Breedlove’s December Featured Artist, Pete Mroz, releases his new single “I Believe It” on December 14th, 2021. In addition to being a powerful, soulful track, the song has a unique and meaningful pedigree. It was produced by Rob Byus, a friend and colleague that Pete has known for nearly three decades. Rob and Pete cut their teeth together in Nashville before Rob went on to become Blake Shelton’s bass player. In fact, Pete teased Blake when he was a contestant on The Voice, telling Shelton, “You stole my bass player.” Blake’s response was, “No, I gave him a job.” The track is inspired by Pete and Rob’s heartfelt conviction that we all are truly ONE and LOVE will always WIN! Check it out on all music platforms on December 14th!
Listen to “I Believe It” now on Apple Music.
View Pete’s Featured Artist Page here.
About Pete Mroz
When someone is unshakably dedicated, brimming with talent, and gifted as a guitarist, singer, songwriter, and performer, you might assume that he’s in the music business. But make no mistake, whether he’s picking his way through a songwriting session, commanding the stage at a local venue, or performing to a riveted national audience as Blake Shelton’s chosen team member on “The Voice,” Pete Mroz is most definitely in the people business.
“To me, all the touring, the playing, and the songwriting are really about touching people,” he says. “I love that human connection, and I just love to make people smile.”
A man on a mission, Mroz is out to experience the world of new people and move them with his music. As his show-stopping, chair-turning performances on “The Voice” vividly demonstrate, he has the depth of soul and the soaring vocal chops to pull it off. That high-profile turn on the national stage was part of a natural progression that started when his dad pushed him onstage for an impromptu karaoke performance of the Beatles’ “Yesterday” on the eve of his 18th birthday.
Bolstered by the positive response of that karaoke crowd, Mroz packed his bags for Nashville and went to work mastering his craft in writer’s rooms, on stages, and in countless studio sessions, recording and releasing six indie projects in the process. It was in his early days in Music City that he joined a songwriters group called the Young Writers and met another young hopeful by the name of Blake Shelton. Their spontaneous on-air “Voice” reunion became one of the real highlights of the show’s 20th season.
Pounding the pavement up and down Nashville’s Music Row, Mroz was rarely seen without his guitar, an instrument that provided constant companionship and inspiration, and became an essential part of his creative process. When it comes to guitars, Mroz clearly can’t help himself.
“I admit it, I just love guitars,” he laughs. “I like to say I’m married to my voice, but I have a love affair with my guitar.”
Apparently, guitars love him back. Bend, Oregon-based Breedlove Guitars, who tapped Mroz as their Artist of the Month for December, put together an impressive giveaway with fellow Mroz endorsers L.R. Baggs Pickups and Telefunken Microphones, a prize package that showcases every aspect of their endorser’s wide-ranging skill set.
Mroz credits his dad, a mechanical engineer and professional race car driver, for instilling in him the persistence, confidence, and poise to stand tall in front of a nationwide, network TV audience, wowing celebrity judges and a loyal fan base that has exploded since his Voice appearances.
“I do think I get it from my father,” he says. “A lot of my fixing stuff comes from my dad, along with that speedway driver’s ability to think on my feet and react quickly to unexpected challenges.”
Born in Indiana, Mroz lived a nomadic childhood, residing in 15 different states before his eventual move to Nashville. That could explain the deep sense of longing that lifts his best songs and the powerful way he inhabits every lyric he delivers. These hectic days, when the touring stops, Pete Mroz knows exactly where his home is and where his heart is.
“This music monster can sometimes pull you away from the things that are really important,” he says. “I love to get out and play, but I couldn’t do any of this if it wasn’t for my wonderful wife. With two boys and another one on the way, someone has to pick up the load. But I intend to be present for them, to live in the light, and to remember to be thankful for all of it.”
