From Red Lobster to 'GMA' : 5 Things to Know About 'Good Time Good Life' Singer Erin Bowman

Erin Bowman owes part of her success to Red Lobster – seriously!

She’s all about a good time – and the world has noticed.

Erin Bowman has people dancing with her hit single “Good Time Good Life”, which has topped Sirius XM’s Venus for 14 straight weeks.

“It’s been crazy and it’s been amazing,” Bowman tells PEOPLE.

The 26-year-old New Jersey native’s star is on the rise – here’s five things to know about her hit track and life out of the spotlight.

1.”Good Time Good Life” almost wasn’t a single.

The hit track has been featured in Oscars promos and This Is Us, and is slated to play in an upcoming episode of Girls, but it was actually once Bowman’s second choice single.

“I was actually going to go with a different single, we were working on finishing that up,” she reveals. “The second I heard ‘Good Time Good Life’ once it was finished, I was like, ‘Wow.’ And I sent it over to my manager and we were both like, ‘This should be the next single.’ ”

Though Bowman insists she never expected this level of success with the track, she admits, “You do get a feeling. It felt good when we were writing it.”

Rob Kim/Getty

2. She owes her success, in part, to Red Lobster.

Like many people, Bowman held a variety of odd jobs before finding her way to the music industry – one at a pizza place, another at an ice cream parlor. One gig, however, was partially responsible for kick-starting her Hollywood career: Red Lobster.

“I started working [at Red Lobster] when I think I was 18 or 19. I worked there for several years and I met so many great people,” she says. “I met a guy at Red Lobster who eventually introduced me to my manager, which is really crazy.”

Bowman says that one night, a man sitting at her table asked which music service the restaurant used to pipe in tunes because a song that had played was from a band signed to Atlantic Records during his career there.

“I was like, ‘Oh wow, I’m a singer, that’s crazy!’ I know people at labels get that like every single day, but he was nice about it,” she shares. “I gave him my information and showed him my site, which had some music on it, and he emailed me that night.”

Eventually, the man – who just happened to be passing through New Jersey – introduced Bowman to her current manager.

“So really I owe a huge thank you to Red Lobster,” she says.

Erin Bowman/Twitter

3. She’s a dog lover.

“I have two dogs, they’re the cutest things ever,” says Bowman. “They’re both rescue pups.”

Bowman and her sister share Boo, a pit bull mix, and Ellie, who the singer suspects might be an Italian greyhound.

“She’s from Puerto Rico,” Bowman says. “She traveled far and wide to get to us. We’re happy to have them, nothing is better – there’s just so many dogs that need homes.”

4. She’s got a girl crush on Gwen Stefani.

She knows she’s cool.

Erin Bowman says the artist she looks up to most is Gwen Stefani. “I just like everything about her, her music, the way she just is as a person,” gushes Bowman. “She just seems like a really cool, very real person. And I hope that people think I’m a really cool, very real person when they see me or listen to my music.”

Asked if her own music emulates Stefani’s in any way, Bowman says, “Lyrically I think I could be the same lane as her. Just like great songs, with great melodies. I hope that comes across in my music too.”

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5. She doesn’t get nervous – unless it’s the National Anthem.

Luckily, Bowman says she doesn’t really have to battle nerves when taking the stage – she didn’t even get scared before performing live on Good Morning America.

The star does, however, get a little nervous when it comes to one tune.

“I’ve sung ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ – that is the most nerve-wracking thing in the world,” she says. “You don’t want to let America down, it’s a very important song and such a great song, and I’m always so nervous that I’m going to mess that up. I haven’t yet!”

In general, Bowman says when it comes to lyrics, “I go over it a million times so I make sure I’m good to go.”