Katie & Company Audacy

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’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.”

Hear additional details about Sam’s tour adventures, plus his ideas for new music and more by checking out his entire conversation with Audacy’s Katie Neal above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

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 down my wheelhouse and I’m excited to have that out.”

Hear the new single on Audacy stations nationwide and check out Luke’s entire conversation with Audacy’s Katie Neal above to learn about his bass allergy, Idol, new single and more.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

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, songwriters feel like they can come and showcase their music or have a #1 party,” concluded Ramsey. “We really want it to be part of the community rather than a tourist attraction.”

Hear additional details about the bar, more stories from tour (including a proposal gone wrong) and Ramsey’s new puppy, Eddy, by checking out the guys’ full conversation with Katie Neal above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

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 suggested a collaboration — it’s not a duet, it’s a collaboration,” Urban said of reviving a song he’s had for some time. “I had somebody in mind, and I sent it to them and they loved it and we did it last summer we were just elated with how it turned out.”

Hear more hints about what’s to come, plus some of his most touching stories from his past by checking out Keith Urban’s entire conversation with Audacy’s Katie Neal on the Superstar Power Hour above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

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 normal and be normal — there’s just a weight that it put on me… the way that I’m wired, it just took a toll on me.”

For more information on his headlining tour, the new album, DIFFTAPE and much more check out HARDY’s full conversation with Audacy’s Katie Neal above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal