Russell Dickerson talks about the success of his debut album, Yours, and touring with Lady Antebellum and Darius Rucker.
A seasoned songwriter, country-pop singer Russell Dickerson was gearing up for a massive hit single. Then, after years of writing songs and working hard at his music, the title track on his 2017 debut album, Yours, finally ushered him into the spotlight.
The track was selected for Sirius XM’s The Highway Finds program, which opened doors for Dickerson. “Yours” reached No. 3 on Hot 45 Countdown, and his EP took the No. 1 spot on iTunes.
Shortly after the debut of the album Yours, Dickerson landed a spot at No. 1 on Billboard’s Heat Seeker chart and No. 14 on Billboard’s Top Country chart. And the video for the title song was nominated for the 2018 CMT Award for Breakthrough Video of the Year.
Now, the Union City, Tennessee, native is spreading even more of his energetic performances and soulful songwriting opening for Lady Antebellum and Darius Rucker on their Summer Plays On tour, which kicked off in July and continues into the fall.
We recently talked with Dickerson about Yours and life in the success lane.
Cowboys & Indians: You’ve had so much success with your latest album, Yours: a No. 1 hit, over 100 million listeners on Spotify; a new single, “Blue Tacoma,” rising on the charts; and a spot on tour with Lady Antebellum. How have you transitioned into the success and how has it affected you as an artist?
Russell Dickerson: It’s definitely a huge confidence builder to work for something for so long and then finally start to see a little bit of success and that just kind of snowballed all into itself. And then you end up out here [on tour]. It’s a really gratifying feeling. I mean, I’ve been writing songs for seven years now, full time, every day, and to now have a huge hit is like, “Man. It’s like my instincts were right this whole time.” So it’s definitely gratifying.
C&I: Has there been a moment that’s stood out the most?
Dickerson: There’s all these little moments — they’re huge moments — but when “Yours” went to radio. I think it was the number two most added song in country music the day it went to radio and then it just took off from there. It was a two-week No. 1. That was such a huge accomplishment for us to come out of the gate with my first single as a two-week No. 1. It’s crazy. There’s little moments like that and then we found out we were coming on tour with Lady Antebellum. There’s just so many cool little moments here and there.
C&I: What surprised you most in regards to the release of the track “Yours”?
Dickerson: I guess the wedding part. That was never on our radar of like, “Hey, we should write a wedding song.” So when people started asking, “Hey, is there a wedding edition that we can do, like an acoustic version we can walk down the aisle to?” I was like, “Oh, my gosh. People are using this at their weddings. This is crazy.” So we went in and re-recorded a whole new version called “The Wedding Edition,” and it’s been a really big success.
C&I: That’s pretty cool. I’m sure a lot of people have emailed you personally or talked to you personally and been like, “Hey, can you play that at my wedding?” …
Dickerson: Yeah, I know. And I wish I could. It’s just we have shows every weekend and that’s usually when weddings are. But if we get an RSVP, we like to respond to those as much as we can. So we at least send our regards if we can’t make it.
C&I: Tell me a little bit about how the album Yours came together.
Dickerson: So “Yours” is the first song off of the album that we had written. That was only the second song I had written with this specific group of songwriters who I went to college with. So once we kind of got in our groove, we just kept writing and kept writing. “Blue Tacoma” came out. … We wrote “Blue Tacoma,” and then we wrote “Every Little Thing,” and we just kind of kept that ball rolling and kept that same vibe that we had created with “Yours,” kind of a similar vein. I think we really captured that moment in time in my life. I wrote “Yours” less than a year after I got married, and so that was the vibe we wanted to create with the album and we just kept writing and I think we did.
C&I: You got a degree from Belmont University, which is a really renowned music school. How did that experience shape you?
Dickerson: As with any educational program it can only do so much. I feel like I was prepared vocally for this journey, but as far as how hard it would be, just schedule-wise, I never imagined that I would be this busy or have to be this many places in a year, but I wouldn’t trade it at all. It’s just the biggest blessing. If I could go back and tell myself, “Hey, prepare yourself for how much you’re going to be gone and how many hours you’re going to have to put into this,” I would.
C&I: You’re currently on tour with Lady Antebellum and have toured with Canaan Smith and Thomas Rhett. What have those experiences been like?
Dickerson: We toured with Florida Georgia Line as well. Lady Antebellum, man, they just have this family vibe about them. I mean obviously, they all have kids and they just welcomed us straight into this family environment that they’ve created and it’s so fun to be a part of that.
C&I: Have they given you any advice?
Dickerson: Not straight to me, but I’ve just been watching and learning everything that they do, how they handle their crew or even in the live show, what they do that works with the crowd, and stuff like that. Yeah, I’m definitely learning so much from them. It’s just like no matter what, every single night [fans] paid a ticket to see you perform and so you’ve got to go out and give it 100 percent.
C&I: Is there a specific song on Yours that your fans have really taken to or a song on the album that you’re most proud of?
Dickerson: The obvious choice is “Yours.” That song has been my baby for almost five years, now, you know, and I’ve believed and pushed and fought for this song for so long. I think it’s one of the best songs I’ve ever been a part of, too. That’s my pride and joy, for sure.
C&I: Are there any songs that didn’t make it on the album that we can expect sometime in the near future?
Dickerson: Oh, yeah, definitely. I’ve been writing for years and so there’s tons of songs that I haven’t released. There’s certain ones that the fans have definitely kind of gravitated toward because we’ve been playing live, so there’s a couple songs that I really do want to release, just for the fans.
C&I: Speaking of fans, have you had any memorable encounters?
Dickerson: They’re all cool. I feel like my fans are different than a lot of people’s. I feel like my wife and I, we give them an inside view of our lives and we have something to talk about every time we have a meet-and-greet. Like, “Oh, you were just here”; “You were just there and how was that?” It’s just really cool to have fans that know you and keep up with you and want to know what’s going on.
C&I: Is there something that fans might not know about you?
Dickerson: Probably honestly, they know me pretty well. Me and Kailey, that’s my wife, give them a big clear window into our lives, through Instagram.
C&I: Any hobbies?
Dickerson: I love to get a good workout in. I mean, I love hiking, I love running, I love just sweating. I’m riding around on a scooter right now, while we’re talking. I’m always doing something. I have a hard time sitting still. … Lady Antebellum, they love to golf out here, but I’m not the biggest golfer, so I just figured I would skateboard a little bit here and there just to pass the time.
C&I: You’re from Union City, Tennessee. What are some of your favorite places to visit when you go back home?
Dickerson: Got to go to PV’s, get a burger. It’s just like an old-school burger joint. That’s really the spot, and anytime we go through there, I try to stop by PV’s and get a little burger and fries, ice-cold Coca-Cola — you know, classic American food.
For more information on Russell Dickerson, his music, and his upcoming tour dates, visit his website.
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