10 Questions with ... Andrew 'AJ' Calvin

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

AJ Calvin studied Adult Fitness and Exercise Science with a minor in Nutrition from the University of Northern Colorado. He specialized in Mixed Martial Arts and fighting for over nine years competitively with a perfect record he developed a program combining functional training and personal safety. After finishing college, he moved to Los Angeles, where he served as a personal trainer/life coach in the entertainment industry, working with the likes of Gerard Butler, Jeremy Piven, Jennifer Lopez, Benny Medina, JC Chasez, Jack Black, and Steven Tyler. Following, Calvin worked with Steven Tyler as his Head of Security/personal trainer and day-to-day road manager. His travels eventually led him to Nashville, where he landed a position with Big Machine Label Group imprint Dot Records before moving into his current role as Dir./Southwest Promotion & Marketing for Big Machine Records. Calvin chatted with All Access about how his love for music began, his unique background, his current role at Big Machine, and more.

1. AJ, thank you so much for taking time to answer "10 Questions!" Let's start from the very beginning. Where did your love from music come from? Did you dream of working in the music industry, or did it kind of fall into your lap?

I have to be honest here; it definitely fell into my lap. I grew up listening to KYGO/Denver. My mom's a huge Country music fan, so Country was the music I was most familiar with as a kid. And, growing up, my dad loved 70s music. So, I listened to Jim Croce, KC And The Sunshine Band, and a lot of crappy Disco that my dad liked. Then, with my mom, she was all Reba, Rascal Flatts, George Strait, Clint Black, and Garth Brooks. For me, I was always an athlete, so I listened to music while I worked out, but it was never like, "I wanna be in the music industry." It wasn't until I met Steven Tyler that I really dove right in. I would go to Hawaii with him once or twice a year, and the first time we went to Maui, I picked up a ukulele, and I got obsessed with it and really wanted to learn how to play an instrument. I started playing all the time while on tour with him, which really helped me grow my love for music.

2. Something that people may not know about you is that you have a strong background in Martial Arts and competitive fighting. How have these skills helped you within your personal life and career?

Discipline is the biggest thing when it comes to Martial Arts. It's all about being disciplined and having focus. When I have a task or a goal, I'm really hyper-focused on it, and that helps me time and time again, with knowing what we need to accomplish with an artist and how we're gonna drive up the charts. Passion is also crucial, no matter what you're doing - have passion, focus, and determination for it.

3. With that background, how do you maintain a healthy lifestyle while on the road? Do you have any tips or tricks for other reps?

Don't drink. I quit drinking a year ago, actually. It was a moment in my life where I was like, "Hey, I have to quit drinking to promote a healthier lifestyle while I'm on the road." I count all of my calories now, and I did a Keto diet for like six weeks. I do a very balanced, macro-based diet. I try to hit a gym. I also take a TRX with me everywhere I go, which is an extension you can put into your hotel door, and you can do all your workouts in your hotel room if you need to. So, I always use the TRX in my room if I have the time. It's little things like that. Staying out late and eating late is something you're gonna do; you're gonna be with Program Directors, you're gonna be super-serving your clients all the time, and it's about finding time for yourself on the road that's important. It's also about understanding that your health is more valuable than anything else, sometimes.

4. Before becoming a record rep, you served as Steven Tyler's bodyguard for five years. Can you share how one possibly lands a cool job like that?

One word: Craigslist. I moved to Los Angeles, and I was working a kid's fitness camp on the beach, where all I did was surf and boogey board all day long. Dream job. When Summer came to an end, I didn't have a job, and I was looking up and down for one. So, I got on Craigslist and saw an ad that said, "Personal trainer, $45 an hour." So, I went in and interviewed, and as I'm sitting down in the interview, Dr. Dre walks by me, then ten minutes later, Jack Black, then Jodie Foster - all these A-Listers. I was like, "I gotta do anything to get this job," and I got the job. Nobody boxed at the gym or was a boxing trainer, so I kinda had a niche in the market immediately. I grew my business in the first three weeks and had a full client list that including Steven Tyler and other celebrities. It was all because I was at the right place at the right time. I had the MMA background and made friends with really great people before I got to LA, and I loved it.

5. After your time as a bodyguard, you went on to work as Dir./Southwest Promotion at your current company, Big Machine Label Group - first with Dot Records, now with Big Machine Records. What was the transition like to move from one roster to the other? Was it easy, or difficult?

Kris Lamb has been incredibly great to me; he's always mentored me through this whole process. If he hadn't taken me under his wing, I wouldn't have been able to do it. He was like, "AJ, I think you're the perfect personality for promotion," and when we made the transition into a different kind of record label, Kris brought me along and always helped me through it. Now he's my VP here at Big Machine Records. The transition is always hard no matter where you are. Obviously, I'm doing the same job that I was at Dot, but now at Big Machine Records. The workday transition wasn't hard, but getting to know new artists was a little different. But, it was simple, because it was in-house.

6. Speaking of Big Machine, the company has several branding elements to it, with Big Machine Vodka, partnerships with racing, and more. How do you see your role in their brand expansion, and are there any other collabs in the works that you can talk about?

Scott [Borchetta] is an absolute genius when it comes to partner strategies. It's really cool to see how many things our company is involved with. My involvement in the partnerships is putting our artists in the best light as possible. We're always looking for new ways to present our artists and partner them with our clients. As far as partnerships coming up, there's nothing I can really say about those. Our brand partnerships are a completely different division than what we deal with as regionals. I do know that Big Machine Vodka is killin' it, which we're really excited about.

7. In your role, you do promotion and marketing. Obviously, radio is a huge part of your career, but what are some marketing tools you practice within your job?

I come up with promotions that come on the radio, obviously. We come up with lots of different ways to see our artists and how we market to radio. The marketing aspect really comes down to putting our artists in the best light and finding great opportunities within markets. I always try to market my artists on a local level, whether that's dropping by the local Children's Hospital or doing something like the Carolina Country Music Fest with Josh Phillips, who has a great partnership with a lot of the Carolina Country stations. We're coming up to break him pretty soon, so we're trying to do things locally. Personally, I have a really nice camera and take pictures of my artists wherever I go. I try to create content on the daily, because that's really what people are buying these days. My pursuit is to constantly create content and new, fun ways to show our artists. We also always want our Program Directors to feel involved in what's going on.

8. Is photography something you would ever consider pursuing, or is it just a hobby you enjoy?

I love photography; it's one of my favorite things to do. My grandfather was a VP at Nikon, and my mother is a great nature photographer. My grandfather actually shot for Time and National Geographic. He was really incredible. I have a picture of him as he's standing on the pole at the Daytona 500 taking a picture of the finish line with an old camera. It's incredible. I didn't get into it until after he passed, unfortunately, but he sticks with me. I really love it as a hobby; I think I'll do it for the rest of my life, but it will always be a hobby.

9. Now that you've been working in promotion for years, what would you say is the craziest thing you've done for an add?

I have a hilarious story. I'm at dinner in Louisville, and Shane Collins was the PD at the time. We had just finished up dinner, and there was this trash can a good 30-40 feet away, and I had crumbled up my receipt after taking a picture of it, and I was like, "You're gonna add Drake White if I make this in." The trash can was the size of a coffee cup and 35 feet away. He was like, "Dude, if you make that, I'll add the record." And, I drained it, sitting down from 35 feet away. He did add it!

10. One act you work with now is Midland. Would you say that Country radio is embracing a more traditional sound?

I really think so. Honestly, we're moving towards a more mood-based world of music, more than a genre-based, and I think Country music sees that. Programmers try to represent a lot of different moods on the radio, which is, I think, really intelligent. We're not thinking in terms of Bro Country or traditional or tempo... It's more about having a certain number of happy songs, sad songs, and kind of getting the mood-based audience. That's what people are doing with Spotify; they're making playlists based on moods. Traditional fits that a little better, because you have the songs that are strictly sad songs or strictly drinking songs, and you can feel them when they're written. That's how our favorite Country songs are written - in that story-telling mode. The best of Country music tells those stories. I think the traditional adheres to that story-telling a little bit better than the new, Pop sound. Midland has that traditional sound and great story-telling writing behind their songs. As Country music fans, we yearn for that sound when we turn a Country radio station. We need to have that quality in our stations and get that traditional sound back.

1. Another act you work with is Carly Pearce, who's had an insanely successful past year. What are your thoughts on the current presence of females at Country radio? With a talent like Carly, and looking back at her last year, would you say the future is looking bright for Country music females?

Carly Pearce is the future of Country music when it comes to female; she is incredible. She is the hardest working artist I've ever worked with. She kicks so much butt. When we're talking about females in Country music - we've gotta play more. That's it. I look at a playlist, and I'll get to the 25th most played song before I see a female a lot of times. Familiarity breeds good scores and research. People are saying females just don't test as well as the males, but looking at it, 80% of what's played is coming from males, so familiarity is with a male sound. I'm not here to tell anyone how to run their station, but I know that females deserve an equal shot as males do at getting played on the radio, and that's not necessarily provided. We, as a company, are so, so excited about Carly, and Danielle Bradbery, and Delta Rae - which has females - and what we're doing with Sugarland teaming up with Taylor [Swift]. A female voice will work just as much as a male voice will work, but we're a song-based format. If it's a great song, play it! Let's forget about whether it's a female or male singing it. And, if it's a bad song by a female - don't play it. If it's a bad song by a male - don't play it. I think that's what it comes down to.

2. You also recently got engaged. Any wedding details planned yet?!

We are getting married in Maui sometime early next year. I don't wanna give a date out yet, but it's gonna be early next year. [Maui] is my favorite place to go in the world, and she's always wanted a destination wedding. We are very, very excited and couldn't be happier.