Katie & Company

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Bailey Zimmerman and the 'best holidays' he ever had Jan 27, 2026

Show notes

There's a big 2026 ahead for Bailey Zimmerman, but first the Country star is coming off of the "best holidays" ever, thanks in part to a gift he was able to give his mom. The "Chevy Silverado" singer recently joined Katie Neal to talk about the big surprise, his upcoming arena tour, and more.

Last year, Zimmerman's mom landed in the hospital and "almost died," according to the singer. "When she was in the hospital, I was like 'dang, she doesn't really have a home, like a house to come home to,'" he reveals. "I was like 'dang, I really wanna like try to buy this one house for my mom,' so I ended up buying it and then redid the whole thing."

"It was so much fun redoing it, and then I got to show her on Christmas," he adds. "This year's just been such a tough year for her, getting to have that to just be pumped about is so nice for her. Then I got her a new car because she comes to Nashville a bunch and she drives all over the place to shows and stuff so I'm like, 'I really just wanted to set her up to where she felt like taking care of because she's always taking care of me.' I just feel like, I have to take care of her because she's always believed in me. She's always done everything she could to make sure I was good and had the best of the best, and now it's my turn to make sure."

With all that good energy in the air, it's time to tee up a big 2026 for Zimmerman, who is focused on being better and delivering on tour. "I'm always trying to just continue to get better and continue to, always move forward," he says of his new year plans. "I'm really focused on the tour right now, making sure that just everything is locked in. I went and redid my whole stage and lighting and the way everything is and all the stuff, so I've been working really hard on that."

"I'm gonna focus on just making sure that's good to go for the tour, and then making sure I just crush this tour, and then I've been focusing on just writing music and and living life too."

To hear about dating, dogs, and the story behind his latest hit, check out the full conversation with Bailey Zimmerman above.

Stephen Wilson Jr. and the science of songwriting Jan 26, 2026

Show notes

Stephen Wilson Jr. did not take your typical path to being a Country music star, first making stops as a scientist and an amateur boxer, but it did shape him and help pave the way to winning the CMA Award for 'New Artist of the Year.'

"I don't think I'm interesting, but it has provided, I guess, a wealth of dialogue and narrative to to pull from," Stephen admits during an interview with Katie Neal. "I've been habitually quiet most of my life, so I got to work a lot of jobs and kind of keep my mouth shut and listen and take notes, and from those learnings that's where the songs kind of came from."

"Science is a big part of my process, Having a hypothesis or an idea and then testing it against the world," he adds. "It is pretty much what science is, but doing it in a controlled setting and doing that experiment over and over again and trying to keep your emotions out of the results. That's, I think, what songwriters try to do at the end. You wanna have an emotion to start with because I'm more in the emotion business than I am in the music business, at least that's what I think of it as. So it's got to start with an emotion, but then you kind of got to separate your emotion from it to get to the truth, because then you'll have, they call user bias, and then that'll affect your results."

The analytical comes face to face with the creative for Stephen Wilson Jr. in the process, with a heaping dose of talent swirled in the center. "Being a trained scientist has helped me kind of remove my emotion from it, but then the creative side of me and just all the wealth of experiences and emotions that I went through has given me a lot to authenticate an idea from, because it has to kind of start with my own emotion, because if I've felt something, most likely somebody else has."

The fascinating science of songwriting is in full swing on Stephen's song, "Gary," which he admits was tested and thought about in a very scientific way. "I tested that one a lot, in a lot of laboratories," he shares. "I had to start with a metaphor that everybody could relate to... I started to basically, you know, think of Gary as a subspecies, a human, like a Gary as an organism, not so much just a name for a person because it was to me more of a stereotype or a garyeotype, so to speak. So if you could classify that organism, how would you do that? And that's how I approach Gary, is almost like how Jane Goodall would approach a chimpanzee or something, kind of like studying the Gary's in the wild because, you know, the Gary's are going extinct."

To hear much more of the Wilson Jr. method and his journey to Country music success, check out the full conversation above.

HARDY is ready for the return of FGL Jan 20, 2026

Show notes

HARDY is already back in his FGL feels, after a post shared that Florida Georgia Line members Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard went on a hike together and sparked reunion rumors. The "Favorite Country Song" singer recently joined Katie Neal and talked about being anxious for the return of the duo, the success of his latest single, and an update on his daughter Rosie during the 'Superstar Power Hour.'

"I drove back from Mississippi yesterday morning and I listened to, 'Here's To The Good Times' and 'Anything Goes,' the whole record all the way through because I'm like, 'I need to get back in the FGL headspace," HARDY reveals. "I don't know. I have no inside baseball. I'm literally just like, I feel like it's coming and I wanna be on the front end of it."

"I feel like they're scheming something."

While Katie and HARDY talked about the end of the holidays, the singer also shared some updates on his daughter, Rosie, who is quickly approaching her first birthday. "She's like really coming to life now. Like, it's crazy," he admits. "It's just something new every day. She's getting ready to walk and she's starting to say words. It's crazy. Time flies."

To hear more from HARDY about songwriting for Blake Shelton, ghost stories with his family, and the success of his hit, "Favorite Country Song," check out the full conversation above.

Dolly Parton on remaking 'Light of a Clear Blue Morning' Jan 16, 2026

Show notes

Always the icon, Dolly Parton is celebrating turning 80 with a gift for us. The GRAMMY-winning star has shared an updated version of her song, "Light of a Clear Blue Morning," featuring Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus, Queen Latifah, and Reba McEntire, all for a great cause with net proceeds benefitting Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

Along with the release of the song, Dolly shared with us her motivation for choosing the track from her catalog, her thoughts on turning 80, and more.

"'Light of a Clear Blue Morning' has always been one of my favorite songs that I’ve written because I wrote this at a time when I was going out on my own, having some fears and doubts and all the things you have when you are going out on your own," says Dolly. "When I wrote the song, it was really expressing how I was feeling about life, the future and all the questions that we have in our mind. And I just felt like this day and time, this was a perfect song to revisit to give people a little light... of a clear blue morning!"

“I wanted it to kind of be like a ‘We Are the World’ – in this case, it’s like ‘We Are the Girls,’" Parton shares, going on to gush about her collaborators. "I just thought that it turned out to be the perfect thing all around for everybody, and I’m hoping that you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed doing it."

Dolly has a lot to look forward to with her 80th birthday arriving on January 19, and zero signs of slowing down. "I just hope to be able to write more songs that might lift people up, like I'm hoping that this does," Dolly reveals. "It's very important to me to give people something to look forward to, give them some hope. We're going through trouble in uncertain times, but we can't let the darkness win. We should never allow that to happen."

"I really think that I'd like to just do more, and more things, not just necessarily in songs, but whether it be movies or whether it be other projects that I have, things that just make people feel a little better about the times, and especially about themselves."

Rascal Flatts' Jay DeMarcus on 20 years of 'Me And My Gang' Jan 06, 2026

Show notes

To kick off 2026, Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts is keeping Katie Neal company, here to talk about the group's upcoming 'Totally Private' show with Audacy, the 20th anniversary of their album, 'Me And My Gang,' and their plans to see fans on the road throughout 2026.

Rascal Flatts is back on the road this month, performing for fans across the country and continuing their 'Life Is A Highway' run. "The tour was so successful last year that we wanted to just keep it moving forward," admits DeMarcus with fresh dates through 2026.

This year also marks 20 years since the 'Me And My Gang' album, which features several of the group's signature songs like "My Wish," and "What Hurts The Most." The project was the top-selling album of the year after its release, and Jay still remembers taking it all in on music's biggest night.

"The whole 'Me And My Gang' record is kind of our 'Joshua Tree,'" shares Jay inside our Nashville studios. "I think all the stars aligned, came together."

"At the risk of sounding, you know, egotistical, that record that year sold more records than any other record in the world," DeMarcus reveals. "We were sitting at the GRAMMYs, and I never will forget during commercial break, Gary leaned over to me and he said, 'Hey, cuz, look at the people that we're sitting in the room with, there's Beyoncé, there's JAY-Z, there's Lady Gaga, Elton John. And I was like, 'yeah, I can't believe this, man. We're sitting in the same room.' And he goes, 'now think about this, we sold more records than anybody in here this year.' That's one of those memories that like chokes me up."

"When you dream about being an artist, you hope you make it to the GRAMMYs. You hope you have a hit song. But that's one of the memories that I'll always share with Gary that was uniquely our own. Just between the two of us," he adds. "Well, not anymore."

"But sitting during commercial break and having that little moment between the two of us, I'll never forget that as long as I live."

To hear more stories behind the songs of 'Me And My Gang' and more from Jay DeMarcus, check out the full interview above.

Jordan Davis looks ahead to 2026 Dec 30, 2025

Show notes

No matter how you measure it, Jordan Davis had a massive 2025. The 'Learn The Hard Way' singer released a new album, welcomed a new baby, and played headline shows around the globe, and now he tells Katie Neal, during the final 'Superstar Power Hour' of the year, it's time for something different for 2026.

"I'm actually looking forward to a year that's a little lighter than what we've been doing," he shares, "mainly because I think as busy as I've been with touring and making 'Learn The Hard Way,' I really haven't been able to really sit down and write like I've wanted to."

"I've either been coming into town and writing for a couple days or bringing buddies out and writing on the road, so I'm really excited for next year to continue writing and making a new record. I feel like I'm really excited to get back to songwriting, and I'm glad that next year is a little lighter so that I can do that."

Back here, we're closing out 2025 and starting 2026 in style by giving one lucky listener the chance to attend a 'Totally Private' show with Jordan Davis in Nashville. We had to ask Jordan, if he had his own 'Totally Private' dream show, who would be on the stage for him?

"John Prine would have been the guy that I would have given every cent I had to be in a room to just hear stories and listen to him sing," Davis admits. "If I had to say anybody, it would be John Prine. He was why I fell in love with it, why I started writing songs. That would have been my dream living room show."

To hear more from Jordan Davis, check out the full interview above.

Lady A on their 'baby boom era,' new Christmas collection Dec 16, 2025

Show notes

There's a lot to celebrate in the world of Lady A, as the group returned this year with another collection of Christmas songs, a holiday tour making its way across the country, and a few more family members to join the crew.

As guests on this week's 'Superstar Power Hour,' the trio tells Katie Neal that they are in their "baby boom era," as they have welcomed two new additions to the Lady A family in the past year, and one the previous year. "We're in a baby boom era," shares Dave Haywood. "That's our new mood."

Amongst all the life changes, the time felt right for the group to do a new holiday album, their first in 13 years, with the goal of taking it on tour to spread the Christmas cheer. "We really wanted to do a Christmas tour because in our entire career we have never," says Hillary Scott. "We've done a Christmas special. We've done 'CMA Country Christmas.' We've done some performances, but, we've always just talked about at some point we would love to tour for Christmas and so we thought, well, if we're touring we might as well freshen it up with some new music and so we got in the room and wrote two new originals and then, found a few of our favorite classics, and reimagined them."

After the holidays there's more Lady A to come, as the group shares there is a lot in the works for the next project. "We have a good hefty Dropbox file going of songs, and we're just excited," reveals Hillary. "We're creatively kind of brainstorming and talking right now, and then at the top of the year that'll be the focus of just digging in and seeing what stories we want to tell and, production. We want to just stretch ourselves more than we ever have. We've lived a lot of life since our last project. So, I think bringing in all that inspiration and, just discovering what we want to say and, and how we want to say it."

"I think we're definitely excited to explore to get, you know, maybe a little creatively uncomfortable."

"I think we've said a lot with the last few records, like we want to get back down back to the sound of kind of our first couple of records, and I think we've done that," adds Charles Kelley. "Now it's like we wanna get to a sound we've never explored and we don't know what that is. I think our voices are gonna be the thread of it, but I would love a risky, like she said, an uncomfortable feeling of production wise that we're not used to and embrace the imperfections, all those things, and so it's gonna be fun."

"This is the longest we've been in between records and I just think we're ready to kind of see if we can turn some heads, you know, in a cool way."

To hear much more from Lady A check out the full conversation above.

Riley Green pays off his bet and wears fake eyelashes Dec 09, 2025

Show notes

Last month before the 59th Annual CMA Awards, Riley Green made a bet with Katie Neal on Radio Row. Just hours before Country Music's Biggest Night, the "Worst Way" singer vowed to include "Scissor Wizard," the name of his former Alabama barber, in an acceptance speech if he won. However, if he failed to do so he would wear fake eyelashes during his next interview with Katie.

As it turns out Riley Green was one of the night's biggest winners at the CMAs in November, taking home 3 awards and thanking a lot of people. Unfortunately though, the Scissor Wizard did not make the cut. So when Riley joined 'Katie & Company' this week for the 'Superstar Power Hour,' he was ready to take his lashes... eyelashes.

"I thought that I would maybe not win, and not have to speak, and then that was how I'd get out of it," Green shares as he flutters his new eyelashes. "But then I did and I didn't say it, so I've got on eyelashes."

"I feel pretty," he laughs. "I feel 10 percent prettier than I did when I came in."

"Do you reuse these?" Riley asks. "I'm not gonna reuse those," laughs Katie, "you can take those with you."

"Weird when somebody comes over to my house, there's eyelashes everywhere," he smiles. "Like, 'what have you been doing?' They're mine. I promise."

To hear more from the beautiful and hilarious Riley Green about songwriting, his secret acting role, and his new bourbon business venture, listen to the full interview with Katie Neal above.

Lainey Wilson is 'constantly soul searching' when writing Dec 04, 2025

Show notes

As the EOTY balloons float behind her, it's clear there's a lot of winning in the world of Lainey Wilson. The 'Entertainer of the Year' is coming off an acclaimed night hosting the CMA Awards, celebrating a trio of GRAMMY nominations including two for her song, "Somewhere Over Laredo," and she's planning her wedding to Devlin “Duck” Hodges. Somehow she managed to slow down long enough to check in with Katie Neal to talk about it all.

Never one to rest on success, Lainey tells 'Katie & Company' that she's already hard at work writing the next album. "Honestly, before the deluxe was even out, I was already working on the next project. That's kind of how I do it," she shares. "I want to make sure, because this job comes with a lot of different parts of it, I want to make sure that I'm always keeping the writing, the songwriting at the forefront. So no matter what, I put co-writes in there and try to just have time where I just like brainstorm and think of ideas and think about what direction do I want to go next, what have I not said, what part of me am I discovering that I feel comfortable sharing with other people."

"I feel like I'm constantly soul searching, and digging things up, and so it's important for me to be writing while I'm doing that soul searching."

2026 is already set to be another massive year for Lainey, with a headlining slot at Stagecoach, the possibility of new music, and a trip down the aisle with Duck. "I sat down this past weekend and we started kind of trying to brainstorm, so we'll see," she says of the preparations for the big day. "I mean, we gotta get on it, but I told him I was like, 'you gotta come home from the woods long enough for us to plan this thing.'"

To hear more about Lainey Wilson's holiday plans and her experience hosting the CMA Awards, check out the full conversation above.

Blake Shelton on Thanksgiving and his holiday wishlist Nov 27, 2025

Show notes

Blake Shelton is our plus one this year at Thanksgiving with 'Katie & Company,' as Katie Neal talks with the singer about his "simple man" holiday wishlist, his latest projects like his show with Keith Urban, 'The Road,' and why Thanksgiving is his favorite holiday.

"I grew up in a really big family with lots of cousins and aunts and uncles, so Thanksgiving was the one where, because for Christmas a lot of them would go off and do their own Christmases, Thanksgiving was the one holiday that there would be like 100 people there," recalls Blake. "We would all get together and I just, I love food, honestly. I just, I love food."

Though he says it sounds "corny," Blake is most thankful for his family this year. "We're all just healthy, knock on wood, and it feels like everybody's in a good spot," Shelton shares. "I'm really thankful for that. The older I get, the more I realize, if you don't have your health you don't have anything, and so far so good for us right now."

Blake is lucky to have Gwen Stefani at home, serving up some of the best dressing in Oklahoma, but in true form he also didn't skip a beat when asked who the "worst cook" was in Country music.

"I would say Dustin Lynch," Shelton says. "I've spent a lot of time around Dustin. I had him out on tour with me, and he's actually came out to the ranch and hunted with a group of guys one time, and he really doesn't contribute, in any way. He's more, Dustin's a guy that even when he's hunting, he spent 45 minutes in front of the mirror that morning, getting his camo, making sure the patterns are right, that this green shirt isn't more faded than these green pants and he's just, that's Dustin. So I can't imagine him ever cooking. I've never seen him cook, so I'm just gonna go ahead and throw his name out there. Screw him when it comes to cooking."

It's going to be a cold cuffing season for Dustin Lynch, but what do you expect when you're hunting buddies with Blake. A self-described simple man, Shelton also shared what was on his holiday wishlist this year. "I love corn. I love to plant corn. I love bags of corn. I love corn chips, corn tortillas, cream corn," says Shelton. "I love corn on the cob, and so just anything corn. People sometimes will throw like a little stuffed animal corn on the cobs on stage. I had a song on one of my records a few years ago called 'Corn,' and I'm obsessed with corn."

Ok, so corn. Check. Anything else on the Blake Shelton shopping list? "You know, you can use corn to make vodka," he adds. "If someone out there wanted to buy me something, or I wanted to buy myself something, it would maybe be in the vodka category."

"That's pretty much it, corn and vodka."

To hear more from Blake Shelton on leaving 'The Voice,' hangover cures, and more check out the full 'Superstar Power Hour' interview above.

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