Born in New Bern, NC and raised down a 7 mile dirt road deep in the woods, Chris Hollacheck grew up in the kind of setting you’d picture being in a country song. His musical journey started very early when he learned cello at 3 years old! Chris has also played piano, trumpet, baritone, and bass guitar and performed singing and acting in numerous plays all before the age of 18. After graduating high school, he picked up guitar in college at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. It was there that he discovered his passion for songwriting and singing country music. Once he graduated college, he moved to Nashville in 2014.
After a couple years of playing open mics and writer rounds and working odd jobs, Chris decided to leave Nashville and travel the country. He started venturing in Florida and then Texas, where he played more frequent shows and gained a diverse group of fans. During this time, he released his first radio single “Knotty Thing” in January 2019.
After two years in Texas, he decided to move back to Nashville where he ended up taking his music further.
Chris released “But I Did” in January 2020, which hit #2 on the Indie World Country Charts. He’s released other great hits since like “Phoenix In The Fire,” “Open Road”, and “Til You See The Pines.” In Jan 2022 he released the upbeat love ballad “I’ll Ever Need,” which is quickly gaining momentum. Look out for a lot of hits in 2022!
Bridge: Please describe to our audience how you came about on the music scene?
CH: Singing/writing country songs is something I didn’t really start doing until I started college. However I didn’t actually start performing until I graduated college 10 years ago. About a year into graduate life, I decided to make the move from NC where I was born and raised and move to Nashville. I lived there from 2014-2016 but ran into a bunch of dead ends. I then ended up picking up a day job in my degree (GIS) which sent me away to Florida and eventually Texas, where I quit that day job and ended up moving for 2 years to do music full time. It was there that I actually started paying my dues and really honed in on my musical skills with some amazing friends and mentors. Despite doing well in the music scene there, the money and gigs started running out so I had to go back to that old day job. However they ended up sending me to work in Kentucky, which propelled me to reestablish residency back in Nashville. I ended up signing with Lower Broadway Records, which was run by one of my best friends, who was literally my first roommate when I first moved to Nashville in 2014. I had a great stint with them for 2 years until that friend who ran the label died of Covid the day after Thanksgiving 2021. Since then I’ve by default become independent again, however I’ve teamed up with some great new teams in this short time like Bsquared Management (Artist Management), JD’s Joint (Production), and Blooming Seed Media (Videography/Photography). Literally since 2022 started, I’ve felt my music taking off to a level I’ve never seen it go before!
Bridge: What are you doing to push a positive narrative as an artist and with your music?
CH: I strive to make music that relates to people. Even though most of my songs are upbeat, there are a few that are sad. I want to relate to people in all aspects of life. Life’s not always daisies and dandelions, so I want to be able to help people as well when they’re down by being that voice that understands them when it seems like no one else does. That’s what music did for me and that’s how I want to give back.
Bridge: Are there any rituals you have developed over the years that are helpful to your music making process?
CH: I usually write my lyrics in the morning and then put the melody to them in the evening. I’ve also had some big breakthroughs by implementing yoga/meditation. But overall I’d say traveling is the biggest inspiration for me to write.
Bridge: Could you talk about an UP you had in your career?
CH: My song “But I Did” hit #2 on Indie World Country Charts back in November 2020!
Bridge: Could you talk about a DOWN you had in your career?
CH: When my producer/record label head/ best friend died of Covid this past Thanksgiving. Even though I’ve used the pain to channel a new energy and motivation towards my music, the pain of losing him is unbearable. I literally hung out with him everyday since I lived in Nashville and also met almost all the people I know in this town through him. It’s a huge life change I’m still struggling to accept.
Bridge: How do you think your experience has helped you shape your career and approach your music?
CH: The biggest lesson I’ve learned in my music career is no one is gonna fight harder for your music than you. You gotta learn as many skills as possible so you can hold your own weight and lead by example once you have a team and band. If you can be self reliant on your music and put in time and gain experience, then people will naturally want to help out.
Bridge: How did you develop your community of fans over the years?
CH: I really started learning extensively about social media promoting and engagement during Covid lockdown. This skillset was a huge game changer for gaining a lot of new fans online in a quick amount of time. Also learning who my target fanbase is and who my music is really impacting the most. That and being authentic in talking to people in person or online. I believe in always staying humble no matter how far you go.
Bridge: Talk to us about your latest single. What was the drive behind releasing the single?
CH: My current single “I’ll Ever Need” is an upbeat love ballad that has a new traditional country sound, but a strong R&B influence lyrically. This world needs a lot of love right now so I figured this would be the perfect song to spread that!
I also have a new single “Remind Me Of You” which releases March 18th. This single is another upbeat song, however it’s on a different side of the love spectrum. This song is about reminiscing about a past lover and wishing you could redo things in the past to still have them. Even though it’s kind of on the sad side, it’s a song I feel like many people can relate to. I hope it helps anyone going through that kind of pain, giving them a feeling that I understand what they’re going through and I’m there for them. The upbeat melody I feel levels out the sadness though!
