2020 has been quite the year for The Voice Alum Cody Belew. The Arkansas native signed with One Vision Music Group this summer and released his tribute to classic country with a wonderful cover of Dwight Yoakam “A Thousand Miles From Nowhere.” Now he’s sharing the holiday spirit with his Christmas tune “Hang Your Hat On My Christmas Tree.”
We caught up with Belew to talk about his musical influences, songwriting with some of Nashville’s elite and more.
CN: For our readers who may not be familiar with you, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
CB: A little bit about me… well, I’d say I’m an extroverted introvert. I love to perform for large crowds but I don’t like to be in them. I draw all my spiritual energy from music, but I find spiritual meditation in my vegetable garden, my chicken coop, and my yard. I’m SEVERELY left-handed. A Taurus. And by some divine order that I can’t quite explain, I own a small business doing upholstery work out of a little workroom in my house.
CN: With everything that’s going on in the world in regards to COVID-19, we hope everyone in your circle is safe and healthy. How are you holding up?
CB: I feel extremely lucky in that I had positioned myself to work from home and to work solo prior to all of this happening. So I didn’t have to adjust my daily life all that much. This year, I’ve spent all my time and money on a massive overhaul and multi-staged design of the outdoor spaces in my backyard. I’ve been dreaming it up for nearly five years and, like so many, found myself with the perfect excuse to spend my weekends making that grand vision a reality. I’ve just poured myself into this massive project knowing that, when complete, I’ll never want or need to leave! Haha
CN: You are a fan of not only country music, but also Kentucky bluegrass, Cajun music from Southern Louisiana, and Memphis’ Beale Street Blues. A true student of music, what elements do you take from each of these areas to create your own sound?
CB: Oh, I have to believe it’s the same sensation that a chef must feel when they reach for a rare spice or an obscure herb only found on a remote hillside in some far-reaching land. When you have these sounds, these flavors, in your palette, and you know their origins and their voices- you can boldly apply them with confidence because they’re so familiar to you. I don’t treat them like genres of music that are separate from one another. Music history will tell you that they all bubble up from the same roots. So I stand them all up in the same space and give them enough room to work together.
CN: Which musicians have influenced you both personally and as an artist?
CB: I’m an astute student of Dolly Parton as an artist in business. She once quipped that she didn’t understand why more folks in her line of work didn’t branch out and diversify what they offer to the world of entertainment. I’m always thinking of how I’ll apply those savvy decisions she made throughout her career to my own. Personally, Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge, Al Green- the trailblazing soul singers- they’re the ones I get lost listening to, and have always listened to the most. And don’t get me started talking about Tina Turner….
CN: What was the first album you ever owned?
CB: Dolly Parton’s Greatest Hits. It was this beat up, white cassette tape. It didn’t even have a case. I couldn’t have told you what she looked like or who she was. I was in the second grade and had no reason whatsoever to have a Dolly Parton’s Greatest Hits cassette tape! But it was mine and I wore it out. I memorized the songs, the words, the harmonies, the order of Side A and the order of Side B. I like to think that God was just gifting me the best private voice and songwriting coach that a kid from rural Arkansas could most relate to. It wasn’t until I was grown and living in Nashville that I realized my master’s degree in Dolly Parton was not unique to me. It’s more like a prerequisite to writing country music.
CN: You have written with some of Nashville’s best including Deana Carter, Mike Reid, Tia Sellers, and recording artists Jillian Jacqueline, Autumn McEntire, Hailey Whitters, Rick Brantley, and Waylon Payne. Can you take us through your songwriting process? Do you approach writing while in a session differently than when you write solo?
CB: Most often I write alone. Maybe alone is the wrong word for it. I write with my thoughts. I must admit that it’s not something I practice. I don’t do it every day and I don’t churn them out like a lot of writers here do. But when a song starts taking shape in my mind, it plagues me. I think about it constantly – approaching it from different angles, listening to what it wants to say, and then thinking of the best way to say it.
When I write with others, I’m very much interested in the collaboration of it. I love the team effort of solving the puzzle- marrying the verse to the chorus and the chorus to the hook. It’s thrilling! I have to be careful, though. I’ve noticed that I doubt my own instincts as a solo writer after a run of co-writes.
CN: In what ways has the current COVID-19 situation affected your craft? Perhaps in regards to inspiration (providing some or a lack of?)
I never enjoyed performing with a guitar. I’ve always felt a little stifled by an instrument in live performances. A lot of that is due to the fact that I move around so much on stage. But being confined to live-streams and short video clips on social media as the only means to perform, I’ve adapted in a way to using the guitar. I’ve certainly grown more comfortable playing it for folks. Had COVID-19 not happened, I doubt I’d be able to say that.
CN: Christmas is right around the corner and you recently released the holiday tune “Hang Your Hat On My Christmas Tree.” Can you share the story behind the song?
CB: Well, the hook was inspired by 2 songs: “You can leave your hat on” and the line in “All my exes live in Texas”- “that’s why I hang my hat in Tennessee. I married the two into “Hang your Hat on my Christmas Tree” and sort of wrote it backward from there. I imagined the scene described in “Rockin Around the Christmas Tree” as an ugly Christmas sweater party and then invited all the classic Christmas characters to attend. Once I set up the visual the song really wrote itself.
CN: Your original song “The Choice A Lonely Heart Makes,” was featured on The CW’s series, Roswell, New Mexico and it was just announced that your current Christmas single will be featured in the upcoming Paramount film Dashing In December. What are the steps involved to get original music out there and featured in productions such as films and television series? Is this something that you pursue often as another way to get more people exposed to your music?
CB: Other than rising to the occasion, I had not a damn thing to do with the placements. The first was thanks to a cheeseburger and the fact that I was literally the only person in the restaurant where I tended bar when this gentleman walked in and ordered it. He made small talk and wanted to know all about my music. I skeptically answered his questions and I’ll be damned if he wasn’t a music supervisor from L.A. that had my song placed in less than 7 days. The second opportunity came up a few months ago in an Instagram conversation with a complete stranger who happened to be the writer/producer for Dashing In December. They were about to go into production and he asked if I’d be interested in writing a pitch for a line-dancing scene – no guarantees. I wrote the song, we worked up a little demo, and the network loved it! I’m just as shocked as anyone, but I feel incredibly lucky and grateful for the placements.
CN: Is this a route that you would suggest for other artists?
CB: It’s certainly worth the trouble. But without those chance encounters it’s a hard circle to break into, I think. The more people trying to get into the garden, the higher the walls. And everyone wants a taste of TV and Film.
CN: Eight years ago, you made it to the Top 8 Finalist in The Voice during Season 3 under coach CeeLo. What is the main lesson you learned from that entire experience that you carry with you today?
CB: That celebrity is not real. That one should use and channel the momentum as best they can, but anything beyond that and you’re just letting it use you. I’m so glad I was able to come off of that high and to have had only a small dose of it. I feel inoculated now for whatever version of it I find myself in in the future. I’d like to think that I’ve prepared my spirit for that day and that I won’t be consumed by it the next time around.
CN: What was the first concert you attended?
CB: The first and BEST was Janet Jackson during her “All for You” tour. I will NEVER forget it!!!
CN: If you could collaborate with any one artist, who would it be?
CB: I’d have to let my second-grade self work with Dolly. But if I get a few choices I’d love to work with Brandi Carlisle, Alison Krauss, Chris Stapleton, Patty Loveless, The Chicks, and Gladys Knight. That’s a good start…
CN: If you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be and why?
CB: Tenacious. One of the definitions of that word is “persisting in existence; not easily expelled.” I think it’s equal parts pride and an aversion to failure, but I can only think of a few times in my life when I’ve given up. Actually, I can’t pinpoint a time when I’ve given up, but I know I must have at some point. It’s just not something I’m good at, and I’ve learned to acknowledge that as both a blessing and a curse.
CN: Where can fans find you? Do you have any upcoming live streams or shows?
CB: We just wrapped shooting the music video for “Hang Your Hat On My Christmas Tree.” We created our own little Covid-free village to pull it off which was no small feat. Expect to see that in a few weeks’ time. I don’t think we have any live streams planned, but I would count anything out at this point! It’s been one hell of a year!
CN: What’s next on the horizon for you?
CB: 2021 will see the release of my original album, The Wreck. We’ve begun planning the release calendar for that and it’s a project that I’m very proud of and can’t wait to share with fans. Having pursued this career in music for so long, I’m thankful for every day that I’m invited to sit at the table. It’s a new feeling, looking forward to possibilities that seemed to be getting further and further out of reach prior to this year. I now feel like I’m just getting started.
For more information on Cody Belew, visit his website at www.codybelew.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.