Country Artist Chris Housman Created a 'Feel-Good Album.' But Then His World Came Crashing Down (Exclusive)

Chris Housman finds a way to smile.

“I’m doing really well, especially considering everything,” Housman says in a hushed tone during a recent interview with PEOPLE.

Indeed, as the country artist celebrates the triumphant release of his debut album Blue collar and the widespread attention he received for the hot music video for his current single “Guilty as Sin,” he also mourns the loss of a past love.

“He was the love of my life,” Housman says of Nashville songwriter Abe Stoklas, who died of unknown causes last November. He was only 38 years old at the time of his death.

The two first met in August 2019 at a “little lesbian karaoke bar” in Nashville. “I’m probably going to cry at some point, but I remember he walked in the front door of the bar, and I told my friend that if I could build a person, it would be a person,” Housman, 34, recalls of his first meeting with Stoklas. . “I ended up talking to him and then we continued to meet after that.”

Chris Housman.

Ford Fairchild

But then things quickly began to escalate between the two.

“We were together for a few months and I think it was too intense at first, and he broke it off in December 2019,” Housman remembers. “But then, a few months later, the pandemic happened, we ended up in quarantine together, and then we were officially together again.”

This on-again, off-again relationship lasted for many months until the couple broke up for the final time in October 2021.

“We both loved each other,” reflects Stoklasa’s Housman, who has written songs for artists such as Tim McGraw, Lady A and Chris Lane. “And also, he was a genius. He was a really successful songwriter and an insanely talented singer and musician. And I think that added to the intensity of the whole thing.”

Chris Housman.

Ford Fairchild

Despite their breakup. the two remained on good terms until Housman received the shocking news of Stoklasa’s death.

“I always thought we’d probably end up together,” Housman says quietly. “We both just needed to pull ourselves together. So when did that option disappear? It’s still hard to believe.”

Chris Housman proves Broken Heart is universal on ‘Nobody’: Anyone can ‘get into this song’

And while Housman’s debut album Blue collar could easily have been filled with the shock, anguish and sadness the singer/songwriter has felt since the day Stoklas died, but it wasn’t.

“It’s really just a collection of my life’s work up to this point,” Housman explains of the album, which was primarily created before Stoklasa’s death. “I kind of worked on it [this album] because I picked up the violin at the age of 7. I think it also sums up my personality. It’s a feel-good album.”

Chris Housman.

Ford Fairchild

It’s a positive mindset that Housman says he holds on to.

“The only way to get through this is to find a way to feel good about everything that’s going on in the world,” he says. “I think the album reflects that well.”

Country to its core, the album also brings some controversy which can be heard in the lyrics of songs like “Bible Belt”, “Guilty as Sin” and the title track “Blueneck”. “I wanted this album to be a combination of the things I grew up with and the things I am desire I grew up listening,” Housman says.

Perhaps one of the most stellar works on Blue collar is “Can’t Go Down That Road,” the incredible song that Housman co-wrote with Blaine Younger must have taken on a whole new meaning after Stoklasa’s death. And then there is “Nobody”, which is directly inspired by Abe. “I wrote it after we first broke up and I was devastated,” Housman remembers. “And then we ended up getting back together for a few years, and he loved that song.”

The album ends with “Why Can’t I Just Say”, which includes an actual recording of the voicemail Stoklasa left for Housman.

“It felt perfect to end the album with that song,” Housman concludes. “That song was about him at that moment.”

Chris Housman.

Ford Fairchild

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Source: HIS Education