How ‘Chief’ Gave Eric Church His Career Break

If you are an all-time fan of Eric Church, we all know him as an artist with a signature yet an edgy image when it comes to country music. But before that, you would also know that he never actually donned his baseball cap and sunglasses on stage until the music community noticed his album way back in 2011. His sudden switch from being a clean-cut artist to a no-holds-barred musician is all thanks to an impromptu shot for his album cover of his 2011 ‘Chief’, giving the audience a new impression of Eric Church.

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A post shared by Eric Church (@ericchurchmusic) on Nov 16, 2019 at 9:23pm PST

Taken On a Whim

Believe it or not, the shot was taken completely out of the blue. Eric Church was leaning against something at that time wearing his cap and shades when his manager John Peets snapped a photo of him using his brand-new camera and lens. Curious, Church went up to see the photo, and immediately, he knew that it has to be the cover photo of his upcoming ‘Chief’ album.

The record label, however, didn’t buy the idea. They reasoned that it will be a detour from his clean-cut image. He has hair so he didn’t have to wear a cap and he has pretty eyes so there’s no need for shades, they said. But Church was adamant even though it meant a gear-shift from his current image. The photo may have been simple but it shows exactly what he has become.

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A post shared by Eric Church (@ericchurchmusic) on Feb 15, 2019 at 8:57am PST

Church’s Career Journey Since ‘Chief’

Eric Church claimed that since the photo incident, he started to figure out who he really is as an artist. His album ‘Chief’ turned out to be a banger that it gave him a sudden jolt of popularity, earning him a much larger fanbase.

He said that who he is today could be credited to his long and watchful journey, slowly developing his sound and image to shape and to the liking of his listeners. His fame is only the fruit of his long pursuit of creativity over the years, he explains. Thanks to ‘Chief,’ his musical journey became more fruitful.

Learning from Eric Church’s career journey, we see that most artists usually reach their breaks once their unique piece of ‘individuality’ was able to grab the people’s hearts. Aesthetics and authenticity, however, should also be both taken into an account. In a nutshell, we’re talking about the perfect blend of art and style that leaves the folks hanging for more.

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A post shared by Eric Church (@ericchurchmusic) on May 30, 2017 at 8:59am PDT