Zach Top talks with Katie Neal backstage at CMA Fest 2024.

Zach Top talks with Katie Neal backstage at CMA Fest 2024.

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

Zach Top at CMA Fest 2024

BrantleyGilbert is soon-to-be a father of three and could not be more excited to be blessed with another little one. While he and his wife, Amber, are keeping the gender a secret from the public for now, he did share that one of his kids had a less-than-desirable reaction to the news.

“One of ‘em was really stoked and one of ‘em was not feeling it at all,” Brantley laughed, admitting his daughter was hoping for a girl and his son was rooting for a boy. Regardless of a boy or girl, Gilbert says he hopes his third child doesn’t have the level of attitude his daughter does.

“It’s bad,” he said of his 4-year-old daughter’s sass. “She’s boujee, she’s gangster too all at the same time. There’s a little AlCapone in that child. … it’s something else,” he laughed.

When asked about names, Gilbert said he doesn’t think his wife would ever let him name the baby, so that’ll be a secret for now too.

While he’s keeping a lot under wraps for now, one thing that’s out in the open is news of a new song, “Over When We’re Sober” featuring AshleyCooke, available June 21. Gilbert revealed the song was originally written by him and JellyRoll for a different album but eventually found a home on Brantley’s forthcoming, 7th studio album.

“We wrote it for an album that Jelly [Roll] and I were working on for a minute,” Gilbert shared with Audacy’s KatieNeal during an interview at Nashville’s Hard Rock Cafe during CMA Fest. “That wouldn’t have really been that good with me and him singing that to each other, you know?” He laughed before sharing he and Jelly’s writing sessions are quite a spectacle. “If there was a fly on the wall that could talk, we’d probably have to kill him,” he laughed.

Jokes aside, Brantley says he was excited to present the song to Cooke, who he says slayed the vocals. “We took it to Ashley in studio and she knocked it out of the park. I’m really excited to work with her, she’s a rockstar.”

The song will be the second taste of Brantley’s seventh studio album which he describes as being created with absolutely no rules. “All the rules are changing, which for us is a good thing,” he shared. “Well, there never really have been rules for us, but now there are less than there were … with this record, we really just let things be what they wanted to be, but we’ve got some solid country stuff on there.”

To hear more about the music, family, and Jelly Roll writing session, check out Brantley Gilbert’s entire interview with Audacy’s Katie Neal above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Brantley Gilbert is soon-to-be a father of three and could not be more excited to be blessed with another little one. While he and his wife, Amber, are keeping the gender a secret from the public for now, he did share that one of his kids had a less-than-desirable reaction to the news.
“One of ‘em was really stoked and one of ‘em was not feeling it at all,” Brantley laughed, admitting his daughter was hoping for a girl and his son was rooting for a boy. Regardless of a boy or girl, Gilbert says he hopes his third child doesn’t have the level of attitude his daughter does.
“It’s bad,” he said of his 4-year-old daughter’s sass. “She’s boujee, she’s gangster too all at the same time. There’s a little Al Capone in that child. … it’s something else,” he laughed.
When asked about names, Gilbert said he doesn’t think his wife would ever let him name the baby, so that’ll be a secret for now too.
While he’s keeping a lot under wraps for now, one thing that’s out in the open is news of a new song, “Over When We’re Sober” featuring Ashley Cooke, available June 21. Gilbert revealed the song was originally written by him and Jelly Roll for a different album but eventually found a home on Brantley’s forthcoming, 7th studio album.
“We wrote it for an album that Jelly [Roll] and I were working on for a minute,” Gilbert shared with Audacy’s Katie Neal during an interview at Nashville’s Hard Rock Cafe during CMA Fest. “That wouldn’t have really been that good with me and him singing that to each other, you know?” He laughed before sharing he and Jelly’s writing sessions are quite a spectacle. “If there was a fly on the wall that could talk, we’d probably have to kill him,” he laughed.
Jokes aside, Brantley says he was excited to present the song to Cooke, who he says slayed the vocals. “We took it to Ashley in studio and she knocked it out of the park. I’m really excited to work with her, she’s a rockstar.”
The song will be the second taste of Brantley’s seventh studio album which he describes as being created with absolutely no rules. “All the rules are changing, which for us is a good thing,” he shared. “Well, there never really have been rules for us, but now there are less than there were … with this record, we really just let things be what they wanted to be, but we’ve got some solid country stuff on there.”
To hear more about the music, family, and Jelly Roll writing session, check out Brantley Gilbert’s entire interview with Audacy’s Katie Neal above.
Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Brantley Gilbert at CMA Fest 2024

RileyGreen is keeping the good times rolling on his 2024 Ain’t My Last Rodeo Tour, most recently by surprising his fans with special guest, JohnDaly, on stage.

The pro golfing legend hopped on stage with Green during a show earlier this month in Iowa and sang, “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door,” until Green says he physically had to pull Daly off the stage.

“He’s a character,” Green told Audacy’s KatieNeal during his CMA Fest interview at Nashville’s Hard Rock Cafe. “It’s hard to bring somebody like that out on stage because his personality is so much bigger than mine — he almost enjoys it more than me so it’s hard to drag him back off the stage. [He was out there] as long as I’d let him be. I had to physically go and get the mic from him.”

While Daly brought a new energy to Riley’s show, the good times didn’t stop there for fans as they also got to hear Green’s new single, “Damn Good Day to Leave,” which he describes as a “fun break-up song.”

According to Green, there’s a lot more where that came from as he is already working on music for a new album he hopes to release in the fall. That would be only one year since the release of his latest album, Ain’t My Last Rodeo.

“I’m in the studio, constantly writing and we’re recording some new music. I’m going to try and put out another album later this year,” he shared. “I don’t see why not. While people are listening we’re gonna try to keep ‘em listening.”

The 35-year-old says he’s been paying close attention to fan reactions on the road when it comes to different songs and is doing his best to write more of what he thinks the fans will love.

“I don’t think there’s any better teacher for a songwriter than fans,” he said. “Seeing the reactions and being out on tour — seeing what songs are really resonating. I took that knowledge and tried to write the next album to be a lot of what people seemed to like.”

Hear more about what to expect from the new album and stories from his current tour by checking out Riley Green’s entire interview with Audacy’s Katie Neal from CMA Fest above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Riley Green is keeping the good times rolling on his 2024 Ain’t My Last Rodeo Tour, most recently by surprising his fans with special guest, John Daly, on stage.
The pro golfing legend hopped on stage with Green during a show earlier this month in Iowa and sang, “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door,” until Green says he physically had to pull Daly off the stage.
“He’s a character,” Green told Audacy’s Katie Neal during his CMA Fest interview at Nashville’s Hard Rock Cafe. “It’s hard to bring somebody like that out on stage because his personality is so much bigger than mine — he almost enjoys it more than me so it’s hard to drag him back off the stage. [He was out there] as long as I’d let him be. I had to physically go and get the mic from him.”
While Daly brought a new energy to Riley’s show, the good times didn’t stop there for fans as they also got to hear Green’s new single, “Damn Good Day to Leave,” which he describes as a “fun break-up song.”
According to Green, there’s a lot more where that came from as he is already working on music for a new album he hopes to release in the fall. That would be only one year since the release of his latest album, Ain’t My Last Rodeo.
“I’m in the studio, constantly writing and we’re recording some new music. I’m going to try and put out another album later this year,” he shared. “I don’t see why not. While people are listening we’re gonna try to keep ‘em listening.”
The 35-year-old says he’s been paying close attention to fan reactions on the road when it comes to different songs and is doing his best to write more of what he thinks the fans will love.
“I don’t think there’s any better teacher for a songwriter than fans,” he said. “Seeing the reactions and being out on tour — seeing what songs are really resonating. I took that knowledge and tried to write the next album to be a lot of what people seemed to like.”
Hear more about what to expect from the new album and stories from his current tour by checking out Riley Green’s entire interview with Audacy’s Katie Neal from CMA Fest above.
Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Riley Green at CMA Fest 2024

Virginia-born artist Shaboozey is experiencing a new type of heat this summer with the success of his mega-hit, “A Bar Song (Tipsy).”

During an intimate chat at CMA Fest with Audacy’s KatieNeal taking place at Nashville’s Hard Rock Cafe, the 29-year-old shared where he pulled inspiration for the song full of good-time lyrics and boozy references that has music fans of all ages lettin’ loose.

“It’s just a feel-good song,” Shaboozey shared of what he thinks made the tune so successful. “As soon as you hear it, it’s kinda just let go of your worries for a little bit.”

He continued, “I’m gonna tell you this, from the first time that I played that [first] show live when no one has heard it, to now — it’s the same exact reaction,” he shared. “I think that’s when you’ve really made something special… The first time I played it for 20 people and the next time I played it in front of 20,000 people it’s the same reaction… by the end, everyone’s singing the chorus, and everyone’s screaming, like crazy, everyone’s just having a good time the first time they heard it.”

The good times were on full display at CMA Fest over the weekend as numerous stages reached capacity anytime Shaboozey was scheduled. He even played the song twice in a row after fans filled the overflow spaces and packed the surrounding streets and bars for any chance to catch the “good vibes” live. So where exactly did he find the magic mix for this song?

“It definitely started with ‘Everybody in the Club Gettin’ Tipsy,’ [‘Tipsy’ by J-Kwon], he said, recalling the inspiration he felt when hearing the song from 2004. “I think it started there and then… as soon as I said it, It just kind of fell out. It as so fun to write. I have a voice memo of me starting to write the song and you can hear me in real time writing the song… me singing random lyrics and then singing, ‘Me and Jack Daniel’s got a history,’ it’s a really cool piece of archive audio.”

While the song is surely contributing to many good times, Shaboozey says there can also be some major depth to it depending on what frame of mind you are in.

“Not to ruin anybody’s time, but ‘A Bar Song’ is… a song that sounds happy, but if you look at it from a different perspective, it’s also like, a song about someone who is having some struggles that are trying to get through it,” he shared. “And in the moment, it seems like we’re having a great time, but then…. It’s kinda sad. Like, ‘I’m at the bottom of a bottle don’t miss me…. It’s good storytelling.“

There’s a lot more of that depth throughout his newest album, Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going, whichhighlights his humble beginnings and is proof to everyone of just how far he’s come from “writing music on broken laptops,” to having one of the hottest Country songs of the summer. While many might credit his success mostly to hard work and dedication, Shaboozey says it was mostly “delusion.”

“Making music in a basement and then being like ‘Hey, I want to do this seriously,’ and then just a lot of luck, a lot of delusion,” he said of how he got to where he is. “A lot of delusion, a lot of just, ‘Well, if they did it, why can’t I do it?’ And then just going for it.”

He continued, I didn’t put too much pressure on myself to be like, ‘You gotta be this,’ I’m just having fun and honestly just helping the people around me — helping their dreams come true too. Whether it’s producers or managers or labels, everyone’s got goals and everyone wants to work on something they're proud of so I really just try to work my hardest every time I’m in the studio just to make the people around me proud.”

Safe to say he’s doing just that as he continues to dominate streaming and gains even more traction on the charts. And while all of that is reassuring, Shaboozey says he’s focused on just staying true to himself, his sound and the people who have supported him.

“It’s not about the accolades and the awards… it’s really about how do you feel when you get there,” he concluded.

Hear much more from Shaboozey by checking out his entire interview at CMA Fest with Audacy’s Katie Neal above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Virginia-born artist Shaboozey is experiencing a new type of heat this summer with the success of his mega-hit, “A Bar Song (Tipsy).”
During an intimate chat at <a href="https://www.audacy.com/topic/cma-fest-2024">CMA Fest</a> with Audacy’s <a href="https://www.audacy.com/topic/katie-neal">Katie Neal</a> taking place at Nashville’s Hard Rock Cafe, the 29-year-old shared where he pulled inspiration for the song full of good-time lyrics and boozy references that has music fans of all ages lettin’ loose.
“It’s just a feel-good song,” <a href="https://www.audacy.com/topic/shaboozey">Shaboozey</a> shared of what he thinks made the tune so successful. “As soon as you hear it, it’s kinda just let go of your worries for a little bit.”
He continued, “I’m gonna tell you this, from the first time that I played that [first] show live when no one has heard it, to now — it’s the same exact reaction,” he shared. “I think that’s when you’ve really made something special… The first time I played it for 20 people and the next time I played it in front of 20,000 people it’s the same reaction… by the end, everyone’s singing the chorus, and everyone’s screaming, like crazy, everyone’s just having a good time the first time they heard it.”
The good times were on full display at CMA Fest over the weekend as numerous stages reached capacity anytime Shaboozey was scheduled. He even played the song twice in a row after fans filled the overflow spaces and packed the surrounding streets and bars for any chance to catch the “good vibes” live. So where exactly did he find the magic mix for this song?
“It definitely started with ‘Everybody in the Club Gettin’ Tipsy,’ [‘Tipsy’ by J-Kwon], he said, recalling the inspiration he felt when hearing the song from 2004. “I think it started there and then… as soon as I said it, It just kind of fell out. It as so fun to write. I have a voice memo of me starting to write the song and you can hear me in real time writing the song… me singing random lyrics and then singing, ‘Me and Jack Daniel’s got a history,’ it’s a really cool piece of archive audio.”
While the song is surely contributing to many good times, Shaboozey says there can also be some major depth to it depending on what frame of mind you are in.
“Not to ruin anybody’s time, but ‘A Bar Song’ is… a song that sounds happy, but if you look at it from a different perspective, it’s also like, a song about someone who is having some struggles that are trying to get through it,” he shared. “And in the moment, it seems like we’re having a great time, but then…. It’s kinda sad. Like, ‘I’m at the bottom of a bottle don’t miss me…. It’s good storytelling.“
There’s a lot more of that depth throughout his newest album, Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going, which highlights his humble beginnings and is proof to everyone of just how far he’s come from “writing music on broken laptops,” to having one of the hottest Country songs of the summer. While many might credit his success mostly to hard work and dedication, Shaboozey says it was mostly “delusion.”
“Making music in a basement and then being like ‘Hey, I want to do this seriously,’ and then just a lot of luck, a lot of delusion,” he said of how he got to where he is. “A lot of delusion, a lot of just, ‘Well, if they did it, why can’t I do it?’ And then just going for it.”
He continued, I didn’t put too much pressure on myself to be like, ‘You gotta be this,’ I’m just having fun and honestly just helping the people around me — helping their dreams come true too. Whether it’s producers or managers or labels, everyone’s got goals and everyone wants to work on something they're proud of so I really just try to work my hardest every time I’m in the studio just to make the people around me proud.”
Safe to say he’s doing just that as he continues to dominate streaming and gains even more traction on the charts. And while all of that is reassuring, Shaboozey says he’s focused on just staying true to himself, his sound and the people who have supported him.
“It’s not about the accolades and the awards… it’s really about how do you feel when you get there,” he concluded.
Hear much more from Shaboozey by checking out his entire interview at CMA Fest with Audacy’s Katie Neal above.
Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Zach Top at CMA Fest 2024

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