready for another single that will hopefully do the same thing for us,” he says optimistically of his upcoming release “Nothing To Do Town,” which is available at digital retailers and streaming sites Friday (Nov. 16). He sums it up: “Life is great right now.”
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Though Scott’s music skews toward a younger demo, he definitely has a deep respect for the traditional style of country he grew up listening to. His father played in the bands of Freddie Hart and Freddy Fender, and the music wore off on young Dylan.
“First and foremost, watching my father got me into music. The fact that dad did country music made me want to do country music, so I grew up listening to old school country music because of dad. My hero was a guy named Keith Whitley. I loved Keith Whitley. From that I just found more music and it inspired me to move to Nashville and be an artist. Dad was the reason I do what I do.”
Though his father had given up his road lifestyle by the time Dylan was born, he has plenty of memories of playing music with him.
“I’ve seen videos of him on stage and we used to play together and play in church together. We’ve played music my whole life together. Seeing those videos of him perform was just the coolest thing.”
In addition to his chart presence, Scott also boasts one of the most devoted social media followings in the business. He says it’s a sign of the times in how you market your music to have a viral presence.
“It’s just the life we live now, it’s all social media. You just got to take advantage of it and it’s awesome that we do have the followers and people responding and commenting. It just shows that they listen to the music and they like it. That’s what it’s about for me, you know. It’s a great way to see who’s liking what you’re doing.”
2019 promises to be a banner year for Scott, as he is gearing up for his first headlining tour with the Nothing To Do Town tour, which kicks off on Jan. 17 in New York City. He said he’s gearing up for it.
“I am excited. Some of these places are already selling out. Once again it just shows how the fans actually like our music and it’s just an incredible feeling. I’m looking forward to it and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a good, wild two months.”
Opening for Scott will be his friend Seth Ennis, who co-wrote “Hooked.” Scott hopes to spend some time with his pal on the tour, and perhaps write some more songs together. As he prepares for his first major headlining tour, he is also mindful of the lessons he learned while opening recently for Justin Moore.
“I guess the biggest thing I learned from him was that it don’t matter if you’re sick, if you’re just not feeling it one night, when you step on that stage you have to bring it, no matter what. You have to think that it’s everybody’s first time ever seeing you. That’s what he did. He brought it every night, no matter what. Some nights he had the flu. I mean, he was dog tired, dog sick, but he was still out there and doing it, so that’s the lesson I learned from him – to bring your A-game every night.”
Before he heads out on the road in January, he’s working on a benefit concert called Bayou Stock that is very close to his heart. Slated for Nov. 17 in Sterlington, Louisiana, it features quite the lineup.
“It’s a hometown show. We’ve got Mark Chesnutt and Morgan Evans, as well as Lainey Wilson – who just signed with Broken Bow. We’re going to raise a bunch of money for kids who need Christmas whose families are just a little less fortunate, so hopefully we can raise a bunch of money and everybody gets Christmas and we continue to do this every year and grow it into something that we can really make a difference.”
As a fan of ’90s country, he’s particularly excited about Chesnutt’s involvement.
“He had so many hits in the 90s, and I remember them all. It’s going to bring a whole different demographic to the concert so it’s not just some young guns on there, we got Mark on there. Just the fact that he said he would do it and come out there really means a lot to me.”
Taking it all in, it’s been quite the past couple years for Scott. He’s been signed to Curb since he was nineteen, but now he’s grateful that he took the slow climb to success – though it might not have been his initial plan.
“As a kid I wanted to explode. I wanted just to go to the top. Now, that it’s not happened that way and I’m sitting here on a couple of hits, I’m kind of glad it did not happen that way because when you build it slow, the fans you gain along the way tend to have your back a little better so it’s actually good thing it’s happened like this.”
Scott is also relishing being a father, as he and wife Blair welcomed son Beckett into the world last December. Fatherhood is all it’s made out to be – and more.
“Man, it’s great. It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, having a little boy. He’s got his personality kicking in right now which makes it a lot of fun. It’s tough leaving home and going out on the road, but it makes coming home — even if you get one or two days — a whole lot sweeter to sit back and relax and enjoy him a little better.”