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Thomas Rhett | Superstar Power Hour May 16, 2024

Show notes

The 59th Annual ACM Awards are upon us and Thomas Rhett is ready to debut his brand new single, “Beautiful As You,” live for the first time in front of everyone but Chris Stapleton.

During his appearance on Audacy’s Superstar Power Hour with ACM Award-winning Katie Neal, Thomas Rhett shared the one person he avoids eye-contact with while performing at awards shows is Stapleton and here’s why. “He’s just so good,” Thomas laughed. “Even though we’re really good friends, I’m just like, ‘You’re on such on a different level vocally than everyone else in this building.’”

While he’ll be avoiding Stapleton, TR is over the moon to share his first new music in two years on such a big stage. “I haven’t put new music out in two years and so it feels really fresh for us,” he shared before shouting out the ACM Awards for supporting his new single. “Getting to debut a new song on an award show is such an honor — it takes a lot of trust, honestly, from the ACM folks. For them to [say], ‘we heard this song, we like it, you should play it!’ We’re very excited.”

After releasing last week, fans everywhere have been dancing it out to the new single, “Beautiful As You,” which stemmed from one of Rhett’s biggest inspirations, his wife Lauren. “I think in a nutshell, for me, this song fully represents who my wife is at the core,” he shared. “People tell me all the time, ‘You don’t give yourself enough credit,’ and it’s like, I don’t deserve any credit for the marriage I’m in. I genuinely, every day wake up and I wonder ‘Why?’ like, ‘How did this happen?’ It really is one of those songs about just lookin’ at the person you’re with and being like, ‘What are you doing with someone like me? Thank God you are — but why?’”

There’s a lot more fun to come as TR says the single is the first taste of his new album, arriving August 23. “It’s done, mixed, mastered, photo, video — all the things,” Rhett said of the new project which has been his main focus while not touring as heavily. “I’ve taken more time on this project than I really have on any project… It been a fun change of pace.”

Taking time away from touring has not only brought what he says is one of his most joyful albums, but it’s also gifted him precious time with his four daughters at home. “It’s been really fun to kind of immerse myself in school and softball and dance and horses and all the things they’re into,” he said. “It’s been a lot of fun to watch them really grow up this year and become themselves.”

It’s also given him the opportunity to go full dad mode and have more opportunities than ever to embarrass his girls like only the best dads do. “We’re going to pick them up from school and I’m going to wear my Chewbacca outfit and Lauren’s going to be Darth Vader,” he said of his plans for picking up his two eldest on May 4th, better known as Star Wars day. “They’re going to be super embarrassed, but that’s what a parent’s job is, is to embarrass their children, so… internally, they’ll think, ‘Mom and Dad are pretty rad,’ ...

Jelly Roll at the 2024 ACM Awards May 15, 2024

Show notes

Jelly Roll is headed into the 2024 ACM Awards already breaking records as he celebrates being a first-time nominee with not one, but four nominations; Single of the Year (“Need A Favor”), Music Event of the Year (“Save Me” feat Lainey Wilson), Male Artist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year.

“My first thought was, ‘You been nominated four times, what could I have done that justified four nominations?!'” Jelly laughed while catching up with Audacy’s Katie Neal, who is celebrating an ACM win of her own. “The Entertainer of the Year [nomination], that’s crazy talk… I just couldn’t wrap my head around being nominated four times. Before I even seen what the four noms were, I seen the stat that it was the first time someone went from zero nominations to EOTY nomination since Billy Ray Cyrus in 1993.”

Catch all the fun during the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards taking place live from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas on, May 16 at 8PM ET. Hosted by Reba McEntire, the show isfree to stream exclusively on Prime Video. No Amazon Prime account is needed.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Scotty McCreery | Superstar Power Hour Apr 25, 2024

Show notes

The Grand Ole Opry’s newest member, Scotty McCreery, has a lot to celebrate after being inducted into Country’s most prestigious establishment just one week ago.

“The Opry to me is such a big deal and it’s always been a huge goal of mine,” McCreery told Audacy’s ACM Award-winning, Katie Neal, during his recent appearance on the Superstar Power Hour. “I’ve got such an appreciation for the history of Country music and the Opry played a very significant role in making Country music popular… I’ve just got so much respect for the artists that have played there. To me, Country music is what I know, what I love, it’s what I will always do — whether 5,000 people show up or 5 people show up.”

Making Country music is exactly what Scotty’s been focused on the past year as he’s put work into his next album, Rise & Fall, due out May 10. “This is me, and where I am today,” McCreery said of the forthcoming album. “Songs I enjoy singin’, songs that feel good to my soul… everything about this record feels right.”

Included in the tracklist he loves so much is a couple of what Scotty refers to as “Daddy songs,” which were inspired by his son, Avery. “I didn’t flood this record with ‘em,” he laughed. “But, there was one song I started writing the night Avery was born, so that song made the record and there’s one that kind of ends the whole album as like, a thought towards Avery.”

Songs about fatherhood aren’t the only new things about the album, so was the creative process. McCreery explained the songs were the product of a songwriting retreat to the mountains of North Carolina with his best songwriting pals — a different approach from writing songs in the city like he’s done for past projects.

“It’s like heaven on earth up there,” he said of the location. “You hear the birds chirpin’ and you’ll see black bears. You’re in the middle of nature and it just puts your mind somewhere different than writing an album at 11 o’clock at an office like I do all the time.”

Hear more about McCreery’s new album, his best Dad fails and so much more by checking out his full conversation with Audacy’s Katie Neal above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Sam Hunt | Superstar Power Hour Apr 18, 2024

Show notes

Sam Hunt’s songwriting has visited a wide range of topics over the years. From backroads and house parties to cop cars and outskirts, there’s not much Sam is afraid tackle in a songwriting session, except fatherhood.

“I’m intimidated to write about my family and fatherhood,” he admitted to Audacy’s Katie Neal while sharing he’s been starting to gather ideas and draw inspiration for his next project. While the 39-year-old says he has no intentions of a “Dad song” making the tracklist, he shared hints of his family values will likely be weaved throughout as he is focused on providing a strong foundation for his kids.

“I’ve always been geared more towards progress and pushing the boundaries, [but] the next project — at least from an idea perspective — will be more about roots and foundation... more traditional values,” he said. “The bedrock of how I hope to raise my family. Those things will be there — even if my songs don’t sound like what you would call a ‘Dad song,’ they will be written from a dad’s heart.”

That’ll be a bit of a shift from his most-recent release “Locked Up,” which was inspired by the night Hunt was arrested in November 2019 for driving under the influence and violating open container law in Nashville and the impact it had on his marriage. While resurfacing a deeply personal time in his life, Hunt says he doesn’t mind bringing it back up as it is part of his story.

“I wanted it to feel more like messing up, but having your significant other go through it with you and stand by your side,” he shared. “It’s more symbolic than a specific story about getting locked up, but because of my history — there are dots that can be connected there.”

The song title also serves as the namesake for Hunt’s summer tour, the Locked Up Tour which will travel across the U.S. and Canada through September with special guests Russell Dickerson, George Birge (U.S.) and Dalton Dover. Also along for the ride is Sam’s family who he says make everything more fun.

“Early on I didn’t get out to experience a lot of the places we’d visit,” he said of touring before having kids. “I get up early now and go find a really good breakfast place. A lot of the guys from the band will get up and go with me, or my kids [Lucy Louise (2), Lowry Lee (6 mo.)] and [wife] Hannah. They’re traveling with me so we try to smell the roses… we’ve been going to aquariums and museums and things that I wouldn’t have done years ago, but I’m making a point to do now.”

He continued, “It makes a big difference, it makes the trip feel like a vacation and a big, exciting road trip where I just work for a couple hours a night and I get to be on this road trip with my family and some of my best friends in the world, so it’s the best of both worlds.”

Luke Bryan | Totally Private Apr 16, 2024

Show notes

At the age of 47, Luke Bryan has discovered “Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day,” comes with some personal consequences as he recently found he’s allergic to bass.

Before playing a private show for some lucky Audacy listeners, Luke sat down with Katie Neal and said after years of mystery, he’s found the reason he comes home from fishing trips with red eyes, swollen hands, and a stuffy nose. “If I look like I’ve been smoking pot, that’s not true, I’ve been catching bass,” Luke laughed before detailing his rather serious bass allergy. “If I touch a bass, my eyes will get red, my hands will swell if I have to take the hook out.”

The discovery comes after years of suffering for Luke, who thought he was simply experiencing normal allergies from being outside. “I spent years not knowing. My dad would take me on these fishing trips and I would be in the back of the boat like wheezing, maybe in need of an epipen. But my Dad was just like [suck it up], we just thought it was allergies [to] like, the trees, but it’s actually touching the bass.”

Luke wasn’t about to let his allergies get in the way of making a small group of Audacy listeners dreams come true after they won a Totally Private concert from Luke at the Hard Rock Cafe in Nashville. The show was his first weekend gig in more than four weeks as he’s recently been striving to find better work-life balance.

“My thing [now] is to just have fun writing songs, have fun doing the shows,” he shared. “I think for ten years I’ve just overworked myself to where all my friends, whenever I see them, they’re like, ‘You’re overworking yourself’ and I’m like, ‘I know, I can’t tell people no.’”

While consciously making an effort to find balance, Luke still keeps pretty busy, especially now as he serves as a judge for his seventh season of ABC’s American Idol alongside Lionel Richie and Katy Perry, who revealed this go-around is likely her last.

“I thought she might be [leaving],” Luke said when asked about Perry’s departure. “She’s been a rockstar on the show and to have developed a friendship… we’ve had a great time together. When I took the Idol gig, I knew that she had already signed up to do it and I didn’t know her. Seven years later, to have spent so much time with her has been pretty awesome. She’s a trip.”

On top of his time with Idol, Luke is also promoting his brand new single, “Love You, Miss You, Mean It,” which he says has a “straight down the middle” Luke Bryan sound and is available now.

“When I look at 16, 17 years of doing this there’s been a lot of songs put out. Sometimes I do some songs where I try something and the fans like it and sometimes the fans are like, ‘What is he up to?’” Luke said, laughing. “But this one is right ...

Old Dominion | Superstar Power Hour Apr 11, 2024

Show notes

No Bad Vibes isn’t just a tour name for Old Dominion, it’s a promise they keep with a little help from a tequila shot before every show.

Recently joining Audacy’s Katie Neal for the Superstar Power Hour, the guys revealed they go through $70,000 worth of tequila per year on tour. A large part of that is due to their pre-show ritual which includes a crew-wide tequila shot which can include up to 200 people some nights.

“A tequila shot has always been the tradition,” Trevor Rosen shared of the group’s pre-show routine “We started when it was just five of us, six of us, and now it’s become a pre-show ritual. We get our whole team there and do a little toast before every show.”

Added frontman Matt Ramsey, “Sometimes there’s like 100-200 people there. We just actually learned our tequila budget this week. It’s like, $70,000 a year.”

Laughing at the amount is easier for the guys after sharing they have a partnership with a tequila company that sponsors all pre-show shots. “Turns out, it was a very smart partnership,” Rosen said of their connection to Cantira Negra tequila. “I don’t think they realized how much tequila we were going to go through,” laughed Ramsey.

Come Summer 2024, tour isn’t the only place you can find OD raising a glass as they ready to open their own bar in Nashville’s Midtown district just minutes from the famed Broadway strip.

“It’s going to be a little different than other artist bars in that we’re not trying to overtly make this the Old Dominion bar,” shared Ramsey. “That’s why we didn’t name it Old Dominion’s Bar. It’s Odie’s, which is sort of a nod to our name, but ultimately we don’t want people to walk in there and feel like they’re going to the Old Dominion show.”

Agreeing on a concept and vibe for the bar came naturally for the guys, but coming up with a name wasn’t their strong suit according to celebrity restaurateur, Guy Fieri.

“We had pretty much decided it was called Memory Lane,” shared Brad Tursi of their original idea. “We were at Stagecoach and we were talking to Guy Fieri [about it]… He looked right at us and said, ‘That’s the dumbest name I’ve ever heard,’” the guys laughed. “He threw a couple F-bombs in there too. He railed us for that,” added Matt.

Needless to say, the guys took things back to the drawing board and decided on Odie’s, which they hope is a place (and name) everyone can enjoy.

“Ultimately, we hope it’s a place locals feel comfortable going to, ...

Keith Urban | Superstar Power Hour Apr 04, 2024

Show notes

Audacy's Katie Neal welcomes Keith Urban to our airwaves as this week’s co-host for the Superstar Power Hour on all your favorite Audacy Country stations nationwide.

During his time on the The Superstar Power Hour with Audacy’s Katie Neal, the 56-year-old shared his next project is a product of a lot of hard-work, soul searching, and honesty.

After one year of working hard on what he believed would be his next studio album, Urban realized he missed the mark while presenting the new music to the team at his record label. “Each song was very strong unto itself, but when I put them together, it wasn’t the album,” Urban said of the first collection he presented to his team in February 2023. While the realization was heartbreaking, Urban knew he owed it to himself and his fans to take things back to the drawing board and make an album he was proud of.

“I could feel, ‘this is not it,’ and I so didn’t want to say that,” he expressed before taking a deep breath, recalling the painful realization. “I so wish I could’ve just said, ‘It’s fine… let’s go.’”

The decision to go back to the drawing board set a lot of original plans back for Urban, including touring. However, by staying true to himself, and buckling down for another year of work — Urban says he now has an album he knows is it and oozes the strong, relentless spirit that lead him to it.

“There’s a spirit on the record that’s through every song — no matter what the songs are — it’s a very strong, through line,” he shared, revealing a lot of it is inspired by ideas expressed in the book The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin.

So what does all of this sound like? Fans can get a taste if what’s to come with recently released, ”Messed Up As Me,” and “Straight Line,” which will both be included on the album in addition to a special collaboration and “more guitar solos” according to Urban.

“This record is full of guitar,” Keith said after sharing his producer, Dan Huff, prompted him to ponder why he doesn’t have as much guitar in his recent songs. “The tracks made me want to play.”

And for the collaboration? Well, Urban is keeping that under tight wraps for now, but it’s a secret he’s ready to spill soon as he’s been keeping it for almost a year. “I did a collaboration with an artist last summer that I think turned out fantastic,” he revealed. “I’ve just been sitting on it since June last year and it’s been killing me.” That’s pretty much all Urban is willing to reveal about the track for now — other than the fact it’s very much a collaboration, not a duet — which makes the possibilities even more endless.

“A friend of mine had suggest ...

HARDY | Superstar Power Hour Mar 28, 2024

Show notes

HARDY has officially entered his Rock era with the announcement of his very first Rock album coming soon. While excited to fully step into a new genre, the Mississippi native — who got his start as a Country songwriter — promises fans he’ll never abandon Country music.

“I fully want to balance being a Rock ’n Roll artist and a Country artist at the same time,” he told Audacy’s Katie Neal during his recent appearance on the Superstar Power Hour. “I don’t even really know what that means yet, but I love Country music, I will never abandon it or leave it. I always want to make Country songs, I’m just kind of discovering myself and I’ve realized that maybe I do have a bit of a knack for the Rock ’N Roll thing, so I’m just chasing that to see how far it goes right now. Country is coming back, don’t worry.”

HARDY’s Country roots run deep and it’s apparent with his newest HIXTAPE project honoring the late Joe Diffie. DIFFTAPE, available March 29, was previewed at the 2023 CMA Awards as HARDY took the stage with Morgan Wallen and Post Malone to perform “Pickup Man,” the first song to be released from the album. Keeping the tracklist a secret until the release on March 29, HARDY promised some worth-the-wait features.

“It’s by far the biggest star-studded feature list ever. I can’t even tell you — you have no idea. It’s the coolest thing in the world,” he said before detailing the approach. “It’s Joe’s original recordings of his biggest hits and a couple maybe no-so-big hits, but great songs. Joey [Moi] my producer, has the tracks… and we’ve kept all the instrumentation the same and brought in all of either Joe’s friends or, well, everybody. Everybody is on this record and it is so cool.”

Following the DIFFTAPE release, the focus will turn to Rock for HARDY, who says he’s been hard at work on his Rock album that will feature previously released songs “QUIT!!” and “Rockstar.”

“Writing Rock songs is a lot easier than writing a Country song — there’s fewer rules,” he said when asked about the differences in the creative process. “Not that there’s rules, rules, but if you’re tryna write a Country hit, there are rules. That’s no discredit to all the Rock writers and bands out there — writing a song is not as easy as people think it is, but it just is more free [in Rock]. The lyrics don’t have to all tie into this one hook.”

With the new album comes a fresh tour from HARDY, who will hit the road this spring beginning with a show May 30 in Rogers, AR. With a total of 15 dates, fans may notice a major cutback on the amount of shows, which the 33-year-old says is intentional.

“I cut my touring in half this year — I wanted to be home more and feel maybe more like a human,” he disclosed. “I love touring, but it got to a point for me where it was too much… This overload of attention three or four days out of the week and then to come back and try to feel no ...

Kenny Chesney | Superstar Power Hour Mar 22, 2024

Show notes

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 ...

Thomas Rhett | Superstar Power Hour Mar 14, 2024

Show notes

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.”

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