New music from Keith Urban is here with the release of his new album, HIGH, and he joined Audacy’s Katie Neal for a conversation surrounding the songs, creative process, and “dark humor” of the title.

After a public battle to sobriety nearly 20 years ago, Keith isn’t hiding from his past with the title, HIGH, which may raise some eyebrows now that he is 18 years sober. “I love the dark comedy of it, given my past. That's very intentional,” Keith said of the title. “But it also means something different to every person that hears the word. I mean, some people immediately think of just great sort of euphoria, or being in a mountain, or being in love, or getting good news, or being fit and healthy, or whatever it is. It's a place…. how we all get there is different but we all agree on the destination.”

With many of the songs capturing the feelings and moments of being “high on life,” Urban does address his dark past head-on with the closing track, “BREAK THE CHAIN.” A song that was born out of his own struggles with drug and alcohol addiction in addition to growing up with an alcoholic father. While the subject matter is heavy, Urban presents pure hope and a refreshing mindset to those that may be going through a hard time.

“That was just one of those beautiful, divine days where a song wants to come out and we happen to be in the right place at the right time portaling it in,” he said of writing the song alongside Marc Scibilia. “That song wanted to be here and I'm grateful that we were able to bring it in because it was not something I had in mind.”

He continued, “I come from a family with an alcoholic father and being raised in that environment… all its challenges aren't really apparent at the time, but as I get older I've got a lot of dysfunctions I'm trying to work through,” he expressed. “I can either keep blaming my circumstance, which is not my fault… it's nobody's fault whose family they're born into, but at some point it becomes my responsibility to change that… No matter what it is, that bit is up to me to be willing to take the steps to change past behaviors and break the chain.”

While clearly unafraid to touch on topics of real intensity, Keith also gives us plenty of his fun, playful, guitar-shredding style on songs like, “LAUGHIN’ ALL THE WAY TO THE DRANK,” where he not only name-checks actor, Matthew McConaughey, but also gives his best impression writing, “alright, alright, alright,” into the lyrics.

“I actually FaceTimed him when I was recording the song,” Keith said, before sharing he asked McConaughey if he’d be interested in coming in to record his infamous “Alright, alright, alright” line for the track. Unfortunately, McConaughey filming schedule didn’t allow him to make it happen, however, Urban said he was very appreciative for the shout-out.

In addition to brand new songs like “LAUGHIN’ ALL THE WAY TO THE DRANK,” and “BREAK THE CHAIN,” fans will also hear some familiar tunes on the album including current single, “MESSED UP AS ME,” and previously-released tracks, “HEART LIKE A HOMETOWN,” “STRAIGHT LINE,” WILDSIDE” and “GO HOME W U (WITH LAINEY WILSON).”

Experience the "HIGH" of them all by checking out the new album, HIGH, available now.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Country music is having a global moment and Tullahoma, Tennessee native, Dustin Lynch, could not be more proud.

During his time as a guest on Audacy’s Superstar Power Hour with Katie Neal, Lynch opened up about the current state of Country music and the excitement he feels seeing others embrace the genre he’s known his entire life.

“With the success of Morgan [Wallen] worldwide and Luke Combs and then the album that HARDY made [Quit!] that was rippin’ and rockin’, it's really opened to a lot of these, ‘I hate Country. I'm a Rock fan. I'm a Rap fan’ people,” Dustin shared of the current expansion of the Country music fanbase. “It’s opened the genre up… some guys and girls that probably had always written Country music off as a whole and dip their toe in it. They go, ‘Oh, maybe I like this.’”

While there’s clearly been a major shift in the acceptance from once-skeptical fans, there’s also been a shift on the artist side as mainstream artists are also taking a dip in the Country pool. With unexpected Country albums from Beyoncè and Post Malone this year, Country music is gaining appeal to more artists and Lynch says he’s witnessed the impact first hand with pal and Alternative Rocker/Rapper, Machine Gun Kelly.

Dustin shared he and MGK have been friends for a few years as they’re both part of an annual group trip to Lake Powell, and the the change in his attitude surrounding Country from their first meeting has been monumental. “The first year that I was on that trip, you couldn't get Kells [MGK] to even give Country the time of day,” Dustin said. “Really, he hated it… Since then, it's evolved. I think the genre has, you know, probably in a way made him respect and recognize.”

It’s been quite the evolution for MGK as he went from not giving Country music the time of day to now having his own Country collaboration with one of modern-day Country’s biggest artists, Jelly Roll. In July, the pair gave one of the genre’s most iconic songs the crossover treatment with the release of “Lonely Road,” which samples John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” from 1971.

Mainstream artists like Machine Gun Kelly aren’t the only ones having fun with the shake-up — longtime Country artists like Dustin himself are also enjoying pushing the boundaries of what Country music has always been and that’s exactly what Lynch did with his most-recent single, “Chevrolet,” featuring Jelly Roll.

“I was scared to death of it.” Lynch admitted when he first heard the song which interpolates Dobie Gray's "Drift Away" from 1973. “Interpolation of a classic song that’s been around forever — it's like, ‘Okay, can we do this again?’”

He continued, “I was just nervous. I didn't want to be judged, you know, and that's probably why the conversation ever started [of featuring Jelly Roll]. Like, ‘Should we bring in somebody else in to soften the blow?’”

With the song recently reaching number one on the charts marking a 10th hit record for Lynch, he’s happy he went for it, but says he’s ready to return to a more original Country sound with his new music, which is in the works.

“There's a song on the Killed the Cowboy album that really inspired, I think, what's going to be the next chapter for me,” Lynch revealed. “And that’s, 'Honky Tonk Heartbreaker,' just musically and sonically, that one excites me a lot. It's fresh and new for me, kind of getting back to where I started with, 'Cowboys and Angels,' a little bit. There's no definite direction yet.”

While all the logistics if the next album are still very much in the beginning stages, Lynch says there’s one thing for sure — he wants it to be fun. “I want to keep it light and fun and make music for guys and girls to dance too,” he shared. “I think that's kind of where I'm at in life right now just providing some fun for some people… I think I want more of those moments in our show right now.”

Hear more about his ideas surrounding a new album, his friendship with MGK, his inability to “veg out” and more by checking out Dustin Lynch’s full interview on the Superstar Power Hour with Katie Neal above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Chris Young is a man of many talents. Not only does he have 14 number ones under his belt at Country radio — including his most recent, “Young Love and Saturday Nights,” but he’s also a closet breakdancer.

Young’s breakdancing talent has been exposed thanks to his mom, Becky Harris, who shared his secret during an appearance on the Got It From My Mama Podcast with Jennifer Vickery Smith which has resurfaced following breakdancing being added to the Olympics this year.

“Down on second avenue [Nashville] there was a group of B-boys that would actually go meet up so i would play shows acoustic and then go down to second avenue and they had cardboard and a drummer.”

He continued “A lot of those guys were really close friends of mine and I just picked it up. It was something that I thought was really fun. I guess that's part of me being a Gemini because that has absolutely no bearing on me being a Country artist.”

While Young seems to have some serious cred, fans shouldn’t expect to see him bust any moves at upcoming shows. “It’s a party trick,” he said when asked if he could bust out some moves on the spot. “Nor will I do it on stage because everybody immediately goes and asks for that.”

Breakdancing may have no place on Young’s current Young Love & Saturday Nights Tour, but he did share some unexpected things that do when asked about his pre-show rituals.

“There are multiple handshakes, there are certain things that I'm just a creature of habit about praying before I go on stage,” he shared. “My stage manager always has a movie quote that he says once we're ready to go for the show — different movie every day and we all have to try and guess what movie it is. I actually love that.”

We’re sure many of those quotes come from sports movies as Young is a known sports fanatic made clear by the bling he sports on his finger which is a legitimate World Series ring for the Texas Rangers. “I know people that know people,” he said when asked how he got the official bling.

“I didn’t think honestly I’d be able to get one,” he admitted. “I was making a casual observation that those rings are really, really cool and I used to live in Arlington, Texas and went to Rangers games.”

Definitely a man of many different hobbies, music still holds the top spot in Young’s heart and he’s feeling extra grateful that his most recent album, Young Love & Saturday Nights, has been received so well by fans. “There's so many songs that people have leaned into,” he said of the project, which released earlier this year. “That's really all you're hoping for as an artist is for people to love your music and relate to it.”

Hear about the music, hobbies, breakdancing and so much more by checking out Young’s full conversation with Audacy’s Katie Neal on the Superstar Power Hour above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Music has always been a family affair for Thomas Rhett. From spending his childhood on the road with his Dad, Rhett Akins in the 90s, to his own successful music career today with many of his songs centering around his wife and their four daughters — Rhett has proven himself a true family man and his fans love him for it.

The family inspiration continues with Rhett’s recently released, 7th studio album, About A Woman, which as most could guess is filled with tracks inspired by his wife, Lauren. Also the inspiration behind many of Rhett’s biggest hits including “Die A Happy Man,” “Look What God Gave Her” and “Unforgettable,” Lauren is no stranger to being the subject of a hit song, but this go-around she had a special request for her husband of 12 years.

“She was like, ‘I love when you write songs about me, but can you make me dance this go around?’” Rhett said of his wife’s request for this project. “And so that was kind of my bar, and sort of my benchmark.”

Lauren wasn’t the only one ready to dance — Rhett says his four daughters also helped him select some of the songs for the album and were clearly loyal to the ones that made them want to move including, “Fool,” which Rhett says is their clear favorite.

“I remember playing the demo of that for them,” he shared of the track that sits number one in honor of his girls. “That was Willa Gray's number one of the whole record, like most requested song. That, for me, was enough to be like, ‘Alright, well, this is your track on the record and we'll put it number one for you.'”

Rhett credits the support and fun-loving nature of his wife and kids for helping him accomplish this number one goal with the album, which he shares was to put a smile on every listeners’ face. “The first mission was to bring joy,” he shared. “Like, literally, that was like at the root of every song we sat down to write was like, does this put a smile on your face?”

His second goal was to make the project digestible in a world full of massive music releases including double, triple, and quadruple albums. “I remember the conversation being so long about how many songs makes a record good these days because it's all over the place. Some people are putting out EPs, some people are putting out songs with 40 songs on the project… at the end of the day, I wanted to make a record that… felt digestible, something that you could carve out 36 minutes of your time to listen to, and hopefully it had the repeatability.”

That’s exactly what the 34-year-old served up with 14 tracks encompassing joy, musicality and talent, once again, proving he’s at his best when influenced by the love, inspiration, and support of his family.

Hear more about the album, upcoming live shows and his family by checking out Thomas Rhett’s full conversation with Audacy’s Katie Neal above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Brantley Gilbert is baring all for his new album, Tattoos, due September 13 and we mean all. One look at the cover and fans will see a bare-chested Gilbert, standing tall with his tattoos on full-display, each one an important part of the forthcoming album.

“If you’ve seen the album cover, I’m topless! I’m about to break 40 and I’m on there with my boobies out,” Gilbert said with a laugh during his recent time on Audacy’s Superstar Power Hour with Katie Neal. All jokes aside, the 39-year-old says sharing his tattoos is one of the most personal things he could do. With many of them being faith-based and representing personal stories and reminders, it sets a tone for the album that is highly personal and a little different than what he’s done in the past.

“This is the first album that hasn’t had a faith-based or spiritual title, but… I have a giant cross that goes across the top of my chest… a lot of my tattoos are faith-based.” Writing about his tattoos was an idea that took some serious convincing for Gilbert, who shared he’s never been a fan of songs about tattoos.

When approached by his cowriters at a retreat in Texas, Gilbert says he immediately shot down their idea of writing about tattoos, until one of them made it a challenge. “They were like, we should write a tattoo song and I was like… ‘No. I’m not writing a tattoo song because if you’ve ever heard a tattoo song before this one, they all suck.’ It usually comes from somebody that has one or two like, ‘Look at my tattoo it’s so cool,’ and I remember Randy Montana saying, ‘Well, Hey dude, make it your job to not let this one suck.’”

Challenge accepted, and after reflecting on the stories, reminders and symbolism of his ink, Gilbert says he’s immensely proud of the song and project as a whole. “I really do love that song. It’s extremely personal and literally, every line in that song, I can point to the tattoo on me that it’s talking about. I’ve found in my career, a lot of times if you write a song easy to relate to… the ones that are close to the chest and more personal are usually more relatable, so this one couldn’t be closer.”

Ahead of the September 13 release, fans have gotten a taste of the album with Brantley’s current single, “Over When We’re Sober,” featuring newcomer Ashley Cooke. Written by Gilbert, alongside Jelly Roll, the song continues to climb the charts, a direct result of the power of Gilbert and Cooke’s voices together.

“She’s been awesome to work with, you couldn’t ask for any more out of a duet partner than what she’s bringing to the table,” Brantley shared before detailing there’s a few other duets fans have to look forward to on the project, including one with Rascal Flatts frontman, Gary LeVox.

“This wasn’t on anyone’s BINGO card,” Brantley laughed when asked about how the unlikely pair found one another. “I remember not knowing what to think about the guy ‘cause they had the boy band thing goin’ on, spiky hair and the shirts and whole 9 and I was kind of anti-that,” Brantley admitted of the first time he met LeVox back in the day. That quickly changed after he got to know LeVox and the pair quickly became friends. “Country as cornbread,” he said to describe Gary. “That dude… he’s stays out in the woods and out on the farm.”

Hear more about Brantley’s time working with Gary, how he and his wife are preparing for baby #3, and lots more behind the scenes stories of the new album by checking out his entire conversation on Audacy’s Superstar Power Hour with Katie Neal above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

It all started with helping others for Nate Smith, who was a Certified Nursing Assistant before making it big in Country music. At the age of 18, Smith leaned into his love for others by becoming a CNA (Certified Nurse Assistant), but little did he know that road would lead him to Country stardom.

Always full of enthusiasm with a big smile on his face, it’s no surprise bringing joy to those around him is a gift for Smith, but it looks a little different these days as he’s gone from helping people accomplish everyday tasks during their stay in assisted living facilities and hospitals to rocking out on stage and dancing through his sets with thousands of fans.

“I like to help people,” Smith told Audacy’s Katie Neal during the Superstar Power Hour as he recalled his past work in the medical field. “When I was 18, I became a CNA — Certified Nurse Assistant — and I had jobs in convalescent homes [and] acute care. I was working in different hospitals and retirement home sort-of-situations where they require more care than just assisted living… helping them with the activities and daily living… I just love people a lot, I love taking care of people.”

His journey to help people shifted when he was 23 and received an opportunity to spread joy through one of his biggest hobbies — music — by signing a record deal in Nashville.

“When I was 23, I had an opportunity to get a record deal in Nashville and so I moved to Nashville for the first time with Word Records — it’s a Christian company here in town,” he explained. “It sort of fell though after six months of negotiating… I ended up signing a publishing deal as a songwriter so I did that for about three years and I went through a really difficult break-up.”

Navigating heartbreak led Nate to a move back home to California to be with his family, but just as he started healing — more devastation hit. In 2018, Smith lost everything to a wildfire, which sparked a new grieving process where he leaned on music more than ever.

Following the fire in 2018, Nate’s friend sent him a guitar which allowed him to keep making music and ultimately prompted a second move to Nashville, second record deal offer, and so much more for Smith who has now found his own place in Country music after the release of his debut album and EP.

Now, Smith is looking to solidify that space even more as he shares he’s currently at work on his sophomore album. The 38-year-old promises it will include some of the Rocker-Country vibes his fans love so much, while he also says some of the tracks will push the boundaries a bit.

“Yes, there’s an album coming, there’s for sure an album coming,” he promised. “There’s going to be songs on this one that are more in the world that you’re familiar with like ‘World On Fire,’ ‘Bulletproof,’ ‘Whiskey [on You]’ without re-doing the songs… There will also be a lot of songs that push the listener outside of that too. We’re excited to push the boundaries a little bit.”

Smith has teased a taste of the new album with clips of an unreleased song, “Fix What You Didn’t Break,” on socials and it’s clear fans are more excited than ever. “I feel like I’ve had a lot of tempo, tempo and I think it would be good not to go all the way extreme and go super ballad, but find a tough boy love song,” he said when asked about the tune.

“We set out to kind of marry the 2000s with Country,” he said of the inspiration behind the song. “Listening to those songs like ,'I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing' or 'Here Without You' [by] 3 Doors Down, that kind of thing…. I’m so excited about this song, I really believe in it.”

“Fix What You Didn’t Break,” is available for pre-save now while the release date for Smith’s sophomore album remains under wraps. Hear more about what to expect, his past in nursing, time on tour with Morgan Wallen, bromance with Bailey Zimmerman and so much more by checking out Nate Smith’s entire conversation on the Superstar Power Hour with Katie Neal above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

After revealing he landed two collaborations on one of the most highly-anticipated records of the year — Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion — Luke Combs opened up about what it was really like working with one of 2024’s hottest artists.

“We’ve written a bunch together this year — probably close to five or six different times,” Combs said of how much time him and Post have spent creating together for the new album.

Combs continued on to described writing with him as “the best,” and even felt like a student at times watching Posty’s creative process. “It was fun. It was stepping outside of stuff that I wouldn’t normally write, but also bringing my little bit of knowledge into his thing. It was really cool because the way those guys write and produce and create stuff is so different from the way I do it and it was just really cool to get to be around that stuff and experience it. It was really a lot of fun.”

He continued, “He’s such a music fan, he just loves music — all kinds of music. He loves making music, he has such good energy, he’s just positive — at least from my experience. He’s just the sweetest dude.”

Mixing their creativity was clearly a recipe for success as Luke is featured on two of the album’s 18 tracks, “Guy For That” and “Missin' You Like This.” And while Luke clearly had his own impact on the album, he says he actually hasn’t heard much of it outside of the songs he recorded. “I haven’t heard a lot of it,” he said, revealing he’ll be listening to the majority of it for the first time along with the rest of us on August 16.

In addition to his newly releases with Posty, Luke has also been teasing some new solo music, which hints at a new album, but according to Luke the main focus is his family.

“Obviously, I have two, young sons… so it’s a crazy ride right now,” he said before sharing splitting his time between his current tour and raising his sons has him completely booked right now. “It goes from back-to-back stadiums to back-to-back bedtime, bath, bottle, diaper. It’s a crazy juxtaposition, but it’s also the best thing in the world.”

Hear more from Luke about new music, his tracks on Post Malone’s new album, plus his involvement on the Twisters soundtrack 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