WEBVTT - Ty Herndon 0:00:09.320 --> 0:00:14.880 Carola, She's a queen of talking. He was sowing your man, 0:00:16.000 --> 0:00:19.239 She's only yes, actually got the snoop on the on 0:00:19.320 --> 0:00:22.040 the ones to side. No one can do within clie 0:00:22.320 --> 0:00:31.400 my Carola, Carola, no one can do within quiet, my 0:00:31.920 --> 0:00:37.960 caral tile Carola. Hey, y'all, welcome to Hyper Caroline Hobby. 0:00:38.040 --> 0:00:41.239 I am your host, Caroline Hobby. I know music, I 0:00:41.280 --> 0:00:43.519 know people, and I know the questions. Do you want 0:00:43.560 --> 0:00:47.360 to ask? So let's get hyper heads up. These are 0:00:47.400 --> 0:00:50.479 adults having adult conversations, so there could be adult content 0:00:52.520 --> 0:00:55.960 you guys. Today is an exciting episode because I have 0:00:56.160 --> 0:01:00.760 the incredible tie Herndon joining me. I am a super 0:01:00.760 --> 0:01:02.480 fan of him. I was a super fan of him 0:01:02.680 --> 0:01:04.720 when I grew up listening to his music. And the 0:01:04.760 --> 0:01:06.640 fact that I'm friends with him now and got to 0:01:06.640 --> 0:01:09.839 interview him was just, honestly, it was a dream come true. 0:01:09.959 --> 0:01:13.039 He sing the song What Mattered Most as a blue 0:01:13.640 --> 0:01:16.720 It was long, six and four, she was bone and 0:01:16.840 --> 0:01:20.200 bad mood. You know that song? It one song of 0:01:20.200 --> 0:01:25.000 the year. He has sold five million albums. He just 0:01:25.120 --> 0:01:27.200 came out with a new album House on Fire, where 0:01:27.240 --> 0:01:30.120 he wrote most half half to most of the songs, 0:01:30.160 --> 0:01:32.200 which is freaking awesome. It's one of the first albums 0:01:32.200 --> 0:01:36.600 he's written majority of the songs. It's amazing, and y'all, 0:01:36.760 --> 0:01:39.000 this is such an honest interview. He talks about how 0:01:39.000 --> 0:01:41.399 he came out as a gay man in country music 0:01:41.600 --> 0:01:43.520 and what a step that was for him. It's such 0:01:43.520 --> 0:01:46.000 a heartful interview. I'm so excited. Here is ty Herndon. 0:01:49.480 --> 0:01:52.840 Get that podcast level right? Okay, Tie Herndon in the 0:01:55.000 --> 0:01:59.800 speaking of House, House on Fire, that was a nice segue. 0:02:00.000 --> 0:02:02.080 Don't mean to do that right before we turn out 0:02:02.080 --> 0:02:05.480 of the camera. We're just talking about just songs that 0:02:05.520 --> 0:02:07.480 we love, but we don't really know the verses to 0:02:09.320 --> 0:02:13.000 every now and then I get a little bit nervous 0:02:13.160 --> 0:02:18.880 and hungry. I don't know, I don't know. That's all 0:02:18.880 --> 0:02:22.280 we know, but we know the point. Yes, that's all 0:02:22.280 --> 0:02:24.120 we need to know. And then we love that song. 0:02:24.280 --> 0:02:26.720 We love that song. So yeah, that's what. That's the way. 0:02:26.760 --> 0:02:29.960 My whole album is just big courses and just uh 0:02:30.960 --> 0:02:35.119 hooky stuff. Yeah, your new albums called House on Fire, 0:02:35.440 --> 0:02:37.480 House on Fire. We're not getting to that yet. But 0:02:37.480 --> 0:02:39.720 I had a segway because that is exciting that you 0:02:39.760 --> 0:02:41.440 have a new album, because you are one of my 0:02:41.480 --> 0:02:43.720 favorite voices and country music. Well you're one of my 0:02:43.760 --> 0:02:46.400 favorite people, so that's good. I want to start off 0:02:46.520 --> 0:02:50.200 with the game. We're going to complete the sentence. Okay, 0:02:51.200 --> 0:02:53.760 so you tell a word and then we'll just make 0:02:53.800 --> 0:02:55.840 a sentence to see what happens. Just pack a word, 0:02:55.880 --> 0:03:04.160 Just pack any word. Eat, happy, love, dogs, cats. It's 0:03:04.160 --> 0:03:09.760 about a word. I'm so confused about your game. Okay, 0:03:09.800 --> 0:03:15.400 I'll start. Um. Wow, look at that picture of Jason. 0:03:15.400 --> 0:03:19.480 I do you right there? He is young? Okay, cowboy? 0:03:20.200 --> 0:03:23.680 Um uh, you know it's playing a cowboy bar the 0:03:23.680 --> 0:03:26.320 other night. It was pretty awesome. That's the whole sentence. 0:03:26.360 --> 0:03:28.320 You said you to say one word. Okay, I still 0:03:28.320 --> 0:03:30.119 don't understand your game. Okay, so I say a word 0:03:30.160 --> 0:03:33.480 so like cowboy, hat dog. Now we make it. We 0:03:33.560 --> 0:03:35.080 try to make a real sentence, but we have to 0:03:35.080 --> 0:03:37.160 do it rapid fire, think really fast. This is way 0:03:37.200 --> 0:03:39.160 too smart for me. It's going to be so good. Yeah, 0:03:39.320 --> 0:03:42.040 didn't understand, but I'll just play along. Say the first 0:03:42.040 --> 0:03:43.480 word that comes to mind when I say a word. 0:03:43.520 --> 0:03:46.400 But we have to make the sentence complete. Eggs. Oh 0:03:46.560 --> 0:03:48.880 I love scrambled eggs. But you don't say you have 0:03:49.040 --> 0:03:54.160 to say another word. I don't understand. Okay, your game 0:03:54.240 --> 0:03:58.240 is dumb. I want to I want to color book. Okay, 0:03:58.280 --> 0:04:05.280 coloring book. I like books. Okay, I'm gonna say a word. 0:04:05.320 --> 0:04:08.040 You tell me the first day that comes to your mind. Okay, 0:04:08.120 --> 0:04:09.920 this is not a game. This is now rapid fire. 0:04:10.680 --> 0:04:12.960 We failed at that other game. We gave it. Or 0:04:13.000 --> 0:04:16.159 try one for the home. You explain it to me 0:04:16.200 --> 0:04:21.200 an email later. That would be awesome. Okay. What do 0:04:21.240 --> 0:04:23.960 you think of when you think of happiness? Um? I 0:04:24.000 --> 0:04:28.640 think of my family. Who all is in your family? Um? 0:04:28.760 --> 0:04:34.719 My mom my sister, my nephew, my partner, my sweet 0:04:34.800 --> 0:04:38.600 publicist Christie sitting over there, to so many people, and 0:04:38.680 --> 0:04:40.920 speaking partner. That's what we're gonna get into too. Because 0:04:41.000 --> 0:04:43.760 you had a big moment where you came out in 0:04:43.800 --> 0:04:47.160 country music, which was a huge deal and really awesome. 0:04:47.680 --> 0:04:49.560 Thank you, thank you. I just walked right out that 0:04:49.600 --> 0:04:52.400 front door. Just come on out. So we're going to 0:04:52.480 --> 0:04:54.839 get all into that because you've done so many amazing, 0:04:55.000 --> 0:04:58.719 like thank you, huge moments in your life that you've 0:04:58.760 --> 0:05:01.560 just like, I feel like it's been a lot of firsts. 0:05:02.040 --> 0:05:03.880 It has been, but I've been proud to do it. 0:05:04.000 --> 0:05:06.800 You know, I'm uh, I am uh at the end 0:05:06.800 --> 0:05:08.040 of the day, I say this all the time. I'm 0:05:08.040 --> 0:05:10.720 still the same old redneck I always was, really truly 0:05:10.760 --> 0:05:12.400 I am. But people know a little bit more about 0:05:12.440 --> 0:05:14.520 me today, and you're gonna learn a lot more about 0:05:14.560 --> 0:05:18.040 me in this new album. So it's pretty right. Do 0:05:18.120 --> 0:05:20.880 you feel more yourself than ever? I do? I feel 0:05:21.040 --> 0:05:23.880 you know, you always say, you know, I feel like 0:05:23.920 --> 0:05:26.160 myself in my shoes. I feel like myself in my boots. 0:05:26.400 --> 0:05:29.159 I feel like myself when I'm writing songs. I feel 0:05:29.160 --> 0:05:31.240 like myself when I'm singing in the truck driving down 0:05:31.240 --> 0:05:34.960 the road. You know, I just and my authentic self. 0:05:35.000 --> 0:05:38.039 And I really enjoy getting to go and talk to 0:05:38.600 --> 0:05:45.640 high school kids, sometimes elementary kids, just sometimes UM LGBT events, um, 0:05:45.680 --> 0:05:48.840 you know, or standing up at in front of five 0:05:48.880 --> 0:05:51.000 thousand people at a show and just talking about the 0:05:51.000 --> 0:05:53.320 song and why it was written. So I never was 0:05:53.320 --> 0:05:56.040 able to do that before. So it's it's pretty awesome, 0:05:56.080 --> 0:05:59.200 you know, just just normal of stuff. I mean, I 0:05:59.200 --> 0:06:00.839 guess we can just jop to this because it's a 0:06:00.880 --> 0:06:03.960 really big deal and it's awesome. How did you decide 0:06:04.000 --> 0:06:09.120 that it was time for you to be authentically yourself. Well, 0:06:09.160 --> 0:06:10.960 one of my really good friends of Shelley Ride, which 0:06:10.960 --> 0:06:14.520 we all of country music congratulation Shelley on a great 0:06:14.560 --> 0:06:17.840 debut with her new album Yeah she had. She had 0:06:17.839 --> 0:06:20.320 a really great, great voice she does, and she's writing 0:06:20.360 --> 0:06:23.000 some incredible material. But we've been friends a long time, 0:06:23.160 --> 0:06:24.839 and I was just at a place in my life 0:06:24.880 --> 0:06:28.120 that I was willing to give up even being in 0:06:28.160 --> 0:06:30.039 the music business. I was willing to give up what 0:06:30.120 --> 0:06:32.000 I did for a living because it was more important 0:06:32.040 --> 0:06:34.520 to me to be happy in my life. It was 0:06:34.600 --> 0:06:36.279 more important to me to wake up in the morning 0:06:36.320 --> 0:06:40.320 and feel good about myself. And I lived a life 0:06:40.400 --> 0:06:42.480 and in a career that was so covered up with 0:06:42.520 --> 0:06:45.440 so many different stories I could even keep up sometimes. 0:06:45.560 --> 0:06:47.520 So I just had to I had to shed that skin. 0:06:47.600 --> 0:06:50.279 I had to get out of that because that gets exhausting, overwhelming. 0:06:50.360 --> 0:06:52.720 You probably start to lose yourself, do you. I did. 0:06:52.760 --> 0:06:54.320 I lost myself for a long time. And when you 0:06:54.360 --> 0:06:57.640 lose yourself, you start going down some pretty dangerous roads. 0:06:57.880 --> 0:07:00.919 And for me, it was addiction, just the wrong pills 0:07:01.000 --> 0:07:03.200 to take. You know, nothing was going to fix that, 0:07:03.279 --> 0:07:05.560 because there's nothing wrong with me. So, but you were 0:07:05.600 --> 0:07:08.520 having to act like you were someone you weren't absolutely 0:07:08.600 --> 0:07:11.440 and so many times you wake up in the morning 0:07:11.480 --> 0:07:12.920 and go, who am I? You know? Who am I 0:07:12.920 --> 0:07:15.960 going to be today? Let me see? You know what? Color? What? 0:07:15.960 --> 0:07:19.600 What race? What? You know? Just it was just maddening 0:07:19.920 --> 0:07:23.840 and so for me, I really couldn't handle that anymore. 0:07:24.000 --> 0:07:27.080 So I made a decision. Um. It took about a 0:07:27.160 --> 0:07:30.240 year for the process for my brain to process it. 0:07:30.280 --> 0:07:31.960 You know, I really had to go out there research 0:07:32.360 --> 0:07:34.520 what is my life going to look like if I'm 0:07:34.560 --> 0:07:37.240 not doing coaching music? Would I be doing music? Would 0:07:37.240 --> 0:07:39.600 I be doing something else? Was I willing to just 0:07:39.640 --> 0:07:41.800 walk away from all that? And I came to a 0:07:41.800 --> 0:07:45.240 conclusion that I was so what So you waited out? 0:07:45.280 --> 0:07:48.000 What did you What were the pros and cons of 0:07:48.120 --> 0:07:51.720 your life? What were the options? Well, the pros for 0:07:51.800 --> 0:07:55.400 me were that I would be authentic. I would wake 0:07:55.480 --> 0:07:58.360 up in the morning feeling good about myself. I could 0:07:58.400 --> 0:08:01.040 walk down the street with my partner, I could I 0:08:01.080 --> 0:08:03.800 could eventually marry the person that I loved, the man 0:08:03.880 --> 0:08:09.000 that I loved in this instance, um, and possibly have 0:08:09.080 --> 0:08:10.880 a family. I mean, there was a lot of prose 0:08:10.960 --> 0:08:13.360 to it. You're ready to be you and everything. I'm 0:08:13.360 --> 0:08:15.560 ready to be me, and I was ready everyone to 0:08:15.640 --> 0:08:18.520 know me because a lot of people had some really 0:08:18.560 --> 0:08:21.200 wrong perceptions of me. And do you feel like you're 0:08:21.240 --> 0:08:24.680 pressured into that? Not at all? You know, Okay, so 0:08:25.040 --> 0:08:27.720 I never would have allowed that to be even in 0:08:27.760 --> 0:08:30.640 the pro and compile. No, pressure was not a thing 0:08:30.680 --> 0:08:34.440 at all. The pressure came, to be honest with you, 0:08:34.679 --> 0:08:36.800 after I came out and made this huge anoun. Do 0:08:36.840 --> 0:08:39.400 you feel you're pressured into not being yourself? Is what 0:08:39.440 --> 0:08:43.400 I meant? Oh? Yes, absolutely, because I valued my career 0:08:44.080 --> 0:08:46.320 and being able to work and make a living and 0:08:46.360 --> 0:08:48.560 make my house payment more than I valued the skin 0:08:48.640 --> 0:08:51.360 that I was wearing. Totally. Yeah, it was really hard. 0:08:52.240 --> 0:08:57.280 I'm just so proud of you because to me, living authentically, 0:08:57.800 --> 0:08:59.760 at the end of the day, we're all going to die. 0:08:59.760 --> 0:09:02.479 I know that sounds morbid, but like to be yourself, 0:09:02.800 --> 0:09:06.040 especially when yourself is such a wonderful person, you know, 0:09:07.120 --> 0:09:10.600 such an amazing thing. Well, it's nice to wake up 0:09:10.600 --> 0:09:12.960 and like yourself. I mean I tell kids this all 0:09:12.960 --> 0:09:15.480 the time. You know, to be able to to like yourself, 0:09:15.480 --> 0:09:17.520 you're gonna be a lot more successful in your in 0:09:17.559 --> 0:09:22.240 your life, so you really are. Yeah, And I have 0:09:22.720 --> 0:09:25.160 parents that bring their kids to my shows now And 0:09:25.200 --> 0:09:27.000 he goes, Okay, this kid just came out to me. 0:09:27.040 --> 0:09:29.760 He's seventeen years old. He wants to be in country music, 0:09:30.520 --> 0:09:34.359 and I'm like, well, that's awesome. He's got a responsibility 0:09:34.360 --> 0:09:37.720 to be the best damn songwriter, the best entertainer, the 0:09:37.760 --> 0:09:41.120 best singer, and that really comes second. You know, who 0:09:41.200 --> 0:09:43.680 is who is he? He's got to figure out who 0:09:43.720 --> 0:09:46.079 he is or she is as an artist and let 0:09:46.160 --> 0:09:49.480 that be an addendum to who they are, not really 0:09:50.000 --> 0:09:52.680 take control of their lives because it can so easily 0:09:52.720 --> 0:09:55.320 go in such a negative place. And you started a 0:09:55.360 --> 0:09:57.760 ripple effect, like when you came out. I saw that, 0:09:57.800 --> 0:10:00.520 like Billy Gilman made a video and came out. You know, 0:10:00.640 --> 0:10:02.520 I don't know. I always tell Billy this because I'm 0:10:02.600 --> 0:10:06.360 so cute. He's doing great. I'm so proud of him, 0:10:06.440 --> 0:10:08.840 and he's living authentically, not to like you changed his 0:10:08.920 --> 0:10:12.920 life to give him confidence. Well, I'm certainly I don't 0:10:12.920 --> 0:10:14.800 know that I'll take full credit for that, but he 0:10:14.880 --> 0:10:16.960 said it in his video. He said, when my buddy 0:10:16.960 --> 0:10:18.679 tie herd and just came out, and I think it's 0:10:18.679 --> 0:10:21.079 time for me. Well, I was. I was honored to 0:10:21.160 --> 0:10:23.600 lead the way with that. And I'll tell I'll tell 0:10:23.600 --> 0:10:25.079 Billy this all the time. I said, you know, it 0:10:25.160 --> 0:10:27.680 probably would have been a normal news story when I 0:10:27.720 --> 0:10:29.600 came out and said, but you doing it right on 0:10:29.640 --> 0:10:32.280 the hills of me coming out, gave it rocket fuel 0:10:32.360 --> 0:10:35.040 and said we were everywhere. So I really didn't intend 0:10:35.120 --> 0:10:37.120 for it to be. Kind of blew my mind that 0:10:37.160 --> 0:10:40.400 we were trending one billion people out there, one billion 0:10:40.559 --> 0:10:45.960 people over those two days. It was crazy. But um, 0:10:46.000 --> 0:10:48.280 you know, being a guy that's been in headlines before 0:10:48.440 --> 0:10:52.160 for not such great things to be in headlines again 0:10:52.280 --> 0:10:56.080 like that, UM, and to be celebrated was it was 0:10:56.080 --> 0:10:58.360 a gift from God back to what we were talking about. 0:10:58.520 --> 0:11:00.680 That's when I really got nervous. That's when I felt 0:11:00.679 --> 0:11:03.520 a different kind of pressure because I was like, Okay, 0:11:03.679 --> 0:11:07.360 I walked out on stage three days after that announcement 0:11:07.400 --> 0:11:10.160 to a sold out crowd, to standing ovation, and God 0:11:10.240 --> 0:11:11.280 kind of let me know that I was going to 0:11:11.400 --> 0:11:13.720 get to keep what I was doing. Everyone was cheering 0:11:13.760 --> 0:11:15.880 for you and so proud that you who you were. 0:11:16.120 --> 0:11:22.480 They were, and for the next week and months to follow, UM, 0:11:22.520 --> 0:11:24.560 you know, I was still playing the same hockey talks, 0:11:24.600 --> 0:11:26.400 and I just noticed there was a little bit more 0:11:26.440 --> 0:11:30.559 of a modern family out there, which everybody just get along. 0:11:30.600 --> 0:11:33.720 We're just we're just gonna play some country music. So, 0:11:33.720 --> 0:11:36.360 so you said you have been in headlines for not 0:11:36.520 --> 0:11:39.280 so positive stuff. How did you handle that and what 0:11:39.360 --> 0:11:42.520 was that period of your life? Life? Not very well? Um, 0:11:42.679 --> 0:11:44.720 for my family and friends that know me. You know, 0:11:44.880 --> 0:11:47.360 I went down some pretty dark paths and almost lost 0:11:47.400 --> 0:11:50.440 my life more than once. Really, Yeah, so through addiction, 0:11:50.559 --> 0:11:54.360 through addiction, yeah, just um, not being able to live 0:11:54.400 --> 0:11:59.280 my life authentically and just watching you watch yourself, it's 0:11:59.320 --> 0:12:02.199 like you you're an out of body experience. You kind 0:12:02.240 --> 0:12:04.160 of just you're in the room, but you're not present 0:12:04.320 --> 0:12:06.640 because you know it's not you. Yeah, it's a ghost story. 0:12:07.320 --> 0:12:11.320 It's exactly what it is. Yeah, let's do it's story. 0:12:11.440 --> 0:12:15.120 It's a ghost story, like you're not even in your body. No, 0:12:15.360 --> 0:12:17.560 and it could have easily had a very unhappy ending. 0:12:17.960 --> 0:12:20.000 But by the grace of God. As you know about me, 0:12:20.080 --> 0:12:22.720 I'm a very spiritual man and I think our paths 0:12:22.960 --> 0:12:26.240 are meant to be. And I certainly didn't understand that 0:12:26.280 --> 0:12:28.920 then because I didn't. I was like, oh, tortured Tie, 0:12:29.240 --> 0:12:33.240 you know, just oh poor ghost, torture Tie. I couldn't. 0:12:33.480 --> 0:12:36.040 I couldn't understand. But anyone that I've talked to you 0:12:36.080 --> 0:12:38.880 that's been down some some horrible paths and had some 0:12:38.920 --> 0:12:40.920 bad things happen to them or just a shell of 0:12:41.400 --> 0:12:43.800 their selves, And when you survive that, don't you feel 0:12:43.800 --> 0:12:45.599 like it makes your story so much more impactful. I 0:12:45.600 --> 0:12:47.760 wouldn't have a story. I wouldn't be sitting here talking 0:12:47.760 --> 0:12:51.319 to you about it right now. What is my message? Well, 0:12:51.480 --> 0:12:53.560 you know, I'm not going to give that away completely 0:12:53.559 --> 0:12:57.160 because next year I've got a book coming. Yes, so, 0:12:58.280 --> 0:13:03.120 um it's it's also called House on Fire. I love it? Yes? 0:13:03.440 --> 0:13:06.160 Was that kind of a representation of how you were living? 0:13:06.320 --> 0:13:08.280 Like you finally did you like? What is it a metaphor? 0:13:08.320 --> 0:13:09.960 Like you burned the whole house down or your house 0:13:10.040 --> 0:13:11.880 was on fire and you have to run a metaphor 0:13:11.880 --> 0:13:14.800 of that song? Was this when we wrote it? Uh? 0:13:14.800 --> 0:13:17.040 And there's there's quite a few songs like this on 0:13:17.040 --> 0:13:20.680 on the album. But um, I just wanted to take 0:13:20.720 --> 0:13:24.640 all those memories and all those bad things, all those 0:13:24.679 --> 0:13:27.800 people that were hanging on the walls what that house 0:13:27.880 --> 0:13:33.040 was built of was not anything authentic, and so it 0:13:33.120 --> 0:13:36.280 was it was just simply about, um, I poured the gas, 0:13:36.280 --> 0:13:38.520 I lit the match, didn't grab a damn thing on 0:13:38.600 --> 0:13:42.480 my way out, and it's just about burning it down. 0:13:42.800 --> 0:13:45.080 But it's not about burning it down and running away. 0:13:45.320 --> 0:13:48.440 It's about burning it down and rebuilding. Yes, because those 0:13:48.440 --> 0:13:50.400 same pictures are going to go back on those walls, 0:13:50.440 --> 0:13:53.280 but it's gonna be new relationships with those people. So 0:13:53.720 --> 0:13:57.839 it's it's really healthy. This is like, this is what 0:13:57.920 --> 0:14:01.520 life is about. These are the moment Hello. They are 0:14:01.720 --> 0:14:05.360 because like you lived through the fire, you know I did, 0:14:05.600 --> 0:14:11.000 and and um my brain would complete someone because I'm 0:14:11.000 --> 0:14:14.000 a big Anthony Robbins. I also walked on fire, did Yeah, 0:14:14.520 --> 0:14:16.160 I didn't burn my feet, So it was all good. 0:14:16.280 --> 0:14:17.920 Isn't that part of it? Like you walk on fire 0:14:17.960 --> 0:14:19.880 to show that you can? Did you do a lot 0:14:19.960 --> 0:14:24.960 of stuff like soul searching? My my partner, Matthew. One 0:14:25.000 --> 0:14:27.240 of my first Christmas presents that I got from him 0:14:27.440 --> 0:14:31.200 was a one week Anthony Robbins seminar in Chicago, so 0:14:31.280 --> 0:14:35.880 we went together. He's a motivational guru like Tony Robbins, 0:14:36.040 --> 0:14:39.240 same guy. Yeah, Tony Robbins, Anthony Robbins Robins, Oh my 0:14:39.280 --> 0:14:42.840 goshes with Tony Robbins. Yeah. So he's like, I watched 0:14:42.920 --> 0:14:46.000 everything he does. He's my Twitter friends, didn't know you 0:14:46.440 --> 0:14:49.320 he does. Yeah, but you've talked to him in real life. 0:14:49.440 --> 0:14:51.600 I have not touched him real life, just on Twitter. 0:14:51.760 --> 0:14:54.320 So isn't that same thing? Totally same thing. Actually it's 0:14:54.400 --> 0:14:57.920 more personal when you're talking on social media. Oh my gosh, 0:14:57.960 --> 0:15:01.000 I love yeah. Man. So that was one of my 0:15:01.040 --> 0:15:07.360 first Christmas gifts from Math and it was and I went, um, 0:15:07.360 --> 0:15:13.200 I'm going back again. Uh and in Nick's February but um, 0:15:13.400 --> 0:15:15.360 more of a celebration for me at this at this 0:15:15.440 --> 0:15:18.320 time in my life and in business to move forward, 0:15:18.480 --> 0:15:20.920 to move my brand forward, because that's a really good 0:15:20.960 --> 0:15:25.280 thing to do. Um. But back to the ultimate decision, 0:15:26.040 --> 0:15:30.960 um to to come out. Um it started at that seminar. Yes, 0:15:31.040 --> 0:15:33.400 because I knew all the tools I was getting, I 0:15:33.400 --> 0:15:36.360 couldn't use any of those, you know, it was it 0:15:36.440 --> 0:15:39.120 was a mess. So to be able to clean that 0:15:39.200 --> 0:15:41.920 up and it was it was great. Okay. So he 0:15:42.080 --> 0:15:44.480 that kind of gave you the push to be like, Okay, 0:15:44.520 --> 0:15:47.520 I'm I'm because He's all about being authentic, being real, 0:15:48.280 --> 0:15:50.640 and God will bless you for that. And do you 0:15:50.640 --> 0:15:53.160 feel like God has blessed you? God has tremendously blessed me. 0:15:53.360 --> 0:15:58.040 What's happened since this moment of authenticity has become who 0:15:58.040 --> 0:16:00.760 you are? Well? Number one, I can breathe. So you 0:16:00.760 --> 0:16:03.400 have been holding your breath for years? Yes? Number one? Wow, 0:16:04.680 --> 0:16:07.680 like a newborn baby taking your first breath, like and 0:16:07.800 --> 0:16:13.720 it's a different error do I do? Um? But for me, 0:16:14.400 --> 0:16:18.280 it's just about making better decisions now. And you still 0:16:18.320 --> 0:16:20.520 fall into some some little habits like I'll still walk 0:16:20.560 --> 0:16:23.320 into a room and feel like not feel as small 0:16:23.360 --> 0:16:25.480 as I used to, but then I have to give 0:16:25.520 --> 0:16:28.760 that a little bit of adjustment and go, wait a minute, Um, 0:16:28.800 --> 0:16:31.360 I'm as big as you are in this room. So 0:16:32.400 --> 0:16:35.560 it's a it's a good feeling. Yeah, when you can 0:16:35.560 --> 0:16:38.440 pull that all together. And being in country music, you 0:16:38.480 --> 0:16:42.840 know genre I did, but I didn't at the same time, 0:16:44.400 --> 0:16:46.160 I hope. So the only thing I really want to 0:16:46.240 --> 0:16:50.280 change is just the perception that people have of the 0:16:50.440 --> 0:16:54.120 LGBT community, because you know, I say this a million times. 0:16:54.160 --> 0:16:55.600 I didn't expect to talk about this day, but I 0:16:56.200 --> 0:16:59.840 like you Um, I love the fact that I can 0:17:00.000 --> 0:17:02.200 it down and go, hey, do you know any gay people? 0:17:02.840 --> 0:17:05.119 You know you probably have five or six in your 0:17:05.119 --> 0:17:10.840 neighborhood of just normal bankers, lawyers. It's like it's like 0:17:11.000 --> 0:17:15.160 it's really just kind of the way it is. And so, UM, 0:17:15.440 --> 0:17:19.520 I love country music. I love that people are coming 0:17:19.560 --> 0:17:21.960 to the shows. Thank you guys, and they come to 0:17:22.000 --> 0:17:24.399 hear me singing. You know, they don't come to hear 0:17:24.440 --> 0:17:26.880 about anything else in my life. They come to hear 0:17:26.880 --> 0:17:31.840 me sing my songs. And when I'm writing. And this 0:17:31.960 --> 0:17:34.000 is really cool thing about this album. Gonna swing this 0:17:34.080 --> 0:17:38.880 back around right now. Um, this record is is um 0:17:39.119 --> 0:17:43.640 is gender free. The whole album is well about six 0:17:43.680 --> 0:17:47.400 songs in My co writer and producer Eric Halbig said, yeah, 0:17:47.520 --> 0:17:49.480 we love Eric. He goes, do you realize that you're 0:17:49.520 --> 0:17:51.199 kind of hitting into gender free? Do you want to 0:17:51.240 --> 0:17:53.320 do that? I'm like, I didn't realize I was doing it, 0:17:53.359 --> 0:17:56.159 but let's just keep writing. And what I realized at 0:17:56.160 --> 0:17:57.440 the end of the day when this album was said 0:17:57.480 --> 0:18:00.320 and done, um, it doesn't matter who you are, where 0:18:00.320 --> 0:18:02.119 you are, and you walk alive out there. You can 0:18:02.160 --> 0:18:06.439 take these songs from our experiences and I promise you 0:18:06.440 --> 0:18:08.160 you're gonna be able to put your own life into 0:18:08.240 --> 0:18:11.840 it with whoever you love or whatever you're doing, so 0:18:12.240 --> 0:18:15.040 that it's really what happened with this record, and that's 0:18:15.200 --> 0:18:17.400 one of the things I'm really really proud of in 0:18:17.520 --> 0:18:20.520 that I feel like it was a little bit of 0:18:20.520 --> 0:18:23.800 a spiritual gift and it happened so naturally. It happened 0:18:23.840 --> 0:18:26.080 just that way. Okay, So I kind of want to 0:18:26.119 --> 0:18:27.600 start at the beginning just a little bit, and then 0:18:27.600 --> 0:18:30.720 we're gonna wrap back up with House on Fire. Okay. 0:18:30.760 --> 0:18:34.520 So you were raised in Alabama, again, playing out piano, 0:18:34.640 --> 0:18:37.760 singing gospel. You moved to Nashville out of high school, 0:18:38.560 --> 0:18:40.880 and right when you lived here was that you became 0:18:40.880 --> 0:18:43.960 a member of Today's Country Roads and we're performing the 0:18:44.200 --> 0:18:48.240 standard day's Country Roads. I still remember what was that. Yeah, 0:18:48.280 --> 0:18:49.880 there's a little dance movie that goes with that too. 0:18:50.960 --> 0:18:56.080 It was opery Land, USA, which was like the thing 0:18:56.200 --> 0:18:57.880 I did when I was a kid. We would drive 0:18:57.960 --> 0:19:00.200 up the two hours from Decatur, Alabama to a half 0:19:00.240 --> 0:19:03.240 hours and go to Opryland. We watched the shows, and 0:19:03.280 --> 0:19:05.480 for me that was like this kid that grew up 0:19:05.480 --> 0:19:09.199 in bluegrass and gospel. Um something I just wanted to do. 0:19:09.840 --> 0:19:12.119 So you started living your dreams right at seventeen. I 0:19:12.160 --> 0:19:14.760 did auditioned my sister and I went. She drove me 0:19:14.800 --> 0:19:19.280 down and um um, I got the job and they 0:19:19.280 --> 0:19:22.080 put me in a show called Today's Country Roads. Six singers, 0:19:22.080 --> 0:19:24.200 three boys, three girls, and we did the top ten 0:19:24.240 --> 0:19:27.240 on the country chart. Were current. It was a blast. Yeah, 0:19:27.440 --> 0:19:31.119 I got I was singing Ronnie Millsap, you know, Kenny Rogers. 0:19:31.240 --> 0:19:33.320 We were just it was it was great, We're getting 0:19:33.680 --> 0:19:35.879 to do all those songs and those great songs of 0:19:35.920 --> 0:19:38.919 the UM the late eighties and nineties, So what a 0:19:38.960 --> 0:19:41.719 great intro just into country music, like getting your career started. 0:19:41.760 --> 0:19:45.280 It was fantastic. And the next year they changed it 0:19:46.200 --> 0:19:48.760 um the next summer to just the three guys, and 0:19:48.800 --> 0:19:51.240 we became the Grizzly River Boys and did that like 0:19:51.320 --> 0:19:53.359 become a major band. Well, then we changed it to 0:19:53.400 --> 0:19:56.639 the Tennessee River Boys, and that later became I left 0:19:56.680 --> 0:20:00.959 the band to go do edwit Man's Stars, and you 0:20:01.000 --> 0:20:05.119 wont and Marty row took my place in the band 0:20:05.359 --> 0:20:08.639 and they became Diamond Rio. Were you upset that you 0:20:08.760 --> 0:20:13.240 left Stitch? Uh? No, because I've never really felt like 0:20:13.240 --> 0:20:16.679 a other than gospel and Christian music. I felt like 0:20:16.720 --> 0:20:18.960 I belonged in a group with that, But I never 0:20:18.960 --> 0:20:21.560 felt like I belonged to a group. Wasn't something I 0:20:21.600 --> 0:20:23.480 was ever interested in. You weren't like dang it. I 0:20:23.560 --> 0:20:27.080 left and then they became Noon. I really was, Yeah, 0:20:27.280 --> 0:20:31.040 I really wasn't. They were. You know, it wasn't your path. 0:20:30.359 --> 0:20:32.239 You got, you got what you came for with it, 0:20:32.320 --> 0:20:34.440 and then you moved on. Yes, And I went out 0:20:34.480 --> 0:20:37.000 to California and was doing my thing out there for 0:20:37.000 --> 0:20:39.880 a while, and then it was me moving to Texas. 0:20:40.200 --> 0:20:41.960 I know. Because okay, so you okay, so you leave 0:20:42.000 --> 0:20:43.760 the band after it has all these name changes and 0:20:43.880 --> 0:20:46.720 ultimately comes to Diamond Rio. You leave right before diamond 0:20:46.760 --> 0:20:49.879 Rio was formed about Yeah, it took about it was. 0:20:49.960 --> 0:20:52.520 It was three years later before Diamond Rio actually took off. 0:20:52.640 --> 0:20:54.560 Then you did Star Church. You won the you won 0:20:54.640 --> 0:20:57.080 the male category of best Male Vocalist. So it doesn't 0:20:57.119 --> 0:20:58.719 well I didn't actually win and went all the way 0:20:58.760 --> 0:21:02.119 to the finals. Sam has one is that Sam Harris 0:21:02.160 --> 0:21:05.480