Social media has been essential to Billy Jack Purnell's music spreading across the globe.
In just a couple weeks after uploading his original song "Fishin" to the NASH Next contest, the Clarksburg native has seen a dramatic increase of hits to his website and downloads of his songs.
When voting closed on the first round of the contest, sponsored by the Mid-Missouri Cumulus media group, his song had the top rating at nearly "4."
Now, in the second round, he has uploaded his "Take It and Make It Your Own" entry - his version of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood."
Online voting continues through Aug. 12 on this entry. The other six contestants - including Jefferson City group Murphy's Ford - also entered an original song for the first round and chose from selected popular songs for them to cover for the second round.
"It's a challenge; that song is real pop-ish, not country by no means," Purnell said. "I had to make it my own."
So avoiding listening to Swift's version, Purnell wrote down the lyrics and put the words to his own music.
"It's the same song and same lyrics but the way I do it is completely different," Purnell said. "It sounds like one of my songs I would've written."
Trying something new, Purnell said he's unsure if it will help or hurt him in the NASH Next contest.
Some voters may be expecting the same version as Taylor Swift sings, he said. But he's hoping that other voters will appreciate his own style.
Already, several followers have encouraged him that they think he will win the contest, which after four rounds advances to a national round from among the 68 NASH FM stations.
"It's great to hear, but I'm not that guy," Purnell said. "I'm my own worst critic."
The contest grand prize is an exclusive management contract as a recording artist.
The third local round, which runs Aug 15-26, is "Use Our Phrase." The participating artists will be given a line to write a song around, he said.
The final local challenge is a "live" event in September, where up to three artists may be chosen to advance to the national challenge, to which they submit a live performance video for judges' review.
The top 10 national artists will be selected for the finale in November in Nashville, Tennessee.
Regardless of how the contest turns out this fall, voters are sharing his music on their social media and with new listeners.
"It's turned out to be a really cool thing already," he said. "Social media really blows up on something like this."
As a full-time welder and rearing a family, Purnell said he doesn't have much time to promote himself and his music.
"The Internet is a tool an artist like me has to have," he said. "Your music still somehow grows."
His latest writing venture is "These Two Hands," which he shared at a family gathering and a niece posted to the Internet.
Not a quality recording, it's still getting a lot of attention already, Purnell said.
"It's taken a life of its own."
In March, Purnell was selected as one of 50 unsigned artists to participate in the Tunesmith Entertainment Nashville Draft, which partners the artists with major national businesses for cross-promotions.
The draft, originally scheduled for June, has been postponed until August 2017, to be timed with the National Football League's 2017 draft.
On the web: www.plainnsimple.net