Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has found success across professional wrestling and Hollywood, but the WWE legend is now exploring the possibility of taking his involvement in music to another level.
The Rock has incorporated music into his work throughout his career, including as part of his WWE persona, but revealed in an interview with Rolling Stone that he is now considering pursuing the art form more seriously.
Johnson and his wife, Lauren Hashian, are executive producers of the new album Moana: Voices Across the Ocean. The former WWE Champion also co-wrote and performs “Your Dad”, a song dedicated to his three daughters.
Speaking about his musical ambitions, Johnson revealed that he dreamed of becoming a country music star as a teenager. His influences include Sam Cooke, Elvis Presley, George Jones, Merle Haggard and Johnny Paycheck, with traditional country music remaining particularly important to him.
“I’m exploring that now, and I appreciate you asking that. As you roll along in life, I’ve been real fortunate to be part of some really cool projects, and love it. But music has always been such an anchor for me, and very specifically in genres that I love, like country music, traditional country music. And we’re exploring that now.”
The Rock Says He Has Reached A New Point In His Life And Career
The Rock explained that he has reached a stage in his career where he wants to pursue projects that he feels personally passionate about.
“I’ve reached this point in my life and in my career where, honestly, Brian, when I wake up in the morning, I swing my legs out of bed, and whatever the thing is that I’m doing, I wanna feel like I’m just running towards it. And the most gratifying things we do are when it’s for us, because we have enough pressure to deliver for so many other entities.”
For Johnson, “Your Dad” represents a project without the commercial expectations normally attached to his work in Hollywood.
“The things we do, we must do them for ourselves, and then we must feel it in here, behind our ribcage. But they’re also always connected to some sort of commerce. You make films, especially the big four-quadrant movies, you want them to do well. But this song, for me, is just a song to my daughters. Where there’s no pressure of an expectation to deliver something that, ‘Well, how are the sales, and how’s the box office? And how’s the streams?’ It’s just from me to them.”
While Johnson did not announce any specific future music project, he confirmed that he is actively exploring what a deeper move into music, particularly traditional country, could look like.
