On his single “Homeland,” Overstreet said, “I was in the studio writing songs, and I had a title in my phone and I was really homesick one day, and it fell out of the sky. Within 15 to 20 minutes, the song was written. It was pretty easy to write since it was all real emotion and things that I have been through.”
Overstreet continued, “I really love being able to go back to my parent’s farm and their house in Nashville, where I grew up, and I thought that was really fitting for what the song was about.”
He listed his songwriter parents as major musical influences in his life. “I started writing and then, I got addicted to it. I really fell in love with making music. My dad has been really instrumental in showing me the ropes,” he said.
On his future plans, he said, “I started doing a lot of live shows. I toured a little bit with Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato, and I got to play with Jimmy Buffett down in San Diego. I had so much fun playing live, and I want to play as much as possible. I really love acting so I will probably try to find some fun and cool roles that challenge me.”
Overstreet hopes to release another song before the end of the year, and then he hopes to put out his EP. “I think the EP will be released by the beginning of the year,” he hinted.
For Overstreet, songwriting is a cathartic process. “It is just great to be able to communicate and to have somebody relate to something that you are going through,” he said. “Music has helped me get through tough times.”
He listed Dolly Parton, Stevie Nicks and Bonnie Raitt as his dream female duet choices. “That’s the music that I enjoy,” he admitted.
His advice for aspiring musicians is persistence. “Get used to hearing ‘no’ all the time, and don’t let that affect you. Work as much as you can. It takes a lot of work,” he said.
Success for Overstreet is “having an effect on another person’s life with something that I’ve created from nothing.” “That is probably one of the best gifts you could give somebody else,” he said.
“Homeland” is available on iTunes.
To learn more about Chord Overstreet, follow him on Twitter.
