Brett Young Calls Being Famous ‘Hard’ and ‘Uncomfortable’

After a lifetime of focusing on himself, Brett Young is grateful he can now dote on his new baby girl, Presley Elizabeth. Young and his wife, Taylor, welcomed their daughter into the world in October, which gave fans something to focus on besides Young’s soaring career — a welcome respite for the singer.

“It’s been the joke, ‘Isn’t it funny that you’re not the celebrity in the family anymore?’” Young shared with his record label. “They don’t mean it in the same way but it’s true. The attention shifts, but it should. That’s how it’s supposed to be. And so, I never actually wanted the fame and attention that comes with this. It’s actually the only part of this that’s unnatural for me. I appreciate it. I love everything that comes with it, but it’s hard, it’s uncomfortable. It’s like asking somebody that’s uncomfortable dancing to dance.

“But at the same time, when you start to get used to it and then all of a sudden you have this young child that can’t even speak for herself, and she is the center of attention, I actually enjoy the shift,” he continued. “It’s like, ‘Yeah, stop paying attention to me. Pay attention to her. She’s the important one.’ So, it is interesting. It’s different, but I actually really welcome it. It’s nice.”

Young is relishing his role as a father, and soaking up every minute he gets to spend with his baby.

“It’s the absolute best thing that ever happened to us,” Young told PopCulture.com. “If I were to complain about sleep right now, I’d feel guilty, because my wife is sleeping much less than me. We’re on cloud nine, and we’re figuring it out, and very blessed.”

Young still vividly remembers watching Presley enter the world, even if he can’t articulate his feelings in that moment.

“The crazy thing is, I make a living on words as a songwriter,” Young said. “When my daughter was born, she came out, and all of the things you’re afraid of, like ‘Are they going to take breath?’ Are their eyes and ears going to work?’ – she came out, took this big breath and cried, opened her eyes and looked right at me, and all of this weight came off. This idea of a person became a reality really quickly.”

“I’m not a manly man, like a tough guy, but this animal, carnal need to protect this child came over me,” he added. “I felt like a dad immediately. It was a really cool experience.”

Photo Credit: Getty / Slaven Vlasic