Katie & Company

Carly Pearce is gearing up for her fifth studio album, and it sounds like nothing is off limits for the soaring songstress. The "Dream Come True" singer recently joined Katie Neal during the 'Superstar Power Hour' to talk about her vulnerable new track, her family, and why she's making the album she always wanted to make. "I went in to write this particular day, and if I'm honest, I was just feeling really low. This career has had really, really high highs and it's had really, really low lows, and I was feeling a little lost and just kind of having that feeling that anybody who has a dream, their are sacrifices to make the dream come true," Pearce says of writing the new song, "Dream Come True." "I was kind of just in my feelings about that and wrestling with all of those different kind of feelings of, well, 'I have this, but I didn't get this' and 'I thought I'd have this' and 'I don't have this' and do people care? Do I matter? Do I have, you know, a viral moment? Can I compete? Am I too old? Do they care? All these different feelings and I just wanted people to know they're not alone in all of those feelings." The song rings true for Pearce, right down to the last lines about her mother being sick and unable to come to shows like she used to. It's not something Carly has talked much about, but she did give us an update on her mother's health. "So she has Stage 4 COPD, which is a lung issue. that has been really advanced in the last few years and caused me to not be able to see her as much. She's doing really well right now," reveals Carly. "This is obviously a piece of my story that I've kept pretty quiet, but I think it's important." "It's an important piece that I wanted to share just of parents getting older, parents being sick, and my mom completely devoted her life to chasing this dream for me, and it's been hard over the last 5 years for her to not be able to be there with me, and me feeling that guilt of not being able to be with her." "That last line where it says, 'she says I can quit, but all of her prayers would be in vain, she worked her whole life to make this dream come true.' That's really honest, and I'm sure a lot of people feel that way." The first sample of Carly's upcoming album is obviously packed with emotion, and she tells Katie Neal that the rest is no different, revealing and writing in ways she never has before. "I think I've stretched what I write about, and I've stretched kind of just giving more point of view on some different topics that people have never heard me sing about, which I'm excited about," Carly admits. "This is what I wanted to do, and I think that's why I have so much peace about it. But it started because of this song and just having to figure out like, I need to return to the dream." To hear more from Carly Pearce check out the full Superstar Power Hour interview above.

A fake eyelash threatened to ruin Katie Neal's talk with Riley Green, but in the end we learned a lot, and now we have something special to watch for during the 59th Annual CMA Awards. Almost losing an eyelash as the "Worst Way" singer approached, Riley couldn't help but joke with Katie, what it would be like for him to wear some lash enhancements. "What's fun for me to think about if we did an interview and I had fake eyelashes on to see if people would talk about it," laughs Green. "You know why I wouldn't do it? Because what if I looked really pretty and then I had to do it all the time, and that's one more thing I've got to do in my regimen in the morning." Sure, a normal fear that we've all had. But what's so intense about your routine now that there's no room for improvement? "I've washed my face with like bar soap," he admits. "I have no regimen." Any lotion? "Yeah, I got like some men lotion, like face, you know, I don't know, Nivea or something." Perfect, Riley Green is just walking around looking like this with soap and a CVS ExtraCare card. Makes total sense. We do feel for him though, as he says he was recently "tricked" into getting a haircut that wasn't what he had in mind. "It wasn't a planned thing," he admits of his new haircut. "The lady was cutting my hair and she tricked me." "She got after it. She gave me what I would call racing stripes." Green had never met his latest stylist, after sadly having to part ways with his normal barber in Jacksonville, Alabama, the "Scissor Wizard." "I had a barber in Jacksonville, Alabama. It was my dad's cousin," Riley tells Katie. "He was the Scissor Wizard, which is the greatest barbershop name ever. He started painting houses and quit cutting hair, so I just get my hair cut wherever I'm at now." "I would love for you to try and work in Scissor Wizard if you win a CMA award," challenges Katie. "I'd like to thank, all of my team back home, Scissor Wizard, and my mom and dad, and, I can do it," accepts Green. See if the Scissor Wizard works his way into Country Music’s Biggest Night. Get ready for the 59th Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Lainey Wilson, LIVE Wednesday, November 19 at 8/7c on ABC.

Backstage at the 59th Annual CMA Awards, Katie Neal caught up with Old Dominion who have a big night planned to celebrate 10 years of their debut album, 'Meat and Candy.' "We're celebrating 10 years of 'Meat and Candy,'" says Brad Tursi. "So we're gonna play, you know, as many hits as we can cram into whatever it is, 4 and a half minutes." Besides the medley, the group is also hoping to break their own record for consecutive wins as 'Vocal Group of the Year.' "The best kind of record to break, really," laughs Brad. Country Music’s Biggest Night is back! Get ready for the 59th Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Lainey Wilson, LIVE Wednesday, November 19 at 8/7c on ABC.

One of the toughest categories for Country Music's Biggest Night is for 'New Artist of the Year' at the 59th Annual CMA Awards. Before the call was made, nominee Tucker Wetmore told Katie Neal backstage how impressive this year's category was. "It's all over the place too," says Tucker of this year's batch of nominees. "It's all Country, but it's different kinds and different aspects of Country, and it's just, it's so amazing to be a part of it. There's so much talent and whoever wins it is more than deserving." With a big performance set for the show and his song, "3,2,1," now entering the top 10, everything is coming together for the Washington native. "I feel like everything correct is happening," he smiles. "Everything good that could happen is happening, and I'm just sitting back and just enjoying it all." Country Music’s Biggest Night is back! Get ready for the 59th Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Lainey Wilson, LIVE Wednesday, November 19 at 8/7c on ABC.

We've learned quickly that Zach Top and ERNEST are both unquestionably talented, and unrelentingly hilarious. Somehow that collided backstage with Katie Neal at the 59th Annual CMA Awards, and result is something you simply must listen to. From trading impressions to revisiting ERNEST's epic fall to the mouth-to-mic injuries of Zach Top, strap in for a wild ride with two Country music's most hysterical singers. Country Music’s Biggest Night is back! Get ready for the 59th Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Lainey Wilson, LIVE Wednesday, November 19 at 8/7c on ABC.

Luke Combs' wish has finally come true. Becoming the highest-selling Country artist of all time? Sure. But also being surprised by his upcoming third baby. Backstage at the 59th Annual CMA Awards, Combs tells Katie Neal that he wanted to be surprised about having a boy or a girl at birth for all of his children, but it wasn't until baby number 3 that Nicole finally relented. "I wanted to do a surprise for all of them, and my wife was like, 'absolutely not, I need to know,'" says Luke. "But on the third one she was like, 'yeah, whatever.' I'm excited about the surprise." With two boys at home, anticipation is building for the family. "Tex is 3, he's like almost 3.5, so he's potty trained and he understands the deal, and Beau just kind of follows him around. It's like, 'mama baby, mama baby,' and he just points, you know. I don't know that he really understands, but he can kind of copy whatever." There is also that little matter of being the highest-selling Country artist of all time, which for Luke was a surprise in itself. "Kind of unexpected for sure, and I was just like, 'man, really?' I'm like, 'that's kind of wild'" he admits. "I feel like I haven't been doing this that long, you know, like, but then I have kind of at the same time, I don't know, I'm 35, I'm not like super old yet." Country Music’s Biggest Night is back! Get ready for the 59th Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Lainey Wilson, LIVE Wednesday, November 19 at 8/7c on ABC.

Backstage at the 59th Annual CMA Awards, Ella Langley was dressed like a winner. Just the latest in the string of epic fits from the singer, Katie Neal raved over everything Ella has brought to the stage and beyond. "I was thinking about you the other day because I was watching a video of these girls who were going to a show and they were getting their Ella Langley outfits ready," shares Katie. "It's gotta be wild for you being on stage, seeing people singing lyrics that you wrote, but then also like dressing in like an Ella Langley aesthetic." "Yeah, it is kind of weird, but it's also, I heard early on in my career, you can tell a legendary act by their shadow, by their silhouette," explains Ella. "Me and my stylist, Stef Colvin, have really worked hard on creating a brand and creating something. I think it's so fun when you see Taylor Swift fans, like they get all dressed up in the thing and they have a whole time, and that's what's so fun at the concerts and so it's just fun when I see those girls that they've spent half the day getting ready with their friends and pick out outfits. It's a blast." Country Music’s Biggest Night is back! Get ready for the 59th Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Lainey Wilson, LIVE Wednesday, November 19 at 8/7c on ABC.

Last month Dan + Shay made it official, releasing their cover of Taylor Swift's "Back To December" after video of the duo performing the song in soundcheck went viral. Now, backstage at the 59th Annual CMA Awards, they are taking requests for what's next. Katie Neal was quick to suggest something from 'Wicked,' which launched Dan into full fandom immediately. "I watched the movie. I'm so cheap, I rented it for like 19.99 when it came out. I watched it at least 8 times in the 48 hour window." Shay meanwhile has yet to experience the wonder of 'Wicked,' but he has an excuse, maybe. "I got 4 kids. I was too busy watching 'Zootopia 2.'" "I just had to keep getting the reps in because I was like, I spent money on this, I'm gonna watch," adds Dan. "It was amazing though." Country Music’s Biggest Night is back! Get ready for the 59th Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Lainey Wilson, LIVE Wednesday, November 19 at 8/7c on ABC.

Chris Young is feeling complete on his new album, 'I Didn't Come Here To Leave,' featuring honesty, ambition, and 14 tracks of meaningful music for him and his family. "I think this record, everybody always says, 'oh, this is the favorite record I've made.' because they're trying to push it," Chris tells Katie Neal during the 'Superstar Power Hour.' "But for me, with this record specifically, I really do think we made something that, as a whole project, is really, really special." "There are meaningful songs on here. There's meaningful songs to me. There's meaningful songs about my family members that are on here. It's very open, very straightforward, very honest as a project. A lot of people say, 'art's never finished, it's abandoned.' I feel like this project was completed." "It feels amazing that it's done, but also that people are going to get to hear these songs," he adds. "Honestly, I wasn't going to do anything at the beginning of this year... but I just dove headfirst into this project, and I'm really proud of what we created." While in our Nashville studio, Chris also looked back on his career, having just celebrated 19 years since his debut album. "What do you think that Chris in 2006 would be most proud of Chris, in 2026?" asks Katie. "Well, in 2006, I'm pretty sure I over drafted on Taco Bell twice," he says. "Just to have money in the bank. That would be a big part of it, but more specifically, just that I know there's songs that people have used in their weddings." "'Til The Last One Dies,' being the new single, I already know people that have used that song," he reveals. "That's such a cool thing to me because that's a life moment, and someone is going to remember that for the rest of their lives together." To hear more from Chris Young on his career journey and his new album, 'I Didn't Come Here To Leave,' check out the full conversation above.

Inside the Hard Rock Artist Lounge at our 'Stars and Strings' show in Hollywood, FL, Dierks Bentley gave us a look inside his wife's New York City marathon experience, and told Katie Neal about his new appreciation for Sabrina Carpenter. In the lead up to his performance at 'Stars and Strings,' Dierks has been traveling the country playing the role of support for his family. First up was the New York City marathon, where his wife Cassidy ran. "I'm like in straight up husband support mode," Bentley says of his time trekking the marathon route. "It's hard, as anybody's ever watched a marathon, there's like a whole separate marathon you're doing as just a fan. You're trying to see them in certain spots and you got this tracker and you're trying to see where they're coming. The tracker isn't totally accurate to their bib, and so you're like, 'OK, she's gotta be close now,' you know you get the camera out because you wanna videotape her for the kids and you're freaking out because there's so many people and so, it's a lot of work." "Then I run across town with the backpack to Central Park. I think I should have gotten the medal honestly," he jokes. "Even though she ran a 753 pace for 26 miles. I think I should have some sort of trophy." Dierks' support was a little easier later in the week, as he took on the role of Uber driver for his daughter attending the Sabrina Carpenter show in Nashville. "I was pulled off the side, the flashers going, waiting," he explained. "I will say to Sabrina though, her concert gets out at 10:45. It's pretty sweet. They know who their audience is. A lot of young girls got school the next day. Shout out to Sabrina, she knows how to pack a 3 hour show into an hour and a half. I like her for that reason alone. She's great. I'm a big fan." To hear about Dierks upcoming opening spot for Luke Combs and more, check out the full interview above.

Inside the Hard Rock Artist Lounge at our 'Stars and Strings' show in Hollywood, FL, we had the chance to catch up with Audacy 'LAUNCH' artist Hudson Westbrook, who since getting a spotlight on Audacy Country stations nationwide, has seen firsthand the impact of radio at shows. "It's cool to see them show up at the shows because of radio," Hudson reveals to Katie Neal. "We've had so many people come and they're like, 'hey all I heard was 'House Again' on the radio but I wanna hear all your other music,' and they show up to the show, buy merch, come to VIP. So for radio for me that's been the coolest part, and then also reaching a whole different crowd. I feel like it takes it to a whole, another level. I think that's the difference between arenas and bars, is radio." That song and Hudson's debut album has taken him to new heights, including opening up some of the biggest shows of the year with Morgan Wallen. "I mean, that's as big as it gets," he shares. "I was talking to my mom about it and my girlfriend and they were like, 'dude, it doesn't get much bigger than that,' opening for Morgan. Until you try to be Morgan." To hear more from Hudson Westbrook in the Hard Rock Artist Lounge, check out the full interview above.

With his new single, "Killed The Man," out in the world, Lee Brice is once again in new music mode, and he's more honest with it now than ever before. The singer stopped by our Nashville studio to talk with Katie Neal about his latest batch of songs, parenting, hunting, and much more during the 'Superstar Power Hour.' "We've been making this record for 2 years," Brice reveals. "So it's a snapshot of my life and where I am as a man and a daddy. It used to just be where I am as an artist, right? Before I had a wife and before I had kids and before I then moved to the next stage. But every record has moved forward and that's all this is, is another snapshot of where I'm at." "There's some stuff on there that's like really honest," he adds. "I'm just getting more and more honest the older I get. I'm ready to just say what I wanna say and not think about, 'well, what if everyone doesn't like this,' you can't please everybody. I just wanna be honest and honor myself and honor my family." Life is busy on the road to new music, but always busier at home with 3 children for Brice. "Every time I'm home, I take them to school and I pick them up because when I'm gone, Sarah's having to do all that," Lee shares. "So when if I'm home, I don't care what I'm doing, how late I'm doing it in the studio or whatever, I'm taking them to school in the mornings, you know, and I'm most of the time picking them up." To hear what the family has been up to and what's next for Lee Brice on the road, check out the full interview with Katie Neal above.

Over 30 years since his debut album, and Kenny Chesney is bigger than ever. Just days after his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the singer is gearing up for another round of his history-making residency at The Sphere in Las Vegas, and next week he'll release his memoir, 'Heart Life Music.' To celebrate it all and to look back on his astounding career, Kenny recently joined Katie Neal inside our Nashville studio for the 'Superstar Power Hour.' "I have to tell you, walking into that rotunda, and they say your name over the speakers, 'Country Music Hall of Famer Kenny Chesney,' and every living member is in there, you get to a place where it hits you in that moment," Kenny reveals about his induction. "The gravity of that moment is truly unbelievable." "I sat beside my mother and father, which was a gift, to be at this place in my life and career and get inducted into the Hall of Fame and still have both them with us, and I sat right beside them and the whole ceremony, my mother was squeezing my hand really hard. I said, 'Mom, you're got to let go a little bit,' he laughs. "It was emotional. It really was. It was to have all my friends there and the people that have been on this journey with me and a lot of people, you know, there's been a lot of ups and downs over the years, and to be standing there in that spot, it was just so insane." The journey that Chesney embarked on decades ago brought him to this moment, and he explores it all in his new book, 'Heart Life Music.' "This book is a roadmap of a dream," Kenny shares. "You can either take this roadmap or not, but this roadmap is full of friends, it's full of really hard work. It's not viral, it's by word of mouth. Everything's so viral today that this map doesn't really exist much anymore but, it can work." "I just learned, writing this book that I've been very blessed. I have so much gratitude, but even as a kid, I was just always very curious and always wanted to push this dream to see where it would take me even early on, and not even knowing, not even understanding what the dream was." For a deep dive into the new book from Kenny Chesney and more, check out the full conversation above. 'Heart Life Music' is available everywhere on November 4.

Live music creates life-changing moments, and for many that sing on stage and make memories for fans, they too have their own story to tell about the shows that made a mark and helped get them to their own turn in the spotlight. The same is true for Jordan Davis, who tells Katie Neal this week during the 'Superstar Power Hour' about a few of the concerts that inspired him to do what he does. "I go back to Eric Church at the Varsity in 2007 in Baton Rouge. I think it was that was one that, I just remember falling in love with music again, like seeing it performed live," Davis reveals. "He wasn't the Eric Church he is now, but the show was the exact same like back then, he was doing the exact same thing that he's doing now. It's just we've caught up." "Another one is John Prine and Amos Lee, in New Orleans," he adds. "I went with my dad. It was the Mahalia Jackson Theater in New Orleans, and it was just me and him, and it was just Amos with a guitar and then John had like a little stripped-down kind of four piece band. I remember just being moved by storytelling that night and it felt like the the world stopped for 2 hours." Before finding his calling in the world of Country, Jordan Davis was an environmental science major, and if the hits never hit, he says he'd probably would be working on an oil rig. "I'll be like a health and safety officer on like an oil rig like, out in the middle of the ocean," he says, though he can't imagine ever doing that now. "No, not at all." "I always say this, like if this bellies up, I don't know what I would do. I'll probably just sit paralyzed at the house like, 'I gotta go play shows,' right? Like I don't know. I can't see myself doing anything else but playing music and writing songs, which is also crazy the fact that that's my job." To hear more from Jordan Davis on family life, his new album, and the speed of the industry, check out the full conversation above.

Scotty McCreery sits atop the Country charts this week with his Hootie & The Blowfish collaboration, "Bottle Rockets," and during a talk with Katie Neal the singer shared how it all came together. Plus, Scotty details his fantasy football league with Darius Rucker and reveals what's at stake each season, all during this week's 'Superstar Power Hour.' "Frank and Darius, they worked together a long time and they're from South Carolina, and they invited me into their fantasy football league a few years ago," shares Scotty about his first foray into friendship with Darius Rucker. "We're all good golfing buddies, football buddies, and so I hit him up and said, 'man, I don't know if you're going to like this at all, but, we we were thinking of y'all when we wrote this and want to get your thoughts.' And he just wrote back, 'oh my God, dude, I love this. This is an absolute smash.'" Rucker sent it along to the rest of Hootie & The Blowfish, who also loved it, and it "just all kind of snowballed from there." The number one is song is amazing and all, but tell us more about this fantasy football league. "I don't talk a lot of smack about him because he's traditionally not a really good fantasy player, but he did just beat me this week. So I can't talk too much smack," admits McCreery about his league and his team, the Raleigh Rascals. "I've been second place now three years." "If you lose, like if you come in last place, we all go on a trip and do like a nice dinner for the draft, and the whole bill is on the loser, like last place," he adds. "So that's alcohol and that's the meals, and it's at least 15 to 20 people that'll show up. So it's nobody wants to be last." To hear Scotty share the other Country star that competes in the league, the latest on dad life, and more listen to the full conversation above.

In celebration of his new album, 'COUNTRY! COUNTRY!,' HARDY joins Katie Neal this week for the 'Superstar Power Hour,' unpacking his latest project, sharing the stories behind songs like "Bro Country" and "Dog Years," revealing the hate he's received for his Rock record, and more. "I had already cut like 12 or 13 songs for this record and the word Country is in so many titles and that was definitely intentional," says HARDY of his fourth studio album. "I was very intentional for the rest of my writing process to see how many Country titles I could come up with, just to make sure everybody knows what this is." One of those titles is "Bro Country," which has captured some headlines since it's release. "There's been mixed opinions about that song, but I think the people that listen to it. I don't think that they're listening, listening to it," he shares. "There's literally no disrespect. It says that in the song." "It's just a giant tip of the hat and it's like beating your dad in basketball and telling him he's getting old, you know what I mean? I feel like that song might might ruffle some feathers, but I just really think I see a change coming," HARDY adds. "I'm seeing a big shift right now with a lot of the younger people and even like in the Americana world, how much that is kind of taken over or trickled into the commercial Country world." "It's just different and it's just very, very, very not what what it was 10 years ago." To hear more from HARDY about the making of 'COUNTRY! COUNTRY!,' handling the haters, and partying with Koe Wetzel, listen to the full conversation above.

Jason Aldean has been rocking the stage for 20 years, and during a talk with Katie Neal on this week's 'Superstar Power Hour,' it's clear he has no intentions of stopping. "Everybody's having fun. All the crews are glad to be here and everybody's working well together and you got the common goal at night to go out and give the fans a great show," Aldean says of his current tour. "The fact that 20 years later we're playing and we're looking out and you're seeing 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 year old kids coming out to the show still into what we're doing. They love the new stuff and kind of love the old stuff." "It's just kind of crazy to see what our fan base has become. We had our fans that kind of grew with us over the years, and you kind of got this wave of new fans that are discovering it for the first time, or maybe just were kids growing up and we kind of hit the scene, now they're old enough to come out to the shows and things like that. So they're showing up and it's been a really cool year for us." Some of the new stuff that fans have been enjoying are tracks from Aldean's upcoming album, something he says he's still finding the "balance" on to make sure all the songs get their time in the spotlight. One thing is for sure, a few duets will be featured on the latest project from Jason. "We got some cool guest appearances. I don't wanna give anything away yet because we haven't really kind of let the cat out of the bag on that. But, I can tell you there's 3 for sure," reveals Aldean. "I love working with other artists and just people that I admire and look up to, and, we're able to do that on this album got a couple of surprises, man." "It's gonna be a great record and really proud of this thing." To hear more from Jason Aldean, check out the full conversation with Katie Neal above.

Whatcha gonna do, when Russell Dickerson sits down with you? The "Happen To Me" singer is this week's guest with Katie Neal on the 'Superstar Power Hour,' and he's updating us on his home remodeling, his WWE aspirations, and his 'RussellMania' tour that continues to find new fans all across the country. When he's not picking new sinks for his home, RD is growing his 'RussellMania' tour as it makes its way across the country, growing bigger with every stop. With all that intensity Dickerson brings on stage, would he ever join Jelly Roll in the ring? "Yes, I would go to WWE," Russell tells Katie. "I would freaking chokeslam, piledrive, backflip off the top rope. I would backflip off the top rope to Jelly, you know, actually better than that, I would let Jelly backflip off the top rope to me, choke me out, wake up next Thursday." It's going to take a lot of vitamins to make that dream a reality, but there seems to be no stopping Russell Dickerson. Hear more about the making of his new album, 'Famous Back Home,' his favorite live moments from the past year, and how he ended up on stage with the Jonas Brothers by listening to the full 'Katie & Company' conversation above.

The world keeps turning for Old Dominion, who took time to celebrate a few life updates, like Brad Tursi's wedding and Matthew Ramsey's kids growing up and learning to drive, and talk with Katie Neal about their new album, 'Barbara.' The group also talked about the legacy and importance of some of the standout songs in their catalog, like the 9-time platinum hit, "One Man Band." "That song is just the gift that keeps on giving," shares Ramsey. "It's really a beautiful thing that has happened to us. You can't predict that kind of thing, and we're grateful for that song every single night." That song shares some of the same DNA as "Man or the Song," a track from 'Barbara' that seems destine for great things. "We actually wrote that and recorded it on the same session that we recorded 'Coming Home.' That song was for the collection that we put out of a lot of our hits and stuff, but we knew that that song was really important to us, and so we didn't put it on there because we just felt like it would get lost, so we saved it," reveals Matthew. "Lots of times as songwriters, we just move on to the next thing pretty quickly and we don't look back too too much, but that one stuck around for a couple, for like a year and a half, 2 years. There was no burn to it. We just loved it so we knew that that one was definitely gonna make it on there." To hear more about 'Barbara,' the process of naming the album, fan signs at shows, and the group's favorite songs they have penned for other artists, check out the full 'Superstar Power Hour' interview above.

Big Machine Label Group is celebrating their 20th anniversary, and we're joining the celebration with a special hosted by Katie Neal. Listen to exclusive interviews and major memories from our favorite Big Machine artists.