Eric Ethridge’s debut single “If You Met Me First” has the country singer wondering what could have happened if he crossed the line with his love interest. Unfortunately, he’s too late, as his dream girl has fallen for someone else.
The singer’s smooth vocals are at the forefront of the soaring ballad, accompanied by light piano and guitar. The music video, which Billboard exclusively premieres below, brings the track’s yearning lyrics vividly to life as Ethridge visualizes what could have been.
“In a different place and time/ Maybe in another life/ I bet that baby you and I would have worked/ We never get the chance to try/ And what makes it worse/ Is you would have loved me if you met me first,” he croons on the chorus.
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“’If You Met me First’ is the first song I’ve released that I truly feel has deeply connected with listeners in a meaningful way around the world,” the singer tells Billboard. “That’s an incredible feeling that I appreciate so much as an artist. I hope the video connects with fans even more. It was a really fun process to make,” he says, adding that director Ryan Hamblin and his team “did an incredible job of bringing my vision for this video to life.”
“If You Met Me First” was written by Jenn Denmark, Tiffany Goss, and Ty Graham. As Denmark explains, the song idea came to her while analyzing some of her favorite songs and trying to figure out what she loved so much about them.
“‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’ was at the top of my list, and I feel like people connected on a very real level because it’s one of the most raw and basic human emotions: to love and not be loved in return,” she explains. “I figured one of the only things sadder than that would be to love someone who also loves you back and there’s nothing you can do about it. I’ve definitely been there before, and the response we have had to the song has been heartbreaking to find out how common it actually is.”
“If You Met Me First” is featured on the Canadian singer’s debut EP, which he released in 2018 while still practicing as a chiropractor. The singer quit his practice earlier this year to relocate to Nashville and pursue music full-time.
Watch Ethridge’s stirring video for “If You Met Me First” below.