Number One single and smash hit album honored
Brett Young is collecting Gold and Platinum Awards like a seasoned veteran. I have to remind myself that he’s a relative newcomer to Nashville with, essentially, one major label album and an EP to his name. But don’t let that fool you. He’s proving to be a hit machine.
CMA New Artist of the Year Nominee Young’s self-titled album has been certified GOLD by the RIAA. The album’s first single, “Sleep Without You,” achieved RIAA PLATINUM status, and another single, “In Case You Didn’t Know,” snapped up a RIAA 2X PLATINUM award.
Bridgestone Arena surprise for Brett
A few days ago, Young was surprised onstage at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, where he was appearing on the last stop of Lady Antebellum’s ‘You Look Good’ world tour. Big Machine Label Group President/CEO Scott Borchetta and EVP Big Machine Label Group/BMLG Records President Jimmy Harnen stepped on to the stage to honor the rising star with his awards in front of a cheering crowd of fans.
Young is quick to recognize those who have been instrumental in the development of his career. I was present at his first Number One party, held at the new FGL House, and he made a point of singling out Michael Martin, ASCAP’s Vice President who heads up Nashville Membership office. He said, “Meeting my mentor Michael Martin and his advice and wisdom is what brought me here.”
During the RIAA presentation at Bridgestone Arena, Young said, “I’m just doing what I love, so it’s cool to see this music mean something to other people too,” He added, “I’m so honored and thankful for the support of my fans, my team and Country radio for making all of it possible.”
“In Case You Didn’t Know” instantly soared up the charts, earning the title of the first Country song released in 2017 to hit PLATINUM status. The song thrived in the video format as well, landing a place in Vevo’s Top 10 Videos of 2017 (so far), surpassing 100 million views, joining the rankings with Zayn and Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar and DJ Khaled.
Baseball injury leads Brett to Nashville
Brett Young happens to be one of several singers and songwriters I know personally who can attribute their decision to switch career paths from sports to music as a result of a baseball injury. Born in Anaheim, California, he went to Ole Miss on a baseball scholarship after turning down pre-draft selection by both the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the Minnesota Twins. However, his major league pitching hopes were dashed by an elbow injury and he returned to his first love: music.
The phrase “New Artist of the Year” doesn’t tell the full story of Young’s musical journey. After replacing baseball with music, he spent eight years in Los Angeles, performing and recording several albums. But his decision to move to Nashville proved to be a wise one. He was signed to Big Machine Label Group in 2015 and his six-song self-titled EP was released in February 2016. Young co-wrote the hit single “Sleep Without You” with Justin Ebach and Kelly Archer. “In Case You Didn’t Know” followed in January 2017. A month later, BMLG released Young’s self-titled album, produced by the legendary Dan Huff. A third single, “Like I Loved You” was released to country radio in July.
A baseball injury that probably seemed like a career killer at the time proved to be the catalyst to a successful new career, GOLD and PLATINUM awards, a nod from the CMA and millions of fans.
You can find tour dates and music at Brett Young’s official website here and follow him on Facebook here.