There are many people who live productive lives and establish successful careers in their respective fields but very few literally make history. Drew Baldridge is in that elite class.
When “She’s Somebody’s Daughter” climbed to No. 1 on the Country Aircheck/Mediabase chart, it became the first self-released single to hit the summit on an artist’s first No. 1, a feat that not only propelled Baldridge’s career but serves as an inspiration to anyone that dreams do come true and all things are possible. With the release of his new single, “Tough People,” Baldridge continues to demonstrate just how far talent and hard work can carry a creative soul.
“When we put out ‘She’s Somebody’s Daughter,’ I had to start my own label to send it to radio. I was funding it myself,” says Baldridge. “I would wake up at 3am and look at my wife and little boy sleeping, and ask myself, ‘What am I doing? Why am I spending all this money?’ It was the first time we were making money, and I was investing it back into a song hoping that radio would play it.”
Baldridge’s gamble paid off as the song slowly and steadily began its ascent to the top. Written by Baldridge, Jimmy Yeary and Cameron Jaymes, “She’s Somebody’s Daughter” first released in 2019. “It was always my wife’s favorite song,” he says of the tender ballad he wrote after meeting her father. “I thought it would be cool if I made a wedding version, so she and her dad could dance to it at our wedding. So, I made this version with just me, a piano and a cello. My wife and her dad danced to it at our wedding, and I was in tears.”
In 2021, Baldridge decided to share the wedding version on TikTok, while they were on their honeymoon. He posted it on a Wednesday night and said that if enough people liked it, he would release it on Friday. “On Thursday morning, the video had almost 10 million views, and I jumped 100,000 followers overnight,” he says, still shaking his head at the song’s swift impact. “It began having such a moment on TikTok. Girls were acting out the verses, and there were videos of daughters and their dads. I was watching those videos and crying. They were getting millions of views and people started calling it ‘the daughter trend.’”
Baldridge had a hit on his hand, but the indie label he was on folded. “There I was with no manager, no label, no booking agent,” says Baldridge, who remained undaunted and launched his own Lyric Ridge label. “I was booking all my shows, running myself as a manager, playing people’s backyards, and ‘She’s Somebody’s Daughter’ had switched the trend to dad’s reactions of the video. Dads were watching their daughters grow up, and they are full on crying. Cowboys, big tough men were crying. These videos are starting to get millions and millions of views, and the song was just streaming like crazy.”
Not bad for a kid from Patoka, IL who grew up singing in church and talent shows and found his life forever changed when he heard the Alabama hit “Born Country.” “That song said, ‘I’ve got 100 years of down-home running through my blood.’ My grandpa called the area where we grew up, where we did all our farming ‘down home.’ That was the first time it really hit me: Country music is my life! I thought if I’m going to sing something it’s going to be about where I come from. It’s going to be about how I grew up, and I think it will reach other people’s lives too. ‘She’s Somebody’s Daughter’ and our new single, ‘Tough People’ together really setup what I stand for, and I want people to know I’m a family guy who loves his people and his smalltown rural roots.”
“Tough People” celebrates the strength and resilience of the human spirit and is a perfect anthem for these challenging times. “We just got real about where our country is at right now, where our world is at right now, where people are at right now,” Baldridge says. “People are having a tough time buying groceries. Life is hard.”
As soon as he finished the song, Baldridge felt it would be the perfect follow up to “She’s Somebody’s Daughter.” However, a co-writer shared it with Luke Combs, and he immediately loved it and planned to record it.
“I called Luke [Combs] about it and he said, ‘Man I love it, but you wrote it, you should sing it. I’ll cheer you all the way to No. 1.’”
Now, Baldridge is making the trek up the chart again, but this time he’s not making that journey alone. He signed with Left | Right Management, the innovative team behind Jelly Roll. He has a new booking agency UTA, and he’s partnered with BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville’s Stoney Creek Records. He continues to work with Rusty Gaston, CEO of Sony Music Publishing Nashville, who recognized Baldridge’s talent soon after he moved to Nashville and shepherded his songwriting career as he began scoring cuts by LoCash, Chase Matthew, Bailey Zimmerman and others.
Baldridge is excited for fans to hear “Tough People,” and to see the video, which was shot in his Illinois hometown and directed by CMA Award winner Dustin Haney. “‘She’s Somebody’s Daughter’ spoke to girls knowing their worth and finding somebody who would treat them right and I love that ‘Tough People’ is our follow up,” he says. “This is also a song that speaks to people’s hearts. It can make you cry. It can make you feel empowered. It can make you feel all the emotions that you need to and that’s what music is all about. These two songs together show I’m not afraid to go a little deeper. God called me to write these songs and to make this music.”
After fighting hard to get a break for a decade then seeing his label close as he lost his management and booking deals, Baldridge admits there were dark days, yet his belief in his music wouldn’t let him give up. He’s hoping his success will serve as inspiration for other struggling singers and songwriters. “‘She’s Somebody’s Daughter’ going No. 1 is literally a win for independent artists,” says Baldridge who will be touring in 2025 with Cody Johnson.
The embodiment of small-town charm and inherent humility, Baldridge is still somewhat surprised by his success. “A friend said, ‘A year ago if I would have told you, you’re going to have a No. 1 record. You’re going to be on tour with Cody Johnson. You’re going to be partnering with one of the biggest labels in Nashville. We’re getting ready to go to your No. 1 party. You have a follow up single that everybody is really excited about and a music video with one of the best music video producers/directors in town, what would you have said?’ I would have said, ‘That’s not supposed to happen,’” he says with a laugh. “I feel very blessed, and I love seeing the ripple effect because when you have something in your life that’s successful, the people around you succeed with you. It’s a beautiful thing.”
