George Birge Gets First #1

This week, George Birge achieved his first #1 on his debut song “Mind On You.” He celebrated the occasion with Country Countdown USA’s Lon Helton. “It’s unbelievable. I’ve chased this dream as long as I can remember. I’ve wanted to be on country radio. I fell in love with country radio as a 5 year old in my father’s truck. Since then I’ve had the bug. To be sitting here starting the new year with the #1 song is the most special thing I could think of. I could not be happier hanging out with you.”

As a new artist, I imagine you’re a chart watcher? “I try to limit myself to twice a week, otherwise you make yourself sick. Every spin can feel like the end of the world. I’ve got a team that I let stress about it, I try not to look too closely. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say I go ten minutes at a time without thinking about it.

You had to know it was a hit from the response you’re getting: “It was one of those songs that was special. From the time we wrote it. Before I finished it, I put a version online, and it was the most viral post I ever had. A #1 on country radio is Mount Everest, so I didn’t know how high it would climb or how much it would change my life, but I knew it was the start of something big.”

The fact that it’s a hit changes your life: “Your dream as a songwriter and musician is to connect with other people. I wrote this song about my wife. She consumes my every thought. Turns out a lot of other people feel the same way.”

It’s also the first #1 for your record label: “It was so fun for me, because it was a small and mighty crew. You see these big labels in town that have unlimited money with 100-person teams, and we were this little label, a small crew with a big dream. I’m proud of my team because we all just kept our head down and kept pushing because we believed in the song. It was a slow burn, as we added some believers and people take a chance. Once we cracked the Top 30, it caught like wildfire. In the course of two months, I’ve gone from an unknown to playing biggest shows of my life. It felt like a movie. To have this happen at the end of the year, I can celebrate with all these people who took a chance on me. It was literally a million to one chance, it was a chance and we took it. So I’m so proud to be sitting here with you.”

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Category: CO-HOST