Russell Dickerson Discusses Self-Titled Record and Digging Deeper

Country singer Russell Dickerson is known for his lighthearted, country pop bangers that graze the radio stations until they reach the number one spot. The multi-platinum-selling artist has just released his third studio record, and while the singer-songwriter continues his track record of high-energy jams, he also digs deeper and farther than he ever has before.

A self-titled project usually comes at the beginning of an artist’s discography, but for Dickerson, it came a bit later. He compares Russell Dickerson to previous records stating, “This one, there is no boundary that we set in place. This is 15 of my favorite songs that I’ve written in the last two years since Southern Symphony came out.” He adds referencing his 2020 LP, “It just felt like me. It felt like so many facets of my personality and my story and my sound was captured in these songs.”

Within the makeup of the record, Dickerson taps into deep-rooted nostalgia. The opener, “Blame It On Being Young,” is about being 16 and doing dumb stuff with friends. “18” details wishing he knew his wife when he was in his later teen years, and “Over And Over” recalls the beginning stages of his career juxtaposed with the early support from his wife as he sings, “Midnight, baby's up, you're hummin' and swayin' / I see you, twenty-two, my band playin' / You knew every word, you're the only one singin' / To all those songs that I wrote about you.”

Dickerson blames the heavier subject matter on the pandemic and having time to reflect. “I had the brain capacity to dig way, way deeper on this album to go back to those little stories,” he shares. It seems as though multiple entries on his fourth album zoom into small moments in time as he goes line by line.

Even though he has emotionally driven tunes, he keeps his signature sound on the R&B-flavored “Big Wheels” and the collaboration with Jake Scott titled “She Likes It.” The latter was the second song he had written with Scott and it was put out on a whim after they were done with it. “Once we finished it, I was like, ‘Dude we gotta put this out together. Your fans, my fans, they’ll love it,’” Dickerson shares, “Honestly, it was the listeners that took over. There was no plans for this to ever be a radio single.” Once the streams piled up, the label took the hint and sent it to country radio. It now has over 65 million streams on Spotify alone. “It’s just crazy to see that song take on this whole life,” Dickerson states.

The closing track on Russell Dickerson proves to be one of the singer-songwriter’s most vulnerable nods, not just on the album, but in his discography. “Just Like Your Mama” is about becoming a dad and features a more twangy, typically country-sounding production. Dickerson spoke on the song exclaiming, “It’s real and it’s raw. For me, digging into those deeper emotions was like a newer thing.” From the first song on the record about being 16 to hearing his own child’s voice in the finale, a lot of life happens from the top of the project to the bottom.

The release of Dickerson’s third full-length project coincided with the five-year anniversary of Dickerson’s debut offering Yours which came out in October 2017. When asked about what has changed about his work and musicianship, he shares passionately, “I feel like a way that I’ve grown is really just taking ownership of the direction of the song.” He continues, “I’ve learned to dig into that - not trying to come up with a catchy chorus and just letting it flow.” Dickerson knows now to trust his intuition and refrain from intimidation; the self-titled offering seemed to have come at the perfect time.

Dickerson will also embark on the ‘She Likes It Tour’ to see his fans once more before the year ends. To see him out on the road, visit his website here.

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