Few things are stronger than Country music friendships -   JustinMoore and BlakeShelton being a great example.

During his appearance on the Superstar Power Hour with Audacy’s KatieNeal this week, Justin Moore opened up about how much Blake Shelton has helped him with his career and regularly puts friendship over stardom. “He’s always been really, really go to me,” Moore said of his longtime friendship with Shelton. “I went on tour with him, man, it was probably back in ’10, ’11, ’12, something like that and he’s always been really kind to me.”

Beyond their time on the road together, Justin credits one almost-cancelled appearance on NBC’s The Voice for showing him the level of commitment Blake had to their friendship.

“I was on The Voice in — I think it was maybe 2014 or something. Long story short, I was supposed to be on and they had to cancel for — I don’t know if it was another artist — but, what ever happened and he went to them and goes, ‘You’re gonna have Justin on. I called him and asked him to be on — you’re gonna have him on.'”

He continued, “I was on the finale, actually, which was huge at the time for us and that was all his doing. I say that to say, he is probably the most unaffected superstar I’ve ever met. He’s really just a super nice guy.”

Their friendship is also just as strong out of the spotlight, says Justin who calls Shelton a “nut.” “He’s a nut. Some of our text threads are — we couldn’t put them out — they’re pretty funny,” Justin laughed.

While they may not be able to release the texts, what they did release is a brand new song together featured on Justin’s new album, This Is My Dirt, available now. “I sent him a text and said, ‘Hey, I’ve got this song.’ I actually sent him two songs and I said, ‘which one do you want to do?’ He goes, ‘Let’s do the beer one,’” Justin recalled, laughing. “I go, ‘That’s what I figured you’d pick.’ For him to do that, he don’t have to do that.”

Blake wasn’t the only Country pal who fans can hear featured on the album — Justin also shared his gratitude for long time friends, Randy Houser and Dierks Bentley who appear on “The Worst” and “Time’s Ticking,” respectively.

“Same with Randy [Houser] and Dierks [Bentley],” Justin continued. “For them to lend their talents and time and energy to this project is really cool.”

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Few things are stronger than Country music friendships -   Justin Moore and Blake Shelton being a great example.
During his appearance on the Superstar Power Hour with Audacy’s Katie Neal this week, Justin Moore opened up about how much Blake Shelton has helped him with his career and regularly puts friendship over stardom. “He’s always been really, really go to me,” Moore said of his longtime friendship with Shelton. “I went on tour with him, man, it was probably back in ’10, ’11, ’12, something like that and he’s always been really kind to me.”
Beyond their time on the road together, Justin credits one almost-cancelled appearance on NBC’s The Voice for showing him the level of commitment Blake had to their friendship.
“I was on The Voice in — I think it was maybe 2014 or something. Long story short, I was supposed to be on and they had to cancel for — I don’t know if it was another artist — but, what ever happened and he went to them and goes, ‘You’re gonna have Justin on. I called him and asked him to be on — you’re gonna have him on.'”
He continued, “I was on the finale, actually, which was huge at the time for us and that was all his doing. I say that to say, he is probably the most unaffected superstar I’ve ever met. He’s really just a super nice guy.”
Their friendship is also just as strong out of the spotlight, says Justin who calls Shelton a “nut.” “He’s a nut. Some of our text threads are — we couldn’t put them out — they’re pretty funny,” Justin laughed.
While they may not be able to release the texts, what they did release is a brand new song together featured on Justin’s new album, This Is My Dirt, available now. “I sent him a text and said, ‘Hey, I’ve got this song.’ I actually sent him two songs and I said, ‘which one do you want to do?’ He goes, ‘Let’s do the beer one,’” Justin recalled, laughing. “I go, ‘That’s what I figured you’d pick.’ For him to do that, he don’t have to do that.”
Blake wasn’t the only Country pal who fans can hear featured on the album — Justin also shared his gratitude for long time friends, Randy Houser and Dierks Bentley who appear on “The Worst” and “Time’s Ticking,” respectively.
“Same with Randy [Houser] and Dierks [Bentley],” Justin continued. “For them to lend their talents and time and energy to this project is really cool.”
Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

ACM-nominated Katie Neal is here to get you through the workday and keep you in the know with all things Country music. She’s always looking for a good laugh and a great deal. When Katie’s not on your radio, she’s probably binging her favorite TV shows, attending a wedding or planning a trip somewhere! Katie was recently recognized by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation and won a Gracie Award.

ACM-nominated Katie Neal is here to get you through&nbsp;the workday and keep you in the know with all things Country music. She&rsquo;s always looking for a good laugh and a great deal.&nbsp;When Katie&rsquo;s not on your radio, she&rsquo;s probably binging her favorite TV shows, attending a wedding or planning a trip somewhere! Katie was recently recognized by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation and won a Gracie Award.

Katie & Company

Justin Moore on Working with Blake Shelton

It was a wild weekend on the road for BrantleyGilbert who welcomed his third child with wife, Amber, in the middle of a show in Tupelo, MS. Days later, Gilbert joined Audacy’s Katie Neal to share the whole story and praise Amber for her courage and strength.

“She’s the strongest woman I’ve ever met, I can’t say enough about her,” he said, still in disbelief of the events. According to Gilbert, he was just four songs into his headlining set when his tour manager walked on stage and pulled at his arm telling him to exit.

“We were four songs into the set and my tour manager comes up and pull on my arm… the first thing that came to mind is, ‘it’s a security threat,’” Brantley recalled, sharing he immediately had concern to take care of his bandmates and the crowd. “He looked at me and he gave me a stern like, ‘come on,’ he was like, ‘baby,’ he mouthed ‘baby’ to me and when he did, I dropped the mic and everything and took off running.”

The 39-year-old had no time to spare as he walked onto the bus and almost immediately, Amber’s water broke. “The minute I walked on the bus, I washed my hands really quick and the minute I knelt beside her, her water broke,” Gilbert shared. “I looked at the midwife and she looked back at me and I was just wide-eyed. She’s like, ‘We’re having a baby.’”

The situation is one Brantley said he and Amber had joked about before, but never actually thought could come true. “We joked that if it happened during a show, I’ll just hop off stage, we’ll have it and I’ll run back up there and I’ll hold the baby up like Lion King, like Simba... none of us thought that was actually going to happen.”

While it did happen (minus the Lion King part), Gilbert credits his wife for keeping her cool and birthing their third child, AbramHowell, like a “soldier.” “She was a soldier - such an understatement,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like that in my life. She was just so strong. I was such an emotional wreck - it was ridiculous. She handled it a million times better than I did.”

Following the events, Gilbert says mom and baby are doing just fine. “They’re amazing,” he shared. “He’s tiny. He’s 5lb 7oz - he’s got the cutest little cry ever, but he’s precious.”

Hear the full story of Abram’s entry into the world by checking out Katie Neal’s full conversation with Brantley Gilbert above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

It was a wild weekend on the road for Brantley Gilbert who welcomed his third child with wife, Amber, in the middle of a show in Tupelo, MS. Days later, Gilbert joined Audacy’s Katie Neal to share the whole story and praise Amber for her courage and strength.
“She’s the strongest woman I’ve ever met, I can’t say enough about her,” he said, still in disbelief of the events. According to Gilbert, he was just four songs into his headlining set when his tour manager walked on stage and pulled at his arm telling him to exit.
“We were four songs into the set and my tour manager comes up and pull on my arm… the first thing that came to mind is, ‘it’s a security threat,’” Brantley recalled, sharing he immediately had concern to take care of his bandmates and the crowd. “He looked at me and he gave me a stern like, ‘come on,’ he was like, ‘baby,’ he mouthed ‘baby’ to me and when he did, I dropped the mic and everything and took off running.”
The 39-year-old had no time to spare as he walked onto the bus and almost immediately, Amber’s water broke. “The minute I walked on the bus, I washed my hands really quick and the minute I knelt beside her, her water broke,” Gilbert shared. “I looked at the midwife and she looked back at me and I was just wide-eyed. She’s like, ‘We’re having a baby.’”
The situation is one Brantley said he and Amber had joked about before, but never actually thought could come true. “We joked that if it happened during a show, I’ll just hop off stage, we’ll have it and I’ll run back up there and I’ll hold the baby up like Lion King, like Simba... none of us thought that was actually going to happen.”
While it did happen (minus the Lion King part), Gilbert credits his wife for keeping her cool and birthing their third child, Abram Howell, like a “soldier.” “She was a soldier - such an understatement,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like that in my life. She was just so strong. I was such an emotional wreck - it was ridiculous. She handled it a million times better than I did.”
Following the events, Gilbert says mom and baby are doing just fine. “They’re amazing,” he shared. “He’s tiny. He’s 5lb 7oz - he’s got the cutest little cry ever, but he’s precious.”
Hear the full story of Abram’s entry into the world by checking out Katie Neal’s full conversation with Brantley Gilbert above.
Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Brantley Gilbert on Having a Baby During His Show

Many Country stars dream of making it big from the time they’re kids, but for new-comer, DylanMarlowe, the dream started as a college kid with a competitive spirit.

After realizing he could sing just a few years ago, Marlowe is already on the Country charts with a top 25 single, “Boys Back Home,” featuring Dylan Scott. The young Georgia-native recently sat down with Audacy’s Katie Neal to talk about his expedited journey to the Country music charts and the career he hopes to build.

“I started learning how to sing and write and play [guitar] in college,” he shared. “I didn't really know my whole life that I could do any of that because I always did baseball.” Dylan shared he first got a guitar from a “dude in my neighborhood” and was motivated to try it as he’s “always been kind of a competitive person.”

“There was a dude in my neighborhood, Colin, who pretty much gave me his extra guitar to learn how [to play],” Dylan explained. “ I started kind of writing songs,” he shared before explaining he decided to try some open mic nights. “I would go up there and play two songs and… see what people reacted to. Once I started hearing videos of it kind of sounding decent I was like, ‘Maybe I can work on this you know start taking vocal lessons and really trying like dig in.’”

That’s exactly what Marlowe did after a handful of open mic nights, some encouragement from friends and support from his parents. After trading in his baseball glove for a guitar and college classes for vocal lessons, Marlowe says he hasn’t looked back since. “My Dad was the one that said, ’Hey, if you don’t want to do college, just leave, quit. If you want to go do music, there’s no point in me paying for you to go to college if you’re gonna quit,” he said of his parents’ reaction to him calling it quits after only one year in college.

“I started learning guitar and moved to Nashville and met a guy named DallasDavidson who's written tons of huge songs for like, Luke [Bryan] and all those people and he signed me and we've just been going since then.”

The 27-year-old’s career has moved at a rapid pace compared to most and now, he’s celebrating the release of his debut album, Mid-Twenties Crisis, just a few years after learning to sing and play guitar. The project features 15 songs featuring his unique sound he describes as “kind of all over, it's like a chaotic mess.”

“Somebody commented on my TikTok yesterday of ‘Heaven's Sake’ and they said, ‘This sounds like Blink-182 went down to Georgia and drank some moonshine,’” he laughed. “I was like, ’Yes, I love that.’” With a sound that’s all his, Marlowe says he’s less interested in trying to define it and more interested in keeping things authentic.

“I’m kind of just trying to make it my own thing,” he explained. “I don't necessarily want to like label it as anything, but I feel like it's just me, just Dylan Marlowe. [It’s] me writing songs that have been fun to write and fun to play live and just aiming for that.“

It’s clear he’s having some fun with a trending song, an opening slot on Dan + Shay’s Heartbreak on the Map tour, and some big time collabs on his debut record including one with Riley Green titled, “Stick to my Guns.”

“I had that song, ‘Stick to my Guns,’ and I knew that it needed a feature and I kind of always knew that it was Riley,” he explained. “I thought in my head like either Riley or HARDY would be sick. The more I listened to it I kept thinking, ‘Riley's got to be the guy,’ so we hit him up first and he said ‘yes’ immediately and went in and sang.”

While “Stick to my Guns,” and the single, “Boys Back Home” featuring Dylan Scott are two songs getting a lot of attention on the new album, Marlowe makes it clear he doesn’t need a established Country star to feature in order to make a song successful. His solo songs are also making big impacts including “Devil on My Shoulder,” “Heart Brakes,”  and the title track, “Mid-Twenties Crisis,” which was the last song added to the album.

“It was the last track to like make the record,” he shared. “We were about a week away from having to turn the whole thing in and I still didn't have a title. I wanted it to be special, I didn't want it to just be a random title of a song on the record and I had been praying a bunch about finding the title because I just didn't know what to call it.”

He continued, “I felt like it had to be another song, which is what scared me because I obviously I didn’t had time to record another song. One night, I got up [at] 4am… and it just popped in my head while I was getting up and I knew that was like the title of the record immediately... that was on a Tuesday and then that weekend I ended up writing that song on the road just by myself in the back lounge of the bus and it was really just an honest, open, vulnerable song about kind of what I felt like I was going through probably for the last few months.”

While the song came together with no time to spare, it was well-wroth the hustle and proves it’s meant to be as it ties a perfect bow on the album, available now.  Hear more about how the title track came together, stories behind the songs, touring with Dan + Shay and how the “Boys Back Home” keep Dylan humble by checking out his entire conversation with Audacy’s Katie Neal above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Many Country stars dream of making it big from the time they’re kids, but for new-comer, Dylan Marlowe, the dream started as a college kid with a competitive spirit.
After realizing he could sing just a few years ago, Marlowe is already on the Country charts with a top 25 single, “Boys Back Home,” featuring Dylan Scott. The young Georgia-native recently sat down with Audacy’s Katie Neal to talk about his expedited journey to the Country music charts and the career he hopes to build.
“I started learning how to sing and write and play [guitar] in college,” he shared. “I didn't really know my whole life that I could do any of that because I always did baseball.” Dylan shared he first got a guitar from a “dude in my neighborhood” and was motivated to try it as he’s “always been kind of a competitive person.”
“There was a dude in my neighborhood, Colin, who pretty much gave me his extra guitar to learn how [to play],” Dylan explained. “ I started kind of writing songs,” he shared before explaining he decided to try some open mic nights. “I would go up there and play two songs and… see what people reacted to. Once I started hearing videos of it kind of sounding decent I was like, ‘Maybe I can work on this you know start taking vocal lessons and really trying like dig in.’”
That’s exactly what Marlowe did after a handful of open mic nights, some encouragement from friends and support from his parents. After trading in his baseball glove for a guitar and college classes for vocal lessons, Marlowe says he hasn’t looked back since. “My Dad was the one that said, ’Hey, if you don’t want to do college, just leave, quit. If you want to go do music, there’s no point in me paying for you to go to college if you’re gonna quit,” he said of his parents’ reaction to him calling it quits after only one year in college.
“I started learning guitar and moved to Nashville and met a guy named Dallas Davidson who's written tons of huge songs for like, Luke [Bryan] and all those people and he signed me and we've just been going since then.”
The 27-year-old’s career has moved at a rapid pace compared to most and now, he’s celebrating the release of his debut album, Mid-Twenties Crisis, just a few years after learning to sing and play guitar. The project features 15 songs featuring his unique sound he describes as “kind of all over, it's like a chaotic mess.”
“Somebody commented on my TikTok yesterday of ‘Heaven's Sake’ and they said, ‘This sounds like Blink-182 went down to Georgia and drank some moonshine,’” he laughed. “I was like, ’Yes, I love that.’” With a sound that’s all his, Marlowe says he’s less interested in trying to define it and more interested in keeping things authentic.
“I’m kind of just trying to make it my own thing,” he explained. “I don't necessarily want to like label it as anything, but I feel like it's just me, just Dylan Marlowe. [It’s] me writing songs that have been fun to write and fun to play live and just aiming for that.“
It’s clear he’s having some fun with a trending song, an opening slot on Dan + Shay’s Heartbreak on the Map tour, and some big time collabs on his debut record including one with Riley Green titled, “Stick to my Guns.”
“I had that song, ‘Stick to my Guns,’ and I knew that it needed a feature and I kind of always knew that it was Riley,” he explained. “I thought in my head like either Riley or HARDY would be sick. The more I listened to it I kept thinking, ‘Riley's got to be the guy,’ so we hit him up first and he said ‘yes’ immediately and went in and sang.”
While “Stick to my Guns,” and the single, “Boys Back Home” featuring Dylan Scott are two songs getting a lot of attention on the new album, Marlowe makes it clear he doesn’t need a established Country star to feature in order to make a song successful. His solo songs are also making big impacts including “Devil on My Shoulder,” “Heart Brakes,”  and the title track, “Mid-Twenties Crisis,” which was the last song added to the album.
“It was the last track to like make the record,” he shared. “We were about a week away from having to turn the whole thing in and I still didn't have a title. I wanted it to be special, I didn't want it to just be a random title of a song on the record and I had been praying a bunch about finding the title because I just didn't know what to call it.”
He continued, “I felt like it had to be another song, which is what scared me because I obviously I didn’t had time to record another song. One night, I got up [at] 4am… and it just popped in my head while I was getting up and I knew that was like the title of the record immediately... that was on a Tuesday and then that weekend I ended up writing that song on the road just by myself in the back lounge of the bus and it was really just an honest, open, vulnerable song about kind of what I felt like I was going through probably for the last few months.”
While the song came together with no time to spare, it was well-wroth the hustle and proves it’s meant to be as it ties a perfect bow on the album, available now.  Hear more about how the title track came together, stories behind the songs, touring with Dan + Shay and how the “Boys Back Home” keep Dylan humble by checking out his entire conversation with Audacy’s Katie Neal above.
Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Dylan Marlowe with Katie Neal

Luke Bryan is celebrating the release of his 8th studio album, Mind of a Country Boy, and while it has a lot of the hip-shaking, dance anthems we love to hear from the five-time Entertainer of the Year, he’s also reminding fans he can still tap into some big emotions.

One song in particular that’s popping off the track list for many due to its emotion is, “For The Kids.” Co-written by Luke, the song brings raw honesty and a relatable message that details the strain parenthood can put on a marriage.

“I think, naturally, there are phases in your marriage that the kids are kind of like the dominating thing of the marriage and a lot of times they're what keeps the marriage going and keeps it together,” Luke told Audacy’s KatieNeal of the idea behind the song. “I want people when they hear it to go, ‘Oh yeah, we forgot that Luke can do this from time to time and really hit us with a big heartfelt emotion song.'”

The track is one of many that Luke co-wrote for the album, which he says resulted in the whole project becoming a direct reflection of where he’s at in life both personally and professionally.


“What I'm proud about is, I think that all the songs on the album… it's where I'm at as a human and as an artist,” he expressed. “I think I can sing any song on this album with a lot of pride and really put my heart and soul in it. I think the fans will hear all that.”

While he surely digs deep with songs like “For The Kids,” Bryan also shows his fun side and that he can stay relevant in the new era of Country music (according to his sons’ playlists).

“'Southern and Slow' is the dude song on the album," and “But I Got A Beer In My Hand,” he said when asked what songs his teenage sons seem to listen to most.

“They're listening to what all the kids are listening to around the world,” he said before sharing it makes him extra proud when one of his songs makes their playlist. “The DylanMarlowes and the Dylan Scotts and theres some other Dylans out there they're listening to,“ he laughed. “And then they're obviously listening to Morgan [Wallen] and Luke [Combs]. So, whenever dad gets in their playlist, that means I'm hitting. I can still kind of sneak one in to the younger places.”

Hear all about the album, creative process, and more by listening to the Superstar Power Hour with Katie & Company every weekday from 2PM - 3PM on your favorite Audacy Country station!

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Luke Bryan is celebrating the release of his 8th studio album, Mind of a Country Boy, and while it has a lot of the hip-shaking, dance anthems we love to hear from the five-time Entertainer of the Year, he’s also reminding fans he can still tap into some big emotions.
One song in particular that’s popping off the track list for many due to its emotion is, “For The Kids.” Co-written by Luke, the song brings raw honesty and a relatable message that details the strain parenthood can put on a marriage.
“I think, naturally, there are phases in your marriage that the kids are kind of like the dominating thing of the marriage and a lot of times they're what keeps the marriage going and keeps it together,” Luke told Audacy’s Katie Neal of the idea behind the song. “I want people when they hear it to go, ‘Oh yeah, we forgot that Luke can do this from time to time and really hit us with a big heartfelt emotion song.'”
The track is one of many that Luke co-wrote for the album, which he says resulted in the whole project becoming a direct reflection of where he’s at in life both personally and professionally. 
“What I'm proud about is, I think that all the songs on the album… it's where I'm at as a human and as an artist,” he expressed. “I think I can sing any song on this album with a lot of pride and really put my heart and soul in it. I think the fans will hear all that.”
While he surely digs deep with songs like “For The Kids,” Bryan also shows his fun side and that he can stay relevant in the new era of Country music (according to his sons’ playlists).
“'Southern and Slow' is the dude song on the album," and “But I Got A Beer In My Hand,” he said when asked what songs his teenage sons seem to listen to most.
“They're listening to what all the kids are listening to around the world,” he said before sharing it makes him extra proud when one of his songs makes their playlist. “The Dylan Marlowes and the Dylan Scotts and theres some other Dylans out there they're listening to,“ he laughed. “And then they're obviously listening to Morgan [Wallen] and Luke [Combs]. So, whenever dad gets in their playlist, that means I'm hitting. I can still kind of sneak one in to the younger places.”
Hear all about the album, creative process, and more by listening to the Superstar Power Hour with Katie &amp; Company every weekday from 2PM - 3PM on your favorite Audacy Country station!
Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Justin Moore on Working with Blake Shelton

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