Riley Green Had No Idea What He Was Getting Into When He Signed With Big Machine
Riley Green admits he had no idea what he was getting into when he signed his record deal with Big Machine. "And I still don't," Green told reporters during the celebration of his first No. 1 single, "There Was This Girl."
Green, who built houses prior to signing with a label, remembers telling co-writer Erik Dylan that he couldn't wait to go home and relax for a few months after deciding who to sign with. "He was like, 'You have no idea what you're getting into,'" the newcomer says.
"I remember the look of seriousness on your face when I told you that," Dylan adds. "We were driving down the road and I said, 'You have no clue what's about to happen,' and you said, 'Tell me about it.'"
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Green compares it to the "Nobody told me about this part" line in the George Strait song "A Showman's Life." For starters, Green didn't realize he would fly all over the country to promote his songs to radio stations.
"I think I might've flown twice before signing a record deal," he recalls.
Then there's rubbing elbows with famous people at award shows and playing famous stages like the Grand Ole Opry. And of course, hearing your song on the radio for the first time.
"When I signed with Big Machine I put my radio success in their hands and that was the first time I thought I might have a hit on the radio, because Big Machine has a pretty good track record with it," Green says.
Riley Green celebrates his first No. 1 single at a time when his label was making front page headlines for a war of words with its former most famous artist, Taylor Swift. When asked if the uproar over the treatment of her masters inspired Green to pay closer attention to the deal he signed, Green says he's never concerned himself with those details much.
"It probably made me care less," he admits of the recent news surrounding the label. "I always kind of just handle what I can be in control of. Whatever decisions Big Machine makes I sort of just have to trust them because I put my radio career in their hands. And it seems like it's done well so far, so I'm not too concerned with it."
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