Phillip Sanders – If I Didn’t Love You Girl

By starrymag | October 30, 2022

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

A) This is a hard question to answer! But, in my opinion, I would say I sound unique and different from anyone else, with a distinctive sound.

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

A) Another hard question! I have so many. Merle Haggard, Steve Wariner, George Strait, Alan Jackson, Doug Stone, Conway Twitty, Hank Williams Sr, Hank Jr, and many more.

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “If I Didn’t Love You Girl.”

A) Well, I sat on the song for about a year. Some excellent songwriters Chris Wommack and Troy Johnson that I’ve gotten songs from in the past. 2021 was filled with heartache and misery. My mother-n-law passed away in January, my mother in August and my father in October. But during this time of sadness and sorrow I remembered one thing my father once said, ” Music touches people, in the way words will never will.” I kinda laughed about it! My father was a songwriter, too. I was thinking to myself, “Daddy, you’re wrong. Songs have lyrics which are words.” But I thought about his meaning behind it, and it was not just the lyrics and words. He meant a finished song and all the components of it, and to hear the melody, steel guitar or a fiddle makes you feel warm inside, and happy. You know you’re listening to a heartfelt country song. So, sometime in the end of October I started practicing and getting ready to cut ” If I Didn’t Love You Girl.” In December I released it, and it did pretty well from there, and better than I expected.

Q) It has hit # 1 in the Netherlands, UK, France, and Belgium!

A) Yes, it hit #1 in those countries, and peaked at # 6 on the Canada country iTunes chart, and #80 on the US country iTunes chart in September. This month I’m a nominee for three Josie Music awards at the Grand Ole Opry.

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect too?

A) Not really sure, but I would hope that it’s a great heartfelt modern country song, with a little bit of traditional country veins running in it. I think people can relate to it, in different ways.

Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it?

A) I think being able to see a video with the meaning behind it, the lyrics, gives a person the outlook of the song, and how it unfolds. Especially heartbreak songs, of a man making a mistake and trying to get the love of his life back, no matter what it takes.

Q) One of my favorite recent songs of yours is “Empty Tacks.”

A) Well, thank you, another great country heartbreak song. I got this song from two writers, and just loved the melody and style of it, so I decided to release it.

Q) What is your writing process?

A) When I decide to write, it’s usually something I’m feeling inside – something occurred in my life, or something just came to me. During the time after my parents passed away, I wrote around five or six songs that have not been released. I did a few co-writes with Trey Bruce. He was one of the songwriters on Randy Travis song “Look Heart, No Hands.” I’m very excited about these songs. I just haven’t had time to work on them due to other projects I’m working on.

Q) Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

A) Not usually. I could up with the lyrics, and then create a melody.

Q) How much of a hand do you have in the production of your music?

A) I have quite a bit of input in it, in the means of adding instrumentals or the sound of the melody.

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

A) I have not really been performing in public. I have been focusing on putting out more and more music to create more of a presence and get more visible to people, and country radio.

Q) Who would you like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

A) I know this is one in a hundred million shots to do so! But it would be George Strait or Alan Jackson. They have been a big influence on where I am today with my music today. I remember laying on the floor and watching Pure Country on a big box wooden T.V.  Mr. Strait has always been cool, and always will be in my eyes.

Q) You’ve been a musician for a number of years now. What advice would you give upcoming-and-coming musicians?

A) The key is to never give up if this is what you want to do in life. Do not let negative things slow you down, or stop you from achieving your goals, and dreams of being an artist.

Q) You are part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

A) I think it’s a way to immediately get content out to the public’s eye. Building a fan base is time consuming, and it takes a while to get anywhere with it. It’s a work in progress that seems to take forever, but I continue to try to improve my presence.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan, and supporter of you and your work?

A) I really appreciate it! If it wasn’t for people wanting to hear and support what I’m releasing to the public, I wouldn’t have come as far as I have today. I take my time picking each song and it’s personally handpicked, and has meaning behind each and every song that I release.