Brett Eldredge Learns to Have Patience Recording Debut Album

Newcomer Brett Eldredge has completed his first album, which will be released on Warner Bros. Record -- and for the 25-year-old, that was quite the accomplishment.

"Making an album is a long process, but it's a fun process," Eldredge tells Taste of Country. "It's a long process because you've been working on making your first album your whole life. From day one when you're singing, you're dreaming about making that first album and making your break into whatever music you want to break into. For me, it was country music."

"When I moved to Nashville over four years ago, I came here to be a country artist," he continues. "I didn't know what the heck I was doing, but I knew I wanted to sing. I could sing, but I really didn't know how to write songs. I had a guitar from my cousin -- he plays in [bluegrass group] the Grascals. I had that, and I knew one other person, a friend of mine from high school, and that was it who I knew in Nashville. It's crazy that I had to make a whole new start for myself."

Eldredge had high hopes that he would eventually sign a record deal and record an album, so he began writing songs immediately and building up an impressive collection of tunes.

"I think making that first album, you start writing these songs and start making all these relationships that lead up to that flash forward four years later when you're making a record, but there's so much that goes into it,' he says. "It's a fun journey when you finally get to sit there with 12 songs and you record them all and look back at all the work you had ... I think I wrote probably 200 songs, and I had to narrow them down to 10 songs I wrote on the record out of 12 songs.

"It's a cool feeling to be able to sit there and see that first album in your hands and the first list of songs that you worked so hard to get to," he adds. "It's a really special feeling. So many people helped me get here, and I'll never forget that. It's been fun."

Even though it's been fun for the young singer, he is the first to admit that there were some challenges in store for him once he did sign his deal and head into the studio.

"The biggest challenge, I think for any new artist, is patience. It's all timing, you know? You've got to get everything out there at the right time and get your record recorded. Maybe you want to put something out first, but I think patience has always been something that I've had to teach myself. I remember writing 'Raymond,' and I wrote that to be on the radio right away, but that was three-and-a-half years ago. I'm so glad that it took this long to get there because I was not ready. I think patience is definitely the hardest thing. I still get uptight sometimes, but I've learned enough now to always fight through it and be patient. If you work hard enough, it's going to come, and trust the people around you."

Eldredge's first single, 'Raymond,' is continuing to climb the country singles chart. His album is currently slated for a summer release.

Watch Brett Eldredge Perform 'Raymond' Live