Country-pop singer Chase Wright has a degree in economics. He wanted to run his own business and did his college internship in corporate finance. It’s what pushed him over the edge into music.
“I had just started playing out in bars and wasn’t taking it seriously, but I couldn’t see myself in this cubical life,” Wright said. “I started my music Instagram, my music Facebook – all the stuff. And I started posting covers on it like crazy. That’s what got me discovered by my manager.”
Wright released his first single “Intertwined” from his debut album of the same name on Friday. The heavily pop-leaning track features Canadian pop singer-songwriter, Delaney Jane. The album “Intertwined” will be available Nov. 5.
The singer’s influences are diverse, ranging from Three Doors Down, Justin Bieber, The Goo Goo Dolls, and the Chainsmokers to Thomas Rhett and Keith Urban.
“Thomas Rhett gave me the confidence when listening to ’Life Changes’ that you can combine a whole bunch of different sounds in country music,” Wright said. “He’s done such a great job throughout his career of not being afraid to be who he is unapologetically.”
Wright framed “Life Changes” and hung it on his wall to remind him that he can “do this.”
“It’s pivotal to my growth as an artist,” Wright said. “It has some country songs on it, but it also has some pretty poppy songs on it and lets me know I can be OK in the country space.”
Wright pegs “Wish You’d Miss Me,” which he wrote with Robyn Collins and Jared Keim, as a “big moment of authenticity.” After the demise of an on-again, off-again relationship, he came up with the title and typed it into his phone. He forgot about the title, then stumbled across it much later and took it to his “dream team” of writers Collins and Keim.
“We got together, and we crushed it,” Wright said. “I couldn’t be happier with how the song came out. It’s a real story I feel like people go through and don’t talk about. It’s toxic back and forth relationships. Something you know should be over, but you just can’t leave. I just felt compelled to talk about it.”
The whole album is about creating music that he loves, Wright said.
“I’m hoping that other people share that same passion, even if some of the songs don’t sound the most country,” he said. “What holds true is the lyrics, and that’s what I love country music for. I wanted to make sure each song has a very moving and valuable lyric.”