Growing up Campbell sang in church and playing his mother’s piano. Campbell has now released three full length albums and has performed countless shows for his loyal fanbase. It’s been almost two years since the ‘Fish’ singer has released new music. Craig says, “Since August, I’ve been recording and producing music MY way, and that includes things I’ve never done before, like playing piano and producing.” We sat down with Craig to talk his new music, how things have changed for him musically and what’s one song of his he never gets tired of singing.

Courtesy of Craig Campbell and Campbell Entertainment

BC: What is your background with music for those who don’t know?

CC: “Well I've been playing music for as long as I can remember. When I graduated high school, there was a couple of years where I had a regular job. I was a correctional officer. I did that for a little over two years and then I had some odd and end jobs. Even when I moved to Nashville I worked as a maintenance man at an apartment complex.” Craig tells us, “After being in Nashville for about a year I started using my skills to make money; I was singing and playing piano for other people. So, for the past twenty years or so I literally have been paying my bills with music.”

BC: Was there a moment looking back on it you realized you wanted music to be your career?

CC: “Yeah, I mean from an early age I knew that I wanted to have a career in music, but it wasn't until I got to Nashville that I knew that part of that storyline from me. To be honest when I first moved to Nashville, getting the record deal and having songs on the radio was not at the forefront of my plan.” Campbell confesses. “It evolved the longer I was here in Nashville and then I realized that would be a good thing for me to try to chase that down. So yeah, that was kind of the roundabout plan.”

BC: Were you passionate about something else other than music?

CC: “No, that was the plan. I had no Plan B, you know, just the plan from the time I got to Nashville was just to be able to go out and play music and pay my bills to keep my lights on. Even without record deals and songs on the radio I still felt like what I had was successful.”

BC: Have things changed musically for you and how so?

CC: “Oh yeah, for sure. There was a time where all I wanted was a record deal - and then when I was able to get myself out of a record deal. if you just said five years prior to that, how excited can you get to not have a record deal. I would have thought that was a little weird, but I've had more fun in the last year and a half making music and putting music out than I've had in a long time.” Craig tells us. “It's just better and less stress, less cooperate, less politic bureaucracy crap that we don't have to go through anymore.”

BC: That’s great, and as we’re coming out of COVID right, was there a silver lining for you during the pandemic?

CC: “Yeah, the silver lining for me was with COVID, I was realizing there were things that we didn't have to do; being gone as much was one of them. Having meetings and and doing interviews, we could do them just like this. I live about 45 minutes outside of Nashville, so anytime there was a meeting we had to go to, I always had to drive into town, do the meeting and then drive home. Now I know we don't have to do that. Spending time with my family is more important than anything. We learned a lot from COVID.”

BC: What does being a singer or an entertainer mean to you?

CC: “It means a lot. Like I mentioned earlier, I never had a plan B so It's the only thing I ever thought I was good at. I'm blessed to be able to turn that into a living and a career so it means a lot.”

BC: What does the genre of country music mean to you as a singer?

CC: “I think it's the the one genre out there that that you can listen to and know exactly how somebody feels and know that you can listen to a song and feel the pain, but at the same time you can listen to a song and be healed from the pain. It's country music, it makes you feel good and I love the stories. I love the real life stuff behind country music.”

BC: What's your favorite part about performing live, especially with live shows coming back?

CC: “Just people singing along, people being there fired up, excited to be at the shows. (Them) having a good time, seeing the smiles on their faces and knowing that me being on stage and them being at my show that that I can kind of out their troubles on hold for 90 minuets.” Craig says. “We can put them aside and have a good time.”

BC: What can you tell us about your new song, “Never Mine”?

CC: “I love that song. We wrote it last year during COVID and I knew as soon as I wrote it, it was a good song. For a long time I never could figure out how to write it, but then just one day it just hit me and I brought it up to my Co-writers and explained to them what I thought this song meant and they loved it. We chased it down and I think we wrote us a good song.”

BC: Do you have a favorite lyric from that song?

CC: “Yeah, I think “Never mind that I was all yours, you would never mine” that kind of sealed the deal with the song. 'cause that hook came in last. I had the never mind you were never mind but I didn't know how to get to it. I also love the lyric, ‘a gypsy born to fly’.

BC: You also filmed a music video for that song, what did you want from that music video?

CC: “I felt like that song was pretty literal with the lyrics and I just wanted that to come across the screen when people watch the video. I felt like we accomplished that. Having my wife in the video was pretty awesome too.”

BC: What is one song of yours you never get tired of singing?

CC: “Outskirts of Heaven and Family Man would probably be two of those songs that I think I'll love singing till I can't sing anymore.

BC: What can fans be looking forward to from you next?

CC: “Just some of the same old, same old. We’re just out there cranking it out. I'm excited about doing some shows this year and new music.” Campbell says. “We got our focus on Never Mine is out right now, but we also have a whole bunch of music that's sitting there ready to go. New music is coming and it’s good.”

BC: Lastly, if you could say anything to the everyone right now and the whole world would listen what would you say?

CC: “Just breathe.”