TJ Osborne admits he was just as shocked at winning two Country Music Association awards last week as back in 2016 when he and his brother John picked up their first win for Vocal Duo of the Year. This year, Brothers Osborne also added CMA’s Video of the Year award to their growing award collection.
The duo, which consists of singer/songwriter TJ Osborne on vocals and songwriter John Osborne on guitar, first emerged on the country music scene with chart topping hits like “Stay a Little Longer” and “21 Summer.” Since then, each song they come out with is almost guaranteed to end up being a smash (think “Shoot Me Straight,” and “I Don’t Remember Me”).
Photo Credit: Brothers Osborne/U Music
We caught up yesterday afternoon with TJ to discuss their recent CMA wins for not only Vocal Duo of the Year, but also Video of the Year.
Congratulations on just receiving the Country Music Association’s Vocal Duo of the Year and Video of the Year awards. How does it feel?
Thank you very much. It feels awesome. It was nearly as much a shock this year as winning our first award (back in 2016 for Vocal Duo of the Year). Every time we walk in, I feel like an underdog because the category always has such a talented group of people.
Tell us a little about your songwriting process and how you come up with ideas for a new song.
It can be as simple as something someone says, but ultimately, it’s ideas. When I get done with this interview, I am heading to write today. The process starts whether it’s a title or melody idea and from there it gets dumped to voice memos. It can be pretty humiliating to listen back to them (laughs) because I could be in the car talking over a voice memo that only I would get, but if anyone else heard it, it wouldn’t be that flattering.
Is the title of your latest album, Port Saint Joe, named after the Florida town where you made the recording?
That’s right. It was a little beach community that was devastated by the hurricane. Our intent wasn’t to title the record that, but everything about the town ended up having an impact on the album.
Your idea for “Shoot Me Straight” was originally as a ballad, but then you changed it into the most uptempo song on the album. How did that happen?
Right when we finished writing it (we wrote it with Lee Thomas Miller), we thought the lyrics were cool, but the song was boring. I didn’t think it was something to record. I was trying to find a riff, and then John decided to take the lyrics and put it over that music and it felt perfect. It just goes to show you – never quit on something; you always have to keep working on it.
You have said the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd have been some of your inspirations along the way. Lyrically speaking, which song would you say you are you most proud of from your new album?
Lyrically, “While You Still Can.” I think that song rings all the way through the rest of my life. After a month releasing it, the Route 91 tragedy happened and it took on a new life there. Whether it’s as a country or as a human, that song always seems to take on a new life of its own.
Brothers Osborne is coming to Boston in January. What are you most looking forward to seeing on your visit?
I love Boston. We have been there a bunch, but haven’t visited lately. That area is really cool. This will be our first time on tour headlining at the House of Blues. When we first get into town, we always go to a music store and record shop. We love it; we’re music addicts. John and I are from Maryland and people are always asking us how we got into country music. I think that country music resonates with people who live in rural areas. A good half of the crowd drove into the crowd in Boston, and the same goes for any other big city we go to. The appeal of country music is interesting and I am not sure why the south is the stronghold, but I can really relate to that question because I am from Maryland.
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