Daily Inspiration: Meet Brett Westgrove

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brett Westgrove.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Holy hell. Ok, well, like many artists, this is a long story.

It really goes back to before I can even remember. I think the oldest photo of me digging into music was at the age of two – sitting at a toy piano and singing into a vacuum hose. I could always be found entertaining at family gatherings and getting involved in just about anything involving music.

But I’ve never quite been sure where the actual love of music came from. My family was not so much into music. It was more a background thing. Sonic wallpaper.

It was a 50/50 chance there’d be music on in the car. It was almost never on at home. I never had that cool uncle with a wall of vinyl records who loved to expose a new generation to the old-school greats.

My dad owned one Alan Jackson and two Garth Brooks CDs, I’d occasionally hear my older brother playing some new rock or underground rap cassettes in his car (which was only when he was forced to chauffeur me to soccer, or football, or some other school function), and I had country radio – Wisconsin Country Radio was my guide.

My formative years were, unfortunately, largely void of the classics; the greats. But what I did get plenty of was 90’s country. Garth Brooks, Brooks ’n’ Dunn, Joe Diffie, George Strait, Alan Jackson, etc.

My love of performing, however – has a couple of clear influences. One of the biggest ones will always be Garth Brooks. His energy is phenomenal – so much to strive for. The other is actually Michael Jackson. Just like I didn’t have someone to play classic music for me, I didn’t have anyone to take me to concerts. We also didn’t have cable growing up, so I didn’t watch much TV and didn’t get much in the way of live music exposure.

But I have a clear memory of the first time I saw just a brief clip of Michael Jackson on stage (I was probably at a friend’s house who had cable). There was something about the way he impacted the seemingly endless sea of people in his audience that immediately made it click – I needed to be on stage. I wanted to be in the spotlight, yes, but there was something bigger than me, bigger than Michael, bigger than anything else happening on that stage.

No matter how brief of a moment a single concert is in the vast perspective of a lifetime, it still hardnesses a power that is capable of changing the world. I wanted to change the world. Some people call these ‘change the world’ claims silly, or naive, but I will never stop believing that any time I can make someone smile, get over a breakup, celebrate their roots, or even keep them from suicide (and yes, I’ve encountered several people on my path so far who’ve admitted this to me) I’ve changed the world.

Phew… was that too long?? I hope not, because there’s more.

So this may take me up to middle school. In seventh grade, I started my first band, which lasted through 8th grade. We played a few random shows for the school – it was fun, I learned a lot, that was it. In the meantime, I was in every talent show and choir in the area. In high school I transitioned into more of a solo artist, taking advantage of the music program my school was known for – but that is a whole other story on its own, so I’ll leave it there.

I kind of began writing (but rarely and it was all garbage), did some recording, and even built and launched my own recording studio, at 18, which accidentally went commercial after the local newspaper did an article about it.

After high school, I went to a local college for a year and studied vocal performance. With the program, I traveled to NYC to perform at Carnegie Hall and was invited back a couple of years later to sing at the Lincoln Center, even though I was no longer a student… or even in the same state. Anyway, after a year at that school, I decided I needed to make more moves.

Through a series of events, I managed to get offered a job running a for-real, big-time, international recording studio out in CA… at 19. A few months later, then 20, I moved. I spent a couple of years as an engineer and producer by day and an acoustic performer by night. I hated it. I was in a dark place, mentally, and the CA music scene was not good for me (another very long story I’ll leave there). I decided to take a break.

I moved to CO and somehow thought I should become a rocket scientist? I was advanced in math and science in high school, and can be pretty smart *sometimes* so I managed to get into the program (known for being difficult to get in and make it through). I concurrently got my bachelor’s and master’s degrees while also working a job as a spacecraft controller for NASA… yeah, I don’t know either.

Two months before graduation, sitting at my desk being miserable, I began thinking about “changing the world”. Science is important, but this wasn’t it. It wasn’t that stage. It was MY ‘stage’ for doing good. It wasn’t the thing I’d always loved doing – making people smile. Thanks to a boost from my mother (another long, and actually important story). I got my guitar out from under the bed, brushed the dust off, and immediately remembered ‘why music’.

A few months after that, and with huge encouragement from several incredibly important friends, I was on my way to Nashville. I owned almost nothing, had no money (and in fact had lots of school debt), had never been to Nashville, and knew no one, but I was determined to get there. To make it work I lived in my car until I could get some money, and I’d make things happen.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Smooth? Sometimes. But it’s been rough, too.

I had amazing opportunities and support in high school but had no guidance. To be honest, I knew so little about the world outside my town, and outside the radio, that I didn’t have a clue Nashville (as in the idea of Nashville and what it meant for music) even existed.

I effortlessly got setup up in the CA music scene (smooth) but was seen, pigeon-holed even, as some kind of prodigy engineer and therefore wasn’t taken seriously as an artist (not so smooth). Plus, mental health issues, which had actually begun in middle school, got really bad in those days.

I landed a spot on a music-based MTV reality show (even won my episode) but my own issues held me from capitalizing. The move to Nashville, thanks to those who pushed me, was smooth, but showing up broke and living in the car was honestly kinda brutal for me.

So smooth in ways but simultaneously not smooth. But I think it’s been a good balance. I believe people need to be challenged – it shows us what direction to move in. Overcoming obstacles proves how far you’re willing to go to make something happen.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My music is my work (aside from my recent leap into the real estate investing world, and another venture I can’t speak of now but would LOVE to do a follow-up on when it blows up!). After the whole NASA thing, I went back into music, and Nashville very quickly allowed me to be full-time in music.

I specialize in fan engagement. Putting on a show that will be remembered. Making forever friends with fans. It’s a slow process, a one-at-a-time process, but it’s a beautiful process. I’m continually told that I engage with a crowd, by the said crowd, in a way that is different than other artists. I want every person in the room to feel like they are an integral part of what is happening that night.

But even off of the stage, it’s important to me that I engage. I will sit at a merch table for hours to meet every single fan that wants to take a photo. I engage with people between shows, via social media, etc. I show up to festivals a day early to make rounds and meet everyone. Every time I go back to a city or venue, I get to see my friends again. Some artists pretend to love their fans… I love my fans, sometimes to a fault, to my detriment even.

I do music for the people.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
APPS: Evernote – I have a billion notes (75% song ideas 25% business ideas and notes) in Evernote.

Voice Recorder – I have thousands of recordings on my phone. I’ve only returned to maybe 10% of them, but it’s still critical.

Mixing Station – I’m a perfectionist, maybe even a control freak when it comes to things in my life. This is a must-have so I can make tweaks to my in-ear mix from stage when needed.

BOOKS, PODCASTS, BLOGS: I wish… anyone know where I can buy some free time??

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: http://brettwestgrove.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brettwestgrovemusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brettwestgrove
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/brettwestgrove
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@brettwestgrove

Image Credits
Cali Porath