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What Every Artist Can Steal from Russell Dickerson’s Joyful Rollout

Here's how the RD Party makes music marketing fun and effortless and what you can take away from his latest single "Happen To Me."

Author

Stephen Frost
June 04, 2025

Hey, it’s Stephen!

Welcome to The Frosted Letter—where we help music marketers and artist teams crush their next release and break down music marketing rollouts that are actually working in the music industry right now.

Today I want to talk to you a bit about one of my favorite songs released so far this year, which, in my humble opinion, hasn’t been talked about nearly enough despite having seismic fan traction and terrific results

Russell Dickerson’s country-first but also pretty 80s-inspired pop-rock track “Happen To Me” has been on repeat for me and thousands of fans this year, thanks in part to his killer rollout that mixed humor, dance challenges, smart nostalgia, and pure joy.

We’re breaking down the playbook to show you how you can steal some of this magic. Let’s dive in!

Campaign Snapshot

  • This Week’s Release: Russell Dickerson’s latest single, Happen To Me

  • Release Date: February 21st, 2025

  • The Song: Set from the guy’s point of view, Happen To Me is a feel-good song that captures the thrill of a spontaneous night out. The song’s hook is not only catchy and energetic, but the beginning of the 27-second teaser he repeatedly uses starts with a sample of Cyndi Lauper’s iconic hit “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”

  • Why this campaign matters: it feels like there aren’t as many artists who make promoting their new music look incredibly fun the way Russell has. He’s created an abundance of hype around the first single of his upcoming fourth album by leaning heavily into his goofball charm and uncanny talent for making danceable country music. He’s more than in touch with his fan base, primarily made up of college-aged girls and young families in the South (18-45 age demographic). He's locked in.

The Playbook

@russelldickersonofficial

Y’ALL READY?! RUSSELLMANIA IS JUST 48 DAYS AWAY 😱🔥🔥 Grab your tickets, bring the crew, and let’s PARTAYYYY 💪🎫 #newmusic #teaser

  • Play #1: Russell began teasing the song on January 24th, one month out from release day on socials, showing 27 seconds of the song’s hook in what appears to be his home studio/writing room.

@russelldickersonofficial

This but in 3 months on a boat with 2 margaritas in my hands... is it too soon to drop the SONG OF THE SUMMER!?!?!? 👀 #summerjam #countrym... See more

  • Play #2: He later posted a follow-up teaser on February 5th (that went particularly viral) of him dancing to the song alone in a hotel gym. This marks the beginning of what would be his ongoing Happen To Me dance. Ahead of the February 21st release date, he posted the teaser approximately seven times.

@russelldickersonofficial

Summer came early this year cuz HAPPEN TO ME just HAPPENED TO YOU!!!! #newmusic #countrymusic #dance

  • Play #3: Since the song’s release, Russell’s been posting a long series of Happen To Me dance clips featuring his wife, his family, his touring crew, and tons of famous friends like Kaitlyn Bristowe, The Savanna Bananas, Lauren Alaina, Maddie & Tae, the Denners, Adrien Nunez, & Tianna Robillard. What makes these collabs work so great is that they come across as truly authentic, and everyone in them is having a visibly good time dancing.

@russelldickersonofficial

I’d cut class to see this exhibit too…. #countrymusic #ferrisbueller #fyp

  • Play #4: Not only did he use famous movie lines and scenes to integrate the songs into his fans’ lives, but he also creatively stitched them in ways that made sense. Among his song placements in his posts were spots from films and shows like The Notebook, Notting Hill, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Severance.

The Result

  • #24 on Spotify’s Viral 50 – USA

  • 27M+ streams on Spotify (as of June 3)

  • 15M+ social video views (as of March 4)

  • Multiple sold-out dates of his RussellMania Tour

  • Fan-generated moments on tour that extended the song’s life beyond the campaign

  • First solo #1 on SiriusXM The Highway

  • A Steve Aoki remix (released TODAY!)

Steal These Tips For Your Next Release

1) Create an engaging fan experience (and actually HAVE FUN with it)

Create an experience for your fans that’ll keep them engaged and excited about the song (and actually HAVE FUN with it).

There’s a saying I heard years ago about being on stage that goes along the lines of “if you’re nervous on stage, so is your audience.” The same goes here with presenting yourself online. When you’re your realest self and are having a good time doing it, your audience will gravitate.

2) Know your song’s narrative in and out

Understand the narrative of your song and how it emotionally connects with your fans. We’re in the service industry after all, and while songs aren’t tangibly solving problems like taking a dirty car to a car wash, they do solve emotional problems. Your skill as the artist is to connect to your fans’ story and make them the hero.

And when you do, you’ll be able to capitalize on trending moments that feel authentic to you, using the song to speak on a deeper level with your fans (like this Timothee Chalamet interview moment or this POV mood shift).

3) Don’t be afraid to over-post your song

Post your song relentlessly and unashamedly in a way that’s true to you and speaks to your ideal fan.

Now, of course, if you’re hearing something different from your audience in the comment section, take that into account and reassess the play accordingly. The fans that do love you and continue to engage will keep showing up for you in the algorithm, and go out of their way to support.

4) Cross-promote your song with collaborators in your circle

Think about the supporters in your tribe who are rooting for you and your music. How can you include them in bringing your song to life online?

Whether it’s an occasional collab post with an artist friend or a new duet remix, consider partnering with collaborators who can introduce you to their audience and your audience to theirs. Try a fun dance collab, or another unique kind of partnership that can keep your song alive months after its release.

At the end of the day, artists are in the service industry and need to be servant-focused for everyone they come into contact with (that goes for fans, the team, collaborators, and everyone in between). Because the artists that present themselves as givers more than takers more often than not end up having the longest careers.

BONUS TIP: For all the label folks who need their artists to make the obligatory “Thanks Spotify/Apple Music for adding my song to ___ playlist,” consider stealing Russell’s brilliant way of showing the playlist adds for “Happen To Me” that actually worked (this one and this one).

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Talk soon,

Stephen