Speaker 1: Carola. She's the queen of talking. He was sown your man.
Speaker 1: She's on the yes, actually got the scoop on the
Speaker 1: on the ones in side. No one can do with quiet,
Speaker 1: my Carala, Carola. No one can do with quiet Caroline.
Speaker 1: This time of Caroline, You guys, this is the last
Speaker 1: episode of Getting Real for the Year, and we have
Speaker 1: Russell Dickerson joining us. He has had a huge explosive year.
Speaker 1: His song Yours is top five. He has journey to
Speaker 1: getting a top five song is truly remarkable. He's so
Speaker 1: inspired by his calling, his walk with God, and he
Speaker 1: talks all about it. You will not want to miss
Speaker 1: this absolutely inspirational episode. Here is Russell Dickerson to kick
Speaker 1: off the last episode of Get Reel for the Year.
Speaker 1: Well hello, Russell Dickerson, Well hello, how are you. I'm fantastic.
Speaker 1: I'm happy to have you here because I've caught you
Speaker 1: in a brief, little moment of time for you being home,
Speaker 1: because you're on a whirlwind right now. Yeah, it's pretty
Speaker 1: it's pretty nuts, but it's all good living the dream.
Speaker 1: You get what you asked for. I guess so what
Speaker 1: did you ask for? Uh? To play Arenas and stadiums
Speaker 1: and have hits and you know, do the country music life.
Speaker 1: Heck yet, so you're a Nashville native, you're one of
Speaker 1: the few, which is amazing. You grew up in the
Speaker 1: country music capital of the world. Did you always know
Speaker 1: that you wanted to do country music and be a
Speaker 1: country music star? No? No, well there was like so
Speaker 1: I was born in West Tennessee and then moved to
Speaker 1: Nashville when I was tin. So but still like when
Speaker 1: you're tin, you don't really know what you want to
Speaker 1: do with your life. And so in the school systems here,
Speaker 1: it's not like everybody listens to country, okay, because I
Speaker 1: went I grew up in Franklin, and so like it's
Speaker 1: like a you know, Nashville is kind of a big
Speaker 1: city vibe going on totally. And so, I mean there
Speaker 1: was kids listening to everything rap rock, you know, Nirvana,
Speaker 1: Red Hot, Chili Peppers, Little Wayne, Yeah, Emminem, Like eight seconds?
Speaker 1: Did that come up when you're growing out? Growing up?
Speaker 1: A second? Eight seconds? Eight miles? I combined the Cowboy
Speaker 1: movie and combined to Jake Owen song. Oh yeah, and
Speaker 1: that one, the one where the guy died in the
Speaker 1: bull Riding movie Okay, any check that one out? Is
Speaker 1: it on Netflix? It's when I have the name? Um
Speaker 1: yeah eight miles. But yeah, just I mean, there were
Speaker 1: so many different influences around, and so what did you
Speaker 1: gravitate towards? What were you loving when you're growing up?
Speaker 1: Pretty much? I mean red Hot Chili Peppers, Blink, Nirvana,
Speaker 1: like even like all the Way to the super poppy
Speaker 1: like Britney Spears like we would just like I didn't care.
Speaker 1: I just like this music is cool and I wanted
Speaker 1: to listen to it. But then like around when I
Speaker 1: started being able to drive was when I would like
Speaker 1: put that country CD in and it like felt so
Speaker 1: good while you're driving. All that and so all of
Speaker 1: that just kind of morphed into this sound that I
Speaker 1: just kind of how would you describe your sound? Uh?
Speaker 1: Super high energy and upbeat, But that's just you. That's
Speaker 1: just you in general, the happiest person to live on
Speaker 1: this earth. Thank you. That's sweet. You always are. You
Speaker 1: and your wife both are so happy. All radiate happiness.
Speaker 1: Thanks that's very sweet you too, look at that smile.
Speaker 1: Come on. Um, but yeah, so just upbeat and energetic.
Speaker 1: Is it important to you to be upbeat? And happy.
Speaker 1: Is that a choice you make? I mean sometimes yeah,
Speaker 1: Like sometimes you know, you just gotta I know that
Speaker 1: that is who you are, and even regardless of your
Speaker 1: surrounding situations, and like, Okay, I have to get up
Speaker 1: at four thirty am for this flight, but you know,
Speaker 1: I mean, I still don't let that ruin your day.
Speaker 1: Funny story, So like checking into the airport on my license,
Speaker 1: my picture is literally like and so like the happiest
Speaker 1: you have thumbs up in the picture. But can we
Speaker 1: want to get a close up of it? Yes? Can
Speaker 1: you blow out my my number? We can just put
Speaker 1: our finger over and the close up of that, Oh
Speaker 1: my gosh. So my license holds me accountable, you know
Speaker 1: when I'm at the when I'm checking into the airport
Speaker 1: desk and I'm like you know, and they're like, oh,
Speaker 1: you don't look like this in your picture, and I'm like, okay,
Speaker 1: you're right, all right. So were your parents super happy
Speaker 1: growing up? What was your upbringing? Like, do you have siblings?
Speaker 1: What was the environment of your childhood? My dad is
Speaker 1: a music minister. Okay, so you grew up in the church. Yeah,
Speaker 1: so that we moved here for my dad's still at
Speaker 1: the same church today has been there twenty years, and
Speaker 1: so yeah, we spent a lot of time. And that's like,
Speaker 1: when I think about my childhood, I think about growing
Speaker 1: up like literally in the church, and what was that, Like,
Speaker 1: did you enjoy that? Oh? Yeah, it was because like
Speaker 1: I was surrounded by obviously great people, but like other
Speaker 1: kids who were in the same like scenario was me.
Speaker 1: Their parents worked at the church and you know, dad
Speaker 1: was enquired rehearsal till nine o'clock on a Wednesday night,
Speaker 1: and so like you just hung out. Oh yeah, we
Speaker 1: just hung out with like all of those kids and
Speaker 1: like played hide and seeks. You're kind of like in
Speaker 1: a family commune in a way, church in a weird way,
Speaker 1: not in a weird way, like, and like you just
Speaker 1: have kids all around you all the time. That's so funny.
Speaker 1: It was cool. And then my little sister she's eight
Speaker 1: years seven a half years younger than me, and she's amazing. Um. Yeah,
Speaker 1: so when did you start to really full force pursue
Speaker 1: your dream of country music to the point where you like,
Speaker 1: I'm not just gonna sing in church, I'm not just
Speaker 1: gonna sing for fun. I'm actually going to go for
Speaker 1: this and how did you start making your way into
Speaker 1: that career. Let's see, Honestly, there was Let's see, it
Speaker 1: was like two thousand and seven really because I had
Speaker 1: like after high school, senior year of high school, we
Speaker 1: started this band and like like, oh, you're ready for it,
Speaker 1: embracing myself buried under Broken Glass? Oh oh man, you're
Speaker 1: feeling it. Yeah, I was feeling ce Bury under broken Glass.
Speaker 1: What were you trying to What was the thought when
Speaker 1: you came up with that? What were you wanting to think? That?
Speaker 1: We were hardcore and you're feeling it, You're getting to
Speaker 1: the heart of the real stuff. Yeah, we were just
Speaker 1: dealing with our teenage angst. Music is a good way
Speaker 1: to deal with that, and so we just played loud,
Speaker 1: annoying now music, but that we thought it was so cool.
Speaker 1: Did you make a c Yeah, I know, I gotta
Speaker 1: find it. I gotta find that kind of screaming in
Speaker 1: it isn't I wasn't the vocalist. You weren't the vocalist. Well,
Speaker 1: I would like sing every once in a while, but
Speaker 1: I played guitar. Okay, so you didn't even start off
Speaker 1: as the vocalist. Okay, then not in that band, but
Speaker 1: you knew how long you secretly wanted to best um.
Speaker 1: But yeah, Like in high school, I was in marching band.
Speaker 1: What do you play snare drum? So I did that
Speaker 1: and then we started this heavy rock band. And then
Speaker 1: after that, like around high school too, I started like
Speaker 1: leading worship from my youth group. So it does Buried
Speaker 1: under Broken Glass and worship leading? Did they match? Is
Speaker 1: it the same kind of message or is it two
Speaker 1: different messages? Yeah? It was kind of more two different messages,
Speaker 1: not not messages, two different sounds. Like yeah, because I
Speaker 1: wasn't really involved in writing any of the lyrics for
Speaker 1: Buried under Broken Glass, it's I love it. I think
Speaker 1: that is you're going to go big. You know you're
Speaker 1: not going to have after Yeah, we're not gonna get
Speaker 1: Buried under Rose pedals. It's not hardcore, um, but yeah,
Speaker 1: leading worship and that was kind of That's where I
Speaker 1: learned to play guitar, and then like being up in
Speaker 1: front of people and playing and singing, and then we
Speaker 1: did the band thing and that was kind of like
Speaker 1: I got a feel for like a show and like
Speaker 1: people coming out to listen to this music, and I'm like,
Speaker 1: these people came to hear our songs and so that
Speaker 1: I kind of got hooked on that. And then I
Speaker 1: was dating this girl in college who was raised on
Speaker 1: like the oldest, most traditional country music and like that's
Speaker 1: what she did, and so I kind of like dove
Speaker 1: into that too, and was like, you know, listen to
Speaker 1: whatever she was listening to, and it was like old stuff,
Speaker 1: like I mean, Jim Reeves and like George Jones and
Speaker 1: like so many of these old, great traditional songs, and
Speaker 1: I just kinda I got hooked on that for a while,
Speaker 1: and a lot of it because like the lower voices
Speaker 1: kind of could I could relate with that, and you know,
Speaker 1: some Merle Haggard stuff and um, but yeah, just like
Speaker 1: that's kind of what got me hooked on country music.
Speaker 1: And so then you know, that took me like super
Speaker 1: far in the traditional realm of country, and so I
Speaker 1: started writing songs in that zone. And so it started
Speaker 1: out more traditional, and then I kind of came back
Speaker 1: to the center about like probably two two or three
Speaker 1: years ago, and I was like, all right, like that's cool,
Speaker 1: but I'm I'm like trying to do something over here.
Speaker 1: I'm trying to do something different, but like right here
Speaker 1: is who I am is that when you birtht out
Speaker 1: all of these songs that are now you're ep And
Speaker 1: so that's when I started writing with Casey Brown and
Speaker 1: Parker Welling. The second song we wrote together ever, was
Speaker 1: Yours and that's a really important special song for you
Speaker 1: because it's very personal. Yeah. Yeah, and so I just
Speaker 1: kind of got back to the center of because like
Speaker 1: when I signed my first pub deal, I was in
Speaker 1: this like before that, I was kind of like Josh
Speaker 1: Turner vibe and like sing real low country and yeah,
Speaker 1: and then I kind of went more to like, all right,
Speaker 1: well I'm playing guitar too, so like kind of Keith
Speaker 1: Urban vibe, and like I was trying to write the
Speaker 1: next Keith Urban song for myself, and it just like
Speaker 1: wasn't happening. Nothing was nothing was like catching. And then
Speaker 1: it's when I got with two of my best friends
Speaker 1: who knew you knew me, they knew my you know,
Speaker 1: they knew me and Kayley's relationships since before we were together.
Speaker 1: They knew Kaylee before I did. Did you meet your wife?
Speaker 1: In college? We met Belmont. Okay, y'all have like this
Speaker 1: epic love story. Y'all are one of the country music
Speaker 1: couples that I feel like it's just a really great
Speaker 1: example of true love and you are happy to display
Speaker 1: her in your songs and you're not back in the
Speaker 1: day like people tried to hide their relationships. But that
Speaker 1: is not your vibe at all, which I think is amazing.
Speaker 1: So tell me about how you met your wife and
Speaker 1: how she has influenced your music so much. We met,
Speaker 1: we were kind of we were dating other people and
Speaker 1: so we don't really there wasn't like this like love
Speaker 1: at first sight. Were both dating other people when y'all met. Okay,
Speaker 1: so you kind of met in the friend zone. Met
Speaker 1: in the friend zone. We were in the same kind
Speaker 1: of friend group, and then we actually had the same
Speaker 1: voice teacher. So she sings. Also, Okay, can you ever
Speaker 1: do that with her? I mean I would, but I
Speaker 1: feel like she's like never really come around. She's I
Speaker 1: feel like she's starting to come around to this whole
Speaker 1: the singing thing, but not. I mean, I don't think
Speaker 1: she She's not trying to appreciate. That's why she started
Speaker 1: doing photography. But yeah, we had the same voice teacher,
Speaker 1: and I just kind of met and hang out and
Speaker 1: ended up breaking up with those people and when you
Speaker 1: met her, were you kind of like she's cute? Yeah,
Speaker 1: oh yeah, of course. And then but like it wasn't
Speaker 1: this like moment. We just kinda grew as like friends
Speaker 1: first and the same group, and then just kind of
Speaker 1: naturally gravitated towards each other and we're like, hey, we
Speaker 1: kind of like hanging out with each other. And then
Speaker 1: you know, I had our first kiss and it was
Speaker 1: like that it was good. It was honestly was that
Speaker 1: like a Belmont graduation party and like not in like
Speaker 1: a can you say, do she on here? Yeah? Okay,
Speaker 1: not in like a douchey way, but like I had
Speaker 1: never really like gone in for that super vulnerable, because
Speaker 1: what did you get rejected? Because you have had friends
Speaker 1: now for a while. Yeah, you're cool in the friends zone,
Speaker 1: so going for the kids even like yeah, exactly what
Speaker 1: all of a sudden it doesn't work out or she's
Speaker 1: like what are you doing? We're friends? You ruined everything?
Speaker 1: Oh that's so it was like it was like my
Speaker 1: first to zero, you know, your heart racing? Yeah, how
Speaker 1: did you how did you get the nerve to do it? Well?
Speaker 1: Like I told her, I was like, you know, it's
Speaker 1: usually like a meet in the middle kind of thing,
Speaker 1: and she's like not here. She's like, you're going to
Speaker 1: have to kiss me. Well at least you know what
Speaker 1: you're talking about it, so she's open to it. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and so but yeah, it was just like dang, like
Speaker 1: I'll never forget that. And so we dated for like
Speaker 1: to two and a half years and got married in
Speaker 1: May five, four years ago. That's awesome. And so yeah,
Speaker 1: she he's really I mean a huge part of this
Speaker 1: whole thing because we didn't we had nothing going on
Speaker 1: for like the first two years of our marriage. Like
Speaker 1: we made literally our first year of marriage, I think
Speaker 1: we made twelve dollars. So how do you stay afloat?
Speaker 1: She would do like photography jobs and like living off
Speaker 1: some wedding money we had. Isn't it kind of awesome
Speaker 1: to start off like that if you can make it
Speaker 1: through those really hungry years where neither one has anything
Speaker 1: to show for themselves yet, that's true love, Yeah, it is.
Speaker 1: And I mean, like we had nowhere to be, nothing
Speaker 1: to do, Like I wasn't playing It's a wasn't really
Speaker 1: playing shows. You're like I'm available, Yeah, I'm like call me,
Speaker 1: I'm ready to play some shows. Um, So how did
Speaker 1: you move past that? Not having anywhere to be anything
Speaker 1: to do with that cracking up that you said it
Speaker 1: like that. I mean it's true, totally ready, no one
Speaker 1: was really like trying to write songs with me. I
Speaker 1: had nothing going on for real. How did you break
Speaker 1: out of that? I just, honestly, I started kind of
Speaker 1: just making my own tracks and kind of producing my
Speaker 1: own stuff. Don't you think it always when you self start,
Speaker 1: it always creates a ripple effect. So you're finally like, Okay, listen,
Speaker 1: I'm not gonna wait for Jeffrey Steele to call me.
Speaker 1: I'm just gonna go and start making my own which
Speaker 1: funny story because that was my next deal. It was
Speaker 1: with Jeffrey Steele. What was in a roundabout way anyone listening,
Speaker 1: Jeffrey Steel is one of the biggest songwriters in Nashville. Amazing. Um,
Speaker 1: it wasn't directly with him, but he was. He was
Speaker 1: pretty involved and so but yeah, so those first years,
Speaker 1: what are you thinking in those years? I'm like, when
Speaker 1: is it going to happen? Like? When am I stressing
Speaker 1: out because you got a new wife? Now? Are you worried?
Speaker 1: Are you peaceful about it? Kind of id go back
Speaker 1: and forth. Like honestly, we were times when I'm like
Speaker 1: what am I doing? Like I'm a country artist, but
Speaker 1: like I'm not writing songs right now, I'm not playing shows.
Speaker 1: I'm like what am I doing? And like, looking back,
Speaker 1: it was like the most foundational time of our marriage
Speaker 1: to like just really be with each other, not have
Speaker 1: to be here, be there like we are now, like
Speaker 1: you really you really built a strong foundation, oh my gosh. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and so it wasn't built around like me already being successful.
Speaker 1: And then she comes in and like you know, it
Speaker 1: enters into this lifestyle. Immediately, it was like we're in
Speaker 1: this together, like we're broke together and now we're you know,
Speaker 1: getting our first little taste of success together, and that's awesome. Yeah.
Speaker 1: And she it's not like she was just like there,
Speaker 1: she's like helping me. She shot the music video for Yours,
Speaker 1: which yours music video first time. The whole song is
Speaker 1: about her, right, which is amazing. I love it. And
Speaker 1: then I feel like there's this really subtle depth to
Speaker 1: it because you're walking down this road and you're just
Speaker 1: sort of like proclaiming your heart to the wild open
Speaker 1: kind of describing who you are and then at one
Speaker 1: point it's raining and it's all about finding love. It
Speaker 1: also as a god connection. Explain to me yours and
Speaker 1: why this is such an important song to you. It was.
Speaker 1: It was kind of really the first hm true love
Speaker 1: song that I wrote, like from the bottom of who
Speaker 1: I am about the woman I love, and and it
Speaker 1: was it was really easy to do because it was
Speaker 1: with some of my best friends who knew who know her. Yeah,
Speaker 1: but you didn't wasn't vulnerable. You could just be yourself,
Speaker 1: be real. And then but then it's like not writing yours,
Speaker 1: but like if there's other times it's like, yeah, that's
Speaker 1: not really you, bro, and I'm like, yeah, you're right,
Speaker 1: thank you for knowing me. Yeah, and so but yeah,
Speaker 1: writing yours it was it was just this kind of
Speaker 1: like I had the idea just the title, very simple, yours,
Speaker 1: and I was like I was this before you. I
Speaker 1: was this before you, but now I'm yours, and it's like, so,
Speaker 1: what were you? The simplest little twists like talking about
Speaker 1: a boat stuck in a bottle, like it just I
Speaker 1: don't know. I was selfish and like as far as
Speaker 1: relationships go, yeah, just selfish and like the whole first
Speaker 1: kiss thing like I don't like to make the first move,
Speaker 1: Like I never make the first move, and she was like, well,
Speaker 1: you're gonna have to with me. I'm like okay, yeah,
Speaker 1: And it's just like, really, she makes me better than
Speaker 1: I was before? Do you say that you make me
Speaker 1: my best self? I left behind my worst self. I
Speaker 1: don't know how you say that, Like the best me
Speaker 1: has his arms around you. Yeah it's long gone memory.
Speaker 1: Yeah that's awesome. So it's it's just a really vulnerable,
Speaker 1: like love song admitting that I wasn't the best you
Speaker 1: know in our relationship before, but now you make me
Speaker 1: better than I was before. I feel like those to
Speaker 1: have someone like you, a cute guy breaking out in
Speaker 1: country music to yes, you know born this way like
Speaker 1: lady God that says born this way. So, but to
Speaker 1: actually value marriage, and I feel like that's something happening
Speaker 1: in country music right now. Which it's great, awesome to
Speaker 1: have a community of happily married people. Well, and I
Speaker 1: just think it's so much more fun. Why would you
Speaker 1: be married if you don't enjoy being with your spouse,
Speaker 1: And so it's cool to see people working it into
Speaker 1: their careers too. I think it's amazing. Yeah, and like
Speaker 1: now we're going out to shows and stuff and I'm like,
Speaker 1: where's Kaylee, Like she's not here. And even like with Florida,
Speaker 1: Georgia Line and Thomas Rhett and Lauren and all their wives,
Speaker 1: the lives are almost just as as wildly popular as
Speaker 1: the husbands, which is crazy. Which also you have toured
Speaker 1: with them, all of those people, Thomas Hrett, Florida, GEORGEA Line,
Speaker 1: Kanan Smith. But you're kind of in this crew. Yeah,
Speaker 1: did y'all come up together? How did you get in
Speaker 1: this crew? Yeah, this is a fun story because that's
Speaker 1: a great crew to be a part of. Yeah. Well,
Speaker 1: like so it started out. I was playing at Twelfth
Speaker 1: and Porter down here and it was like one of
Speaker 1: my first shows ever. And this girl came up and
Speaker 1: she was like, Hey, a couple of buddies of mine
Speaker 1: want to talk to you and like write with you
Speaker 1: and meet you. And I'm like, Okay, that's whatever. Sure,
Speaker 1: I'm here to write songs. I'm in Nashville. And so
Speaker 1: it was Brian and Tyler and before they yeah, like
Speaker 1: they were just trying to be songwriters. Yeah, and so
Speaker 1: I was like I knew I wanted to be an artist.
Speaker 1: So I was already playing shows and you know, ten
Speaker 1: people were there, but you're doing it. I'm doing it.
Speaker 1: And so we they were like, hey, man, like we
Speaker 1: should write some songs together, come over to the house. Um,
Speaker 1: and I was like yeah, sure, And so we kind
Speaker 1: of wrote a ton of songs together, awesome songs, and
Speaker 1: I just like was I wanted to be the artist
Speaker 1: and so like I just cut them off. And then
Speaker 1: they're like, yeah, we're gonna do this band thing Florida
Speaker 1: Georgia line and I'm like all right, cool, I go
Speaker 1: do your thing. And they kind of had a totally
Speaker 1: different sound than I did, and so um, so they
Speaker 1: went out and did their thing, and then they showed
Speaker 1: me cruise. They were like, hey man, we just wrote
Speaker 1: this song like it's pretty good, awesome, and I was
Speaker 1: like dang, yeah, um but now it was. And then
Speaker 1: then for them, it just like took off so fast.
Speaker 1: Is that crazy to be in that? Yeah? It was
Speaker 1: crazy to see them like just blow up. I was
Speaker 1: like these are my boys, and like now they're They
Speaker 1: were like on tour with Jaco went at the time,
Speaker 1: which yeah, and then just like hearing him on the
Speaker 1: radio and it was just so like I felt like
Speaker 1: the proud little brother, you know, and so because they
Speaker 1: were like a couple of years ahead of me at
Speaker 1: Belmont and all that stuff, and so just to see
Speaker 1: them take off in that way, it was so amazing.
Speaker 1: It's so crazy, and I feel like Nashville is really
Speaker 1: amazing at having such a strong community of people because
Speaker 1: people really do link up and they they they grow
Speaker 1: off of each other, they get inspirational off each other,
Speaker 1: and then all oftudden you see this whole group of
Speaker 1: friends all making it. I feel like it happens like
Speaker 1: that a lot, like how doing the music mafia would
Speaker 1: to stick together and then one by one they start
Speaker 1: getting their own success. I feel like national so supportive. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it really is, because like I know, like Jake brought
Speaker 1: fgl Out on tour, Luke brought f gl Out on tour,
Speaker 1: and um, I mean you have to have the music
Speaker 1: as well, but it's still that and like Thomas brought
Speaker 1: me out on tour, and I know like al Deane
Speaker 1: brought him out on tour, and it's just like it
Speaker 1: is this community of like, hey, I dig what you're doing.
Speaker 1: Come out. Let me introduce you to my fans, and
Speaker 1: you know it catches on and like with the tr tour,
Speaker 1: like that was the biggest exposure to that size crowd
Speaker 1: every night. How did you feel playing that shows? Amazing?
Speaker 1: It was. It was cool because like I've opened up
Speaker 1: for people before, but this one was like just a
Speaker 1: different level and they were like all the all the
Speaker 1: fans were like into it, like whatever Thomas Rhett brings
Speaker 1: to his show, like we're there, Yeah, we like it.
Speaker 1: It's Thomas Thomas right approved. Yeah, And so yeah, it
Speaker 1: was just like it was a great It was the
Speaker 1: incredible tour. So you've kind of done something with yours.
Speaker 1: I think it's awesome. It's sort of a wedding song
Speaker 1: and you have crashed some people's weddings playing this song.
Speaker 1: How did you get that idea? And what was that
Speaker 1: feeling like because one of them, I think you were
Speaker 1: playing the guitar when the bride walks down and she
Speaker 1: had no idea you were going to be there. How
Speaker 1: do you decide to surprise pool like that? What a
Speaker 1: sweet Yeah. Well, the at first writing writing yours, it
Speaker 1: was like we weren't like, well, what a bride want
Speaker 1: to hear? Like walking down the aisle, We weren't It
Speaker 1: wasn't that mindset at all. It was just like us
Speaker 1: being real and honest and just writing the best song
Speaker 1: we could and then we released it, we released the
Speaker 1: video um, and then slowly but surely it was like
Speaker 1: a tweet here, a tweet there, like hey, we just
Speaker 1: used this in our wedding song. Here's the here's our
Speaker 1: video of us in our first dance. And I'm just like,
Speaker 1: holy cow, like it's just starting to catch on. And
Speaker 1: so this was before the EP was released, and I
Speaker 1: was like, I think we should do like an acoustic wedding,
Speaker 1: like more chill version instead of like guitar solos and
Speaker 1: all that stuff, like a cello and some piano and stuff.
Speaker 1: So we went back and recorded the whole thing. Um,
Speaker 1: and yeah, it was just still just like snowballed and
Speaker 1: it's still still going, even getting crazier of like people
Speaker 1: reaching out and asking me to come play their wedding,
Speaker 1: and um, if you're listening and you asked them, we
Speaker 1: didn't respond, it's sorry, I love you, but like yeah,
Speaker 1: it's just people I want to like have this song
Speaker 1: a part of their special perfect message. It's the message
Speaker 1: that you want. Yeah, And honestly, I feel like a
Speaker 1: lot of guys can relate to this song, Like, and
Speaker 1: as as I look out and see people at my shows,
Speaker 1: it's like a lot of like even yeah, I mean
Speaker 1: not totally, but I mean there's a lot of dudes,
Speaker 1: and I feel like it really connects because like it
Speaker 1: was just me being honest and like, hey, I wasn't
Speaker 1: the best of relationships. Yeah, I wasn't really the best
Speaker 1: at relationships, but then I met the love of my life.
Speaker 1: And I feel like these guys are like, yeah, like
Speaker 1: I feel you and like this girl change my life,
Speaker 1: and so they'll come to the shows together. Anyways, what
Speaker 1: were we talking about, how you're just surprising people's weddings
Speaker 1: and so they'll reach out and like, hey, can we
Speaker 1: buy you a plane ticket out here? And like surprised
Speaker 1: and like I try to do as many as I can,
Speaker 1: but it's um, you know, it's getting harder and harder
Speaker 1: to do that. But it's so fun too. Like a
Speaker 1: song that I wrote in this crappy apartment in Nashville
Speaker 1: and then we recorded it and like people are hearing
Speaker 1: it and they're like, oh my gosh. Like people would
Speaker 1: be like, hey, we had a first dance song. Our
Speaker 1: wedding is next week and we just heard yours and
Speaker 1: we're changing it. Oh, how incredible is that your art
Speaker 1: and your words and your message. And I'm like, that's
Speaker 1: like the biggest day, one of the biggest days of
Speaker 1: your life, and you just changed it a week before
Speaker 1: your wedding because you heard And it's like, I don't know,
Speaker 1: it's just cool. How are the song and the power
Speaker 1: are the truth too? So right before you got your
Speaker 1: break and you signed and yours came out when you're
Speaker 1: in the wilderness place those two years. That's so true.
Speaker 1: It's a great word. Did you ever have a moment
Speaker 1: where you're like I just got to throw in the towel, Like,
Speaker 1: did you ever have a moment or you're like I
Speaker 1: can't do this? Not really? You never did you knew
Speaker 1: that this is for you? Yeah? Never. There was never
Speaker 1: like a Plan B in my head, but there was
Speaker 1: like that's important to not have a plan by because
Speaker 1: because like I think it takes away from your endurance
Speaker 1: towards your plan A. Totally totally yeah, And so turn
Speaker 1: up and dropped the mike, um uh a d D distracted.
Speaker 1: You don't have a plan B? Yeah, I don't. I
Speaker 1: don't think so it's like I never Yeah, I was
Speaker 1: just like I went to Belmont, I studied, you know, singing.
Speaker 1: M Like, that's what I want to do. And yeah,
Speaker 1: I think if you have a plan B, you'll fall
Speaker 1: back on that sooner than you you would have without
Speaker 1: having it. I love that. I kind of do a
Speaker 1: little bit of rapid fire. And these are kind of
Speaker 1: deep words, but you're a deep person and I know, like,
Speaker 1: do you like to talk about the soul? So what
Speaker 1: is faith to you? Faith is what has kept me
Speaker 1: going this whole time, trusting that what I couldn't see
Speaker 1: yet was still ahead. And how did you know that
Speaker 1: it would be there? How did you know that your
Speaker 1: faith was was legit? You know, because it's so easy
Speaker 1: to have faith but then to actually believe it and
Speaker 1: live it as another thing. So that's awesome. Um, it's
Speaker 1: really just kind of I mean, the faith is that trust,
Speaker 1: that that what I'm hoping for, that what I'm chasing,
Speaker 1: that what I'm desiring is going to come to me.
Speaker 1: Do you think what you desire in your heart is
Speaker 1: your calling? Yeah? And do you think we all have
Speaker 1: different desires because we all have different callings? Is that
Speaker 1: how we find our calling or how do you identify
Speaker 1: it your calling? Yeah, I think it's the desire of
Speaker 1: your heart. You know, I feel like me personally, I
Speaker 1: feel like God gives me that desire. There's a verse
Speaker 1: that talks about that, and it gets confused a lot
Speaker 1: because like it's like, whatever I want, God's going to
Speaker 1: give it to me. And it's actually like, I feel
Speaker 1: like it's the reverse of that. It's like God gives
Speaker 1: you the desire for what you want, you know, like
Speaker 1: he gave me that desire to to be on a
Speaker 1: platform in the stage and two pursue this relentlessly because
Speaker 1: I me personally like I didn't have I mean I did,
Speaker 1: Like it's sometimes I was like should I just like
Speaker 1: not keep get a job? You know, I got to
Speaker 1: support my wife. But it was never like giving up
Speaker 1: on this dream. But but yeah, I feel like that
Speaker 1: desire has just been in my heart and there was
Speaker 1: no other really way to go about it. Just stick
Speaker 1: it out and continue to have faith. Do you think
Speaker 1: some people, okay, answer this question, some people do not
Speaker 1: pursue their calling because fear, fear of failure. I feel
Speaker 1: like everyone has that desire on their heart, but so
Speaker 1: many people can't quite identify what it is and they're
Speaker 1: not willing to search for it. But be I wonder
Speaker 1: why everyone doesn't listen to those desires. I think about it.
Speaker 1: Everyone I interview in the share is people who are
Speaker 1: following the desires. But it's hard, isn't it? It is?
Speaker 1: And like it's not easy. Everyone thinks, oh, your life
Speaker 1: must be easy. Look at you. You've got a great wife,
Speaker 1: you got a hit song, rad you, your friends are
Speaker 1: all these fabulous people touring. But it's really hard to
Speaker 1: follow your calling. Yeah, and it is because like even
Speaker 1: like I saw my buddies blow up, and I was like,
Speaker 1: is that going to happen to me? Like is that
Speaker 1: ever going to happen for me? And but yeah, it's
Speaker 1: just staying strong and continuing just to follow that desire
Speaker 1: every single day that has brought me to and not
Speaker 1: preparing to that was a that was a big thing
Speaker 1: for me. Is like it's not going to happen the
Speaker 1: same way for anybody. It's all every single way is different.
Speaker 1: And as much as there you try to figure out
Speaker 1: this formula to get a hit song on the radio,
Speaker 1: it's just it's all different. And so that was kind
Speaker 1: of the point where I was like, all right, well,
Speaker 1: like me and Kaylee, my wife, were going to shoot
Speaker 1: a music video and we're gonna put it on YouTube,
Speaker 1: and that's how we're gonna start doing this thing. And
Speaker 1: then there was just one thing after another. It kept
Speaker 1: growing and growing. What would you recommend some one who
Speaker 1: doesn't know how to follow their calling or doesn't know
Speaker 1: what to do. Maybe they have an idea of what
Speaker 1: it is. How would you suggest that next step? How
Speaker 1: do you know the next step? I don't think you
Speaker 1: do ever really know what the perfect next step is.
Speaker 1: But just start firing, just start just start doing something.
Speaker 1: I totally agree to do something. That's my answer. Do something,
Speaker 1: because like we didn't know what the answer was. Yeah,
Speaker 1: we did something. We shot a video and that opened
Speaker 1: the next door. Yeah that we shot a video and
Speaker 1: if that wouldn't have worked, we would have come up
Speaker 1: with something and it was something else. Yeah do ah. Well,
Speaker 1: Like I didn't have a record deal at the time,
Speaker 1: so my plan was shoot a video for yours, shoot
Speaker 1: a video for another and we had called Blue Tacoma,
Speaker 1: shoot another video for just do this like video series,
Speaker 1: and like, I don't know. That was my plan. And
Speaker 1: then We got together with my manager and I'm like,
Speaker 1: all right, we're going to record an EP. And then
Speaker 1: that EP led to getting a record deal and led
Speaker 1: to a song on the radio. And now because you
Speaker 1: took action, just do something that it's scary to think
Speaker 1: might work. And it's kind of scary to put yourself
Speaker 1: out there too, Like what if people judge me and
Speaker 1: think I suck or whatever it doesn't work. You just
Speaker 1: can't worry about that, right exactly. That's I mean, that's
Speaker 1: what will lead you back into the cycle of why
Speaker 1: don't why don't you think people follow their dreams? Look
Speaker 1: at you a failure? Yeah? Okay, Um, what is being
Speaker 1: brave to you? Ah? Being brave? I think it is
Speaker 1: not caring what people think about insert whatever they're like.
Speaker 1: Not caring about what people think is one of the
Speaker 1: hardest things for me is like what if you know,
Speaker 1: what if they think I'm you know, trying to I
Speaker 1: don't know, trying to like just hang around them, to
Speaker 1: be cool and be whatever. But like or I mean
Speaker 1: anything anything anything to do with like fear of man
Speaker 1: is it's so frustrating and it's I feel like everyone
Speaker 1: struggled with that. Have you realized kind of. I've sort
Speaker 1: of realized this over time. Whatever I think people are thinking,
Speaker 1: they're actually never thinking, because no one's really ever even
Speaker 1: thinking about anyone but themselves most of the time, right,
Speaker 1: do you think? And I feel like what that fear
Speaker 1: is is how I would view someone else in a
Speaker 1: similar situation, like, oh, if I keep coughing, like everyone
Speaker 1: around me is going to be like, oh, what idiot?
Speaker 1: You know? I don't know, I don't know, but you
Speaker 1: know what I mean. It's just like and you put
Speaker 1: that on yourself. But yeah, I think the fear of
Speaker 1: man is, and especially in this approval industry, like you
Speaker 1: want every as many people to approve of you, listen
Speaker 1: to your song, by your record as humanly possible, and
Speaker 1: so you want to please everyone. But did you have
Speaker 1: to balance that wanting to please everyone and wanting to
Speaker 1: stay true to yourself? Is there a fine line? Do
Speaker 1: you think? Yeah? And I think as more the more
Speaker 1: you lean on the true to yourself line, the more
Speaker 1: successful you'll be. I agree totally. What do you think
Speaker 1: the point of life is? That's a good one, But
Speaker 1: I feel like you're going to have a great answer
Speaker 1: the point of life? Um, I think it's too. I
Speaker 1: think it's honestly really based around like showing love in
Speaker 1: the greatest way possible to like, like with my wife,
Speaker 1: I think that the best version of our marriage is
Speaker 1: just being sacrificial and um yeah, just like laying down
Speaker 1: my life for her her life or mine. This equal
Speaker 1: partnership and like for someone who who you know is
Speaker 1: a single mom or you know, insert any situation there
Speaker 1: is just using what you have to help and to
Speaker 1: change their life just because of love, because of compassion
Speaker 1: that you have you know, in your being, not just
Speaker 1: for anyone else to see it, but just because that's
Speaker 1: in your heart and that's what you want. I love that. Okay,
Speaker 1: so we're gonna wrap up so much wisdom radiating out
Speaker 1: of it. Oh gosh, well what is happiness actually? Before
Speaker 1: we get to our last question? What is happiness to you?
Speaker 1: I think happiness is a choice. I totally agree with that, right,
Speaker 1: It is totally a choice. You can find happiness in
Speaker 1: any situation, do you think, even the bad ones. Yeah,
Speaker 1: And it's it's usually like it's usually like me having
Speaker 1: like get over my pride. Like we were talking about
Speaker 1: like a four am five am flight. It's like I
Speaker 1: don't know, I don't deserve to be up this early,
Speaker 1: Like I'm flying somewhere to play a show because this
Speaker 1: station is playing my song on the radio and I
Speaker 1: have a top thirty single right now. Yes, you know,
Speaker 1: but that's awful. Yeah, And so it's just like you
Speaker 1: just gotta look at that stuff every single time. And
Speaker 1: I just know that. I mean, you can find happiness
Speaker 1: in every situation. I totally agree. Okay, So I like
Speaker 1: to wrap up with leave your light, leave some inspiration
Speaker 1: of how you have been inspired and how you would
Speaker 1: like to inspire the world with your life and whatever
Speaker 1: you're putting out there. Totally. I mean, that's kind of it,
Speaker 1: like finding finding love and happiness in every situation. And like,
Speaker 1: like with my wife and I, we want to show
Speaker 1: the world what a great marriage looks like. And so
Speaker 1: it's not I mean, it's not a lot of pressure,
Speaker 1: but it's like, you know, I I want to be
Speaker 1: the best husband I can every single day, and so
Speaker 1: and the more we show the world pieces of our marriage,
Speaker 1: it's like, all right, like I can't. I can't suck
Speaker 1: at being a husband. You know. I got people to
Speaker 1: like hold your account yeah, to hold me accountable and
Speaker 1: to like inspire and just to show the world God's
Speaker 1: love and through our marriage. That's awesome. Yeah, okay, so
Speaker 1: now we're gonna hear yours. Let's do it. Let's hear
Speaker 1: it all Russell Diggers. Yeah, I was a boat stuck
Speaker 1: in a bottle, never got the chance to toust see
Speaker 1: just fork out on the shift, no wind, says, going
Speaker 1: nowhere with no one me. I was one in a
Speaker 1: hundred billion, a burnout star in a galaxy. I just
Speaker 1: lost in the sky, wondering why everyone else shines out
Speaker 1: with me. But I keep it alife. When I first
Speaker 1: kissed you, pass me as his arms around you. You
Speaker 1: make me better. You know wars before. Thank god your
Speaker 1: I was worn outside of shoes. Just wander in the
Speaker 1: city street, know the face of the crowd, hit looking down,
Speaker 1: lost in the sound of a long anality, empty pockets
Speaker 1: said a rude alway. He's maying in on an out
Speaker 1: space and just live for the speed, hope for the wind,
Speaker 1: go all in just to lose a game. But I
Speaker 1: keep alife. And I first kissed you, Pissley has his
Speaker 1: arms around you. You make me better than I wants before.
Speaker 1: Thank God, I'm yours. The worst me is still long
Speaker 1: gone memory. You put a new heartbeat inside of me.
Speaker 1: You make me better than ours before. Thaink God out
Speaker 1: your because I was appomed stuck in a bony. I
Speaker 1: never got the chance to touch the scene, but he
Speaker 1: did after when I first kissed you, but best me
Speaker 1: had his arms around you. You make me better than
Speaker 1: ours before. Thank God. I'm the worst. Me is just
Speaker 1: still long gone memory. You put a new heartbeat inside
Speaker 1: of me. You make me better than I before. Thank God,
Speaker 1: thank God, thank God, thank God. Your Oh my gosh,
Speaker 1: you've got some crimes. Talk about that note at the
Speaker 1: end to get it bro, Thank you so much for
Speaker 1: joining me. Everyone, Russell Dickerson, make sure get his single
Speaker 1: Yours EP it that the full album is coming out
Speaker 1: album you can pre order right now. Okay, Y'll check
Speaker 1: it out. Russell Jackerson. I know that you love that
Speaker 1: interview with Russell Dickerson. What an inspiring person. He truly
Speaker 1: is walking in his calling and he's just living such
Speaker 1: an amazing life. It was such a pleasure to interview him.
Speaker 1: You guys, I have loved having you joined me this
Speaker 1: year with Get Real, the rebrand of my podcast, going
Speaker 1: from Hyper to Get Real. Thank you for following along.
Speaker 1: Next year is just gonna keep getting better and better,
Speaker 1: so we'll see you in happy holidays.