When Jason Nix writes about what it's like to spend your life "Singing for the Money," he knows what he's talking about from firsthand experience.

Nix takes a wistful look back at the days "before I started singing for the money" in his debut single, which actually plays against the cynical-sounding title by paying homage to the joys of simply playing music for the sheer love of it. It's a joy that he still finds on the road playing music.

"So here's to the good life / Getting lost in a good time / Taking off on a long ride / And coming up with a good rhyme," he sings, but he goes on to acknowledge that life on the road has its downside, too:

"But there's always two sides / To a truth that you can't hide / To the blade of a sharp knife / Hey, and maybe that's all right / Here's to the good life."

The singer-songwriter spent years pounding out a living as a lead guitarist for other touring acts, traveling the country sleeping in vans, hustling his own equipment in and out of gigs and learning the ropes of the music business. He's brought all of that experience to bear on "Singing for the Money," which is premised around a straight-ahead acoustic strumming pattern that provides a perfect bed for Nix' strong, clear voice.

Vocally, Nix is somewhat reminiscent of a young Dan Seals. "Singing for the Money" draws on classic singer-songwriter influences, but the kind of porch-pickin' bluegrass he learned from his father is also in evidence in the easy groove. His approach is somewhat at odds with mainstream contemporary country radio right now.

"I just want to write things that are real to me and say things that people don’t know how to put into words,” Nix says. “What I want more than anything is to give people a way to feel something they didn’t know how to feel."

He knows that will make a harder road for him.

"The truth doesn’t really make money," he observes. "You can’t always make people hear it, but I plan to try."

"Singing for the Money" is set for release on Friday (May 11). For more information on Jason Nix, visit his website, or follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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