Meet Drew Baldridge, a 32-year-old country music star on the rise. Well, he’s on the verge of all of that with his new single “Tough People” shaping up to be one of those big breakthroughs. The song looks to be Top 15 and trending quickly towards the Top 10 on the Mediabase charts. In light of this success, Baldridge is poised for a possible second debut at No. 1! This year’s artist clearly has just made history! He makes history as the first self-released artist ever to top country radio’s Billboard chart, with his debut single, “She’s Somebody’s Daughter.”
Baldridge’s career in Nashville has been one hell of a roller coaster the last year-and-a-half. He’s experiencing the full roller coaster of this sudden, unexpected fame together with his wife, Katherine, and their sleepless, ever-bouncing 2-year-old son, Lyric Lee. The couple have been through an emotional tornado in these months. Amidst the whirlwind, Baldridge remains focused on what ignited his passion for performing—telling compelling stories through music.
During that same time on tour with fellow artist Cody Johnson, Baldridge had an unforgettable moment with country powerhouse Luke Combs. During their talk, Combs pushed Baldridge to cut “Tough People,” a song Combs first recorded himself. Even though there were some qualms about the song already being cut by Combs, Baldridge was very personally attached to it.
After “Savin’ Me,” Baldridge was scouting for a follow-up second single. He’d always loved “Tough People,” but he assumed it was already spoken for. Combs’ show of faith in him inspired him to seize full control of the song.
“Dude, you wrote it, and you should sing it,” Combs told Baldridge.
Buoyed by Combs’ endorsement, Baldridge made the choice to forge ahead and lay down tracks for “Tough People.” The experience left him equally moved and thankful for the opportunity to share his own rendition of the song.
“It’s your song and I’ll root you on all the way to No. 1,” Combs added, further solidifying Baldridge’s resolve to pursue the track.
Though “Tough People” ascends the charts, Baldridge hasn’t lost sight of what his successes with Katherine represent. He recognizes where they’ve both struggled over the years. More importantly, he has hope for what’s possible.
“Picking the second single was almost harder than picking the first because I wanted to make sure I didn’t end up a one-hit wonder,” he explained. This firm resolve fuels his inspiration. He has hopes of continuing to create and share true stories through his music, like those found in “Tough People.”