May 24, 2024 • 28 mins
Susie Evans is taking you Beyond the Bachelor and going back to Ben Flajnik’s season with the person behind one of the most memorable moments! Country singer Clay Walker is here and ready to share his memories of serenading Ben and Jennifer on their one-on-one date!
Clay shares some behind the scenes secrets from his time on the show, and we get into all the drama that stirred up after he hit the stage!
Plus, find out how his appearance on The Bachelor helped score major points with the woman who got Clay’s final rose.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is all most Famous Beyond the Bachelor with Susie Evans.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Hey, guys, and welcome back to Beyond the Bachelor. This
is your host, Susie Evans. Today I'm joined by Clay Walker,
who was on Ben Flanni's season of the Bachelor. I
personally did not watch this episode, so I'm really excited
because rumor has it that on the episode, Clay serenades
one couple and Emily's competitive strategy causes a firestorm. So
(00:29):
we're going to get the scoop today on this episode.
I'm going into it a little blind because I have
not seen that episode, but I'm really excited to learn
all the behind the scenes details and everything that he
can share with us.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Hey, Susie, how you doing this morning?
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Hi?
Speaker 3 (00:45):
I'm good. How are you great?
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Thank you for having me on.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Rumor has it when you performed on the show, it
kind of stirred up a bit of drama or possibly
there was some dramatics happening in that house around that time.
Do you have any Do you have any memories of
this or behind the scenes infant that you want to
start to show off with and tell us.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Me in my own house, Are there house.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
No, no.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
In the Bachelor House, well, I.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
You know, I I just remember the show being really
really well done and that uh, you know, the girl
who was on the show was a was a fan
of mine and so the Bachelor wanting to surprise her,
and it did in a great way. And I don't
know how they kept it a surprise, you know, that long,
(01:36):
but it's hard to keep surprises. But I I can
remember the it was in Colorado. It's been it's been
a minute, but I think the whole the whole group
was very excited, you know, for the performance, and the
song was big at the time, and so she won't
be longly long and but I I I want to
(02:00):
say that her favorite song was maybe Hypnotize the Moon.
That may have been it, but like I said, it's
been a while, so I maybe get that wrong. But
both of them were over the top and super hospitable
and super excited. And I thought that the crew and
the production team were quite amazing, you know. And a
(02:22):
lot of times, you know, those things can be so
cheesy or just you know, just feel weird, you know,
but that felt felt right.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Oh, that's so cool.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
It's got to be so unique to be able to
showcase your music on a reality show. I'm sure it's
very different from what you normally experience whether you're touring
or recording music. How did this opportunity come about and
what was your initial reaction when you either received the
call er got the information that you were going to
be doing a performance on the show.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Well, two things happened kind of simultaneously. There was another
request for me to play uh the Hurst wedding, which
was quite exciting in itself, And so there was this
I guess you have these cycles, you know, where either
you're kind of popular or there's a buzz or something
(03:14):
you know is going on for you, and and so
there are media requests or requests like that, and and
uh uh, you know, everyone knows about The Bachelor NAVI
that that that show has been around, and it's been
very popular for good reason, because everyone's curious, you know
about you know, what are the inside you know, actions
(03:39):
and thoughts and private actions of of of individuals, whether
it's some male or female. And so there are a
lot of intriguing moments, you know, that were coming out
in these in these series of shows like that, and
and of course I was intrigued and then when they
made their request, I was like, this is really cool
because as it actually signals you know that there's a popularity,
(04:03):
like you know, you're with a popular group, and so
it was flattering and I was excited to go do it.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Yeah, that's really cool.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Did anything unexpected come from the opportunity, like, did other
collaborations happen, or just anything that sparked a new path
in your career based on being on the show.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
You know, one thing generally does build off of another.
For example, we just we just were at the Academy
Country Music Coorts with UH with Randy Travis and UH.
It was you know, the AP picked it up, and
you know, there was a lot of subsequent media excitement
(04:48):
around us since it's still going. But in that particular case,
I can't remember because, like I said, it's been been
some years since we've done that. I don't even remember
how exactly do you know what year it was that
we actually did that? There you go, So I can't remember,
you know exactly what followed that. I just I remember
that a lot of people saw it, you know, and
(05:10):
typically you know, I mean I've had the same phone
number for gosh, twenty something years, and so you know
that my phone was blowing up like crazy. And then
you know, when I sang at the World Series, you know,
for baseball, you know, I got I got texts blowing up.
The other night when I was on the A Sam Awards,
(05:31):
there were people you know, blowing my phone up, So
it had that same effect. You know, I'm not sure
what it all happened because of it, but it's always
good to get good media, you know, especially when you
don't watch it.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
You know, Yeah, that's too funny. I think I'm curious
if being on.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
The show, even for the segment, just the segment that
you were on, did it influenced your love life at all?
Were you married at the time when you were on
the show. Did it re spark the romance in your life?
What what did that look like.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
So my wife is thirteen years younger than I am,
and she was a huge fan on the Bachelor. So
when when I told her about you know, getting the invitation,
of course, she was over the top. You know, all
of her friends everyone talking about it, and and and
(06:31):
you know, guys, I think, you know, like me, it's
like those kind of shows, you know, would never admit
to liking any piece of it at all. You know.
It's like and honestly, I don't I don't watch TV,
you know, other than sports. It was like for ESPN
and so so, but I knew that it was a
(06:51):
big deal to my wife, and so I absolutely was
excited about the opportunity. But yes, her friend group, you know,
they all lived in New York for I think three
or four years, and they watched Sex in the City
every week, you know, and all the all the stuff
that guys would call trash, you know. And uh, but
(07:16):
but it's a it's a fun indulgence, you know. And
so she was super excited. Anything that gets her excited
to come and gets me excited to and I and
you know, we've always we've always had a great love life.
So so it's uh, did it enhance it any Uh,
probably added some excitement to our life. Yes, But but
(07:36):
she's she's a yeah, I think I'll leave that answer alone.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
That's awesome. I can't I can't imagine.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Yeah, your significant other gets a call to perform on
one of your favorite TV shows.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
That's pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
I remember. One of her most exciting moments is she
had the worst crush on Luke Perry and we were
on an airplane one time and he was he was
close bias and we walked through and uh, he recognized
me and shook my hand as we walked on the plane,
and I thought my wife was going to fall down,
you know. And then there was another time that that
(08:12):
we were at the Kentucky Derby and Tom Brady was
at our table at the derby, you know, at the
actual race. So we were hanging out for you know,
four or five hours, and I think she was just like,
you know, it is kind of overwhelming, you know. Whenever
you are you get around some folks like that, and
it's not all the time. You know, we have friends
(08:34):
that are that are celebrities and and that's cool. But
when you get around somebody that that you grew up loving,
you know, are idolized any kind of way, it is
a it is a shock, you know, and especially when
they're when they're nice, it really just goes over and
just magnifies the way you always felt about them, you know.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
That's so nice.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
I've found since moving to LA that there's people that
I've either followed or seen or consumed their content on
social media, and I'll see them places and I have
this weird feeling of feeling like I know that person
and almost wanting to go up them to them as
a friend, but the reality is that person actually doesn't
(09:17):
know me, like it's only a one way street. And
I kind of feel like that juxtaposition with being in
LA and stuff like that, it's a really cool thing.
But you're like, oh, this is so weird. I know
so much about you, but you don't know anything about me.
But it's kind of fun when you get to have
those experiences. Where are you from, Susie, I'm from Virginia. Yeah, yep,
(09:47):
from Virginia. Moved to LA about a year.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Ago, from one coast to the other the side.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
I've dabbled in reality television myself, but I'm curious. I
think that the entertainment industry often blurs lines between reality
and perception. How do you maintain that authenticity being an artist,
especially after going on, you know, a reality show, even
for a short stint, but also just living a more
public lifestyle. I'm sure you've experienced either headlines or articles
(10:19):
and things like that. How do you stay true to
yourself and live an authentic life?
Speaker 1 (10:28):
I think I recognized a long time ago that I
have a core group of fans that and fans really
pick up on the little nuances of an artist. When
they're real fans, they watch just about everything, they consume
just about everything. When you ask about authenticity, I think
I've always been that way and that is what has
(10:50):
endeared the fans to me. But my folks family, you know,
and they didn't tolerate rude behavior that was growing up.
You know, you head to your part and and and
so I think that shows and who I am and
who I've always been.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
Yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
I can say from personal experience and having friends that
have more public lives, I feel like it can be
so like emotionally damaging when you experience a hardship and
with all the public watching it's it's so much more
complicated than I feel like anybody ever assumes or knows.
(11:36):
And a lot of times you want to defend yourself
or you want to say, hey, there's more to this
than what you guys are discussing online or what you
guys may have seen or heard. But sometimes the best
thing to do is just to, you know, stay in
your lane and stay authentic to yourself and know that
if you've you know, carried yourself and conducted yourself in
a way that you're.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
You know, proud of, then that's really all you can do.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
And it's it sounds like your fan base has seen
that over the years and really respected that.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
I think you're spot on with that. And and I
think it's it's harder and harder, you know, for people
to have any kind of privacy and and but that's
that's part of the game. I mean, that's that's where
we are. And that's okay. I mean, if you if
you want to be in public life, then you've got
to be ready for the scrutiny. You've got to be
(12:28):
ready for people calling you out for your mistakes. And
I think that's I think that's good. You know, I
don't I don't see the bad in that. Uh. I
do love the Internet from the standpoint that we are.
We're able to see you know, raw talent out there
way more readily. And it's probably always been there, you know,
(12:51):
we just we just haven't had the platforms. And you know,
I love all the social media platforms and I love
what they can do for people, you know, exposing greatness,
and you know that that's that's good for consumers, you know,
to not just have one place they can go find
(13:14):
something that they relate to, you know, or identify with.
And and I, for one, you know, I've seen a
lot of talent on the internet and just go, wow, man,
this is it's just stacked up, you know. And then
it's fun too, and it's it's immediate of course, like
anything else, like conversations in a crowd, you know, things
(13:35):
can think can get bad. You know, there can be
bad content, but you got to know how to get
through that. But for the most part, you know, we're
all given a certain amount of time to live and
and and a certain era to live in. And it's
you know, I think the question is what are you
going to do with it? What are you going to
do with the era that you're that you're living in.
(13:55):
That's your era, you know, and and what are you
going to do with that a little bit of time
you have? And that's up to you as well.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
Yeah, absolutely, I'm curious.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
When you see those people online that are super talented
and you're just blown away and you're like, dang, this
is some person who just had a camera or somebody
who was recording them. What advice would you give to
somebody like that if they're wanting to have a career
in the music industry.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
I feel like some being from a.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Small town of small area, this whole world is wild
to me and I didn't even know what was out
there until I was out here, is how I feel sometimes,
And I'm curious, what would you say to somebody who's
trying to break into the music industry who has that
raw talent but they just don't know what to do
or where to be.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Well, I would say that any industry doesn't matter of it,
but especially if it's in entertainment, and that includes TV, movies,
record labels, or you know, music. Most people had this
idea that once they get discovered, you know, by one
(15:04):
of these somebody in that industry, that things are going
to be better. You know, that's the that's the instant thought.
But what they need to be aware of is, first
of all, if someone spots you and thinks you have talent,
then that's a good thing. It's the start of a conversation.
(15:27):
But it's just like this filter or funnel. Don't be
ready to just sign up with that person. The first
person that saw you is like high school, you know,
like you're you're in ninth grade, you're a freshman. You're
walking down the hallway and a guy notices you, and
(15:48):
all of a sudden, you're gonna be with that guy
four years. And then you know, your senior year, you're going,
oh my gosh, you know, Michael was the guy. That's
the guy. I mean, I've always been in love with him,
but I went with David, you know, at a moment,
and the world is just like that. It's just like
high school, you know, and and there's bad principles and
(16:08):
good principles. You know, there's bad teachers and good teachers,
and you really have to take your time with it,
even though you're so excited that someone noticed you. If
you don't wait, you're most likely going to miss the
bigger or the biggest opportunity that could happen for you.
And waiting is the hardest thing in everything, Waiting Waiting
(16:31):
to you know, to give yourself away, waiting to for
a boyfriend the right one. Waiting it is seriously the
hardest thing on earth to do. And so I would say,
if you're good enough to be spotted by one person
in an industry, you're good enough to be spotted by
(16:52):
the rest of them because they're looking to and you should.
You should not just jump on the first opportunity to
hit you.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
That's good.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
So what do you see for yourself professionally and personally
over the next few years?
Speaker 3 (17:16):
What is like the five year vision and plan?
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Well, you know all those things I just said, I
made every mistake that I just told you, you know,
every single one of them. I made it even in
high school. So so you know, it's it's It's one
thing to be able to have the wisdom to look
back and say it, but I have it from the experience.
You know, if one person hears me about it, break
(17:42):
you know what am I doing from here forward is
now that I've been in this industry for you know,
a couple of decades, I've got I've got a team
of people. And this is the most important thing I
could say to anybody wanting to get in the entertainment business.
You cannot will, not, never succeed on your own. It
(18:08):
is the team that surrounds you. And I've got that team. Now.
I've got an unbelievable manager. And when I say unbelievable,
I'm not just talking about as a person it's somebody
who understands the inner workings of the industry and knows
how to help guide your career through those gates. And
(18:31):
there it's gated. You know, this is a gated community
and in every possible way. And when you see Landy
Wilson when an Entertainer of the Year, man she is
a phenomenal talent. I mean I was blown away by her.
Does she deserve it? Would she have gotten it if
(18:52):
she didn't have great management or a great label? Not
a chance, not one chance. It's who's in there fighting
for you. You know, I've got a great publicist in
Zach Farnham, and you know that's why I'm on this
interview with you today. And so it is it's a team,
and it's not just anybody. It's you've got to wait,
(19:14):
seek out and know who can get stuff done and
they have a track record, you know, as the Bible says,
you'll know them by their fruits. The people in the business,
you'll know them by what they've done. And so that's
that's that's my advice to people. And I'm taking it
myself now, you know. So I think there's a lot
(19:36):
of career left for me. I don't know exactly what
it tells, but but I think there's some things that
I have never done that are that are coming up.
I can't say exactly what they are because it's kind
of a secret, but there are some big things coming
that that people will see and go good, gracious. I
didn't expect that, you know, And that's that's always good
(19:57):
to surprise people if it's if it's a positive.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
Yeah, that's so awesome.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
When you were saying that early reminded me when I
was pursuing something several years ago. Oh, I kind of
adopted this phrase, and it was if you want to
go fast, you go alone, but if you want to
go far, you go together.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
And I always held on to that because.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
It did feel like being patient and waiting and having
a great team was It was a It was a
hard thing to do because you're collecting different people with
different skill sets and all these different things. But if
you just want to do it yourself, yeah it might
it might happen quicker, but you might not have as
much longevity. And it was it rains so true and
it stayed true. But just hearing you say that, I
(20:38):
was like, oh, I need to think back on that
phrase more often because it got me through some stuff
a few years ago when I was pursuing some passions.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
Well, I can tell that your sincerity is real, and
you know, stay true. You know, remember you know how
you grew up, remember your household, no matter, no matter
if there were rough time, are not and hopefully there
were some rough times, because those are the things that
help you through life. And you know, it's not the
(21:06):
great times that you learned from, it's just the hard times.
And you know, I would say that la is probably
the hardest place in the world to really be. I've
been there a few times and there are very few,
uh sincere people there. You know, New York is so
much different. I mean, you know, to me, New York
(21:27):
was I was so people go, you like New York City?
I go, I love New York City. I'll tell you why.
People will soon er tell you to kiss off than
than than to help you there. And you know, they
don't hold a door for anybody to walk through. I mean,
they's just real, I the mean, and nobody is trying
(21:47):
to tell you how great you are, how much they
want to help you, and just be lying to you. Know,
so anyway that that was my perspective of the differences
between the big apple and and the l A. You're
out there in a din of lines. It's a big arable.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Well, before we wrap, I wanted to ask you a
few more Bachelor related questions, since I'm sure that people
are curious after filming the show. Did you have anybody
come up to you and recognize you specifically from the
show and have did you have like a fun fan
encounter that you maybe wouldn't have had if you hadn't
performed on the show.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
I did, and that is that is something that is
surprising to me, and that that's how you know that
you should have done it. You know, I didn't even
I ran into probably for at least three or four weeks.
I would run into people at a restaurant or whatever,
and they say, you were on a Bachelor and they're
not even a country fan. But you know, I noticed
the same thing when I started TikTok. You know, I
(22:46):
was one of the first country artists that started TikTok.
And and there's this. I was in Beaumont, Texas, you
know where I was, where I was raised, and I
went in this restaurant and h and this these girls
walked up to me and they said, you your clear
walker and I go, yeah, yeah, and I said and
they go, well, why are you here? And I go,
(23:09):
what do you mean? Why am I here? You know?
And they go where are you from? I go, I'm
from here. I mean that I'm from the same hometown
that They were not country fans. So I realized that
you know that that that these of these platforms, especially
like The Bachelor and the Back is what started that
(23:31):
for me. You know, they need to ask the first
time I notice anything like that. But Tess a great question,
and it's something that I had actually forgotten about, but
it happened in restaurants, you know that I would walk
into people go you're on the Bachelor and be like, yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
That is so funny.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
I feel like we've done a few of these interviews
now and it sounds like that's a common thing where
people have is they're a niche of music that they're
in and they have a really strong fan base, and
they're like, I'm still shocked by how far spread the
Bachelor nache and fan base goes. And I think it's
it's so cool because it brings people together. I'm curious
so Ben ended up picking Courtney Robertson on the show,
(24:12):
and I wasn't. I'm not sure if you watched the
season back or not, but did you have any inklings
about him picking her?
Speaker 1 (24:18):
No, it was it was kind of a surprise. Okay,
but but but but no, I didn't have any inklings
about it. You know, those those shows I think are
first of all, there needs to be some kind of
shock factor, you know, in those shows, and and that's
what keeps them interesting. You know, you can't believe someone cheated,
(24:41):
you know, or snuck out they weren't supposed to and
things like that, and that's what keeps us watching because
I think everyone has a certain amount of wickedness in them,
whether admit it or not yet. And so it's like
when it gets exposed, you know, it's like, oh my gosh,
you know. But not that anything was wicked about Bachelor,
(25:02):
But I'm just saying that it's you know, I'm intrigued
by I mean, I'm more intrigued by how curious people
are and how many people watch it. It's just it's insane.
I mean, most most shows do not cannot last you know,
four or five seasons. I think eight seems to be
(25:25):
a magic number for the big ones. And the fact
that this has been going for twenty something seasons is
I mean, that's that's miraculous. You know. So they're doing
something right there. You know, the format, the ingredients, the
I guess, it's a lot of the raw reality is
what it was what attracts people so much, and you know,
(25:46):
kudos to them, they've done great job.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
That's awesome.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
So lastly, we kind of touched on this earlier, but
my last question was what advice would you offer to
your younger self as an aspiring musician finding yourself in
situations like navigating fame, relationships and the entertainment industry.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
Most of my advice to my younger self would be
what I laid out earlier, you know, about waiting and
being patient, because when it says good things come to
those who wait, it's really probably the most honest, you know,
secular proverb I've ever heard in my life. You know
that that when you wait, something better is going to
(26:29):
come along. I know a lot of times when I've
been offered either tours or or you know, or a
gig somewhere, and I said no. A lot most of
the time, most of it, something better came along. And
and same way with with with with relationships. You know
(26:49):
when you just when you say no and and you
absolutely wait, I mean like almost every time, something better
is coming. And so I would say again, you know
that that patience is is the key. Uh. Like I
would have said that to my young self, I'm saying
it to myself now, you know. And and like I said,
(27:10):
I made all of those faults, all those fallacies that happened,
and I got myself in a lot of trouble, you know, uh,
with the wrong people and and I'm talking about in
business and and now now it's it's it's really in
such a great place that now now I'm just telling myself,
you know, hold the line and have the fortitude to
(27:34):
go with the team you have. They're the right ones.
You've got the right people, and great things are going
to happen. So that that's exactly where I am now.
But just it just takes a while.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
That's awesome. Well, thank you so much for joining us today.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
We appreciate you taking time to chat and give us
the inside scoop on your life and your experience on the.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
Bachelor and all the good stuff. We got to chat about.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
So thank you well, Susan, You've been absolutely a joy
to do the interview with and anytime you anytime you
want a song or will be there.
Speaker 3 (28:03):
Oh, thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
M HM.
This is all most Famous Beyond the Bachelor with Susie Evans.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Hey, guys, and welcome back to Beyond the Bachelor. This
is your host, Susie Evans. Today I'm joined by Clay Walker,
who was on Ben Flanni's season of the Bachelor. I
personally did not watch this episode, so I'm really excited
because rumor has it that on the episode, Clay serenades
one couple and Emily's competitive strategy causes a firestorm. So
(00:29):
we're going to get the scoop today on this episode.
I'm going into it a little blind because I have
not seen that episode, but I'm really excited to learn
all the behind the scenes details and everything that he
can share with us.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Hey, Susie, how you doing this morning?
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Hi?
Speaker 3 (00:45):
I'm good. How are you great?
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Thank you for having me on.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Rumor has it when you performed on the show, it
kind of stirred up a bit of drama or possibly
there was some dramatics happening in that house around that time.
Do you have any Do you have any memories of
this or behind the scenes infant that you want to
start to show off with and tell us.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Me in my own house, Are there house.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
No, no.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
In the Bachelor House, well, I.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
You know, I I just remember the show being really
really well done and that uh, you know, the girl
who was on the show was a was a fan
of mine and so the Bachelor wanting to surprise her,
and it did in a great way. And I don't
know how they kept it a surprise, you know, that long,
(01:36):
but it's hard to keep surprises. But I I can
remember the it was in Colorado. It's been it's been
a minute, but I think the whole the whole group
was very excited, you know, for the performance, and the
song was big at the time, and so she won't
be longly long and but I I I want to
(02:00):
say that her favorite song was maybe Hypnotize the Moon.
That may have been it, but like I said, it's
been a while, so I maybe get that wrong. But
both of them were over the top and super hospitable
and super excited. And I thought that the crew and
the production team were quite amazing, you know. And a
(02:22):
lot of times, you know, those things can be so
cheesy or just you know, just feel weird, you know,
but that felt felt right.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Oh, that's so cool.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
It's got to be so unique to be able to
showcase your music on a reality show. I'm sure it's
very different from what you normally experience whether you're touring
or recording music. How did this opportunity come about and
what was your initial reaction when you either received the
call er got the information that you were going to
be doing a performance on the show.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Well, two things happened kind of simultaneously. There was another
request for me to play uh the Hurst wedding, which
was quite exciting in itself, And so there was this
I guess you have these cycles, you know, where either
you're kind of popular or there's a buzz or something
(03:14):
you know is going on for you, and and so
there are media requests or requests like that, and and
uh uh, you know, everyone knows about The Bachelor NAVI
that that that show has been around, and it's been
very popular for good reason, because everyone's curious, you know
about you know, what are the inside you know, actions
(03:39):
and thoughts and private actions of of of individuals, whether
it's some male or female. And so there are a
lot of intriguing moments, you know, that were coming out
in these in these series of shows like that, and
and of course I was intrigued and then when they
made their request, I was like, this is really cool
because as it actually signals you know that there's a popularity,
(04:03):
like you know, you're with a popular group, and so
it was flattering and I was excited to go do it.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Yeah, that's really cool.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Did anything unexpected come from the opportunity, like, did other
collaborations happen, or just anything that sparked a new path
in your career based on being on the show.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
You know, one thing generally does build off of another.
For example, we just we just were at the Academy
Country Music Coorts with UH with Randy Travis and UH.
It was you know, the AP picked it up, and
you know, there was a lot of subsequent media excitement
(04:48):
around us since it's still going. But in that particular case,
I can't remember because, like I said, it's been been
some years since we've done that. I don't even remember
how exactly do you know what year it was that
we actually did that? There you go, So I can't remember,
you know exactly what followed that. I just I remember
that a lot of people saw it, you know, and
(05:10):
typically you know, I mean I've had the same phone
number for gosh, twenty something years, and so you know
that my phone was blowing up like crazy. And then
you know, when I sang at the World Series, you know,
for baseball, you know, I got I got texts blowing up.
The other night when I was on the A Sam Awards,
(05:31):
there were people you know, blowing my phone up, So
it had that same effect. You know, I'm not sure
what it all happened because of it, but it's always
good to get good media, you know, especially when you
don't watch it.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
You know, Yeah, that's too funny. I think I'm curious
if being on.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
The show, even for the segment, just the segment that
you were on, did it influenced your love life at all?
Were you married at the time when you were on
the show. Did it re spark the romance in your life?
What what did that look like.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
So my wife is thirteen years younger than I am,
and she was a huge fan on the Bachelor. So
when when I told her about you know, getting the invitation,
of course, she was over the top. You know, all
of her friends everyone talking about it, and and and
(06:31):
you know, guys, I think, you know, like me, it's
like those kind of shows, you know, would never admit
to liking any piece of it at all. You know.
It's like and honestly, I don't I don't watch TV,
you know, other than sports. It was like for ESPN
and so so, but I knew that it was a
(06:51):
big deal to my wife, and so I absolutely was
excited about the opportunity. But yes, her friend group, you know,
they all lived in New York for I think three
or four years, and they watched Sex in the City
every week, you know, and all the all the stuff
that guys would call trash, you know. And uh, but
(07:16):
but it's a it's a fun indulgence, you know. And
so she was super excited. Anything that gets her excited
to come and gets me excited to and I and
you know, we've always we've always had a great love life.
So so it's uh, did it enhance it any Uh,
probably added some excitement to our life. Yes, But but
(07:36):
she's she's a yeah, I think I'll leave that answer alone.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
That's awesome. I can't I can't imagine.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Yeah, your significant other gets a call to perform on
one of your favorite TV shows.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
That's pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
I remember. One of her most exciting moments is she
had the worst crush on Luke Perry and we were
on an airplane one time and he was he was
close bias and we walked through and uh, he recognized
me and shook my hand as we walked on the plane,
and I thought my wife was going to fall down,
you know. And then there was another time that that
(08:12):
we were at the Kentucky Derby and Tom Brady was
at our table at the derby, you know, at the
actual race. So we were hanging out for you know,
four or five hours, and I think she was just like,
you know, it is kind of overwhelming, you know. Whenever
you are you get around some folks like that, and
it's not all the time. You know, we have friends
(08:34):
that are that are celebrities and and that's cool. But
when you get around somebody that that you grew up loving,
you know, are idolized any kind of way, it is
a it is a shock, you know, and especially when
they're when they're nice, it really just goes over and
just magnifies the way you always felt about them, you know.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
That's so nice.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
I've found since moving to LA that there's people that
I've either followed or seen or consumed their content on
social media, and I'll see them places and I have
this weird feeling of feeling like I know that person
and almost wanting to go up them to them as
a friend, but the reality is that person actually doesn't
(09:17):
know me, like it's only a one way street. And
I kind of feel like that juxtaposition with being in
LA and stuff like that, it's a really cool thing.
But you're like, oh, this is so weird. I know
so much about you, but you don't know anything about me.
But it's kind of fun when you get to have
those experiences. Where are you from, Susie, I'm from Virginia. Yeah, yep,
(09:47):
from Virginia. Moved to LA about a year.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Ago, from one coast to the other the side.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
I've dabbled in reality television myself, but I'm curious. I
think that the entertainment industry often blurs lines between reality
and perception. How do you maintain that authenticity being an artist,
especially after going on, you know, a reality show, even
for a short stint, but also just living a more
public lifestyle. I'm sure you've experienced either headlines or articles
(10:19):
and things like that. How do you stay true to
yourself and live an authentic life?
Speaker 1 (10:28):
I think I recognized a long time ago that I
have a core group of fans that and fans really
pick up on the little nuances of an artist. When
they're real fans, they watch just about everything, they consume
just about everything. When you ask about authenticity, I think
I've always been that way and that is what has
(10:50):
endeared the fans to me. But my folks family, you know,
and they didn't tolerate rude behavior that was growing up.
You know, you head to your part and and and
so I think that shows and who I am and
who I've always been.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
Yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
I can say from personal experience and having friends that
have more public lives, I feel like it can be
so like emotionally damaging when you experience a hardship and
with all the public watching it's it's so much more
complicated than I feel like anybody ever assumes or knows.
(11:36):
And a lot of times you want to defend yourself
or you want to say, hey, there's more to this
than what you guys are discussing online or what you
guys may have seen or heard. But sometimes the best
thing to do is just to, you know, stay in
your lane and stay authentic to yourself and know that
if you've you know, carried yourself and conducted yourself in
a way that you're.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
You know, proud of, then that's really all you can do.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
And it's it sounds like your fan base has seen
that over the years and really respected that.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
I think you're spot on with that. And and I
think it's it's harder and harder, you know, for people
to have any kind of privacy and and but that's
that's part of the game. I mean, that's that's where
we are. And that's okay. I mean, if you if
you want to be in public life, then you've got
to be ready for the scrutiny. You've got to be
(12:28):
ready for people calling you out for your mistakes. And
I think that's I think that's good. You know, I
don't I don't see the bad in that. Uh. I
do love the Internet from the standpoint that we are.
We're able to see you know, raw talent out there
way more readily. And it's probably always been there, you know,
(12:51):
we just we just haven't had the platforms. And you know,
I love all the social media platforms and I love
what they can do for people, you know, exposing greatness,
and you know that that's that's good for consumers, you know,
to not just have one place they can go find
(13:14):
something that they relate to, you know, or identify with.
And and I, for one, you know, I've seen a
lot of talent on the internet and just go, wow, man,
this is it's just stacked up, you know. And then
it's fun too, and it's it's immediate of course, like
anything else, like conversations in a crowd, you know, things
(13:35):
can think can get bad. You know, there can be
bad content, but you got to know how to get
through that. But for the most part, you know, we're
all given a certain amount of time to live and
and and a certain era to live in. And it's
you know, I think the question is what are you
going to do with it? What are you going to
do with the era that you're that you're living in.
(13:55):
That's your era, you know, and and what are you
going to do with that a little bit of time
you have? And that's up to you as well.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
Yeah, absolutely, I'm curious.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
When you see those people online that are super talented
and you're just blown away and you're like, dang, this
is some person who just had a camera or somebody
who was recording them. What advice would you give to
somebody like that if they're wanting to have a career
in the music industry.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
I feel like some being from a.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Small town of small area, this whole world is wild
to me and I didn't even know what was out
there until I was out here, is how I feel sometimes,
And I'm curious, what would you say to somebody who's
trying to break into the music industry who has that
raw talent but they just don't know what to do
or where to be.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Well, I would say that any industry doesn't matter of it,
but especially if it's in entertainment, and that includes TV, movies,
record labels, or you know, music. Most people had this
idea that once they get discovered, you know, by one
(15:04):
of these somebody in that industry, that things are going
to be better. You know, that's the that's the instant thought.
But what they need to be aware of is, first
of all, if someone spots you and thinks you have talent,
then that's a good thing. It's the start of a conversation.
(15:27):
But it's just like this filter or funnel. Don't be
ready to just sign up with that person. The first
person that saw you is like high school, you know,
like you're you're in ninth grade, you're a freshman. You're
walking down the hallway and a guy notices you, and
(15:48):
all of a sudden, you're gonna be with that guy
four years. And then you know, your senior year, you're going,
oh my gosh, you know, Michael was the guy. That's
the guy. I mean, I've always been in love with him,
but I went with David, you know, at a moment,
and the world is just like that. It's just like
high school, you know, and and there's bad principles and
(16:08):
good principles. You know, there's bad teachers and good teachers,
and you really have to take your time with it,
even though you're so excited that someone noticed you. If
you don't wait, you're most likely going to miss the
bigger or the biggest opportunity that could happen for you.
And waiting is the hardest thing in everything, Waiting Waiting
(16:31):
to you know, to give yourself away, waiting to for
a boyfriend the right one. Waiting it is seriously the
hardest thing on earth to do. And so I would say,
if you're good enough to be spotted by one person
in an industry, you're good enough to be spotted by
(16:52):
the rest of them because they're looking to and you should.
You should not just jump on the first opportunity to
hit you.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
That's good.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
So what do you see for yourself professionally and personally
over the next few years?
Speaker 3 (17:16):
What is like the five year vision and plan?
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Well, you know all those things I just said, I
made every mistake that I just told you, you know,
every single one of them. I made it even in
high school. So so you know, it's it's It's one
thing to be able to have the wisdom to look
back and say it, but I have it from the experience.
You know, if one person hears me about it, break
(17:42):
you know what am I doing from here forward is
now that I've been in this industry for you know,
a couple of decades, I've got I've got a team
of people. And this is the most important thing I
could say to anybody wanting to get in the entertainment business.
You cannot will, not, never succeed on your own. It
(18:08):
is the team that surrounds you. And I've got that team. Now.
I've got an unbelievable manager. And when I say unbelievable,
I'm not just talking about as a person it's somebody
who understands the inner workings of the industry and knows
how to help guide your career through those gates. And
(18:31):
there it's gated. You know, this is a gated community
and in every possible way. And when you see Landy
Wilson when an Entertainer of the Year, man she is
a phenomenal talent. I mean I was blown away by her.
Does she deserve it? Would she have gotten it if
(18:52):
she didn't have great management or a great label? Not
a chance, not one chance. It's who's in there fighting
for you. You know, I've got a great publicist in
Zach Farnham, and you know that's why I'm on this
interview with you today. And so it is it's a team,
and it's not just anybody. It's you've got to wait,
(19:14):
seek out and know who can get stuff done and
they have a track record, you know, as the Bible says,
you'll know them by their fruits. The people in the business,
you'll know them by what they've done. And so that's
that's that's my advice to people. And I'm taking it
myself now, you know. So I think there's a lot
(19:36):
of career left for me. I don't know exactly what
it tells, but but I think there's some things that
I have never done that are that are coming up.
I can't say exactly what they are because it's kind
of a secret, but there are some big things coming
that that people will see and go good, gracious. I
didn't expect that, you know, And that's that's always good
(19:57):
to surprise people if it's if it's a positive.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
Yeah, that's so awesome.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
When you were saying that early reminded me when I
was pursuing something several years ago. Oh, I kind of
adopted this phrase, and it was if you want to
go fast, you go alone, but if you want to
go far, you go together.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
And I always held on to that because.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
It did feel like being patient and waiting and having
a great team was It was a It was a
hard thing to do because you're collecting different people with
different skill sets and all these different things. But if
you just want to do it yourself, yeah it might
it might happen quicker, but you might not have as
much longevity. And it was it rains so true and
it stayed true. But just hearing you say that, I
(20:38):
was like, oh, I need to think back on that
phrase more often because it got me through some stuff
a few years ago when I was pursuing some passions.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
Well, I can tell that your sincerity is real, and
you know, stay true. You know, remember you know how
you grew up, remember your household, no matter, no matter
if there were rough time, are not and hopefully there
were some rough times, because those are the things that
help you through life. And you know, it's not the
(21:06):
great times that you learned from, it's just the hard times.
And you know, I would say that la is probably
the hardest place in the world to really be. I've
been there a few times and there are very few,
uh sincere people there. You know, New York is so
much different. I mean, you know, to me, New York
(21:27):
was I was so people go, you like New York City?
I go, I love New York City. I'll tell you why.
People will soon er tell you to kiss off than
than than to help you there. And you know, they
don't hold a door for anybody to walk through. I mean,
they's just real, I the mean, and nobody is trying
(21:47):
to tell you how great you are, how much they
want to help you, and just be lying to you. Know,
so anyway that that was my perspective of the differences
between the big apple and and the l A. You're
out there in a din of lines. It's a big arable.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Well, before we wrap, I wanted to ask you a
few more Bachelor related questions, since I'm sure that people
are curious after filming the show. Did you have anybody
come up to you and recognize you specifically from the
show and have did you have like a fun fan
encounter that you maybe wouldn't have had if you hadn't
performed on the show.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
I did, and that is that is something that is
surprising to me, and that that's how you know that
you should have done it. You know, I didn't even
I ran into probably for at least three or four weeks.
I would run into people at a restaurant or whatever,
and they say, you were on a Bachelor and they're
not even a country fan. But you know, I noticed
the same thing when I started TikTok. You know, I
(22:46):
was one of the first country artists that started TikTok.
And and there's this. I was in Beaumont, Texas, you
know where I was, where I was raised, and I
went in this restaurant and h and this these girls
walked up to me and they said, you your clear
walker and I go, yeah, yeah, and I said and
they go, well, why are you here? And I go,
(23:09):
what do you mean? Why am I here? You know?
And they go where are you from? I go, I'm
from here. I mean that I'm from the same hometown
that They were not country fans. So I realized that
you know that that that these of these platforms, especially
like The Bachelor and the Back is what started that
(23:31):
for me. You know, they need to ask the first
time I notice anything like that. But Tess a great question,
and it's something that I had actually forgotten about, but
it happened in restaurants, you know that I would walk
into people go you're on the Bachelor and be like, yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
That is so funny.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
I feel like we've done a few of these interviews
now and it sounds like that's a common thing where
people have is they're a niche of music that they're
in and they have a really strong fan base, and
they're like, I'm still shocked by how far spread the
Bachelor nache and fan base goes. And I think it's
it's so cool because it brings people together. I'm curious
so Ben ended up picking Courtney Robertson on the show,
(24:12):
and I wasn't. I'm not sure if you watched the
season back or not, but did you have any inklings
about him picking her?
Speaker 1 (24:18):
No, it was it was kind of a surprise. Okay,
but but but but no, I didn't have any inklings
about it. You know, those those shows I think are
first of all, there needs to be some kind of
shock factor, you know, in those shows, and and that's
what keeps them interesting. You know, you can't believe someone cheated,
(24:41):
you know, or snuck out they weren't supposed to and
things like that, and that's what keeps us watching because
I think everyone has a certain amount of wickedness in them,
whether admit it or not yet. And so it's like
when it gets exposed, you know, it's like, oh my gosh,
you know. But not that anything was wicked about Bachelor,
(25:02):
But I'm just saying that it's you know, I'm intrigued
by I mean, I'm more intrigued by how curious people
are and how many people watch it. It's just it's insane.
I mean, most most shows do not cannot last you know,
four or five seasons. I think eight seems to be
(25:25):
a magic number for the big ones. And the fact
that this has been going for twenty something seasons is
I mean, that's that's miraculous. You know. So they're doing
something right there. You know, the format, the ingredients, the
I guess, it's a lot of the raw reality is
what it was what attracts people so much, and you know,
(25:46):
kudos to them, they've done great job.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
That's awesome.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
So lastly, we kind of touched on this earlier, but
my last question was what advice would you offer to
your younger self as an aspiring musician finding yourself in
situations like navigating fame, relationships and the entertainment industry.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
Most of my advice to my younger self would be
what I laid out earlier, you know, about waiting and
being patient, because when it says good things come to
those who wait, it's really probably the most honest, you know,
secular proverb I've ever heard in my life. You know
that that when you wait, something better is going to
(26:29):
come along. I know a lot of times when I've
been offered either tours or or you know, or a
gig somewhere, and I said no. A lot most of
the time, most of it, something better came along. And
and same way with with with with relationships. You know
(26:49):
when you just when you say no and and you
absolutely wait, I mean like almost every time, something better
is coming. And so I would say again, you know
that that patience is is the key. Uh. Like I
would have said that to my young self, I'm saying
it to myself now, you know. And and like I said,
(27:10):
I made all of those faults, all those fallacies that happened,
and I got myself in a lot of trouble, you know, uh,
with the wrong people and and I'm talking about in
business and and now now it's it's it's really in
such a great place that now now I'm just telling myself,
you know, hold the line and have the fortitude to
(27:34):
go with the team you have. They're the right ones.
You've got the right people, and great things are going
to happen. So that that's exactly where I am now.
But just it just takes a while.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
That's awesome. Well, thank you so much for joining us today.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
We appreciate you taking time to chat and give us
the inside scoop on your life and your experience on the.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
Bachelor and all the good stuff. We got to chat about.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
So thank you well, Susan, You've been absolutely a joy
to do the interview with and anytime you anytime you
want a song or will be there.
Speaker 3 (28:03):
Oh, thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
M HM.
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