Episodes

  • Thomas Rhett on Newborns and New Hits
    Apr 8 2026

    It goes without saying that it “Ain’t A Bad Life” for Thomas Rhett, who is on the verge of scoring his 25th number one song, and just welcomed his fifth child, Brave, earlier this year. The Country star joined Katie Neal to talk about it all this week during the 'Superstar Power Hour.'

    “We're tired, but he's actually sleeping,” Rhett says of the newborn, his first son. “He's our best sleeping baby that we have had.”

    “I still think just like having a newborn, plus you know, 4 other, kids' schedules with school, and sports, and friends, and birthdays. We're in the weeds as my grandmother would call it.”

    “It's a season and I'm really trying to not let it slip me by,” Thomas shares. “I'm not trying to wish it away, so really just trying to, when I'm home just be extremely present. It kind of dawned on me the other day that my oldest child, she's 10, so, I have 8 summers left with her. When you start thinking about it in terms of like, ‘whoa, 8 years,’ it seems like a long time, but It's been 6 years since COVID and it kind of feels like it was yesterday in some capacity, you know, so that's how quick time is moving.”

    “I'm really trying to just be as present as I humanly can while I'm home because I know that, you know, this might be the last infant phase that we go through. We're having a good time and we're just tired, but we kind of have learned how to live tired, so.”

    Katie was quick to ask, “is this the last infant, or are you guys still undecided?”

    “Dude, I mean, in my brain, I'm done, but we've seen how far that my brain has gotten me, you know, over the last decade or so.”

    On the music front, Rhett is approaching a monumental milestone, his 25th number one song, “Ain’t A Bad Life” with Jordan Davis. “It doesn't add up in my brain,” TR tells Katie. “There are some days I wake up and I still feel like a new artist, and then there are some days I wake up and I'm like, ‘gosh, I've been doing this for a long time.’ There's really no in-between for me.”

    “When I think about 25 number ones, I think if I were to tell my 19-year-old self that I'd be talking to you today, talking about that, I would have called you a complete liar,” he adds. “So I feel grateful. I feel blessed, I don't know. Just feel undeserving for the people that have helped me get here, honestly.”

    “Then also just to have that number one, hopefully with Jordan, is really special because he's gotten to become one of my best buddies in this industry and, to have that with him is really cool”

    To hear more about family life and what’s next, listen to the full conversation with Thomas Rhett above.

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    16 mins
  • Luke Grimes' Sophomore Success
    Apr 3 2026

    Luke Grimes has played several characters on the screen, but he’s here to be completely himself in his songs. The 'Yellowstone' star just released his authentic and vulnerable sophomore album, 'Red Bird,' and stopped by our Nashville studios to talk with Katie Neal about the making of the project, how he balances being an actor and an artist, and why it was important for him to offer up a snapshot of his own life in his work.

    "I think the goal was just to sort of take a snapshot of who I was at that time,” Grimes shares. “This record's very autobiographical. We were trying to be as honest as possible about my experience at that time, at that age, [as a] new father."

    Grimes says the collaborative songwriting process in Nashville is a deeply personal and supportive experience, contrasting to other arenas he’s been a part of. "I don't think I can think of a better way to spend a day than getting together with, you know, two other artists and usually very brilliant ones and kind of sitting down immediately, you meet and then you get very honest with each other, and you start talking about what's really going on. It's sort of like a therapy session.”

    "It's just a really beautiful thing, and I think very, very different from the town that I had come from, where it's a little bit more competitive,” he adds. “I feel like here it's like if you win we all win.”

    Luke manages a packed schedule that includes recently wrapping 'Yellowstone,' starting the show 'Marshals,' and having a baby, noting that music is flexible since he can do it "when I want." He also shared that he only watched the first two episodes of 'Marshals' to grasp the tone, following an acting teacher's advice to avoid being too self-critical. "I had a really good acting teacher that used to say this thing, ‘Leave yourself alone.’ I thought that was really good, and I think the only way that I know how to do that is to just not watch it because if I watch it, inevitably I'm gonna try to change that stuff,” he says. “The process is easier and better for me if I don't watch it."

    "I don't think I would have gotten a record deal or been able to do the things that I've been able to do if I wasn't a part of ‘Yellowstone.’ And so I just thank my lucky stars every day."

    For more from Luke Grimes, check out the full conversation with Katie Neal above. 'Red Bird' is now available everywhere.

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    16 mins
  • Dan + Shay Share Crucial Mental Health Message
    Apr 3 2026

    Dan + Shay have kicked off their next project on a very personal note, sharing the single, “Say So,” which also serves as a tribute to their friend, Ben. The duo recently joined Kate Neal for a conversation about new music, their pivot to “real,” mental health, and more.

    The duo explain that "Say So" is "maybe the most important song we've ever written" because it was written about their late friend, Ben, who was essential to their start in Nashville, running Warner Chappell Publishing. “He was just really, really an important part of our story," says Dan. “"He believed in us early, and, for those of you guys who don't know, publisher, publishing companies, they represent songwriters, and that's what we moved to town to do, and we were just two songwriters writing songs and he believed in us."

    The message on mental health and the importance of knowing you are not alone is part of a larger pivot from the GRAMMY-winning pair, who admit they went from writing "catchy stuff" that "didn't have a lot of meaning" for a few months, feeling like they were "chasing a hit," before moving closer to honesty and authenticity.

    “We just kind of had this realization that the only thing that can combat AI and the modernity of what's happening in the world is just like real authentic human emotion, you know, I think people know when it's real."

    "It stopped feeling like work and started feeling like, ‘oh, I'm working from a place of overflow because I feel so filled up to be writing these songs, to have these conversations,’” adds Shay. “Because you don't have to fabricate anything you're just reaching for the truth.”

    The core message of "Say So" is the importance of asking for help, breaking the “fourth wall” to discuss their own struggles with anxiety and panic attacks, noting that they both found therapy changed their lives. “If it helps one person, if it saves one life, it was absolutely worth it."

    Check out the full conversation above for much more from Dan + Shay.

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    33 mins
  • Justin Moore Talks 'Time's Ticking'
    Mar 31 2026

    Justin Moore is once again climbing the Country charts, this time with the song “Time’s Ticking.” The singer joined Katie Neal during this week’s Superstar Power Hour to talk about the track, working with Dierks Bentley, and the unbelievable amount of TVs he has on his tour bus.

    “I think throughout your life, you learn that, maybe what used to be the most important things are not necessarily to be,” Moore says. “This song to me is kind of, you know, soaking it all in and just slowing down, maybe put your phone down at a certain time or stop checking emails or whatever, and just making the most out of every day you can with your loved ones, your friends”

    The song features his friend Dierks Bentley, who Justin is quick to admit is better at the art of friendship than he is. “I always say Dirks is a much better friend than I am,” he smiles. “I mean he texts, he texts me every time we have a big hit. He texts me, ‘man, I love this song, or it sounds great,’ or every Father's Day he texts me, ‘hey, man, you're such a great Dad.’ I'm just like, I would just drop me like a bad habit because I'm terrible about all that.”

    “He's got to be the one that never forgets to get his wife a card for different occasions,” he adds. “I buy them about a week before and then I just, it's a running joke in our house, I just leave them in my console in my truck and forget about them.”

    Soon Justin Moore will hit the road once again, this time with Riley Green. He’ll likely win back some friend points on the tour bus, which features 17 TVs. “Yeah, I'm a little crazy,” says Justin. “Most of us at least in my camp, and I think a lot of camps out there, we're all sports fans and, so it's really good for like March Madness, or any kind of tournament, you know, football playoffs or whatever.”

    To hear more about Justin Moore’s tour plans and music, check out the full conversation above.

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    15 mins
  • Brantley Gilbert and His Place in Country Music
    Mar 24 2026

    Brantley Gilbert stays on his grind, continuing to push the boundaries and shake up the world of Country music. His latest effort is the song, “Good Damn,” which arrives everywhere this week. But first, the “Real American” singer checked in with Katie Neal from the beach, to talk about new music, his journey to sobriety, and so much more.

    “We've always known where we belong,” says Brantley of his next collection of music. “As long as there's a box that is the Country music genre, we always know where we belong, and that's outside of it. Close enough to touch it, but, you know, outside the lines, and this one kind of pushes the envelope a little bit even for us, which is really fun for me as a songwriter, just like even, even less rules, you know what I mean?”

    “We really wanted this one to cover all the bases and then some, and I feel like it does that,” he adds. “There's songs on here that I've been excited about for a long time, some of these songs are older, but we also wanted to be reminiscent of some of my earlier albums. So there's some nostalgia in there. There's definitely some stuff that leans a little further back, stylistically and sonically. So, you know, that, that part's been really fun. “

    “We weren't really trying to write a number one because we didn't ever think we'd get one. We were just trying to write a good song, and that was the approach I can honestly say we took on the majority of these… It was more about, ‘hey, let's write a cool song and let it be what it wants to be.’”

    To hear the full conversation with Brantley Gilbert, check out the 'Superstar Power Hour' interview above.

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    25 mins
  • Bailey Zimmerman at 'Totally Private'
    Mar 19 2026

    This week we closed out our 'Totally Private' series with a special performance from Bailey Zimmerman. The "Rock And A Hard Place" singer serenaded fans with an intimate, stripped down set inside the Hard Rock Cafe, but first he joined us inside our Nashville studios for a talk with Katie Neal, powered by Spirit Airlines.

    The always energetic and electric Bailey Zimmerman dove into a few of his recent songs while sitting with Katie, including the hit currently climbing the charts, "Chevy Silverado."

    "it just feels so meant to be because it's just about my grandpa," says Bailey. "It's just like such a special song, so when they came to me and they wanted to take it to Country radio I was like, 'oh I'm in, like I love this.' This means more to me than anything, and then to see what it's doing is just like crazy. It's so cool. Grandpa would be proud for sure."

    Another song that Bailey has been talking up on socials is one for "the future Mrs. Zimmerman," a song called "Before You."

    "It's just a song about growing up and, you learn lessons and you learn how to be, and you learn what life's really about," he says. "The title is 'Before You,' and it's like I wanna be the man I need to be for you, but it talks about like who I was before I met my future wife."

    "I'm at a place right now in my life where I'm just kind of ready for that. I've been ready for that and I had some things I was working on, you know, just like personally kind of just growing up, but I really feel like I'm in that kind of era of my life where I'm really ready to like meet that person... I'm ready to be that person for them as well."

    To hear more from Bailey Zimmerman, check out our full conversation above.

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    10 mins
  • Jelly Roll and Shaboozey on the Power of 'Amen'
    Mar 17 2026

    Jelly Roll and Shaboozey are still feeling the impact of "Amen," as the GRAMMY-winning song continues to climb the Country charts and forever links the two superstars in the history books.

    Both artists made time recently to connect with Katie Neal for the 'Superstar Power Hour,' sharing their mutual admiration for each other, the value they place on authenticity, and their plans for future collaborations.

    "I think God really favored us," shares Shaboozey, "and rewarded us that day for making a choice to look at each other and be like, 'look, man, I see you.' You know what I mean? 'I see you as one of me, and I see you like I see myself and, and everybody else.' I think we made something from that place, and really God rewarded us on a Sunday, and gave us a GRAMMY for a song called 'Amen.'"

    "I feel like every time I perform that song, it renews and restores my faith and restores my purpose," he adds. "From the start of it to like us winning the GRAMMYs, to about to have a Country number one, it's just honestly God just answering my prayers. I ask God every single day to just help guide me and making sure I'm making the right decisions, and I'm making the right kind of music, and I have the right message, and I think it's just like kind of this weird full circle moment that the song is just called 'Amen,' and that's just God being, 'Amen, your prayers are answered. Here you go.'"

    Shaboozey heaped high praise onto his collab partner, which Jelly Roll was quick to give right back to the singer. "Getting to hang out with Shaboozey is like, he is the ball of joy that y'all see in these interviews, or that you see on the streets, or when you see him on stage," gushes Jelly Roll. "He has got the best temperament of any human I've ever met under every circumstance. We've toured the world together now. I've seen him in all different environments, climates, and time zones, and, he is who he is, man."

    To hear more from the "Amen" duo about future plans and "cry headaches," listen to the full interview with Katie Neal above.

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    20 mins
  • Kane Brown Levels Up for New Music
    Mar 10 2026

    Kane Brown is feeling more like himself these days than ever before, thanks to a new outlook on music, more time in the gym and in the ring, and less time gaming. The "2 Pair" singer recently joined Katie Neal in the studio to talk about it all for the 'Superstar Power Hour.'

    "My last album, just to be completely honest with you, I felt like it was a little rushed," Kane admits. "But now I'm like, more motivated than ever."

    Brown shares he found that spark in the gym, sharing that challenging himself physically has helped fuel his artistry. "It was, a lot of working out, and just kind of getting that competitive grind again," Kane says. "I don't play video games no more. I think that could be another big thing about it."

    "With the working out and the stages of working out, getting into boxing, bringing my competitiveness back, and then not having anywhere else to put it, it's made me like wanna put it towards music since I don't game."

    It all makes for a new and improved Kane Brown, ready to spill all that energy into his music. "When I say level up, I think you'll see a different light when I'm performing and my artistry, cause I'm trying to bring like, I'm trying to dance and do all that stuff that's just not done," he shares. "I feel like for the last decade I've kind of tried to fit in the box of what everybody's wanted me to be in and I've tried to please the wrong people, and not really be me and not really get to do my, or like please my fans and just show them, you know, I'm excited and I found that light again. So I think that's what people is gonna see, the difference in the music."

    To hear from Kane Brown on family life, his newly announced bar in Nashville, and more, check out the full conversation above.

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    18 mins