Renowned for his versatile and emotionally charged voice, Chris Stapleton’s musical journey has been nothing short of remarkable. However, that iconic voice we now associate with him wasn’t an instant hit. Before his breakthrough performance with Justin Timberlake at the 2015 CMA Awards, Stapleton spent 15 years in Nashville as a working songwriter, quietly perfecting his craft.
In a recent interview on “Today’s Sunday Sitdown With Willie Geist,” Stapleton acknowledged that his voice wasn’t always a standout feature in his earlier years. “I always sang. And then I think at some point, people only maybe regard it as special or something when you start to have some kind of notoriety with it,” he explained.
He also admitted that, in his early days, he tried to emulate the artists he admired, rather than letting his authentic voice shine through in his work. “I spent a long time trying to be other people,” Stapleton confessed. “Like, I love Vince Gill. I tried so hard to be Vince Gill and sound like Vince Gill.”
However, over time, Stapleton found his own distinctive voice by merging his various influences. “You hopefully, through all those influences and also focusing on what it is that you do, you find out what that is,” he said. “And then you put that out there, and if that’s something special that people think is special, that’s great.”
With his upcoming album, “Higher,” scheduled for release on November 10.
