Steve Holy is back on the charts and all over the airwaves with his hot new single "Brand New Girlfriend," a rousing return for one of country music's brightest new stars. The playful song is the title track from his new Curb Records album, Brand New Girlfriend, which will firmly establish the Texas native as a gifted artist with a sky's-the-limit ambition.
"The song borrows from my very first release, 'Don't Make Me Beg,' he says. "I want to hang on to that sound, tempo and style; I don't want to leave those roots, I want to expand on them and branch out."
Brand New Girlfriend is a far-ranging showcase for this talented performer, from the lively tongue-in-cheek lead single to evocative ballads that cut straight to the heart. The album reflects Holy's wry sense of humor, contrasted by his deep-soul side. His ultimate goal is to keep achieving that balance.
"When we recorded my first album, I cut a lot of stuff with that kind of swing, retro feel, but those songs just didn't fit," he says. This time out, he's weaved those good-time numbers among more reflective tales of the broken-hearted.
"If you sing a ballad well, you're assumed to be a balladeer, and I wanted to show I'm more than just that," Holy says. He truly is an all-around entertainer, with that rare ability to sing heartfelt songs and also take off on fun musical joyrides.
"I'm a fun guy that's had a lot of trauma in my life, too," he says. "I think that can be heard in my music and I want all that portrayed. I want people to know I'm a free spirit that's been through a lot of heartache as well."
Holy says his freewheeling spirit comes out of his pre-recording days, absorbing life experiences that have molded him as the artist he's become today. The youngest of eight children, he was born and raised in the Dallas area, where his family was in the foundation drilling business. In fact, considering the surname, it's ironic that grandfather Holy created the first industrial drilling device for digging those holes.
Holy jokes that his father had "five daughters and three employees" because he initially worked alongside his two older brothers. But all the while, he knew music was his true calling. "It was always a passion for me, but I came from a background where, if you had time to play music, you had time to work," he says. "I didn't really realize how supportive Dad really was, though. Once I started pursuing a music career, he was all for it."
Holy made his stage debut in the early '90s at the Texas Mesquite Opry, singing Roy Orbison and Elvis numbers, as he recalls. The very next week, he was invited to try out among 500 other hopefuls for the famous Johnnie High Country Revue in Arlington (the same show that launched his fellow Curb recording artists LeAnn Rimes and Shane McAnally). He took first place and less than a year later was voted entertainer of the year by revue fans.
Paying his dues on the Texas club and honky-tonk circuit, Holy made trips back-and-forth from the Lone Star State to Nashville, eventually signing with Curb. His chart debut came in late 1999 with "Don't Make Me Beg," followed by two more Top 20 singles, "Blue Moon" and "The Hunger." Holy"s fourth release, "Good Morning Beautiful" was prominently featured on the soundtrack to the Jennifer Lopez movie "Angel Eyes" and became his first #1 song, topping the charts for five weeks.
Following his first brush of success, Holy was compelled to put his personal life in order, including the hands-on construction of his own home. "It's not just about working, it's about living," he says philosophically. "I took time off to design and build a house in Dallas." But, he adds with a chuckle, "It wasn't from lack of having that brand-new girlfriend."
If "Brand New Girlfriend" is the perfect summertime get-over-her signature song, then "Come On Rain" is another side of the romantic coin. The song plays out like a mini-movie, Holy explains, "It tells a story of a guy praying' for rain to stop a plane that his significant other is on. They're in a break-up mode and he's trying to reach the airport in time. It's a powerful song, and when I heard it, I knew it had my name written all over it."
Holy collaborated with Jimmy Yeary on the track "Baby Don't Go," which he feels is another single contender, while "Lead Me On" taps into the don't-take-me-down-the-wrong-road theme where enticement rules the head and heart over one's best instincts.
Brand New Girlfriend defines Steve Holy with a sound that's pure and true, reflecting both his honesty and craft. He can't wait to perform live, hitting the road, from clubs to state and county fairs, as he continues down a path that will establish him as one of country's most enduring artists.
"I love John Conlee and of course everybody loves George Strait, especially if you're from Texas," he says, adding, "I'm a big Conway Twitty fan too, and love a lot of the 1950's and '60s guys. All them could sing anything, from the fun stuff to ballads, and that's what I'm all about. When you perform, you'd love to be able to make everyone scream and cry -- that's everyone's goal. And I think we've got that.
"You couldn't find a more fun song than "Brand New Girlfriend" and a more serious song than "Good Morning Beautiful," Holy says. "We've gone far left and far right, so that opens the door for anything."