Curtis Braly Wants You to Know—"You Matter"

Everything is bigger in Texas, so they say. Ask the first few Texans you see. They will all tell you that even the personalities of individual people are bigger than life in that great state. Maybe that is why this Lone Star native is able to imagine huge things for both his career and his fans. With confidence, too. Because, folks, this is one country artist who knows how to do it right. Come along on his journey, and you will no doubt be in for a treat.

Growing up in Humble, a Houston suburb, Curtis was keenly aware of the value of community. He was raised among people who shared their Texas-sized hearts on a daily basis. He learned how important it is to reach out to the people around him and how important it is to give back. Though this former police officer is no longer serving his community on patrol, he is still giving back to the people who helped (and continue to help) him grow as a musician.

Braly was kind enough to speak with me about his career. He shared some plans for the future, his biggest influences, and how being a Lone Star gentleman helps his career. Read some of the interview here. Then find out how you can win a Curtis Braly iDitty card, featuring music and lots more.

It's called You Matter. It was produced by Kent Wells. He is pretty well-known for working with Dolly Parton, producing her and managing her for probably the last 15 years. He's been in the business for quite a long time, and he's fantastic to work with.

We started working on the album together about nine months before it released. We just went in and sat down to discuss the vision of what I wanted the album to be. And I was looking to put an album together full of feel good music. By that I mean, whether you're going through a bad time and you need inspiration and encouragement or if you're just looking to go out for a fun night on the town, I wanted the songs to make you feel good from one extreme to the other. So we sat down and started writing music. Some of the fantastic songwriters in and around Nashville also started pitching music to us. Between the writing and the song pitches, we felt like we came up with a lot of great songs to put on the album. The toughest part of the process was narrowing them down to ten songs.

I did not write that, but I wish I could say that I did. The lyrics of the song are exactly what I was going for with the album theme. It pretty much hits on the fact that no matter what you are going through... You know, there are these moments in life when you feel like you're on the edge and you're not sure where to turn, but if you just kind of step back and rely on those around you who really love you, you can get through anything. I heard it one time and I didn't even have to hear it again to know it was going on the album.

It has already. We released the video, I guess it's been about a month back now. We first released it on some cable networks. I hosted some television shows that premiere music videos and I got to premiere my own video, which was really cool. As soon as that was over we pushed it out on social media. The response on social media was incredible. We had around 25,000 views and about 400 shares in a matter of about 24 hours. So we were really pleased with the turnout for that.

Well, the southern hospitality and just growing up in that environment. I always say that people in Texas are so friendly, and I'm proud to say that I come from that environment. I think that has had a big influence on me as far as the way I connect with the fans.

I often hear from people who after meeting me, tell me that they feel like they've known me a long time. And I think that helps me build more relationships with the fans and to connect with them better.

Also, some of the best artists I grew up with, like Clay Walker and George Strait, are from Texas. I grew up listening to their music and watching them perform. I know I've said this in the past, but Clay Walker has this high energy stage presence about him, and when I was young watching him perform, that was something that I wanted to be able to do. To be able to capture people's attention like he did when he was on stage.

I always say that I feel like law enforcement taught me a lot of patience, which is something you definitely need a lot of in this industry.

Well, I moved to Nashville once before when I was between a radio station job and law enforcement, but I only lasted about nine months. It was such an overwhelming experience the first time I was here because I realized exactly how many people are trying to do the exact same thing I am trying to do. I suddenly felt like a needle in a haystack. I started getting homesick and moved back home.

As time went on, technology started becoming a big thing. You could pretty much run a business from anywhere, and I didn't really have to live in Nashville. However, about a year and a half ago when I started working with Kent, I was having meetings in Nashville. I was going back and forth, spending two weeks in Nashville and two weeks in Texas. I did that for about a year before I got tired of the road trip. I finally decided that it was time to move, though I held out as long as I could because I didn't want to leave Texas. But I knew that at some point if I wanted to take the next steps, I had to either move here or continue with the road trip.

Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton are at the top of my list. I've always dreamed of performing or recording with them.

Let me pick two. Because there's always an uptempo and a ballad. My uptempo song is "Trouble" by Travis Tritt. I love singing that song because it's high energy. It's fast, it's funny, it has a little bit of attitude, and people in the audience always seem to really get into it. So it's a lot of fun for me. I've had to kind of force myself these past few years not to include it in my set list. People are probably getting tired of hearing me sing that. I know it may be my favorite, but it may not be everyone else's.

Then, one of my favorite ballads to sing is "Tonight I Wanna Cry" by Keith Urban. It's funny because I actually recorded that song about four to six months before Keith Urban released it, so my followers had already heard that song. I was their first introduction to it. I started getting messages. Then all of a sudden, my phone started blowing up from family and friends telling me that they heard me on the radio. I was like, really? At the time, I wasn't doing any radio promotions. Long story short, it ended up that it was Keith Urban they were hearing, thinking it was me.

I always tell fans to please connect with me on social media. Message me and chat with me because I love to chat with everyone. It's really me who answers the questions. So if you want to talk or message me on Facebook, I would love to hear your thoughts.

For a chance to win an iDitty card from Curtis Braly and to read more about how Curtis plans to connect with you, the fan, visit the Country Music Notes website below. The iDitty card features music, photos, performances, and more. You don't want to miss your chance to win one.