Katie & Company

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Cole Swindell | Tortuga Music Festival 2023 Apr 15, 2023

Show notes

As a successful singer and songwriter, Cole Swindell rarely finds himself recording songs he didn’t have a hand in writing, however, his latest single, “Drinkaby,” is one of the few exceptions.

Ahead of his set at this year’s Tortuga Music Fesitval, Swindell sat down with Audacy Katie Neal to share details surrounding his new single which was written by fellow musicians HARDY and Jon Pardi alongside songwriters Jordan Schmidt and Hunter Phelps.

“If I record a song I didn’t write, it means I wish I would’ve written it,” Cole said. “For me, HARDY is one of the hottest writers in town and to see Jon Pardi’s name… we go way back, back before any of us had record deals.”

“Honestly I was wondering why he [Pardi] didn’t record it,” he laughed. “I was like, ‘This seems like something he would crush, but if you’re not going to record it… [I’ll take it].’”

While recording an outside song isn’t something Swindell is particularly used to, he’s happy to re-pay the favor as he’s experienced great success from other artists cutting his songs.

“I take pride in that because people have recorded my songs and I take it as a big compliment,” Cole explained. “So to record one my buddies wrote — I don’t know how may outside cuts Jon Pari has — but it’s pretty cool me and him go a long way and my current single he is a writer on. We all win.”

“Drinkaby” will be included in the deluxe version of Swindell’s latest album, Stereotype Broken. The project will drop April 28 with a total of three new songs.

Listen to Swindell’s full conversation with Katie ahead of his set at Tortuga Music Festival above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Lee Brice | Superstar Power Hour Apr 14, 2023

Show notes

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, get help by contacting the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988.

It’s been nearly two months since the Country community lost beloved songwriter-producer, Kyle Jacobs. While hearts are still heavy, Jacobs’ best friend/collaborator, Lee Brice is making sure his bright spirit lives on through music for as long as possible.

Brice recently sat down with Audacy’s Katie Neal to share the impact Jacobs had on his life and music while also detailing why his current single, “Save The Roses,” — which he wrote with Jacobs — took on a whole new meaning after his passing.

While the song was initially inspired by the loss of Brice’s cousin, it has quickly become a bold reminder to all about just how precious life is with the ones you love.

“I told my two best friends — Kyle Jacobs and Joe Leathers — I have this idea/title, it’s about my cousin,” Brice reminisced. “We wrote it, and there ended up being a bigger part of that whole story.”

On February 17, 2023, Jacobs took his own life in his Nashville-area home leaving his loved ones and the Country community with a powerful legacy through music. Brice took it upon himself to continue sharing that legacy by making the song his next single — something that was not originally in his plans.

“I had already had a couple hits off this record and I was like, ‘I really need to move onto some new stuff,’ so that’s where I was goin’” Bice shared. “And then Kyle left us and I could just not get past [that]. I wanted to put this song on the radio because now it has a whole new meaning to me. I just wanted to keep him around a little bit longer…. Because I really struggle still with why he’s not here.”

While Brice admits hitting #1 would be the ultimate tribute for his dear friend, what he finds more important is making sure those who didn’t know him get to experience his incredible craft through music for many years to come.

To hear more surrounding the song, new music and more tune into Katie and Lee’s full conversation above.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, know that someone is always there. Additionally, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988. Find a full list of additional resources here.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Lainey Wilson discusses, fame, ‘Yellowstone’ and going viral on TikTok Apr 03, 2023

Show notes

The success continues for Lainey Wilson, who walked away with two belt buckles from last night’s fan-voted CMT Music Awards.

The awards are a continued display of fans’ love for Wilson, who hit the scene in 2020 with her debut single, “Things A Man Oughta Know.” Her career took off almost immediately following the release and has opened several doors for the 30-year-old, including securing a role on the hit series Yellowstone.

During a recent interview with Audacy’s Katie Neal, Lainey shared she’s seen an obvious elevation in her already-successful career after joining the Yellowstone cast.

“It’s kind of been this thing with ‘Yellowstone’ that’s like people kind of finally put a face to a name, Lainey shared. “That definitely changed things for me.”

She continued, “I’m getting used to it in a weird kind of way. I feel like I was born to do this anyway, so it never shocks me or anything. I just feel like, ‘alright, this is a part of it now.’”

Lainey continued on to share that having fans put a face to the name has brought some interesting attention to her physique — something she continues to be shocked by daily.

“My butt went viral on TikTok,” she laughed. “When I saw the trend on TikTok, it was around Christmas time, I guess. I thought, ‘This will last for a week or two and that’s really it.’ I still get on TikTok and I still see my big old butt. It’s crazy.”

Wilson says she has no problem embracing her assets, something she’s taken away from being a Dolly Parton fan since she was a little girl.

“Dolly Parton, she is proud of her assets and at the end of the day, if that’s what introduced me to some people, and they went and found the music because of that — I’m to that point. Whatever it takes,” she said light-heartedly.

While she’s willing to welcome all fans, regardless of how they found their way to her music, Wilson draws a harsh line at those who think she found success with anything other than hard work.

“I bout got into a fight on Instagram with somebody this morning. They commented and said, ‘She’s only famous because of her butt,’ or something like that. [I said] ‘You can kiss mine, I’ll tell ya that!”

She continued, “I’ve been here for 12 years, thank you. They finally just realized I had a big butt, but it’s been back there the whole time.”

Hear more from Lainey by tuning into her full conversation with Katie Neal above.

Luke Combs on fun, firsts, and life-lessons of 'Gettin' Old' Mar 24, 2023

Show notes

Six-time GRAMMY nominee and reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, Luke Combs, has fans raving with the official release of his fourth studio album, Gettin' Old.

The companion to 2022’s acclaimed, Growin' Up, the new record features 18 fresh songs from Combs and for the first time in his career — he’s included a few he didn’t write. One of those songs is, "My Song Will Never Die,” a track penned by the legendary Eric Church alongside Travis Meadows and Jonathan Singleton.

“It feels pretty great [to have a song written by Eric Church],” Luke told Audacy’s Katie Neal before detailing how he got the song. “It wasn’t like Eric called me and was like, ‘Here’s this song, you should do it.’”

“I did text him because he keeps his cards really close to his chest with his songs and what he’s doing and stuff. I asked him, I was like, ‘Hey man, are you cool with me doing this?’ He was like ‘Man, you should do it.’”

While it’s the first time Luke has included a few songs he didn’t write, it’s also the first time he’s included a cover on one of his projects. After stopping many in their tracks throughout various live shows over the last few years with his rendition of Tracy Chapman’s 1988 release, “Fast Car,” Luke has answered fans’ demand for a recorded version on the new album.

“It’s fourth album now, so you can kind of start doing some things you haven’t done before, you know?” He said of his decision to include the cover.

“I’ve been playing that song as long as I’ve been playing guitar — which is not terribly long — but I’ve been listening to that song ever since I was 4 or 5 years old…. It’s a timeless song,” he said while also expressing he hopes to bring the attention of a new generation to Chapman’s version.

While there are a few firsts on this album, Combs still gives us a healthy dose of what we already love from him. While songs range from new party anthems to beer drinking bops, Luke also shows his emotional side with tunes about family, sobriety, and personal struggles, which can be heard on the final track, "The Part.“

“It’s not on there to look for sympathy, it was more of a cathartic thing for me,” Combs explained of track 18, which explores the tough aspects of his job. “When I do feel like I’m having a bad day, a lot of times I feel guilty about it. Because I’m like, ‘I have my dream job.’”

“The Part,” explores the complete opposite of Comb’s previously released ‘Five Leaf Clover,’ which details the blessings he’s encountered in life. While the songs take listeners to two different places, Combs says they both have an important spot on the project as they are honest representations of where he’s at.

Carly Pearce | Superstar Power Hour Mar 24, 2023

Show notes

As Carly Pearce sits at the top of the charts with her single, “What He Didn’t Do,” from her album 29, the 32-year-old says it’s the perfect time to “close the book” and start a new one with new music.

“It is time to close the book,” Carly told Audacy’s Katie Neal. “I’m very happy, obviously 29 was the most successful album of my career and will probably be forever one of the biggest things that I do… It has really motivated me to continue to just write what I want to write, write how I see the world and make records that sound the way that I want them to, not what I think people want me to do.”

Carly has already channeled that motivation into new music that she says will arrive a lot sooner than fans think. Additionally, she teases that the subject matter might not be what we expect from her either.

“You’re going to get new music sooner than you think,” she said, while also confirming “What He Didn’t Do,” was the last single from 29. “I have to say this next single, I think I am the most excited than I’ve ever been to put out a new song.”

She continued, “I think a lot of people think that just because I’m happy [and in] a relationship that I’m just going to come out with a bunch of love songs and that’s just not my vibe… it’s not sunshine and rainbows.”

Between the pressure of following up her most-successful album and trying to dig for inspiration in an “uneventful” time in her life, Pearce says the creativity stemmed from several different places, including nightmares.

“I felt a lot of pressure to top 29 and I was like, ‘Well, I don’t have a lot of chaos in my life right now. Things are pretty stable.’ I would look at my boyfriend sometimes and be like, ‘Can you just yell at me?’” She laughed.

Continuing, “There is a song, I haven’t cut it, but I definitely will cut it. I had a dream, a very vivid dream, about my current relationship that was very negative. I woke up and [told him] ‘I just had a dream that you left me and he was like, ‘That’s not a dream, that’s awful. I would not call that a dream, I would call that a nightmare.’”

Pearce decided to lean into the emotion rather than run from it and says it resulted in one of her favorite songs for her upcoming project.

“I went to this writing session and I wrote this whole song about what if he really did leave me?” She said. “It ended up being one of my favorite songs and it has elements in there that sound like him and he was like, ‘What is THIS?’ I was like, ‘Sorry, welcome to dating a songwriter.”

While we still have some time before receiving this new music, it promises to be well worth the wait.

Tim McGraw | Superstar Power Hour Mar 17, 2023

Show notes

After the release of a brand new single, “Standing Room Only,” Tim McGraw says new music is scheduled to keep on coming with plans to release his 17th studio album.

The Country veteran recently joined Audacy’s Katie Neal to talk about the new single and upcoming album which he says has a number of George Strait sounding tracks.

“There’s really some good throwback Country things on this [album] that I really enjoyed doing,” Tim shared. “I got into my George Strait vein a little on a few songs.”

McGraw fans can expect a little bit of everything from the project including some tear-jerkers.

“There’s a good mixture of stuff,” Tim said. “There’s a couple of really life-affirming songs that I can’t wait for everybody to hear — one called ‘Letter From Heaven,’ that really tears me up every time I hear it.”

Not to worry, Tim promises to dry those tears right up with some fun Friday night anthems and boot scootin’ tunes as well. “I never want to have just one style of song on an album,” he shared. “I want to give ya sort of a smorgasbord to choose from.”

While no release date has been set for the project, Tim alludes to being pretty far along in the process. We’re ready for it, Tim!

Hear more about the new music and what else Tim has going on by listening to his full interview with Katie & Company above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Ingrid Andress talks touring with Keith Urban and rising female artists Mar 09, 2023

Show notes

After recently wrapping as an opener on Keith Urban’s Light The Fuse tour, Ingrid Andress is not only applying what she learned along the way on her very own headlining tour, but to life in general.

“He has been doing this and stayed relevant for so long and to me, that’s one of the most impressive things about him,” Andress told Audacy’s Katie Neal ahead of her performance at Audacy’s Leading Ladies. “To me, I’ve learned it’s because he is always curious, he’s always wanting to learn more.”

Watching Keith remain curious and never be shy to explore new ways of doing things has inspired Ingrid in more ways than one as she recently kicked off her very own headlining tour.

“Somebody as great as he is, is still asking questions and is curious… most people would think he inspires himself because he is such a legend.”

She continued, “It inspired me to realize that staying curious is how you keep your life going, is how you grow, is how you stay around… I’m definitely applying it to more than just my music.”

Just as Keith did for her, Ingrid hopes to make room for, inspire, and welcome newcomers in Country music, especially females.

“I’m taking Madeline Edwards out on the road with me — she is incredible, very soulful,” Ingrid said when asked what newcomers stood out to her. “Carter Faith is also coming out. Meghan Moroney has really blown me away with her song right now. There’s so much up-and-coming talent and I really hope there is a space for them and those of us that have been doing and fighting can help create a space for them to thrive because they are way too talented to have to deal with whatever the current situation is.”

Hear more about new artists, Ingrid’s current tour, and more by checking out her entire conversation with Katie Neal above.

Words by Maia Kedem Interview by Katie Neal

Maren Morris details 'confessional' next era at Audacy's 'Leading Ladies' Mar 09, 2023

Show notes

It’s been nearly a year since Maren Morris released her Humble Quest album and fans will be excited to know she’s already working on a new project.

Ahead of her performance at Audacy’s Leading Ladiesevent on International Women’s Day, Maren shared she’s working on new music and it’s a complete 180 from her last project.

“I think my last record was super internal and organic-feeling with tons of like, guitars, steel guitar,” Maren told Audacy’s Katie Neal. “It felt like organic Country and this one Is going in a more Rock direction. Some anger? I don’t know. It’s really fun.”

While sonically, the project is shaping up quite differently than her last, Maren is still leading with vulnerability and truth as she always has.

“Thus far, it’s pretty confessional. I feel like it’s a Rock realm it’s going into,” she shared. “I don’t quite know what it is yet — they’re just demos — I’ll kind of find out once I get in studio.”

“It’s super confessional, diary, visceral, super vulnerable, but like, fun too,” she continued before explaining how excited she is to be further removed from the difficult emotions surrounding the global pandemic, which fueled her last project.

“My last record, it was during the pandemic so we tried to just do what we could during that time where everything was remote [and] doing Zoom sessions and whatnot,” she said. “This [album] feels like we’re back, back.”

Hear more about what’s to come sonically from Morris as well as some of her favorite moments across her career and what she has planned for her son’s birthday by tuning into her conversation with Katie Neal above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Dierks Bentley | Superstar Power Hour Mar 03, 2023

Show notes

Dierks Bentley is celebrating the release of his 10th studio album, but he says it feels a bit like the first.

It’s been 20 years since the release of Dierks Bentley’s self-titled debut album which featured songs like “What Was I Thinkin,’” “How Am I Doin,’” and “My Last Name,” and while Dierks says he’s learned a lot since that first project — his 10th studio album somehow feels similar.

“There’s so many similarities between this album and my first album — which is crazy,” Dierks said. “Having the time and space during that first album, you have your whole life work to [on it], and with this album because of COVID, basically, I had 3-4 years to work on it.”

Taking full advantage of the time to create and explore different creative avenues, Bentley ended up with the type of project he always hoped his 10th album would be.

“I started realizing this is my 10th album, I want to make sure I include everything that I’ve done the last nine albums,” he said. “Like the bluegrass, the traditional Country, and the fun stuff.”

It’s all there on Gravel & Gold, which is available now. Bentley will also take the music to fans across North America with the recent announcement of his 28-city Gravel & Gold Tour.

"I’ve been waiting as patiently as possible for the time when we could tell our fans about this tour and I’m happy the moment has arrived," said Bentley.

“With new music, a whole new set and vibe along with incredible musicians and singers to share the stage with.…I can honestly say I think this will be our best tour ever.”

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Shania Twain | Superstar Power Hour Feb 24, 2023

Show notes

Shania Twain is back with new music and ready to take it to fans around the world, live, with her 2023 Queen of Me Tour.

The trek will see Twain perform nearly 70 shows across the world, and in order to give her best each and every night the Pop Country diva says she ready to get back into her show day routine which requires lots of sleep and no solid food.

“On a show day, I have to sleep in,” she told Audacy’s Katie Neal. “If I wake up too early, I make myself go back to bed and take a nap.”

She continued, “I eat no solids on show days. About three hours before the show, I have a smoothie that is kale, spinach, banana, avocado and almond milk. I’ll usually have a protein drink somewhere along the way in there as well.”

Fueling the body with protein makes perfect sense, especially for someone like Shania who leaves it all on stage for her fans. However, for those wondering why a healthy serving of solid chicken and veggies won’t do, Shania has an answer.

“If I was to chew and eat anything heavier, I would definitely feel sluggish in the show,” she said. “And also, when you’re jumping around and you’re using your diaphragm — you’ll burp.”

A big ol’ burp in the middle of “Still The One,” yeah, I guess that don’t impress fans much!

Twain says she is more than ready to bring fans an exiting setlist full of new music, deep cuts and classics, but it isn’t all about the music… the fashion icon is also ready to make some bold statements with her outfits.

“It’s going to be a unique and very new, first-time setlist and then the fashion is going to be really unique as well,” she shared. “I’m feeling very good in my own skin and I want to just have fun with that… in a very playful and cheerful way.”

Hear more about what to expect on Shania’s Queen of Me Tour along with some stories behind the new music, her creative process, love for Harry Styles and more by tuning into her recent interview with Katie Neal above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal