Brothers Osborne Admits to Feeling Pressure After Early Success

Brothers Osborne had an early hit with “Stay a Little Longer,” from their freshman Pawn Shop album. The platinum-selling song quickly made them a mainstay at radio, earning them nominations for ACM Awards and CMA Awards, as well as a coveted Grammy.

But the success, however sweet, also put pressure on the duo, made up of T.J. and John Osborne, which they are just now beginning to come to terms with.

“It did change, for sure,” T.J. told the Chicago Tribune. “Now people were showing up to shows with the mentality of ‘I heard you guys are hot [stuff]. I want to be impressed!’ We really felt the pressure.”

Fortunately, the siblings’ early career, playing in small bars and clubs, prepared them for their meteoric rise, which T.J. credits with hard work and tenacity more than anything else.

“This may sound arrogant, but we kept stepping out there every night and delivering,” T.J. explained. “Sure, we thought maybe we’d fall flat on our face, but we also knew we just had to prove to people that we are real musicians and we do love this and we are dedicated and we take it seriously.”

“I think people have seen us do that enough to where it’s starting to become the opposite thing: they’re now coming in with this curiosity,” he continued. “We’re not in the test lab anymore.”

Brothers Osborne might have had success at radio, but perhaps surprisingly, that isn’t their focus. Instead, the Maryland natives just want to keep bringing music to their fans.

“There are always a lot of hoops to jump through and people to not offend and bosses to report to,” acknowledged T.J. of radio success. “It’s a complicated system. But for us if I can roll into a theater in a big city or even a county fair in Iowa and be able to play this music and it works, that’s all I need.”

Roll into a theater they will, when Brothers Osborne continue their headlining tour into 2019, where they will once again bring their music to the fans, all over the country.

“You get a little burned out but it’s all for that fix of getting onstage,” T.J. admitted. “There’s not anything — not a drug or a drink — that can replace the feeling of performing. I love every aspect of this wild circus.”

It’s the concert stage, not the air waves, that Brothers Osborne have determined to focus on, at least for the next few years.

“Don’t get me wrong: I’d like hit songs,” T.J. said. “But John and I more focus on where it’s gonna end up — which is performing it in front of thousands of people. And that’s more what I think about than anything. If it can work there it can work anywhere.”

Find a list of all of Brothers Osborne’s upcoming shows at their official website.

Photo Credit: Getty Images/Jeffrey Mayer