When Dalles Jacobus wrote We Wave, he had no idea it would become this big. He definitely didn't think it had the possibility of being the song played at the end of the first quarter at Hawkeye games when fans and players turn for 'The Wave' to the Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital.

So, when I wrote the song, it was just kind of a hobby at the time,

he told me on Cornstalks and Sports Talk this last weekend.

I had just picked up a guitar six months before that, and I could barely play it. ... I was honestly never going to show (We Wave) to anybody. I ended up doing it for my roommates and close family.

Everything changed after he was coaxed by a friend's mom to perform it at a potluck, and one of the attendees secretly videotaped his performance.

That was the video that blew up originally. That was the point where I was like 'You know what, maybe I've got something here. Maybe I should try to pursue this.'

And pursue it he did. The former defensive lineman for the Hawkeyes has had the song recorded professionally and is now signed on with a record label.

 

I signed (a record deal) about a year ago now. It's been a cool experience -- it's kind of a start-up record label -- it's called SSK Records. Steven Machat is the owner of it. ... He's a lawyer by trade, started up this label, and decided I was someone he wanted to take a chance with. It's been great to work with him and my agent, James Case. I've been fortunate to have them by my side.

With the help of those two, his mother who is a NICU nurse, and countless others he wanted to thank, Jacobus will have We Wave out as a single within the next few weeks. He's got a few more songs coming on an EP as well:

We've recorded three fully-produced songs. ... The EP (will come) hopefully sometime in the summer with those three to five songs. So, we're running right now.

The songs will be out on Spotify and Apple Music.

The Palo, Iowa native says the coolest experiences he's had since the song got attention have nothing to do with his choice to pursue music full-time:

Going into the hospital after I wrote the song and hearing families say 'I play this for my kid every night before we go to bed.' ... Having families that were in the NICU that my mom worked with reach out and tell me how incredible she was as a nurse and everything she did for them was so cool.

If it all culminates in We Wave being chosen as the next song for Iowa football games, Jacobus says it would fulfill a dream of his -- but it's not about him:

It would be incredible. ... I've been going (to Kinnick Stadium) my whole life. To maybe one day hear my song played over those PA speakers in front of 70,000 people would be incredible. But, at the end of the day, it's not about the song. ... The Wave is going to stay The Wave. It's going to be the best tradition in sports. I'm just very grateful to be a part of the conversation.

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