Photo Credit: Jeff Johnson

Photo Credit: Jeff Johnson

Chase Bryant dropped his new single “Room to Breathe” this summer, and now he’s getting ready to cut a few more songs before he releases his debut full-length album, hopefully, by the end of the year.

Celeb Secrets Country recently sat down with Bryant to talk to him about his single and new music. The country artist was so open and honest! We even got to ask him some questions about his ideal date, worst date, most embarrassing moment and his guilty pleasure.

Check out the lyric video to Bryant’s “Room to Breathe” and our exclusive Q&A below!

Celeb Secrets Country: Your single, “Room to Breathe,” is so amazing! How did that come to be?

Chase Bryant:Derek George, who I produced my record with, lives a couple miles from me. He’s my best friend so I’m always over there. His family is like my family, his kids are like my kids, so we’re really good buddies. I showed up there early one morning to write, so we started messing around with that rhythmic lick on the banjo, and we had that ready and someone said “room to breathe” and that just stuck. But I wanted to know if you wanted room to breathe or you don’t want room to breathe. I think the fact that you don’t want room to breathe has more sex appeal to it. I wanted to write about that because it’s different for me and I don’t usually go there. I wanted to write something a little more sexual. We wanted to write something that made you feel like dancing and make it sound familiar, even though you didn’t know it, and something with a little more sex appeal. I only wrote that song about eight weeks ago and then we cut it and it was done in about two weeks and then it became the single.”

Celeb Secrets Country: Are you recording any new music now?

Chase Bryant: “We’re finishing the new record. We’re cutting a couple more songs and then we’ll be done. I’m hoping to have it out by the end of the year.”

Celeb Secrets Country: Is it anything like your previous releases?

Chase Bryant: “There’s powerful guitars and it’s more like rock-and-roll type country. It’s a lot of angst. It’s a story. It’s honest. It’s me just being me and being 23-years-old and saying I don’t know everything, but this is who I am now, and this is where I’m at in life. You may have been through this or about to go through this and I’m telling you about it, or you’re in it right now, so it’s just me writing a record where people can live vicariously through it and can connect to it. I think all the best music is created purely honest.”

Celeb Secrets Country: How was it performing at the Chicago White Sox “Country Music Night?”

Chase Bryant: “It was a ton of fun! I am a huge baseball fan, so watching batting practice for a few hours was great. They asked me if I wanted to go to the suite and I was like no, I’d rather hang out on the field and watch batting practice. I still go out on the field sometimes and mess around and play baseball. I respect the White Sox and their organization and they were really great people too. It also involved the Grand Ole Opry, so as soon as you get that call, you drop everything and go do it. It was a blast!”

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Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Celeb Secrets Country: Are you involved in any charities?

Chase Bryant: “I’ve done a lot of work with St. Jude. My brother had stage IV Leukemia as a kid, and so when it comes to that, I think any time I can help kids who are sick with an illness — they’re the future –and I have to see that it’s giving back to something bigger than me. I’m always trying to do that. Anything I can be a part of to help kids with understanding music or values, whether it’s giving back to a local baseball team, it’s just things like that. Steering kids in the right direction is a big deal.”

Celeb Secrets Country: What do you do for fun in Nashville?

Chase Bryant: “When I’m home, I like to go fishing, kayaking, cooking, hanging out with friends. It’s not necessarily going out and hanging out all night for me anymore. It’s getting home and resting and hanging out with my dog. My parents are moving to town, so I’ll be hanging out with them more too.”

Celeb Secrets Country: When did you move to Nashville?

Chase Bryant: “I moved to Nashville about six years ago. I lived in LA for two years before that. I was offered a record deal there and it just didn’t work out and I knew it was my segue to Nashville. I started writing and producing when I moved here and then I figured out I wanted to be an artist.”

Celeb Secrets Country: Where is your favorite place that you’ve performed?

Chase Bryant: “Jones Beach Theater. The Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The Ryman has unbelievable sound and then the Grand Ole Opry is always one of the best. Everywhere is just a blast because it’s doing what I want to do.”

Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images

Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images

Celeb Secrets Country: Who is your biggest inspiration?

Chase Bryant: “Visually, it was James Dean and Elvis Presley. Musically, it was Bryan Adams, Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, Keith Urban. And also my mom and dad and my brother. My mom and dad raised us right and taught us morals.”

Celeb Secrets Country: What is the most rewarding part about being an artist?

Chase Bryant: “Seeing the people who come to your shows and see you play. Just expressing yourself.”

Celeb Secrets Country: Do you have a best fan story or an experience?

Chase Bryant: “I think it’s the ones that travel all over the place to come see us play. At the end of the day, they’re all part of me and they make this all possible.”

Celeb Secrets Country: Who is your favorite person that you’ve gotten to work with?

Chase Bryant:Tim McGraw for sure. Tim was such a humble guy and is someone you look at and realize he’s such an icon, almost like a superhero. He has so many number ones. He told me one time that there’s a million people in the world who are more talented than you and I, but it’s the ones that work the hardest who are going to get the job. That goes to show you that somebody at his level and his age worked hard to get where he is and that’s why he’s still relevant. It’s because of hard work and dedication and being humble and good to people. Surrounding yourself with people who say no, so you can get the yes out of them is important, but then not surrounding yourself with people who say yes — that is something he bestowed in me. We’re still friends and we talk a lot and play shows together. His band, his crew, they’re so good to each other and work diligently.”

Photo: New Country 94

Photo: New Country 94

Celeb Secrets Country: If you could work with any artist, who would it be?

Chase Bryant:Bryan Adams. Those records like 18 Til I Die, just hit a chord with me. The production value was amazing. It’s just one of those things where it is one of the reasons why I play music. That record distilled the great parts about music and guitar and lyrics and the way it was produced. I think that’s the reason why I do what I do because Bryan was such an inspiration.”

Celeb Secrets Country: Describe your ideal date.

Chase Bryant: “Wine night, let me cook, cheese, maybe a great movie. Or even just hanging out and talking and figuring each other out. So good meal, good wine, good conversation.”

Celeb Secrets Country: What kind of people do you surround yourself with?

Chase Bryant: “People who see past the music and see past the career, people who see the real me. When I come home, I don’t want to talk about my career. It’s my job and it’s my favorite thing in the world to do, but I want to talk about something else besides that. There’s more to me than the music. I hang out with the same people I’ve always hung out with. I’ve never really branched out. I mean, I make new friends, but I have my same core group. You have to find people who will level you out. I’m probably the most honest person you’ll ever meet in your whole life. I always tell people you can lie to me once, but you’ll never lie to me twice. The game of baseball I play you only get two strikes and you’re out.”

Celeb Secrets Country: How do you support our soldiers?

Chase Bryant: “I lost one of my best friends overseas and every night I talk about them at the show. I always say if you don’t support them then get the hell out. Those people are the reason we get to live the way we do and we’re free. Morally, I think you should thank those people every time you see them. Stop whatever you’re doing, take your hat off, shake their hand, and tell them thank you. It’s the least you could do. I’m a huge supporter.”

Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images

Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images

Celeb Secrets Country: What is your favorite movie?

Chase Bryant: “Forest Gump. I don’t look at it like a comedy like some people do. It’s the only time you’ll ever see me cry. Anchorman is pretty great too.”

Celeb Secrets Country: What is your biggest fear while on stage?

Chase Bryant: “You know, honestly, it’s probably that I hate seeing fights break out and stuff. I know there are kids and people at shows, so I hate seeing that happen. It’s either that, because I don’t want to see anyone else hurt, or tripping and falling on stage. You never want to see that video. You know it’s going to happen at some point, but I hate thinking about that happening.”

Celeb Secrets Country: Tell us the story about your first kiss.

Chase Bryant: “First kiss…I was in 6th grade. I kissed a girl who was an 8th grade cheerleader — she was two years older than me — I mean look at that…cougar. I think it was after lunch in the gym and it happened under the bleachers if I recall correctly. It was okay I guess. What was it supposed to be? I was in 6th grade.”

Celeb Secrets Country: What is your guilty pleasure?

Chase Bryant: “Guilty pleasure…either sitting at home and watching James Bond or John Wayne films, or fishing or hunting. If I can do those things, my life’s made. Absolutely.”

Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images

Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images

Celeb Secrets Country: What is the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to you?

Chase Bryant: “Walking somewhere where there’s a lot of people and tripping and falling. I’ve been in the mall before on the phone, talking and walking, and there’s a lot of people standing around and I’ll trip on carpet or something. I remembered it happened the other day. There was some construction going on and I wasn’t paying attention because I was on an important phone call, but I had to grab some stuff before I left on the road that night. I was trying to grab some shorts or something and I was walking and I wasn’t paying attention and they cut the tile out and I just tripped and fell in front of everybody. And I kind of laid there for a minute before I got back up, it was really strange, but yeah, I hate when that happens. It’s the worst feeling in the world.”

Celeb Secrets Country: What is the strangest habit that you have?

Chase Bryant: “I’m a neat and clean freak. Very neat, very clean. Everything has to be put up in its place. Clothes need to be color coordinated from whites to lighter colors from dark to darker colors. So like t-shirts then have to go into ¾ sleeves, into long sleeves, then below that is like button ups, short sleeve button ups, then long sleeve button ups. One side is nice clothes — nice jackets, nice suit pants — and the other is like jackets you wear everyday. I’m very, very particular about it. I know where to find something if I’m looking for it.”

Celeb Secrets Country: What is the worst date you’ve been on?

Chase Bryant: “Oh man. You know, going on a date when the girl is literally interested in nothing. I took a girl on a date one time, went to dinner in a great restaurant too, and she hated it. She couldn’t stand dinner. She wanted like fast food type food. And then took her to watch a band, she didn’t like that kind of music. It was Vince Gill and The Time Jumpers and so that was the end of it for me. We’re done, we can’t do this. I remember politely saying like look we aren’t hitting it off on anything, but I still asked if she wanted to go grab a drink and she said no. So I took her to her car and that was it. It was horrible and terrible. That was the worst one.”

Celeb Secrets Country: If you could marry any celebrity who would it be?

Chase Bryant:Shania Twain. I always had a childhood crush on her. She’s a little older than I am so who cares? Or Marilyn Monroe. If she was still alive, that would be great. I was such a fan. One of those two.”

Photo: Isaac Brekken/Getty Images

Photo: Isaac Brekken/Getty Images

Celeb Secrets Country: What is the biggest lie you’ve ever told?

Chase Bryant: “Well, in high school, a buddy of mine shot a hole, with a bow and arrow, through a 5,000 gallon water tank and I said I did it and took the blame for him. I got in all sorts of trouble. I had to pull the arrow out and it drained 5,000 gallons of water in my parents’ backyard. I had to patch it up and do all the work. He didn’t have to do anything and I took the blame for him. It was a pretty bad one. My parents probably knew he did it and so my parents taught me that sometimes taking the blame for things that you shouldn’t isn’t always the right thing to do. He and I always had a rivalry in school, too, and I felt bad because I would be mean to him or he would be mean to me. We were really good friends, which is weird.”

Celeb Secrets Country: What is the hardest part about being an artist for you?

Chase Bryant: “The traveling is hard — the wear and tear on you is terrible. I’ve got a bad shoulder, a terrible back, terrible knees. I’m only 23, but it’s the wear and the tear. But it’s all worth it at the end of the day too. It’s why I do it. I like to work hard. I genuinely do because it feels good, but the wear and tear, and the not sleeping and not being able to catch up on rest or being sick all the time catches up to you. You never get to stop.”

Celeb Secrets Country: What is the weirdest thing a fan has said or done to you?

Chase Bryant: “The one’s that try to grab your butt and stuff all the time. I’m a shy guy when it comes to girls, so I don’t really know how to handle it. You’re like in the line and everything is going good and you’re all pumped and then this girl kind of walks up and grabs your butt and asks if you’re going to go out after this and asks for your number and you’re kind of like hmmm no. I’m not going to give you my phone number and I also don’t want you grabbing my butt. That’s always weird, but it’s kind of funny at the same time. I don’t know why I’m such a shy guy when it comes to girls, so it’s strange.”

Author

  • Isabel Baldinger

    Isabel is an intern for Celeb Secrets Country. Originally from New Jersey, she is currently living the dream in Nashville while getting her degree in Music Business from Belmont University. If she is not in class or interviewing artists, she is at a concert, at Hotbox, hanging out with friends, traveling, lounging around at Tin Roof, or eating tacos.