Kenny Chesney is celebrating another impressive career milestone with the release of his 20th studio album, Born — available now — and the accomplishment has him feeling pretty nostalgic.

“I live in gratitude every day to have had the career and the songs that I’ve been able to write and get my hands on,” Chesney told Audacy’s Katie Neal before reflecting on when he first started in music. “I think about how that kid was so curious and scared, but so determined and wanted this so bad.”

He continued, “I was in college playing a Mexican restaurant and I was carrying my own sound system… I would get free enchiladas and all the beer I wanted and in college, that’s a pretty big deal… To think of where we are now — it’s basically the same person doing the same thing — I’ve just a got a lot more stuff around me and a lot more people around me. The journey has been a beautiful one.”

Inspired by the journey he’s been blessed by and the courage he’s had to chase his dream, Chesney is using his new album to encourage others to get out there and see what they can accomplish.

“There’s several songs on this record that go straight to the heart of living your life to the fullest and just getting off the couch of your life,” he said of the messages throughout the project. “I’m proud of where we are, I think it’s a good reflection of where I am at this part of my life. I think that I was able to make a record that really defines our live element but gives people a glimpse of the person — that’s hard to do both — and I think that we were able to do that with this Born album.”

Live shows were definitely something Chensey took into consideration while crafting the new album, and while he shares he’s excited to play a couple of new tracks on the road this summer with his Sun Goes Down stadium tour, he plans on keeping it mostly to the hits.

“New music is great, especially for us, who have been doing this for a minute because it adds new energy,” Chesney said before detailing what he has in mind for his 2024 setlist. “We’re going to do a couple songs off the record that are pretty rockin’ — we’re going to find out place for those — but for the most part, we’re going to dive into our past. We’re going to do some we haven’t done in a while, but it’s going to be loud, it’s going to be fun, it’s going to be full of connection and love, which is what I love about what we do.“

Anyone who has been to a Kenny Chesney show for any amount of time knows the connection the 55-year-old is referring to as he is widely known for having one of the most electric and tight-knit connections to his fans who he calls, No Shoes Nation.

“I am so in tune with the people that come see us play,” Chesney said. “I have touched so many hands and looked at so many faces and we have just this soulful connection. I know it’s a lot of ...

With more than 20 #1 singles under his belt, you might believe Thomas Rhett has a sixth sense for hit songs, but according to the 33-year-old hitmaker that couldn’t be further from the truth. Rhett used his latest chart climber, “Mamaw’s House” featuring Morgan Wallen as an example saying he never imagined the song performing on the charts.

“I think because we wrote this song so long ago and when we released it, there was never a plan for it to go on a radio chart of any kind,” Thomas said of the reason why he was shocked the tune — which he wrote in 2020 with Morgan Wallen — was so well-received.  “It was just like, ‘This is cool that we did this together — let’s put it out.’ To see it organically making its way up the chart is really special.”

He continued on to share the song was a product of he and Wallen’s first time ever writing together and came to be after Wallen received a call from his Mamaw during the write. “The whole song literally sparked by a phone call that he got in the middle of that write from his grandmother — his Mamaw... We walked away from that like, ‘Cool, man. Glad we wrote a song about our grandparents. Moving on…’” Thomas laughed.

Having written the song in 2020, for four years it sat alongside hundreds of others Thomas says he has in the archives that may never see the light of day. Seeing the success of the song he almost didn’t release has Rhett overthinking (more than he already does) when it comes to the new album he’s got in the works. Typically seeking validation from those closest to him, Rhett says this go-around he’s decided to take a different approach.

“I’ve had it happen so many times where I’ve been like, ‘This song is a smash, this is my favorite thing I’ve ever written in my life.’ Then you play it for a friend and they go ,’Eh.’” Known to take opinions straight to heart, Rhett was very selective about who he shared songs for the new album with and made sure he stayed focused on what the fans would like.

“I was really careful this go-around not to let a lot of people in on the process because I was having so much fun — am having so much fun — making it,” Rhett shared before admitting he’s even kept his wife, Lauren, more on the outs that normal.

“I actually sat my wife down and was like, ‘Hey, let’s make a date for me to play you the album because she’s always gotten to hear it, all the way through but this one it’s sort of like — ‘Hey, these are the decisions that I have made.’”

So, with many on the outs — who did get to have input into Thomas’ new project? “There are three individuals that are not in the music business and they’re between the ages of 18 and 24 that are friends of mine that I sent everything to, in real time,” he shared. “They’re not jaded, they’re not so in the 615 [Nashville]. We can over-analyze a song to death… at the end of the day, people like a song, or they don’t.”

After welcoming two baby girls, Kane Brown and his wife, Katelyn, are having some fun browsing a fresh list of names as they get ready to welcome their first son later this year.

During his recent appearance on Audacy’s Superstar Power Hour with Katie Neal, Kane shared he and Katelyn have narrowed it down to four names, however, his original favorite isn’t on that list.

“We wanted to name him Knight because it starts with a K,” Brown said, admitting the baby will have the initials KB like all their other family members; Kane, Katelyn, Kingsley, and Kodi. “But, it’s just the N. We’d have King and then Knight — for Knight in shining armor — but we need the K [sound]” he said, pronouncing the letter.

Appears the couple hasn’t had too hard of a time moving past the name Knight as they already have a new favorite which they are hoping gets family approval before the baby boy arrives. “We have like four that we’re choosing from. There’s one that I would say is our number one name, but Kate’s [Katelyn’s] brother is not in love with it, so it’s really really [bothering] her…. I don’t know, maybe we will, maybe we won’t go with it.”

While he anxiously awaits the arrival (and we all anxiously await the name), Brown is keeping busy as he climbs the charts with his current single, “I Can Feel It,” a stadium tour and making a new album… and even with all that, Brown says he still desires to do more.

“I’m like, so competitive, I would definitely put me at the top of the list of the most competitive people in the genre,” Kane said, admitting he is always keeping an eye on his peers to make sure he is keeping up. “Like, when I was watching the Super Bowl — just to see some of the artists on Super Bowl commercials and things like that — and I’m sitting at the bar watching I’m like, ‘Man I could be doing something else.’ Sometimes it makes me feel like I’m being lazy.”

Admitting he’s constantly battling thoughts of “never enough” when it comes to his career, Brown shared he received some much-needed clarity from actor and wrestler, John Cena, during a conversation that felt like therapy.

“I had a therapy session with John Cena the other day,” Brown said. “Not really, but I was in the car with him and he was asking me questions — he’s actually a great interviewer — he asked me a lot of questions that I’ve never answered [before]. When I would give the answer, he would kinda tell me how he saw it.”

One of those questions got Brown to open up about his struggles with feeling like he’s “less hungry” than he was in the early days when he had to brainstorm, plan and execute every move surrounding his music in the search for success.

“I have a lot of extra time now, compared to my Facebook days where I had to think about what I ...

Cody Johnson has shifted the perspective of millions across the globe with his life-affirming hit, “’Til You Can’t,” and according to the cowboy-turned-Country star, that includes his own. While the song has been one of his biggest to date and reached the #1 spot on Country radio, Johnson says the impact on him and his fans was much greater than just topping music charts.

During his recent appearance on the Superstar Power Hour with Audacy’s Katie Neal, COJO shared the song took on a whole new meaning to him shortly after he recorded it when a private jet he was flying in experienced an engine malfunction sending him and his team plummeting mid-flight.

“We were all on a plane coming from Mississippi going to Austin to do a NASCAR Race National Anthem,” Johnson told Katie Neal of being on the jet with his wife, assistant and tour manager. “[We] were going to fly through the night and long story short, the jet stalled, engine failure, and we started plummeting from about 41,000 feet, down to about 10,000 feet and the pilot said, ‘This is it, we’re goin’ down.’”

He continued, “I remember thinking about all the things I’d left unsaid and all the things I’d left unfinished and how angry I was — immediately, I thought, ‘I should have said that, I should’ve did this’ — and I don’t want to live with that regret anymore. Next night, when I sang, ’Til’ You Can’t,’ I was like, ‘This song is for me…’  it changed my perspective and I hope it’s affected other people like it’s affected me and I thank radio for giving it such huge platform.”

While humbled that song in particular reached the top — Johnson is quick to clarify it’s not the #1 status that means the most to him, it’s the message he was able to spread and will continue to share whether he continues to reach #1 or not.

“We followed ’Til’ You Can’t’ with ‘Human,’ which made it into the top 5 but didn’t get a #1 with it. Everybody was so concerned [saying] ‘We don’t think this is going to get #1’ and I was like, ‘It doesn’t matter… so we got a top 5, we didn’t get a #1 — boo hoo!’ I’m never going to chase #1s, I’m here to put out music I believe in and stories that are real.”

Proof of the 36-year-old doing just that is everywhere as he regularly hears stories and meets fans who tell him how his music has changed — and even saved — their lives.

“There was a young lady in Australia that came up to me at a meet & greet and explained to me how ‘Human’ came on as she was about to commit suicide and she decided not to,” Johnson revealed. “She said, ‘Who is this guy Cody Johnson?’ And the next song that comes on is ’Til You Can’t’ and she said, ‘I just want to thank you, it saved my life.’ That’s so much bigger than a Platinum record or a number 1 hit.”

Johnson’s continues to impact listeners with his latest single, “The Painter,” whic ...

Dierks Bentley is honoring the great Tom Petty with the release of his next single, a cover of Petty’s “American Girl.” With his own Country sound and hints of Bluegrass throughout, Bentley says he’s excited and honored to share his spin on the classic with the world.

As Bentley sends the single to Country radio beginning February 26, the song is part of an even bigger project, Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty, set to release May 31. The tribute album will feature greats like Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Chris Stapleton, Marty Stuart, Margo Price and many more as they cover the iconic songs of Petty’s monumental career.

“This idea was presented to me and I was so excited to have a chance to be a part of it.” Dierks told Audacy’s Katie Neal during his time on the Superstar Power Hour. “I jumped on it. I said I’d love to get ‘American Girl,’ and I got it and we went in the studio and I had a lot of the same cast I use on some of the more Bluegrassy stuff, but we also put big drums, electric guitar — so it has a mixture of the two worlds… it turned out great.”

While he never got the chance to meet Tom Petty before his passing in 2017, Bentley says growing up as a fan of Petty’s music, and also inspired greatly by his work as a musician, he feels like he has a strong connection and understanding of the icon.

“It’s one thing to listen to ‘American Girl’ so many times as a fan, but to listen to it as a singer, knowing that this is really going to be out there, I wanted to try and make it as me as possible, but also grab some of the pieces of Tom Petty — just his vocals — there’s so much authenticity to his vocals, so raw, he’s just singing straight from the heart.”

He continued, “I never got a chance to meet him… but that’s the thing about music… you know the artists through the music and you have the relationship there that, to me, that’s good enough. Getting a chance to honor him and be a part of this project, I’m happy with that — more than a handshake would have been.”

Getting to cover one of his biggest inspirations in such a high-profile way isn’t the only plus for Bentley — he’s also excited to play the song live at his shows as well as have the single buy him a little more time to work on a new album.

“It gives me more time to work on my record, coming out sometime next year,” Dierks said of having “American Girl” to promote while he works on a new album. “To be handed this song, an instant hit, you go out there on the road and everyone is excited to sing along to it. It’s actually an incredible gift.”

In between promoting the new single, working on his album and touring on his Gravel & Gold Tour, Dierks says he is also keeping ...

Chris Young has brought new focus to his health and fitness routine and fans are taking notice. More than 50 pounds down, Young is quick to clarify he isn’t “taking” anything but more trips to the gym.

“Somebody walked up to me like, ‘What are you taking?’” Young shared in a puzzled tone. “Umm, water? Advil, sometimes,” he laughed. “It’s about being more healthy for me. In the gym, on a regular basis.”

A tight gym community has helped Young continue to reach his health goals and while he feels comfortable celebrating his progress with his fellow work-out pals, he sometimes feels awkward sharing it with the world.

He continued, “I work out with a bunch of guys who train tight ends in the NFL and they’re always hyping each other up at the gym and just having a good time, so it’s like, yeah, the workouts suck, but it’s been a lot of fun for me.”

On top of his fitness journey, Young has been hard at work on his ninth studio album, Young Love & Saturday Nights, releasing March 22. His first album since Famous Friends in 2021, it will also will mark his largest collection of songs to date with 18 tracks.

“It’s just time for some new music,” he shared. “Every album is a snapshot in time, right? Of like, where you are as a person, artist, writer, producer… this one in particular has been the biggest sort of labor of love that I’ve ever done.”

He continued, “It’s something I’m really, really proud of. I am so happy that this project is finally coming out and that everybody gets to hear all the songs because I’ve been living with ‘em forever.”

Hear additional details about the new album, Young’s fitness journey and more by checking out his entire conversation with Audacy’s Katie Neal on the Superstar Power Hour above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Chris Janson got us all excited about the possibility of a duet with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson last October when he posted a video calling out the legendary celeb. Now, he’s giving us an update on the status of that duet.

“I’d say it’s pretty close,” Chris said when asked by Audacy’s Katie Neal how close a duet with The Rock is to happening. “When it happens, it happens, and it can be quick. It can be just like spur of the moment, ‘Okay, we’re gonna do it Tuesday.’ And so I think that’s kind of where it is right now.”

Definitely excited at the opportunity for a collab with The Rock, Janson said he is making sure to still respect the space and time of his high profile pal.

“As I do consider him a friend, he’s also an extremely famous friend, and even though he doesn’t act that way, he is, and I respect that very much,” Chris expressed. “I like to give that space... I’m sure he’s got plenty of buddies who hammer all the time about stuff, and I’m not that guy. I want to be very mindful of his situation, and he has a lot going on - I would say probably ’24 you could probably look [for a song with him] and certainly some live collaboration moments between he and I singing.”

The buzz around Janson and Johnson doing a duet started when Janson posted a video on TikTok dedicating a cover of Hank Williams Jr’s “The Blues Man,” to The Rock and sharing with viewers they’d talked about doing something together.

“This one goes out to my buddy, The Rock,” Janson said to start out the video. “We have yet to sing together live and I know we’re talking about it and I know we’re going to do it.”

Can’t wait!

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

After nearly 20 years in the business, 11 #1 singles and 7 GRAMMY wins, it’s safe to say Country trio Lady A has quite the catalog, however, there is one song that “got away” that they just can’t stop thinking about.

Ahead of their performance at Audacy’s Totally Private concert series at the Hard Rock in Nashville, Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott revealed they were pitched the song “Like I’m Gonna Lose You” and passed on it, making room for Meghan Trainor and John Legend to swoop in and make it a big ol’ hit.

“Meghan Trainor and John Legend’s [“Like I’m Gonna Lose You”], got pitched to us and we said ‘No,’” Hillary recalled with a stunned look on her face. “What were we thinking?! [That’s] such an amazing song.”

While the trio continues to wrap their minds around what could have been, they were quick to admit they’ve been on the receiving end of the same kind of story with some of their own hits — for example, “Downtown.”

“‘Downtown’ was on hold for Miranda [Lambert],” Charles shared. “Someone had sent it to us… technically, they shouldn’t have sent it to us but we were in the studio and were like, ‘We need a song like this!’”

He continued, “It kind of got back to Miranda that we were thinking about it and she goes, ‘Oh, I love those guys. You know, if they’re going to the studio and cutting it, let ‘em have it.’ It could have been a Miranda hit.”

While no one will ever know what the song would’ve accomplished for Miranda, Charles shared he believes songs have a way of “ending up where they’re supposed to,” which was exactly the case for a number of songs penned by Dave, Scott and Hillary, which found their best life with other artists.

“‘A Little Bit Stronger' [by] Sara Evans” Hillary shared is a favorite song she penned made famous by another artist. “That one — before ‘Thy Will’ was probably the most personal song I’d ever written and so, to let it go, it was OK that we pitched it and I was so excited when she cut it because she’s just a huge, huge influence on me as an artist and a singer.”

Dave then chimed in sharing a favorite from his own catalog, “I think the one with Luke Bryan [that] Charles and I wrote, ‘Do I.’ It was just a special moment in time too — we were early on in our career and just kind of coming up a similar time with Luke and getting to kind of be a part of — a little tiny part — of his star just shooting and rising early on.”

While the song shuffle is all part of the business, Lady A is determined to make sure no song falls through the cracks as they continue work on their next ...

As the GRAMMYs near, Jelly Roll is reflecting on his first-ever nominations and the hard work, dedication and sacrifice it took to get him there.

“It’s the ultimate ultimate,” the 39-year-old told Audacy’s Katie Neal of his nominations for New Artist and Country Duo/Group Performance for his song “Save Me” with Lainey Wilson. “When you get nominated for a GRAMMY, every other accolade you’ve had takes a backseat to just the nomination.”

The pair of nominations is the perfect representation of Jelly’s self-described “ground-shattering year” as he skyrocketed to ultra-fame with three #1 singles on the Country charts and impacted millions with his messages of hope, resilience and faith.

“It’s crazy to be nominated for New Artist at the GRAMMYs and win it at the CMAs going into the year I’ll be 40, It’s insanely unreal,” he said before detailing he’s excited to continue impacting people with his platform. “My thing is, how can I continue to help people? I want to be a man of service more than anything.”

While his impact has been grand, it hasn’t come without sacrifice for the Nashville-native who says his personal goal in 2024 is to spend more time with family. “I gotta get back to my family a little bit. One of the costs of having a stellar year was sacrificing a little bit of personal time with the family. I’m just spread so thin, I want to make sure I can get back to gettin’ in the bunker with them.”

As he works to find a balance between it all, Jelly says he has some good friends and fellow artists helping him find his way and make sure he has support. At the top of that list is Country artist, Eric Church.

“Eric Church has been really good at answering my questions in detail and me being able to kinda talk to him about anything and just really kind of articulate through it,” Jelly said with gratitude for Church’s selfless nature. “He’s really helped me a lot… and he’s just been really cool to lean on. Kid Rock is that way too… Miranda [Lambert] is another one.”

With more support than ever, a solid fan base and a strong drive to continue making a difference, Jelly is fired up about where he’s headed next — not only with his philanthropic efforts, but music as well.

“We’ve been writing a ton,” he said of his work towards a new album. “I’m really fired up about where I am in the writing process for the next album. I’m way far ahead of the hog on this one.”

Hear more about the music, his GRAMMY nominations and more by checking out Jelly’s full interview with Audacy’s Katie Neal above. Plus, be sure to tune into the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards this Sunday (February 4) to see if ...

Jon Pardi and Luke Bryan’s relationship has gone from “hold my beer” to “hold my baby.”

Ahead of his performance for Audacy’s Totally Private concert at Hard Rock Nashville, Pardi shared with Audacy’s Katie Neal that he and Luke spent some quality time together at Bryan’s recent Crash My Playa festival in Cancún where Luke got to hold his daughter, Presley.

“We had a good time,” Pardi said, while admitting things were much tamer for him since he had his daughter. “Me and Luke hung at his hotel, by the pool and just talked it up. He got to hold Presley. Me and Luke have been friends for a long time, so… he was like, ‘Man, I never thought, Pardi with a kid,’” he laughed.

While Luke wraps his mind around “Pardi with a kid,” Jon is currently wrapping his mind around having two daughters under two as he and wife, Summer get ready to welcome another baby girl in 2024.

“I knew it was going to be a girl, I just knew it,” he said before sharing he and Summer are excited to welcome another little one before they’d originally thought. “We were like, ‘Let’s get it out of the way,’ you know? Instead of us waiting two years, they’re 18 months apart, so they’ll be buds. It’ll be a lot of fun.”

Just after they become a party of 4, the family will move into their dream home, which Jon and Summer have been building for some time. While Pardi says the home is “practical” compared to what people might think they’re building, there are a couple features he’s really excited about — the first being a pool.

“We’re just making a practical house,” he said when asked if his pool would resemble fellow Country artist Jason Aldean’s, which has water slides, waterfalls and more. “Aldean’s pool is amazing, but like, totally irrelevant to me,” he said before admitting they did reach out about the fake palm trees.

“We did reach out to them about their fake palm trees. I was like, 'Man! If we can get some fake palm trees, that’d be very west coast.’ They’re pretty cool.”

The pool isn’t the only place Pardi plants on spending a lot of time — he also shared he’s looking forward to having a home gym where he can continue to better his health — something he’s been working on for a few months now by working out more and temporarily cutting out alcohol.

“For now, I really, really want to look better in photos,” he said of his health goals. “We’re only aging and it’s time to really be healthier. You’ve got these guys like Riley Green showing off six-pack abs. I’ve got tough competition, so I gotta be on it,” he laughed. “I guess all I’ve really done is party, party, party so I’m just trying to le ...