Rising Country Singer Brett Westgrove to Perform at UD Heritage Center

Few things in my profession make me smile bigger than meeting someone interesting. Someone who works hard, owns their craft, and exudes passion when talking about said craft.

Brett Westgrove embodies all of that. A Wisconsin native and a rising name in the country music stratosphere, Westgrove will be performing at the University of Dubuque's Heritage Center on Thursday, September 19th. On his way back from his hometown, en route to Nashville, Westgrove was kind enough to stop by the studio to introduce himself to me and several unseen others via the airwaves.

Westgrove has shared stages with the likes of Luke Bryan, Jon Pardi, Travis Tritt, and more. His latest single, "Memory Burns Like Whiskey," impacted country and Top 40 radio earlier this year. However, it's been a long musical odyssey that started at a young age, was underscored by a couple diversions, but now exists in full-force.

After his tender years were defined by writing and playing music, while also learning the craft of audio engineering, Westgrove packed up and moved to California where he became a record producer. He then had a career pivot, attending the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he obtained a bachelor's and master's in aerospace engineering. That led him to command a NASA spacecraft.

You know, the standard origins story for a country singer-songwriter.

Westgrove pivoted back to music when he decided to move to Nashville, where he lived in his car with no heat and showered at local gyms. One of the many things we discussed was the difficulty in being a new artist trying to get people to listen to their music. Westgrove chalked this increasingly difficulty up to a crowded musical landscape where credibility is tough to discern:

I think one of the interesting [challenges] [....] is the oversaturation in music right now. I think it came from the American Idols, The Voice, all of these things [that tell] people that anyone can do this. [....] Regardless of your skill level, you could be the best singer on the planet but you might not be able to hack it. You know, moving to Nashville is already a huge sacrifice [....] but a lot of us make very big sacrifices to be there and we spend a lot of time working really, really hard. Having that oversaturation is difficult because there are a lot of people that may be super talented but they're never going to make it through the five-to-10 years and then the grind of touring - Brett Westgrove, per our interview

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Brett Westgrove added that the people like him, who can hack it, have a tough time proving to the powers that be that they aren't just a garage-act. They are someone legitimate, who has made music his life and career.

If you only have time for one song, Westgrove recommends "Memory Burns Like Whiskey" (embedded above), and if you like the sound of that, check out his album, Somewhere Town, released in 2019.

Even better, brace yourself for Brett Westgrove to be in Dubuque at the University of Dubuque Heritage Center on September 19th! Tickets are available via the Heritage Center's website. For more on Brett Westgrove, check out his social media pages below!

Brett Westgrove's official website
Instagram
Apple Music