NASHVILLE, Tenn. (February 11, 2022) — Cody Belew releases his take on Dolly Parton’s “Here You Come Again” and announces the March 18th release of his self-titled debut EP (available for pre-save/add/order now), continuing the momentum generated by a recent appearance on the Netflix series Coming Out Colton — where he performed the song “Crimes Reloaded” — as well as a string of recent singles and shows at Nashville’s iconic Lipstick Lounge.“I’ve wanted to sing ‘Here You Come Again’ in exactly this way since I was in middle school,” Cody says. “By then, I could sing you the Dolly Parton songbook, front to back, with no missteps. It wasn’t until much later that I learned this was one of the only Parton hits that she herself didn’t write. Of course I couldn’t find any fault in her original, but I knew that if given the chance to record it myself I wanted to darken the edges a little.”
“I’ve been on the losing end of being in love, or wanting to be in love, with a toxic person — nothing about that experience plays back like a fun night out in 1977!” Cody, an influential member of Nashville’s musical and LGBTQIA+ communities, adds. “It’s an imprinted memory of longing and rejection and frustration and of feeling insufficient, but wanting affection and attention so badly that you’re willing to feel it all just to spend a little more time with that unavailable, unrequited lover. I wanted to live in that space — to be surrounded by that feeling when I sing this song: ‘Here you come again, and here I go.’”
The eponymous Cody Belew arrives on the heels of “Crimes Reloaded” and “Great Expectations,” which have both been playlisted at Spotify and Apple Music. The EP announcement also coincides with Cody’s monthly string of shows at Nashville’s iconic Lipstick Lounge. (Tickets to his upcoming shows on February 19th, March 19th, and April 16th are available HERE.)
A lifelong fan of Southern Louisiana’s Cajun music, Kentucky bluegrass, classic country, and the soulful sounds of Memphis’ Beale Street Blues, Cody has earned acclaim as a modernized version of the archetypal southern man, whose hobbies include restoring furniture, fashion, interior design, gardening and tending to a small brood of chickens.
Singing since he was a toddler, Cody’s musical heroes include country firebrands like Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire, as well as soulful singers like Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke, and James Brown. Those rich influences have inspired not only his vocal power — which he memorably displayed during a career-launching appearance on The Voice, where he finished as a Top 8 finalist — but also his sharp songwriting.
“My inspirations came from my childhood,” says Cody, whose very first memory is of singing while standing on a chair next to a piano in a Baptist church, to the delight of the congregation. “I got a reaction out of people that I really enjoyed, and the seed was planted.” This immersion into Black culture and music helped expand his artistic horizons, paving the way for the songs that would later fill the self-titled Cody Belew.
Cody Belew track listing:
1. “Great Expectations”
2. “Crimes Reloaded”
3. “Here You Come Again”
4. “Rodeo”
5. “This Is The End”
About Cody Belew:
Born and raised in rural Arkansas, singer/songwriter Cody Belew spent his childhood fishing, building forts, riding horses, and catching lightning bugs in mason jars. His love of the South is in his blood, and his music reflects the gritty, soulful textures that separate him from the rest of the pack in today’s country landscape. While Cody reminisces about the smells of hot biscuits on his mama’s stove, the sounds of crickets and bullfrogs in the fields, and the rough textures of lumber he worked on with his dad in the family barn, the thing he says speaks to him most is the one-room church in his hometown of Beebe, Arkansas, where he learned to sing when he was just a toddler.
Pursuing a music degree, Cody eventually moved to Nashville, where he made ends meet working with fashion, furniture restoration, and music. It wasn’t long before his vocal and songwriting talents were recognized, earning him an appearance on NBC’s The Voice.
After finishing The Voice as a Top 8 finalist, Cody was asked to open for Delta Rae, Florida Georgia Line, Rascal Flatts, and more, and started writing with GRAMMY Award-winning Deana Carter and Mike Reid, ACM Award winner Tia Sellers, and ascending recording artists like Hailey Whitters, Rick Brantley, and Waylon Payne.
Assembling a mix of candid originals and well-loved classics by artists who inspired him, Cody will release his debut EP — the self-titled Cody Belew — via Visionary Media Group in March 2022.
Follow Cody Belew on social media:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@codybelew
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/codybelew
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codybelew
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CodyBelew
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/CodyBelew
Website: https://www.codybelew.com |
