I've got the give makeup U neon sign back here I've got the haris yuku whatever that is back there I'm I'm in Gwen's uh little Zoom Studio here so listen be before we dive before we dive into you got new music you got a new team behind you which is so exciting I gotta say I've done radio for over 20 years country radio full-time since 2017 this is the first time I've got to interview you and I've been a fan for so long so I'm I was looking forward to this man my God thank you
man well you're so busy I'm happy to be here man good to meet you uh what has that relationship been like for you on a Prof on a professional level because obviously you've been massively successful doing your thing Gwen massively successful doing her thing but has like crazy inspiration come from that relationship or or maybe thinking musically creative differently that that maybe wouldn't have without Gwen in your life uh you know it's it's kind of changed over the years it's it's it blows my mind Gwen and I have been together close to 10 years now
and and it just that time just flew by for us you know and and I don't even remember what the conversations used to be about music to be honest with you I know that that lately it's they've turned into more uh conversations of hey you think I should you think I should keep doing this or do I look stupid now if I keep trying to make it records or you know what I'm saying it's like when is it when is it time to go you I don't know you know H how honest artists um are
on on a show like this but man I'll tell you that you know at this point you start saying to to friends around you uh you know when you see uh artist doing things that you go oh my God that's a little bit cringy please don't ever let me do that please if for the love of God if you ever see me get on stage and do this or that and so Gwen is is my person and I and I try to be that for her too although she's Timeless but for me it's like hey
man if you ever if it ever starts looking pathetic or if I'm completely out out in left field and nobody gets it will you please be the voice that says Blake it's hey let's you should just go fishing from from here on out the music's not happening anymore you know so that's the kind of conversations uh I I swear that that at least I have with her you know she's been really encouraging uh especially you know the last uh eight months or or a year because after I after I've retired from The Voice I've just
kind of I have been kind of out in no man's land and and and lost a little bit as far as what I what I want to do next or if I even want to do anything next you know which of course I do it just took some time to to to just have a breather and and and just clear my mind for a while the voice was a lot it was the greatest thing I've ever gotten to do from a career standpoint but it also takes a lot out of you when you do it
as long as I did you know two seasons a year for for 12 years just kind of sucks it out of you you know was that tough to well first let me say we got to see you and Gwen uh my co-host Tay and I uh were some of the behind the scenes hosts of uh CMA Fest so it was awesome to see you guys kind of doing your thing and and she NE my co-host never has an embarrassing moment but as Gwen and y'all rolled by on your golf cart after the show and she
yells you're an icon and I'm like don't yell stuff at artist crazy pants over here but obviously you were there with post um before we dive into the new song and I and I want to talk more uh on where you're at career-wise this post Malone relationship with country music has been so unique because there's people that have dipped their toe in right and I'm not and nobody's specific but there's people that have dipped their toe in and then post didn't want to put out a country record his way he wanted to put out a
country record he came to Nashville he's met with the artists he's created these relationships which really look like more friendships and brotherhoods and in Sisterhood and anything why in your eyes has that has the way post Malone approach country music been made it successful for him well I think of in in the case of of post Malone the guy has absolutely worked his ass off to to show his appreciation for the genre the the industry itself uh the artists the songwriters that and he's proven that he's willing to put the work in you know and
and and as easy as it would be to go you know his album's out now he's had two number one hits and and he's the it's done it's he won you know and the guy still this last weekend was uh in Nashville I've I saw him at the Country Music Hall of Fame helping uh induct Toby Keith with me you know what I mean he doesn't he's still putting in I wouldn't even call it the work I I think he's just doing what he wants to do I I truly think that post Malone isn't isn't
trying to do country music I think he's finally getting to do country music which is which is probably what he's always wanted to do or another thing that he's always wanted to do it's not just a side project I I I personally think the guy's here to stay I mean he's never said that to me but uh I mean he he's an absolute fan of of country music and and there's there's no questioning that anybody that questions that they're not paying attention uh you had mentioned uh a couple of minutes ago in our chat here
uh you were in a spot uh career-wise you know you had wrapped up the voice you were you were like man this has been a lot uh you did you weren't sure what you wanted to do musically what was the defining Point like okay here's the piece I was missing to say yeah I'm ready to to get get back on the horse well I credit post for for that a a lot you know as far as not not exactly the PE the missing piece but definitely the the jolt I needed in the reminder you know
it's you start wondering you know how relevant you even are anymore I mean you as an artist you you can't help but go through these things you know and and when I got the call to that post wanted me to come sing on the record it was like oh wow I can't even believe he thought of me you know and and then when the song came out and and was was a big record and it was just such a fun thing to be a part of and and not having to put the work in you
know he's doing all the work so I just get to be a tag along and watch this thing go up the charts and and but but by doing that though uh it helped me take in what was happening you know you know when you're in the grind uh and and man I was for 20 years where you're just you can't take time to look up and enjoy the moment when you have boys around here and and you're just on a rooll doing doing these records and they're coming and going because you you're on to the
next one before you know before you know it and so being able to kind of take a back seat and watch that song do what it did and get text messages from friends and family and said man what the hell you know uh it was fun to take that in for for once you know and and it really did kind of a lot of fire under me again and and made me want to you know stick my neck out again and and make another record and see what I could come up with well I tell
you country radio has missed you and we're excited for this new song man thank you man thank you absolutely and and I got to tell you as a as a country music fan and then obviously I get to work in the country radio side of things you have a very strong team that believes in their people behind you so it's I can't wait to see what y'all do together me too man I I am this next chapter is I I told Gwen she goes you seem different I go well I feel like a new artist
again for some reason you know it's the only way I know to describe it so I appreciate you saying that man um we get the new song to country radio coming up on the 15th of November um it's called Texas give us the backstory on on the song and I'd imagine you have more than this song sitting there uh so backstory on the song and then what made this the one that you're like yeah this will be my I don't want to call it a reintroduction but like you know my that's fair I I actually
like I like how that sounds a reintroduction uh you know uh the the song is totally different than that's probably not true you know since I've started I've I've tried every album I don't think I've ever had an album that sounded like the last album and that's been by Design you know I've kind of been all over the map just because I wanted to be uh but um Texas is a another step in a different direction I guess if there was anything you could kind of uh compare it to would be sangria that I had
out years ago but I really don't think so I mean I've heard people say that but I feel like it's it's quite a bit different than sangria but uh I just feel like uh melodically and the story you know it's it's your typical the dude got dumped and has no clue where he a girl went uh kind of country song but melodically and rhythmic Ally it's it's just totally different than anything I've done and it's just all about fun you know this song is truly just a fun song I I love all the uh George
Straight references uh in this in this song because uh you know you can't brag on the Ping enough amen absolutely um obviously this this will be the latest song that we've gotten from you in a while and I heard an interview you did man I want to say it might have been right around the pandemic a little before a little after uh but you had mentioned that you're enjoying making a song and putting it out making a song and putting it out versus like Focus focusing on a full project are you are you in a
different place mentally are you looking forward to a full project or is it like no I'm gonna make a song put it out I'll give you another one in couple months put it out well no I mean look I would love to do that I don't think uh from a from a record company standpoint that there interested in doing that so I think they were they like hey if we're doing all this we need a whole record which is understandable you know I I've been recording now for you know throughout this journey and and and
if they told me uh next week hey we need you to turn in the album I mean I have enough music recorded now to to put an album together I would like to keep going uh for for a few more months here and see what else we can come up with I I've I want to make this record right up until they say hey time's up we got to we got to start printing these things and do a photo shoot and stuff and get it out you know so I'm going to work on it until
then but man I've got I've got you know a lot of stuff that I'm super proud of and and when I went in and and had this meeting with with BMG records and told them you know that uh I think I want to take another hard swing at this thing I played them I think I only played them three songs and and they seem pretty excited about all all three of them you know and and uh so it's that's exciting to hear Texas was one of the songs but uh I have several things that I've
cut that I'm if they would have said no we want to put this other one out first you know I would have been pretty excited about that too so it's it's just a good good overall feeling and and I feel fired up again I really do uh I love talking to artists especially artists as established as you are with the I mean you could do you got your Vegas residency coming up right like you could just literally bang out the hits and then head up to the penthouse and go to bed right um so it's
awesome that you continue to make new music but with those big hits I love getting stories about songs that you didn't believe in or maybe somebody else pushed you got to do this and it worked so what are those what is that song songs for you that you're like man I can't believe y'all like this one but okay here it is I think probably the the best uh examples of of that for me were were both on my first album one uh Believe It or Not Austin was was a song that the label there was
a Debbie zavitson who worked at Giant records at the time signed me and she played me Austin and and I kind of thought well that's a that's a cool story song but I just don't think anybody's going to care I mean you know it's like the the song just every chorus is different and are people going to follow along and uh I just had a hard time believing anyone would pay that close attention to a lyric uh and man was I wrong but she you know she kept after me and finally she the demo that
I had of the song was a Pian like a piano vocal and it felt very dramatic and she said why don't you just take the song and learn it your way and make it yours learn it on guitar make it more of a guitar song and so I did and I'll never forget I called my sister and back in the day and I just laid the phone down this is back in probably n 2000 or 1999 somewhere in there and and uh and I just laid the phone down and I played her Austin with my
guitar uh and I picked up the phone and she was like freaking out she's like oh my God that's the best song you've ever done like I can't believe you that's your song and I was like oh my God Debbie was right you know and then the flip side of that was uh uh was o red which at the time that was also one my first album and Austin had come out and was a was a big record and it was a shocker to to all of us really because I was on a record company
called giant records and the label folded and and Austin kind of withstood a lot of turmoil and became this big hit anyway and so the label at that time I was Warner Records inherited me from giant when they closed and we put out another single called all over me that didn't do that well and I went into the label and and I said I think we should put out this song Old Red because as people buy the album and they come to my shows that's that is the other song people want to hear Austin and
o red like I'm hearing a lot about it people are throwing stuffed animals of dogs on stage you know when I when I sing and and and I had to talk them into it and then I had to beg them to do a video and they just didn't want to spend the money and they just weren't sure you know this is a prison song you know like a dog in a prison like that we're just at a time when country radio was very positive and love songs you know and very upbeat pop Sound and Music
uh I was trying to put out old red and but and it and honestly it didn't do that well on radio people are always surprised to know o red wasn't even a top 10 song at at radio but it went on to be May arguably one of my bigger you know signature songs and and and it definitely you know sold a lot of records and so it did it accomplished what we hoped it would so uh I know I got to wrap here I wanted to ask one more thing as well uh about music and
I love the stories is there a song you passed on or somebody offered you and it ended up massive for somebody else and I love to ask because you bring up George straight and I always tell this story but as I ask this question Kenny chzn was offered Check Yes or No first and he passed and obviously that's massive George Strait song Jake Owen passed on Big Green Tractor one of eline's staple songs so is there a song like that for you that just didn't fit where you were at that you're like I'm good thanks
but you heard at six months later is one of the biggest songs in the country Wayne I got to tell you it's happened so many times like it's happened probably 20 times in in my career and and I don't I don't think I'm exaggerating now they didn't always go on to be the biggest hits but it's happened so many times where these songs go on to be hits but not many of them do I regret because I you know just because the song goes on to be a hit for somebody else doesn't necessarily mean I
want to be the one singing it every night now if it would have been the Difference Maker uh you know that that would be painful and there are a few of those you know um the the one I think that hurts the most was and I keep going back to my first album but uh Bobby bradock who produced my first album wrote a wrote a rap song for me because I was always coming in the studio singing these stupid raps that I would make up just gross stuff you know and he said he go oh
you want to be a rapper and he wrote me this song and and I I recorded it and we played it for giant records and and it did not go over well at all and then so badly that they said we don't even want that on your record it's ridiculous and so Bobby said well if you're cool with it then I'm just going to go pitch it to other artists and and the first artist he played it for was Toby Keith and song was called I want to talk about me and so but you know
it's funny because Austin came out and was a hit and I think the very next song or the next song that Toby put out was I want to talk about me and you know we would have had these two monster records in a row and I had to watch Toby sing my rap song that that Bobby that Bobby wrote uh but it all worked out so Toby Toby does the song better than I did anyway so it all worked out hey Blake uh I know you're tight on time man well welcome back to country radio
and it was an absolute pleasure to uh get to chat with you for the first time here man to many more you too buddy I look forward to doing it again man thank you Blake take care brother enjoy the day thank you buddy
