Russell Dickerson’s Fans Are His Gauge for Choosing Singles
Russell Dickerson has been riding the high of success, with two No. 1 singles -- first "Yours," then "Blue Tacoma" -- and a stint of shows with Lady Antebellum and Darius Rucker, during their 2018 Summer Plays On Tour, under his belt. However, that doesn't mean he's resting on his laurels. On the contrary, the singer says, he's been busily writing for his second album, even making the most of his high-profile company on the road by writing with Lady A's Charles Kelley.
"He was super into writing, like, every day, and I was like, 'Heck yeah, let's do it,'" Dickerson recently recalled to The Boot and other outlets. "So we got some great songs. The four of us, including Charles [as well as songwriters Parker Welling and Casey Brown] did. I especially love writing with [those] guys, but also bringing in a new perspective and [Kelley's] energy. He's loud and all over the place, so we got some fun times."
For his second album, Dickerson goes on to say, he wants to hone in on specific kinds of songs -- and not necessarily the sort that would have found a home on his debut. "I think it's going to be a lot more personal," he explains. "With the first album, I picked my favorite, or the 'best' songs. This one, I want to explore different things I want to say. Not just what's a hit song, but certain aspects that I want to talk about."
However, Dickerson adds, that doesn't mean he'll stop listening to his fans. He has always chosen singles on the basis of how his audiences react to them, and that isn't going to change; in fact, it's how the singer selected his next radio single following "Blue Tacoma," an uptempo love song called "Every Little Thing."
"Seeing the fans with these songs, that's my gauge," Dickerson goes on to say. "I'll introduce a new song that's not recorded and see how it goes. The gauge on "Every Little Thing" was undeniable."
The process has worked before. It's how Dickerson chose his previous two singles, both of which went on to top the charts.
""Every Little Thing" was right there, right there with "Blue Tacoma." It was a no-brainer," he adds. "I didn't have to convince anybody on our team. It was just easy and unanimous, because they'd all been out to shows and they'd heard the crowd. That's who's gonna be listening to the radio."
Dickerson notes that the decision about which songs get pushed to radio ultimately belongs to his listeners, because he loves every track he performs. "We don't have a [specific preference] for this one over that one. This is all our art," he points out. "Whatever [the fans] wanna get behind, we're there."