Dierks Bentley attends the 54th annual CMA Awards at the Music City Center on November 11, 2020 in … [+]
Dierks Bentley has been a mainstay on the country charts since releasing his debut single “What Was I Thinkin’” nearly 20 years ago. The song became Bentley’s first of 21 No. 1 hits. Latest single “Gold,” from his forthcoming tenth studio album, ushers in a new era for the singer.
Bentley, who had a role both writing and producing “Gold,” is hands on in every aspect of his career. In addition to writing, producing and touring, the singer founded Seven Peaks Music Festival, launched his Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row bar and restaurant franchise in four locations and unveiled the Flag & Anthem clothing line Desert Son. While he’s a natural performer, the singer admits the business side of things “has always bugged” him.
“I don’t want to be in business, I just want to be a country singer,” he tells me. “It’s enough for me. I think one of my strengths is knowing my weaknesses.”
Bentley admits that each business venture happened organically. He says he never wanted to be involved with a country bar but he grew up at the Rockin’ Horse Saloon in Scottsdale, AZ, which burned down in 1996.
“That was the initial small dream that just grew,” he says of his bar. “The Flag & Anthem thing was based off the clothes that I wear, and I met these guys that liked the same stuff I liked. So that’s grown.
“I think one of my goals is really … and I think ‘Gold’ speaks to that a little bit, is just being present and being excited about all of it,” he continues. “This is where my life is right now. It’s pretty crazy and it’s all happening at once. You can’t put it off. … So just trying to lean into it and not have a defensive posture is something I always tell myself when it comes to all this stuff.”
Bentley says he’s also learned when to say no to certain business opportunities that don’t make sense for him or his career. While he’s had several television offers over the years, he says he’s turned them down as it wasn’t the right fit.
“I’m actually dealing with a little movie offer right now,” he says. “I’m not an actor. I mean, I can fake it pretty good for three minutes in a video but I’m not really an actor. It’s kind of disrespectful to that whole craft to think that you can be. It’s a big commitment. So, you want to make sure if you get involved in something, you’re going to be all in. I guess that’d be my advice.”
Bentley took a piece of his own advice when making his tenth album. He says he went into the studio three times with different producers for the project. “Gold” was written towards the end of the process with frequent collaborators Ross Copperman, Luke Dick and Ashley Gorley. The song was inspired by Bentley’s time in Colorado during Covid-19 with his family as well as their recent return to Nashville.
“I got some rust on my Chevy but it’s ready to roll/ I got a rhinestone sky and a song in my soul/ It ain’t a smooth ride, life, it’s a winding road/ Yeah it might be gravel but it feels like gold,” Bentley sings on the song’s chorus.
“I needed a break from it all,” he says of leaving Music City. “I came back excited to be back in Nashville and with more gratitude than ever for the town and for all that it’s given me. The song’s a lot about being present in the moment. You’re recognizing that the grass isn’t always greener – although the mountains are taller in Colorado – but it’s pretty good where you are. It’s a message as much for me as it is for anybody else.”
Bentley says his tenth album will include his bluegrass and “old school country” influences as well as the big kick drums, guitars and sounds for the arenas and amphitheaters he’s playing.
“There’s a little mixture of all the things that have made me who I am on this record,” he says.
“Gold” is available now.
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