“I don’t want to fall asleep, baby / I don’t even want to close my eyes,” sings Eric Ethridge at the start of his new song being released today (Feb. 21), “Dream Girl.” In these first sweet lines, it seems that we’re in for a lovely story about how Eric has found someone who he wants to spend every waking moment with – and he has. Or, he had, because, in the next few seconds, he completely flips the narrative on its head. “You were my’ dream girl’/ why did you have to walk away and leave, girl?” With a kick that hits stronger than a shot of tequila, Eric reveals that his love is nothing more than a “dream, girl,” and he’s left wondering if he’ll ever wake up to see her in his bed again.
Speaking of tequila, if “Dream Girl” gives you a bit of the Dan + Shay vibe, there’s a reason. The song was co-written by Dan Smyer and Shay Mooney, as well as Jenn Schott and Will Weatherly. As Eric puts it, working with these country music maestros was a literal dream come true. “It was serendipitous that I came across the song ‘Dream Girl’ because I had that exact song concept in my head several months before!” Eric tells HollywoodLife. “After hearing it, I knew I had to record it. I’ve always been a fan of Dan and Shay’s music and songwriting, and I’m grateful to be able to have this song on my new record!”
“To me, “Dream Girl” is a hard-hitting, emotional song that emphasizes the pain behind heartbreak and the pining for a lost loved one,” Eric tells HollywoodLife. “I hope that anyone who’s ever been through that can relate to this song and, hopefully, it’s a part of the healing process for them.”
“Dream Girl” will probably help the brokenhearted sleep a little bit better tonight, especially if they’re hitting the hay after seeing Eric perform it. Raised in the Southwestern Ontario city of Sarnia, Eric was on a completely different career path when the music industry literally came calling. An independent music agent heard one of the country songs he had written several years ago when she “called me out of the blue,” he said to The Observer in 2016. “[She said], ‘I really think you should do music.’ My first reaction was, ‘Absolutely not. I’m going to be a chiropractor.'” Though he would establish his medical practice, country music would win.
His self-titled 2018 debut has over 10 million streams on Apple Music, and he’s amassed more than 30 million streams worldwide. He’s a CCMA Discovery program winner, and he was on SiriusXM’s “On The Horizon” program for 24 consecutive weeks. He’s performed in front of thousands and has performed on festivals with acts like Florida Georga Line and Thomas Rhett. You can say that Eric is living the dream.