On performing at The Paramount, he said, “This venue is just gorgeous. All the people that have played here, and the ones that are playing here, and every little detail in this place is done right. This is a lot of fun. I can’t wait.”
He is drawn to country music since it is “more literal and less symbolic.” “Actual stories are being told, and country music was speaking to me more,” he said.
Esten likes the symbiosis that exists between singing in the studio and performing live. “I like the connection between the two. I like creating the song in the studio that will hold up on the stage,” he said, prior to admitting that performing live is instant gratification. “When you are recording a song you do not know if you are going to connect, but when you are standing on stage, you know instantly,” he added.
Regarding his transition from actor to singer, he said, “I actually started off as a singer. In college, I was in a band before I did any acting. One of my first jobs was to play Buddy Holly, so I got to be an actor and a singer, and then after all these years acting took over. The thing I learned most from Nashville was that there is not much of a transition. Whether you are going to deliver a song or a scene, you want to bring a whole lot of honesty to it, and you need to dig deep and go in that place. I find that singing and acting have a whole lot in common.”
His greatest musical influences include The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Waylon Jennings. He describes it a “surreal” experience each time that he gets to play on the Grand Ole Opry stage. “It’s the same show that has been going on for so long. It’s not a show that got famous because of country music. Country music got famous because of it,” he said. “It is always an honor and always exciting. The Opry is always a very warm place, with very kind and talented people.”
Each day, he is motivated by gratitude. “I feel very fortunate and very blessed to be able to do the things that I do. I don’t want to waste any of it, and I don’t take anything for granted,” he said. “I enjoy getting my music out there and getting to play my music.”
Esten had nothing but the fondest remarks on the late country legend Merle Haggard. “What I find about Merle’s music, for me, is that it’s new every time I hear it. Every time I go back to one of those absolute classics and standards of country music, it still feels fresh as if he just cut it. I don’t know how that happens. It’s the songwriting and the honesty of the singer as well. I love it and it inspires me still all the time,” he said.
He listed country songstresses Reba, Lee Ann Womack, Ashley Monroe, Deana Carter and Patty Loveless as his dream female duet choices in the genre.
Digital Journal reviewed Charles Esten’s concert at The Paramount.
To learn more about multi-faceted entertainer Charles Esten and his music, check out his official website.