We’re all seeing a side of Carly Pearce usually reserved for her closest friends, as the singer looks to reveal new layers on her latest album, 'Honest Woman.' Pearce recently joined Katie Neal to talk about the project, awkward music videos, life on the road, and more this week during the 'Superstar Power Hour.'

“I hope they get to know me better,” Carly says when asked what she hopes fans take away from the new album. “I feel like I really stretched myself on this one to go places that I haven't before. I hope they get to know me better and I hope they feel seen.”

“This is my 5th record, and I think I started to wonder what else was left to say and challenged myself to think about, ‘OK. Yes, we have no problem with heartbreak. We have no problem with sass, but take it a step further,’” says Pearce. “I just really kind of peeled back some layers of my own self to think about maybe what people don't know about me, that my closest friends would know about me.”

In many ways we’ve unlocked the next level of Carly Pearce by going back to the beginning with her, to the classic Country and Bluegrass songs that first shaped her love of music. You can hear the influence on songs like “You Can Have Him,” which channels the same straightforward wisdom as some of her heroes. “I've always said that traditional Country music was a big part of my life,” she says. “When you start listening to that song, it's upright bass, it sounds like maybe what Loretta Lynn would have sang in 1965 on the Opry. Like, we go there.”

Pearce will take the new album on the road for a set of “Up Close” intimate shows in smaller venues across the country later this year. “I've gotten to travel and tour in all different venues, sizes, you know, all these things, and I'm very lucky that I've gotten to do all of that,” Carly tells Katie, “but I think what I have found that my favorite are the smaller venues and just being able to have a conversation.”

“People don't come to my shows to see the lights and the costume changes and the videos. They come to see me sing and they come even more than that to hear me talk. That's become the storytelling part of my shows,” admits Pearce. “I really wanted to make it different, really for myself.”

Unfortunately on this tour though, Carly will be without her dogs, Johnny and June, who have been “fired” from the road crew after some bad behavior. “They're a little naughty,” reveals Pearce. “I have to be honest, they bite people.”

“They're very sweet if they love you, but they'll bite you. We used to think Johnny was peeing in my guitar player's bunk, but I think it was June. They're bad. I love them so much, but they've kind of become like divas, so they stay at their grandparents' house.”

For more from Carly Pearce on making music videos with Riley Green, and the story behind some of her biggest hits, listen to the full 'Superstar Power Hour' interview above.

It’s even too hot to golf for Kane Brown, who is surviving the sweltering Nashville summer in part by visiting the cool studios of 'Katie & Company' above the Hard Rock Cafe. The singer joins Katie Neal this week for the 'Superstar Power Hour' to talk about his latest chart achievement, his bar on Broadway, and the artist who gave him the “confidence” and “motivation” to have a career in Country music.

The season has been busy for Brown, including another number one at the top of the Country charts, with “Woman.”

“A number one never gets old,” admits Kane. “You always have goals set, and I will say, that's one thing out of all the goals that hasn't changed is the number one song. So I'm excited for it, and ‘Woman’ is, it's one of those songs that kind of takes me back to my earlier career of just having a special feeling about the song, and I haven't had that feeling in a while for a song, so I'm glad it's doing good.”

Kane is still hard at work on the next chapter, “very happy” about the progress he has made on his upcoming album. “The album I'm working on right now is, it was originally gonna be kind of throwbacky, like fifties sounding, one song that kind of has an Eagles vibe to it, then I have a Motown type song, but just kind of old school.”

“Were gonna do some music videos that were like short films to them. I had a whole plan, but that takes time. So we hadn't even started on the music videos or we've kind of got ideas, but I don't know. I might be biting off more than I can chew.”

Kane is also a part of his friend, Lauren Alaina’s new album, which arrived everywhere on August 28. It marks a professional reunion for the long-time collaborators, as Brown credits Alaina with providing the initial confidence for his career, recalling how she encouraged him to sing back in middle school choir.

“So Lauren, of course, was on ‘American Idol,’ and we live in a small town of like 9000 people, and they had a parade for her,” remembers Kane. “She's just always been singing, so talented, she deserves the world.”

“She's what gave me the confidence and the motivation to be in the music industry,” Brown reveals. “So I owe my whole career to her, So yeah, I root for her.”

For much more from Kane Brown, check out the full interview above.

Before getting into their emotional, twelfth studio album, 'It’s A Dying Art,' which arrives everywhere on August 28, Little Big Town stepped into the strange and supernatural during a talk with Katie Neal.

Beginning with the haunting legends of a historic Franklin home where they once recorded, the band shared a terrifying tale about "Beulah," the resident ghost they believe once flooded their studio, threatening precious analog tapes and artifacts.

“I'd left the studio last that night and there's a little bathroom upstairs in the office side of the studio, and I turned the light off, faucets off, shut the door,” shares Philip Sweet. “Karen gets there the next morning, first thing, and the lights are on in that bathroom, faucet's full blast, and it was flooding water pouring through the ceiling fan downstairs.”

“All I could think was like, ‘oh my gosh, if water got into the studio,’” Karen Fairchild gasps. “I ran in there and it was like the water stopped right at the kitchen door.”

“Fast forward to someone that is like a ghost historian… said that water is the way that ghosts communicate tears,” reveals Karen. “We were cutting a song called ‘Evangeline’ about an abused woman. So, anyhow, Beulah, we didn't ever think she wasn't our friend, but, she was there.”

No ghosts were encountered in the making of Little Big Town’s new album, 'It’s A Dying Art,' but very present is the band’s desire to create hope in dark times. “Maybe ‘we could have it all’ probably sums up the sentiment of the whole record,” Karen says. “That there's hope in the darkest of days, you know, and you'll get up again, and it's about all the little journeys and the nooks and crannies of life.”

The title comes from a track on the project, which Sweet says captures the true connection of Little Big Town. “With all that's going on and changing in music and AI and all that, what we really love is being human and making human connection with the band and the writers and the sounds, and you know, being human.”

For much more from Little Big Town, check out the full 'Superstar Power Hour' interview above.

Brantley Gilbert has officially unveiled his new album, 'SINS OF THE FATHER,' and with it, a deeply personal look at his life. During a recent conversation with Katie Neal, Brantley opened up about the intersection of his faith, parenthood, and his past struggles with addiction and how they shine through on his new project.

Sitting with Katie inside our Nashville studios, The “GOOD DAMN” singer describes his albums as "chapters" of his life. 'SINS OF THE FATHER' is the latest in a page-turner of a career, and was born out of his anxieties as a father of three, fearing that his past "troubled chapter" would negatively impact his children.

“I've got an 8-year-old, a 6-year-old, a 1-year-old, and kind of had a little troubled chapter of life, I guess we could say, a long one,” he shares, admitting he was “worried, just paranoid, scared to death that the things, choices I made back then, would come back on my kids.”

“I fully thought I'd either be dead or incarcerated by 30, so this living in a different direction, being a married dad of 3 was not on my bingo card.”

Gilbert looked to his faith for guidance, and found conflicting biblical passages regarding generational sin, which led him to reflect deeply on his role as a parent. Ultimately, he says, the album is a prayer and a reflection on his current "season of learning," finding relief in the realization that he can change the trajectory for his children.

Brantley has a lot to be proud of these days, including an excellent album where he threw out the rule book, concentrating on where the song wanted to go rather than how successful it could be across platforms.

He’s also approaching 15 years of sobriety, and spoke with Katie about his journey, and his role in supporting others who are struggling. Emphasizing that addiction is a "genetic disease" that is non-discriminatory. He navigates it all with a support system that allows for tough, honest conversation, and continues to connect with listeners in a special way because of his past.

For more from Brantley Gilbert on 'SINS OF THE FATHER,' his collaboration with Jelly Roll, and his relationship with Jason Aldean, check out the full conversation above.

Between dates on her already-epic 'Cloud 9 Tour,' Megan Moroney and her dog Boots join Katie Neal in the studio to talk about the making of her latest trek, the importance of her fans, and how she navigates life with a puppy on the road.

Moroney’s tour began in May, featuring hallmarks of Megan and her 'Cloud 9' album, a detailed stage design, and a floating window moment across the arena that initially had the singer in a panic.

“I will say I had 2 weeks to rehearse up in Pennsylvania, and fortunately my video guy Jeff has it all on video so one day I'll get to show everybody,” she shares. “The 1st 5 times I went up there I was terrified, like they were having to give me towels because my hands were so clammy and sweaty and I kind of felt like I was gonna pass out up there, and I was like kind of having mini panic attacks.”

“I think it's because all the lights were on so I could see the two little strings I'm hanging from, I could see that I could touch the rafter, I could see that I could fall to my death if something went wrong,” she adds. “Once we started doing the show full out and the lights were off I was like, ‘oh this isn't bad.’ And honestly, I was kind of just like, I'm gonna have to find a way to get over this fear because this window's already been paid for and it was expensive, so we're using the window.”

“Obviously the more I did it, it's fun now. It's one of my favorite parts of the show.”

On tour Megan keeps her routine, eating at the same time, doing her Pilates workout on YouTube, knocking out the schedule to keep things rolling.

“Every 15 minutes I have something to do,” Moroney admits. “Like my day is planned out that way.”

Through it all, she knows that it’s the fans that have pushed her career to this level, looking back on the past few years as she has shot to superstardom. “I released ‘Tennessee Orange’ in 2022 and it hasn't even been four years since I released [it]. It'll be four years this football season.”

“I always just give credit to my fans because they've done this for me, they show up, they're the ones that have encouraged me to continue to be honest in my songwriting and they support me when I do things. I know that there's a lot of people that don't get it still, but… the people that do get it, that's what it's for.”

For more from Megan Moroney and her dog, Boots, check out the full interview above.

Heading into the 4th of July, Katie Neal got to sit down with one of our favorite fireworks, HARDY, who has carved out his own lane in Country music and songwriting since first exploding onto the scene.

The GRAMMY-nominated singer is set to embark on a trip to Japan with his wife, his longest time away from his 15-month-old daughter, Rosie. While with Katie, he can’t stop gushing about how smart and sweet his little girl is, surprising himself with the way she has changed him.

When asked what surprised him about fatherhood, HARDY says, “I guess in a way this might sound weird, but how gentle and delicate I want to be with her.”

“Not that I ever imagined it any other way, but like, there's just something about a little girl,” he adds. “I'm looking at these guitars, all my guitars are banged up, all of my stuff is, I'm just rough on my stuff, and it's something about her that it's just, it's just completely different. I've never been that kind of person to be very gentle or to take things slowly or to be patient with things, and it's just, it's like second nature for me for sure.”

The conversation shifts to a mysterious, under-wraps film project involving actor Glen Powell, that HARDY is a part of, filming some scenes recently at CMA Fest. “I got to sit in the room and like he, I don't think this is giving too much away. He's already been talking about it, but like he's immersed himself into the culture. It reminds me of what Post Malone did where he like, he didn't just come here and write with all the big people. He like wanted to write with the songwriters and learn all that, and Glenn really like came to town and kind of, more or less, I guess like method acting, he wants to learn about the town to play the better character.” HARDY would be down to do more acting, but he needs to play himself. “Certain people just play themselves,” he notes, citing actors like Vince Vaughn. “I feel like that's the only way I can do it because I've thought about like, how hard it would be for Johnny Depp to become a completely different person and how good like Jared Leto, some of these people are just great at becoming a different person. There's no way I could do that I don't think.”

The real passion for HARDY still lies in songwriting, sharing that he’s having a real “songwriter moment,” including his work on the all-star single, “McArthur,” featuring Tim McGraw, Eric Church, and Morgan Wallen.

"It's two different channels of fulfillment too,” he says. “I started a publishing company with some members of my family... we're signing people and then like people that have never had hits and they're like writing hits and we're writing hits together and it's really cool, it's really special."

To hear more about a few of those hits and family life with HARDY, check out the full 'Superstar Power Hour' interview above.

Fresh from his 'Album of the Year' win at the ACM Awards this year, Parker McCollum is back with Katie Neal, talking about the big night, his child on the way, and the story behind his latest hit, “Killin’ Me.”

“I really, really, really didn't expect it,” Parker says of his win at the ACMs, with his self-titled LP taking home the prize for 'Album of the Year.’ “They say your name and it's on live TV and you're like, ‘oh damn, what do I do now?’”

“So many people are a part of my journey, I would need so much time to really thank everybody that I truly and sincerely want to give credit to for putting me in a position to do something like that, but it's, I don't know, it's such a blur when they call your name.”

After the big win, McCollum says he took his luck to the tables in Las Vegas with Tucker Wetmore. “Me and Tucker went to the blackjack table,” he shares. “We were balling. Laney Wilson was back there, and Zach Top was too. They weren't at our table. They ended up coming over once we were in it, and we were like, ‘Hey, this is going really well. Y'all can't sit down.’”

“Every time Laney would walk over and check on us, we would win. So like we had this Laney effect and like every time she would come over, and eventually she just came and hung out and I mean, I think I walked away with like 13,000. I sat down with 1000. Just asked Tucker, like it was the most unorthodox way of making money in that game, not playing by the rules, just winging it. The place is going crazy, but we had a good time.”

The winning streak continues for McCollum, who is once again climbing the charts with his song, “Killin’ Me.”

“A lot of people describe that song as like a sexy love song, but I had never really written anything from that perspective or in that vein, so it was kind of new territory for me in the songwriting aspect,” Parker reveals. “It was a little dark and it was emotional, and it was all hot and bothered is what the melody kind of made me think of, so it's just 3 grown men in the room writing this song.”

“I was like, let's all just close our eyes and picture our wives and let's stop looking at each other,” he laughs. “That's just how I've always written songs, just messing around on guitar, just kind of, you know, just making stuff up.”

For more on the upcoming addition to his family, and the stories behind some of his songs, listen to the full conversation with Parker McCollum above.