We recently connected with John Eason and have shared our conversation below.

John , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you signed with an agent or manager? Why or why not?

When I first decided to try my hand at music as a full-time career, a lot of it was DIY and trying to make things happen on my own. I learned pretty quickly that there were many parts of the music industry that I needed help with, and I knew I needed to put a quality team together if I was going to make this a viable career. Everything from social media management to tour & show booking takes time to execute correctly, and I’m grateful my team handles those aspects of my career for me.

I met my team through networking in music industry-related social media groups. One of them was a fan who had been following my music and career online. They are in different states, and each works with other artists across the U.S. It took some time to get to know them and their expertise, especially since they aren’t local, but I trusted my gut and they have been making things happen for me and my career.

John , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m just a small-town Father, Veteran, and Gypsy brought up on gospel and country music. I took some detours on my way to my music dreams, though, and pursued another passion of mine as a chef and then spent some time in the military, where I developed PTSD stemming from my 5 overseas tours.

I am a full-time musician now based out of Nashville, and my music helps me share my story and raise awareness for PTSD. Making a living as a musician is literally a dream come true. I’m trying to tackle real issues and topics people can relate to while being 100% authentic and I think it comes across in the stories I sing about.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Before pursuing music full-time, I attended culinary school and worked in the food industry, and then I lost a bakery during Hurricane Katrina. Shortly after that, I joined the Military, where I spent 8 years with the Air Force and completed 5 deployments overseas. While I truly loved my time in the service, and the brothers and sisters I met there, I developed PTSD while still on active duty.

I am currently based out of Nashville writing and performing my original music and creating a line of handcrafted jewelry. My music helps me share my story and raise awareness for PTSD, and jewelry making keeps my mind and hands occupied to get me through it. I never imagined it would be as therapeutic as it turned out to be, but I’ve enjoyed digging in and getting to create some cool pieces that my fans, and even people I don’t know, enjoy wearing and recommending to others.

How did you build your audience on social media?

It sounds cliche, but just be yourself. When an artist blows up on social media, you see a pattern of hundreds of other artists putting out the same content in the same way, and they wonder why it doesn’t drive engagement. Your fans want to hear from you and learn about your journey, not a remake of what everyone else is doing.

Telling stories with your music or your art and engaging 1:1 with your current fans, even if you’re starting with just a handful of people, will eventually evolve into long-term relationships that have a greater impact than a mere “follow.” It’s always a cool feeling to have fans comment and DM how excited they are for a new release or merch drop because they’ve been keeping up with my career and actually enjoy what I am putting out there.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://johneasonmusic.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/johneasonmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnEasonCountry
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/The365Renegade

Image Credits
Photo Shoot: Austin Dellamano/ Lighthouse Studio Single Artwork: Diana Darr/Diana Darr Media