Joel Thomas Crouse (born June 14, 1992) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He released his most recent EP, wasteLAnd on his label, Hum Records in August 2020.[1]
Joel Crouse | |
|---|---|
 Image of Joel Crouse at Countryfest 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Joel Thomas Crouse |
| Born | June 14, 1992 Holland, Massachusetts |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter musician |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals/guitar/piano |
| Website | www |
Early life edit
Joel Crouse grew up in Holland, Massachusetts. He attended Tantasqua Regional High School and graduated when he was sixteen.[2]
Music career edit
While still living in Holland, Crouse founded a local pop-rock band called Leaving Stafford.[3] He signed a short-lived demo deal with Epic Records in 2009.[4]
In 2011, Crouse signed with Show Dog-Universal Music, and toured with Toby Keith and The Band Perry.[3] He released his debut single "If You Want Some" in February 2013.[5] It received three-and-a-half stars from Taste of Country reviewer Billy Dukes, who thought that Crouse "sings with more confidence than 20 years provides most artists".[6] The song, which he wrote with Jamie Houston and Luke Laird, debuted at number 59 on the Country Airplay charts in January 2013.[3] His album, Even the River Runs, was released on August 19, 2014, and entered the Billboard Top Country Albums at No. 20.[7] Crouse made his Grand Ole Opry debut on April 18, 2014.[8]
From May to July 2013, he toured with Taylor Swift as a part of her Red Tour as one of her opening acts, playing before the other opening act, Ed Sheeran.[9]
On July 10, 2020, Crouse released his first feature collaboration with German DJ Wave Wave, "Broke".[9]
Crouse released "wasteLAnd" EP on his label, Hum Records, in August 2020. "On My Way" was the lead single co-written by Ed Sheeran and the Official Music Video features Darius Rucker, Ed Sheeran, and Lucy Hale.[9] American Songwriter published an interview with Crouse about the EP, which "chronicles Crouse’s roller-coaster experience with the music business. [Crouse said] 'I had gone from touring with Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran and Darius Rucker,' he says. 'Four years later, my business manager ends up going to jail. I ended up getting in this horrible deal that I had to fight my way out of. And at this time, I’m broke, too. I’m on food stamps, trying to survive. I end up going to write a song with Todd Clark and he was like, ‘What’s going on in your life?’ I told him, ‘Dude, I feel like I’m just surviving.’ That started everything. I just started writing everything that was going on around me.'”[10]
In December 2020, Darius Rucker included Crouse in SPIN Magazine's The 35 Best Lesser-Known Artists of the Last 35 Years, Picked by 35 Well-Known Artists, saying "Joel Crouse has a sense of melody like no one I have been around. I think that comes from having such a unique voice, it’s so original."[11]
Discography edit
EPs edit
| Title | EP Details |
|---|---|
| wasteLAnd |
|
Albums edit
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | US Heat | ||
| Even the River Runs[12] |
|
20 | 183 | 3 |
Singles edit
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Country Airplay | |||
| 2013 | "If You Want Some" | 50 | 32 | Even the River Runs |
| 2014 | "Why God Made Love Songs" | - | 53 | |
| "Don't Tell Me" | - | - | ||
| "-" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
Music Videos edit
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | "If You Want Some"[13] | Chris Hicky |
| 2020 | "On My Way"[1] | Robbie Norris |
References edit
- ^ a b "How Joel Crouse Went From Opening for Taylor Swift to 'Food Stamps'". Rolling Stone. August 20, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- ^ "Country singer Crouse set for Tantasqua". Telegram.com. June 6, 2014.
- ^ a b c Richard Duckett (February 4, 2013). "Ex-Holland resident Joel Crouse's country single 'If You Want Some' hits 59 on Billboard". Telegram.com.
- ^ Kathryn Roy (April 13, 2010). "Holland teen Joel T. Crouse sings backup on soon-to-be released Cyrus-Crow single". The Republican.
- ^ "Joel Crouse Releases Debut Single "If You Want Some" February 5, 2013 – Song Review". Countrymusicpride.com. February 4, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ Billy Dukes. "Joel Crouse, 'If You Want Some' – Song Review". Tasteofcountry.com. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ Matt Bjorke (August 27, 2014). "Country Album Sales Report – August 27, 2014". Roughstock. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved September 11, 2014. Sales figure given here [1]
- ^ Markos Papadatos (August 22, 2014). "Joel Crouse celebrates new album with Grand Ole Opry performance". Digital Journal.
- ^ a b c Joseph Hudak (August 20, 2020). "How Joel Crouse Went From Opening For Taylor Swift to 'Food Stamps'". Rolling Stone.
- ^ Katherine Yeske Taylor (August 7, 2020). "Joel Crouse Discusses Finding His Voice Again, Writing For New EP 'wasteLAnd'". American Songwriter.
- ^ SPIN Staff (December 6, 2020). "The 35 Best Lesser-Known Artists of the Last 35 Years, Picked by 35 Well-Known Artists". SPIN Magazine.
- ^ Allers, Hannahlee (June 25, 2014). "Joel Crouse Announces Release of Debut Album". The Boot. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
- ^ "Crouse debuts video". Country Standard Time. June 20, 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2013.