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10 Questions with ... Lee Brice
September 28, 2020
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Lee Brice is enjoying the fastest-rising single of his career. His current hit, “One Of Them Girls,” just reached #1 after 23 weeks on the Mediabase Country chart. This latest smash comes on the heels of his recent #1s, “Rumor” and “I Hope You’re Happy Now” (the latter a platinum-selling duet with Carly Pearce), as well as five previous chart-toppers. In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, he also debuted a poignant new song, “Hey World,” that specifically addressed his feelings about the global heath crisis, during which he has been off the road and at home with wife Sara and their three children.
This year, Brice also embraced the business side of the music business, launching publishing company Cock Crows Publishing and becoming a partner in newly established label Pump House Records, signing his childhood friend Nick Norman as the label’s first artist. He has also been a partner in liquor brand American Born Whiskey since 2017. Brice is currently nominated for two Country Music Association Awards for Musical Event and Music Video of the Year for “I Hope You’re Happy Now.” He will release his newest album, “Hey World,” on November 20th.
1. “One Of Them Girls” was most added in its debut week, and was off and running from there. Was that what you expected from that song?
I played it for a few radio folks as I was recording it, even the work tapes and stuff, and got nothing but crazy positive feedback, like they couldn’t wait to play it. We held it off a little bit before releasing it because we had the Carly duet out, and also they played “Rumor” so much that I didn’t want to push them. So we waited, because sometimes getting radio play is about timing and getting the right song at the right time. And I think they were really ready for this one. Because I got so much great feedback [pre-release], I expected [its success] a little bit, but it has really proven to be even beyond my expectations. It’s really cool.
2. You’ve said “One Of Them Girls” was inspired by Father’s Day last year. Can you describe how that song got written, and in the middle of the night?
As a professional songwriter, sometimes you may have a co-write planned and you might not even feel like getting up [for it], whether you’re sick, or maybe you stayed out too late or maybe you just don’t feel inspired. But you just get up and go anyway. But every now and then, it’s kind of like you just have this gut feeling that you just want to write, just inspiration happening now, like, “I’ve just got to get up right now and do it, no matter what time of the day or night.”
[This one] just fell out. I got done with that at 4 a.m., we recorded it five hours later, and then immediately, that afternoon, the label heard just our rough of the recording and was like, “That’s our first single.” This stuff doesn’t happen very often, so it’s kind of a Cinderella story song.
3. And the music video for it, while shot last year, is so perfect for the times right now.
Yeah, that wasn’t planned for [the pandemic] obviously, but I love to take a video deeper or farther than the song even goes if we can. If you’re seeing the same thing on the video that you imagined [for the song], to me, sometimes that’s just a waste of an opportunity. So we wanted to give a song some more depth with the video making [the lead character] a first responder, going through tough times herself and still keeping her chin up.
4. How goes life during quarantine? How have you been spending your time?
I’ve been so fortunate because so many folks, especially in the bigger cities, just don’t really have anywhere to go other than just their apartment or house. I’m just so fortunate that we got a little farm about 20 miles away [from home] and we plan on building there. I’ve had the time to teach the kids just simple stuff that you do on a farm, and all the things I learned growing up. We’ve been planting gardens, running tillers and hooking up trailers, clearing woods. We set up camps and all kinds of stuff, and it’s been great to go back and forth from the house to there. With the three kids and the wife, and everybody in the same space at all times, it’s difficult even for us. So I feel for so many people that are really stuck and thankful for what we have.
5. You’ve hit on several already, but what’s one unexpected positive for you that has come out of this whole pandemic mess?
Well, you think you know your kids, and then you get stuck with them 24/7 for a few weeks. There’s no school, no play dates, and there comes another level of -- I mean, they all have their different personalities and their different things and we’re a tight family -- but I have found an even deeper connection, and am kind of getting to know them on a deeper level individually. So I’m soaking that in.
I’m usually gone so much, and when I’m home, I soak them in for those few days, but feel like I’m squeezing it in. I’ve still been working a lot, trying to figure things out with staying in touch with people and doing some shows virtually and all this stuff, but I’ve still had a lot more time at home to connect with them. That’s been really kind of eye opening that you can really get down on their level at 11, 6 and 3. It’s been really special.
6. Like everyone, you’ve had to postpone touring plans. How far into the future are you expecting that to be the case?
I don’t know. That’s the worst part. Everything is either canceled or postponed. I guess it might depend on how big the shows are. Some artists might get back to work sooner than others because they’re playing smaller venues or what have you. We really don’t know. Some people like Live Nation that book big festivals are saying they’re not going to be back until next fall [2021]. Things like that are a huge gut punch and reality check, so we’re all wondering. We know about as much as you do. We’re just ready, I can tell you that, ready to get back on the road and do what we do.
7. As an artist, that has to be so scary when the bulk of your livelihood is dependent on touring, now knowing the business may not get back to normal for many months to even a year. How do you process that?
I guess just one thought at a time, one day at a time, one new idea at a time to try to figure out some stuff online. Let’s figure out other ways and other things, but also take time to make music. I was able to finish my record.
But it’s just one step at a time, I guess, for now. There’s been some really tough times. There’s no money coming in, so there’s no way to even pay people that you’ve been working with for 15 years. My band, they’re all really smart. They've been good with money and so we’re all okay right now. But it is scary for anybody out there that they can’t work because of this.
8. This certainly didn’t happen with “One Of Them Girls,” but between “Rumor” and “Love Like Crazy” you had some songs that spent an unusually long time climbing the charts. Does that get frustrating for you, or are you just kind of happily counting how many downloads and streams you gain from all those weeks on the chart?
Well, it’s a little frustrating because I would rather have more music out. But, instead of being frustrated, we’ve figured out ways when, even if I have a single out that’s taking forever, if I have something else that comes up that makes sense in a moment [we release it]. Like last year, I put out a song called “Welcome To The Weekend” for football season, and then this year with “Hey World,” which I just wrote for these times going on right now, and I’ve got plans for another song in October. We just finally came to terms with the label and we all agreed in this day and time people want more content. And for me as an artist, I’ve got so much stuff I want to put out a song every day!
The world is at a place where, especially the kids and younger folks, they’re used to having what they want and more of it now, right this second. We used to sit around and wait for a year or two or three for a 10- or 12-song record from our favorite artists. But it’s not like that anymore. People just need more content, more stuff. Luckily, I’ve got a bunch of songs piled up, so I’m going to keep throwing them out there.
9. Speaking of that, your song “Hey World” is taps into exactly how so many people are feeling as his pandemic drags on. Can you talk about how that song got created?
Well, actually, it was my first time doing a Zoom write. I had never really done FaceTime or virtual write over a phone. But when we got in there, it was so gratifying.
My buddy Dallas [Davidson] has this idea inspired by his little boy saying, “Dad, can we turn the TV off, it’s scaring me.” It just hit Dallas in that moment, like, “Hey world, leave me alone. I don’t want to turn on the TV. Ain’t nothing but bad news on.” In that moment, it kind of felt introspective for him.
Everybody has a moment where they just feel that way. And so that’s kind of what we went with. I loved it. It just kind of felt timely, so I put it out there so people can get it if they want it.
10. How did Carly Pearce approach you to duet with her on “I Hope You’re Happy Now?” Had you two been friends, and why did she want your voice, specifically?
My manager texted me and said, “Hey, would you ever be interested in doing a duet with Carly Pearce?” I was like, “Yeah, I think she’s really talented and she’s always been sweet the few times that we’ve met and hung out and done a show together. It just really kind of depends on the song.” As soon as I heard it, I fell in love with the song and I was like, “I’m in,” but they were like, “Well, we need it, like, yesterday.” So I said, “Well, I won’t be home for, like, six weeks, I’ve got a studio on my bus.” I ended up doing the vocal out on the bus kind of like [how co-writer] Luke [Combs] had done it on the demo. Carly called and said, “Lee, I love this vocal, but there’s just something I’m missing. The whole reason I wanted you on this is because I’m such a fan of you and that Lee thing you do.” I said, “Well, I don’t know where that Lee thing is” [laughs]. She said, “Whatever that Lee thing is, I’ve just been in love with your voice.” And, that was a compliment coming from her because she’s such a great singer. She just said, “Sing it how you would sing it,” and that was it. That was the vocal you hear on the radio. She even said while she was writing it she just heard my voice on it. So I’m glad she called!
Bonus Questions
Have you given any more thought since then to just what that “Lee thing” is?
I think it’s just me being me. Sometimes I have a little bit too much emotion, but that’s just the nature of what I’ve done my whole life, from singing gospel, to just my favorite songs growing up that had a lot of passion and angst in them.
What’s going on with Pump House Records, and how are you enjoying being a label executive?
I’ve been producing a bunch of stuff, [including] one of my best friends named Nick Norman. He’s just so great. And my brother, Lewis Brice, we’re doing a whole new EP on him, so I’ve been making a lot of other music as well.
[Operating a label is] a lot of different kinds of ways of looking at things. Luckily I’m a “do with what your heart tells you to do” [person,] so that’s kind of what we are at the label. We just want the best for Nick and want what he wants, and Lewis the same way.
There’s a little more stress ’cause it’s like, “Okay, I don’t want to fail for this person. I want to make this thing work for them.” But it’s fun. I’ve been in the music business a long time now, so I kind of know all the angles of it at least a little bit. We figured out a cool little path, and it’s working so far.
If you were to send Nick or Lewis out on a radio tour, what would be one piece of advice you’d give them about how that goes?
I would probably tell them, “Don’t stay out all night drinking with radio!” You’ve got to get up the next morning, and all that drinking with them will catch up to you. They want you to go out and have fun with them, but they also don’t want you to come in tired the next day, so it’s kind of a double-edged sword. That’s one thing I learned over the years.
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