NO WAY!!!’ 😂 + Billy Currington Tickets & Country Climb: Izzy Jude

Today on The Morning Brew with Chris Bennett & Best Friends… things got a little out of control 😂

We played Fun Fact or Fake Fact for Billy Currington tickets, and Steve-O from Vernon gave us one of the funniest moments we’ve had in a while… you’ll know it when you hear it 😅

Plus, it’s Country Climb Friday! We’re joined by this week’s Country Climb Star of the Week, Izzy Jude, as we get to know her story and play her song “Counterfeit” for the first time on the show.

Huge thanks as always to our best friend Austin Burke and the Playlisted Podcast for sending incredible independent artists our way from Nashville every week 🙌

🎟️ Congrats to Steve-O from Vernon for winning Billy Currington tickets!

Don’t forget—our Morning Brew Anniversary Bash is coming up May 16th with live music all day and our cornhole tournament benefiting 3E Snacks.
 👉 Sign up at chrisbennettcomedy.com

Thanks for listening, Best Friends!

Transcript

Cold Open Relationship Tease

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Are you in a relationship?

SPEAKER_01 0:02

No way.

Country Climb Friday Kickoff

Meet Izzy Jude From Rochester

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Stay tuned, and you'll find out what that was all about in just a minute. Hello, best friends. It is me, Chris Bennett, and today on the show, it is Country Climb Friday. We're meeting an incredible artist sent our way from Nashville by our friend Austin Burke in the playlisted podcast. It's Izzy Jude. We get to know her and play her song Counterfeit for the first time on the show. And uh later things get a little wild when Steve O'From Vernon tries to win some Billy Carrington tickets with a fun fact or fake fact. Let's get the show started. Chris Bennett's Country Climb, Star of the Week. And we got another great artist sent our way from Austin Burke and the Playlisted podcast. Oh, he's sending us the next artist before they blow up. And you'll hear him here first on Q Country 925. And today's artist, Austin said, is one of his favorites and a regular on the playlisted podcast. And he says she might even be the next Sabrina Carpenter or Taylor Swift. She's Nashville-based, based with a pop-leaning sound that still fits right into what we love here at Q Country. Please welcome Izzy Jude. Hello. Woo! Before we get started in your country climb, I like to have some fun with some icebreaker questions. You ready?

SPEAKER_02 1:24

I am.

SPEAKER_00 1:25

First off, where are you from?

SPEAKER_02 1:27

I'm from Rochester, New York.

SPEAKER_00 1:28

How long ago did you move to Nashville?

SPEAKER_02 1:30

Uh November of 2024, so almost two years ago.

SPEAKER_00 1:33

And what made you decide to make the jump from uh Rochester, New York to Nashville?

SPEAKER_02 1:38

Um, the weather, number one. Um, I I just think there's so many opportunities here, and I had some friends here to begin with. Um, and yeah, just thought it was the best city to be in for this career.

SPEAKER_00 1:51

So Heck yeah. And what's something that people would be surprised to learn about you?

SPEAKER_02 1:56

Oh gosh. Um, my dad is an opera singer.

SPEAKER_00 1:59

Holy moly, do you sing opera at all or?

SPEAKER_02 2:02

I don't. Um, I was trained in musical theater. That was my that was my first love.

SPEAKER_00 2:07

What's your favorite musical?

SPEAKER_02 2:08

Um, I would probably have to say My Fair Lady, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 2:12

And when you're not doing music, what are you doing?

SPEAKER_02 2:14

Um, I love to um I love to dance. I've danced all my life. Um, and so I've been trying to get more into like the dance scene here in Nashville. Um, but I also just really like hanging out with friends, and I do trivia at Jack Brown's every Monday. That's like a tradition that I have, and I love trivia. Um, so yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:36

And the first concert that you ever went to?

SPEAKER_02 2:38

First concert I ever went to was Katy Perry.

Songwriting As Catharsis And Truth

SPEAKER_00 2:42

Ooh, I kissed a girl, and I liked it. Now it's time to find out about your country climb, your musical climb. How did you uh get started in music and when did you get started in music?

SPEAKER_02 2:55

Um, my dad is an opera singer, so I kind of grew up in the classical music world. Um, and then in middle school and in high school, I was in pretty much every musical theater production I could possibly be in. Um, and in college, I was in a really great band. And one of those band members said to me one time, Hey, um, have you ever thought about writing your own stuff? And I had been writing non-seriously. Um, but then I started to take it seriously and I realized that I was not only decent at it, but it made me feel better about a lot of things that I was going through. It was very cathartic. So yeah, that's kind of how I got into it.

SPEAKER_00 3:35

And what's your favorite part about songwriting?

Nashville Challenges And Finding Community

SPEAKER_02 3:37

Um, I think it's the words that you can put together to describe a situation that you didn't necessarily know how to verbalize in the first place. Um, I'm definitely somebody that will go over different arguments and different conversations that I've had with other people in my head over and over and over again, thinking of what I could have said. Um, and I think songwriting is definitely a way to say the thing that you never said, maybe, or tell somebody the truth about something without necessarily having to be like face to face with them.

SPEAKER_00 4:12

So And what's it like being in Nashville as an up-and-coming artist?

SPEAKER_02 4:16

Um, you know, it's hard. I won't lie. It's it's difficult. Um, and I also think, especially being a woman in in Nashville is not awesome. Um, I mean, we're definitely in the minority, contrary to popular belief. And being in a writer's round situation is not always the greatest. Um, and you kind of get overlooked because people assume that you're gonna write a breakup song that's gonna all sound the same. And also, since I'm not necessarily like grassroots country, I feel like people are a little bit turned off by the the sound. But I also think that there are some really, really great people that I have gotten to be in contact with and gotten to work with here that understand my vision and appreciate my art. And I think that those are the people that you have to keep around you as your community for sure.

SPEAKER_00 5:08

And how would you describe your sound?

SPEAKER_02 5:10

I would say it's like indie pop, a little bit folky. Um, I was actually just in the studio like maybe 20 minutes ago, and I have a song that's like very like kind of early paramour, like almost pop punk, that sort of thing. I can I can really do a lot of things. I feel like I feel like my writing is pretty has a pretty universal sound applicability.

SPEAKER_00 5:33

Have you had any pinch me moments or uh I can't believe this is actually happening moments uh so far in your career?

SPEAKER_02 5:40

I think just having like a song out on Spotify to to tell people to go listen to. Um, it's it's always been kind of a a dream of mine since I started to write more seriously to have music out in the world. And then also playing Exit In was really fun. It was so cool to be on that stage. That was like that was such a pinch me moment for sure.

SPEAKER_00 6:04

We're gonna be playing your song Counterfeit for the first time. Not only country radio, just radio in general. Pretty dang cool, huh? Yeah, very and uh tell us a little story about this song about Counterfeit. How did it come about?

SPEAKER_02 6:18

It actually woke me like out of a dead sleep. It was a very um weird experience. I'd never had that happen to me before. And you hear larger, more mainstream artists talk about, like, oh, like Taylor Swift, I think, has an interview where she talks about um, she was like, oh yeah, this melody or this like hook or whatever hook woke me out of a dead sleep. And I was like, when is that ever gonna happen to me? And then it happened to me, and I was like, oh, I have to, I have wait, I have to like wake up. This is this is this is serious, this is big, this is like the first time. Um, I was I was in a relationship that I think um we were growing apart more than we were growing together. Um, and I was questioning whether or not it was a long-term, real sort of thing. I was looking at it under a microscope, like a researcher would look at like a fake dollar bill under the microscope and find the the scrutinies where like you you know that it's a fake. Um, and I thought to myself, oh man, it's kind of like it looks really real on the outside, but really truly on the inside it's kind of a counterfeit. Um, and I think I was on the phone with a friend and she always wakes up super, super early. So I called her with this idea, and she was like, oh, it she was like, Izzy, you have to, you have to run with that. That's the title. That's the title of the song. Um, so so yeah, it is, it's it's definitely it was a difficult song to write, but it didn't take that long. Um, it was probably like a 20-minute writing process, and I wrote it on my piano, and it was just kind of it it was crazy.

SPEAKER_00 8:00

Well, I love it, and I can't wait to play it for the first time right here on Q Country 925. This is Izzy Jude, today's Country Climb star of the week, and this this is her song, Counterfeit.

What’s Next And Where To Follow

SPEAKER_01 8:27

But all my friends are missing, they're too busy kissing all the people they've never heard of being honest. I had made a promise not to tap out, I'm gonna crash out again. My friend is looking over. She moves a little closer, looking at me like, is it is it over? Is it sober? Will they ever come around again? Just to remind you of the things you went through. Are you the girl you've always been? Out on the town At bars I've never been to. I'm too busy going through memories in my head. My friend is looking over. She comes a little closer. Looking at me like, Izzy, is it over? Izzy, are you sober? Will they ever come around again? Are you the girl you always been? Indecisive, I think I might quit. Not a chat I thought I wish I had a mind trick. Is there a little pole? I know I've been told my own magazine, but I'm skipping the set of fold is important. I think I've been done for a long time now. And then some reading through the floor lines. Am I a hypocrite? Is this the real thing, or is it a counterfeit? Is it a counterfeit? Is it mama that I have to make up? It's just like me to call it a love. Or should I never call my love? Oh no, no, did you think that I wouldn't do it? I hate a bit with no follow-through and this is a bit. You really want to be over. Are you sober? Will I ever cover again? All the things you went through. Are you the girl you please with the Jude with her song Counterfeit on Q Country 925?

SPEAKER_00 11:30

She's today's Country Climb star of the week, and you're gonna be hearing a lot more from her. I'm pretty sure of it. Uh Izzy, after hearing that song, what should people know about you moving forward?

SPEAKER_02 11:43

Um, that there's more music coming soon. Um and if y'all would like to follow me, it's on Instagram, it's at Izzy underscore jude J-U-D-E. Um, and then I'm also on TikTok with the same handle. And follow me for updates. It's gonna be a fun summer.

SPEAKER_00 12:01

Heck yeah. Make sure you go ahead and follow her and show your support. And uh thank you so much for being today's Country Climb Star of the Week.

SPEAKER_02 12:10

Thank you so much for having me.

SPEAKER_00 12:13

You are caller number three. Who's this? Steve O. Steve O, where are you from, Steve O? Vernon. There we go. Steve O. You have a chance to win two tickets to Billy Currington, May 9th in Flagstaff. Uh, but you gotta win this game. It's called uh fun fact or fake fact on this fun fact Friday. You gotta get three out of five correct. Here we go. Tell me, it's is this a real fact or a fake fact? On Frequent Flyer Day, uh, is this a real fact? Airplane food tastes blander in the air. Frequent or is that fact or fake? Fake. Oh no, that's a real fact. Oh no, oh no, oh no. Come on, Steve. All right, uh, next question. Uh for this frequent flyer day. Oxygen mass only lasts about two minutes. Is that a fun fact or a fake fact?

SPEAKER_02 13:10

Fun fact.

SPEAKER_00 13:11

Fun fact. There you go. Yeah, yeah. They last 12 to 20 minutes. I would hope so. All right, he's got one right, one wrong. You gotta get two more right. If you get one more wrong, you are gone. Here we go. Global love. It's also uh uh Lover's Day. Uh real fact or fake fact. Laughing together strengthens relationships. Fun fact or fake fact? Uh-huh. Fun fact. There you go. Oh, yes, all right, yes. Studies show couples who laugh together handle stress better and stay together longer. Are you in a relationship? No way. No way. Who are you gonna take with you to the concert if you win then? Uh who knows? Who knows? There you go. All right, uh, it is also uh pure bread dog day. Fun fact or fake fact. Dogs can understand over 200 words.

SPEAKER_01 14:08

Uh fun fact.

SPEAKER_00 14:10

There we go. Ding, ding, ding, ding! Congratulations, Steve O from Vernon. You just won two tickets to see Billy Carrington in concert May 9th in Flagstaff at the Pepsi Amphitheater. What station hooked you up?

SPEAKER_02 14:24

92.5.

Wrap Up And Anniversary Bash Details

SPEAKER_00 14:26

There you go. That'll do it for today's episode of the Morning Brew with Chris Bennett and Best Friends. Thanks so much to our country climb star of the week, Izzy Jude. Make sure you follow her on social media and check out her song Counterfeit and keep an eye out for new music coming soon from her. And congratulations to Steve O from Vernon for winning those Billy Currington tickets. I hope you have a great time at the show. And don't forget, best friends, our anniversary bash is coming up May 16th at the House in Sholo with live music all day and our cornhole tournament. Uh, the cornhole tournament is$25 to enter and 50% goes to benefit three e snacks. You could sign up now at Chris Bennettcomedy.com. Thanks so much for hanging out, best friends. I've been Chris Bennett, reminding you to be nice to yourself, be nice to others, and don't be jerks. See you next time.