Eric Dodd wrote more than 400 songs before he ever signed a publishing deal. And on his new single "The Reason," his experience shows. The Georgia native releases the heartfelt, anthemic single on June 8, but you can hear the exclusive premiere here first.
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Though Dodd eventually did move to Nashville and sign a publishing deal with MV2, he spent much of his developing years playing colleges all around the Southeast. He released an EP in 2016 before eventually returning to the studio to record "The Reason," which precedes another forthcoming EP.
"'The Reason' is my real life commitment song," Dodd tells Wide Open Country. "It's about looking over the edge, taking that leap and realizing later it's the best thing you ever did. I hope people listen to this song and think about giving all they have to their significant other and doing it unconditionally. I believe it's more than just a love song; it's a life song."
Listen to the premiere of "The Reason" below.
Eric Dodd co-wrote "The Reason" with Dan Fernandez and Michael Whitworth. Fernandez also produced the track. With a smooth, southern-tinged vocal, atmospheric guitars and clap-along drums, "The Reason" doesn't feel too far from tunes like Billy Currington's No. 1 single "It Don't Hurt Like It Used To."
After his 2016 EP Fun / Fire / Rain (which was produced by his high school bandmate and Collective Soul guitarist Jesse Triplett), Dodd was picked as a CMT Discovery Artist. His song "Outskirts" reached the top of the CMT 12-pack charts twice. Throughout his time playing the Southeast, Dodd opened for several notable artists, from Jake Owen and Sam Hunt to Zac Brown and Sister Hazel.
The son of a golf director, Dodd earned a golf scholarship to Middle Georgia College prior to pursuing music full time.
