Regarding his new acoustic video for “Jingle Bells,” Hodges said, “I wanted to release content that was different from everybody else. I want to celebrate the holidays and the new Christmas movie. It is a little too early to start decorating my house for Christmas but it was great that we got to shoot this acoustic video. This video gets you in the Christmas spirit.”
For Hodges, working on the Lifetime movie Christmas Stars was a great opportunity and a challenge for him since he did the music for it as well. “That is something else to add to the resume,” he admitted. “It was a lot of fun and great working with Erica Durance. It was a good flow.”
On being an artist in the digital age, he said, “Nothing changes for us. We make music that we love and we release it for the listeners. How people go about hearing it is the way the music business is now. It is constantly changing and the Wild Wild West. More and more people can hear the music. There is a lot of music out there, and you definitely know who your hardcore fans are.”
Regarding the recent passage of the Music Modernization Act (MMA), which protects writers and creators in this digital age, Hodges said, “It’s what needed to happen. It was a long time coming.”
He elaborated, “It is interesting since people walk into an art gallery and they see a painting on the wall and all of a sudden, they want that painting and they inquire about taking it. People don’t expect the painter to give up their creative body of work. For so long, songwriters were expected to give up their creations and that’s just plain wrong. Songwriters are the backbone of Nashville. I am a part of that community and I am proud of that. A painter is not going to give up their painting so why should a songwriter give up their rights to their creations.”
On the title of the current chapter of his life, he said, “Getting Better.” “I am excited for 2020,” he admitted.
To learn more about country artist JT Hodges, check out his Facebook page and follow him on Twitter.
