The slow rise of “Love Someone” came at just the right time for Brett Eldredge.

The song, which was released as a single in August 2018, peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart in June and topped Mediabase’s chart, giving him his seventh No. 1 single. Peaking 22 months after the release of his last album should buy Eldredge more time to work on his next one.

“It’s been a long time on the chart,” Eldredge said from his home in Nashville. “People want to keep hearing it, which means I can keep writing songs and doing my thing.”

Eldredge may need to share the song’s success with his dog Edgar, who co-stars with him in the music video.

“The director had the idea to make it a dog’s dream,” he said. “He falls asleep and dreams what the perfect day with his owner would be.”

For Edgar, it’s a day filled with food (a candlelight dinner with a pile of steaks, licks from Eldredge’s ice cream cone), a ride in a motorcycle sidecar and a sky raining tennis balls.

No word on whether Edgar will be joining Eldredge when he returns to Youngstown on Friday for a concert at the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre.

“I love spending time with him,” Eldredge said. “If it’s an easy road trip, we’ll do it. If I’m going far away, he’ll just stay home (with Eldredge’s parents).”

Eldredge co-wrote “Love Someone” with Ross Copperman and Heather Morgan, two songwriters he’s been working with since his 2013 debut.

“Ross, Heather and I, when we first met, we were all making pennies,” he said. “We didn’t have anything going on. We had our first hits together, which was really cool. You keep those folks around you, who know you and continue to grow with you.”

That debut album spawned three No. 1 county hits (“Don’t Ya,” “Beat of the Music” and “Mean to Me”), and 2015’s “Illinois” continued the trend with three more chart toppers (“Lose My Mind,” “Drunk on Your Love” and “Wanna Be That Song.”

“Something I’m Good At,” the lead single from his 2017 self-titled album, didn’t have the same success. The self-deprecating song peaked in the low 20s, numbers that would thrill most artists. Eldredge said he wasn’t worried about that initial dip.

“I kind of got to the point where I just wanted to put something out that was unique,” he said. “I’d love every single to be No. 1 and I had six in a row. This one was going to be different. It puts out a another piece of my personality. It didn’t fail; it just didn’t (reach the same heights). It’s a huge part of my live set. I wrote it with these crazy ramp ups. It’s a live experience kind of song.”

The subsequent success of “The Long Way” (top five) and “Love Someone” prove Eldredge still has the touch with country audiences.

Eldredge said he’s deep in the writing process for his next album. He scaled back his touring schedule to devote more time to writing and he plans to take the same care in the recording studio.

“I’d like to not rush a song,” he said. “I’m going to make this a big album that says something in a big way … I’ve done sessions where you try to get two (songs finished) in the morning and two in the afternoon, and sometimes that works. But nowadays I’m trying to make everything count more. With this album I’m going to do that, take my time and not put it out until it’s exactly how I want it.”

Eldredge was excited to learn he’s the first country headliner at the new downtown amphitheater, but he’s played several shows next door at the Covelli Centre.

“I think I’ve played there more than almost any arena,” he said. “I’m from the Midwest. All just feels very comfortable to me. Those shows have always been good for me and the band, and we’ve always had a good time there, always felt really comfortable there.”