Photos by Digital Tiger Studios
Brother Stephen Ellrod, Gamma Delta/Florida Southern 2014, is well on his way to becoming a You Tube sensation. Within 24 hours of its release, his cover of “Stay with me” had over 15,000 views and more than 300 likes. By the second day the video had 25,000 views and Ellrod received notification from You Tube that the video had been taken down due to suspicious views. Because the video had gotten so many views so quickly, You Tube thought that the site had been hacked and that a bot (an automated script that performs repetitive tasks quickly) was actually viewing the video. The video has since been re-uploaded at a new link and has already generated 10,000 new views.
"I honestly was simply amazed by the traction the video got,” said Ellrod. “An online magazine featured video, and about eight blogs had posted it, along with the Sam Smith Nation twitter, but I don't know how the news spread so fast. I put my phone down and came back to 72 Facebook notifications about so many people sharing the video and just praising it. The support has been unreal and it continues to blow my mind.” he said.
Even though Ellrod was a music-major in college he was not satisfied that the path he was on was what he wanted for his future.
“After being in college for Classical music, I decided the college route of music wasn't what interested me, but rather writing and performing. The actual artistry of being in the music business just caught me and never let go,” said Ellrod.
It wasn’t until a family friend introduced him to the band Lonestar and he was given the opportunity to write for their new single that Ellrod began to consider music as a career.
“Working with Lonestar is when I discovered how much I loved writing country music and playing it,” said Ellrod. “That opportunity was definitely the ‘no turning back’ point for me career wise. Not because it made me a bunch of money or anything like that, because my song wasn't chosen. It's because it has kept me in constant contact with the band. Since then they've (Lonestar) been listening to all the songs I come out with and are actually helping me start a career of my own, which is exactly what I wanted,” he continued.
Ellrod thinks that the music business is probably one of the hardest businesses to break into.
“I've been playing out in the community for a while now -- was actually in a band that toured across the US. That is what gave me the drive to keep going and just pursue a solo career,” said Ellrod. “At my first show as a solo artist I had about 500 people come out to support me. I recently played Eight Seconds Bar in Gainesville, FL for a crowd of over 1,000 and was shocked by the support once again. My fans and friends have been the most supportive people I could ever ask for, along with my brothers in Theta Chi, they've always pushed my material,” he said. “I've had a couple songs in consideration by some huge names, and that gives me the drive to keep going, but outside of that, You Tube is really all I’ve had,” he added.
While Ellrod considers “Stay with me” his first “real” video release, he has released a couple originals.
“I recorded a video for my song, "Little Things," and afterwards was contracted to record an album - an extended play. I’ve recently been in the studio and just finished recording the album cover and the 6th song. I’m so excited!” he said.
So what can we expect next from this talented singer/songwriter?
“I currently have a production deal for my album, and am moving to Nashville next year to continue my career as per request of the studio,” said Ellrod. “You'll also see another cover video soon, along with an original video that tell stories like no other,” he added.
Do you have any advice for those trying to break into the songwriting field?
“The songwriting world is simple, you write about what is relevant at the time, you relate to people with the lyrics and you bring them a melody that they can learn in a matter of seconds that allows them to sing along,” said Ellrod. “Music X Ray is a website that offers songwriters a channel to provide their songs for other artists and industry professionals who place songs in the hands of HUGE artists. The site is musicxray.com. You Tube is also a great place to showcase your songs. I would recommend doing covers to get your name out there. After you've established yourself, start posting those originals,” he said. “There's always Nashville and Los Angeles. You'll never be surrounded by writers like you will be when you're in those cities. If you're REALLY trying to break into the music industry, I recommend moving there to learn just how these huge writers go about the process,” he added.