Norway-born singer-songwriter Daniel Borge recently released Backseat Backroad as a stateside single, telling a country love story of taking a trip down memory lane. The song was co-written by Travis Chaney, of Owensboro, and Bridgette Tatum, who co-wrote Jason Aldean’s No. 1 hit She’s Country.
Backseat Backroad can be streamed on Spotify here.
“To me it’s just a different kind of love song,” Chaney said. “We wanted to take people back to a time where there was a place they parked down on the river, on a hill, in the woods, or wherever it was. We just want to remember those times when they were young, wild, free, and in love.”
With a rock-influenced production, the mid-tempo track offers a classically country story with a modern sound. Borge said that this song embodies his sound as an artist.
“I think this song works as a bridge between traditional country and modern country. It’s got just enough from both,” he said.
With thousands of songs to choose from, Borge landed on Backseat Backroad because he felt a personal connection to the lyrics. Calling the song nostalgic, Borge said the imagery almost makes you forget you are listening because you start remembering your own experiences from a younger age.
“I have been searching high and low to find the perfect song,” he said. “I was fortunate to have a lot of songs to choose from. I can relate to every word in the song and was first drawn to the unusual melody in the first verse. This was a song that grabbed me from the start, and it gets better and better”
Borge noted specifically how there’s an unexpected lift in the melody of the first verse at the end of the line “17 with the windows down, nothing between us but Amazing Grace.”
That line also happens to be one of Chaney’s favorites.
“It’s a different way to describe how close someone is to you physically,” Chaney said. “You’re actually touching, and the only thing that’s in between the couple is God’s grace, so to speak.”
Chaney is in his fourth year of songwriting, and this is the first song he’s had cut. Acknowledging that it’s tough to break through, Chaney said he’s grateful Borge picked up the song.
“It is so difficult to get cuts with your music, especially not being an artist,” Chaney said. “What makes it even more special is that a lot of artists these days write a lot of their own songs. For Dan, who’s also a writer and who had a selection of literally thousands of songs, to choose the one Bridgette and I wrote, it’s very humbling.”
Chaney and Tatum are the president and vice president, respectively, of SoNash Publishing. They began writing together nearly 4 years ago and started the publishing company last fall.
“Through writing with Bridgette and her teaching me the craft over the last couple of years and getting to know her, we just felt like the next logical step … was to open up a publishing company,” Chaney said. “Bridgette is doing an amazing job of running SoNash. She’s assembling a great team with a goal to add at least three more songwriters. Bridgette is unique with her strong creative skills that are complimented by her solid business instincts and skills.”
The SoNash team also includes Creative Consultant Juli Newton-Griffith (who has garnered over 1,000 cuts and represented over 100 songwriters) and Creative Director Abigail Wate. The company has also signed singer/songwriter Emma Zinck, who Chaney said is an up-and-coming artist to watch in the Nashville music scene.
Chaney said it’s been an exciting first year for SoNash, and for Backseat Backroad to be their first official cut feels good.
“The good news is we’ve got several other songs that artists are interested in,” he said. “And Emma will start releasing some of her songs that she’s written in the next couple of months as well.”
For Borge, this single comes on the heels of streaming success. The independent artist garnered more than 500,000 total streams on Spotify with previous releases.
Borge said the release of this song has boosted his career, as now labels and stations are calling him rather than the other way around.
“With this song, it feels like I am climbing the ladder and people are taking me more seriously now and wanting to work with me. This song actually opened a lot of doors for me,” he said.
Borge got his start in Nashville when he was on vacation and was pulled on stage to perform at Legends Corner on Broadway during CMA Fest 2019. After being approached by a songwriter and producer who was in the audience, Borge launched his recording career.
“At first I thought they were kind of joking (about wanting to work with me), but they weren’t,” Borge said. “Seven months later I went back to Nashville and recorded my first song, and the ball started rolling.”
He is currently working with some of the best names in Nashville’s music industry, including producer Brad Hill (Brett Young, Maren Morris, Spencer Crandall, Brothers Osborne). Over the last year, the singer worked with Blake Shelton’s touring musicians and also performed with the American country gospel band The Isaacs.
“I just want to be the best artist I can be,” Borge said. “I go wherever the road leads me.”
Chaney said he’s happy to be a part of Borge’s story.
“I’ve gotten to know Dan and we’ve become friends,” he said. “I want to help him on his journey, whether that’s with my songs or not. I believe in Dan as an artist, so to be a part of his journey and do whatever I can do to help him beyond this, I want to do that for him.”
