Country music artist Adam Sanders will be in a familiar setting Saturday at Auxvasse's Music on Main celebration.
The artist kicked off his career as a toddler, performing at local festivals and talent shows throughout his youth near Lake City, Fla. - his small hometown with a population of about 12,000.
Driving with his dad around that town and listening to music sparked Sanders' interest in music, even at the age of three. They mostly listened to Alan Jackson and, because of that, Sanders said he would sing only that country music star's songs for some time. Sanders said his mom often tells people he could sing before he could talk, explaining how he caught the music bug early on in life.
His family has played a key role in influencing Sanders to pursue music. He said family gatherings and holidays are full of song. Relatives bring their guitars, play the piano and sing along to various tunes as if music is a family heirloom.
"I really think it was just born in me," Sanders said.
While in high school, Sanders dreamed of moving to Nashville. He performed in more talent shows, of which some Sanders said he was lucky enough to win, and prepared to make his way to the Music City.
After a brief stint in college and a break up, Sanders moved to Nashville in 2009. There, Sanders said he would sneak into the studio with his uncle Scotty Sanders, a professional session musician. The choice benefited Sanders as he jumped in the co-writing process.
"If you're cool enough to be in the room, you're cool enough to co-write," Sanders said.
Sanders also found a good group of friends who were also songwriters. Included in that group was fellow up-and-coming music artist Cole Swindell, who is popular for the songs "Ain't Worth the Whiskey" and "Dozen Roses And a Six Pack." They would gather for "Saturday Song Day" and play music they wrote for each other.
"It made you want to get better at what you did because you know they were getting better too," Sanders said.
More than a year into his Nashville lifestyle, Sanders landed a publishing deal with Big Yellow Dog Music and began writing for big names in the industry like Dierks Bentley ("Sounds of Summer"), Dustin Lynch ("Hell of a Night") and Scotty McCreery.
Sanders had his first taste of success when Luke Bryan picked up his song, "Out Like That" for his album Crash My Party.
Bryan's choice, though, came as a surprise for Sanders and the song's co-writers Aaron Goodvin and Cole Swindell.
Before recording the song, Bryan called Swindell and told the three to report to the studio.
"Luke just smiled and said, "Congratulations,'" Sanders said.
"Crash My Party" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and sold a little less than 528,000 copies in its first week, according to Billboard.
"It made me know for sure I belonged in (Nashville)," Sanders said.
He eventually made the transition from writing for others to writing for himself and becoming a full-fledged artist. Though he was living in a big city, the small town life wasn't far from Sanders' mind.
Sanders' debut song, "Nothin' To Do But Drink," which will be performed at Music on Main, is a reflection of his teenage years spent in Lake City.
"I just remember as kids, there was nothing to do in such a small town," Sanders said.
The song premiered on SiriusXM's The Highway in June, and later on Sanders experienced the moment many artists' treasure: hearing his song on the radio for the first time.
He was in Nashville preparing for a show and decided to go back to the publishing office with his guitar player. While driving, they heard the first lines of the song: "Peach floatin' in a mason; Little buzz chasin'; Friday night high; Got the short skirts shakin'."
"It was one of those surreal moments," Sanders said. "The first time to hear it was unbelievable ... It's been a huge blessing."
He said "Nothin' To Do But Drink" has been streamed more than one million times.
Now, Sanders is continuing to identify who he is as an artist.
"I'm holding down on songs that fit me," he said.
Never knowing when inspiration will come, Sanders always carries his phone. He writes phrases in his phone's notepad and records voice memos.
Sanders said he likes to strike a balance between the upbeat songs that make roll down their winds and ones with deeper meaning. Both are important to him, as songwriting has become therapeutic.
"I hope my music is the best of both worlds," Sanders said. "I want to speak to the masses."
He will have that opportunity this weekend at Music on Main, a fundraiser for the Auxvasse Fire Department. It starts 6 p.m. on the 100 block of South Main Street.
The opener will be local artist Grady Frasier, followed by Disengaged. Sanders said he's accustomed to being the opener, so he's excited to be headlining and to be out of the club/concert setting.
"For me, I'm anxious to play the show and meet people who live there in Auxvasse," Sanders said.
Music on Main is one of his biggest shows all year, Sanders said, and he simply wants people to have fun. He said he knows if he and his band did their job by the amount of smiling faces in the crowd.
"Music, for me, has always been an escape and a way to cope at times ... I want people to look back and say, "We had a blast,'" Sanders said.