Recently I had the wonderful pleasure of interviewing Phil Vassar who is known for his songs which include 10 No. 1 singles and 26 Top 40 hits. You will know him for hits such as 'Just Another Day In Paradise', 'Carlene' and 'That's When I Love You'. Phil's career blossomed in the mid 90's with an EMI publishing contract and he wrote hit songs for Collin Raye ('Little Red Rodeo'), Alan Jackson ('Right on the Money'), Tim McGraw ('For a Little While'), Jo Dee Messina ('Bye Bye,' 'I'm Alright'), and Blackhawk ('Postmarked Birmingham'). The radio was playing his hits long before he even began his own recording career that has seen the release of six albums, two ASCAP Songwriter of the Year trophies, ACM’s Top New Male Vocalist and sold-out shows across the country. Phil still does over 135 shows a year.

Phil was getting ready to begin his tour that was starting that evening performing at the O2 in London and he was super excited! Read more about what he had to say:

How is the tour going so far?

The tour is going great, the first of six shows starts tonight! Performing at the O2.

What are you enjoying most about the tour?

We’ve had a lot of fun on this tour, meeting new people.

Where has been your favourite place to perform so far?

We did the C2C, we played the Ambush Hall and we loved Dublin and Glasgow and the tour of course.

What are you most looking forward to on the tour?

Just to see a bunch of my friends that we’ve made over the years and build the fan base.

What can viewers expect from your shows?

That it’s all about the Music and to have the best show that we can possibly have. London is one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Have you found that fans here are different to in the States?

There is a great fanbase that we have built for over 6-7 years.

What do you think about English country music?

As a singer/songwriter I grew up on Billy Joel and Elton John and these are my heroes, I’ve been to Abbey Road and been to the studio and it’s an amazing place!

How has the release of your latest album 'Look Back Forward' been?

We’re playing new songs from the release and will see how different the fans find it!

How did you go about writing it?

I’ve always loved to write songs and sing music and there is nothing better than getting the chance to write your own and paying it all over the world, I’m the luckiest guy in the whole world I love it.

What else have you got coming up?

We’re just gonna go back to Nashville from here and then we hit the road again, we’ve been to 30 cities this year already. We are just back on the road. I love playing music on the road, the travel is hectic, but we were on the west coast. It’s so much fun, and I love that and I know many country artists over here in the UK.

How would you describe your sound to new listeners?

I think that they’ll like the songs and I’ve been lucky that I’ve had a lot of hits and I still get to perform every night.

What is influencing you at the moment?

When you’re writing you wanna listen to everything from R&B to Motown and country and the rolling stones. I take a lot from them so they are artists I was influenced by as a kid. All of them!

What do you find are the challenges of being in the music industry?

It’s challenging and everyone goes through their own ups and downs but personally, with careers and professional life the music just helped me and love lost and being in love and being in music has been really helpful. I don’t need a psychiatrist I can just write. It’s very cathartic.

And the aspects you enjoy most?

It’s been awesome, I’ve been so lucky and been all over the world, I played the White House four times, I’ve been from Australia to Europe. London is very attentive, you’re here to listen and it’s awesome.

What do you think you would be doing if not music?

If I wasn’t doing music I would have been a doctor, I studied in college ad all that but being a songwriter was my calling and I made the right decision and I like people and I like medicine so it was going well.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I just wanna say I’m very grateful I get to play. I am happy to be in the UK and I’m very happy and I like every aspect of it. I can’t wait to play.

Phil Vassar's new single 'Fall Crazy' is out now and you can stream it here.