Eric Paslay scored his very first nomination for Song of the Year for writing the No. 1 hit, “Even If It Breaks Your Heart,” with pal, Will Hoge.

AUDIO: Eric Paslay says it has always been a dream to be nominated for a CMA Award.

Eric Paslay (CMA 2012) OC: …nominated. :10
“Getting nominated for a CMA is crazy. There’s always that hidden secret in ya as a musician, as a songwriter and as a singer of like, ‘Maybe someday, I’ll get nominated.”

AUDIO: Eric Paslay talks about his CMA-nominated song, “Even If It Breaks Your Heart.”

Eric Paslay (CMA-Even If It Breaks Your Heart) OC: …just life. :32
“I wrote ‘Even If It Breaks Your Heart’ with Will Hoge, who’s an artist in Nashville, and he’s more of a Triple A artist; and that song actually was released on Triple A radio. I think the majority of people that tell me they love it are the musicians or the entertainers ’cause it’s so much about what we do. It’s like, ‘Keep on dreamin’ even if it breaks your heart.’ If you let it, it can break your heart every day from the ‘yes’s’ and the ‘no’s’ and the ‘you’re not good enough’ and ‘now you are’ and ‘you should have done.’ Whatever it is and I think that’s just life.”