Russell Dickerson and his wife Kailey have been together for 10 years. They talk about how they met in college, broke up for a month and then got married. Russell talks about the struggle to find a home at a record label and how it took 4 years for his debut song to go No. 1. Kailey talks about how she is the creative director behind Russell when it comes to music videos, photography, merch design and more!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, welcome to episode to nineteen. It's Russell and
Kayleie Dickerson. Have you guys ever done one together? An
interview together? That track was fire You have an interview together? Yeah,
only a couple of the like what who interviews you together?
The Not did so a print publication, yes, but it
was their podcast O. We were their first episode, right
(00:21):
and Bristo and I think that's it? How was that?
I don't know her, but she lives, she's wonderful, love her, Yeah,
I hear. I hear good things about her as a person.
I always have a weird thing with bachelor people because
I've met, like most of them I meet are not
people I would normally hang out with in her life.
I go, oh, that's why you wanted the Bachelor and
(00:42):
and not and not because she I hear she's great.
And I'm saying this because I have multiple friends that
are like, oh, she's like a fantastic human, right, yeah,
you actually is? Yeah, legitimately lover her. Yeah, it's cool
than not. When you bring that up, it reminds me
that I saw on the Not, which is a wedding website, right,
like the Not that you wars was the biggest wedding
song for them ever or something like that, or the
(01:03):
year or something like extreame music. They put it. They
put it. They make like an annual list for their
like because you go to the not to like who
should I use as my photographer? Who should I use
make my cake? Or whatever? And they had yours was
one of their their like number one playlist wedding first dance,
(01:25):
so you know what I mean, like their communitive list whatever.
Did this song build your new house? Absolutely? Yeah? Are
you still getting checks for it? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, I
mean he's like yep, yeah, I mean it's yeah, that
was that yours is. It's its own whole story anyway,
(01:47):
And we'll get to that. We will. Have you played
this song at many weddings that you weren't personally connected to,
like have people hired you? Because I talk to talking
to Dan recent Danna CHANI was like, you know, we
don't do a lot of weddings, but listen, we'll do
something right because they have wedding songs, yeah, like legit
(02:08):
yours is one. Speechless Yeah, have you played that any
weddings I have? Yeah, I've I've probably done like like hey,
like come play our wedding will pay you like three yeah,
not not a lot. Does that go through your agent? Yeah? Yeah,
But then that's good. Those are good. The privates of
(02:28):
anything were so good, fantastic. But then there's that one
in a million. We happen to be playing a show
in a certain city and there happens to be a
wedding and they're like tweeting like crazy, you know what
I mean. So we were in like South Carolina, some
I don't know, some town and we played it like
(02:49):
four thirty. First dance was at like six thirty, so
it was oh yeah, yeah yeah. So we got we
got ubers, I brought my guitar, we changed, we tried
to find something dressy, got the band. I was like
I can't wear jean shorts to a wedding. Yeah, and
so we just like anyone know you were coming? Was
(03:09):
like one literally to the mother in law, No one, no,
because we walked in and we were like hey, uh
and they the wedding planner. I don't know if they
knew who we were at all. Yeah, someone in that
vand like incognito was like, where's the wedding planner? And
like right in and so someone a bit advanced it. Yeah,
I mean we walked into just enough because I'm telling you,
(03:29):
I've done the thing before where I also have gone
to a wedding where it's like a big fan, it's
like we just love you and you don't tell him
you're coming, and you go and have people like I
don't know who you are. Yeah, exactly, And it's a
real humbling experience. That happened once. That happened once in Phoenix.
We were staying in a hotel outside of Phoenix, I
don't know what, Oh my god, and we heard the rehearsal.
She was walking down the aisle to yours, and so
(03:51):
we were in the pool like at this hotel and
heard the rehearsal and we're like, you gotta do it,
you gotta crash. And you walked in the door after
the ceremony and they were like, they're like and Rust
was like, Hi, I'm wrestled. They were like, I know
that feeling. There are two times where that happens to me.
(04:12):
That one. It's like that because there's only like a
small selection people to give me a crap, give a
crap who I am very small and I'm very loyal
to them, But most people have no idea, right, I'm
just a dork with big glasses. So without the glasses, yes,
So when you show up somewhere and you're like, I'm
actually doing this because I know somebody here cares im,
and then they're like, yeah, we got no idea, bro.
(04:33):
The other one is when something like sometimes like people
on my my management team will call and go, Hey,
we're gonna have dinner at this place. We're gonna call
and and they'll be like, Hey, we're gonna get a table.
And I don't do this anymore, but like we get
a table for four bibones is in town and they're like,
I don't know who that is. And that happens and
it's like, you know what, it's just not worth it
to me. It's not worth it. It happens like one
(04:54):
or two times, and you're like it's I don't do it.
It's not I'll just go and wait. I'm not special. Um,
I'll tell you that my my recent have to kay
Lee stories and we're gonna get all this. By the
way she was talking, I have so much preparation I've
done for this interview and we haven't gotten to it yet. Um.
The first one is this is a three or four
(05:14):
weeks ago. I was playing the opera at the Rheman
and you were playing to that night, um, and so
we were on the same thing together. But I was
walking back and if you ever just kind of an
insight tip, you're gonna go to the operate at the Ryeman,
you can wait for all the artists to show up
behind the Rheman because we all have to go through
a backdoor. And so and I'm there, I'm just gonna
do some stand up and I think I don't have
a guitar with me or anything, and so I'm going
(05:35):
in and there's a lot of people that know that
and they're just waiting in there. Would take pictures and
in a bit there's a there's a lot and it
starts to be a little bit overwhelming, and all of
a sudden, it's like an angel came out of this guy.
I was like, I'll take these pictures. And it was
Kaylee standing there and she grabs everyone's phone and it's like, okay,
next next sex sex And this ushered me right into
the door, and I was like, thank you very much.
And I left that experiencing like did he know that
(05:55):
was me? Or does he think I was a fan?
Like I know, I knew exactly who it was. You know,
I'm a fan. But I was like, I left that
experience of being like he might have thought I was
one of the people just waiting for him. I did not.
And then we saw each other again upstairs, as we did.
But and then my second one is and I didn't
say anything about this on the radio, but I'm gonna say,
but maybe I didn't know. Okay, So I saw at
(06:16):
the airport. I don't know where. I don't know. No, No,
we weren't at the airport. We were events. I live
an airport, so okay, same, but I remember this, Um
we we're at charity event. Did she tell you this?
I love it? And so I say, hey, you know
what's because I feel like I know Kaylie better than
(06:36):
you Russell at times, like we've spoken more than than
you and I have. And we're talking at this event
and she was like, hey, I was gonna go. Russell's
playing a radio show and I was complaining about radio
shows in your honor, and I was like, I can't
you know what They barely get paid. It's like Tuesday night,
you know, I'm feeling I'm feeling bad for you and
she's like, yeah, it's not so bad, and um, she
goes well, and I was gonna thinking about going. But
(06:58):
what I do is I reserved the Southwest because if
you fly, because my idea is my companion, right Mike
on Southwest, I can take him. Anytime I fly Southwest,
I can put myke on for free. She's yours. She goes,
you know. So I used the pass and I walked
all the way to the gate with him and then
I just don't go. It's all over again. I was like, yeah,
I was like the seat if the plane was sold out.
(07:21):
So I laughed and then I got and I thought
about telling that story on the show, but I didn't.
I felt like it was a good private moment. And
then then I heard and then I don't know again,
did you I've posted it? Because that what it was.
I felt like, I thought when I heard my name,
I was like, oh, he's about to call me out
and say that I stole the seat on Southwest and
(07:44):
something in me, But you didn't mind me that you
were okay they're talking about I'm like, if Southwest is
going to give me that, but not let me. This
is my beef with with the companion backs, which you
may feel with me. Which we're grateful Southwest that we
get to fly well for we fly a lot giving
it to us for charity. Thing is they don't let
(08:07):
you board together. You're like Z three yes, and I
have no status because he's like a plus preferred plus
plus plus, so are you and your boarding past. I'm
sure when you board is like B fifty two or
like it's at the way. I'm like, we're going to
sit together if we're companion pass, just let us sit together.
They won't do it. I don't know why did you
(08:29):
have to not write article about this, because this would
this would be good because we need you guys. What's
interesting to me is you guys work together too. You
don't because and I didn't know that Kelly was a
singer because I was talking to her. She was like,
you know, I did vocals and because she just went
to school together. Wait, let's start from the very beginning.
You guys met in school. Yeah, and like a singing class. Yeah,
(08:52):
we have the same vocal coach, voice teacher, and like
you have these required classes where it's legitimately you sit
in the class room, you have someone play guitar or
piano for you, you stand in front of the class
and sing. That's terrifying. That's why I don't sing anymore.
But I mean for me, that's lit. That's radio tour, right,
(09:12):
you know, So that like prepped me for these like
super awkward, sterile, fluorescent light conference rooms at exactly and
looking like they could care less to be there. So
that's you know, that prepped me. But that that's where
we met. And we had the same vocal teacher. And
I remember who sing first. I remember hearing him sing
(09:35):
first and he's saying it was in our classical class
and you're saying, oh yeah, And they made me sing
low yeah, like you saying a church on the Cumberland Road.
I like the old yeah, the old like and I
was like, dang, that guy can sing. And that's the
(09:57):
first time I remember. Because we didn't like ever meet really.
Everyone's always like, so how do you guys meet, and
we're like, we don't know. We were like all friends
of friends. If she was dating somebody, I was dating somebody,
and it's just like all interwoven, slowly merging. Yeah, And
then we made out at a graduation party after we'd
broken up with Let's rewind for a second. You hear
(10:18):
him sing yeah, and do you hear her sing like
the same? Yeah, who at that stage was the better singer.
It's always been him in classical though like slash like
musical theater, but that transitions into like this little indie
vibe that she's got. It's like incredible, it's so good.
(10:39):
But you didn't answer the question what he Okay, I
was better at classical. He was better at um commercial,
which is like his life, which is a good thing
that I'm like not going to go on radio to classical.
I'm going to say her that's the right answer, even
if we can't, you can't prove it exactly, just she is.
(11:01):
And so you guys, you're in this class and you
have friends that mutual friends. You guys are hanging out,
and was it like even though you're dating other people,
I'll just ask you where you like. Man, she's cute.
I don't have a girlfriend, but she's cute. Yeah, well
I was dicky, he didn't really have a girlfriend. Yeah,
it was like, but I would like ask her for advice,
(11:22):
like dating advice. But then like we would start hanging
out more. We'd go to like the flea market. We'd
always get coffee or whatever while you were dating another girl. No,
not really. It had kind of a asked her they
were dating. If you asked him, they weren't. It was
kind of one of those they weren't. They were not serious.
They mean they were not to convince me, I believe it,
(11:43):
I'm like trying to make sure he doesn't sound like, Also,
you're in college doing dumb, young, darky things. But really,
what he I mean, you start hanging out. I wasn't
a serious relationship. So you were hanging out with him
while you're had a serious boyfriend. Okay, so you both
kind of single then, yeah, but we were you vibe
in at all. It's so long ago, honestly, and like
(12:06):
like we were like ten years so let's go back
in time. So back in time, back in time, it
was like friends of friends. Like it was just like
a group like that's Belmont. It's such a small, like
tight knit group. There was like twenty people in our
graduating class. So it was and so like we all
all would hang out and then like we would just
(12:27):
start going again. Like I remember when the first time
I was like going to the flea market and I
would like, ask you about another girl? Yeah, but then
like that bring us closer, you know what I mean?
I need to ask other girls about other girls, but
it really just brings them I don't know, No, Yeah,
(12:49):
he would be like should I do this? I was like, well,
do you miss her? Do you like her? And he'd
be like, I don't know if I like her. I'm like, well,
did you think about her when you were like on
Thanksgiving break? And you'd be like, I mean a little.
I'm like, I don't think you like her that much.
I don't know how long have you two been together
or not married, but together period ten years minus one month.
(13:09):
We broke up after that, okay minus one month? What
happened with that month? I was an idiot? He was
an idiot. I this is this is a this is
for real. I had just we graduated already, and I
had just signed like my pub deal, and like it
was about to happen for Russell pers you know what
(13:30):
I mean. It was in like all these promises were
made from that deal and like you're gonna get a
record deal. You're gonna be you know, you're gonna be
on radio. You gonna be on tour, You're gonna be gone,
You're gonna be going going, And I was like, I
don't really have time for a relationship, like I need
to just kind of and we don't e been dating
for a year. Oh that's a long time. That's not
(13:52):
only yeah for me, like yeah, and and so I
mean that was that was my mindset, was like it's
about to happen for me. I need to be single.
But like twenty two year, we were twenty I was
twenty two. There's no judgment triangle here. I'm here. I'm
(14:16):
just asking questions. And so that was. That was one
month and I remember calling her on Thanksgiving Day and
I was just like wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, you
have to waity back up what he was like. He
was like, we'll be friends, and I was like, no,
we won't. And you go ahead and do what you do.
I'm going to move on. You move on and you're like,
(14:38):
but you're my best friend. And I was like, well
you're mine, and but we're not doing this like both thing,
and so I moved on. He moved on, and then
I got a call on Thanksgiving and he was like,
I just want you know, I'm thankful for you. And
I was like, wait, well, like I needed And when
I say this, it is the smallest. It's not even
(15:02):
like I needed to live the rock star road life.
You know. I literally made out with one girl and
that was I was just like, no, this isn't for me,
this whole this is a this is not a good
this is not fulfilling, you know what I mean. Like,
literally I made out with one girl and I was like, yeah, okay,
this is I gotta call Kaylee. That whole deal from
(15:25):
back then, that pup deal didn't turn into all the
things we thought it was going to. Career wise, No,
you still would same publish company. Also, you're out of
all of that. Yeah, that was that. The first I
signed in two thousand eleven, that was a two year
deal got dropped after two years. Um, and then that
was two thousand thirteen. And I didn't even write Yours
(15:48):
until two thousand fourteen. And then I didn't sign a
deal till you have made that song and it's after
two years. Huh. Yeah, well, what's kind of the genesis
of you writing that song? And it took a second
for it to kind of happen. Yeah, So you're right, Like,
just tell me about that. So the overall picture is
(16:09):
January twenty something is when we wrote it, and then
January twenty something, literally almost to the day, four years later,
four years is when it went number one. So four
years in between that was. I had one offer for
(16:32):
a publishing deal. We took it, we had to, We
had no just got married. I got dropped the week
we got back from our honeymoon. So that was a
great We made twelve th dollars that you yea combined. Yeah,
So that was that was year one of marriage. And
then Soten we wrote it, and I mean we just
(16:52):
we went all around town. Everybody said no, all the majors,
all the indies, every I mean literally, were you were
you chasing an artist deal with that song? Are you
also pitching the song as well? So you want you
wrote it? You're like, it's mine on this hill? Yeah,
the whole, the whole, this whole time, I was like,
I'm an artist writer, you know, like that was that
was what I wanted to do, and so uh yeah,
(17:14):
I was just like I we obviously didn't take no
for an answer, but I just put everything on this
one song. I was like I know, I know that,
I know that, I know this is a hit. And
and it took i mean another two years from writing
it too to go to labels and showcases and do
the whole dance. And it wasn't until uh thirty Tigers
(17:39):
slash now Triple Tigers. They've just started a whole brand
new label. And it was it was Norbert Nicks who
had just got to let go from Sony and like
Kevin Herring who just gotta let go from Warner. It's
all these guys who kind of, you know, related to this,
this like being rejected kind of mentality, like a little
(18:01):
chip on your shoulder a little bit, and un it
just all came together with this tiny little label. I
was the only artist on there and they had me
one song and that was that was what really ignited.
I mean I missed the whole video part, but an
industry wise, industry wise, that that was what what really
(18:24):
like to took it. You know, at what point because
the label was a small independent label, so it's it's
difficult because they don't have the promotion infrastructure right for
for an independent that they just don't have arms and
fangs everywhere. So but at what point though, did you
realize we actually have a shot with this thing, Like
(18:44):
this thing could actually be a massive hit, Like what
was it a number on the chart? Yeah? Like were
you hearing about research? Because it was also a valid
and oh my dear, I don't play. But then it
started jumping like it was only in the twenties for
(19:05):
like three weeks, four weeks something like that. It was
like jump, two spots, jump, three spots jump, and then
it was in the teens and we were like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
what was happening? Did you do this song on any
any TV? On any anything on our favorite? Did you
do the Bachelor? It seems like The Bachelor? Okay, I
don't know this, but it seems like this this would
be that kind of song, big pop from that show.
(19:26):
Absolutely it was a couple, Rachel and Dean. Rachel. She
was she was like two Bacheloretta. Maybe Dean was Geanie Babies.
Do you know Dean Bachelor in Paradise? He came back.
I've never seen must. I'm not the guy to talking
about me, but but I don't know Rachel. But it
(19:47):
was great. Okay, so he's an attorney, she's smart, she's
really cool. You play this on the show and it
was ever on radio, I'm pretty sure. Or no, No,
it was on radio and it jumped. It was so
hard after it jumped like ten spots on airplay and
top top of the iTunes charts, you know, just like
craziness that was. That was a big jump. When you
(20:08):
played that song on the show, you did it over
and over again. Yeah was Award two is are you
just playing with them? Dai? What was the scene? Was
that awkward? Uh? Well, they were late first of all.
So it all started where we never had a tour
bus before, but we got to like ride down in
a tour bus and then to South Carolina, Carolina, um,
(20:31):
and then so we're waiting, We're waiting, We're waiting. I
think Chris Harrison was felt bad. So he comes on
our bus and you know, we have a we raised
a toast, we have to have a drink, and we're
just like hanging out with Chris Harrison on our bus,
which for us at the time, we were like, I
was freaking out. He was there for like two hours
and we shared we had knob right now and I
(20:53):
had him signed the bottle and I have it in
my house, like, I mean, like I'm a fan and
he led us. She every Monday like her and her
gal pals get together and watch. He's also really nice.
He's so nice and let us. He let us come
to after the final rows. He was like, let you
take us? Do you want? I was like, it's twelve
too many and he was like, no, will make it happen.
We I mean me and all my friends filed in,
(21:14):
Like it was so fun. It was really cool to
like make it a real life experience and not so
like this is the show. That's cool that you got
to watch him play on the show and you got
to hate because you're a fan. When you're a fan
of something, it's so much cool that when it actually
works out in a way that makes you still feel good. Yeah,
and it was fun, like it was. I think the
whole thing is a crazy phenomenon. And do I think
(21:35):
it's the best way to find someone? No? Am I
highly entertained by drama that has nothing to do with
my own life. Yes, I love it. I love it.
They are they dancing is a dancing, It's like a
slow dance makeout And how many times do you think
you have to play that song with them dancing. Yeah,
it was like two or three. But they have to
make out every time on cue. No, no, no, they
(21:57):
just I mean they made out, but they want too.
It wasn't like make out at this. It wasn't choreograph.
You know. Who I became friends with from the Bachelor
was again the episodes A good maybe Bachelor was Joe
Grocer Store Joe. Yeah, I don't know personally, though he
did dance. He's the nicest guy. Heck, yeah, he seems
(22:17):
like it. And Kindle is engaged. I don't know. I
don't know if they're engaged either, but I'm telling you
that is as reel of a relationship. They are the
greatest for each other. They're both so nice. So yeah, there.
His story is wild because he went on and I
would add him and I were both not considered to
be the best danswer, so we were bonding over that.
(22:39):
And he went on that show and he was only
only for an episode and he get kicked off almost
immediately and the internet blew up. The Internet blew up. Yeah,
and he was like the Internet was pissed. Yes. Then
he got bring Back, Bring Back Grocery Store. Check like
he's good looking and he seems super nice, and so
he ends up going back to Bachelor in Paradise. Yeah,
and that's where he ends up meeting don't know, but
(23:01):
he was like he couldn't believe it. He was like,
I didn't want yo, it was embarrassed, and my friends
are gonna be kicked off. We at a party he
goes then then my social media started to blow up.
And but he was as much as I give the
batch or people crap like it earlier, I've but out
with a couple of people from that show. Um went
out with a people. Yeah, like went out people off
Mike and I've been around some of the people. You know,
(23:22):
it was really weird. Who wasn't mean or nice? But
who's the guy that thinks he's a model? Jordan Kimbell.
I had lunch with that guy. He's I didn't I
have no feeling like I didn't spend enough time with
them to like him or dislike him. He's a lot though,
and he's real. Yeah, just what you see on the
show is like, my friends were like, tell me if
(23:44):
this guy is real, And I'm like, why I don't
watch the show. And I sat with him and I
was like, I don't know what you say on the show,
but that's real. Whatever you see, he's exactly like that
in person. He's like on twelve just it's like, you know,
I got for model and deals, got to get down
due Wilhelmina Models, and I'm just like I can tell
he was kidding or not. If there's a year behind you.
At dinner, You're like, I need to put myself looking
into your allies. He'll never look at me this hole.
(24:06):
And again, I liked him just fine. It was just
I didn't know what his vibe was. My friends were like,
tell me, what if he's really liked that? Is that him?
Or Robbie? Oh no, that's another But you're just like casual,
Yeah she didn't watch football, Yeah, steak and stuff. You know.
So you go on this show and it pops for
(24:29):
you. You You come back to life and it's like, wow,
we gotta so obviously your team has a story too,
like one on the one on The Bachelor. Look how
song on this that's and at that moment when you
literally you have nothing, when you have this one little spark,
that is what you just like. Nurture and nurture and
nurture and try to try to get that into try
(24:50):
to get a little flame, try to get a little
bigger flame. I mean it's it's literally, man. We we
flew around the country and then would drive in Honda
Civics and just like go station to station and like
tell this little story of you know we had we
had some downloads, we had some streams, we you know,
we It was literally this tiny little flame that you
(25:11):
have to curate and just like keep it, like you
don't don't say no, like we're not going to stop.
One of the problems my wife and I have is
always what are we gonna cook for dinner? Because we
cooked the same things over and over and over again.
Spaghetti last week, spaghetti this week, spaghetti next week, spaghetti
(25:35):
wei the week out of that, and we're like, we
need something new. Were always get in a rut of
cooking the same things, and then we found it Hello Fresh,
different items each week delivered right to our front door.
Cooking made simple. We were like, oh, we were so excited.
So you go to Hello Fresh dot com and let's
(25:55):
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to the tea spoon and they have step by step instructions.
Thirty minutes later around you have the meal sitting on
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(26:16):
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Go to Hello Fresh dot com slash Bobby cast nine
and using the code Bobby cast nine. So you're you're
hustling around, the song is continuing to climb. It hits
(26:37):
top ten, and now it shifts to well, we're trying
to get the whole freaking thing now, like we've been
working this hard this long because it was on the
chart for a long time. It was the Billboard set
a record first. Okay, the timeline in itself two thousand
fourteen when we wrote it, just to even get a
record deal was one of the longest journey of my life.
(27:00):
Then once we finally hit radio, it is the Billboard's
longest solo male debut climb to number one. So it
was just on the chart for a long time for
nail the chart. Yeah, so you go your top ten?
Did they give you the talk like they do some artists,
like it's just honored to be in the top ten,
(27:22):
like like you know, we made it. Who knows, but
we got a top ten and we got some momentum
for the next one. And that's not how I work, dude.
I'm like faith, I'm like, yes, we're gonna do it.
I will drive to every radio station again to make
sure this goes all the way. I don't care, I'll
do it. Oh yeah, what are you? Three with a
(27:44):
hard to wing? Okay, so I'm eight with the three
two to eight with it? You go to two and
growth hold on, Oh dude, we'll be here all who
got me on his Dave Heywood, Yes, and Kelly bought
us all the books. It's a Haywood thing. They've they
love it. They love the inioground. I had never heard
(28:05):
of it until Dave came in and spent ten minutes
ted talk to me about the Indian ground. Yeah. I'm
an eight with two, so you can only go left
or no, I go. I picked my own way as
an eight wood. Yeah, yeah, so I made my own.
Mine was like the pent whenever they tell you, yeah,
(28:26):
so mine whatever that you're a crazy scenario. That means
you're really healthy because you and eight. If you're truly
in eight, you go to two and growth. What's to me?
It's the help of um that's not me. That's my
lowest one. I'm three, I'm whatever, the perfectionist. What's three
my When you look up three, it's not it's the achiever,
that's what I am. And three? Okay, those were your
highest two. I don't think that I showed up as
(28:48):
the two. They were like, there's only one number. I
don't think that's true. Because you find people in the
world and you're like, I believe you, in you, I'm
going to help you. But I'm just telling you. The
score told me the two didn't even register. You will
not be giving yourself enough credit because every question was
like who do you believe? And I was like me,
who else do you believe in? Yeah? There you go? Yeah,
(29:11):
so you go, and I will I will concur with that.
I mean, because you find all these artists and you're like,
I'm going to give you a platform, I'm gonna help you.
Be hurt you being really healthy. It's a challenger. Yeah,
eight goes to two in growth in five. So when
you're stressed out, you investigate things, right, you google stuff.
I mean, I'm doing that right now with you guys. Actually,
(29:32):
I'm the eight. Okay, I'm an eight and you're an eight.
I'm I'm a three. So you can only go left
or right in your wings. So like you can lean
towards what you can clean, you can lean towards seven
and an optimist, or you can lean towards mediator. I'm
guessing you lean towards seven. If neither one of those neither,
I just live. I built walls around the eight, so
(29:57):
I'm a three achiever, but and I leaned towards two,
which is the helper supportive advisors that one says, Oh,
my gosh, there is that has never been a more
accurate description. My gosh. Yeah. Well, I'm all I know
is I saw the scores and I was like eight,
and yeah, make that makes total sense. And that's the
(30:18):
thing that's the human at Yeah, it's yeah, not me
straight up? Seven? Are you? You're really optimistic? Optimistic? Enthusiastic? Wow,
look at you. Every day is the best day of
his whole life. Literally, Wow, I don't. I mean that's
I mean good for you. I struggle with that. Yeah,
he's yeah, I don't it's I don't understand. Is that
(30:41):
like I can get myself there, which I often do,
like I can find reasons, But are you? Is it
just a natural part of you where you just feel
it like that is you? Pretty much like I. I
wake up and I'm like, today is going to be
breaking awesome, and he's a babe, get up, look up,
look outside, then let's go. Let's go it like he's
(31:03):
like a kid on Christmas, like every day. It's insane
to me and sometimes liked, there's one person in my life,
it's it's our photographer videographer who out sevens me and
he is actually Buddy the Olfa. It's yeah, it's it's crazy. Wow. Wow,
that's that's that's a good thing to know about. I
don't know that. I wake up and I'm the opposite.
(31:25):
I'm like, I can't believe it's three o'clock in the
freaking mornings. I couldn't if he's like that on like
those infamous radio shows where he's up till eleven midnight
and Lobby calls five four something like that, and it's
just like over and over and over days like that.
He wakes up and he's like but other than that,
(31:47):
you're pretty much yeah, for the most part, suptimistic. When
the song's on top ten, though you felt it though,
you were like, oh babe, we got this. I will
do I will call every hundred and fifty six stations, yeah,
to make to see if we can actually take this
all the way. And so is it a slow week
(32:07):
week methodical climber? Does it kind of hit that top ten?
Pretty good? It was pretty good. Yeah, it wasn't. It
wasn't like T sevens all the way up and we
got two weeks on Billboard and and so yeah, it's
just like it's shot up, and it was just it
was what do you do when you What were you
doing the night it hit one? So the Sunday that
(32:29):
it actually flips and after West Coast comes in and
it's you're done, Um, you're now officially number one. What
were you guys? What were you doing? We were at
the house. I remember, like everybody I had like all
these interviews. All of a sudden, it was like Billboard
they wanted to do a whole like number one interview,
and like because the debut number one is pretty crazy,
and and so yeah, they were. I was on the
(32:52):
phone with them, I was on the phone with management,
and and just like it was cool that we were
actually home to be in the house line on our
little porch, because like we we didn't want to take
that for granted. This entire climb, like we had a
we had a top forty party legitimately with the songwriters,
Like they came up, they came over, and um, we
(33:13):
had a top forty party. Every every ten ten spots.
We would just take a moment and be like, you know,
if this is as high as it goes, raise a
toast to this. And it's been awesome. So it hits one,
and now we're gonna rewind a bit though, because the
video was a big part of this song too. In
the video, if I'm remembering right, I'm just gonna go
(33:35):
from memory, you were asleep? Wait as a proposal? Hold
on a second, let me get this right. Did you
propose in the video? Was a part of the video,
hold on? Getting my stories mixed up? Hold on? Are
you proposed? Were you taking a nap? And he makes
you up? When we got engaged, and okay, I'm getting
my stories mixed up? But I want to hear both
of them. So let's talk about the engagement here. Because
(33:59):
you're taking a nap, you are going to wake her
up and do a little song A little diddy. Yeah, okay,
and what was happening there? So she I mean, looking back,
I could have written a way more elaborate song, but
now it is what it is. It was like three lines. Um,
it's not even about the song. Compulsive though. He was like,
(34:21):
you decided on like a Thursday. You're like, I'm going
to propose botter Ring asked my parents. It was Sunday,
like you know it was coming at all. We looked
at a ring, but I still was like it's gonna
be a while. I was like, if this is going
to be a surprise, if it's gonna be surprised, I
gotta do this now. And so yeah, it was like
a Sunday after church. She was taking a nap and
(34:43):
I was obviously so nervous. I was like trying to
come up with this little just a little proposal diddy,
and I was like, she woke up and I was like, hey,
can we do this little like YouTube? I just want
to kind of make a video to put out and
you know, just for of the fans, my four fans
at the time, and you know, play this little acoustic
(35:04):
jam and you know, just riding that avenue of of
trying to convince her to get her camera out put
this wide angle lens on, and she's like, no, well, like,
why would I do a wide angle like it needs
to be in on you on your face this crop
like she knows what she's talking telling me how to
do my job. I was like so annoyed, and I'm like,
(35:25):
would you just please this like the vibe I'm seeing
as an artist, like I just want to see I
just want a wide angle lens, like you can see
the mess on the counter that I was so annoying,
and I was like, great happening, Great start to my proposal.
She's pissed, and so she's setting she sets up the
tripod wide angle. Finally convinced her, I'm like, all right,
(35:48):
go stand over there, let me see how it looks,
let me see the framing, and I hit record and
and then I walk over and I just start kind
of playing that little did he I mean, it's I'm
literally just like talking, not even looking at Honestly, I
think it might have been the most mad I've ever
been at you do you remember that? Did? He? Yeah,
(36:11):
it's like, you know, the love of my life, you're
the girl that mad twin. Oh, Kaylee, will you marry me?
It's just like literally literally like four lines. And so
when did it? He said, Kaylee, Kaylee Holly love a
Lot Seymour her nickname, middle name. I have that her
(36:32):
five older brothers. When the family is that big, you know,
the the kids, by the by the six kid, are
you from a big family? He's not a night there. Yeah,
by the time it gets to the six kid, they've
got twelve names. They've got you know, the teachers don't
even know their actual name. And I was the only girl,
and it was the pink care bear was named the
Love a Lot and so everything was pink. My whole
(36:53):
room was pink. The carpet was pink because my parents
were like, we're having a girl. And so love Lot
was a nickname, middle name. So when he said Kaylee
Holly love a Lot Seymour, I was like I looked
up and I was like, wait a second. And that's
when I was like, oh my gosh, Like I really
truly had no idea, Like the surprise factor was you
nailed it? You did? I was pulled it out the ring.
(37:19):
Oh that's not so let's go to the yours video
you shot this for. It was inexpensive video, very about
less than ten dollars, less than ten almost half, yeah,
so tell me about that. So again, we had been
(37:42):
denied and denied and denied, and it just got to
the point where I was so frustrated but also so hopeful,
and I was like, I know that, I know that,
I know. Like I listened to the radio, I hear
these songs, maybe way off, but this sounds like a
hit to me, and I'm going to put everything on
(38:03):
this song. So all six dollars, I'm gonna put my
life savings on this song. Honestly, that was our life savings.
And so and so we did, and like she, we didn't.
We didn't even really have a plan. This was just
supposed to be test footage. We're just gonna like hopefully
find a road that I could just walk down. That's
(38:25):
all I really had envisioned for for the video. It
was just like, I'm just gonna walk down this road.
I'm gonna pour my heart out to the camera and
sing this song. And that's it, Like see what happens?
I had. I had done music videos and all of
that through college. So when I stopped loving performing, I
(38:45):
started doing music videos and photo shoots, and so I
did his first. I did all of his photo shoots
maybe except for one and then this one is our
friend Spencer did those, but other than that, I did
all of his stuff. And so I was like, you know,
like because we had actually gone in and it was
the final no that we were like, Okay, well now
we have to do this ourselves. No one's going to
(39:07):
help us. And I was like, I can make a
music video. I did a music video for Nora Jones, Like,
let's do it. I was like, let's let's just I
don't know why we didn't think of this, and and
so I was like, I'll just do it myself. I
can't hire anyone. We can't afford to hire anyone. I'll
just film it and I'll edit it and I'll do
the whole thing. And so that day I was like,
(39:28):
let's get in the car. We had a friend living
with us because he had nowhere to go, and I
was like, hey, will you drive our car while I
sit in the back with our drypod and so we
found a road and as we're leaving, he was like
in workout clothes, and I was like, I want to
be sure that this like could work if you like it,
so put on like real clothes. It was like test footage.
I was like, just put on real clothes. And we
(39:49):
hopped in the car and the storm starts rolling in
and I was like, oh my gosh, Oh my gosh,
Oh my gosh. And I had called the cinematographer friend
of mine in l A. And I was like, Hey,
I just want to double check my settings. I want
to be sure I'm doing this right. He didn't get
back to me, and I was like, all right, well,
I hope this is right. Get out there. This whole
storm rolls and lightning, the whole thing is real. Because
(40:10):
we can't pay for c g I like tornado warning.
Our friends are calling us to come to our basement
for shelter, and we're like out in it. I'm I'm
standing out. Stop calling us. And they would call us
in the middle because we were using our phone as
playback to the car speakers and so like it was
just like every time they called it was just like
(40:31):
the most ghetto set up it was, and so we
finished and then it started pouring rain at the very end,
like I was like, God, this is what would be great.
I need all these things and then when we're done,
if it could rain, that would be awesome and no joke,
like we had everything we needed and then it started pouring.
And so then my friend called me back as we're
(40:51):
on our way back, and I was like, hey, my
settings were this, this and that, and he was like,
I would have told you to do exactly that, and
I was like yes, And so I got home started
editing it and then I had to make it black
and white because the tail lights this is rich right here,
tail lights from the car. When our buddy would hit
the brakes, it would light them up red, so like
you could tell yeah, And I was like, well, black
(41:14):
and white. It is a necessity. We couldn't have used anything.
That's a great story for that video. Yeah. And so okay,
well you finished school what is your what what do
you finish? School of the degree and music music commercial
voice performance? So same yeah, same as me, but you
didn't want to be a performer anymore, or you didn't
(41:36):
want to go down that professionally anyway. Now I didn't.
I moving to Nashville made me realize like what it
would take. And I'm such a family person and like
want we want to start our own family, and I
just kind of saw it as like there's no way
I could be the kind of like mom, i'd want
to be in the future and do this, and some
people do that, and good for them. I just was like,
(41:59):
I I don't think I could do it. And I
also wasn't passionate like it would have. Just if someone
were to tell me I couldn't shoot a music video,
I would be like, you're wrong, I can't. I know
I can, But if someone told me I couldn't sing,
I'd be like, maybe you're right, you know, Like I
wasn't passionate enough to be like listen to me saying
I think it takes the right kind of person to
(42:21):
be good at it and also not need to like
proclaim it from the rooftops. But people like still drawed
out of you somehow. I don't know you have that
that it's not like egotistical and it's not like listen
to me sing. I just couldn't do it. If you
were to like be like singing from me right now
I would be like, no, thank you. You know, like
(42:42):
did you try to get her a thing on anything before?
I mean there's times where like but like I like
I recorded like on a on a track. Oh yeah,
we did a Christmas Yeah, it was like our our
little I mean we made five discsmily, what's not on?
You can't straight? I didn't see anything. It was I
(43:06):
think it's coming though. It was a Christmas gift to
our family when we were super broke the year we
made twelve dollars and we're like, well what do we
give everybody? Yeah, we have no money to buy gifts,
so we've made Christmas songs. When you want to get
him a taste oh white Christmas nice? Oh yeah, we
can definitely do that. I'll listen. I'll definitely help you
about listening and supporting you in my heart. Boo do
(43:35):
it girl dreaming Christmas? Just like the that was amazing.
You're really good. Really yeah, she's got that like little
Zoe Deschanel, cute, little indie vibe. I love it. Wow.
(43:59):
That's yeah right, yeah, that's right and so good. And
so were you like terrified would you like what if
she's no? Because I'd have been like, oh, I get it.
You don't want to anything. I was like, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
no problem. I've been like you weren't trying that. So
when you finished school though, so what career path? Like,
what was the goal then? Because you're not going to perform.
(44:20):
I did photography sometime, you're going to supported our family. Yeah.
I didn't take pictures of what I did, and I
ended up doing more video like weddings, wizards, nice. This
is a very niche market, but I did full time.
I was a missions photographer for two years out of college.
So an organization out of Dallas called Missions International would
(44:44):
pay for me to go and document their trips and
I was on salary with them. And then so when
t R and Lauren went to adopt, Lauren was like
will you please come with us? Um A, I want
you to be there, but be other people want to
document it and I don't know them, and so she
was like, you've done this, so um I went with them,
and then I did a lot of album covers and
(45:07):
kind of branding sort of things. And then when he
started to get really business busy and being able to
support us, I transitioned out of doing other people's stuff
and just did his stuff and went on the road
and did all his highlight videos from the road. Oh
don't just brush over this. This is this deserves a moment.
(45:27):
She let me just brag real quick. She First of all,
she was five older brothers. They all played travel soccer
and they drove all across America and a van growing up.
So when we got married, she hopped in our van.
She took the live photos while we're playing. She sold
the merch, set up the merch design, after designed the
(45:48):
merch uh, and then after the show would take every
meet and Greek photo until you know, I mean there's
like fifteen people per night. But hey, I didn't mean
she would shoot, tear down the merch, load the merch,
you know what I mean? Like she was a road warrior,
throw the van and trailer, and I was pretty good
at why turning a trailer by the time I retired. Yeah,
(46:12):
I mean, like, this woman just let me brag on
her for two seconds. She was road warrior. So you
have it's an investment. So you're investing back into this nucleus. Yeah,
because again you have to pay somebody to do all
that stuff, right, because I mean, money's money howherever it
comes from, however it comes money's money. So I wasn't
like making us money, but I was saving us money absolutely,
(46:32):
and I was like, I can do that. I can
do that. That's the three in me. I'm like, I
can do it. Between the between the music video and
coming out on the road, I mean the the jump
start that the video had on my career, and then
the countless dollars and hours that you saved. I mean, yeah,
(46:53):
it's not your not your typical. So what is your
official position in with him? I don't know. I don't
need one. But if someone says, what do you do?
What do you say? I hate that question. Yeah, but
that's the question. That's the question I say. I'm a
touring life now because now we're in a place that
(47:14):
we've hired other people, and so like I do still
like vet who ends up being a photographer if I
like their work or not. I still I kind of
creative direct. If someone asked, really, I oversee like this,
and I oversee graphic design, and yes, no, like ad
mats and like I made the Carly and Russ tour,
(47:37):
ad Matau one came back and I was like absolutely
not like readd the whole thing, and then when management calls,
they're like, hey, can you and Kaylee come in for
this meeting to brainstorm. So she's kind of CEO of
this of you you So it makes me sound uncomfortable,
but I mean it. You are you are, we're co No,
(48:01):
you're still okay, So you're CEO your CFO. I don't know,
so okay, But did you ever consider going into management
and doing management for him? Was there ever a question? No?
Because I didn't. I don't know. I didn't I wanted
to get that official official like I don't know. I
(48:25):
wasn't trying to have I didn't need the industries like
recognition of like oh she manages Russell and I almost
didn't want that. Like when people call me a white pitcher,
it makes like I've never heard that term. Well, I
compared you to Sharon Osborne when I was talking about you, okay,
because she means she. I don't know she. I don't
think she's Aussie's main manager, but she definitely she's involved. Yeah,
(48:46):
and she may have been his manager, Mike when you
looked that up. But yeah, I compared you to a
Sharon Osbald because she ran that Ausby was the guy
and he did the deal. She made sure nobody nobody
mess with aussy bounce bounce Yeah sure, Yeah. I feel
like a gatekeeper to some extent, and like even when
it means like when people come backstage if they do,
(49:08):
or like because I'm monitoring his energy levels and like
because he'll go hard and cookie yeah for rashes And
I'm like, okay, well yeah, because I go hard and
then and then zero, you know what I mean. But
I don't know there was We're it's such like a
(49:29):
family vibe with my team that to have her as
like an official anything would just feel we don't feel weird, yea, Kaylee,
I told you five four and your six forks for
it's a whole foot. When I was doing math real quick,
I was like, whole, like a whole. I don't want
to mess up. That's my big shot to show my
numbers and my skills and numbers sharing. Yeah, she didn't
(49:52):
manage him and then started the whole management company, started
the whole company. Jeez um, you also did you did
another video for him blue to call me? Yeah, so
I brought in I was full circle. My fourth brother
is a director in l a went to USC film school,
did the whole thing, and he was the one directing.
The reason I did in Nora Jones video was because
(50:12):
of him, and he was directing it and brought me
in to shoot it video a young blood if we
look it up, young blood young blood and he was like,
I want you to film it. And I filmed a
few things, but it was like nothing officially. I had
only done photos at that point, and I was doing
head shots because the musical theater department's big at balmontin
I was doing head shots. Was like my college money basically,
(50:34):
and he was like, I want you to film this
and I was like, I've never done that, and he
was like I trust you an eye and I and
he's like, I want to fly you to New York
and I want you to film it. And I was like, okay,
what are we doing? And he was like, do you
know who Nora Jones is? And I was like yes,
but like reminder, I've never done this, and so he's like, no,
I believe in you. So I flew out there shot
her music video in her apartment and like got to
(50:57):
meet her and it was crazy. So then I moved
back to but went back to All Want and everyone
was like, that's the girl that shot nor Jones music.
So then I got so much business and that was
like NonStop. But then when this music video is happening,
we still it was still a new label, young label,
still didn't have a real big budget, and I was
(51:18):
like at that point, I was like I don't have
to do it, like someone else can come in, Like,
let's see the treatments. I saw the treatments and I
was like I don't love them, and um, and then
I saw the numbers and I was like, oh my gosh,
for this to get pulled off, I still have to
do it. And so I called my brother and I
was like, hey, he lives in l A. And I
was like, we need to film us in California obviously,
(51:39):
will you help me. You can take the entire director percentage,
which was like not a lot, and he was like, yeah,
I'll do it. So we got to direct together again
after all that time, and it was just it was
just a sweet like full circle bringing him in and
we'll probably bring him in. He's like a creative genius,
but um, yeah, it was just cool. Where were you
(51:59):
in this song? Hit number one? Really? I think we
were on the road. It's funny that we can't remember.
I don't. I don't remember I was in waffle House
for the most recent I was like, we're going to
waffle house, baby, this is the gym. I don't. So
(52:22):
my thing is I don't hear a lot of Oddly,
I don't hear a lot of music because when I'm
doing my show, we're playing like three songs now and
we're talking the whole time, and we're only playing like
and I don't pick them. I'll play new stuff that
I like sometimes, but I don't pick the music because
it's like we're on like a hundred fifty cities. They
make sure the biggest three songs, and so unless the
(52:42):
song is like one, two or three or four, maybe five,
I don't hear it. So when this song started to
hit tops, I was like, I'll talk to Amy. I
was like, what's the Russell song that I hear that
I like? But it was already in the top ten
and and then it I mean, it's so good. I
love it so but again I didn't hear it until
the time. But I don't hear anything. They're like, people
always ask me, you hear so much music. I know
(53:02):
who your crap right, Like I talk for a living
and I have I love music, and I love all
kinds of music, but I don't. And also my days
of like just scouring for somebody on YouTube playing a
guitar with three strings the next big thing, you know what,
I'm just gonna ta be funny. I find people who
I really believe that, you know, I like, take them out,
let him open from me on tour, try to help
(53:23):
get published deals. It's like, you know, but this song
is a jam? Yeah? Um, I love that one. This
song which one moved the fastest? For you? Blue Comma? Really? Yeah?
I mean every little thing was longer than yours really
weeks man, Yeah, it was just the later like the
forties was. Then my album came out like three years ago. Now,
(53:49):
you know, you lose you know, you lose that initial
steam from yours to Blue to Come and then the
third single was it was a grind. You had six
or fifty people at your wedding. How do you know
many people? My dad is a he's the music minister
at Woodmont Baptist over here, and it's kind of so
the venue was free at the church and it was
(54:11):
kind of like once you invite one, you invite them
all kind of vibe. But we did, like we just
did like a cake's reception at the right immediately following
the wedding, and then we had to people at our
actual like family friends loved two wedding, the fake wedding,
and the two receptions ceremony, cake reception, closed reception. I
(54:33):
was like, I don't want to meet anyone at our wedding.
You don't want to have to do the whole song
that we were in and out right, well that still
didn't happen because there were six and but anyway, I
want it. Definitely wanted something a little smaller, but here
we are. How do you feel about girls who tried
to get rustled during shows? I really don't care, honestly.
(54:57):
I there are some girls who like sit side stage
and we're like I and the girls who are like I.
I don't know. I think a I trust him like crazy,
but be they know so many of them, like even
if someone comments something on one of his things, like
the droves of people who come out there like excuse me,
(55:17):
do you know, Kate, Like they just like have a
whole thing. I was at a show once Actually this
is pretty early on, and some girl was in this
like little red dress at the front of the stage.
I was still out in the crowd at that point,
and this girl came up to me and she was like,
excuse me, I'm going to go say something to her.
And I was like, please, don't, please, don't say anything.
And she was like this is inappropriate, Like everybody knows
(55:39):
he's married, and if you don't know he's married, you're
not a real fan. Like she like got this whole thing,
like it's okay, it's all fine, Like please don't say anything,
it's fine. Well, not to be awkward here, but on
the phone right now, is the one girl you made
out with? I was like, my heart, I wouldn't be surprised.
(56:09):
So what's what's happening looking forward for you right now?
Like where are you at? You get music recorded? Like
what's the what's what's the timeline? What's happening? We have
a so the next single it's called love You like
I Used to. It'll be February, early February coming out.
We got six songs recorded for the record, go in
and probably cut four more in February. Are you doing
(56:32):
any of the What is very vogue right now is
the collaborations. Do you have any? It's very in right now,
it's super in right now. Everybody's getting a collaboration. I know,
and I don't. I mean, I don't have any as
of now. Uh, I would love some. I haven't really.
I feel like we'll get there once we get it
all recorded and toss the name out Barbra Streisan, Oh
(56:57):
what a classic, what a class sick? Uh? Would you
let him sing a love song with another girl? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, Um,
I'm always down for collapse. I'll do a whole edge
here and collab album. My prediction is you will have
one by the time you feel your only six songs totally. Yeah, absolutely,
you'll have something. That's the thing. Now, how do you
(57:21):
feel about that? Um? You know, I feel like I do.
But everything a couple are really cool. Then if you
come out and it's down the middle and then we
start to burn on it and then we go to
the next thing. It's everything is cyclical period in music,
every art, it's not even music art, everything is so
So how do I feel about it? Great? Then? Medium?
Then let's get over it, right, I'm kind of over
its Well, you're in the business, so you're seeing it
(57:44):
a lot more, and you're seeing it from the early
early stages of the talks of it. The we're gonna
recording this, and we've heard it yet it's actually out
that forty two weeks before it even hits the chart,
so we both I have to separate myself from what
I know on the inside versus like what my people
are hearing, which is one why I don't listen to
new music from any of my friends ever until it
(58:05):
comes out. Maybe two people ever will I be Will
I take their music and listen to it um, because
then I just don't feel the same. Even my favorite artists,
I won't take their music because I want to be
able to because I feel like I represent all my
people and so I don't want to be burned out
on something before it even comes out, because it's not
(58:27):
fair to them. So but I'm okay with it. There's
some really good ones. Let's not do bad ones, but
let's do good ones. Um, really good collaborations happening right now. Well,
first of all, the and we'll go back in time
for a second, but the baby let im back, And
that's the j It just was like boom the world.
(58:48):
Just I remember once I was driving somewhere, I was
flipping I was on satellite and I heard that song
the first time, and I was like, that's that. That's
like the greatest radio song I've heard in yours. I mean,
I know who it was on it, I didn't know
what didn't and I was just like, won't there is
oh yeah and so and then I think that kind
(59:09):
of line people up to go, oh we should grab
some more of these yeah, um good ones all r
let's go around the room. I'm gonna go. I do
like the Dan and sha Bieber song, Yes, because I
just love Dann say totally. So I don't know. It
could be Dan and Shaye and me. You know, it
doesn't matter whatever they put out, it's gonna be good.
But this is this is a jam Russell. You got
(59:29):
a collaboration you like right now, don't see? I mean,
if we're still going back in time, when when Lauren
Elena comes in on that came Round song, what if
that with me again? An early one too? It was
like when she comes into that course, it was like whoa, yes,
there we go, and I mine. I don't know the
(59:50):
name of it, but it's the If the World Was
Ending JP, JP Sacks and Julia Michaels. This this deserves
little sound, but Hannah Gray, Ellis and Ellis and Nick
Wayne covered it and it is straight fire. Who is
this one? Mike? Do you know what it is? I
can't find it? Julia Michaels the World on her record
(01:00:12):
and now it's I think it's on JP Sacks s
A x E. Who's JPS? I don't know who that is? Though,
he's like like smart, I was, I don't know anything.
He's got like thirty k on Instagram. I looked. As
soon as I heard that, I messaged him. I was like, dude,
can we play? What's it called? If the World Was Anything?
And in traffic I didn't feel it when the earthquake happened,
(01:00:34):
but it really got me thinking, were you out drinking?
Were you in the If the World Was In? It's
been a year like this earthquake happens and it's like
she thinks about her what she's doing, and the rock
shows up and yeah's in that movie? You know? The
one that I like now is that I like the
Edge Shearing. It's been out for ed sharing and uh
(01:00:57):
Khalid beautiful People People, Gray People. That is the that
song that's a jam too. Yeah, I'm in I'm into
the Collapse big time. I mean that whole album, the
Travis Scott Oh yeah, what's on the club at the
beginning of that track? Yeah, yes, the whole that album
(01:01:17):
is great. Yeah. Social you're going out with Kane? Yes,
and so there's also like international stuff in there. Huh
Is that true? He is? Yeah, I'm not on that.
I'm just in America. We need to come on. I
kind of nixed him international stuff for the next year,
(01:01:37):
like we were. He we were international twice last year
and we were like, oh my gosh, we need to
take a circumnavigated the globe when around the whole thing
lay over in China Europe. How long do you go
with Kane? I haven't told May Night here, I don't know.
I don't know February to Maynight into February. You already
have tour stuff planned for next fall, you just haven't
announced you Are you still working on that ahead? Is it?
(01:02:00):
We're so? Then the summer is like fairs and festivals,
classic and then headlining slash Yeah, unannounced stuff. Yeah, it's excieting.
Yea festivals, stages just built for the day stage semi
trucks that transformers into a day Well, look at you
(01:02:21):
at the peanut Fests and the Sausage Fest and the
Point Stia Fest, and you know, all the fests. To
be fair to all the fests, there is no paycheck
like a festival paycheck. You were indeed correct, They're great
and there's really no pressure draw tickets. Usually there's somebody
(01:02:42):
bigger than you plan too, or even if not, people
are already there. It's just like we're on a Thursday,
and like some like Classic Legacy Act is on Friday,
orders on Friday, and then Cake is playing on Saturday.
You've got it all covered in all directions. Exactly. Amazing. Well,
I look forward to the to the new music. Yeah, man,
that'd be cool. I'm super stoked. And then I'm glad
(01:03:04):
both you guys would come in. I know that you
were sick. We're we're gonna do this earlier and more
so than I cared about you being sick, I cared
about me getting sick from you, so and I would
never I would never want I was like, I hope
he's cool with that, because it's literally for everyone's own good. Yeah,
he was like a hundred and two fever. You know
he's sick when he's like because he is like every
(01:03:24):
day is awesome and I'm only a seven today. He's like,
I guess I'll sleep till nine, you know, like, yeah,
do you do the thing where you go because this
is what's gonna happen to me in the next few days.
I will get sick because I have been pressing. I've
been pressing so hard you have been and it's well,
(01:03:44):
we all do. But I mean in my mind, I've
been pressing hard and going and I get very grateful.
Then I'm not sick during big things, yes, because if
I'm like I have this big standup so I'm gonna do,
or I have this big American I don't think i'm
gonna do. Please God don't let me be sick. And
then I'm not sick and I'm like, thank you God,
I'm not sick us. But i feel like I'm just
constantly praying and battling. It's like December comes, it's like
(01:04:06):
it's us. It's like they're all the little green guys,
big green blob guys are coming. All of it. Um
A little throwback here's that's my girl from from yeah
right there. It's not great, but I did it in college.
(01:04:29):
Here is from two thousand twelve green Line Russell. Who's
the one let's take her out of the equation. Who's
the one person that believed in you excluding her in
your career in your career, who's the one person that
you go Holy moly, without them? I just I wouldn't
(01:04:50):
be here. John Dennis, my manager, he signed me in
two thousand ten. Uh. Yeah, he's the one who has
steadily for a decade. Now, wow, that's weird a decade,
has believed in me, signed me. I had nothing. He
took me to every label. They all said no, you know,
(01:05:11):
he didn't. He never gave up on me, and there
was artists along the way that he would sign, taking
the labels. They'd say, no, he he dropped, you know,
but for some reason he always kept me around and
would continue to to brainstorm with me. Um. We we
started our own record label for yours, and that was
how we jumped started that. You know, we legally started
(01:05:34):
a record label. We didn't have them, you know, millions
of dollars, but we just he paid for your track
to get fixed. Yeah, he always my Nissan Armada two
thousand four that I would drive, uh would break down,
still drive it, it would break downs. He would, you know,
pay for all that, and eventually finally we recouped all that.
(01:05:56):
Did you get him a Christmas present this year? We
don't really, Oh, I know, it's super embarrassing because normal
we never really like do Christmas presents. Well, we're in
the middle of moving, so we'll give everyone a delayed
like St. Patrick's president. Yeah, I'll give him a Valentine's Day. Yeah,
it's no. I mean, like movers come this weekend, like
(01:06:19):
the next two days. So we have kind of just
been a dizzy dizzy I don't know either work. Yes, well,
let's I really enjoy talking about you guys to it
over hour and finally, Yeah, it's been a long time coming,
has it. I mean I've I've wanted to He's like,
(01:06:41):
I've been waiting for you to call me. Le see
all these awesome artists on this to me is so
fun because one, it's long form, you can just talk.
It's not minute blocks or two minute blocks. And too,
I also get to talk to people about deeper in
the craft, and I get to talk to people actually
inside the aft, like Tom Douglas comes and talks for
(01:07:02):
God or what a well Spring? Or um, Carrie Luke's manager,
Carry Ailis comes in, Here's Luca Colesman and talks about
that side of it. So I'm such a such a
nerd of of like music and business that um, I
enjoyed it. And it's in my house, basically, come here.
Nobody comes to my house except for people for this show.
I'm super like nobody who come to my house. And
(01:07:24):
then except for everybody who's comes to do the show,
some of them I've never even met before. So I
do want to throw in When you were talking about
the Brooks and dun hits, I just want to throw
in Cowboy Town. Oh he's referencing if I get to
pick two songs. Okay, Yet you're right cowboys don't playway Town.
I'd like to say I heard him do a demo
once that, Uh no, you don't. You have to pick
(01:07:44):
the hits three. I'm not saying it's it's not. It's
not the most massive hit. I get two songs to play,
the Brooks and done this one just hits me. And
if you get to pick, what did you pick? I
picked Neon Moon, yes, absolutely, and Bully Boots Scoot Buggie
because that's just the crowd. So I've luckily, oddly become
(01:08:07):
friends with Ronnie Dunn, who is known as super sarcastic,
dry guy and people like man Ronnie. But that's right
up my alley, like we are just like perfect, We're
like lovers, right and so um. I got a note
today they were like, hey, they're gonna do Neon Moon
and Red Dirt Road and I was like it was
like Red Roads, fine, but let me hit Ronnie up
(01:08:28):
to boot Bogie. So all right, listen that that's all
Russell D Russell D. But you spell your last name
with the E at the end. Is that true? It
was just spelled wrong with my sheet Rustled, Yeah, Russia
Rustled Instagram. That's my Instagram. That's so confusing. I know
it's like Russell. I wanted to go for Russell D,
(01:08:48):
but then I just did Russell E D both of
my initials, and it's just so returned, like written Russell right, yeah,
Russell yeah. And then Kayleie Dickerson, are you are you verified? No?
I'm not are you verified? Okay? Not to insult him,
I mean, yeah, I would just expect you should be verified.
She absolutely should. Yeah, are you verified on Twitter? Are
(01:09:10):
you verified on Twitter? That was a big day the
Twitter with verification back in the day because that was
the first variation. That's that's like intro to verification. Yeah,
I remember the day, like, oh my god, you're like, wow,
am I famous? But that was like before they would
like give it out to like influence or like herbal
t influencers, you know what I mean, used to be
(01:09:31):
on the battle and that's how will end it and
then I can find that yeah, because data isn't the word. Well,
you know went on it. You may know them and
it's I don't know. All right, let's see you guys.
All right, welcome to episode to nineteen. It's Russell and
Kayleie Dickerson. Have you guys ever done one together? An
interview together? That track was fire You have an interview together? Yeah,
only a couple of the like what who interviews you together?
The Not did so a print publication, yes, but it
was their podcast O. We were their first episode, right
(00:21):
and Bristo and I think that's it? How was that?
I don't know her, but she lives, she's wonderful, love her, Yeah,
I hear. I hear good things about her as a person.
I always have a weird thing with bachelor people because
I've met, like most of them I meet are not
people I would normally hang out with in her life.
I go, oh, that's why you wanted the Bachelor and
(00:42):
and not and not because she I hear she's great.
And I'm saying this because I have multiple friends that
are like, oh, she's like a fantastic human, right, yeah,
you actually is? Yeah, legitimately lover her. Yeah, it's cool
than not. When you bring that up, it reminds me
that I saw on the Not, which is a wedding website, right,
like the Not that you wars was the biggest wedding
song for them ever or something like that, or the
(01:03):
year or something like extreame music. They put it. They
put it. They make like an annual list for their
like because you go to the not to like who
should I use as my photographer? Who should I use
make my cake? Or whatever? And they had yours was
one of their their like number one playlist wedding first dance,
(01:25):
so you know what I mean, like their communitive list whatever.
Did this song build your new house? Absolutely? Yeah? Are
you still getting checks for it? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, I
mean he's like yep, yeah, I mean it's yeah, that
was that yours is. It's its own whole story anyway,
(01:47):
And we'll get to that. We will. Have you played
this song at many weddings that you weren't personally connected to,
like have people hired you? Because I talk to talking
to Dan recent Danna CHANI was like, you know, we
don't do a lot of weddings, but listen, we'll do
something right because they have wedding songs, yeah, like legit
(02:08):
yours is one. Speechless Yeah, have you played that any
weddings I have? Yeah, I've I've probably done like like hey,
like come play our wedding will pay you like three yeah,
not not a lot. Does that go through your agent? Yeah? Yeah,
But then that's good. Those are good. The privates of
(02:28):
anything were so good, fantastic. But then there's that one
in a million. We happen to be playing a show
in a certain city and there happens to be a
wedding and they're like tweeting like crazy, you know what
I mean. So we were in like South Carolina, some
I don't know, some town and we played it like
(02:49):
four thirty. First dance was at like six thirty, so
it was oh yeah, yeah yeah. So we got we
got ubers, I brought my guitar, we changed, we tried
to find something dressy, got the band. I was like
I can't wear jean shorts to a wedding. Yeah, and
so we just like anyone know you were coming? Was
(03:09):
like one literally to the mother in law, No one, no,
because we walked in and we were like hey, uh
and they the wedding planner. I don't know if they
knew who we were at all. Yeah, someone in that
vand like incognito was like, where's the wedding planner? And
like right in and so someone a bit advanced it. Yeah,
I mean we walked into just enough because I'm telling you,
(03:29):
I've done the thing before where I also have gone
to a wedding where it's like a big fan, it's
like we just love you and you don't tell him
you're coming, and you go and have people like I
don't know who you are. Yeah, exactly, And it's a
real humbling experience. That happened once. That happened once in Phoenix.
We were staying in a hotel outside of Phoenix, I
don't know what, Oh my god, and we heard the rehearsal.
She was walking down the aisle to yours, and so
(03:51):
we were in the pool like at this hotel and
heard the rehearsal and we're like, you gotta do it,
you gotta crash. And you walked in the door after
the ceremony and they were like, they're like and Rust
was like, Hi, I'm wrestled. They were like, I know
that feeling. There are two times where that happens to me.
(04:12):
That one. It's like that because there's only like a
small selection people to give me a crap, give a
crap who I am very small and I'm very loyal
to them, But most people have no idea, right, I'm
just a dork with big glasses. So without the glasses, yes,
So when you show up somewhere and you're like, I'm
actually doing this because I know somebody here cares im,
and then they're like, yeah, we got no idea, bro.
(04:33):
The other one is when something like sometimes like people
on my my management team will call and go, Hey,
we're gonna have dinner at this place. We're gonna call
and and they'll be like, Hey, we're gonna get a table.
And I don't do this anymore, but like we get
a table for four bibones is in town and they're like,
I don't know who that is. And that happens and
it's like, you know what, it's just not worth it
to me. It's not worth it. It happens like one
(04:54):
or two times, and you're like it's I don't do it.
It's not I'll just go and wait. I'm not special. Um,
I'll tell you that my my recent have to kay
Lee stories and we're gonna get all this. By the
way she was talking, I have so much preparation I've
done for this interview and we haven't gotten to it yet. Um.
The first one is this is a three or four
(05:14):
weeks ago. I was playing the opera at the Rheman
and you were playing to that night, um, and so
we were on the same thing together. But I was
walking back and if you ever just kind of an
insight tip, you're gonna go to the operate at the Ryeman,
you can wait for all the artists to show up
behind the Rheman because we all have to go through
a backdoor. And so and I'm there, I'm just gonna
do some stand up and I think I don't have
a guitar with me or anything, and so I'm going
(05:35):
in and there's a lot of people that know that
and they're just waiting in there. Would take pictures and
in a bit there's a there's a lot and it
starts to be a little bit overwhelming, and all of
a sudden, it's like an angel came out of this guy.
I was like, I'll take these pictures. And it was
Kaylee standing there and she grabs everyone's phone and it's like, okay,
next next sex sex And this ushered me right into
the door, and I was like, thank you very much.
And I left that experiencing like did he know that
(05:55):
was me? Or does he think I was a fan?
Like I know, I knew exactly who it was. You know,
I'm a fan. But I was like, I left that
experience of being like he might have thought I was
one of the people just waiting for him. I did not.
And then we saw each other again upstairs, as we did.
But and then my second one is and I didn't
say anything about this on the radio, but I'm gonna say,
but maybe I didn't know. Okay, So I saw at
(06:16):
the airport. I don't know where. I don't know. No, No,
we weren't at the airport. We were events. I live
an airport, so okay, same, but I remember this, Um
we we're at charity event. Did she tell you this?
I love it? And so I say, hey, you know
what's because I feel like I know Kaylie better than
(06:36):
you Russell at times, like we've spoken more than than
you and I have. And we're talking at this event
and she was like, hey, I was gonna go. Russell's
playing a radio show and I was complaining about radio
shows in your honor, and I was like, I can't
you know what They barely get paid. It's like Tuesday night,
you know, I'm feeling I'm feeling bad for you and
she's like, yeah, it's not so bad, and um, she
goes well, and I was gonna thinking about going. But
(06:58):
what I do is I reserved the Southwest because if
you fly, because my idea is my companion, right Mike
on Southwest, I can take him. Anytime I fly Southwest,
I can put myke on for free. She's yours. She goes,
you know. So I used the pass and I walked
all the way to the gate with him and then
I just don't go. It's all over again. I was like, yeah,
I was like the seat if the plane was sold out.
(07:21):
So I laughed and then I got and I thought
about telling that story on the show, but I didn't.
I felt like it was a good private moment. And
then then I heard and then I don't know again,
did you I've posted it? Because that what it was.
I felt like, I thought when I heard my name,
I was like, oh, he's about to call me out
and say that I stole the seat on Southwest and
(07:44):
something in me, But you didn't mind me that you
were okay they're talking about I'm like, if Southwest is
going to give me that, but not let me. This
is my beef with with the companion backs, which you
may feel with me. Which we're grateful Southwest that we
get to fly well for we fly a lot giving
it to us for charity. Thing is they don't let
(08:07):
you board together. You're like Z three yes, and I
have no status because he's like a plus preferred plus
plus plus, so are you and your boarding past. I'm
sure when you board is like B fifty two or
like it's at the way. I'm like, we're going to
sit together if we're companion pass, just let us sit together.
They won't do it. I don't know why did you
(08:29):
have to not write article about this, because this would
this would be good because we need you guys. What's
interesting to me is you guys work together too. You
don't because and I didn't know that Kelly was a
singer because I was talking to her. She was like,
you know, I did vocals and because she just went
to school together. Wait, let's start from the very beginning.
You guys met in school. Yeah, and like a singing class. Yeah,
(08:52):
we have the same vocal coach, voice teacher, and like
you have these required classes where it's legitimately you sit
in the class room, you have someone play guitar or
piano for you, you stand in front of the class
and sing. That's terrifying. That's why I don't sing anymore.
But I mean for me, that's lit. That's radio tour, right,
(09:12):
you know, So that like prepped me for these like
super awkward, sterile, fluorescent light conference rooms at exactly and
looking like they could care less to be there. So
that's you know, that prepped me. But that that's where
we met. And we had the same vocal teacher. And
I remember who sing first. I remember hearing him sing
(09:35):
first and he's saying it was in our classical class
and you're saying, oh yeah, And they made me sing
low yeah, like you saying a church on the Cumberland Road.
I like the old yeah, the old like and I
was like, dang, that guy can sing. And that's the
(09:57):
first time I remember. Because we didn't like ever meet really.
Everyone's always like, so how do you guys meet, and
we're like, we don't know. We were like all friends
of friends. If she was dating somebody, I was dating somebody,
and it's just like all interwoven, slowly merging. Yeah, And
then we made out at a graduation party after we'd
broken up with Let's rewind for a second. You hear
(10:18):
him sing yeah, and do you hear her sing like
the same? Yeah, who at that stage was the better singer.
It's always been him in classical though like slash like
musical theater, but that transitions into like this little indie
vibe that she's got. It's like incredible, it's so good.
(10:39):
But you didn't answer the question what he Okay, I
was better at classical. He was better at um commercial,
which is like his life, which is a good thing
that I'm like not going to go on radio to classical.
I'm going to say her that's the right answer, even
if we can't, you can't prove it exactly, just she is.
(11:01):
And so you guys, you're in this class and you
have friends that mutual friends. You guys are hanging out,
and was it like even though you're dating other people,
I'll just ask you where you like. Man, she's cute.
I don't have a girlfriend, but she's cute. Yeah, well
I was dicky, he didn't really have a girlfriend. Yeah,
it was like, but I would like ask her for advice,
(11:22):
like dating advice. But then like we would start hanging
out more. We'd go to like the flea market. We'd
always get coffee or whatever while you were dating another girl. No,
not really. It had kind of a asked her they
were dating. If you asked him, they weren't. It was
kind of one of those they weren't. They were not serious.
They mean they were not to convince me, I believe it,
(11:43):
I'm like trying to make sure he doesn't sound like, Also,
you're in college doing dumb, young, darky things. But really,
what he I mean, you start hanging out. I wasn't
a serious relationship. So you were hanging out with him
while you're had a serious boyfriend. Okay, so you both
kind of single then, yeah, but we were you vibe
in at all. It's so long ago, honestly, and like
(12:06):
like we were like ten years so let's go back
in time. So back in time, back in time, it
was like friends of friends. Like it was just like
a group like that's Belmont. It's such a small, like
tight knit group. There was like twenty people in our
graduating class. So it was and so like we all
all would hang out and then like we would just
(12:27):
start going again. Like I remember when the first time
I was like going to the flea market and I
would like, ask you about another girl? Yeah, but then
like that bring us closer, you know what I mean?
I need to ask other girls about other girls, but
it really just brings them I don't know, No, Yeah,
(12:49):
he would be like should I do this? I was like, well,
do you miss her? Do you like her? And he'd
be like, I don't know if I like her. I'm like, well,
did you think about her when you were like on
Thanksgiving break? And you'd be like, I mean a little.
I'm like, I don't think you like her that much.
I don't know how long have you two been together
or not married, but together period ten years minus one month.
(13:09):
We broke up after that, okay minus one month? What
happened with that month? I was an idiot? He was
an idiot. I this is this is a this is
for real. I had just we graduated already, and I
had just signed like my pub deal, and like it
was about to happen for Russell pers you know what
(13:30):
I mean. It was in like all these promises were
made from that deal and like you're gonna get a
record deal. You're gonna be you know, you're gonna be
on radio. You gonna be on tour, You're gonna be gone,
You're gonna be going going, And I was like, I
don't really have time for a relationship, like I need
to just kind of and we don't e been dating
for a year. Oh that's a long time. That's not
(13:52):
only yeah for me, like yeah, and and so I
mean that was that was my mindset, was like it's
about to happen for me. I need to be single.
But like twenty two year, we were twenty I was
twenty two. There's no judgment triangle here. I'm here. I'm
(14:16):
just asking questions. And so that was. That was one
month and I remember calling her on Thanksgiving Day and
I was just like wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, you
have to waity back up what he was like. He
was like, we'll be friends, and I was like, no,
we won't. And you go ahead and do what you do.
I'm going to move on. You move on and you're like,
(14:38):
but you're my best friend. And I was like, well
you're mine, and but we're not doing this like both thing,
and so I moved on. He moved on, and then
I got a call on Thanksgiving and he was like,
I just want you know, I'm thankful for you. And
I was like, wait, well, like I needed And when
I say this, it is the smallest. It's not even
(15:02):
like I needed to live the rock star road life.
You know. I literally made out with one girl and
that was I was just like, no, this isn't for me,
this whole this is a this is not a good
this is not fulfilling, you know what I mean. Like,
literally I made out with one girl and I was like, yeah, okay,
this is I gotta call Kaylee. That whole deal from
(15:25):
back then, that pup deal didn't turn into all the
things we thought it was going to. Career wise, No,
you still would same publish company. Also, you're out of
all of that. Yeah, that was that. The first I
signed in two thousand eleven, that was a two year
deal got dropped after two years. Um, and then that
was two thousand thirteen. And I didn't even write Yours
(15:48):
until two thousand fourteen. And then I didn't sign a
deal till you have made that song and it's after
two years. Huh. Yeah, well, what's kind of the genesis
of you writing that song? And it took a second
for it to kind of happen. Yeah, So you're right, Like,
just tell me about that. So the overall picture is
(16:09):
January twenty something is when we wrote it, and then
January twenty something, literally almost to the day, four years later,
four years is when it went number one. So four
years in between that was. I had one offer for
(16:32):
a publishing deal. We took it, we had to, We
had no just got married. I got dropped the week
we got back from our honeymoon. So that was a
great We made twelve th dollars that you yea combined. Yeah,
So that was that was year one of marriage. And
then Soten we wrote it, and I mean we just
(16:52):
we went all around town. Everybody said no, all the majors,
all the indies, every I mean literally, were you were
you chasing an artist deal with that song? Are you
also pitching the song as well? So you want you
wrote it? You're like, it's mine on this hill? Yeah,
the whole, the whole, this whole time, I was like,
I'm an artist writer, you know, like that was that
was what I wanted to do, and so uh yeah,
(17:14):
I was just like I we obviously didn't take no
for an answer, but I just put everything on this
one song. I was like I know, I know that,
I know that, I know this is a hit. And
and it took i mean another two years from writing
it too to go to labels and showcases and do
the whole dance. And it wasn't until uh thirty Tigers
(17:39):
slash now Triple Tigers. They've just started a whole brand
new label. And it was it was Norbert Nicks who
had just got to let go from Sony and like
Kevin Herring who just gotta let go from Warner. It's
all these guys who kind of, you know, related to this,
this like being rejected kind of mentality, like a little
(18:01):
chip on your shoulder a little bit, and un it
just all came together with this tiny little label. I
was the only artist on there and they had me
one song and that was that was what really ignited.
I mean I missed the whole video part, but an
industry wise, industry wise, that that was what what really
(18:24):
like to took it. You know, at what point because
the label was a small independent label, so it's it's
difficult because they don't have the promotion infrastructure right for
for an independent that they just don't have arms and
fangs everywhere. So but at what point though, did you
realize we actually have a shot with this thing, Like
(18:44):
this thing could actually be a massive hit, Like what
was it a number on the chart? Yeah? Like were
you hearing about research? Because it was also a valid
and oh my dear, I don't play. But then it
started jumping like it was only in the twenties for
(19:05):
like three weeks, four weeks something like that. It was
like jump, two spots, jump, three spots jump, and then
it was in the teens and we were like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
what was happening? Did you do this song on any
any TV? On any anything on our favorite? Did you
do the Bachelor? It seems like The Bachelor? Okay, I
don't know this, but it seems like this this would
be that kind of song, big pop from that show.
(19:26):
Absolutely it was a couple, Rachel and Dean. Rachel. She
was she was like two Bacheloretta. Maybe Dean was Geanie Babies.
Do you know Dean Bachelor in Paradise? He came back.
I've never seen must. I'm not the guy to talking
about me, but but I don't know Rachel. But it
(19:47):
was great. Okay, so he's an attorney, she's smart, she's
really cool. You play this on the show and it
was ever on radio, I'm pretty sure. Or no, No,
it was on radio and it jumped. It was so
hard after it jumped like ten spots on airplay and
top top of the iTunes charts, you know, just like
craziness that was. That was a big jump. When you
(20:08):
played that song on the show, you did it over
and over again. Yeah was Award two is are you
just playing with them? Dai? What was the scene? Was
that awkward? Uh? Well, they were late first of all.
So it all started where we never had a tour
bus before, but we got to like ride down in
a tour bus and then to South Carolina, Carolina, um,
(20:31):
and then so we're waiting, We're waiting, We're waiting. I
think Chris Harrison was felt bad. So he comes on
our bus and you know, we have a we raised
a toast, we have to have a drink, and we're
just like hanging out with Chris Harrison on our bus,
which for us at the time, we were like, I
was freaking out. He was there for like two hours
and we shared we had knob right now and I
(20:53):
had him signed the bottle and I have it in
my house, like, I mean, like I'm a fan and
he led us. She every Monday like her and her
gal pals get together and watch. He's also really nice.
He's so nice and let us. He let us come
to after the final rows. He was like, let you
take us? Do you want? I was like, it's twelve
too many and he was like, no, will make it happen.
We I mean me and all my friends filed in,
(21:14):
Like it was so fun. It was really cool to
like make it a real life experience and not so
like this is the show. That's cool that you got
to watch him play on the show and you got
to hate because you're a fan. When you're a fan
of something, it's so much cool that when it actually
works out in a way that makes you still feel good. Yeah,
and it was fun, like it was. I think the
whole thing is a crazy phenomenon. And do I think
(21:35):
it's the best way to find someone? No? Am I
highly entertained by drama that has nothing to do with
my own life. Yes, I love it. I love it.
They are they dancing is a dancing, It's like a
slow dance makeout And how many times do you think
you have to play that song with them dancing. Yeah,
it was like two or three. But they have to
make out every time on cue. No, no, no, they
(21:57):
just I mean they made out, but they want too.
It wasn't like make out at this. It wasn't choreograph.
You know. Who I became friends with from the Bachelor
was again the episodes A good maybe Bachelor was Joe
Grocer Store Joe. Yeah, I don't know personally, though he
did dance. He's the nicest guy. Heck, yeah, he seems
(22:17):
like it. And Kindle is engaged. I don't know. I
don't know if they're engaged either, but I'm telling you
that is as reel of a relationship. They are the
greatest for each other. They're both so nice. So yeah, there.
His story is wild because he went on and I
would add him and I were both not considered to
be the best danswer, so we were bonding over that.
(22:39):
And he went on that show and he was only
only for an episode and he get kicked off almost
immediately and the internet blew up. The Internet blew up. Yeah,
and he was like the Internet was pissed. Yes. Then
he got bring Back, Bring Back Grocery Store. Check like
he's good looking and he seems super nice, and so
he ends up going back to Bachelor in Paradise. Yeah,
and that's where he ends up meeting don't know, but
(23:01):
he was like he couldn't believe it. He was like,
I didn't want yo, it was embarrassed, and my friends
are gonna be kicked off. We at a party he
goes then then my social media started to blow up.
And but he was as much as I give the
batch or people crap like it earlier, I've but out
with a couple of people from that show. Um went
out with a people. Yeah, like went out people off
Mike and I've been around some of the people. You know,
(23:22):
it was really weird. Who wasn't mean or nice? But
who's the guy that thinks he's a model? Jordan Kimbell.
I had lunch with that guy. He's I didn't I
have no feeling like I didn't spend enough time with
them to like him or dislike him. He's a lot though,
and he's real. Yeah, just what you see on the
show is like, my friends were like, tell me if
(23:44):
this guy is real, And I'm like, why I don't
watch the show. And I sat with him and I
was like, I don't know what you say on the show,
but that's real. Whatever you see, he's exactly like that
in person. He's like on twelve just it's like, you know,
I got for model and deals, got to get down
due Wilhelmina Models, and I'm just like I can tell
he was kidding or not. If there's a year behind you.
At dinner, You're like, I need to put myself looking
into your allies. He'll never look at me this hole.
(24:06):
And again, I liked him just fine. It was just
I didn't know what his vibe was. My friends were like,
tell me, what if he's really liked that? Is that him?
Or Robbie? Oh no, that's another But you're just like casual,
Yeah she didn't watch football, Yeah, steak and stuff. You know.
So you go on this show and it pops for
(24:29):
you. You You come back to life and it's like, wow,
we gotta so obviously your team has a story too,
like one on the one on The Bachelor. Look how
song on this that's and at that moment when you
literally you have nothing, when you have this one little spark,
that is what you just like. Nurture and nurture and
nurture and try to try to get that into try
(24:50):
to get a little flame, try to get a little
bigger flame. I mean it's it's literally, man. We we
flew around the country and then would drive in Honda
Civics and just like go station to station and like
tell this little story of you know we had we
had some downloads, we had some streams, we you know,
we It was literally this tiny little flame that you
(25:11):
have to curate and just like keep it, like you
don't don't say no, like we're not going to stop.
One of the problems my wife and I have is
always what are we gonna cook for dinner? Because we
cooked the same things over and over and over again.
Spaghetti last week, spaghetti this week, spaghetti next week, spaghetti
(25:35):
wei the week out of that, and we're like, we
need something new. Were always get in a rut of
cooking the same things, and then we found it Hello Fresh,
different items each week delivered right to our front door.
Cooking made simple. We were like, oh, we were so excited.
So you go to Hello Fresh dot com and let's
(25:55):
say you're a vegetarian. They have different vegetarian meals to
choose from them, and when you open up that box,
in your front door. All the ingredients are measured out
to the tea spoon and they have step by step instructions.
Thirty minutes later around you have the meal sitting on
your table. And right now you can get nine free
meals with Hello Fresh by going to Hello Fresh dot
(26:16):
com slash Bobby cast nine and using the code Bobby
cast nine. That's nine free meals with Hello Fresh dot com.
Go to Hello Fresh dot com slash Bobby cast nine
and using the code Bobby cast nine. So you're you're
hustling around, the song is continuing to climb. It hits
(26:37):
top ten, and now it shifts to well, we're trying
to get the whole freaking thing now, like we've been
working this hard this long because it was on the
chart for a long time. It was the Billboard set
a record first. Okay, the timeline in itself two thousand
fourteen when we wrote it, just to even get a
record deal was one of the longest journey of my life.
(27:00):
Then once we finally hit radio, it is the Billboard's
longest solo male debut climb to number one. So it
was just on the chart for a long time for
nail the chart. Yeah, so you go your top ten?
Did they give you the talk like they do some artists,
like it's just honored to be in the top ten,
(27:22):
like like you know, we made it. Who knows, but
we got a top ten and we got some momentum
for the next one. And that's not how I work, dude.
I'm like faith, I'm like, yes, we're gonna do it.
I will drive to every radio station again to make
sure this goes all the way. I don't care, I'll
do it. Oh yeah, what are you? Three with a
(27:44):
hard to wing? Okay, so I'm eight with the three
two to eight with it? You go to two and
growth hold on, Oh dude, we'll be here all who
got me on his Dave Heywood, Yes, and Kelly bought
us all the books. It's a Haywood thing. They've they
love it. They love the inioground. I had never heard
(28:05):
of it until Dave came in and spent ten minutes
ted talk to me about the Indian ground. Yeah. I'm
an eight with two, so you can only go left
or no, I go. I picked my own way as
an eight wood. Yeah, yeah, so I made my own.
Mine was like the pent whenever they tell you, yeah,
(28:26):
so mine whatever that you're a crazy scenario. That means
you're really healthy because you and eight. If you're truly
in eight, you go to two and growth. What's to me?
It's the help of um that's not me. That's my
lowest one. I'm three, I'm whatever, the perfectionist. What's three
my When you look up three, it's not it's the achiever,
that's what I am. And three? Okay, those were your
highest two. I don't think that I showed up as
(28:48):
the two. They were like, there's only one number. I
don't think that's true. Because you find people in the
world and you're like, I believe you, in you, I'm
going to help you. But I'm just telling you. The
score told me the two didn't even register. You will
not be giving yourself enough credit because every question was
like who do you believe? And I was like me,
who else do you believe in? Yeah? There you go? Yeah,
(29:11):
so you go, and I will I will concur with that.
I mean, because you find all these artists and you're like,
I'm going to give you a platform, I'm gonna help you.
Be hurt you being really healthy. It's a challenger. Yeah,
eight goes to two in growth in five. So when
you're stressed out, you investigate things, right, you google stuff.
I mean, I'm doing that right now with you guys. Actually,
(29:32):
I'm the eight. Okay, I'm an eight and you're an eight.
I'm I'm a three. So you can only go left
or right in your wings. So like you can lean
towards what you can clean, you can lean towards seven
and an optimist, or you can lean towards mediator. I'm
guessing you lean towards seven. If neither one of those neither,
I just live. I built walls around the eight, so
(29:57):
I'm a three achiever, but and I leaned towards two,
which is the helper supportive advisors that one says, Oh,
my gosh, there is that has never been a more
accurate description. My gosh. Yeah. Well, I'm all I know
is I saw the scores and I was like eight,
and yeah, make that makes total sense. And that's the
(30:18):
thing that's the human at Yeah, it's yeah, not me
straight up? Seven? Are you? You're really optimistic? Optimistic? Enthusiastic? Wow,
look at you. Every day is the best day of
his whole life. Literally, Wow, I don't. I mean that's
I mean good for you. I struggle with that. Yeah,
he's yeah, I don't it's I don't understand. Is that
(30:41):
like I can get myself there, which I often do,
like I can find reasons, But are you? Is it
just a natural part of you where you just feel
it like that is you? Pretty much like I. I
wake up and I'm like, today is going to be
breaking awesome, and he's a babe, get up, look up,
look outside, then let's go. Let's go it like he's
(31:03):
like a kid on Christmas, like every day. It's insane
to me and sometimes liked, there's one person in my life,
it's it's our photographer videographer who out sevens me and
he is actually Buddy the Olfa. It's yeah, it's it's crazy. Wow. Wow,
that's that's that's a good thing to know about. I
don't know that. I wake up and I'm the opposite.
(31:25):
I'm like, I can't believe it's three o'clock in the
freaking mornings. I couldn't if he's like that on like
those infamous radio shows where he's up till eleven midnight
and Lobby calls five four something like that, and it's
just like over and over and over days like that.
He wakes up and he's like but other than that,
(31:47):
you're pretty much yeah, for the most part, suptimistic. When
the song's on top ten, though you felt it though,
you were like, oh babe, we got this. I will
do I will call every hundred and fifty six stations, yeah,
to make to see if we can actually take this
all the way. And so is it a slow week
(32:07):
week methodical climber? Does it kind of hit that top ten?
Pretty good? It was pretty good. Yeah, it wasn't. It
wasn't like T sevens all the way up and we
got two weeks on Billboard and and so yeah, it's
just like it's shot up, and it was just it
was what do you do when you What were you
doing the night it hit one? So the Sunday that
(32:29):
it actually flips and after West Coast comes in and
it's you're done, Um, you're now officially number one. What
were you guys? What were you doing? We were at
the house. I remember, like everybody I had like all
these interviews. All of a sudden, it was like Billboard
they wanted to do a whole like number one interview,
and like because the debut number one is pretty crazy,
and and so yeah, they were. I was on the
(32:52):
phone with them, I was on the phone with management,
and and just like it was cool that we were
actually home to be in the house line on our
little porch, because like we we didn't want to take
that for granted. This entire climb, like we had a
we had a top forty party legitimately with the songwriters,
Like they came up, they came over, and um, we
(33:13):
had a top forty party. Every every ten ten spots.
We would just take a moment and be like, you know,
if this is as high as it goes, raise a
toast to this. And it's been awesome. So it hits one,
and now we're gonna rewind a bit though, because the
video was a big part of this song too. In
the video, if I'm remembering right, I'm just gonna go
(33:35):
from memory, you were asleep? Wait as a proposal? Hold
on a second, let me get this right. Did you
propose in the video? Was a part of the video,
hold on? Getting my stories mixed up? Hold on? Are
you proposed? Were you taking a nap? And he makes
you up? When we got engaged, and okay, I'm getting
my stories mixed up? But I want to hear both
of them. So let's talk about the engagement here. Because
(33:59):
you're taking a nap, you are going to wake her
up and do a little song A little diddy. Yeah, okay,
and what was happening there? So she I mean, looking back,
I could have written a way more elaborate song, but
now it is what it is. It was like three lines. Um,
it's not even about the song. Compulsive though. He was like,
(34:21):
you decided on like a Thursday. You're like, I'm going
to propose botter Ring asked my parents. It was Sunday,
like you know it was coming at all. We looked
at a ring, but I still was like it's gonna
be a while. I was like, if this is going
to be a surprise, if it's gonna be surprised, I
gotta do this now. And so yeah, it was like
a Sunday after church. She was taking a nap and
(34:43):
I was obviously so nervous. I was like trying to
come up with this little just a little proposal diddy,
and I was like, she woke up and I was like, hey,
can we do this little like YouTube? I just want
to kind of make a video to put out and
you know, just for of the fans, my four fans
at the time, and you know, play this little acoustic
(35:04):
jam and you know, just riding that avenue of of
trying to convince her to get her camera out put
this wide angle lens on, and she's like, no, well, like,
why would I do a wide angle like it needs
to be in on you on your face this crop
like she knows what she's talking telling me how to
do my job. I was like so annoyed, and I'm like,
(35:25):
would you just please this like the vibe I'm seeing
as an artist, like I just want to see I
just want a wide angle lens, like you can see
the mess on the counter that I was so annoying,
and I was like, great happening, Great start to my proposal.
She's pissed, and so she's setting she sets up the
tripod wide angle. Finally convinced her, I'm like, all right,
(35:48):
go stand over there, let me see how it looks,
let me see the framing, and I hit record and
and then I walk over and I just start kind
of playing that little did he I mean, it's I'm
literally just like talking, not even looking at Honestly, I
think it might have been the most mad I've ever
been at you do you remember that? Did? He? Yeah,
(36:11):
it's like, you know, the love of my life, you're
the girl that mad twin. Oh, Kaylee, will you marry me?
It's just like literally literally like four lines. And so
when did it? He said, Kaylee, Kaylee Holly love a
Lot Seymour her nickname, middle name. I have that her
(36:32):
five older brothers. When the family is that big, you know,
the the kids, by the by the six kid, are
you from a big family? He's not a night there. Yeah,
by the time it gets to the six kid, they've
got twelve names. They've got you know, the teachers don't
even know their actual name. And I was the only girl,
and it was the pink care bear was named the
Love a Lot and so everything was pink. My whole
(36:53):
room was pink. The carpet was pink because my parents
were like, we're having a girl. And so love Lot
was a nickname, middle name. So when he said Kaylee
Holly love a Lot Seymour, I was like I looked
up and I was like, wait a second. And that's
when I was like, oh my gosh, Like I really
truly had no idea, Like the surprise factor was you
nailed it? You did? I was pulled it out the ring.
(37:19):
Oh that's not so let's go to the yours video
you shot this for. It was inexpensive video, very about
less than ten dollars, less than ten almost half, yeah,
so tell me about that. So again, we had been
(37:42):
denied and denied and denied, and it just got to
the point where I was so frustrated but also so hopeful,
and I was like, I know that, I know that,
I know. Like I listened to the radio, I hear
these songs, maybe way off, but this sounds like a
hit to me, and I'm going to put everything on
(38:03):
this song. So all six dollars, I'm gonna put my
life savings on this song. Honestly, that was our life savings.
And so and so we did, and like she, we didn't.
We didn't even really have a plan. This was just
supposed to be test footage. We're just gonna like hopefully
find a road that I could just walk down. That's
(38:25):
all I really had envisioned for for the video. It
was just like, I'm just gonna walk down this road.
I'm gonna pour my heart out to the camera and
sing this song. And that's it, Like see what happens?
I had. I had done music videos and all of
that through college. So when I stopped loving performing, I
(38:45):
started doing music videos and photo shoots, and so I
did his first. I did all of his photo shoots
maybe except for one and then this one is our
friend Spencer did those, but other than that, I did
all of his stuff. And so I was like, you know,
like because we had actually gone in and it was
the final no that we were like, Okay, well now
we have to do this ourselves. No one's going to
(39:07):
help us. And I was like, I can make a
music video. I did a music video for Nora Jones, Like,
let's do it. I was like, let's let's just I
don't know why we didn't think of this, and and
so I was like, I'll just do it myself. I
can't hire anyone. We can't afford to hire anyone. I'll
just film it and I'll edit it and I'll do
the whole thing. And so that day I was like,
(39:28):
let's get in the car. We had a friend living
with us because he had nowhere to go, and I
was like, hey, will you drive our car while I
sit in the back with our drypod and so we
found a road and as we're leaving, he was like
in workout clothes, and I was like, I want to
be sure that this like could work if you like it,
so put on like real clothes. It was like test footage.
I was like, just put on real clothes. And we
(39:49):
hopped in the car and the storm starts rolling in
and I was like, oh my gosh, Oh my gosh,
Oh my gosh. And I had called the cinematographer friend
of mine in l A. And I was like, Hey,
I just want to double check my settings. I want
to be sure I'm doing this right. He didn't get
back to me, and I was like, all right, well,
I hope this is right. Get out there. This whole
storm rolls and lightning, the whole thing is real. Because
(40:10):
we can't pay for c g I like tornado warning.
Our friends are calling us to come to our basement
for shelter, and we're like out in it. I'm I'm
standing out. Stop calling us. And they would call us
in the middle because we were using our phone as
playback to the car speakers and so like it was
just like every time they called it was just like
(40:31):
the most ghetto set up it was, and so we
finished and then it started pouring rain at the very end,
like I was like, God, this is what would be great.
I need all these things and then when we're done,
if it could rain, that would be awesome and no joke,
like we had everything we needed and then it started pouring.
And so then my friend called me back as we're
(40:51):
on our way back, and I was like, hey, my
settings were this, this and that, and he was like,
I would have told you to do exactly that, and
I was like yes, And so I got home started
editing it and then I had to make it black
and white because the tail lights this is rich right here,
tail lights from the car. When our buddy would hit
the brakes, it would light them up red, so like
you could tell yeah, And I was like, well, black
(41:14):
and white. It is a necessity. We couldn't have used anything.
That's a great story for that video. Yeah. And so okay,
well you finished school what is your what what do
you finish? School of the degree and music music commercial
voice performance? So same yeah, same as me, but you
didn't want to be a performer anymore, or you didn't
(41:36):
want to go down that professionally anyway. Now I didn't.
I moving to Nashville made me realize like what it
would take. And I'm such a family person and like
want we want to start our own family, and I
just kind of saw it as like there's no way
I could be the kind of like mom, i'd want
to be in the future and do this, and some
people do that, and good for them. I just was like,
(41:59):
I I don't think I could do it. And I
also wasn't passionate like it would have. Just if someone
were to tell me I couldn't shoot a music video,
I would be like, you're wrong, I can't. I know
I can, But if someone told me I couldn't sing,
I'd be like, maybe you're right, you know, Like I
wasn't passionate enough to be like listen to me saying
I think it takes the right kind of person to
(42:21):
be good at it and also not need to like
proclaim it from the rooftops. But people like still drawed
out of you somehow. I don't know you have that
that it's not like egotistical and it's not like listen
to me sing. I just couldn't do it. If you
were to like be like singing from me right now
I would be like, no, thank you. You know, like
(42:42):
did you try to get her a thing on anything before?
I mean there's times where like but like I like
I recorded like on a on a track. Oh yeah,
we did a Christmas Yeah, it was like our our
little I mean we made five discsmily, what's not on?
You can't straight? I didn't see anything. It was I
(43:06):
think it's coming though. It was a Christmas gift to
our family when we were super broke the year we
made twelve dollars and we're like, well what do we
give everybody? Yeah, we have no money to buy gifts,
so we've made Christmas songs. When you want to get
him a taste oh white Christmas nice? Oh yeah, we
can definitely do that. I'll listen. I'll definitely help you
about listening and supporting you in my heart. Boo do
(43:35):
it girl dreaming Christmas? Just like the that was amazing.
You're really good. Really yeah, she's got that like little
Zoe Deschanel, cute, little indie vibe. I love it. Wow.
(43:59):
That's yeah right, yeah, that's right and so good. And
so were you like terrified would you like what if
she's no? Because I'd have been like, oh, I get it.
You don't want to anything. I was like, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
no problem. I've been like you weren't trying that. So
when you finished school though, so what career path? Like,
what was the goal then? Because you're not going to perform.
(44:20):
I did photography sometime, you're going to supported our family. Yeah.
I didn't take pictures of what I did, and I
ended up doing more video like weddings, wizards, nice. This
is a very niche market, but I did full time.
I was a missions photographer for two years out of college.
So an organization out of Dallas called Missions International would
(44:44):
pay for me to go and document their trips and
I was on salary with them. And then so when
t R and Lauren went to adopt, Lauren was like
will you please come with us? Um A, I want
you to be there, but be other people want to
document it and I don't know them, and so she
was like, you've done this, so um I went with them,
and then I did a lot of album covers and
(45:07):
kind of branding sort of things. And then when he
started to get really business busy and being able to
support us, I transitioned out of doing other people's stuff
and just did his stuff and went on the road
and did all his highlight videos from the road. Oh
don't just brush over this. This is this deserves a moment.
(45:27):
She let me just brag real quick. She First of all,
she was five older brothers. They all played travel soccer
and they drove all across America and a van growing up.
So when we got married, she hopped in our van.
She took the live photos while we're playing. She sold
the merch, set up the merch design, after designed the
(45:48):
merch uh, and then after the show would take every
meet and Greek photo until you know, I mean there's
like fifteen people per night. But hey, I didn't mean
she would shoot, tear down the merch, load the merch,
you know what I mean? Like she was a road warrior,
throw the van and trailer, and I was pretty good
at why turning a trailer by the time I retired. Yeah,
(46:12):
I mean, like, this woman just let me brag on
her for two seconds. She was road warrior. So you
have it's an investment. So you're investing back into this nucleus. Yeah,
because again you have to pay somebody to do all
that stuff, right, because I mean, money's money howherever it
comes from, however it comes money's money. So I wasn't
like making us money, but I was saving us money absolutely,
(46:32):
and I was like, I can do that. I can
do that. That's the three in me. I'm like, I
can do it. Between the between the music video and
coming out on the road, I mean the the jump
start that the video had on my career, and then
the countless dollars and hours that you saved. I mean, yeah,
(46:53):
it's not your not your typical. So what is your
official position in with him? I don't know. I don't
need one. But if someone says, what do you do?
What do you say? I hate that question. Yeah, but
that's the question. That's the question I say. I'm a
touring life now because now we're in a place that
(47:14):
we've hired other people, and so like I do still
like vet who ends up being a photographer if I
like their work or not. I still I kind of
creative direct. If someone asked, really, I oversee like this,
and I oversee graphic design, and yes, no, like ad
mats and like I made the Carly and Russ tour,
(47:37):
ad Matau one came back and I was like absolutely
not like readd the whole thing, and then when management calls,
they're like, hey, can you and Kaylee come in for
this meeting to brainstorm. So she's kind of CEO of
this of you you So it makes me sound uncomfortable,
but I mean it. You are you are, we're co No,
(48:01):
you're still okay, So you're CEO your CFO. I don't know,
so okay, But did you ever consider going into management
and doing management for him? Was there ever a question? No?
Because I didn't. I don't know. I didn't I wanted
to get that official official like I don't know. I
(48:25):
wasn't trying to have I didn't need the industries like
recognition of like oh she manages Russell and I almost
didn't want that. Like when people call me a white pitcher,
it makes like I've never heard that term. Well, I
compared you to Sharon Osborne when I was talking about you, okay,
because she means she. I don't know she. I don't
think she's Aussie's main manager, but she definitely she's involved. Yeah,
(48:46):
and she may have been his manager, Mike when you
looked that up. But yeah, I compared you to a
Sharon Osbald because she ran that Ausby was the guy
and he did the deal. She made sure nobody nobody
mess with aussy bounce bounce Yeah sure, Yeah. I feel
like a gatekeeper to some extent, and like even when
it means like when people come backstage if they do,
(49:08):
or like because I'm monitoring his energy levels and like
because he'll go hard and cookie yeah for rashes And
I'm like, okay, well yeah, because I go hard and
then and then zero, you know what I mean. But
I don't know there was We're it's such like a
(49:29):
family vibe with my team that to have her as
like an official anything would just feel we don't feel weird, yea, Kaylee,
I told you five four and your six forks for
it's a whole foot. When I was doing math real quick,
I was like, whole, like a whole. I don't want
to mess up. That's my big shot to show my
numbers and my skills and numbers sharing. Yeah, she didn't
(49:52):
manage him and then started the whole management company, started
the whole company. Jeez um, you also did you did
another video for him blue to call me? Yeah, so
I brought in I was full circle. My fourth brother
is a director in l a went to USC film school,
did the whole thing, and he was the one directing.
The reason I did in Nora Jones video was because
(50:12):
of him, and he was directing it and brought me
in to shoot it video a young blood if we
look it up, young blood young blood and he was like,
I want you to film it. And I filmed a
few things, but it was like nothing officially. I had
only done photos at that point, and I was doing
head shots because the musical theater department's big at balmontin
I was doing head shots. Was like my college money basically,
(50:34):
and he was like, I want you to film this
and I was like, I've never done that, and he
was like I trust you an eye and I and
he's like, I want to fly you to New York
and I want you to film it. And I was like, okay,
what are we doing? And he was like, do you
know who Nora Jones is? And I was like yes,
but like reminder, I've never done this, and so he's like, no,
I believe in you. So I flew out there shot
her music video in her apartment and like got to
(50:57):
meet her and it was crazy. So then I moved
back to but went back to All Want and everyone
was like, that's the girl that shot nor Jones music.
So then I got so much business and that was
like NonStop. But then when this music video is happening,
we still it was still a new label, young label,
still didn't have a real big budget, and I was
(51:18):
like at that point, I was like I don't have
to do it, like someone else can come in, Like,
let's see the treatments. I saw the treatments and I
was like I don't love them, and um, and then
I saw the numbers and I was like, oh my gosh,
for this to get pulled off, I still have to
do it. And so I called my brother and I
was like, hey, he lives in l A. And I
was like, we need to film us in California obviously,
(51:39):
will you help me. You can take the entire director percentage,
which was like not a lot, and he was like, yeah,
I'll do it. So we got to direct together again
after all that time, and it was just it was
just a sweet like full circle bringing him in and
we'll probably bring him in. He's like a creative genius,
but um, yeah, it was just cool. Where were you
(51:59):
in this song? Hit number one? Really? I think we
were on the road. It's funny that we can't remember.
I don't. I don't remember I was in waffle House
for the most recent I was like, we're going to
waffle house, baby, this is the gym. I don't. So
(52:22):
my thing is I don't hear a lot of Oddly,
I don't hear a lot of music because when I'm
doing my show, we're playing like three songs now and
we're talking the whole time, and we're only playing like
and I don't pick them. I'll play new stuff that
I like sometimes, but I don't pick the music because
it's like we're on like a hundred fifty cities. They
make sure the biggest three songs, and so unless the
(52:42):
song is like one, two or three or four, maybe five,
I don't hear it. So when this song started to
hit tops, I was like, I'll talk to Amy. I
was like, what's the Russell song that I hear that
I like? But it was already in the top ten
and and then it I mean, it's so good. I
love it so but again I didn't hear it until
the time. But I don't hear anything. They're like, people
always ask me, you hear so much music. I know
(53:02):
who your crap right, Like I talk for a living
and I have I love music, and I love all
kinds of music, but I don't. And also my days
of like just scouring for somebody on YouTube playing a
guitar with three strings the next big thing, you know what,
I'm just gonna ta be funny. I find people who
I really believe that, you know, I like, take them out,
let him open from me on tour, try to help
(53:23):
get published deals. It's like, you know, but this song
is a jam? Yeah? Um, I love that one. This
song which one moved the fastest? For you? Blue Comma? Really? Yeah?
I mean every little thing was longer than yours really
weeks man, Yeah, it was just the later like the
forties was. Then my album came out like three years ago. Now,
(53:49):
you know, you lose you know, you lose that initial
steam from yours to Blue to Come and then the
third single was it was a grind. You had six
or fifty people at your wedding. How do you know
many people? My dad is a he's the music minister
at Woodmont Baptist over here, and it's kind of so
the venue was free at the church and it was
(54:11):
kind of like once you invite one, you invite them
all kind of vibe. But we did, like we just
did like a cake's reception at the right immediately following
the wedding, and then we had to people at our
actual like family friends loved two wedding, the fake wedding,
and the two receptions ceremony, cake reception, closed reception. I
(54:33):
was like, I don't want to meet anyone at our wedding.
You don't want to have to do the whole song
that we were in and out right, well that still
didn't happen because there were six and but anyway, I
want it. Definitely wanted something a little smaller, but here
we are. How do you feel about girls who tried
to get rustled during shows? I really don't care, honestly.
(54:57):
I there are some girls who like sit side stage
and we're like I and the girls who are like I.
I don't know. I think a I trust him like crazy,
but be they know so many of them, like even
if someone comments something on one of his things, like
the droves of people who come out there like excuse me,
(55:17):
do you know, Kate, Like they just like have a
whole thing. I was at a show once Actually this
is pretty early on, and some girl was in this
like little red dress at the front of the stage.
I was still out in the crowd at that point,
and this girl came up to me and she was like,
excuse me, I'm going to go say something to her.
And I was like, please, don't, please, don't say anything.
And she was like this is inappropriate, Like everybody knows
(55:39):
he's married, and if you don't know he's married, you're
not a real fan. Like she like got this whole thing,
like it's okay, it's all fine, Like please don't say anything,
it's fine. Well, not to be awkward here, but on
the phone right now, is the one girl you made
out with? I was like, my heart, I wouldn't be surprised.
(56:09):
So what's what's happening looking forward for you right now?
Like where are you at? You get music recorded? Like
what's the what's what's the timeline? What's happening? We have
a so the next single it's called love You like
I Used to. It'll be February, early February coming out.
We got six songs recorded for the record, go in
and probably cut four more in February. Are you doing
(56:32):
any of the What is very vogue right now is
the collaborations. Do you have any? It's very in right now,
it's super in right now. Everybody's getting a collaboration. I know,
and I don't. I mean, I don't have any as
of now. Uh, I would love some. I haven't really.
I feel like we'll get there once we get it
all recorded and toss the name out Barbra Streisan, Oh
(56:57):
what a classic, what a class sick? Uh? Would you
let him sing a love song with another girl? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, Um,
I'm always down for collapse. I'll do a whole edge
here and collab album. My prediction is you will have
one by the time you feel your only six songs totally. Yeah, absolutely,
you'll have something. That's the thing. Now, how do you
(57:21):
feel about that? Um? You know, I feel like I do.
But everything a couple are really cool. Then if you
come out and it's down the middle and then we
start to burn on it and then we go to
the next thing. It's everything is cyclical period in music,
every art, it's not even music art, everything is so
So how do I feel about it? Great? Then? Medium?
Then let's get over it, right, I'm kind of over
its Well, you're in the business, so you're seeing it
(57:44):
a lot more, and you're seeing it from the early
early stages of the talks of it. The we're gonna
recording this, and we've heard it yet it's actually out
that forty two weeks before it even hits the chart,
so we both I have to separate myself from what
I know on the inside versus like what my people
are hearing, which is one why I don't listen to
new music from any of my friends ever until it
(58:05):
comes out. Maybe two people ever will I be Will
I take their music and listen to it um, because
then I just don't feel the same. Even my favorite artists,
I won't take their music because I want to be
able to because I feel like I represent all my
people and so I don't want to be burned out
on something before it even comes out, because it's not
(58:27):
fair to them. So but I'm okay with it. There's
some really good ones. Let's not do bad ones, but
let's do good ones. Um, really good collaborations happening right now. Well,
first of all, the and we'll go back in time
for a second, but the baby let im back, And
that's the j It just was like boom the world.
(58:48):
Just I remember once I was driving somewhere, I was
flipping I was on satellite and I heard that song
the first time, and I was like, that's that. That's
like the greatest radio song I've heard in yours. I mean,
I know who it was on it, I didn't know
what didn't and I was just like, won't there is
oh yeah and so and then I think that kind
(59:09):
of line people up to go, oh we should grab
some more of these yeah, um good ones all r
let's go around the room. I'm gonna go. I do
like the Dan and sha Bieber song, Yes, because I
just love Dann say totally. So I don't know. It
could be Dan and Shaye and me. You know, it
doesn't matter whatever they put out, it's gonna be good.
But this is this is a jam Russell. You got
(59:29):
a collaboration you like right now, don't see? I mean,
if we're still going back in time, when when Lauren
Elena comes in on that came Round song, what if
that with me again? An early one too? It was
like when she comes into that course, it was like whoa, yes,
there we go, and I mine. I don't know the
(59:50):
name of it, but it's the If the World Was
Ending JP, JP Sacks and Julia Michaels. This this deserves
little sound, but Hannah Gray, Ellis and Ellis and Nick
Wayne covered it and it is straight fire. Who is
this one? Mike? Do you know what it is? I
can't find it? Julia Michaels the World on her record
(01:00:12):
and now it's I think it's on JP Sacks s
A x E. Who's JPS? I don't know who that is? Though,
he's like like smart, I was, I don't know anything.
He's got like thirty k on Instagram. I looked. As
soon as I heard that, I messaged him. I was like, dude,
can we play? What's it called? If the World Was Anything?
And in traffic I didn't feel it when the earthquake happened,
(01:00:34):
but it really got me thinking, were you out drinking?
Were you in the If the World Was In? It's
been a year like this earthquake happens and it's like
she thinks about her what she's doing, and the rock
shows up and yeah's in that movie? You know? The
one that I like now is that I like the
Edge Shearing. It's been out for ed sharing and uh
(01:00:57):
Khalid beautiful People People, Gray People. That is the that
song that's a jam too. Yeah, I'm in I'm into
the Collapse big time. I mean that whole album, the
Travis Scott Oh yeah, what's on the club at the
beginning of that track? Yeah, yes, the whole that album
(01:01:17):
is great. Yeah. Social you're going out with Kane? Yes,
and so there's also like international stuff in there. Huh
Is that true? He is? Yeah, I'm not on that.
I'm just in America. We need to come on. I
kind of nixed him international stuff for the next year,
(01:01:37):
like we were. He we were international twice last year
and we were like, oh my gosh, we need to
take a circumnavigated the globe when around the whole thing
lay over in China Europe. How long do you go
with Kane? I haven't told May Night here, I don't know.
I don't know February to Maynight into February. You already
have tour stuff planned for next fall, you just haven't
announced you Are you still working on that ahead? Is it?
(01:02:00):
We're so? Then the summer is like fairs and festivals,
classic and then headlining slash Yeah, unannounced stuff. Yeah, it's excieting.
Yea festivals, stages just built for the day stage semi
trucks that transformers into a day Well, look at you
(01:02:21):
at the peanut Fests and the Sausage Fest and the
Point Stia Fest, and you know, all the fests. To
be fair to all the fests, there is no paycheck
like a festival paycheck. You were indeed correct, They're great
and there's really no pressure draw tickets. Usually there's somebody
(01:02:42):
bigger than you plan too, or even if not, people
are already there. It's just like we're on a Thursday,
and like some like Classic Legacy Act is on Friday,
orders on Friday, and then Cake is playing on Saturday.
You've got it all covered in all directions. Exactly. Amazing. Well,
I look forward to the to the new music. Yeah, man,
that'd be cool. I'm super stoked. And then I'm glad
(01:03:04):
both you guys would come in. I know that you
were sick. We're we're gonna do this earlier and more
so than I cared about you being sick, I cared
about me getting sick from you, so and I would
never I would never want I was like, I hope
he's cool with that, because it's literally for everyone's own good. Yeah,
he was like a hundred and two fever. You know
he's sick when he's like because he is like every
(01:03:24):
day is awesome and I'm only a seven today. He's like,
I guess I'll sleep till nine, you know, like, yeah,
do you do the thing where you go because this
is what's gonna happen to me in the next few days.
I will get sick because I have been pressing. I've
been pressing so hard you have been and it's well,
(01:03:44):
we all do. But I mean in my mind, I've
been pressing hard and going and I get very grateful.
Then I'm not sick during big things, yes, because if
I'm like I have this big standup so I'm gonna do,
or I have this big American I don't think i'm
gonna do. Please God don't let me be sick. And
then I'm not sick and I'm like, thank you God,
I'm not sick us. But i feel like I'm just
constantly praying and battling. It's like December comes, it's like
(01:04:06):
it's us. It's like they're all the little green guys,
big green blob guys are coming. All of it. Um
A little throwback here's that's my girl from from yeah
right there. It's not great, but I did it in college.
(01:04:29):
Here is from two thousand twelve green Line Russell. Who's
the one let's take her out of the equation. Who's
the one person that believed in you excluding her in
your career in your career, who's the one person that
you go Holy moly, without them? I just I wouldn't
(01:04:50):
be here. John Dennis, my manager, he signed me in
two thousand ten. Uh. Yeah, he's the one who has
steadily for a decade. Now, wow, that's weird a decade,
has believed in me, signed me. I had nothing. He
took me to every label. They all said no, you know,
(01:05:11):
he didn't. He never gave up on me, and there
was artists along the way that he would sign, taking
the labels. They'd say, no, he he dropped, you know,
but for some reason he always kept me around and
would continue to to brainstorm with me. Um. We we
started our own record label for yours, and that was
how we jumped started that. You know, we legally started
(01:05:34):
a record label. We didn't have them, you know, millions
of dollars, but we just he paid for your track
to get fixed. Yeah, he always my Nissan Armada two
thousand four that I would drive, uh would break down,
still drive it, it would break downs. He would, you know,
pay for all that, and eventually finally we recouped all that.
(01:05:56):
Did you get him a Christmas present this year? We
don't really, Oh, I know, it's super embarrassing because normal
we never really like do Christmas presents. Well, we're in
the middle of moving, so we'll give everyone a delayed
like St. Patrick's president. Yeah, I'll give him a Valentine's Day. Yeah,
it's no. I mean, like movers come this weekend, like
(01:06:19):
the next two days. So we have kind of just
been a dizzy dizzy I don't know either work. Yes, well,
let's I really enjoy talking about you guys to it
over hour and finally, Yeah, it's been a long time coming,
has it. I mean I've I've wanted to He's like,
(01:06:41):
I've been waiting for you to call me. Le see
all these awesome artists on this to me is so
fun because one, it's long form, you can just talk.
It's not minute blocks or two minute blocks. And too,
I also get to talk to people about deeper in
the craft, and I get to talk to people actually
inside the aft, like Tom Douglas comes and talks for
(01:07:02):
God or what a well Spring? Or um, Carrie Luke's manager,
Carry Ailis comes in, Here's Luca Colesman and talks about
that side of it. So I'm such a such a
nerd of of like music and business that um, I
enjoyed it. And it's in my house, basically, come here.
Nobody comes to my house except for people for this show.
I'm super like nobody who come to my house. And
(01:07:24):
then except for everybody who's comes to do the show,
some of them I've never even met before. So I
do want to throw in When you were talking about
the Brooks and dun hits, I just want to throw
in Cowboy Town. Oh he's referencing if I get to
pick two songs. Okay, Yet you're right cowboys don't playway Town.
I'd like to say I heard him do a demo
once that, Uh no, you don't. You have to pick
(01:07:44):
the hits three. I'm not saying it's it's not. It's
not the most massive hit. I get two songs to play,
the Brooks and done this one just hits me. And
if you get to pick, what did you pick? I
picked Neon Moon, yes, absolutely, and Bully Boots Scoot Buggie
because that's just the crowd. So I've luckily, oddly become
(01:08:07):
friends with Ronnie Dunn, who is known as super sarcastic,
dry guy and people like man Ronnie. But that's right
up my alley, like we are just like perfect, We're
like lovers, right and so um. I got a note
today they were like, hey, they're gonna do Neon Moon
and Red Dirt Road and I was like it was
like Red Roads, fine, but let me hit Ronnie up
(01:08:28):
to boot Bogie. So all right, listen that that's all
Russell D Russell D. But you spell your last name
with the E at the end. Is that true? It
was just spelled wrong with my sheet Rustled, Yeah, Russia
Rustled Instagram. That's my Instagram. That's so confusing. I know
it's like Russell. I wanted to go for Russell D,
(01:08:48):
but then I just did Russell E D both of
my initials, and it's just so returned, like written Russell right, yeah,
Russell yeah. And then Kayleie Dickerson, are you are you verified? No?
I'm not are you verified? Okay? Not to insult him,
I mean, yeah, I would just expect you should be verified.
She absolutely should. Yeah, are you verified on Twitter? Are
(01:09:10):
you verified on Twitter? That was a big day the
Twitter with verification back in the day because that was
the first variation. That's that's like intro to verification. Yeah,
I remember the day, like, oh my god, you're like, wow,
am I famous? But that was like before they would
like give it out to like influence or like herbal
t influencers, you know what I mean, used to be
(01:09:31):
on the battle and that's how will end it and
then I can find that yeah, because data isn't the word. Well,
you know went on it. You may know them and
it's I don't know. All right, let's see you guys.
Host
Bobby Bones
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