The music of David St. Romain defies easy categorization, and in many ways, so does the man himself. Hailing from the central Louisiana town of Alexandria, David has steadily built his reputation as an entertainer, playing high-energy, musically diverse shows driven by what may be his biggest asset -- that powerful, soul-drenched voice. America got a taste of David's promising talents when he made the finals of Nashville Star in 2007. Now David is delivering on that promise, releasing brand-new music showcasing what his followers across the country have been raving about for years.
David's musical education began early in life. As a kid, he was taking in the pop-influenced country sounds of Kenny Rogers from his dad's record collection before rocking out at Metallica and Guns 'N Roses concerts with his junior high buddies. The new wave of '90s country brought along by Garth Brooks had a big impact on David, courtesy of his older brother's copy of Garth's seminal No Fences album. David's growing obsession with music soon gave way to actually performing for audiences. From that point on, David was hooked.
"I never really wanted to do anything else besides singing and entertaining as a career path. When I did my first talent show in 6th grade singing Europe’s ‘Carrie,' that's when I learned that you can get girls while singing onstage," David says with a laugh. "But seriously, I just knew from a very young age that I wanted to perform, and I think that's a huge blessing. It allowed me to block everything else out and just focus on my music."
Further musical explorations led David to expand his R&B vocal skills singing in a group styled after the harmonies of Boyz II Men. Attending a Travis Tritt and Marty Stuart concert at age 19 further cemented David's desire to pursue country music specifically. Travis and Marty incorporated blues, southern rock and straight-ahead country into their sound. Even now, it's not uncommon to find Sugarland sharing a stage with Beyonce, Kenny Chesney scoring a hit single with Dave Matthews, or Taylor Swift performing on TV with Def Leppard. In that same spirit, David set off to incorporate his diverse influences into his own style of country music.
By his early 20s, David had started playing shows in nearby Hammond, Louisiana, where he met up with a local producer. That chance meeting led to a few recording sessions and the beginning of David's trips to Nashville to take a swing at the big time.
Along the way, David made further connections in Music City, and ended up in the studio working on his music with some of Music Row's top musicians. Their advice went a long way in helping David develop his distinct vocal style. At the same time, frequent gigs at clubs across the country gave David an invaluable opportunity to win over sometimes-disinterested crowds and have them in the palm of his hand by the end of the set.
"There's an experience and wisdom that you pick up in that environment," David says, "You learn to be a professional at all times, whether you're playing for two people or a crowd of hundreds."
By October 2005, David's tour schedule was in high gear, and his personal life was also on solid footing as he tied the knot with longtime girlfriend Elizabeth. Their first daughter Bailey was born the following October, just as David got the opportunity of a lifetime -- a slot on the new season of TV's premiere country competition Nashville Star. Besides the invaluable national exposure that show brought him, David also got to go on the 40 city Nashville Star tour and interact with a number of the nearly half million fans who voted for him.
While competing on Nashville Star, David struck up a working relationship with one of the show's producers Shawn Pennington. A Music Row veteran who's managed multi-platinum acts such as Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson, Randy Owen (Alabama), & Cowboy Troy. Shawn was very impressed with what he saw from David, especially on the Nashville Star tour.
"At that time, I was working with Big & Rich, and their live show is what really set them apart. They owned the room every night, and I've seen David do that same exact thing, " Shawn says. "David can go into a room where no one knows his songs, and by the end, they're all giving him a standing ovation."
By 2008, David and Shawn were working together finding songs and beginning the process of recording a new album. David also continued collaborating on songs of his own with some of Nashville's top writers. Out of that batch of self-penned songs came David's lead single "That's Love."
Lyrically, "That's Love" packs a pretty emotional punch, telling the story of hard working people's everyday sacrifices to provide for their families. David's own clan expanded once again with the birth of his second daughter Briley in early 2009, and he wanted to represent that bond with his family in the first single. The emotional song "Touch" also carries an important message of the connection we all share as human beings, but David doesn't neglect his fans looking for a good time on the project though.
The bar room rocker "You Had Me From Hell No" and the swampy, southern feel of "They Grow Them Wild" are both designed to get the listener on their feet. Also, David's romantic side comes through on the tender "That's Why They Call It Making Love" and the plaintive "All I Really Wanted to Say." In the end, all of these songs are held together by the fact that they truly represent who David is.
"I hope people look at this album as a slide show of my life. Every song holds true with my experiences, and that goes back to how I choose which songs I record. Whether I write it or not, a song has to make me feel something the first time I hear it. If it's up tempo, it needs to make me smile or want to go out and party. If it's a ballad I'm drawn to, I either cry the first time I heard it or just feel a real sense of connection to the song's lyrics."
Of course, David uses his concerts as a barometer for which songs work for him. With this latest batch of songs, David is gearing up to take his audiences to the next level.
"No question, I've been thinking about my live show while putting this album together. Anyone who knows a Cajun like me knows they're energetic, and I try to keep things rocking onstage at all times."
Since David has been successfully touring on his own for nearly seven years now, he and his manager/producer Shawn Pennington have decided to keep things in house and release his new album through the newly formed Matchless Music Group. This way, David can continue to perform his own brand of country with no one trying to categorize his music or put him in a box.
"In this day and age, I don't feel like I need to go through the normal record label channels," David explains. "I am happy with the freedom I have to make my music, and I don't think the public cares about what record label you're on. They care about great songs and a great show, and that's what we deliver."
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