JT Hodges is a country singer known best for his singles “Hunt You Down” and “Goodbyes Make You Mine”. He recently released his debut self-titled album and is hitting the road soon touring. Media Mikes got a chance to chat with JT again about this debut album and the inspiration behind it.
Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about how it feels to finally have this album released?
JT Hodges: It is a breath of fresh air, for one. You spend the whole year working a few different singles that is all that people have to go by. I have said from the beginning that if you are fan or not of this song, wait till the record comes out. I feel that there is a song for everyone on the record. It is very diverse and I just don’t do one thing. What I do though is all within the frame of the style. It’s what I have been doing over the years and will only to continue to grow and expand from it. I am just happy the first album is out and people can decide for themselves what they like.
MG: I thought “Hunt You Down” was a great track but I think you outdid youself with each track on the album.
JH: Well dude, that means a lot man!. In the world we have today everything is subjective but if the majority of the comments are positive, that is always great to hear.
MG: Has any of this CD release madness been overwhelming at all for you?
JH: No, I really love it. Thank God for social media. I have made a lot of great friends in radio. Radio has really kind to me. We have been lucky to get a few songs out there already. I just love all the social media and a good way for me to get the word out.
MG: When we last spoke in October of 2011 you mentioned “Hunt You Down” was found on Beale street, tell us about where the rest of the album was discovered?
JH: Honestly if we had all day I could do through each song and tell you. Really a lot of them are going back to almost 10 years ago. When I was in thee writers room, just thinking about a mood and it transports you back to a specific time in your life and different situations. That probably means that you are going to write a real song that day. The majority of the songs on the record really bared that process for me. There are also some observation songs like “Sleepy Little Town”. It was just an image for me just driving through this small town. There are a lot of things that go a little astray in life and we deal with them. That song is just three separate stories exposing secrets that everyone finds out about since they are in this small town. All across the board with the record, each track is very personal to me. When you are writing a record you realize that you are not the only one going through heartbreak or have some hard times. You find out you are not only writing it for yourself but also for your listener.
MG: What do you think will be the next single for this album?
JH: The next single is “Sleepy Little Town”. It is going to be released to radio on September 10th.
MG: Are you hitting the road soon and if so where and with you?
JH: We have got a few potential tour plans. Fingers crossed those are going to work out. A lot of the shows are being booked for the Fall. I traveled the country this year and played a lot of show. We are building one fan at a time and having a blast doing it.
