Music

Married to the Music with Hanley Riggs

Married To The Music is a podcast that takes you behind the scenes into the lives of country music artists and their spouses. We explore what it’s really like to be married to someone in the spotlight about the challenges, the triumphs, and the everyday life that fans rarely see. From navigating parenthood and relationships to balancing personal dreams while supporting a partner’s career, we dive into the trials and tribulations of being a country artist’s significant other. Through intimate stories, candid conversations, and real-life experiences, this podcast humanizes the lives of your favorite country stars and offers a unique perspective on love, family, and life in the music industry.

Latest Episodes:

Hannah Ellis & Nick Wayne: Marriage In The Music World Mar 20, 2026

Show notes

Country artists Hannah Ellis and Nick Wayne join Married to the Music to share how their Kentucky and Nashville roots shaped their paths into country music — and how a Nashville artist apartment building unexpectedly brought them together.

They open up about navigating competition within a relationship in the music industry, the importance of having hobbies outside of music like golf, cooking, and scrapbooking, and what life really looks like on the road while preparing to welcome their first child. Plus, they get honest about the emotional toll of social media and how they stay grounded in an industry that never slows down.

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Married to the Music is where the spotlight fades and the real story begins. It is honest, heartfelt conversations with the husbands and wives behind today’s country stars, the ones living this life every single day. This is where you get to know your favorite artists on a deeper level through the people who know them best.

From building careers to raising families while tour buses roll out, it is an inside look at what life really feels like beyond the stage and who these artists are when they are home. But even more importantly, it creates space for the partners who do not always get the mic. These are the stories you do not hear on stage, and they matter just as much.

Watch clips and behind-the-scenes moments: @married.to.the.music

Follow Hanley: @hanleyriggs

More episodes and show notes: www.MarriedToTheMusicPodcast.com Know someone we should feature? Reach out on social: @married.to.the.music

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peyton Niemann (Jerrod Niemann): Trust, Boundaries & self reflection Mar 13, 2026

Show notes

Country music, Nashville relationships, and life behind the industry — Peyton Niemann joins Married to the Music to share what it really takes to build a strong relationship in the music business.

Peyton talks about growing up in Florida, attending the University of Texas, and eventually finding her way to Nashville, where music, career, and love all began to intersect. She shares how her path evolved from competitive figure skating and dreams of becoming a forensic pathologist to songwriting, artist development, and learning the music industry from the inside out.

She also tells the story of meeting country artist Jerrod Niemann at Alley Taps in Printer’s Alley and how their relationship grew from there. Peyton opens up about navigating marriage in the spotlight, setting boundaries in the music industry, and why communication has been the foundation of their relationship.

Plus, she talks about life on the road, writing music, hosting friends in Nashville, and the perspective that comes from seeing firsthand how deeply country music can impact fans.

Watch clips and behind-the-scenes moments: @married.to.the.music

Follow Hanley: @hanleyriggs

More episodes and show notes: www.MarriedToTheMusicPodcast.com Know someone we should feature? Reach out on social: @married.to.the.music

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hally Cooper (Cooper Alan): Fashion, Faith, and the Nashville Grind Mar 06, 2026

Show notes

Hally Cooper, the wife of Cooper Alan, joins Married to the Music for a real behind-the-scenes conversation about growing up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and what it actually looks like building a life in Nashville when your partner is chasing the dream. Hally talks about being the “chatty kid” growing up, studying fashion textiles at NC State, and how a summer internship in New York City helped her realize what she didn’t want and pushed her to rethink her path.

She also opens up about the early Nashville reality check. The Broadway grind, long nights, and the not-so-glamorous side of the industry that people don’t always see. Hally shares how faith and routine helped keep them grounded through those early years.

Plus, we talk about what life is really like on a tour bus as the only girl, why Cooper isn’t actually a big social media guy, and the funny story behind the whole “Cooper” name confusion. And of course we get into the baby news, including their sweet Opry cupcake gender reveal and getting ready to welcome their daughter.

Watch clips and behind-the-scenes moments: @married.to.the.music

Follow Hanley: @hanleyriggs

More episodes and show notes: www.MarriedToTheMusicPodcast.com Know someone we should feature? Reach out on social: @married.to.the.music

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chloe Crawford (Shane Profitt): Love, Friendship & Life off the Road Feb 27, 2026

Show notes

Florida girls unite. Chloe Crawford- Shane Profitt’s fiancée, joins Married To The Music for an honest, behind-the-scenes look at what life really feels like when your partner is building a career on the road. She shares how they met in true Nashville fashion, what it takes to maintain trust and communication in the music industry, and how she balances supporting his dreams while continuing to build a life of her own at home.

The conversation dives into independence, friendship, boundaries, and the importance of staying grounded while navigating a relationship in a fast-moving industry. It’s candid, heartfelt, funny at times, and full of perspective on love, identity, and finding balance when music is part of your everyday life.

Watch clips and behind-the-scenes moments: @married.to.the.music

Follow Hanley: @hanleyriggs

More episodes and show notes: www.MarriedToTheMusicPodcast.com Know someone we should feature? Reach out on social: @married.to.the.music

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meghan Patrick (Mitchell Tenpenny): Healing, Marriage & Making Music That Matters Feb 20, 2026

Show notes

Country artist Meghan Patrick joins Married To The Music for a deeply honest conversation about her journey from Ontario to Nashville, the life-changing snowboarding injury that pushed her fully toward music, and how personal experiences have shaped both her songwriting and her purpose.

She opens up about healing, family dynamics, finding confidence in the industry, and building a career from the ground up — plus the real story of how she met husband Mitchell Tenpenny, what makes their marriage work in the music business, and why trust, communication, and keeping their relationship sacred are non-negotiables.

It’s candid, heartfelt, funny at times, and full of perspective on balancing love, career, and identity in country music.

Watch clips and behind-the-scenes moments: @married.to.the.music

Follow Hanley: @hanleyriggs

More episodes and show notes: www.MarriedToTheMusicPodcast.com Know someone we should feature? Reach out on social: @married.to.the.music

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kristen Brust (LoCash): Radio Hustle & Finding Love in the Music Industry Feb 13, 2026

Show notes

She left Michigan for radio, survived divorce and career burnout, then rebuilt her life inside Nashville’s country music machine. Kristen Brust, wife of LoCash’s Preston Brust, shares the untold reality of loving an artist while protecting your own identity.
Kristen walks through her path from country radio promotions to Big Machine Records, the loneliness of life on the road, hitting rock bottom during a divorce, and the unexpected night she met Preston. She opens up about marriage under a spotlight, tour-life boundaries, trust, raising three kids while he’s gone, and the behind-the-scenes truth of being married to country music.

Watch clips and behind-the-scenes moments: @married.to.the.music

Follow Hanley: @hanleyriggs

More episodes and show notes: www.MarriedToTheMusicPodcast.com Know someone we should feature? Reach out on social: @married.to.the.music

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The People Behind Country Music’s Biggest Stars Are Finally Telling Their Own Stories Jan 14, 2026

Show notes

Married to the Music is a new podcast with honest, behind-the-scenes conversations with the husbands, wives, and partners of today’s top country artists. These men and women aren’t just the plus one they’re entrepreneurs, creatives, parents, and powerhouse individuals building lives in and around Nashville.

Each episode dives into love, identity, ambition, and what it really looks like to be married to someone in the spotlight from how they met, to balancing careers and family, to navigating fame from the inside out.

Hosted by Hanley Riggs, Married to the Music is all about the stories you don’t hear on stage or see on red carpets.

Episode one drops February 13th.

Follow @married.to.the.music on Instagram and TikTok for behind-the-scenes moments and episode teasers and follow me, @hanleyriggs, to come along for the ride.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.