Luke Bryan is celebrating the release of his 8th studio album, Mind of a Country Boy, and while it has a lot of the hip-shaking, dance anthems we love to hear from the five-time Entertainer of the Year, he’s also reminding fans he can still tap into some big emotions.

One song in particular that’s popping off the track list for many due to its emotion is, “For The Kids.” Co-written by Luke, the song brings raw honesty and a relatable message that details the strain parenthood can put on a marriage.

“I think, naturally, there are phases in your marriage that the kids are kind of like the dominating thing of the marriage and a lot of times they're what keeps the marriage going and keeps it together,” Luke told Audacy’s Katie Neal of the idea behind the song. “I want people when they hear it to go, ‘Oh yeah, we forgot that Luke can do this from time to time and really hit us with a big heartfelt emotion song.'”

The track is one of many that Luke co-wrote for the album, which he says resulted in the whole project becoming a direct reflection of where he’s at in life both personally and professionally.

“What I'm proud about is, I think that all the songs on the album… it's where I'm at as a human and as an artist,” he expressed. “I think I can sing any song on this album with a lot of pride and really put my heart and soul in it. I think the fans will hear all that.”

While he surely digs deep with songs like “For The Kids,” Bryan also shows his fun side and that he can stay relevant in the new era of Country music (according to his sons’ playlists).

“'Southern and Slow' is the dude song on the album," and “But I Got A Beer In My Hand,” he said when asked what songs his teenage sons seem to listen to most.

“They're listening to what all the kids are listening to around the world,” he said before sharing it makes him extra proud when one of his songs makes their playlist. “The Dylan Marlowes and the Dylan Scotts and theres some other Dylans out there they're listening to,“ he laughed. “And then they're obviously listening to Morgan [Wallen] and Luke [Combs]. So, whenever dad gets in their playlist, that means I'm hitting. I can still kind of sneak one in to the younger places.”

Hear all about the album, creative process, and more by listening to the Superstar Power Hour with Katie & Company every weekday from 2PM - 3PM on your favorite Audacy Country station!

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Cody Johnson’s new single, “I’m Gonna Love You,” featuring Carrie Underwood is proof that songs land exactly where they’re supposed to, when they’re supposed to.

During his recent appearance on the Superstar Power Hour with Audacy’s Katie Neal, COJO opened up about how the song came to be and its 10-year journey to finally get recorded and finding a spot on an album.

Written by Travis Denning alongside Chris Stevens and Kelly Archer, the tune was originally intended to be a single for Denning. “I heard this Travis Denning song, ‘I’m Gonna Love You,’ and I fell in love with it,” Johnson explained of the first time he heard the song. “[I] was like, ‘Man, I really want to have this song — I feel like it’s got potential to be something on radio, I love the lyrics.”

Unfortunately, for Johnson (at the time), Denning’s team stood firm and kept the song for him and Johnson was forced to move on. A couple years later, Denning decided to forego recording the single, but the word never got to Cody. Instead, Denning’s label mate, Carrie Underwood, got her hands on the song, which she ultimately passed on as she felt it didn’t fit the vibe of her album.

Fast forward to present day — “I’m Gonna Love You,” resurfaced in mind for Johnson and after reaching out, he was told it was up for grabs. It was a no-brainer for the Texas native, who scooped up the tune he knew was a fit from the first time he heard it years ago.

“Most of the songs that I have recorded that have become big hits have sat around in Nashville for over 10 years,” he explained. “Whenever my ear heard them, I immediately went, ‘Wow! How in the hell has this song sat here 10 years?’”

Now that he had the song on lock, the hunt for a duet partner was on. Although it might seem like a daunting task, it wasn’t a tough search for Johnson who had his sights set on one person — Carrie Underwood.

“There was talk of Lainey Wilson, there was talk of Miranda Lambert, there was talk of maybe a ‘90s female artist and I was like, ’No, I just really hear Carrie’s voice on this. I’d like the opportunity to sing with her.'” It was unbeknownst to him she’d already passed on the song once.

Luckily, that worked in his favor as Underwood saw the second opportunity with the song as a clear sign that it was meant to be and agreed to the duet with Cody whom she’d only met at awards briefly before. The pair spent time in the studio working directly with each other and ultimately landed on a finalized recording that they sang standing next to one another in one take in the studio.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal