Today we’d like to introduce you to Stu Basham.
Hi Stu, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story starts when I got a cheap keyboard for Christmas at age 4 or 5.
From then on, I was hooked and knew I wanted to be a performing artist. I’ve lived in all major U.S. time zones and played all different kinds of music over the years but I’ve finally settled in Nashville to play country music which is something I finally realize I was born to do. It took a long time to get here but I think I’ve found my place and passion.
As a backup plan, I studied aviation in college and was on a path to becoming a commercial pilot. I earned 3 ratings and after flying for a few years I was tired of working towards something I didn’t really want to do as a career. My passion was music, so I quit flying.
I still love flying and traveling and want that to be a part of my life again someday but I want to focus my passion on music. I still want that part of my story to be heard so I’ve branded myself as “Captain Country” wearing pilot clothes for photo shoots and playing live to come up with something unique as a brand.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road haha. I’ve taken a long and windy road to get where I am. I was a naive college kid that moved to Denver in 2009 thinking I’d take the world by storm with my jazz/pop/rock kind of sound.
I was really into Dave Matthews at the time and still love the band but the songs weren’t great and I didn’t get a lot of traction there. I moved to NYC with my wife and began writing Indie Pop which had a little success but then again I was focused on getting gigs and networking instead of focusing on songwriting and taking that aspect seriously.
It wasn’t until I found country music that I learned about professional songwriters who dedicate hours and hours every week to their craft like it’s their job. So I told myself I was going to do the same. I wasn’t going to play gigs or network and just focus on songwriting for a while.
That produced some strong songs and eventually pushed me to move my family to Nashville. I’ve since written hundreds more songs that I’m excited to share with the world finally. I’ve learned that it’s all about the song and I wish I would’ve learned that a lot earlier on in life.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I focus a lot of my songwriting on up-tempo country stuff. I heard a great podcast today that said write what you want to feel instead of how you feel so I’ve been doing that already for the past year. I want to have more dance/party songs to sing along to so that’s what I’m focused on.
I have branded myself as a pilot country artist or I’ve named myself “Captain Country” which has a better ring to it. I don’t know any other pilots (aside from Dierks Bentley) that have multiple ratings and that kind of background that also play country music.
I also don’t know a whole lot of country artists from the Pacific Northwest so I use those experiences to fuel my creativity. I think that’s what sets me apart – a whole different perspective than most entertainers that come to Nashville. I have a different story to tell.
What do you think about happiness?
I love songwriting and playing music.
Songwriting is like solving a puzzle that you get to create yourself at the same time. I love playing live as well. There’s nothing like it and I don’t get to do it as often as I’d like so I’m looking forward to the day I can have a band and play with them on tour.
I love my beautiful wife and 2 daughters. They bring me lots of joy and push me to be a better dad, husband, and person.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stubasham/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thestubasham
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/stubasham
- Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stubasham
Image Credits
Kristen Drum
