Rascal Flatts may not be anymore, but that isn’t going to keep Jay DeMarcus from making music. The singer-songwriter reveals he is hard at work on a solo album, which he hopes to release soon.
“I’m working on that right now,” DeMarcus tells Everything Nash. “I’ve been in the studio for about six months, and I’m just doing some songs that I love and some songs I’ve kept around for a little while that I’ve written that the Flatts didn’t cut for whatever reason. I wanted to get it out of my system while I had the chance.”
DeMarcus also heads his own Red Street Records, which began as a Christian label, but recently opened a country music division as well. While he enjoys the business venture, the 52-year-old admits he misses taking the stage night after night with his former bandmates, Gary LeVox and Joe Don Rooney.
“I miss performing every day,” DeMarcus concedes. “I’ve spent the biggest part of my adult life performing and being in front of people, and it’s something that still is there. But this is a great new season for my life, and I’m happy to be here. I feel like it’s the next evolution in my life and I’m ready for whatever else God has in store.”
DeMarcus signed Ryan Griffin and Neon Union to his country division, adding even more to his already busy schedule. But for DeMarcus, working in country music felt right at home to him, thanks to his time as part of Rascal Flatts.
“It was a huge undertaking, but I’m so grateful that I’ve got a lot of great relationships in this town that I’ve built over 30 years,” DeMarcus says. “I was able to assemble a team that I trust implicitly, and runs it the way that I want it run. And I was really fortunate that a lot of those folks either came out of their deals, or were looking to make a change. And I got some really great executives to work with.”
Because DeMarcus spent the majority of his adult life as an artist, he has a unique insight into working with artists now, this time on the business side.
“I think when I ask an artist to do something, it’s different because I’m not asking them to do anything that I haven’t already done myself,” DeMarcus shares. “So I think there’s a little levity that comes with that, and they know that I’m not trying to ask them to do something just to do it. I think they realize that there’s an importance there, and there’s a factor of having been there myself that they respect with that.
“And I also am able to help them avoid a lot of pitfalls, and some of the things maybe that I learned the hard way,” he adds. “Maybe they’ll have an easier time navigating the business because I’ve been there and done it.”
Jason Crabb and Consumed By Fire, two of the artists on DeMarcus’ Red Street Records, were nominated for K-Love Fan Awards this year, with Crabb nominated for Breakout Single, for “Good Morning Mercy,” and Consumed By Fire also nominated for Breakout Single, for “First Things First” plus Group of the Year
The K-LOVE Fan Awards will air on Friday, June 2, at 8:00 PM and 10:00 PM on TBN. They will also stream on the TBN app. Find more information on all of the Red Street Records artists here.