Brothers Osborne Discuss Grammy Recognition and Career Defining 2016

Brothers Osborne’s 2016 was a milestone year for the duo and one of many firsts. Real-life brothers TJ and John Osborne released their debut album Pawn Shop in January of last year to remarkable success. Their first No. 1 single “Stay a Little Longer” received a Grammy nomination in the Best Country Duo/Group Performance category at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards last year and later they would see two ACM nominations and win a CMA Award for Vocal Duo of the Year.

In 2017, Brothers Osborne find themselves nominated once again for a Grammy for their previous single “21 Summer” in the Best Country Duo/Group Performance category. It’s an accomplishment they talk about in disbelief when Sounds Like Nashville caught up with them poolside before their performance at Crash My Playa 2017 in Riviera Maya, Mexico.

“A lot has happened since we put our album out,” TJ tells Sounds Like Nashville from the Barcelo Resort in Mexico minutes before their pool party set. “It seems like it’s been this really long journey, which it has, but really when you think about it that way from the time we put out our first album we’ve had a lot going on. It’s been a crazy, crazy year. This is a good way to kick off the next year.”

John says the most memorable moment of their career so far was winning their first CMA Award in November as they grew up watching the awards show.

“Hearing them call our name from that stage and being able to walk up there and accept such a coveted award… not only is it such an honor but I think it was such a surprise to not only us but everyone who has supported us over the past couple of years,” he reflects. “It felt like a very big win for us and all of the people who have given us a chance. We’re still shocked. Literally speechless. Most people have a small speech written on a napkin in their pocket, we were literally speechless. We had nothing prepared.”

When asked if the band has prepared a speech for the upcoming Grammy Awards, John admits that he doesn’t want to jinx things. “I don’t want to write a speech and then lose,” he laughs.

The band’s new single is the gritty, guitar driven jam “It Ain’t My Fault” which is the final track on their album Pawn Shop. “It Ain’t My Fault” has long been a concert staple and fan favorite throughout their career and a song they’ve wanted to release for a while.

“We knew it was a pretty different song then what’s out there right now. We wanted to wait until people started to know who we are [to] put out a song that was so crazy at the time,” TJ admits. “It’s turned into something that is us and I think people were really hungry to hear that sound from us.”

Their most added song at radio to date, “Ain’t My Fault” was penned by TJ, John and Lee Miller. TJ says from the moment they wrote it, they knew it was a fun song and has long been one of their favorites to play live.

“It was one of those few moments in the studio when we heard it back for the first time we were like, ‘Wow, this is special. This is unique to us.’ All we could think was, ‘We really need to get this song to radio. It’s really different and who knows how well it will do but we really need to get it to radio,'” John explains. “It’s the statement that I think we need to make as a band.”

While Brothers Osborne gear up for the Grammy Awards, they are also hard at work on new music. John says they’re always writing and creating and when they plan on getting back into the studio they’ll have an artillery of material to work with. Awards show wins do come with some added pressure, though.

“We have a really great batch of songs right now but after winning the CMA Award we have a really high expectation, which we like as much as we don’t,” TJ confesses. “It’s a little bit unnerving but at the same time it’s nice that people are looking at us to do something different and cool. We plan on going out and writing some songs and we’ll piece it together. By the end of the year hopefully we’ll have a good record planned.”

Brothers Osborne are nominated for a GRAMMY for “21 Summer” in the Best Country Duo/Group Performance category. The 59th Annual Grammy Awards air on Feb. 12 on CBS.