It’s always crazy to imagine artists that we know and love today struggling to break through back in the day.
Like… how do you see, and more importantly hear, Cody Johnson and not think that he’s destined to be a country music great? It’s baffling to think about, but sure enough, CoJo was once a struggling artist trying to stay true to himself while still making it big. He built quite a reputation and following in his home state of Texas, and Whiskey Riff covered him for years before he ever signed a Nashville record deal, but he’s one of the few in the mainstream industry who has done it the right way.
He admitted in a recent interview with The Line of Best Fit that the path he took to country music stardom didn’t consist of short cuts:
“I chose the long road, the one that comes with its scars and stories. They wouldn’t play me on the radio because I didn’t have a really good quality record.”
Johnson was doing things the old fashioned way trying to make a name for himself, so that meant he was cold calling radio stations and playing every bar and club he could book. After a labor-some time of betting on himself, CoJo gathered a following, which drew interest of music executives in Music City.
However, as Cody Johnson so gracefully put it, Big Wigs in Nashville liked the numbers that were backing him, but thought he’d be better off changing up his look and his sound. The country singer refused to adapt to the “country artist mold” that the executives were trying to fit him in:
“They were like, ‘The cowboy hat doesn’t work and you need to change your sound and you’re gonna have to play the game.’ Basically, you’re gonna have to sign your life away if you want a record deal. And I wasn’t willing to do that. I’d rather go to bed with my integrity than with millions of dollars… I wasn’t willing to sacrifice who I am.”
You know… just change the things that make Cody Johnson WHO HE IS.
So Cody Johnson passed on what could have been his big break. In his mind, he’d rather stay true to who he is and become a star than sell out to the Nashville music industry. He sided with authenticity over acceptance, and obviously that worked out very, very, very well for the “Dirt Cheap” singer.
Now that Cody Johnson is considered to be one of the bright spots of modern country music, he’s not afraid to share his opinion on the genre’s infamous “Bro Country” phase. He did so in the interview by pointing out how his song “Til You Can’t” offers up a signature country sound while also telling a profound and moving story. Johnson argues that he proved country music can be successful sounding like country music, and not everything has to have a cheapened, pop spin on it:
“Take your chance. Call your mom. Say you’re sorry to somebody. Chase your dreams. It’s inspirational. It’s something that’s upbeat and it’s fun and you can party to it, but it has a message. It has something that says more than just, ‘Hey, girl, hop up in my truck and we’re going to take a four-wheel drive to the bonfire.’ There’s a place for that kind of music. And I’m not saying that that’s bad. I’m just saying it’s not a direct representation of the genre as a whole.”
Always here for a jab at “Bro Country.”
Thank God that Cody Johnson stuck with his cowboy roots in lieu of jumping into the Nashville mainstream. I don’t think the “drive through the mud to the bonfire” CoJo would have sold out stadiums like the artist we now know that brought to life songs like “The Painter” and “With You I Am.”
And if you were to ask Cody Johnson what drives him to be the best country music he can be, he wouldn’t tell you that the fame and fortune is what keeps him going. After he struggled to get a seat at the country music table for a while, all he wants to do is work is way to the head of that very table:
“Success changes you, they say, but I’m still the same person. This job is something that I’ve worked for my entire life, and I truly don’t feel like I could live without it. My job is to bring stories, and we’re gonna have a damn good time doing it. When they hear me, if they fall in love with that sound, I want them to say, ‘That guy Cody Johnson represents country music.'”
Cojo has a ton of tour dates coming up this year, so head over to Vivid Seats and see when he’s playing near you. VS is the only platform that gives you free tickets just for going to concerts, so why buy anywhere else?
Might as well fire up “Til You Can’t,” right?
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