Frankie Ballard Motivated By Lack of Awards Show Love

All six of Frankie Ballard's singles have landed in the Top 10, and three of them have hit No. 1; he's also earned a Top 5 album and spent plenty of time in the last several years on the road. However, awards show recognition has evaded him: The singer has yet to even be nominated at the ACM Awards or CMA Awards, let alone win a trophy -- but it's only making Ballard more determined.

"It’s the industry I’m in, and it’s my colleagues, so you want them to go, ‘Hey, man, we think you’re alright.' But I haven't really got there yet," Ballard tells The Boot. "I just always take that as, you gotta get better; you gotta keep working harder.

"If I get there, then I get there, and I’ll be happy about it, and if I don’t, then I guess I never did it well enough, because I think great songs and great music will be recognized," the artist adds. "Until it’s great, it can be overlooked, so we just keep trying to make it great."

Ballard isn't willing to conform to trends just to win awards, though.

"I just have to put my head down and do what I do best," he notes. "And that’s what I have done: Try to get better and not worry about what’s popular or what’s happening, but just dial into what turns me on musically, what songs I like, what lyrics I want to say, what influences I have, being honest to those."

Sure, Ballard may dream up an acceptance speech in his head every now and then, but he isn't about to complain about his life or career just because his trophy case is sparse. In fact, he says that he has already accomplished more than he ever thought he would.

"You start out playing guitar in your bedroom, and you go, ‘Man, I wonder how many people I could stand up in front of and sing my songs and hear them sing my songs back to me. I wonder how big it can get,'" Ballard reflects. "Twelve years ago, when I started this band, it was the same dream. We’ve gotten it this far, and I just want to keep trying to get it better and see how far we can take it, and everything that comes with that."

And Ballard won't let awards -- or a lack thereof -- be his measure of success.

"The only thing I think a guy can do like me is just try to be the best that they can be," he says. "That’ll make the world a better place, if you can just be the best you can. I try not to focus on the other stuff, what’s going on or who’s hot. I just try to keep getting better and better. I know if I get good enough, it will be okay."

Ballard's new album, El Rio, is set for release on June 10.

See Frankie Ballard + More Country Stars as Kids