Josh Gracin :: Official Site and Community

It might have taken seven years, but Josh Gracin recently found out how it feels to be Simon Cowell.  Of course, Cowell was one of the judges on American Idol in 2004, when Gracin was a contestant on the Fox series.  Post-Idol, Gracin went on to score such hits at Country Radio as “Nothin’ To Lose” and “Stay With Me.”  He was in the studio recording a new track called “Make It Rain,” when he thought that the cut would be much better as a duet.  He thought about who in Music City he would like to record with, but then a light bulb went off in his head. 

“I thought that if we wanted to take this song to the next level, we needed to have it be a duet,” he said.  “So, instead of going after somebody in Nashville, why not give somebody else a shot like I had?”

That’s exactly what happened.  The singer opened up the contest on his web site where the winner would get to perform the song in the studio with him.

“That was such a great thing that my label, Average Joe’s, let happen.  I came up with the idea about seven or eight months ago.  I was trying to figure out a way to make it happen.  We really wanted to find somebody that would have a chance.  What we did was go out there and gave people the opportunity to submit videos of them singing the song ‘Only When It Rains.’ We went through all these videos, and narrowed it down to about five or six.  Then, we decided to really look at those and who had the best opportunity or best shot.”

That person turned out to be fellow Michigan native Shelagh Brown.  “She was amazing,” said Josh.  “We posted a video of it on my website.  It was very interesting to be on the other side of things.”

So, does he identify a little more with Cowell upon seeing the bad ones? Absolutely.

“I was lucky enough that most of the people that submitted videos actually had the talent and could do it.  There was some that you could tell that nobody had ever stood up and told them they should go in a different direction.  I think that’s why everybody liked Simon on the show was that he said what everybody wanted to say, but for some reason, felt guilty to say.  You know, you should never feel guilty for steering someone in the right direction.  You should feel guilty if you don’t.  Being able to give somebody that opportunity was an amazing thing.”

That song can be heard on Josh’s upcoming debut project for Average Joe’s Entertainment, a new Nashville label that has made a name for themselves with talent like Colt Ford and the recent signing of Montgomery Gentry.  Gracin is quite excited about both the present and the future. 

“Average Joe’s trusted me enough to give me full range of the project from writing all the music to producing as well,” he says happily.  “So, it’s going to be an exciting time for me.  We’re still trying to figure out how to get it out there as far as marketing goes.  We’re going in a new direction in that there are so many people that saw me on Idol seven years ago, and we’ve done so many great things in Country Music.  We’re going to try to bridge that gap from people who have lost touch since I was on the show and all the fans we have out there now.  So, 2011 is going to be an exciting year,” he says with a breeze of confidence.

“When I found out that he was on board.  I had a long conversation with Shannon Houchins, who started the label with Colt Ford.  We talked about the direction that he wanted to go as far as whether he should continue outsourcing as far as his promotional staff.  I really felt that with what he has done for Colt Ford and the direction that he’s wanting to go with some of the other artists on the label, it might be a good idea to put your own staff together.  So, he went out and really hit it out of the park with a great staff.  Then you have the hiring of Tom as President of the label, which is amazing for Average Joe’s because of all the success and experience he has had for so long at Sony, and then also the fact that he’s such a good guy and loves music.”

Another guy who Gracin knows that loves music is Mark Wills.  The two recently joined forces for the “Crazy White Boys” tour.  For Gracin, the multi-city tour turned out to be somewhat historic.

“We went out for some shows with Mark.  It was interesting because since I came to Nashville, I’ve never been out on tour with any artist.  Brad (Paisley) gave me a shot when we first came out with five shows, but I guess my management and agency wanted to go in a different direction with me going out on my own.  It was awesome to go out there, and to go out with Mark---to have a feel of what it would be like to go out on tour with somebody.  It was a very neat experience.”

“It’s over the map, that’s for sure.  This album is definitely different from anything that Nashville is used to.  It’s 100% Country, but it kind of walks that line of appealing to everybody.  That’s what I’ve wanted.  I’m a lover of music of all genres.  I grew up in Michigan listening to R&B and Motown.  I was really trying to figure out a way when I started writing and producing to pull those genres in and to make them Country but, at the same time, come up with a different sound.  I think that’s what we’ve done on this new record.  It kind of takes you on a journey from traditional country to mainstream country---the way it is now, but at the same time, a new twist on Country Music.  It’s a very interesting album.”

He’s not out to change the world, he just wants to give fans the best Josh Gracin he can.

“What it’s about is that I love music in general.  I loved Country Music since I was twelve or thirteen years old because of what it talked about---the storie---not what instruments are playing.  It’s about the content of the song.  You won’t find that in any other genre of music----you really don’t.  I’m so excited about this record, and to get the opportunity.  The music is so different, but it’s the music I could have seen myself doing when I was a kid.”