September 9, 2024 • 16 mins
Keith Urban has so much new music to celebrate and that ain't it, he's also headed to Vegas for this year's iHeartRadio Music Festival. In talking about creating this new album, we got super persoanl with Keith about how he stays positive. His answer will give you goosebumps.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's always fun catching up. Keith Urban is here.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
How you doing doing great? Good to see you to.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
I got to tell you last time we caught up,
you were excited about new music, but it felt like
you were you had opened up a little bit about
a tough time you had gone with an album you
thought was done right.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Yeah, it's relative right. Just creatively speaking, it was. It
was it was a bit of a gut punch to
work on an album per year and a half than
to just scrap most of it and start again.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
It felt like you were still kind of healing off
of that when we because we talked, gosh, I want
to say it was probably close to four three four
months ago.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Yeah, how do you feel now that like everybody lated
just some Yeah. I mean I always at the time,
it's like, man, this is going to be, this is
going to push everything like significantly into touring. Is going
to be now twenty twenty five, and this is when
I was in twenty three, so I'm like two years wow, okay, great,
you know that kind of thing. It would have been
(00:55):
so much easier to just go the album's fine, it's
got a couple of good tracks. We're good. Let's go,
let's keep the thing going. But I really wanted to
make a good, solid album top to bottom.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
What was missing from that first one that you found
in what Spirit?
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Musical adventure and spirit, but mostly spirit, just because most
of the songs, too many of the songs were similar
in this sort of energy and tempo, and they just
it was too much of one kind of thing. And
I didn't really realize that until I put it all together,
because we were recording one at a time and each
(01:32):
one individually felt really good, but placed together didn't feel good.
And so I just wanted to get back in and
capture more of the spirit of who I am and
particularly what I do live.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
We were lucky enough to get the album early and
I was spending some time with it, and I'm spending
more time with it this morning. There's so many songs
that it feels like unlike other albums, it feels like,
is this more the direction of the album and the
songs in order? Is it more purposeful than it's ever
been before? Because it felt that way listening to it.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
It's very purposeful. Sequencing was very purposeful for the next
mood to hopefully be the one that works for how
you're feeling coming off that song.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
What is your favorite story to tell out of those
twelve new songs? Right?
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Eleven eleven new songs. Yeah, there's a track that opens
the record, but it's a tiny little piece of dialogue
which isn't really a track, but I had to number
it frustratingly, it's not a track.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
That is why I said twelve.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Yeah, I know exactly. It's eleven songs. It's forty minutes
top to bottom. That's plenty for an album in my opinion.
What was the question?
Speaker 1 (02:41):
It was purposeful on the placement of song versus just
tossing them on there. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yeah, because I make records the same way I do
a set list for a show. You know, It's like,
what's the opening, what's the song you want to come
next with? And then where do you want to go
after that? The rise and fall, a bit of mindless,
a bit of introspection, a bit of emotion, a bit
of party, a bit of everything, just you know, pacing
it and how do I want to end it?
Speaker 1 (03:09):
You know?
Speaker 2 (03:10):
That was that was the thinking behind all of it.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
What's something that you know? Rewind to Keith Urban many
years ago. Many you don't say that to somebody, Uh,
Keith Urban younger years early music. Yeah, what's something that
you put way too much pressure on yourself and way
too much stress on yourself that now that you're like,
let's fly through it, we're good.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Nothing Nothing comes to mind, really no, because I think
I'd already done all that, even earlier, before all the records.
I think i'd gone through. I know I had. I'd
gone through a lot of a lot of stuff. I
mean the first the first some of the early recording
sessions with my band, The Ranch. We were on a
different record label, and we were getting what I used
(03:55):
to call the court appointed producers, a sign to us
like Okay, now you gotta go win and cut with
this guy because he's a legend, and you're like okay,
And none of it was working. It didn't really matter
who produced us, he just wasn't working. And this is
early on and this famous producer who's not with us anymore,
and I'll never mention my name because he's he is
(04:17):
a legend, he's great, but I think he was just
he didn't want to be there, right. The labels probably
like you're going to go produce this band. He's like, Okay,
So he's sitting in the studio and we cut the
song and he gets to the end of the song
and he goes, all right, boys, what do you want
on this thing? Fiddle or steel? And I'm like, well,
I don't really want what, you know, and he goes, well,
(04:38):
we got to put one on there, either fiddle or steel.
I don't care what it is, you pick it. I'm like,
I don't really want fiddle or steel on this particular song.
I don't think it needs it. And he goes, listen, sign,
I don't make the rules. Just pick one and we'll
get on with it. And he started to get really agitated,
and I'm like, I don't want I'm getting all whany
and stuff, you know. And then he goes, listen, how
many number one records you putt? And I went you didn't.
(05:01):
Just people don't really say that, dude, that's in the movies.
I can't believe you said that. I said, I've produced zero,
and I go and you've done hundreds of them, but
you're not putting fiddle or steel on this record. And
I just walked out of the studio and he quit,
and I the point about that is, I think I
got through all the stuff that would otherwise worry me
(05:21):
very early on, and I'm like, I'm just going to
make records I want to make and they work, but
they don't work. But either way I fall on my sword,
not somebody else's.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Have you always been able to do it your way always?
And that's important? Right? Like you don't.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Yes, someone said to me early on when I came
to Nashville. They said, what's what's your most important thing?
And I said, getting a record deal. They said, no,
it's not. I said, what is it? And they go,
getting the right record deal? And I went, what's the
right record deal? And they went, the one that gives
you full creative control to be who you are. That's
the one you wait. You wait for that one, and
we did have to wait for that one.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
How what what's that process like? Rewind to when when
you started getting because I imagine when somebody started to
see talent it's like, yeah, here here you go, Yeah, yeah,
here you go. What was that process like that? You're
like to be patient enough.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
I think it's just it's being worn down. And one
of the great advantages early on I had. I had nothing.
When you have nothing to lose, man, you can make
some bold choices because I can't lose anything.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
What do I care?
Speaker 2 (06:22):
You know, It's like I've got nothing happening. I'll just
make the demands I want to make. Take it or
leave it. I got nothing to lose, event I got
something to gain. And that was, weirdly enough, a great
place to get to if that makes sense.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Listen, And if someday it all doesn't work out, I
could get you playing intermissions at bridge Stone if nice.
Just let me know.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
I always want to have something to fall back on.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
When it comes to your best days. You are a
positive guy to be around.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
You are to try.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
You are one of the best entertainers like I've seen live.
But obviously there's tough days, as Keith Urban right, So
if you peel back like they, hey, it's so excited.
Always got this great song? What are challenges that you
have to get from stage to stage or song to song?
Speaker 2 (07:06):
You know, over the years, a lot of people have
sort of thought, gush, you write a lot of happy,
go lucky, summer time windows down songs. Your life must
be great. Good for you, buddy, you know, And I'm
like I was looking back thinking why have I written
so many of these kinds of songs in my life,
and it's and I would define most of those songs
as me whistling in the dark, Like these songs are
(07:28):
my way of trying to stay a little bit above
water myself. It's it's my whistling in the dark songs
like I'm not the sunny, happy, go lucky, Everything's great guy.
I can be quite the opposite. So I need these
songs to keep me, to keep me positive and moving forward.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
What's been the song that's helped you do that the most,
or maybe when you got all of them.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
All of them, I mean, and getting to revisit some
of these songs, like the old ones like Days Go
By and who Would Know Me? And Better Life and
Somebody Like You and Long Hot Summer. Getting to play
these things in concert, it's such a gift. It's a
real gift. And to see everybody's singing, it's amazing. I'm
so grateful for it.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
What songs you talk about, you know, some big titles
that have lasting power. If someone's making a playlist now
that just dove into country music in the last week,
they're going to find some of the songs you just mentioned.
Do you have a feeling in this new album, what
songs could potentially have that like everlasting effect on fans.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
I don't. I'm always surprised by that, you know, song people,
That's the great thing about getting music out finally, So
I'm so happy that the album's coming out because now
I get to actually get some feedback.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
What song are you? Is there one that you're kind
of like overprotective of?
Speaker 2 (08:43):
No, no once. That's one thing I've learned to be
to be less concerned about people's reaction to what I
make or what I do. It's none of my business
what you make of it. Like I said my piece,
I'm not going to move on with my life and
you can sit with it, dissit, be confused by it,
(09:04):
hated it first, love it, eventually whatever it is, that's
got nothing to do with me. I can't control any
of that.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
There was Thomas Rhett, who will join you at the
IHAT Radio Music Festival in about a month here. We
talked to him about his new album recently, and he
said early in his career, when he would do a
show or put out a new song, as soon as
it was out or as soon as the show was over,
he'd pick up his phone and look for anybody talking.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
All right, all right, right, right?
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Have you ever been a guy that.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Checks the reviews not reviews, because they're they're not they're
only they're only those people in that one moment, and
even those people may have a different opinion next week.
One of the people's maybe their dog just died, right,
maybe their their partner left them, maybe something horrendous happened
to them, they lost their job, and they just came
to your gig, and they're hating everything. You know, you
(09:54):
don't know, So it's a dangerous game to play getting
too much from that. My feeling is more broad. It's like,
what's the what's the general temperature reading of everything? It
feels pretty good. There's always gonna be naysay, screw them,
Yeah exactly.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
You bought to take it anywhere, hit the bank account
and see it.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Well. Plus, I mean, how many songs did you hate
it first and then grew to love them? Because a
lot of the time, especially if it's an artist we
love the first time we hear like a Thomas Rhett fan,
the first time they hear his new song, they're deciding
is it like bomb? They've already got an expectation level
that this song has to meet. So they're hearing it
(10:32):
for what it isn't. Oh it's not die happy man.
It isn't. It isn't this. It isn't that. It's like, no,
it isn't it's this. Give this, give this a second.
You know, this may take a minute. So I think
people's reaction sometimes takes a while.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Uh. When it comes to shows like the iHeartRadio Music Festival,
you're no stranger to Vegas. You've played. I'd be surprised
if you didn't have a condo or something in Vegas.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
I don't have a condo.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
You do to lost. I want to tell you thanks
for keeping up the payments. I'm enjoying the vacation.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
O good, someone's in there.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
But what does it mean for you? Because the iHeart
Radio Music Festival has evolved over the years where you
get like Shaboozie will be there this year. There's these
new up and comers who get to experience this. But
then you have these legacy acts that come in and
every genre is represented to be invited back this year.
For where you're at in your career, this awesome new
music is coming down the pipe. What does it mean
(11:29):
for you to be involved.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
It's I love it. I love it, I love I
love playing new songs. Obviously, I love people wanting to
hear those new songs. That's definitely been the case with
Messed Up as Me and the Laney Jewet to go
Home with You. It just feels great to be able
to play, but to be able to slip in new
songs as well. It's the best. That's it's the best.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
It's gonna be fun. What's what do you do? Do
you get downtime when you're in Vegas? And if you do,
what's like something you'll do?
Speaker 2 (11:57):
There's something. There's a place where you can go and
operate heavy machinery like bulldozers and stuff like that, and
you can go crush a car. You can literally like cars.
The car is provided us, the Bayo car, but you
get to like smash and crush a car. It's an
amazing feeling. You can write your ex's name and spray
(12:19):
paint on the car. They'll let you do that and
then you just annihilate. It feels amazing.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
That's awesome. Yeah, that's it.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
I did that. Got a lot out on my system.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Do we need to talk? Are you good?
Speaker 2 (12:29):
I'm good now.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
You you have I want to touch on because it's
kind of a big deal your TV judging experience when
it comes to music shows, right Carrie. Obviously you guys
have a history together. Carrie's joining the Idol cast. Was there?
Have you talked to her about that?
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Is there?
Speaker 1 (12:49):
Did she ask her advice?
Speaker 2 (12:51):
I haven't yet. She's gonna be great at it. I mean,
because she knows what it's like to be on the
other side receiving all of that, So I think she's
gonna be Really She'll be the only one out of
and Luke who's been on the other side of that,
So she's gonna bring something really important.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
Do you think that will make her more sympathetic? So
we'll see.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Tough she may she may be talking mom who knows,
could be She could be tough.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
That's true. We get we get the new album, We
get the iHeart Radio Music Festival. Obviously, you said touring
twenty twenty five. Do you have other things you're looking
forward to in between now and the end of the year.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Well, yeah, just putting it, putting the tour together. We've
been lucky to be doing a lot of festivals recently,
so we've been slipping near songs and we open the
show with straight line. We've been doing messed up as me,
uh wildside. We just put in the set a little
while ago, so it's great sliding these things in right
now and getting them greasy and loose and good.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Yeah, I and I have to bring up this song
title and I don't have it in front of me.
It's it's on the new album and it's take that
all the way to the drink.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
All laughing all the way.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
To the drink. I said to Tay when we heard
that song, I go, I hope that's not a radio single.
That's a that's a long ass name when the song's longer. Right,
do you ever? Do you ever? You're you're talking about
building it like a set list, right, and it's very
intentional the way you do. Are you the same way
with song titles? Are you like cool? It fits, Let's
move to the next thing, as in being intentional, Like
(14:20):
it's like you have to determine what the title is
going to be. Maybe there's a couple of different options.
Are you cool? Like slapping the label on it and
moving on.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
No, I think titles are good. I think you're important.
With how you do it? I mean when I write,
we write that song, Ben Burgess, it's one of the
writers on that. And we had this music track already done.
Michael Losondo, Terrence Clark, my drummer, the three of us
shammed and built this track, and then I brought Ben in.
I'm like, what do you make of this track? And
he goes, I think it reminds me of laughing all
the way to the bank, and I went, oh, what
(14:48):
about laughing all the way to the drank? It'd be
way cooler. And then we wrote the song.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
I love it. It's so good. Do you have a
favorite out of everything we're about to get on the
new album?
Speaker 2 (14:57):
No, every one of them for different reasons that I mean.
I had twenty songs originally, and I stripped it down
at thirteen, and then I stripped it down to eleven.
So just because I love every one of.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
Them, eleven songs twelve tracks, I'm never.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Going to make them confusing.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
I was like, oh, twelve. So the rest of the year,
you're getting ready to put the show together, do you
have any trips playing? You get to unplug a little bit,
and isn't going to be tough to finally because you've
been home longer than you normally would have been.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
Yes and no. I mean we've been working a lot.
We've been playing a lot of festivals and a lot
of corporate gigs, and a lot of bomb mispers and
weddings and you know, a few little played, a couple
of divorces that were fun, challenging. Did birthday parties played
at an airport? You know, we've had some quirky we've
bet a quirque a few gigs this year.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Do you ever hear? And I'm like this, I'll wrap
it up, But the airport gig it went viral, right
I saw it? Do you ever get approach for something
like that? And you're like, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
These are all my hair brain ideas, Oh every one
of them, trust me. Yeah, it was awesome.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
Oh my lord, the new album's coming Keith in Vegas
and we can't wait to see what you got when
you hit the road in twenty five minute amazing.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Thanks Keith, my pleasure, Thank you,
It's always fun catching up. Keith Urban is here.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
How you doing doing great? Good to see you to.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
I got to tell you last time we caught up,
you were excited about new music, but it felt like
you were you had opened up a little bit about
a tough time you had gone with an album you
thought was done right.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Yeah, it's relative right. Just creatively speaking, it was. It
was it was a bit of a gut punch to
work on an album per year and a half than
to just scrap most of it and start again.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
It felt like you were still kind of healing off
of that when we because we talked, gosh, I want
to say it was probably close to four three four
months ago.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Yeah, how do you feel now that like everybody lated
just some Yeah. I mean I always at the time,
it's like, man, this is going to be, this is
going to push everything like significantly into touring. Is going
to be now twenty twenty five, and this is when
I was in twenty three, so I'm like two years wow, okay, great,
you know that kind of thing. It would have been
(00:55):
so much easier to just go the album's fine, it's
got a couple of good tracks. We're good. Let's go,
let's keep the thing going. But I really wanted to
make a good, solid album top to bottom.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
What was missing from that first one that you found
in what Spirit?
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Musical adventure and spirit, but mostly spirit, just because most
of the songs, too many of the songs were similar
in this sort of energy and tempo, and they just
it was too much of one kind of thing. And
I didn't really realize that until I put it all together,
because we were recording one at a time and each
(01:32):
one individually felt really good, but placed together didn't feel good.
And so I just wanted to get back in and
capture more of the spirit of who I am and
particularly what I do live.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
We were lucky enough to get the album early and
I was spending some time with it, and I'm spending
more time with it this morning. There's so many songs
that it feels like unlike other albums, it feels like,
is this more the direction of the album and the
songs in order? Is it more purposeful than it's ever
been before? Because it felt that way listening to it.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
It's very purposeful. Sequencing was very purposeful for the next
mood to hopefully be the one that works for how
you're feeling coming off that song.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
What is your favorite story to tell out of those
twelve new songs? Right?
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Eleven eleven new songs. Yeah, there's a track that opens
the record, but it's a tiny little piece of dialogue
which isn't really a track, but I had to number
it frustratingly, it's not a track.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
That is why I said twelve.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Yeah, I know exactly. It's eleven songs. It's forty minutes
top to bottom. That's plenty for an album in my opinion.
What was the question?
Speaker 1 (02:41):
It was purposeful on the placement of song versus just
tossing them on there. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yeah, because I make records the same way I do
a set list for a show. You know, It's like,
what's the opening, what's the song you want to come
next with? And then where do you want to go
after that? The rise and fall, a bit of mindless,
a bit of introspection, a bit of emotion, a bit
of party, a bit of everything, just you know, pacing
it and how do I want to end it?
Speaker 1 (03:09):
You know?
Speaker 2 (03:10):
That was that was the thinking behind all of it.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
What's something that you know? Rewind to Keith Urban many
years ago. Many you don't say that to somebody, Uh,
Keith Urban younger years early music. Yeah, what's something that
you put way too much pressure on yourself and way
too much stress on yourself that now that you're like,
let's fly through it, we're good.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Nothing Nothing comes to mind, really no, because I think
I'd already done all that, even earlier, before all the records.
I think i'd gone through. I know I had. I'd
gone through a lot of a lot of stuff. I
mean the first the first some of the early recording
sessions with my band, The Ranch. We were on a
different record label, and we were getting what I used
(03:55):
to call the court appointed producers, a sign to us
like Okay, now you gotta go win and cut with
this guy because he's a legend, and you're like okay,
And none of it was working. It didn't really matter
who produced us, he just wasn't working. And this is
early on and this famous producer who's not with us anymore,
and I'll never mention my name because he's he is
(04:17):
a legend, he's great, but I think he was just
he didn't want to be there, right. The labels probably
like you're going to go produce this band. He's like, Okay,
So he's sitting in the studio and we cut the
song and he gets to the end of the song
and he goes, all right, boys, what do you want
on this thing? Fiddle or steel? And I'm like, well,
I don't really want what, you know, and he goes, well,
(04:38):
we got to put one on there, either fiddle or steel.
I don't care what it is, you pick it. I'm like,
I don't really want fiddle or steel on this particular song.
I don't think it needs it. And he goes, listen, sign,
I don't make the rules. Just pick one and we'll
get on with it. And he started to get really agitated,
and I'm like, I don't want I'm getting all whany
and stuff, you know. And then he goes, listen, how
many number one records you putt? And I went you didn't.
(05:01):
Just people don't really say that, dude, that's in the movies.
I can't believe you said that. I said, I've produced zero,
and I go and you've done hundreds of them, but
you're not putting fiddle or steel on this record. And
I just walked out of the studio and he quit,
and I the point about that is, I think I
got through all the stuff that would otherwise worry me
(05:21):
very early on, and I'm like, I'm just going to
make records I want to make and they work, but
they don't work. But either way I fall on my sword,
not somebody else's.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Have you always been able to do it your way always?
And that's important? Right? Like you don't.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Yes, someone said to me early on when I came
to Nashville. They said, what's what's your most important thing?
And I said, getting a record deal. They said, no,
it's not. I said, what is it? And they go,
getting the right record deal? And I went, what's the
right record deal? And they went, the one that gives
you full creative control to be who you are. That's
the one you wait. You wait for that one, and
we did have to wait for that one.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
How what what's that process like? Rewind to when when
you started getting because I imagine when somebody started to
see talent it's like, yeah, here here you go, Yeah, yeah,
here you go. What was that process like that? You're
like to be patient enough.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
I think it's just it's being worn down. And one
of the great advantages early on I had. I had nothing.
When you have nothing to lose, man, you can make
some bold choices because I can't lose anything.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
What do I care?
Speaker 2 (06:22):
You know, It's like I've got nothing happening. I'll just
make the demands I want to make. Take it or
leave it. I got nothing to lose, event I got
something to gain. And that was, weirdly enough, a great
place to get to if that makes sense.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Listen, And if someday it all doesn't work out, I
could get you playing intermissions at bridge Stone if nice.
Just let me know.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
I always want to have something to fall back on.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
When it comes to your best days. You are a
positive guy to be around.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
You are to try.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
You are one of the best entertainers like I've seen live.
But obviously there's tough days, as Keith Urban right, So
if you peel back like they, hey, it's so excited.
Always got this great song? What are challenges that you
have to get from stage to stage or song to song?
Speaker 2 (07:06):
You know, over the years, a lot of people have
sort of thought, gush, you write a lot of happy,
go lucky, summer time windows down songs. Your life must
be great. Good for you, buddy, you know, And I'm
like I was looking back thinking why have I written
so many of these kinds of songs in my life,
and it's and I would define most of those songs
as me whistling in the dark, Like these songs are
(07:28):
my way of trying to stay a little bit above
water myself. It's it's my whistling in the dark songs
like I'm not the sunny, happy, go lucky, Everything's great guy.
I can be quite the opposite. So I need these
songs to keep me, to keep me positive and moving forward.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
What's been the song that's helped you do that the most,
or maybe when you got all of them.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
All of them, I mean, and getting to revisit some
of these songs, like the old ones like Days Go
By and who Would Know Me? And Better Life and
Somebody Like You and Long Hot Summer. Getting to play
these things in concert, it's such a gift. It's a
real gift. And to see everybody's singing, it's amazing. I'm
so grateful for it.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
What songs you talk about, you know, some big titles
that have lasting power. If someone's making a playlist now
that just dove into country music in the last week,
they're going to find some of the songs you just mentioned.
Do you have a feeling in this new album, what
songs could potentially have that like everlasting effect on fans.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
I don't. I'm always surprised by that, you know, song people,
That's the great thing about getting music out finally, So
I'm so happy that the album's coming out because now
I get to actually get some feedback.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
What song are you? Is there one that you're kind
of like overprotective of?
Speaker 2 (08:43):
No, no once. That's one thing I've learned to be
to be less concerned about people's reaction to what I
make or what I do. It's none of my business
what you make of it. Like I said my piece,
I'm not going to move on with my life and
you can sit with it, dissit, be confused by it,
(09:04):
hated it first, love it, eventually whatever it is, that's
got nothing to do with me. I can't control any
of that.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
There was Thomas Rhett, who will join you at the
IHAT Radio Music Festival in about a month here. We
talked to him about his new album recently, and he
said early in his career, when he would do a
show or put out a new song, as soon as
it was out or as soon as the show was over,
he'd pick up his phone and look for anybody talking.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
All right, all right, right, right?
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Have you ever been a guy that.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Checks the reviews not reviews, because they're they're not they're
only they're only those people in that one moment, and
even those people may have a different opinion next week.
One of the people's maybe their dog just died, right,
maybe their their partner left them, maybe something horrendous happened
to them, they lost their job, and they just came
to your gig, and they're hating everything. You know, you
(09:54):
don't know, So it's a dangerous game to play getting
too much from that. My feeling is more broad. It's like,
what's the what's the general temperature reading of everything? It
feels pretty good. There's always gonna be naysay, screw them,
Yeah exactly.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
You bought to take it anywhere, hit the bank account
and see it.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Well. Plus, I mean, how many songs did you hate
it first and then grew to love them? Because a
lot of the time, especially if it's an artist we
love the first time we hear like a Thomas Rhett fan,
the first time they hear his new song, they're deciding
is it like bomb? They've already got an expectation level
that this song has to meet. So they're hearing it
(10:32):
for what it isn't. Oh it's not die happy man.
It isn't. It isn't this. It isn't that. It's like, no,
it isn't it's this. Give this, give this a second.
You know, this may take a minute. So I think
people's reaction sometimes takes a while.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Uh. When it comes to shows like the iHeartRadio Music Festival,
you're no stranger to Vegas. You've played. I'd be surprised
if you didn't have a condo or something in Vegas.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
I don't have a condo.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
You do to lost. I want to tell you thanks
for keeping up the payments. I'm enjoying the vacation.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
O good, someone's in there.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
But what does it mean for you? Because the iHeart
Radio Music Festival has evolved over the years where you
get like Shaboozie will be there this year. There's these
new up and comers who get to experience this. But
then you have these legacy acts that come in and
every genre is represented to be invited back this year.
For where you're at in your career, this awesome new
music is coming down the pipe. What does it mean
(11:29):
for you to be involved.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
It's I love it. I love it, I love I
love playing new songs. Obviously, I love people wanting to
hear those new songs. That's definitely been the case with
Messed Up as Me and the Laney Jewet to go
Home with You. It just feels great to be able
to play, but to be able to slip in new
songs as well. It's the best. That's it's the best.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
It's gonna be fun. What's what do you do? Do
you get downtime when you're in Vegas? And if you do,
what's like something you'll do?
Speaker 2 (11:57):
There's something. There's a place where you can go and
operate heavy machinery like bulldozers and stuff like that, and
you can go crush a car. You can literally like cars.
The car is provided us, the Bayo car, but you
get to like smash and crush a car. It's an
amazing feeling. You can write your ex's name and spray
(12:19):
paint on the car. They'll let you do that and
then you just annihilate. It feels amazing.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
That's awesome. Yeah, that's it.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
I did that. Got a lot out on my system.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Do we need to talk? Are you good?
Speaker 2 (12:29):
I'm good now.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
You you have I want to touch on because it's
kind of a big deal your TV judging experience when
it comes to music shows, right Carrie. Obviously you guys
have a history together. Carrie's joining the Idol cast. Was there?
Have you talked to her about that?
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Is there?
Speaker 1 (12:49):
Did she ask her advice?
Speaker 2 (12:51):
I haven't yet. She's gonna be great at it. I mean,
because she knows what it's like to be on the
other side receiving all of that, So I think she's
gonna be Really She'll be the only one out of
and Luke who's been on the other side of that,
So she's gonna bring something really important.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
Do you think that will make her more sympathetic? So
we'll see.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Tough she may she may be talking mom who knows,
could be She could be tough.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
That's true. We get we get the new album, We
get the iHeart Radio Music Festival. Obviously, you said touring
twenty twenty five. Do you have other things you're looking
forward to in between now and the end of the year.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Well, yeah, just putting it, putting the tour together. We've
been lucky to be doing a lot of festivals recently,
so we've been slipping near songs and we open the
show with straight line. We've been doing messed up as me,
uh wildside. We just put in the set a little
while ago, so it's great sliding these things in right
now and getting them greasy and loose and good.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Yeah, I and I have to bring up this song
title and I don't have it in front of me.
It's it's on the new album and it's take that
all the way to the drink.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
All laughing all the way.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
To the drink. I said to Tay when we heard
that song, I go, I hope that's not a radio single.
That's a that's a long ass name when the song's longer. Right,
do you ever? Do you ever? You're you're talking about
building it like a set list, right, and it's very
intentional the way you do. Are you the same way
with song titles? Are you like cool? It fits, Let's
move to the next thing, as in being intentional, Like
(14:20):
it's like you have to determine what the title is
going to be. Maybe there's a couple of different options.
Are you cool? Like slapping the label on it and
moving on.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
No, I think titles are good. I think you're important.
With how you do it? I mean when I write,
we write that song, Ben Burgess, it's one of the
writers on that. And we had this music track already done.
Michael Losondo, Terrence Clark, my drummer, the three of us
shammed and built this track, and then I brought Ben in.
I'm like, what do you make of this track? And
he goes, I think it reminds me of laughing all
the way to the bank, and I went, oh, what
(14:48):
about laughing all the way to the drank? It'd be
way cooler. And then we wrote the song.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
I love it. It's so good. Do you have a
favorite out of everything we're about to get on the
new album?
Speaker 2 (14:57):
No, every one of them for different reasons that I mean.
I had twenty songs originally, and I stripped it down
at thirteen, and then I stripped it down to eleven.
So just because I love every one of.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
Them, eleven songs twelve tracks, I'm never.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Going to make them confusing.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
I was like, oh, twelve. So the rest of the year,
you're getting ready to put the show together, do you
have any trips playing? You get to unplug a little bit,
and isn't going to be tough to finally because you've
been home longer than you normally would have been.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
Yes and no. I mean we've been working a lot.
We've been playing a lot of festivals and a lot
of corporate gigs, and a lot of bomb mispers and
weddings and you know, a few little played, a couple
of divorces that were fun, challenging. Did birthday parties played
at an airport? You know, we've had some quirky we've
bet a quirque a few gigs this year.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Do you ever hear? And I'm like this, I'll wrap
it up, But the airport gig it went viral, right
I saw it? Do you ever get approach for something
like that? And you're like, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
These are all my hair brain ideas, Oh every one
of them, trust me. Yeah, it was awesome.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
Oh my lord, the new album's coming Keith in Vegas
and we can't wait to see what you got when
you hit the road in twenty five minute amazing.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Thanks Keith, my pleasure, Thank you,
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