OAKLEAF – Chad Eagan wasn’t looking for international stardom and untold wealth when he cut his first record two months ago. Not that he would turn down the notoriety, but the reason for preserving his words, music and emotions for eternity was grounded in a more self-serving reason.

“I just want to be heard,” he said.

Chad is a stylist at Bleach Please Salon on Wells Road who maintains a fully booked schedule during the day, and his regulars often wait weeks for an appointment.

Hair is what he knows, but singing is his passion. And after singing everyone else’s music, the Oakleaf crooner decided to do something alone.

Eagan went to rocketsongs.com (Original Songs for Original Artists), where aspiring artists can buy music and lyrics from aspiring songwriters. The agreement gave Chad complete rights to the song, and in return, they both agreed to share any possible royalties.

“I’ve been thinking about doing this, releasing this project on my own song,” Chad said. “I've been getting booked for all these shows, and I'm tired of always doing cover songs. I wanted something I could put out there and say it's mine. I just went online. I started looking. I was listening to all these demos and those songs and came across ‘If It Don't Twang,’ and I was like that's it. It's great.”

Chad set up three hours of recording time at Jacksonville’s Greenteam Media on Nov. 18, but he only needed 45 minutes to turn the project into a song. Now, it’s available on 21 streaming platforms, including Spotify, Amazon, YouTube, iHeart Radio and Apple.

“I was looking for a country song because that's what all my bookings have been,” Chad said. “That song let me lean into it. Over the last few years, I've kind of gotten away from country because I connected with stuff that had a little more soul. I just kind of went back to my roots. It's taken a few months to catch up, but I realized you can’t wait for a break. You have to make your own break. When I started with music and singing publicly, it was country.”

A year ago, Chad was one of 68 who competed in the Jax Idol competition. He survived weeks of eliminations to finish second. He said he doesn’t plan to compete this year and will concentrate on finding another song to record.

Chad will sing four songs at the Rising Star Showcase on Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park and Campground in Live Oak. He will be one of 14 artists to appear. A few will then be invited to Nashville to perform at Jason Aldean’s Kitchen and Rooftop Bar.

Chad is also scheduled to open for Chuck Wicks at Suwannee Music Park on Feb. 8.

“I'm not looking to be the next Kenny Chesney or Tim McGraw,” he said. “I just want to hear my music out there because I enjoy it. I guess I get just as much satisfaction out of that as if I were a huge celebrity. I want to be heard. I want to say, ‘Hey, I have music out there. Listen to it.’

“I'm not chasing stardom. If it just happens, I'll accept the blessing if the right ears hear it and it opens the door. But I'm not out chasing Hollywood or Nashville.

“But, it does feel good having strangers come up and be like, ‘Hey, you're that guy.’”

And it's even better when they tell him they heard his song.