EXCLUSIVE: Behind The Scenes With George Birge: Juggling Chart Success and Parenthood

The Austin, Texas native says he is stepping into his unapologetic era.

Photo Provided

One of country music's best kept secrets is nearing the top ten on Country Airplay, touring the country, and raising two young boys. But how does country riser George Birge do it all with a smile on his face. The crooner recently sat down with All Country News to chat all bout his top 20 country hit Mind on You and what it is like being a dad and a dreamer.

"I think that I'm in my unapologetic era right now. I think it's the first time I'm comfortable in my own skin. When I moved to Nashville, I had a lot of heat on me. I had gotten a record deal right out of Texas and things kind of took off like a rocket. But I had this little bit of a sense of imposter syndrome in that I had just come to town," George told All Country News.

For a decade, the riser navigated his way in the music industry. From 2013 to 2020, he was one half of the duo Waterloo Revival alongside Cody Cooper. Channeling his own style of country, George found that finding his way in Nashville as a solo act did not come without a few speed bumps.

"Record labels and A&R had opinions of like who I should be or what I should sound like or what I should do. A record label wanted to invest a million dollars in me. How do I tell them that I don't want to cut that song or I don't want to wear that jacket or I don't want to be that guy? That was really hard for me. Because of that, I ended up making some missteps and doing some stuff that I wasn't necessarily like proud of as an artist. It took me a minute in this town to kind of figure out what my voice was, what I wanted to say and who I wanted to be."

Mind On You, a song George originally wished that Jason Aldean would cut is climbing up the country music charts, currently sitting at number 12. The mid tempo take on love is a ode to Birge's wife Kara who he still to this day "can't get off his mind." Blending the classic country stylings he grew up with in Austin with a healthy dose of modern flair, Mind On You is not only a career definer but it is connecting with fans as well.

"It's a song that I wrote about the way I felt about my wife the first time I met her. She was all I could think about it. It was like all consuming. The rest of the world shut off and literally the only thing I think about is her. She still has that effect on me. I think people can relate to that. It's that almost like trance-like version, obsession version of love. It's everything I think about every hour of the day. I think we've all been through that with somebody or in that with somebody. I think that's kind of how people are connecting with it in their own lives."

Sticking to his guns, Birge now finds himself exactly where we wants to be thanks to hard work, a strong sense of self and the love of his two boys and wife. "While I am on the road my wife sends me videos of the boys jamming to Mind On You on the radio, it really helps me keep things in perspective."

DAD LIFE

George also opened up about the difficult balancing act of chasing his dreams while also being a present and intentional when he is home with his two sons George and Luke. Instilling strong values and showing them everyday where hard work can get you is at the forefront of Birge's mind.

"Kara, my wife and I talk about that a lot as parents. How do we to them that anything worth having is worth working for. I hope my story can be a little bit of an inspiration for them. Whatever they want to do I hope it is a little easier path than I had. My wife is an amazing mom. She is an amazing role model for them. I'm on the road so much that we FaceTime every day, and I try to chime in and check in on how they're doing school-wise and sports-wise. Then any time I am home we just try to make the time so much more intentional. I try to be at every tee-ball game and every soccer game."

George is one of those rare breeds where talent, heart and hard work combine. Genuinely loving what he does, Birge told All Country News that he has taken a long time to soul search and polish who he is as a songwriter, person and Dad and thanks to that he says that his music is well worth a listen. Flawlessly blending classic storytelling with a modern troubadour sound, it is hard not love George.

"I've been true to myself, and now this is the first time I've really had music absolutely blow up and take a new life. I ever imagined it could do that. It has been super gratifying to just see that the first time I was brave enough to be myself was the first time that we've had things take off like a rocket ship. So this is my me era."