Katie Neal catches up with country superstar Jason Aldean!
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00:00How are you?
00:02I'm good.
00:03Just, you know, ready to go back to work.
00:07I feel like we've been off the road for about six months.
00:09And so about to get fired up at the end of this month and start, you know, launching the tour and get back out there.
00:16So excited for that.
00:17Trying to finish up an album while we're off, not touring.
00:21So kind of wrapping that up.
00:23Got some new music coming this year.
00:25So that's about it.
00:27What else have you been doing in your time off?
00:30Because I know you're never really not working.
00:32Yeah.
00:32I mean, right now, you know, kids are all playing sports.
00:37So Memphis is in baseball, Navy's in softball.
00:41Kendall's playing flag football at her school.
00:43And so, you know, they're just kind of all over the map.
00:46So we've spent a lot of time going to practices and games and doing all that kind of stuff.
00:51And all that's about to wrap up here in the next week or two.
00:55And, you know, get ready for summer.
00:58That phase of life where you're just a chauffeur.
00:59Yeah, essentially.
01:01Chauffeur and just trying to figure out how to get everybody where they need to be.
01:05And not really a lot of time for me to do anything right now except for, you know, be a driver.
01:12Yeah, a thousand percent.
01:13Well, I missed you when you and John were doing Impressed for what is now your 29th number one song.
01:19Friends Like That.
01:19Yeah. And I feel like it's been so cool to really watch you, like, take John under your wing, sign him on your imprint.
01:25You have to be so proud of him with this new album out and everything.
01:28I am.
01:29You know, John's a guy we kind of found four or five years ago.
01:32And from the minute I heard the guy sing a note, I was like, oh, my God, this is so good.
01:38And, you know, ended up signing him basically off of one song.
01:43I heard a song that he wrote with Kurt and Tully, two of my bandmates.
01:47And they were the ones that kind of turned me on to them.
01:51And I mean, literally heard one song he wrote and sang and signed him to a publishing deal, signed him to a record deal.
01:58It was like, we got to have this kid like he's so good and just couldn't wait for people to hear him.
02:02And to, you know, for him to finally get out there, have a hit and people start to know who he is.
02:09And, you know, his album Carolina Blue just came out, which is so good.
02:13And, you know, it's fun for me to watch that happen for a new artist.
02:18You know, it's been a long time since I was a new artist.
02:22So, you know, to watch that happen for somebody else, watch it go from nothing to something.
02:27And, you know, for him and his family and all the stuff, it's just it's a really cool thing for me to be a part of.
02:33For sure. And I feel like Kurt, Tully, John, like those guys have really found like a magic secret sauce for you in the last couple of years.
02:41Like what is it? John had like 16 songs that he's written for you.
02:44I lost track of how many Kurt and Tully have.
02:46More more than John, you know, it's like but that's been the cool thing.
02:50It's like for whatever reason, you know, you get those guys in a room together with John Edwards or, you know, sometimes I'm in there or Lydia Vaughn's been one that's come to the table with some really cool stuff.
03:04And Neil Thrasher. And we started our publishing company and that was kind of what it was.
03:09It's like, all right, we're going to build this team around basically me and John.
03:13And, you know, instead of going out and trying to hope everybody, you know, write songs that we can use.
03:19It's like, let's go in and everything we write now is either centered for me or for him.
03:24And if one of us don't cut it, then it goes elsewhere.
03:27But it's been a really good little system that we've kind of created.
03:31And I think the last two records have really kind of showcased that.
03:37And it's been, you know, the double album, the Macon Georgia record and then the Desperado album.
03:42You know, that was a direct result of, you know, starting that publishing company and really kind of changing gears and how we went about finding songs and all that stuff.
03:51And it's been, it's been pretty, pretty awesome.
03:54That's it. That is great.
03:55And three of them are three of the four co-writers that are on what will soon be your 30th number one song.
04:01Yeah.
04:02Whiskey Drink. How are you feeling about number 30 here?
04:04I love it. You know, it's a big, I mean, I never thought, you know, I never really played the numbers game a whole lot.
04:11You know, it's like you get, I always wanted one.
04:13I just wanted a number one.
04:14And, you know, you get that one and then it's like, next thing you know, we got five and then it's 10, 15, 20.
04:19And next thing you know, you're staring 30 in the face and it's like, I'm just glad people still, you know, care enough to go listen to it and stream it and come to the shows and do all the stuff.
04:29And, you know, 30 is a pretty big number.
04:33I know Luke Bryan had his 30 number one party last year and I went and sang one of his songs and, you know, that's a big deal for an artist.
04:42And so, you know, I remember getting started and George Strait had an album out like 50 number ones.
04:47And that seemed like a, you know, I mean, that was like a unicorn, like that's never gonna happen.
04:53And so here we are, you know, staring 30 in the face.
04:55And, you know, it's pretty cool.
04:57It just, to me, it means longevity, which is what I always wanted in the business was just to be able to do this for a long time.
05:04Definitely.
05:05Do you have any idea how you plan to celebrate?
05:07I know we were just talking about how Luke had his big party last year.
05:09I don't know, but I think he should be there and have to sing one of my songs is what I think.
05:13I think he should have to too.
05:14Or like whatever you choose him to sing.
05:16I mean, have some fun with it if you're going to have him.
05:18That's even better.
05:19I like that even better.
05:20Yeah.
05:20Okie pokie or something silly.
05:22What did you think when the guys first sent that song over?
05:25Because I'm sure that, you know, they send you a ton of songs.
05:27What was it about that one whiskey drink that you really liked?
05:29I feel like that was one of the first ones that kind of came in.
05:32It was, you know, kind of one of the table setters for the album.
05:34And, you know, to me, it's like when the chorus kicks in, it's just, you know, kind of it's a little bit rock and roll and kind of plays like a tempo almost, even though it's sort of a mid.
05:47But I thought it was great.
05:49And that and a song called Whose Rear View were like the first two that I remember kind of coming in.
05:54And and then when it got down to it, it was going to be one of those songs was going to be the last single on the record.
06:00And ultimately ended up going with a whiskey drink just because I felt like it it was a little had a little more drive to it and stuff like that.
06:07I felt like it was going to be a better thing for us to play live and those kind of things.
06:12So love the song.
06:14Again, another, you know, another one of those songs that came out of our little company and, you know, those guys getting in there and just hammering it out.
06:23So, you know, it's it's I love having that for Curt and Tully, you know, just have it being there.
06:30So into the writing part of it.
06:32And, you know, each time we have one of these number ones, it's like 30 for me.
06:38But these guys are kind of piling up the number ones as writers, too, which is really cool to see.
06:43Right. Just really special to be able to share that with the guys in the band that have been with you the longest.
06:47I'm sure is a great feeling.
06:49And I tell people all the time, those guys in that band have been my longest relationships in life.
06:56Like they just they've been with me through everything from 1999 to now.
07:02And, you know, it's just to be able to celebrate that those kind of milestones with guys who've been there, you know, in the trenches with you all the years.
07:09And they've they've been there for the crappy stuff.
07:12They've been there for the great stuff.
07:13And so to kind of help them, you know, watch them kind of achieving their goals as songwriters and stuff is really cool.
07:21Definitely very special.
07:22You mentioned and then I also seen you post about being back in the studio.
07:26What can you say about the next project?
07:29Do you know, like what direction you're taking?
07:30Like how close to done are you?
07:32Yeah.
07:32You know, I mean, I think at this point, you know, we record an album or do whatever.
07:36I mean, it's you know, I think we've kind of established our brand now of what that is.
07:40So you kind of know what you're going to get when we release an album, it's going to be a little edgy.
07:43It's going to have some, you know, some traditional type stuff on it.
07:47It's going to have some rock and roll could have a couple of curveballs in there off the wall type stuff.
07:52I know we're going to have at least two duets on this record, possibly a third.
08:00So, you know, it's it's just it's been fun.
08:02It's been a fun process to get in there, you know, and try and make each album down like what we do.
08:09And and, you know, obviously the songs are what allows us to do that.
08:14So if you don't have the songs, you know, it doesn't matter.
08:16And so I feel really good about the songs and things that that we've written and the guys have written for this record is really cool.
08:23So excited to get it out there.
08:25I think the next single will be from the new album and then not really a timetable on on how we're going to drop the record, because anymore, you know, you drop an album and then everybody just consumes it for a month or two.
08:36And then they're like, OK, when's the next one coming out?
08:38You're like, man, it took me eight months to make that thing.
08:40So, you know, I think this go around, you know, trying to figure out how we drop a project and maybe kind of stagger it out where we don't give them everything right off the bat.
08:50But just enough to kind of say, here's a little bit and then here's a little bit more.
08:54And then, you know, here's the rest of it kind of thing.
08:57So I don't know what that looks like because we've never really done it like that.
09:00But but that's kind of where my head's at with it right now.
09:03But definitely new music coming this year for sure.
09:06That's exciting.
09:07It is funny.
09:07I feel like there's some people that I'm like, you're putting an album out.
09:10You just put one out like not even a year ago.
09:11Like the traditional cycle has always been like, you know, two years.
09:14A year and a half.
09:14Yeah.
09:15And so and two, it was before it was like 12, 15.
09:18I remember I was putting 15 songs on an album when nobody else was doing that and be like, man, that's a bunch of songs.
09:23Now it's 20, you know, so you got to even find more songs.
09:27And so now 20 songs they're gobbling up in a couple of months and then 20 more.
09:31And you're going, man, it's tough.
09:33You spend a year and a half writing all those songs.
09:37The problem is a lot of those songs don't really get their day right.
09:40Like, you know, you kind of run out of time and they're ready for the next thing.
09:44And you kind of leave a lot of cool songs on the table to move to the next project.
09:49And that's something that these songs need to have their day.
09:52And some of them aren't getting it.
09:54And how do we fix that?
09:55So I don't know what that looks like yet, but it's going to look different than it has before, I think.
10:00Definitely.
10:01I feel like that's a struggle everyone's having.
10:02Like there's there's so much good music out.
10:03And I'm like, wait, you're not going to single that song.
10:06Like, are you serious?
10:06Like Morgan Wallen's.
10:08It's Morgan Wallen's fault.
10:09For sure.
10:12And then you are going out on the full throttle tour.
10:14That's going to be like all summer, even into the early fall.
10:16What are you most excited about for this?
10:18You know, I just I love touring.
10:20It's why I got in this business to begin with.
10:21It wasn't because I loved being in the studio or I loved, you know, writing songs or I loved whatever.
10:27It's like I love playing on stage with my guys and, you know, playing our songs and going and having fun, traveling the world, seeing those, you know, hanging out with my buddies every day.
10:37And that to me is fun.
10:39That's what I look forward to about being on the road and fans coming out, you know, people seeing your stuff back to you and and just the reaction you get from the crowd.
10:47That's that's what that's why I wanted to do this for a living, you know, and so that's my favorite part.
10:52It's still what I look forward to every year.
10:56And so, you know, after six months, we usually do like six months on six months off.
11:01And so we're at the end of the six months off right now and I'm going crazy.
11:06So I'm ready to to get back after I'm sure.
11:08And you've got some cool shows coming up, too.
11:10I saw you're doing Fenway with Brooks and Dunn.
11:12That is going to be.
11:13Wow. Good time.
11:14Yeah. I mean, just some of my musical heroes, you know, those guys have a chance to tour with them open for them on their last rodeo tour that they did.
11:23Probably back in 2009 or something.
11:26And it was the last opening slot we did before we started headlining our own shows.
11:31And so I just always been a fan of those guys.
11:33They've always, you know, been awesome to me, treated my crew really well and just, you know, kind of been like big brothers a little bit.
11:42So I just saw him in Charlotte a week or so, a couple weeks ago.
11:46They went through there playing a show and I just happened to be there visiting my wife's family and just came out, jumped on stage with them, played a song or two.
11:54And, you know, just so I'm looking forward to playing Fenway with them.
11:57I think that's a really cool lineup with us and those guys and something I think fans are going to eat up.
12:03So I'm ready for it.
12:04Definitely.
12:04We're talking about how you've been on the road, you know, with the same guys since you got started.
12:09And I'm curious.
12:10I'm sure it's changed.
12:11But do you guys like have any traditions that you've always done before you go on stage?
12:14Are there like things in the daily routine that you guys always do together?
12:18You know, I think during the day, a lot of times we'll kind of we all kind of do our own thing.
12:22I'll go play golf there, you know, maybe working out or whatever everybody's doing.
12:27Right.
12:27So and then at night, usually five o'clock, we all meet up, go to dinner, eat dinner, you know, together at five.
12:36Everybody goes back, showers, get ready for the show.
12:39And then we kind of start hanging out.
12:41Right.
12:42Like usually about six o'clock, 630, we all start hanging out until two in the morning or whatever it's going to be.
12:47But, you know, we make sure we eat dinner together every day, kind of talk.
12:51And then, you know, a couple hours before the show, we're hanging out, listening to music, maybe talking about, you know, studio stuff or what we, you know, just that kind of thing.
13:00And so and then when the show's done, sometimes we'll jump on a bus and play like video game, like play hockey or something on the bus together.
13:07So I love basically just like a bunch of we're a bunch of grown kids is what it essentially is.
13:13Exactly.
13:14But like who wouldn't want to do that?
13:15You're talking about how it's your favorite part.
13:16Like anybody wants everybody wants to hang out with their friends.
13:18Yes.
13:19Awesome.
13:19It's like frat party, but, you know, we're just old.
13:23Exactly.
13:24And then I saw I was laughing the other day because or was it yesterday?
13:26Brittany posted that you guys cave Navy's like little princess castle, like a little aid to it.
13:32And I was kind of just like cracking up.
13:33I was like, it's so funny.
13:34You see Jason Aldean on stage and he's like such a rock star.
13:36And then like you're in there like pinning up little clouds in this princess castle.
13:39The stuff that she talks me into doing at our house, it's like, I feel like she just sees me sitting there being happy, like watching a baseball game or something.
13:48And she's just like, Hey, I need you to do something.
13:50And so it's like, what?
13:51And then I go in and she's got like whatever she's ordered from Amazon.
13:56I got to figure out how to put up.
13:58And so I don't know, she I bought her something, a squirrel house for Christmas, like where it's got a camera in it.
14:07She can watch like squirrels go in and do the she's into that kind of stuff.
14:11I remember the world picnic table that went like went viral for you guys.
14:14Yeah.
14:15Yeah, that.
14:17Yeah, that didn't last long.
14:18I think like raccoons were getting on that thing and ended up like breaking it off the tree.
14:22So this is like a better system, got a camera in it and she can see them.
14:25And so I had one of my carpenters from, you know, my road crew.
14:30He actually built, I sent him a picture and he built this thing.
14:32And just so I got to get that hung for before we go out, you know, get on the road.
14:36But that's about, that's about it right now.
14:38Too funny.
14:39Well, listen, it's great to see you.
14:40Congratulations.
14:41Happy to see you have another song headed to the top of the chart.
14:43And hopefully we'll see you out of the show this summer.
14:45Awesome.
14:46Anytime.
14:47Thanks, Katie.
14:48Good to see you.