Standing around a table facing the beach, feet in the sand and a slight breeze blowing, Drew Baldridge is explaining to us about the whirlwind adventure it has been since releasing his debut single “Dance With Ya” and all about his album which will be released this June. He has just walked off the main stage after an energetic sixty minute set at Tortuga Music Festival in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Baldridge says that the best part of his last six months has definitely been being able to visit almost all fifty states. He has gotten the chance to meet fans and roll out the new music from the album Dirt On Us. While on his radio tour, he has watched “Dance With Ya” climb the Billboard charts, currently in the top 50. “A lot of times you just have your head down and you are just working, working, working, and sometimes you wonder ‘What am I doing, am I seeing success?’ and I look up and I’m top 50,” he tells us ecstatically. Sometimes singing for multiple radio stations and sometimes even different states a day, it can be exhausting, but Baldridge says he has trained his body to sleep anywhere at any time if he finds a free hour or two.
Obtaining a huge loyal fan base this early in his career, Baldridge shares that his fans are just as big a part of his journey as himself. He prides himself on being sure to meet every single fan after all of his shows, wanting to shake their hands and let them know that he truly appreciates them. “I want my fans to know I am passionate about them and I wouldn’t be able to do this without them,” he says.
With a release date for Dirt On Us, Baldridge tells us he has been writing for the album whole life. Collaborating with a group of writers to create Dirt On Us, Baldridge tells us he feels that using the same seven writers for each of the songs created a cohesive sound that he wanted to achieve. Each of the writers have been with him since day one, writing these songs for the past three years in anticipation of releasing this LP. Co-writing 11 of the 13 tracks on the LP has allowed him to have extensive control of the sound, which mashes southern gospel with his signature groove.
Using the term “Funktry,” he explains he loves mixing together a little bit of funk with a little bit of country and that is evident with his current single “Dance With Ya.” One of his favorite moments creating this album was singing an old church hymnal, “It Is Well,” featuring his father and uncle on the track. Growing up singing alongside his father in church, he decided that going back to his roots for his album would be the perfect way to end the LP. “I will never forget the first time I heard the final cut of that, it just brought tears to my eyes, and that is super special to me,” he says.
Be sure to listen to Baldridge’s EP below and our review here and be on the look out for his full length album out June 10th.