Brett Eldredge plays Starplex on Sept. 23.Earlier this month, country superstar and heartthrob Brett Eldredge released his self-titled third album, a 12-song effort chronicling platonic and romantic love, heartbreak and his current outlook on love. He's on tour with Luke Bryan, and they'll be stopping in Dallas on Sept. 23 at the Starplex Pavilion. We spoke to him about his No. 1 album, beautiful women in Dallas and being a superhero.
Dallas Observer: Congratulations on being No. 1 on the Billboard all-genre top albums chart. Where were you when you heard the news?
Brett Eldredge: I was backstage at a show in New Hampshire, and I came straight from Jimmy Fallon and New York City, so I went to New Hampshire and I got offstage, and I found out that we were looking like we had sold the most records of the week, so that was pretty awesome.
They say, "You sold the most records in country music, but also, you sold the most records in all-genre, of all kinds of music." So I was kind of floored by that, and I got really excited because I never got to do that before, so that was a really special feeling.
It's so insane. For me, that's a dream right there. I always hoped that I would put out an album and I would see it sitting there at No. 1 overall, but it was always just a dream and I actually got to see it happen. I was very fortunate with a lot of people helping me get the word out and my fans and everybody. The album also spread by word of mouth a lot just because I think a lot of people were connecting with the songs and everything. It became part of people's lives. That's all I really care about beyond being a No. 1 album.
In your song, "Haven't Met You," you sing, "You could be in Dallas or LA," so thanks for the shoutout. Was that on purpose, or did it just rhyme or did you just pick a city?
I wrote the song with a girl named Heather Morgan, who is from Dallas, and I think probably subconsciously or somehow, I don't remember if we purposely said Dallas, but I love Dallas, so it just fit. And I know a lot of beautiful girls in Dallas, so maybe that's why. [Laughs.]
So I've heard you say with this being a self-titled album, that this is your most personal album. Is there a most personal song?"I allow myself to be very vulnerable and I'm very open in it ["Castaway"] about my relationship with love and how I run from it and usually end up a castaway off an island when I needed love the whole time." – Brett Eldredge
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I think there's two. "Castaway" is the most personal, I'd say. I allow myself to be very vulnerable, and I'm very open in it about my relationship with love and how I run from it and usually end up a castaway off an island when I needed love the whole time. That's why I ended the record with that song. It doesn't leave you without hope for love, but the record starts out real lighthearted and then it goes to all the different aspects of love. And it's one where I'm kind of at with love and I think it was just one of the most honest songs ever.
What was the second most personal one?
"No Stopping You."
Is that about anyone in particular?
Ha. It's interesting. I don't think it's about one person in particular. It's several different situations. One, I see myself in it as well. You kind of have to remind yourself that there's no stopping you if you want to chase down a dream. In the song, it talks about, "When you're looking out the window when you board a train, when you take a sip, do you say my name? When you get lost on the silver coast, do you stop for a minute and dance with my ghost?"
That all came from inspiration from me when I was traveling Europe and seeing all these things, and so I kind of see a little bit of myself in past relationships where you have to let somebody go that has bigger and better things to do with their life that might not involve you. And you have to support them and be there for them. I think that one is really powerful in so many ways.
My favorite hobby is following your megafans on Twitter and seeing how much they obsess over you. Some girls have your last name as their last name, and some girls get your lyrics tattooed on them. What do you think when you see these girls dedicate their lives to you?
It took me awhile to get used to that because I still feel like the same 20-year-old kid who moved to Nashville, having fun, goofing off, writing songs and just having a blast, getting onstage and singing wherever I can. And now everything has gotten really big, and fortunately for my career, you get this whole fan thing.
I've had it going on for a little while now, but it continues to get more passionate, more passionate about my music, and they start getting tattoos, they start dancing to your song at their wedding, and they say your music has changed their lives and they get a tattoo — it's a cool feeling. At first it was a little weird for me, but at the same time, that's why I make music, to try to be that outlet for somebody to get away from the world.
Nobody's perfect by any means; I'm far from it, but I try to show both sides of everything I've experienced through social media and say, "I'm just a person, and I want to help you through it. You've helped me through it," and that's why I love my fans.
Where did the inspiration for "Superhero" come from?
I started writing that song with Heather Morgan and Ross Copperman, and they both weren't totally into the idea of what I was writing because I had this idea of writing almost two different songs. One song was a different groove completely, and then the chorus came and it was a whole different song.
So we actually wrote a whole song, and I think they were kind of confused on what I was trying to go for, and we finished it and we always thought the chorus was super catchy, and I think it was a little too out there for everybody, so Ross came back one day and was like, "We got to rewrite this."
OK, but you don't think women need a superhero or saving, right?
I mean, for me, I always do love superhero movies, so for me it's like when the guy comes and saves the day and everything, that's a cool sentiment. I mean I hate when girls are mistreated in a relationship, and so if I could ever be a gentleman and show her how she deserves to be treated, then if I could be a superhero in that way, then that would be pretty awesome.
Brett Eldredge, with Luke Bryan, 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, Starplex Pavilion, 3839 S. Fitzhugh Ave., $45 and up, ticketmaster.com.
