WEBVTT - BRETT YOUNG: "Weekends Look A Little Different These Days" 0:00:04.400 --> 0:00:08.080 It's February already, that's deep winter in many parts of 0:00:08.080 --> 0:00:12.240 the country. A season of steaming hot bowls of soup, 0:00:13.000 --> 0:00:16.800 of tea kettles, singing on the stove, a season of 0:00:16.880 --> 0:00:22.320 thick books and thicker socks of paper, snowflake making, puzzle 0:00:22.400 --> 0:00:27.280 assembling on the dining table, of all things warm and wonderful. 0:00:27.920 --> 0:00:32.120 So it's no surprise that for centuries it's also been 0:00:32.280 --> 0:00:36.440 the season of love. And the star of that love 0:00:36.440 --> 0:00:42.000 show is Valentine's Day, appearing one day only February. And 0:00:42.040 --> 0:00:44.400 what a show it is, with all the fanfare, the 0:00:44.400 --> 0:00:48.960 biggest Broadway production. The stage is set with flowers and 0:00:49.159 --> 0:00:53.440 hearts and cards and chocolates. Oh how I loved the 0:00:53.520 --> 0:00:58.840 Valentine's exchanges during my school days. Okay, I admit I 0:00:58.880 --> 0:01:01.040 thought it was all about me because of my birthday, 0:01:01.040 --> 0:01:03.960 which is the next day, and so I thought Valentine's 0:01:04.000 --> 0:01:08.720 was all about me. While Valentine's Day is also often 0:01:08.840 --> 0:01:13.400 associated with romantic dinners for two and someone on bended 0:01:13.480 --> 0:01:16.520 knee holding a sparkly diamond and a big question mark 0:01:16.560 --> 0:01:19.880 floating over their head, for me, for my family, it's 0:01:19.920 --> 0:01:24.360 been years of heart shaped pancakes for breakfast. I make 0:01:24.400 --> 0:01:29.959 red pancakes every Valentine's Day for my kids. Heart shaped sandwiches. 0:01:30.080 --> 0:01:32.240 I have a heart shaped cookie cutter that I use 0:01:32.319 --> 0:01:34.880 on sandwiches and I put them in brown paper bags 0:01:34.920 --> 0:01:38.720 decorated with more hearts. And a family dinner that often 0:01:38.760 --> 0:01:43.640 comes with mashed potatoes dyed red, served under paper streamers. 0:01:44.120 --> 0:01:47.800 I put crape paper streamers over the dining table with 0:01:47.880 --> 0:01:51.800 lots of hugs and giggles for my kids. Romantic love 0:01:51.960 --> 0:01:55.280 is wonderful. It is It's a cause for celebration, but 0:01:55.360 --> 0:01:58.840 it is often fleeting, even if you are in a 0:01:58.920 --> 0:02:04.560 long term, committed, loving relationship. Those those giddy butterflies they 0:02:05.200 --> 0:02:07.600 fly away after the first few months, and then you 0:02:07.640 --> 0:02:11.880 get down to the real hard work, the truth of love. 0:02:12.600 --> 0:02:16.200 Today's guest on love Someone seems to have come around 0:02:16.280 --> 0:02:20.360 to the very same conclusion. He's young, he's talented, he 0:02:20.480 --> 0:02:24.480 is so so darn good looking, and it is essence 0:02:24.520 --> 0:02:27.239 he's a family man, and that is coming through loud 0:02:27.280 --> 0:02:30.560 and clear in his music, which has both fans and 0:02:30.680 --> 0:02:33.800 the music industry looking up, lending in the air, and 0:02:33.880 --> 0:02:37.480 taking notice. This hit maker is only one of four 0:02:37.600 --> 0:02:41.000 artists in the modern era to have their first seven 0:02:41.040 --> 0:02:44.840 singles go number one on country air Check media base. 0:02:45.520 --> 0:02:50.839 He is not seven consecutive gold and platinum certified number 0:02:50.880 --> 0:02:56.120 one hits, including In Case You didn't Know, Mercy, Sleep 0:02:56.240 --> 0:03:00.920 Without You, Like I Loved You, Here to Night, Catch, 0:03:00.960 --> 0:03:04.160 and my favorite so far, Lady. He is racked up 0:03:04.200 --> 0:03:09.400 over six point two billion global streams. Here with Me today, 0:03:09.400 --> 0:03:14.800 celebrating Valentine's Day, celebrating love, celebrating family is the very talented, 0:03:14.960 --> 0:03:17.760 very handsome Brett Young. We're gonna get caught up on 0:03:17.880 --> 0:03:21.320 everything going on in his world, including his recent album 0:03:21.400 --> 0:03:25.000 Weekends Look a Little Different These Days. Right after I 0:03:25.040 --> 0:03:28.240 share a little love with one of my podcast sponsors. 0:03:29.520 --> 0:03:33.520 I love Mercy Ship's spirit, and I'm so happy to 0:03:33.560 --> 0:03:37.280 share all the good they do in the world, providing 0:03:37.520 --> 0:03:43.360 free surgeries to suffering people who lack access to medical care. Today, 0:03:43.400 --> 0:03:45.920 I ask you to think about the last time you 0:03:46.080 --> 0:03:53.000 felt really good about doing something for another. Now imagine 0:03:53.040 --> 0:03:57.800 feeling like that every day you can. When you support 0:03:58.160 --> 0:04:04.160 the work of Mercy Ships, you're helping to transform people's lives. 0:04:04.800 --> 0:04:08.080 Visit Mercy ships dot org to learn the many ways 0:04:08.600 --> 0:04:10.680 you can be a part of the great work that 0:04:10.760 --> 0:04:17.279 they're doing Mercy Ships dot Org. Brett Young, welcome to 0:04:17.480 --> 0:04:20.799 love someone with the Lilah. I'm so glad you decided 0:04:20.800 --> 0:04:22.480 to take a little time out of your schedule to 0:04:22.560 --> 0:04:25.960 chat with us, because you're pretty busy. It's my pleasure. No, 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:29.679 I'm I'm not busy. My kids are like already grown 0:04:29.880 --> 0:04:36.120 and um, right, how many of you gotten diapers right now? 0:04:36.720 --> 0:04:41.000 Both of them have. My youngest is six months today 0:04:41.080 --> 0:04:44.359 and then my oldest is Presley is just over two years. 0:04:44.360 --> 0:04:47.520 So I've got two little baby girls barely under two 0:04:47.600 --> 0:04:50.560 years old, and uh, and they're both in diverse but 0:04:50.600 --> 0:04:54.880 Presley is potty training right now, which is um exciting 0:04:54.960 --> 0:04:57.159 is the wrong word, but it does get a little exciting. 0:04:57.200 --> 0:05:00.600 Sometimes it does get exciting, and it'll be cheesier on 0:05:00.720 --> 0:05:05.840 Mama and you once that happens, that's right. But during 0:05:05.880 --> 0:05:08.799 the process of it, it's it's it can be challenging 0:05:08.920 --> 0:05:13.800 and exciting. So uh, I sent your song lady to 0:05:13.960 --> 0:05:16.960 my niece, not realizing she was ahead of me, and 0:05:17.000 --> 0:05:19.280 I've already heard it a thousand times because she has 0:05:19.320 --> 0:05:22.719 a four month old baby girl with her husband Nick, 0:05:23.320 --> 0:05:25.680 and they are like one of the cutest couples in 0:05:25.720 --> 0:05:29.200 the whole wide world. And she's a cry baby like me. 0:05:29.640 --> 0:05:32.159 And so I said, when Nick comes home from work today, 0:05:32.160 --> 0:05:33.800 when he comes to the door, I just want you 0:05:33.800 --> 0:05:38.040 to hand Addie Dean to him. This is my dedication 0:05:38.080 --> 0:05:40.400 to you guys. And then I said, but you've got 0:05:40.400 --> 0:05:42.920 to text me before he gets home so I can 0:05:43.040 --> 0:05:45.640 like know in my heart that this is happening. And 0:05:45.720 --> 0:05:47.479 so I called her after she texted me. I gave 0:05:47.480 --> 0:05:49.800 her like five minutes and she was still a hot mess, 0:05:50.040 --> 0:05:54.440 you know, just completely blubber face that you're out there 0:05:54.520 --> 0:05:57.800 using me to make people cry. I am, I am, 0:06:00.080 --> 0:06:04.480 And it was wonderful. It worked beautifully. So so did 0:06:04.520 --> 0:06:08.600 you write Lady with your first baby girl or number two? Yeah? 0:06:08.640 --> 0:06:11.000 That was for my first one for Pressley. We we 0:06:11.000 --> 0:06:14.279 were only I think five months pregnant when I wrote 0:06:14.279 --> 0:06:17.719 that song. And I think that the reason the song 0:06:17.760 --> 0:06:20.279 turned out the way it did was because I didn't 0:06:20.279 --> 0:06:21.600 know what it was like to be a parent yet. 0:06:21.640 --> 0:06:25.839 I was kind of only uh anticipating and experiencing the 0:06:25.960 --> 0:06:30.160 things that like scare you about that chapter of your 0:06:30.200 --> 0:06:31.920 life when you know nothing about it yet. And so 0:06:32.360 --> 0:06:34.880 the reason that song is is so much more about 0:06:34.960 --> 0:06:37.680 my wife than it is my daughter. It's kind of 0:06:37.720 --> 0:06:40.839 like a letter to my daughter about her mom is 0:06:40.880 --> 0:06:45.000 because the only thing I knew about that process is 0:06:45.000 --> 0:06:47.120 that I was fortunate to have my wife because she 0:06:47.200 --> 0:06:48.839 was gonna have to do it all because I was 0:06:48.920 --> 0:06:52.080 not going to be capable, and so, um yeah, it was. 0:06:52.200 --> 0:06:54.880 It was. It was my my letter to my first daughter, 0:06:55.600 --> 0:06:58.640 basically saying, I'm probably gonna screw this up, but don't 0:06:58.640 --> 0:07:01.680 worry because Mom will be there. And have you have you, 0:07:01.760 --> 0:07:04.200 like made any major blunders that mom had to correct? 0:07:05.640 --> 0:07:07.920 I mean that would be a better question for her. 0:07:07.960 --> 0:07:10.920 I don't think so if I If I did, she 0:07:11.080 --> 0:07:16.000 fixed it when I wasn't looking good answer. I think 0:07:16.040 --> 0:07:20.520 the biggest thing for me is like identifying roles um 0:07:20.560 --> 0:07:24.760 as parents, and I think that you of it is 0:07:24.760 --> 0:07:27.040 is both of your job, but then there are there's 0:07:27.040 --> 0:07:29.920 this five percent where where roles come in. At least 0:07:29.960 --> 0:07:32.920 that's how it's been in our house. And um, your 0:07:33.040 --> 0:07:35.520 your marriage is very different than the ones I was in. 0:07:36.040 --> 0:07:37.600 I just got to tell you, if you think it's 0:07:38.640 --> 0:07:42.800 shared very different, I say that, but I'm being like 0:07:42.920 --> 0:07:44.680 very gracious to myself because then I get on a 0:07:44.680 --> 0:07:48.360 tour bus and leave for like every weekend. So yeah, yeah, 0:07:48.440 --> 0:07:53.040 let's be honest, it's more like five. I mean, if 0:07:53.040 --> 0:07:55.160 you're gone on weekends, if you're touring and you're on 0:07:55.240 --> 0:07:59.400 the tour and you you've got rehearsals and the baby 0:07:59.440 --> 0:08:03.760 still has to be nursed and changed. Yeah, I guess 0:08:03.760 --> 0:08:05.880 that's what I'm saying. I got really good at dishes 0:08:05.920 --> 0:08:08.840 and taking out the trash. It's really like, you know, 0:08:09.600 --> 0:08:11.760 very good at the things that should have been good 0:08:11.760 --> 0:08:15.840 at anyway. So there's that. But I'm not scared of 0:08:15.920 --> 0:08:18.400 a diaper though, either. I'm gonna give myself a little 0:08:18.400 --> 0:08:20.320 credit there. I know some dads that are like, I'm 0:08:20.320 --> 0:08:23.120 not touching that. I mean, you made it. If you 0:08:23.200 --> 0:08:25.760 made this child and they're making this, you made this. 0:08:26.000 --> 0:08:30.200 Yeah you mad. Yeah, it's your job too. Biggest change 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:34.520 in your heart since since you said I do. I mean, 0:08:34.559 --> 0:08:37.960 your music just like took a one eight you just 0:08:38.080 --> 0:08:41.480 like you went all in in the relationship and the 0:08:42.200 --> 0:08:45.080 you know, if your life is truly reflected in your music, 0:08:45.120 --> 0:08:46.760 you did that. You did a U turn in the 0:08:46.800 --> 0:08:48.440 middle of the street, in the middle of the freeway. 0:08:48.440 --> 0:08:52.880 You did a U turn. Yeah, I mean I mean, 0:08:52.920 --> 0:08:56.760 if you really track down from album one to you 0:08:56.800 --> 0:09:00.720 know what, we're finishing album three right now. Um, even 0:09:00.720 --> 0:09:04.160 the breakup songs were about my wife. We just we 0:09:04.360 --> 0:09:07.080 we had a little bit of a time trying to 0:09:07.120 --> 0:09:09.040 get to where we needed to be. We weren't always 0:09:09.040 --> 0:09:12.080 on the same page, and so, um it was always 0:09:12.080 --> 0:09:14.000 her for me. It was just that we weren't. I 0:09:14.040 --> 0:09:15.920 was a little bit older and I was I wanted 0:09:15.960 --> 0:09:18.800 to settle down before she did. And um, that's why 0:09:18.800 --> 0:09:21.800 you got breakup songs about my wife and then love 0:09:21.880 --> 0:09:25.000 songs about my wife on the next record. Um. I 0:09:25.000 --> 0:09:28.040 think the biggest change for me was no, I don't 0:09:28.040 --> 0:09:31.160 care what anybody says. Nobody likes chasing. Everybody always says 0:09:31.160 --> 0:09:33.439 I like to chase. They're lying. That's a single person 0:09:33.480 --> 0:09:36.040 that's young, that's really saying that I'm not ready to 0:09:36.080 --> 0:09:39.000 settle down yet. If you're ready to settle down, the 0:09:39.080 --> 0:09:42.120 chase is obnoxious and so UM, I think the biggest 0:09:42.160 --> 0:09:45.480 thing for me was just the security that comes with 0:09:46.000 --> 0:09:48.160 you know, when we finally got back together, Taylor and 0:09:48.240 --> 0:09:50.840 I just said, hey, we're not interested in dating each 0:09:50.840 --> 0:09:54.360 other for a third time around. If we're getting back 0:09:54.400 --> 0:09:57.200 together this is it, we're getting married, we're starting a family, 0:09:57.280 --> 0:10:00.840 like this is it. And the security that came with that. Um, 0:10:00.880 --> 0:10:03.720 I think, you know, brought a confidence that I hadn't 0:10:03.720 --> 0:10:06.040 really had in my relationship. But I think that carries 0:10:06.120 --> 0:10:08.440 over into your professional life and your personal life with 0:10:08.480 --> 0:10:12.760 other relationships with people too, and so, UM, I just 0:10:12.960 --> 0:10:15.920 I just really appreciate the security that came with knowing 0:10:16.440 --> 0:10:18.600 that we're doing this, we're committed to this, and I 0:10:18.600 --> 0:10:20.360 don't have to wonder about if this is the one 0:10:20.440 --> 0:10:22.920 or if this is gonna work out anymore. Well, it 0:10:22.960 --> 0:10:25.679 sounds like you always knew this was the one that 0:10:25.800 --> 0:10:28.200 just took her a little wild cat. Yeah, but she 0:10:28.240 --> 0:10:29.800 doesn't like when I say I told you so, so 0:10:29.840 --> 0:10:32.560 I try to keep that out of them. Okay, got it, 0:10:34.720 --> 0:10:37.160 You are awesome. So are you're kind of glad now 0:10:37.160 --> 0:10:40.640 you hurt your elbow all those years ago? Yeah? I 0:10:40.679 --> 0:10:44.120 mean that's a bitter sweet conversation because you know, I 0:10:44.160 --> 0:10:46.560 started playing baseball when I was four, and that injury 0:10:46.600 --> 0:10:48.600 happened when I was twenty two years old. And in 0:10:48.640 --> 0:10:51.760 California there's no weather restrictions, so you play year round, 0:10:51.840 --> 0:10:54.680 So you know, for eighteen years of my life and 0:10:54.720 --> 0:10:57.640 the part of your life that is most formidable. It's 0:10:57.679 --> 0:11:00.160 like it was. It was everything for me, So I 0:11:00.240 --> 0:11:05.280 do miss it. Um it wasn't fun. But if I 0:11:05.320 --> 0:11:07.440 had a chance to go back and not get injured 0:11:07.480 --> 0:11:10.440 and have baseball instead of music, I'd pick music. So 0:11:10.920 --> 0:11:13.720 and I would have never met my wife. Um, I moved. 0:11:14.000 --> 0:11:16.439 I moved to Arizona for an opportunity to write songs 0:11:16.440 --> 0:11:18.079 with a guy that had a publishing deal out there, 0:11:18.080 --> 0:11:19.920 and that's where she was going to school. So my 0:11:20.000 --> 0:11:22.000 life wouldn't be anything like it is right now, and 0:11:22.000 --> 0:11:25.320 so I wouldn't trade it for the world. Um. So 0:11:25.960 --> 0:11:29.040 short answer is absolutely, I'm glad that the elbow injury happened. 0:11:29.040 --> 0:11:31.080 But there's a little part of me that watches baseball 0:11:31.960 --> 0:11:36.600 all season long, going, you know, critiquing people and going, 0:11:37.040 --> 0:11:38.720 I could do it better. You know, I still have 0:11:38.800 --> 0:11:40.880 that in me. So there's a part of me that's 0:11:40.920 --> 0:11:42.839 a little bit nostalgic. But I wouldn't trade it for 0:11:42.880 --> 0:11:46.560 the world. Um. Can I make a suggestion, Yes, please. 0:11:47.240 --> 0:11:49.440 I I think maybe the Lord's going to have your 0:11:49.440 --> 0:11:53.560 coach and your your daughter's baseball teams very open to 0:11:53.640 --> 0:11:57.480 that one thing that I want for my girls is 0:11:57.520 --> 0:12:00.280 that I don't want to decide for them one way 0:12:00.320 --> 0:12:02.120 or the other. I don't want to discourage them from 0:12:02.120 --> 0:12:04.640 something or push them into something. UM. I want to 0:12:04.679 --> 0:12:06.920 kind of sit back and see what makes them happy 0:12:07.000 --> 0:12:09.640 and then whatever that is, I don't care. But I 0:12:09.679 --> 0:12:11.360 want to be a part of it. And so if 0:12:11.400 --> 0:12:13.760 my you know, I play guitar, but if my daughter 0:12:13.800 --> 0:12:16.160 decides that piano is her thing, I'm taking lessons with her, 0:12:16.320 --> 0:12:20.240 you know, whatever it is. If they're passionate, UM, that's 0:12:20.240 --> 0:12:22.200 the that's the road I want to go down with them. 0:12:22.320 --> 0:12:25.080 And if it ends up being a coach, awesome, I'm 0:12:25.080 --> 0:12:28.680 in good for you, Good for you. So when I 0:12:28.720 --> 0:12:34.000 started listening to the words of Weekends, Um, I was 0:12:34.080 --> 0:12:36.320 so I felt like I knew you, like you were 0:12:36.360 --> 0:12:38.559 one of my kids, or you were my little brother. 0:12:38.640 --> 0:12:41.760 You know, I felt like I was on that journey 0:12:42.000 --> 0:12:46.080 with you. You have a wonderful way of bringing people 0:12:46.160 --> 0:12:48.760 into the story when you sing. Do you know? Do 0:12:48.800 --> 0:12:51.199 you know that? Do you? Are you aware of your 0:12:51.280 --> 0:12:55.720 gift of you tell stories through your lyrics and through 0:12:55.760 --> 0:12:59.360 your music. I appreciate that. That's a that's um, that's 0:12:59.640 --> 0:13:03.360 a very nice compliment that that is my goal as 0:13:03.360 --> 0:13:06.440 a songwriter first and then also as a performer. I've 0:13:06.480 --> 0:13:09.760 never been able to reconcile with the fact that I 0:13:09.840 --> 0:13:13.800 might be asking an audience to connect with me on 0:13:13.840 --> 0:13:19.280 a song if I'm not visibly emotionally connected to it. 0:13:19.320 --> 0:13:21.679 And so it starts with the writing of the song. 0:13:21.800 --> 0:13:23.240 I mean, if it's not if there's any part of 0:13:23.240 --> 0:13:26.400 it that's not honest and authentic to me, it feels 0:13:26.400 --> 0:13:28.320 like a line and you're not going to hear that song. 0:13:28.679 --> 0:13:32.960 So everything that I put out is as raw and 0:13:33.040 --> 0:13:36.400 vulnerable as I can make it, only because it's the 0:13:36.480 --> 0:13:38.720 only way that I can feel justified asking people to 0:13:38.760 --> 0:13:41.679 care about my music, um, and come out and spend 0:13:41.679 --> 0:13:44.040 their money in their time being at a show or 0:13:44.160 --> 0:13:47.040 or sitting in their car and listening to my record. So, um, 0:13:47.080 --> 0:13:49.120 that is one of the best compliments you can give, 0:13:49.200 --> 0:13:53.280 because that's my primary goal. Before you know the song 0:13:53.360 --> 0:13:58.000 is even crafted well, it certainly comes shining through when 0:13:58.000 --> 0:14:00.440 I when I'm on the air at night. That's that's 0:14:00.480 --> 0:14:04.080 my goal, is to invite people into the relationship and 0:14:04.120 --> 0:14:07.480 into this story that I weave together. Um, and I 0:14:07.559 --> 0:14:11.160 love music. I love music. My father was a musician. 0:14:11.200 --> 0:14:13.280 He played the guitar and he had a little country 0:14:13.320 --> 0:14:16.520 western band and we were raised on music. My mom 0:14:16.600 --> 0:14:18.680 had a record player. We had a record player in 0:14:18.679 --> 0:14:20.800 our living room. I think that they got up from 0:14:20.880 --> 0:14:25.320 Costco and it, you know, forty fives and albums, and 0:14:26.080 --> 0:14:29.640 all of my siblings got the gift of music except 0:14:29.720 --> 0:14:33.520 for me, and I have a three note range and 0:14:33.560 --> 0:14:39.320 they're not even very good notes. But I love music. 0:14:39.480 --> 0:14:41.960 And the thing that I love most about country music 0:14:42.560 --> 0:14:46.280 is in country music you can turn a phrase and 0:14:46.400 --> 0:14:49.960 you can you can use an expression or a hook 0:14:50.480 --> 0:14:52.960 that you just get you know what I mean, you 0:14:53.040 --> 0:14:57.400 just get it. And all of your songs that I 0:14:57.480 --> 0:15:01.000 have ever listened to, I felt I was on that 0:15:01.080 --> 0:15:04.360 journey with you, like I knew you, like we were friends, 0:15:04.360 --> 0:15:06.880 even though I had never met you before today. I 0:15:06.920 --> 0:15:10.760 love that. I love that. I agree. I think, um, 0:15:10.800 --> 0:15:13.920 you know, growing up in southern California, especially at the time, 0:15:14.000 --> 0:15:16.720 you know, when I found I found country music in 0:15:18.560 --> 0:15:22.080 a song called Don't Take the Girl Tim McGraw and 0:15:22.080 --> 0:15:25.040 and uh at the time, I mean in southern California, 0:15:25.080 --> 0:15:27.680 we were all surfing and listening to Blink One, you know, 0:15:27.720 --> 0:15:30.920 like it was all punk rock and and you know, 0:15:31.560 --> 0:15:34.080 beach days and the whole thing. And I found country 0:15:34.200 --> 0:15:38.120 and nobody not only did nobody else listen to country, 0:15:38.120 --> 0:15:39.600 they all thought I was crazy for listening to the 0:15:39.640 --> 0:15:42.880 country music in southern California in the early nineties. And um, 0:15:43.600 --> 0:15:45.920 the thing that made me fall in love was the storytelling. 0:15:46.600 --> 0:15:49.000 I think you have an opportunity to bring people in 0:15:49.480 --> 0:15:52.680 to make them feel like, you know, not just that 0:15:52.760 --> 0:15:55.440 they were there and experienced that story with you, but 0:15:55.480 --> 0:15:58.160 like you said, like they know you. You almost feel 0:15:58.200 --> 0:16:00.800 like you always say that part of our job is 0:16:00.840 --> 0:16:02.760 to pull the curtain back a little bit more every 0:16:02.760 --> 0:16:05.720 time we put something out. You know, there's there's this 0:16:06.040 --> 0:16:08.400 there's this professional side of us, which is our music 0:16:08.480 --> 0:16:11.520 and our songwriting. But I think that with every new project, 0:16:11.600 --> 0:16:13.320 you gotta pull the curtain back a little bit more, 0:16:13.720 --> 0:16:15.760 even with social media. That's part of what I try 0:16:15.800 --> 0:16:18.440 to do is, um, I don't want to exploit my 0:16:18.560 --> 0:16:21.120 children or my family. But at the same time, that's 0:16:22.240 --> 0:16:25.120 you're hearing a record called Weekends look a little different 0:16:25.160 --> 0:16:27.280 these days about my family, But then I'm going to 0:16:27.400 --> 0:16:30.040 hide them from you. That doesn't make sense to me, 0:16:30.080 --> 0:16:32.440 and so I feel like my responsibility to people that 0:16:32.440 --> 0:16:34.400 are going to invest themselves in me and my career 0:16:34.800 --> 0:16:36.720 is to give them a little bit more than just 0:16:36.800 --> 0:16:39.760 the song. You need to understand why this song exists 0:16:39.880 --> 0:16:41.920 so that you could feel like we have something in common. 0:16:41.920 --> 0:16:43.960 And so I love that that comes across for you. 0:16:44.280 --> 0:16:47.040 Oh boy, does it come across loud and clear. You 0:16:47.080 --> 0:16:51.760 are very talented, very talented at being who you are, 0:16:52.320 --> 0:16:55.640 because I think you know, I've been in this business 0:16:55.720 --> 0:16:58.960 for a long time. I've been on the air since 0:16:59.000 --> 0:17:02.840 I was a teenager, and I think a lot of 0:17:02.920 --> 0:17:08.560 artists get really jaded or really um caught up in 0:17:08.640 --> 0:17:11.560 the business of it and the hype, and they forget 0:17:11.560 --> 0:17:13.520 that they put their pants on one leg at a time, 0:17:14.000 --> 0:17:16.560 and that if you have a baby, if the baby 0:17:16.600 --> 0:17:18.879 makes a dirty diaper, it's your dirty diaper, you know. 0:17:18.960 --> 0:17:22.720 And they they're all about image and posing on a 0:17:22.760 --> 0:17:28.360 red carpet and and wearing expensive clothes and sticking out 0:17:28.400 --> 0:17:31.240 their lips or their jawline or their hips or whatever 0:17:31.280 --> 0:17:33.679 it is. I don't, I don't. I don't know that 0:17:33.760 --> 0:17:36.640 this is the case, but I wonder sometimes how many 0:17:36.680 --> 0:17:40.720 people are kind of hiding behind their celebrity or their 0:17:40.760 --> 0:17:45.080 position rather than being rather than allowing themselves to be 0:17:45.240 --> 0:17:47.600 who they are. And I hope that's not the case 0:17:47.680 --> 0:17:49.800 for for too many, but I think I think you're 0:17:49.800 --> 0:17:52.679 seeing a lot of it right now. And and I 0:17:52.720 --> 0:17:54.560 just I couldn't do this if that was if I 0:17:54.600 --> 0:17:57.200 needed to be that way. Oh I'm glad you don't 0:17:57.200 --> 0:17:58.880 need to be that way. And I'm glad you're doing 0:17:58.920 --> 0:18:03.679 this because your music blesses a lot of people. And so, 0:18:03.680 --> 0:18:06.240 so you were you were in California, you were riding 0:18:06.240 --> 0:18:09.000 the waves, you were a beach bomb, planned baseball, and 0:18:09.080 --> 0:18:13.320 you heard, uh country music. Were your folks like, did 0:18:13.320 --> 0:18:17.000 they like country music? Or was this all you? I 0:18:17.000 --> 0:18:18.919 feel like the way you're setting up this question that 0:18:18.960 --> 0:18:20.560 you might have already heard the story, but if you 0:18:20.600 --> 0:18:26.040 have not, Um, I have a sister that's eight years 0:18:26.040 --> 0:18:30.080 older than me, and uh, rather than let us fight 0:18:30.119 --> 0:18:35.480 over who got shotgun, front seat just rotated every other time. So, UM, 0:18:35.520 --> 0:18:37.480 it doesn't work in my family. You know how many 0:18:37.520 --> 0:18:41.679 kids are my I'm almost pretty good at kind of 0:18:41.680 --> 0:18:45.720 the soft parenting distraction game. Um. And so we didn't 0:18:45.760 --> 0:18:48.679 really question that, but my sister didn't like it. She 0:18:48.800 --> 0:18:52.240 just didn't say no, So what she would do is 0:18:52.320 --> 0:18:54.080 every time I got the front seat, she would just 0:18:54.160 --> 0:18:56.200 kick the back of my seat for the entire ride 0:18:56.480 --> 0:19:00.439 to ruin my experience getting the front seats. And so 0:19:01.000 --> 0:19:04.960 your sister extremely successful too, because I think that personality, 0:19:05.520 --> 0:19:07.800 nothing's going to stop her from getting what she wants. 0:19:08.119 --> 0:19:09.919 My sister is one of my favorite people in the 0:19:09.920 --> 0:19:12.240 whole world. She didn't go into into the music business. 0:19:12.280 --> 0:19:17.360 But but yes, she's incredible. And also, um, we clearly 0:19:17.440 --> 0:19:21.320 share genetics because that's probably if the roles were reversed 0:19:21.320 --> 0:19:22.800 and I was the older sibling, is probably what I 0:19:22.800 --> 0:19:24.760 would do. In fact, I think I do it to 0:19:24.800 --> 0:19:29.080 my two year old now sometimes I'm telling you, um, 0:19:29.119 --> 0:19:31.439 but but the only thing I knew, And this is 0:19:31.440 --> 0:19:33.080 the funny. This is the funny thing about the story. 0:19:33.160 --> 0:19:36.639 My sister loves country music now, but at the time 0:19:36.760 --> 0:19:40.159 she despised country music because she was young and it 0:19:40.200 --> 0:19:43.360 wasn't cool yet. Um, she had like life size posters 0:19:43.359 --> 0:19:45.040 of L L Cool J and Boys two Men on 0:19:45.080 --> 0:19:48.919 the wall, so country wasn't her thing. So she's kicking 0:19:48.920 --> 0:19:52.600 my seat, trying to ruin my front seat experience. So 0:19:52.680 --> 0:19:56.320 I'm cranking the local. We had one local country music station. 0:19:56.520 --> 0:19:59.479 At the time, I'm cranking it just to ruin her 0:19:59.520 --> 0:20:03.280 back seat experience, you know. And uh and one day, 0:20:04.840 --> 0:20:08.520 Johnny's daddy was taking him fishing, and I was like, 0:20:09.400 --> 0:20:11.320 sounds interesting. And by the end of it, I'm like 0:20:11.359 --> 0:20:15.000 an eight year old crying, you know, old whatever I 0:20:15.080 --> 0:20:17.440 was at the time. And uh, I just I went 0:20:18.160 --> 0:20:20.960 from from loving that song to realizing why I loved 0:20:20.960 --> 0:20:23.400 that song, which was the storytelling and country music and 0:20:23.800 --> 0:20:26.600 was done for me at that point. Well, I I 0:20:26.840 --> 0:20:30.680 came from a long line of country music lovers, both 0:20:30.680 --> 0:20:34.679 sides of my family, both my parents families loved country music. 0:20:35.160 --> 0:20:37.640 And I used to go stay with my Grandma Mac 0:20:37.720 --> 0:20:41.239 my mom Spokes. I'd spend every minute I could at 0:20:41.240 --> 0:20:43.720 their farm because I loved the farm and I loved 0:20:44.400 --> 0:20:48.399 animals and horses and cows and chickens. And they had 0:20:48.800 --> 0:20:52.520 eight track tapes, you know, the old eight track tape 0:20:52.520 --> 0:20:56.600 player in the living room, and they had Anne Murray 0:20:56.640 --> 0:21:01.199 and Charlie Pride and they the whole stack, and I 0:21:01.200 --> 0:21:04.320 would play, you know, play them over and over and 0:21:04.400 --> 0:21:07.520 over and over and over. For the same reason I 0:21:07.600 --> 0:21:10.959 love the stories I love I love the way that 0:21:11.600 --> 0:21:15.560 country music unlike any other genre pulls you. It's a movie, 0:21:15.840 --> 0:21:18.240 It's an entire movie in like three and a half 0:21:18.240 --> 0:21:21.480 four minutes, if you just took a country. In fact, 0:21:21.520 --> 0:21:23.879 I think Dolly did this with her songs. Took the 0:21:23.880 --> 0:21:27.400 songs and made movies out of, you know, the lyrics 0:21:27.520 --> 0:21:30.760 of the songs. And I loved the movie and the 0:21:30.800 --> 0:21:33.359 pictures and the stories that you're sharing with us and 0:21:33.359 --> 0:21:37.800 bringing everybody into with you. Thank you. So I always say, 0:21:37.840 --> 0:21:40.600 like if the athlete and me still gets to go 0:21:40.640 --> 0:21:43.560 to work, it's the part where I enjoy the challenge 0:21:43.560 --> 0:21:47.320 of fitting, like you said, a movie or or or 0:21:47.359 --> 0:21:49.639 an entire story inside of three or three and a 0:21:49.680 --> 0:21:52.760 half minutes. I love that challenge. That's that the athlete 0:21:52.760 --> 0:21:55.000 of me comes out. When I realized I have a 0:21:55.040 --> 0:21:57.000 song on my second record called Ticket to l A, 0:21:57.400 --> 0:22:00.720 which you know, it wasn't a radio single, but I 0:22:00.800 --> 0:22:02.800 knew when we came up with the idea for the 0:22:02.840 --> 0:22:05.440 song that it was impossible to fit in three and 0:22:05.480 --> 0:22:07.679 a half minutes. That's what made me want to write it, 0:22:07.720 --> 0:22:11.160 and we did it. I love that challenge because I think, 0:22:12.080 --> 0:22:14.680