The country superstar and American Idol judge hustled for more than a decade to make it big. How he faced adversity with unshakable optimism — and is now savoring the simple things in life.
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00:00 I've hit so many goals in life.
00:02 And now my goal is to put music out
00:06 I still believe that people want to hear.
00:08 I feel like that my music historically
00:13 will always put smiles on people's faces
00:16 and continue to try to make people happy
00:19 and smile and come together
00:21 and really love the aspect of doing all that
00:25 under a live music setting.
00:27 And I really just love being out here
00:31 and watching people have fun.
00:32 I look back and I'm proud about the whole climb to get here.
00:41 I had plans to move to Nashville at 20 years old
00:45 and my brother passed away.
00:47 And I think at 20, I would have processed it all
00:50 a lot differently with a lot less maturity.
00:53 And so I think when I moved to Nashville
00:55 when I was 25, I could read people better.
01:00 I could navigate the shady crowd or these people
01:05 and I could sit back and go, you know.
01:07 So I think it helped me a lot in those aspects.
01:11 I mean, I still, I don't think you're ever gonna enter
01:14 into the music business without making some immature mistakes
01:19 and it's just gonna happen.
01:23 Especially when you drink a lot of beer,
01:26 you're gonna make mistakes.
01:27 But the main thing, I do think, you know, 31,
01:32 it was time for me to focus and work hard and do my best.
01:35 And I look back, I mean, it would have been nice
01:38 to have been 24, 25, being a little younger back then,
01:42 but I can't go back and question any of the stars
01:46 or fate at how it all shaped out.
01:48 I mean, I look back and I'm able to take memories
01:52 from college and from spring break trips
01:57 to fraternity parties and football games.
01:59 And I'm able to, you know, put that into my work.
02:04 I'm able to take, yeah, working in ag
02:07 and working on the farm and working for my dad.
02:10 I'm able to talk about that in my music
02:13 and I'm able to talk about just a really,
02:16 kind of a broad perspective of life from hard work
02:21 to having tremendous loss in our life with, you know,
02:26 people that we've lost in our families.
02:28 So, I mean, I think the main thing is just try
02:30 to do your best to tell your story
02:33 in the most authentic and believable way
02:38 and the most relatable way.
02:40 And I think as people learn who I am
02:42 or they already know who I am as an artist,
02:45 you grow as an artist.
02:46 So now I have to continue to grow as an artist
02:49 and still share a new perspective on where I'm at
02:54 after all these years.
02:56 And hopefully the fans will still be there
02:59 to hear what I got to say.
03:00 ♪ Time to get our buzz on ♪
03:02 ♪ All them other boys want to wind you up ♪
03:05 ♪ And take you downtown ♪
03:07 Most of my life, I've always been a pretty optimistic person.
03:11 Really wake up in pretty good moods
03:13 until something comes crashing down on my mood.
03:17 But for the most part, I'm always happy
03:19 and I've always been happy on stage.
03:21 And I've always really been myself on stage.
03:25 Like I don't go into some meditation before I go on stage
03:28 and become something that I'm not.
03:30 I just kind of roll through the day,
03:32 go do my deal and go up there.
03:36 And I think the most important thing to do as an artist
03:39 is connect with your fans, be happy,
03:42 smile with your fans and be yourself.
03:45 And on your good days, your fans will have your back.
03:48 And when you have days you're a little under the weather,
03:51 you didn't put your best show on,
03:53 they'll be there for you on those bad days too.
03:56 Anytime you can be in the music business
03:59 and start stacking a few years up
04:02 and you still get to really enjoy high volumes of people,
04:07 massive amounts of people coming out to your concerts,
04:12 selling out venues and amphitheaters.
04:14 And it still feels good.
04:16 I mean, I've always told myself a day
04:19 that it didn't feel like the fans were like
04:22 freaking out to come to shows.
04:23 I would probably hang the old hat up,
04:27 but it doesn't feel that way.
04:29 And this year we decided to take out a lot of younger acts
04:32 for their first kind of major tours that they've been on.
04:37 So it's been a pretty fun summer so far
04:40 and just having fun out here on the road.
04:43 I mean, I think nothing feels better
04:45 than to have a really beautiful core fan base
04:49 that really supports you.
04:51 And I'm so blessed by that.
04:54 I'm so appreciative of that.
04:57 And when people are like,
04:59 "God, you look like you're having so much fun on stage."
05:01 It's because it's not an act.
05:03 I'm not up there like,
05:04 "Oh, I got to ham it up or turn it on for these people."
05:07 It's just, I'm in the moment, I'm having fun
05:09 and I'm feeding off their energy.
05:12 And the more they give me, the more I try to give back.
05:15 The main thing with me is when I had a hundred people
05:18 in the room, I had a blast.
05:20 I loved it.
05:21 I was trying to win a hundred people over
05:24 and tonight it'll be the same thing.
05:27 I'm gonna enjoy it.
05:28 I'm gonna embrace it.
05:30 I'm gonna love it.
05:32 And the day that you quit loving it
05:35 and it becomes something you just dread,
05:39 then it's time to move on.
05:41 And thankfully, I've never had those feelings.
05:44 (whooshing)
05:46 [Music]