Channeling classic country-pop with a sultry, rock-n-roll swagger, Arkansas-born and rising country singer Cody Belew unveils his latest single, “I Did It for Love”, that serves as the title track and first taste of the artist’s highly-anticipated debut album, due out early next year. “‘I Did It for Love’ is about somebody being rude towards you because of their own insecurities and because they’re intimidated by who you are,” reveals the singer-songwriter. “I don’t ever want to apologize for who I am, and so this song is saying that it’s not my business if all of my shininess intimidates you because everything I do is coming from a place of love.”
While Belew has since made amends with the artist in question, the song’s message endures as a theme across his forthcoming album. “I knew ‘I Did It for Love’ was going to be the title track because it felt like a through-line of all the songs. It’s a sexy portrayal of that message, but it’s definitely the glue that’s binding all of the songs together.”
We sat down with Cody Belew to discuss his new single, delve into his Southern American roots in his music, and explore what’s next in his artistry.
Listen to “I Did It for Love”…
Read the interview below…
What inspires you to create?
Oh wow! The question of all questions! I’m inspired by literally anything. I can’t sit at a dinner table without mindlessly folding my square napkin into something new. I’ll bend a straw into the shape of a rose before I realize what I’ve done. When I was in kindergarten, I had this playground routine. I didn’t feel the need to play with the other kids, because they had each other. Instead, I needed to make my rounds- greeting each and every piece of playground equipment that I had personified. I just felt like they must be so lonely standing there. It’s the same with music. I don’t just hear the melody, I see entire worlds that need discovering. So the inspiration to create comes like inhaling a breath. It’s not something I have to reach for. My body just knows what to do.
How did you first discover your love for music?
It wasn’t so much the love for music that I first discovered. It was the love for the reaction that my singing drew from the people around me. I learned from a very early age (say around 4 years old) that I had the ability to elicit different emotions from strangers just by singing a little song. The people in my small town introduced me to the notion that I had a gift. I think the psychology of that evolved quickly into a love for music because it came so naturally to me. I liken it to a songbird — I really just love the sound of my own voice! HAHA!
How did you find the sound that you now call your own?
I come from a place in Arkansas that’s uniquely positioned. It’s right in the middle of the origins of Southern American music. You’ve got St. Louis blues to the north, Memphis/delta blues to the east, New Orleans creole and jazz to the south, and Texas swing to the southwest. And then, closer to home, there’s the mountain bluegrass and gospel music everywhere you look. So for me to say that I’m Southern Glam Rock is the ultimate truth. If it shines and sparkles then I want to wear it, and if it’s a blend of all of those aforementioned sounds then I want to sing it. I truly am a product of my raising – as they say down here.
How would you define your essence as an artist?
My essence as an artist is directly tied to my disposition as an entertainer. All of my work must entertain you, the listener, in some way. Without that standard, I think I tend to paint in too broad of strokes. Once I made that rule for myself, that the work be inherently entertaining, the artist in me materialised in a very matter of fact way.
What is it about the country music sound that draws you into its sonic world?
Initially, it was the familiarity of it. It sounds like home. But, as I walked further into it, it was the hurt that drew me in. Nothing hurts like a country song.
How did it feel to be a part of the CMT List Up Program for 2023?
Like it was about time!! HAHA! You work and you work and you wonder if anybody with any power to do anything about it is ever going to listen. So to have the acknowledgement from the likes of CMT, that my work is worth listening to, validates the effort in a way that’s very hard to quantify. It’s a loosening of the shoulders, for sure.
Talk us through the process of creating your new single, “I Did It for Love”?
I carry myself with a certain amount of confidence that truly comes from the idea that:
“if you don’t believe you’re worth a damn, then why would you expect anyone else to believe it?” I have found that my leading with self confidence has the tendency to elicit in other artists (pursuing their own dreams) a sour taste. Nashville is a small town really, and so I hear this or that swirling around about me and my work and my approach to the work. At first, I took great offense. These other artists, hell-bent on tearing me down to pull themselves forward, had nothing nice to say. Then, it occurred to me that what others say or do truly has nothing to do with me. Therefore, it is simply none of my business. Once I released that burden, I was able to tap into this inner well of peace and positivity that has become the thing I value most. I started doing everything with the clear intention of all my actions being rooted in love. So, naturally, I wanted to write about that. I wanted to say to those other artists – you’re free to go! Be blessed! “Whatever I did. Whoever I was – I did it for love.”
It’s the title track from your upcoming record, can we expect more of the same on the LP?
YES! I knew as soon as I finished writing this song with Dustin Ransom (my producing partner) and Lucie Silvas that this was the title track. Sonically, it ties all the songs together – even the ballads. And metaphorically it is that thread that weaves from song to song. Love is everywhere. It’s in the sorrow as well as the elation. You can’t have a broken heart without first having love. And you can’t let go of it without first hanging on to it.
How does it feel to be releasing your first full length project?
When I look back at the chapters of my journey in music, I see someone who always felt ready and who always wanted to meet the moment – whatever it was. But, from where I sit now, I can see plainly that I wasn’t ready. I hadn’t found my sound. I wasn’t truly accepting of myself. I’d go so far as to say that I was ashamed of myself for a lot of that time. The LP couldn’t have happened in any of those other chapters, and I have released independent music all along the way. I believe that things come to you when they are meant to. This LP came to me here and now, and I’m just as eager to give away.
Where do you want to take your artistry?
To the farthest reaches of the most far away places. Maya Angelou said that people will forget what you do, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel. The music that one leaves behind will always make a listener feel something. And, in that way, they’ll always be remembered. I think I’m still that little boy- discovering the elation that comes with being admired. The admiration is what I think will carry my ship into the next, great unknown.