Jade Eagleson grew up loving the things that made country music country: steel guitar, fiddle and storytelling. Though those things weren’t exactly the talk of his small, Canadian town growing up, he’s proudly delivered all three of those elements in droves on his newest album, Do It Anyway.
With the help of Nashville’s finest songwriters and session players, Eagleson turned in an album that turns the country twang up to 10. From its opening dancehall-ready tune, “Neon Dreamin’,” to the closing, sentimental “That’s What Love Looks Like,” Eagleson delivers 13 tracks of country gold sure to land on plenty of “Best Of” list come year’s end.
We chatted with Eagleson all about Do It Anyway, authenticity, winning big at the CCMA Awards and more!
Pro Country: You’ve said in a previous interview that the release of your new album, Do It Anyway, was “terrifying and unbelievably rewarding” because of how authentic the project is. How important was it for you to “stick to your guns” and deliver an album that is unapologetically “you”?
Jade Eagleson: I was really excited to get it out. It’s felt like a long time coming. When you start a career, the money it takes to hire a bunch of session players and get it off the ground doesn’t land in your pocket right away, so I’m really excited!
PC: “Shakin’ In Them Boots” was the first single released from your new album, Do It Anyway, and has earned over seven million streams on Spotify alone. How encouraging was it to see the lead single from a new project earn those numbers and such a positive response out of the gate?
JE: It’s definitely overwhelming! I check the numbers every once in a while, and I’m always quite shocked. Going in the studio and getting a song out there is crazy; you never know what it’s going to do. When you see those results, it’s rewarding. That one was a taste of what was coming from the rest of the album, so it was exciting to see that one do what it did.
PC: “Shakin’ In Them Boots” was released over a year ago, and three more singles from Do It Anyway have followed in 2023. With the rollout of the project starting over a year ago, how excited are you to finally have the album out and available to the world?
JE: So excited! It was a lot of work getting the album prepared and getting it fine-tuned, but we got to the point where it was, and it was another couple months of waiting for it to actually be delivered to everyone. I was really antsy!
PC: “Do It Anyway” is a defiant boot-stomper that was written by Chase McGill, Matt Jenkins and Ashley Gorley. What drew you to have the song serve as the title track and what about it encapsulated the album?
JE: The first two lines really hooked me in. I remember sitting at a publishing house, and my friend played the song. The groove got me right away, but I heard those first lines, and it was me. I grew up in a very small town, so I was always very, very country. It wasn’t very cool back then to be country, and not a lot of people were proud of that. We were coming into the 90s, and if you were country, you were looked at as someone people didn’t want to hang out with. I was one of those guys: I tucked my shirt and I had a gentleman’s mullet kind of thing. I took a lot of flak for it. And I took a lot of flak for the music I listened to as well. They’d make fun of me for listening to older country music; they’d call it “twangy crap.” When I heard this song, I felt like it explained me so well. It’s so exciting to hear a song like that and to be able to cut it. It made complete sense to name the album after it, because that’s what my whole career is: I get to make this music, even though I was told not to from the beginning.
PC: As lovers of wordplay and double meanings, “Telluride” is our favorite song on Do It Anyway, and was written by John Pierce, Blake Pendergrass and Travis Wood. Can you tell us how you heard the song and what drew you to record it?
JE: Travis texted me a bunch of songs and told me to get back to him about any I liked. When I saw “Telluride,” I was convinced it was going to be about a girl that was left in Telluride and how the narrator couldn’t wait to get back to her. I thought, “oh, it’s going to be one of those songs.” I listened to it, and I thought “oh wow!” I asked myself why I hadn’t thought of that hook. They’re masterclass writers. They’re so talented at what they do. That group has written so many incredible songs together, so I wasn’t surprised to hear the twist in the song. It’s such a beautiful song. I begged for that song, so I’m glad they gave it to me [laughs].
PC: “Some Cowboy” is another one of our favorites on Do It Anyway, and is a song you co-wrote with Dave Sampson and Derek Bahr. Can you take us in the room and talk about how the song came together?
JE: I was sitting with that hook for months. I had the idea of what I wanted to do with it, but I couldn’t get the right groove. I know Derek is an incredible guitar player who tours with Jon Pardi, and Dave is a Canadian guy too who’s a great songwriter and loves a good story. We sat down and I threw the song out. Derek immediately got that guitar lick going, and we all swung into it. It all came together very naturally. It was so fun to write!
PC: Do It Anyway features legendary studio musicians Paul Franklin and Brent Mason, among many others. What did it mean to you to have them on the album and what was it like to collaborate with them in the studio?
JE: They’re absolute geniuses. I’m so thankful to have even been in the same room with those guys, let alone to have them play on my record. I’ve been a huge fan of them since I got into the instrumentation of country music. You eventually realize you love a steel solo in a song or a guitar lick, and if you look into it, you’ll realize it’s their names on all of it. I started taking lessons from Brent a few years ago, and we became friends through that. I’ve leaned on him to put out the word to guys like Paul and Stuart Duncan. Getting all those guys in there, hearing what they contribute to the music and seeing how their minds fire off in the studio is amazing. I’m so lucky to have witnessed it!
PC: What do you hope listeners take away from Do It Anyway after listening all the way through?
JE: I hope they feel the music and the lyrics. That’s what’s important to me in country music. When you go back and listen to anything from the 90s and backwards, you feel the lyrics. There’s a steel guitar, fiddle or guitar lick that cuts underneath it, and those help you feel what the artist is saying. Those session players really complemented the sound of this record. They’re the best at what they do. We’ve got some of the best writers in Nashville on this record. A lot of love has gone into this record, and I hope people feel that when they hear it.
PC: You just won Entertainer of the Year and Male Artist of the Year at the CCMAs this month. What do awards and recognition from within the industry and to win awards amongst so many talented artists mean to you personally and professionally?
JE: That was a shock! When we saw the list of nominees, I saw that I was nominated with Shania Twain. I told my wife that I could take the article, never perform another day in my life and I’d be satisfied with how my career went [laughs]. To win those means that people are recognizing the work we’ve put in. To be nominated amongst so many incredible human beings and artists is awesome. It shows you’re in good company. I was happy to just be included, because they were excellent groups of people. It’s definitely something I’ll always remember and be thankful for eternally!
PC: With Do It Anyway now released, what do you have planned for the rest of 2023 and going into 2024?
JE: We’ve got a few more shows this year. The trick to this game is to keep your feet on the pavement and keep running. The plan is to get back to work. With the record out, we’re going to see what people love about it, and we’ll lean into that. I’m excited to do that!
*Jade’s music is featured on The Best of Pro Country playlist!*
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