Katie & Company

On the cusp of releasing his new, self-titled album, Parker McCollum joins Katie Neal this week for the 'Superstar Power Hour,' where the "Big Sky" singer shares an update on his family, talks about creating his new LP in New York City, and reveals what it's like to tour with the one and only, George Strait. McCollum's self-titled new album, set to arrive everywhere on June 27, is a return to the authentic approach Parker took on his debut effort. "I feel like I finally figured out that just like being me is is really what I should do as an artist," he shares. "I spent so much time trying to be a Country singer and wanting to be a Country singer and wanting to sound like Country singers and I'm just like, 'man, I just don't think that I do,' and that's alright." Recorded in New York City, McCollum says it was an intense, focused environment that helped create his latest collection. "I didn't go to a restaurant, I didn't go to a bar, I was either in my hotel room or in the studio for 7 days or in the car from one to the other. I ate room service, same meal, breakfast and dinner every night and went straight to the studio every day for about 10-11 hours, and it was intense and it was emotional and grueling and we just went after it." This summer Parker McCollum will once again hit the road, this time touring with George Strait and Chris Stapleton in stadiums across the country. "I haven't spent any time with Chris, but George and I spent a little bit of time together and he's just an unbelievably kind human being," remarks Parker. "Just a really, really sweet man and he's the king of Country music. He's a living breathing legend and just the greatest to ever do it. And he just couldn't be more down to earth and genuine and kind, and, every time I've been around him, I've really enjoyed just getting to talk with him a little bit. I have a lot of respect for him." To hear more from Parker McCollum on his new self-titled album, check out the full Superstar Power Hour interview above.

Kane Brown has another song climbing to the top of the charts with "Backseat Driver," and he's already amped for what's next. The singer sat down with Katie Neal to talk about his latest music, tour gifts, his upcoming movie role, and more during this week's edition of the 'Superstar Power Hour.' "Whenever you're doing shows and you get to see the reaction from the crowd get bigger and bigger and bigger as the tour goes on for the song. 'Oh, it's growing.' People are liking the song," Kane says of fans feedback to the track, "Backseat Driver." While the song continues to gain momentum everywhere, Kane is also all about his new summer bop, "2 Pair," which arrived last week. "This is the most excited I've been about a song in a while," KB reveals. "It's really just a fun stomping song like the Country version of Nelly's 'Air Force Ones.'" Another project that Kane appears ecstatic about is the upcoming film, 'The Token Groomsman,' which he's set to start shooting soon with his friend Taylor Lautner. "The script's hilarious," smiles Brown. "Being in a movie, my first movie, Taylor Lautner is a perfect guy because I'm his best friend, so we actually are friends in real life, we text and talk and so it should be just natural and, I'm really excited I get to do this with Taylor." To hear much more from Kane Brown, check out the full 'Superstar Power Hour' interview above.

This week during the 'Superstar Power Hour,' Riley Green revealed that he has some new music in the works, but perhaps for fans more importantly, he's heard your concern over his mustache and it's back for now. "I thought people might mention it," smiles Riley about the reaction to him shaving his mustache earlier this year, having no idea it would make the kind of news it made. "It was nice that day I walked in the bar and nobody knew who I was, like I was about 14 when I shaved it off." "So I shave every year just to get a little sun on my face," Green explains to Katie Neal. "It just feels nice for a little change, and I didn't realize that I'm like 'mustache guy' now. So people expect a certain level of mustache from me, and when I shaved it really, it hurt some people's feelings." With his stache secured, the talk turns to Riley's latest song to climb the charts, "Worst Way," from his album 'Don't Mind If I Do.' "I don't tend to write a lot of love songs," he says of the album closer. "I'm always kind of the ballady like, 'I Wish Grandpas Never died,' more sad song guy. You know, people don't wanna just cry the whole concert, I thought I should kind of try something else." "'Worst Way' ended up being a really forward love song, and when you write songs like that by yourself, you're not bouncing ideas off anybody. So when you get done with it, you're like, 'wait, is this OK?'" "It was a little outside of my comfort zone, and when I got done with it, I thought there was something cool about it. I think I like most songs I played a little bit of it and posted it on Facebook or Instagram or something, and it blew up. That's how you know when fans kind of let you know you have something and, I think it went platinum before we even sent to radio it was just this huge song. So when fans go and make a song hit like that, it's always so much fun. You kind of sit back and just enjoy playing it, and it's become one of the biggest moments in my live show." To hear more about the "Worst Way" video, new music, and more, check out the full interview with Riley Green above.

Dustin Lynch returned to CMA Fest this year, with new music and a whole new occupation, pulling double duty as a Country star and resident DJ at some of the country's biggest clubs. "I'm really proud of the creative process and the flow that I've been in and I'm still in right now," Dustin tells Katie Neal, writing his new song "Easy To Love" and working on his upcoming album. "'Easy To Love' is kind of a little bit autobiographical about a guy that's just going where the wind blows them and where the waves take him, and that's literally the season of life I'm in right now because of, a couple of things. One of those being this DJ set and nightlife set that I'm performing outside of my normal Country touring. We started doing DJ sets in Las Vegas. We have a residency at the Wynn." "We're performing that show at a bunch of the big nightclubs across the US and Canada," explains Lynch. "That has literally taken my life in a completely new direction. If you'd have told me at last CMA Fest I would be doing this, I would have called you crazy, but here we are." These new performances have influenced Dustin's upcoming album, as he has a lot of everything on the horizon. "I've got well over an album already recorded," he reveals. "We've been recording as the year's gone and we get songs we love, so lots more new music coming out this year. A lot of Country music coming out, a lot of new Dance music coming out as well. So just working on both projects simultaneously. I'm a mad man. I'm constantly on the phone and in the studio right now doing both projects." Hear more about both projects from Dustin during his interview above from the Audacy Nashville Sound Space at the Hard Rock Cafe.

Riding high off her new single, "You Had To Be There," Megan Moroney recently joined Katie Neal for the 'Superstar Power Hour,' to talk about working with Kenny Chesney, life on tour, her next album, and the story behind her hit, "Am I Okay?" "I had only known this dude for like a month," admits Megan about the song's subject. "Mistake number one. Never write a nice song about a man that you've only known for a month because by month 3, they will ruin your life." "I was like a month in and I was like, 'wait, I'm actually like really happy and this is crazy,' like what's wrong with me? I'm usually so sad, like put me in rice, something's wrong with me. And so that was the sentiment that I went in with. I wrote it with Jesse Jo Dillon and Luke Laird." "But at the same time... I knew I was going on tour with Kenny, so I wanted it to feel like a stadium song. So when I was having Luke come up with the chords and stuff, I was like, 'this needs to feel really big' because I want to be able to get people up even though I play pretty early. I want people like up out of their seats, just like another good song for my setlist that feels like a party, and we would end the set every night with that one, and mission accomplished, I guess. But yeah, when we wrote it, it was kind of just half of authentic feelings of being like, 'wait, I'm actually happy. Am I okay?' And then paired with the need for a big stadium song, and that's how we got it." With the tour coming to a close and her star rapidly rising, it's almost the end of the 'Am I Okay?' era, but what's next for Megan Moroney? "Well, I can say that I've been in the studio a lot. I've been writing a lot. I'm just gonna keep the ball rolling, you know, so I'm excited," she reveals. "This next set of music is a lot happier than what you would expect, but I feel like that's just where I'm at in life. I feel like for once I'm just like, chilling." "I do have one really gut-wrenching song on the album. There's a few sad songs still because I would never abandon my emo cowgirlness, but for the album as a whole, I definitely think it's a lot more carefree and just like, sassy and fun, and I'm excited for everyone to hear what I've been working on." For more from Megan Moroney, check out the full 'Superstar Power Hour' interview above.

Jason Aldean is currently rocking stages across the country with his 'Full Throttle Tour,' excited to get back on the road after six months away. He joined Katie Neal this week during the 'Superstar Power Hour' and talked about prepping for tour, and how he's spent his time away from the spotlight. Aldean is "ready to get back to work," he tells Katie, but his time away has produced some new music we'll hopefully hear later this year. "Trying to finish up an album while we're off not touring, so kind of wrapping that up," he says. "I got some new music coming this year." A new album would be a great accomplishment for anyone, but given the carpool schedule at the Aldean house it's even more amazing. "Right now, you know, kids are all playing sports. Memphis is in baseball, Navy's in softball. Kendall's playing flag football at her school, and so they're just kind of all over the map," he reveals. "We've spent a lot of time going to practices and games and doing all that kind of stuff, and all that's about to wrap up here in the next week or two and get ready for summer." "Yeah, essentially a chauffeur and just trying to figure out how to get everybody where they need to be and, not really a lot of time for me to do anything right now except be a driver." Jason says he's "excited to get it out there," with the new music, but still figuring out the best way to present the songs due to the rapid consumption of music these days. "You know, you drop an album and then everybody just consumes it for a month or two and then they're like, 'OK, when's the next one coming out?' You're like, 'man, it took me 8 months to make that thing.' So, I think this go around, trying to figure out how we drop a project and maybe kind of stagger it out where we don't give them everything right off the bat, just enough to kind of say, 'here's a little bit' and then 'here's a little bit more' and then, 'here's the rest of it' kind of thing." "It's Morgan Wallen's fault," Jason jokes. "Morgan's putting out all these records, 20 songs here, 20 songs there, then dropping like random stuff here and there and it just like seems like the guy's dropping a new record every 4 months or something. The reality is there's a lot of work that goes into that and just writing the songs, and getting to a place to go in and make those records. So to just turn them out like that it's almost impossible. So, just trying to figure out how to extend the life of the album and some of the songs." Hear more about the new music, the 'Full Throttle Tour,' and more during the 'Superstar Power Hour' interview with Jason Aldean above.

The love story between Tim McGraw and Faith Hill remains a fairytale, and during his 'Superstar Power Hour' interview with Katie Neal, we learned how it all started. "I remember the very first time I saw a picture of Faith. I fell in love instantly," Tim gushes, after looking back at one of Faith's first award acceptance speeches. "I think she was on Billboard magazine or something. I was walking through my management office, and I'd had like one or two singles out off of my first album, I hadn't really done much, and I was in the process of recording my second album. I walked by and saw the photo of her on it and I'm like, 'oh my God.' I need to find that girl." The two have now been married for nearly 30 years, sharing 3 kids along the way, and still adding to the family. "We got two new puppies at home, so we're pretty busy right now," adds Tim. "We got Aussie Mountain Doodles. So they're cute as they can be, but they're a handful... She's busy handling them while I'm out doing some work." In addition to his family update, McGraw also gave us an update on his health, after undergoing several surgeries over the last few years. "Over the last 2 years I've had 4 major surgeries. So it's been a rough go, but you know, I beat myself up over the years pretty badly." "I'm starting to come around. It's just gonna take a little time, but I've done a lot of PT getting to where I can move a little better. There's setbacks, you know, you go a couple of weeks, everything is really good, then you have a couple of weeks everything goes backwards again, and so it's sort of a back and forth thing, but at least I'm up and going and moving." "The worst part for me is I'm terrible at sitting still," admits Tim. "I had two back surgeries before the tour last year. And then during the tour, the back started going cattywampus on me and in about 3 weeks in the tour, my knees went out, so I had to do the whole tour with my knee shot, my back shot, so right after I had double knee replacements. So both knees. And that was the worst, having to lay there for 6, 8 weeks and not do much." "That was the worst part was mentally. I mean, I was warned about it by my doctors that everybody that gets these things, there's of depression that happens. And for me I was saying, 'I not gonna get depressed, you know, it's football season. I'm gonna have my knees replaced and watch football.' But, you know, 3 weeks into it, I was tired of it." Thankfully Tim is in better spirits now, booked and busy with more music to enjoy. There's the MLB Speedway Classic happing in August, his Field of Dreams concert later that month, the Music City Rodeo later this month, and of course his new take on "Paper Umbrellas" with Parker McCollum out now. "That song was on my 'Standing Room Only' album, and we were getting ready to pick a new single. I wanted to bring something off of that album, and there were a couple of choices we had, but I always loved that record, one of my favorite records on the album, and I wanted to freshen it up a little bit because it had been out for a while on the album." "And was looking around at somebody new to put on the record and Parker was the first guy I thought of because I liked his music and the direction that he goes, and the way his voice sounds, and it seemed like his voice would fit perfectly on this type of song," reveals Tim "He did a great job on it and so we decided that, yeah, this is gonna be the single and so it's off and running." Hear much more from Tim McGraw during the full 'Superstar Power Hour' interview above.

This week on the 'Superstar Power Hour,' Chris Young is in to keep Katie Neal company, talking about the making of his beautiful new ballad, "Til The Last One Dies," his upcoming album, as well as a look back on his career as he approaches his 40th birthday. "It's almost done," Young says of his upcoming 10th studio album. "Got a whole bunch of stuff tracked, ready to go." The project is preceded by "Til The Last One Dies," a wedding song if ever there was one, and Chris Young knows it. "I personally, I don't want to be reaching, I don't want to be over ambitious, but like 99% of the people that are getting married this year should use it as their first dance song at their wedding," he shares. "I don't want to say 100% because you don't want to be greedy, but I, I just love this love song." The song is just one of the tracks that Chris says makes up the "snapshot" of his life for his upcoming LP, a piece of advice that he has carried with him from another artist. "I think something that another artist told me one time, I think is very encapsulating of every single album that you will ever make, if you make one, if you get to make one hundred, It's a snapshot of where you are in time as an artist. What you feel, what resonates with you, what you've written, what you find." So what are those things for Chris Young as he enters this next era? "I think this is really just about having a whole lot of freedom," he admits. "The ability to, if I wanna do a song where I've just got steel guitar all over it, that's totally fine. If I want to do something where I'm standing in the studio with two of my good friends, stomping with a mic set up next to our feet to get part of a track that we want like a stomp clap thing, and all of us just like laughing, telling jokes and goofing off, that's totally OK." "You get to just make art. It's never perfect. It's always abandoned, but you work as hard on it as you possibly can."

Bailey Zimmerman is ready to show the world what he's been working on, and this week he joined Katie Neal for the 'Superstar Power Hour' to offer fans a peek into his next project. "I really wanna show people that I'm a real artist," Zimmerman explains, visibly stoked about his upcoming project. "I can do anything. I'm doing everything and I wanna show my growth and how hard I've been working to get my voice better, and my production better, and knowing what production is and how to do it. This whole record I helped do almost everything in the studio and I just want people to see my growth as an artist, and I want people to see, like, yo, I'm here to stay. I'm here to like put my name here. I've got a lot to say." After two years of learning and meticulously sorting through songs, Bailey can't wait to show you where he's at. "This new album is just the last two years of my life and the album itself is where I'm at now, but it also jumps back to how I used to feel, some of the feelings that I didn't get to say on 'Religiously. The Album' are on this album. There's a couple of stories from back in like 2018 that I wrote about that I always wanted to say, but can never do it. And then I finally wrote the song that I loved. So it's a new era of me." Filled with a few experimental songs and emotional moments that mean a lot to him, Bailey admits it's something new for the new era. "I've got this new sound that I'm really going after that's just something I haven't done quite before, I guess. I haven't done it like I'm doing it on this new record" Bailey also gave us some insight into his two big collabs, "All The Way" with BigXthaPlug and "Backup Plan" with Luke Combs. The latter with Luke finally coming after months of waiting from a return text from the "Fast Car" singer to jump on the track. "It's like the testament of the song, you know, the testimony is like, 'Man, there's so many times that I've had in the last 4 years of my being a Country artist, like falling on my face in front of a lot of people and disappointing a lot of people a lot, and learning from that is like the testament of 'Backup Plan,' is like, yo, I could have quit. There's a lot of people that are telling me you should, but I didn't. And I'd have never known. I'd have never had the song with Big X. I'd never had the song with Luke. You gotta keep going, and when people are telling you that you should quit, that's more of a reason to not quit. Don't quit, keep freaking going." To hear more from Bailey Zimmerman, check out the full 'Superstar Power Hour' interview above.

The 60th ACM Awards are starting in style with an epic 12 minute performance and tribute to 80s and 90s Country. "We're bringing it back," Wynonna tells Katie Neal backstage at the ACMs. "I've been here 42 years, and I'm still here." Judd is just one of the many set to celebrate the 60 years of the ACM Awards, and she's looking forward to seeing old friends from every era. It's a can't miss start to a huge night for Country music. The 60th Academy of Country Music Awards show is taking place on May 8 from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Hosted by 16-time ACM Award–winning entertainment icon Reba McEntire, the ceremony will stream live on Prime Video at 8PM ET / 5PM PT. Don't miss our continuing coverage backstage at audacy.com/acm.

Brothers, sisters, everybody sing! The Backstreet Boys and Rascal Flatts are joining forces at the 60th ACM Awards to bring you... Flattsreet Boys, as the two iconic groups will take the stage together for a performance of "What Hurts The Most." Before they take the stage on Thursday night, Katie Neal caught up with members of each to preview the performance, talk about how they first connected before the pandemic, and more. The 60th Academy of Country Music Awards show is taking place on May 8 from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Hosted by 16-time ACM Award–winning entertainment icon Reba McEntire, the ceremony will stream live on Prime Video at 8PM ET / 5PM PT. Don't miss our continuing coverage backstage at audacy.com/acm.

Hang tight honey, we're making way for 'Entertainer of the Year' nominee Lainey Wilson, backstage at the 60th ACM Awards. The singer sat in with Katie Neal to talk about the big show, the new music she's been teasing on socials, and her amazing feature film debut. The 60th Academy of Country Music Awards show is taking place on May 8 from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Hosted by 16-time ACM Award–winning entertainment icon Reba McEntire, the ceremony will stream live on Prime Video at 8PM ET / 5PM PT. Don't miss our continuing coverage backstage at audacy.com/acm.

Backstage at the 60th ACM Awards, Eric Church checked in to talk about his performance on the big show, his new album, 'Evangeline vs. The Machine,' and his upcoming tour. The Chief also told Katie Neal about his spot on Morgan Wallen's upcoming album, due out next Friday. The 60th Academy of Country Music Awards show is taking place on May 8 from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Hosted by 16-time ACM Award–winning entertainment icon Reba McEntire, the ceremony will stream live on Prime Video at 8PM ET / 5PM PT. Don't miss our continuing coverage backstage at audacy.com/acm.

Throughout his career, there's been a few songs that really struck Cody Johnson, but he wasn't sure if they should be singles. Thankfully the fans have the final vote, and have pushed tracks like "'Til You Can't" and the latest single, "The Fall," into the spotlight. Backstage at the 2025 ACM Awards, Cody explained why it's always up to the fans, and shared his excited with Katie Neal for this week's award show. The 60th Academy of Country Music Awards show is taking place on May 8 from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Hosted by 16-time ACM Award–winning entertainment icon Reba McEntire, the ceremony will stream live on Prime Video at 8PM ET / 5PM PT. Don't miss our continuing coverage backstage at audacy.com/acm.

Backstage at the 2025 ACM Awards, Tucker Wetmore talks with Katie Neal about the reaction from fans after releasing his debut album, and how it feels to be collaborating with Thomas Rhett. The 60th Academy of Country Music Awards show is taking place on May 8 from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Hosted by 16-time ACM Award–winning entertainment icon Reba McEntire, the ceremony will stream live on Prime Video at 8PM ET / 5PM PT. Don't miss our continuing coverage backstage at audacy.com/acm.

Our Audacy 'LAUNCH' artist, Hudson Westbrook, is making the most of first ACM Awards, dipping in and back out immediately to continue life on the road. It's not something he planned for at the beginning of the year, but the success has been "insane" and amazing for the Texas native. The "House Again" singer caught up with Katie Neal backstage to talk about being able to drive his truck to the award show, the things he always forgets at home, and more. The 60th Academy of Country Music Awards show is taking place on May 8 from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Hosted by 16-time ACM Award–winning entertainment icon Reba McEntire, the ceremony will stream live on Prime Video at 8PM ET / 5PM PT. Don't miss our continuing coverage backstage at audacy.com/acm.

Blake Shelton has a lot to celebrate this week, including his 30th number one single and being back on stage at the 2025 ACM Awards. Backstage he told Katie Neal how "unbelievable" it is to notch his 30th chart-topper, and shared who he won't lock eyes with when performing at the ACMs. "Those Dan + Shay guys, they're pretty idiotic," he joked. "Shay is always doing something stupid." The 60th Academy of Country Music Awards show is taking place on May 8 from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Hosted by 16-time ACM Award–winning entertainment icon Reba McEntire, the ceremony will stream live on Prime Video at 8PM ET / 5PM PT. Don't miss our continuing coverage backstage at audacy.com/acm.

Backstage at the 2025 ACM Awards, Katie Neal caught up with 'Entertainer of the Year' nominee, Kelsea Ballerini, who shared how proud she is of her nomination and also detailed her day out with Noah Kahan at Dollywood. The 60th Academy of Country Music Awards show is taking place on May 8 from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Hosted by 16-time ACM Award–winning entertainment icon Reba McEntire, the ceremony will stream live on Prime Video at 8PM ET / 5PM PT. Don't miss our continuing coverage backstage at audacy.com/acm.

Just a few days away from the release of his 13th studio album, and potentially on the cusp of his 30th number one song, Blake Shelton shared with Katie Neal the moment that inspired him to jump back into the album arena. "I've been so excited and grateful to see the reception that it's gotten because, man, I hadn't even made an album in years," Blake says of the success of "Texas" which continues to climb the charts. "I was kind of OK with that because, I just kind of been in the grind with 'The Voice,' and just my career over the last, you know, now quarter century." "It wasn't until Post Malone called and asked if I would sing 'Pour Me A Drink' with him for his record, and then it came out as a single, and then we made a video, and just being around him and his excitement for Country music and how much he loves it," shares Shelton. "It truly did. I credit Post all the time. It was the wake up call I needed to realize, 'what am I doing?' I get to be a Country singer and a handful of people in the world get to do what I do, and I need to get back in there and make another record." First up with his new lit fire was "Texas," which Blake says is a "once in a lifetime" song. "It's just when you hear it, it's it for me anyway, it was impossible to get it out of my mind. I'd wake up in the middle of the night just singing my own song. Like normally if I make a record and by the time I get a mixed version of it, I'm so sick of it. I never want to hear it again, you know, when you work on something like that. And I just still sitting here right now, it's so much fun, that song. I love the George Strait references in there, and 'All My Ex's.' It's just been a blast." After his collab with Post Malone marked Shelton's 29th number one, could "Texas" be lucky number 30? "if we're able to get to 30, I may lose my mind," smiles Blake. "That might be the thing that sends me over the edge." To hear more from Blake Shelton about his show, 'The Road,' the title of his upcoming album, 'For Recreational Use Only,' and being mixed up with Luke Bryan, check out the full 'Superstar Power Interview' with Katie Neal above.

It's been a big week for Tucker Wetmore, who just released his album, 'What Not To,' thrilled the Country crowd at Stagecoach, and now is gearing up for a summer tour with Thomas Rhett. Before the whirlwind of the past few days, Katie Neal had a chance to talk with Tucker, sharing some of the stories behind the songs on his latest effort, and how he has felt about his rapid rise over the past year and a half. "I'm ready to get it out in the world, it's been a long time coming," Tucker shared about his official debut album. "Nothing in my life for the past year and a half has felt real, but yeah, I'm just blessed." "There's a couple different themes to the album, but I actually wrote 'Goodbye Whiskey' as the outro track, originally when I first wrote it, and that's why it's produced out the way it is and that's why it's set up and it kind of feels like an outro," says Wetmore about one of the three "Whiskey" songs on the nineteen track album. "But it felt like the perfect medium to the next step of the album. So I was like, 'that has to go right there.' It feels like I'm closing a chapter and then opening up a new one and then boom, 'Whiskey Again,'" which closes out the album for Tucker. "I'm right back to square one." Check out the full interview with Tucker Wetmore above.