Cody Johnson has shifted the perspective of millions across the globe with his life-affirming hit, “’Til You Can’t,” and according to the cowboy-turned-Country star, that includes his own. While the song has been one of his biggest to date and reached the #1 spot on Country radio, Johnson says the impact on him and his fans was much greater than just topping music charts.

During his recent appearance on the Superstar Power Hour with Audacy’s Katie Neal, COJO shared the song took on a whole new meaning to him shortly after he recorded it when a private jet he was flying in experienced an engine malfunction sending him and his team plummeting mid-flight.

“We were all on a plane coming from Mississippi going to Austin to do a NASCAR Race National Anthem,” Johnson told Katie Neal of being on the jet with his wife, assistant and tour manager. “[We] were going to fly through the night and long story short, the jet stalled, engine failure, and we started plummeting from about 41,000 feet, down to about 10,000 feet and the pilot said, ‘This is it, we’re goin’ down.’”

He continued, “I remember thinking about all the things I’d left unsaid and all the things I’d left unfinished and how angry I was — immediately, I thought, ‘I should have said that, I should’ve did this’ — and I don’t want to live with that regret anymore. Next night, when I sang, ’Til’ You Can’t,’ I was like, ‘This song is for me…’  it changed my perspective and I hope it’s affected other people like it’s affected me and I thank radio for giving it such huge platform.”

While humbled that song in particular reached the top — Johnson is quick to clarify it’s not the #1 status that means the most to him, it’s the message he was able to spread and will continue to share whether he continues to reach #1 or not.

“We followed ’Til’ You Can’t’ with ‘Human,’ which made it into the top 5 but didn’t get a #1 with it. Everybody was so concerned [saying] ‘We don’t think this is going to get #1’ and I was like, ‘It doesn’t matter… so we got a top 5, we didn’t get a #1 — boo hoo!’ I’m never going to chase #1s, I’m here to put out music I believe in and stories that are real.”

Proof of the 36-year-old doing just that is everywhere as he regularly hears stories and meets fans who tell him how his music has changed — and even saved — their lives.

“There was a young lady in Australia that came up to me at a meet & greet and explained to me how ‘Human’ came on as she was about to commit suicide and she decided not to,” Johnson revealed. “She said, ‘Who is this guy Cody Johnson?’ And the next song that comes on is ’Til You Can’t’ and she said, ‘I just want to thank you, it saved my life.’ That’s so much bigger than a Platinum record or a number 1 hit.”

Johnson’s continues to impact listeners with his latest single, “The Painter,” which for him is about the love of his wife, Brandi, but can be interpreted for many other relationships, making it relatable for fans no matter their situation.

“It was so perfect,” COJO said of the first time he heard the song penned by Benjy Davis, Kat Higgins and Ryan Larkins. “There are 10 million people out there in the world who feel this way about their spouse — and it may not be your spouse. It may be your daughter or your son or your Dad or your Mom — but somebody painted our lives and that song, where ever it takes you, it paints… such a beautiful picture in your mind.”

Hear about the single, plus stories about Johnson’s rodeo days, songwriting, international tour dates and so much more by checking out his full conversation with Audacy’s Katie Neal on the Superstar Power Hour above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal