Story Behind the Song: Sean Stemaly, ‘Hello, You Up’
Sean Stemaly didn't write it, but he sees a bit of himself in his single "Hello, You Up." The song, written by John Byron and Jamie Moore, finds the singer heartbroken and hoping for a late-night text from his ex.
Below, Stemaly shares how he found "Hello, You Up," and what drew him to it. He also reveals a surprising benefit of cutting the song: It earned him a new collaborator.
I knew Jamie already, but I didn't know John when the song was pitched to me. I was on vacation in Tampa, [Fla.], on the beach, about five margaritas deep, and the wind was blowing, like, ridiculously all around the beach that day. I get a text from [Big Loud Records CEO] Seth England, and he's like, "You have to listen to this song. We have to cut this for you," blah, blah, blah.
I was like, "I mean, I'm on vacation, but, okay, whatever." And it was so windy I couldn't hear the song, but I kinda put a beach towel over my head. All my drunk buddies were kicking sand on me [Laughs].
But I remember I heard enough to hear a chorus, and I was like, "Wow, I've been through this before," and I'm sure tons of other people have as well, where you break something off and you realize maybe it was the wrong move ... As a stubborn guy, I can say that I've done that more than once, so I just related to the song.
I always told myself I'm not cutting a song that I didn't write unless I can feel it whenever I sing it. I felt like I could go out and play that song every night and mean it and be able to relate, so I wanted to cut it for myself. I'm super glad they let me have it, because I think a bigger artist could have got it.
That sparked a friendship with me and John Byron, and now he's my go-to guy ... Now he's become one of my best buddies, from that song.
Check Out 20 Great Songs Other Artists Passed On: