Corey Crowder

could be adult content. Hey y'all, welcome to Hyper Caroline Hobby. I am Caroline Hobby. And this week we have Corey Crowder. He is a ball are a producer. He just produced all of Chris Young's album. He's also producing Cassidy Pope and he's a hit songwriter. He wrote I'm coming over and thank of you for Chris Young and thank of you? What could you wet with christ Young and Cassidy Pope? That was off the chain. And he just had a

baby girl named Carolina Joy. We were talking about it in the interview and she wasn't out the oven yet and she just popped out a little sweet girl named Carolina Joy. So y'all get ready to welcome the amazing Corey Crowder. Hi, Corey Crowders. How's it going. Well, I'm so excited to be here with you today. I'm excited to be here and a lot of people. It's really exciting too because you're like my husband, Michael's doppelganger and brother from another mother. Yep, he's uh, he's one of my

my best buds ever and y'all match the match. He's the long haired rock star version of me. Oh whatever, you are both ripped, yeah, yeah, shredded and I got that dad body right now? What is the dad bought exactly? Do you really want to Yeah, it's like, you know, pounds of extra loving you know, maybe a little man boob,

maybe a little you know tie around the waist. Well, you have more people to love, Hey, there's a lot of me to love well, and that you have to love your wife, your son, and you have a new baby coming, so I just need more of me to get to give that. Yeah, that's why that makes sense to daddy sonic. I had this morning that just that was just to give love. It's all you could do

sometimes it's the only option. Yeah, it was. That was all I had that was urban Juicer down the road, but Sonic was like, now, iurban juicer looks like I'll be just stressed out the rest of the day and then it might give you, like the runs or something because of that vegetable juice. Sonic definitely doesn't give you the runs, right, Okay, So I'm gonna start off with a few questions. All right, m are you ready? I'm ready. If you're for a song, what would the title be?

Because you're a hit songwriter, so that's only fitting my life for a song. Uh, it would be a long the long and bumpy road. Why do you say that? Uh, it's been along with bump your own but awesome, it's been It's at least been scenic, right yeah, I mean, you know, the the two minute version is. You know, I started out playing bars. I'm from Georgia, small town Loganville. Um started playing bars, and then just like everybody, and then that turned into that turned into like writing for

I wrote a bunch of TV stuff. I had a bunch of TV songs on TV shows, which, Okay, tell that story because that's really interesting, random and like it doesn't happen to everyone, right, So I mean I was just a kid who thought I was just gonna play bars for fun, and then I had music on my Space if you remember much Oh gosh, yeah, like dating myself now that we're old. I mean the fact that my space is like no young kids even know what that is. I know, well three MP three dot com

was was my first. You know, nobody even remembers that. I don't even know what that is. So yeah, so why the same age? How you turned thirty three this year to twins? Um? So okay. So the guy from Buna Murray, which does like Real World road Rules, the Kardashians all that stuff. Anyway, he calls me and he's like, you want to be a cast member on Real World. We're casting like a musicians aspiring to do this, And I just knew what they were gonna do to me.

They will put me on the show, and they put me they get me drunk, and they put like a bunch of beautiful women around me and make me look like the guy, the jerk that you know, and that's just not your personality. No, it couldn't be any less a personality. So I was like, man, I'm not going to fulfill the role you want me to fill. I'm so about you just use my music, And I was joking, really,

how old were you at this point, like nineteen? Oh my gosh, okay, and uh and I just recorded stuff in my room, you know, just on acoustic and he was like, okay, I'd love to do that. And I swear from that point on, they just started using the crap out of it. So you recorded all this music and it went straight into like real world episodes. Oh wait, some of the things you had, Biggest Loser, MTVS, Real World,

Bad Girls, One Tree Hill. Uh, yeah, that's crazy and TV places are that's like some serious dough for a kid. It was, yeah, and it's instant. It is instant. And because people don't realize, like when you get a single or when you write a song and it gets on an album of an artist, it might take years to release and then you might not even ever get a single or much money. Yeah. Yeah, you might not get money at all, um, especially because if you have to

recoup from a publishing deal or something. Yeah, I had no publishing. I didn't even know what publishing was. So you're like rolling in dough at nineteen. I was paying my bills, but so it did kind of give me this like, oh my god, I could do music for a living. And so I ended up signing an independent record deal and then I didn't go so well, and then I just it was it was kind of a

Christian based thing. But I really wasn't a Christian artist. Wait, wasn't your band called your first band called Farewell to Arms? It was? I was really into Dashboard Confessional and I wanted to be him so bad, so I was like, I just named myself something like a band, called myself a feral to Arms. It worked, I mean for that scene of music, it worked. Was that your first record deal? That band? No. I ended up going by Corey Crowder on the record deal. Um, but I wasn't a Christian

artist and they were pushing me as one. It didn't work. I didn't I had no business being in that genre. Um. But anyway, it's kind of taught me a few lessons and ended up getting a developmental deal with Sony. Uh. That brought me back to Nashville. And back to Nashville. I lived to Nashville for like eight months when all the Christian stuff is going on, and it was I

just I didn't know anybody. It was kind of depressing being here when you don't know anybody young and just like broke because it's so expensive here, just so broke, golly. I mean, me and Landy used to eat are like really nice meal. Was going to outback and eating French onion soup and free bread. That was really nice. Aren't you glad you had the hungry years though? Yes, no doubt, because it makes you who you are, it does. I'm

very thankful for him. We're spoiled now. But they But I had a developmental deal that introduced me to every writer in town that I wanted, had ever wanted to write with. And it's such a huge writing community here, it is, and and the biggest part for me was just getting to know the people. Uh. And I signed a publishing deal with Universal and they just got introduced to a lot and it was like for me, it

was like songwriting camp. Even though I had written, you know, three independent albums for myself, I didn't really know how to write a song. I just was just winging it. Yeah. Oh, by the way, why did you start writing songs when you're a kid? I don't know, I really don't. I had no big awesome story about that. I just just started doing it and liked it. Yeah, I played guitar.

I took lessons as a kid. Um, I didn't even know I could sing good, like nobody, nobody in my family's musical so I had no idea and I started, like, I think our youth group at church needed somebody to play guitar, and they were like, do you sing it all? And I was like, I don't think I sing good. And then I was saying and they were all like, man, you sing really good. You have a great voice, like one of the best. Well at the time, I didn't know.

I mean, you know, when you've never been told you're good, you just think you're just and you're not from like a musical community. Yeah, I didn't. I didn't have anybody that taught me. I didn't know. Uh, But so I started just writing songs just for fun, I guess. And then the real world happened, and then the development deal, well,

then the first record deal and then the sony. Yeah, I mean it was definitely like I mean not to over spiritualize it, but like I definitely think it was one of those things that God had to kind of like create a few of those things for me to just or else I would have never believed it, you know what I mean, given you those opportunities that were kind of just pulled you in your undeserved Really as far as like I didn't work for him early on, it was just more you know, I think God's way

of being like, Hey, here's yours is where you're going? I'm hello, We're in an interview. You think I'm joined this? Come on, say hi? This is you got to talk in the microphone? Is you have to tell us? One in lightning thing? This is Corey's publisher right now, you're on you say something right now. It's not Scott. Scott's has prouder moments in this. He's behind the scenes. This is the man making of Heaven interview. So we're at Corey's publishing company right now, and that was his publisher

that popped in. Publishing companies are so fun. There's always cool people around the building. Songwriters are coming in like this place is a family too, because you know, kind of a fast forward a little bit, like you know, when I my deal at Universal ended, I haven't gotten there Sony first, Sony, I didn't my record deal didn't happen. I had a developmental deal. Um, it just never fully

developed into something I delivered sides and well. And maybe, like you were saying, like it happened so young, you weren't quite fully ready for it, because you said, like you were talking about it was spiritual, like God had given you these things you weren't maybe deserving them yet to let you know this was your path. Yeah, and you know you were deserving him because he gave you the talent for it. Yeah. I mean, but you know what I mean by that. I mean there's people that

just grind and grind. And when I I think, I associated writing and action and artists all in this like same hat um. But there I didn't realize that there was a career to be had for me in just writing and producing. Like I never considered that. I always thought like, man, I have to be an artist or else nothing or nothing. And then once I kind of started seeing the lighted the end of the tunnel, like I randomly got. Right after I got, I kind of

lost my sony deal. I was still at Universal Writing UM, and Kenny Rogers randomly wanted to record a song of mine and so that was like the first moment where I was like, oh crap, like I could be a I could be a writer, Like only you know, like this is great, and that's kind of what spoke to your heart the most, right, Yeah, Because I mean I played shows. I mean from the time I was eighteen two seven when I stopped to being an artist and I was I mean, I played lots of dates, like

I didn't do this whole weekend gig thing. I mean, I was going for months at a time, and and I never stopped getting nervous before I played. It's just so weird, like just you think, like over time you'd stop getting nervous. I didn't. I always was nervous. Did you dread it? Dreaded it as my least favorite part about what I did. Did you like it when you were on stage? I mean once I got a few songs in, it was cool, but I just it never

felt like a natural spot for me. And so now it's just funny like now people be like, you don't miss me an artist. I'm like, hell no, God, that was no way I'd much of them to see my songs being so in front of ten tho people than be the guy totally. But I feel like we're talking a little bit before. Sometimes you don't know exactly what you're totally called to do. You just sort of start

going towards a direction. And like with Nashville, there's so many, like you're saying earlier, there's so many different roads in this entertainment industry, but it's sort of hard to figure them out until you're just in it well. And part of it's too, Like you start going on, Man, I don't think I could get somebody excited about me as a writer. You know, you don't have the confidence in

that yet. So you're like, I know I can get him excited about me as an artist, So let's do that and then let's just see what happens off of that, you know. And it's just I think sometimes you just have to go with what what you what you think you can break in with and then um. But but people like Scott and Liz so you know, and those are your publishers. Oh, by the way, Scott and Liz

Punts and Liz Rose, who wrote Girl Crush is Corey's publisher. Yes, Liz became a good friend of mine because I started working with Jamie Lynn Spears right at the end of my universal publishing deal, and Liz and I became good buddies. And I'll never forget I was. I was like shopping around to publishers, you know, they're taking meetings, and I hadn't really talked to Liz, and I don't know why. I just didn't want to, Like I didn't want to put in an awkward position to say no because we

were buddies and writing. And so we were in the studio with Jamie Lynn. You're cutting and she goes, I'll never forget. She goes, hey, I'm mad at you, by the way. I was like for what She was like, because you are looking for a publishing deal and you haven't talked to me. I was like, that's bullcrap, Like you knew I needed a publishing deal, you could have talked to me. And she was like, well, I want your publishing. I want to be I want to work

with you. So I came and met with Scott and Natalie was here at the time, Natalie now married to Eric Paslay. I met them for beers and it was awesome and we started just kind of dating so to speak. And uh, and here I am this is I got married. We got married how's the marriage, man, We've had plenty of song babies together, which, by the way, we're kind of jumping everywhere. Corey's about to have his second number one. His first number one was Chris Young. I'm coming over.

What that was a three week number one? Yeah, stupid, that's crazy. And now you're having your second number one with Chris Young and Cassidy pulpits to do it. Thank you. They played it on the A c m S, which was amazing. That so does that just freak you out with excitement when you hear it? Like when you saw it on a c MS that was really cool. I mean, first of all, to see it played was really cool

and see in person. But we had two nominations, so yeah, what were the nomination I went from two years before sitting in like the cheap seats to being on the nominee floor and like walking the red carpet of Chris. It was really happen. It seemed to me like it happened really fast, you know, like I know too, maybe people here I've been a while here how many years now six this time, and I've been around, and I know maybe it didn't seem that fast to other people.

But god, it felt fast to me, you know, yeah, just being Lane were walking the carpet and she was like whispering to me. She was like, this is weird. I was like, yeah, this is really weird. It's like, but don't act like it's weird. Just act like it's really normal. At least I saw Hobby, I saw I saw Michael like ahead of me, and I was just like,

all right, comfortable, I'll see this isn't that bizarre. And I was with Chris, so Chris is one of my best friends too, so it was like, but it is weird getting thrown into those situations because you belong there, but like it's also like, holy sh it, there's Jason Aldean and there's like, you know, Keith Urban. But it's weird because your community is now becoming those people, and because you're kind of right, you kind of rise up as class as I feel like in a way, and

now it's like that's your people. Now they need you just as much as you need them, and everyone works together. Isn't that weird? It is weird to be in that group. It it is when you think about it, but it doesn't feel very weird, you know. I mean because these are all buddies. Um, it is weird. It's weird. I'll

tell you. It was cool for me. My mom and my stepdad came out to Vegas and they've never this is the first time they've ever been kind of thrown into this world where they get to like see celebrities and stuff, and you know, we were just like we'd run into like Colsondale, it's a buddy from Georgia, you know, and like we'd like we'd shake hands and I was like, oh, dude, this is my mom and my dead Rick, and like they were they'd walk away and be like that, and

I was like, oh yeah, that just didn't like hit me because it was just another human that you work with it, you know, yeah, because we know what, even though it looks like this to the world, it's not very flashy. Behind it's really not tell me what behind the scenes look like. To you, it looks like this, which is a beautiful studio on a beautiful day. Great Matt computer, got all your bells and whistles. Oh, by the way, everyone, in case you didn't know, Corey Crowd

is the man responsible for my theme song. Okay, Caralin, Yeah, I know, I felt very honored you did that because you're very busy. So my theme song was very nice. If I haven't told you, this is where I'm going to tell you. So We're in Vegas and Caroline is ever hanging out over this like me, Caroline just speaking about you in third person like Garth. You know. Okay,

we were we were talking. I think me and Michael were playing blackjack or something and you were talking to Laney and you were like, I think you should name your baby because we're having a baby girl, and Caroline you were like, I think your name was Caroline. It's a strong name. We've I've never hated my name. It was my name, I know. So the next morning, me and Landy You're having breakfast and we're like, I was like, how how awesome is Caroline? I was like, she's so funny.

She was like I love her and Michael, but my Landy is Corey's wife and she is one of the coolest chicks in this town. They're about to pop out their new baby. She's just a badass. She is beautiful inside and out. Yeah, I weigh out punted my coverage. You guys are a great couple. You are a power couple. She We were like, man, Caroline is a cool name. And then our waitress walks up and she's just like kind of exotic looking lady like she's like, I don't know,

maybe a Filipino or something. I don't know, but she says in her name Texas Carolina. I love Carolina, And I was like, lady, you're gonna name of Carolina. That's the name Carolina, Carolina Joy. So it was totally inspired. I love. It was inspired by our conversation Carolina Joy. And then we started thinking. We started thinking. Me and Landy got married and we lived in South Carolina for four years, so we started and so I was like,

Carolina Crowder sounds like a strong name. It sounds like she's gonna be a badass, Like what is she going to do something amazing? And it doesn't sound like a stripper names that I was worried about. It sounds beautiful Carolina. I want to cry. And so this is a cool night story too. So my mom's middle name is Joy, which is one reason why we were doing it. When people live up to their names totally, if you give her the name Joy, she's going to be joyful. And

this is you're gonna you can give you chills. So we decide on Carolina Joy. Laney has a aunt that she was adopted, and she really didn't have any family, like her only family was lady's parents, and like she's always around, super nice Joy Harris. She was like the coolest. I mean, I just considered her an aunt, you know. Um, And so we told her. We were like, hey, you know. One of the reasons too we like Joy was because we were like, oh, Joy Harris, duh, Like how cool

is that? So we told her and she flipped out. She was like because, I mean it felt made her feel like part of the family. Well, like two weeks ago, she died of a heart attack, like in the middle of academy sports, and I was like, this is this is unbelievable, Like, and we're about to have a little girl.

Her name is Joy, you know, like Caroline Joy. But how amazing that you told her, I know, And she was so happy, like just bragging about at the beach and I was like, man, what a cool I mean terrible devastating, very hard for the family, but um, what a cool thing for her to have known about. So Caroline Joy, it's a super meaningful name and you're part of it. First off, Carolina. I've thought about the name Carolina before because it's so beautiful, like in Carolina, the South,

North and South Carolina. There's some of the best cities in those states. Like you said, you'll have a connection to it and it's original. And I'm telling you Carolina has with the best name. That's what I was trying to tell you. Always sold myself. Yeah, I mean you never know, people might call her Caroline. I mean, might just be easier to say than Carolina. But yeah, that's so awesome. I'm so happy to give you a small party. You were ladies like you should tell her that. So

that I was like, I don't think she knows. I know Michael knows, but that's so awesome of publish Carolina June. Yeah. So he was like, oh yeah, oh, it's so awesome. We can't wait to meet it. Okay, Okay, conversations, Okay, there's no real path here. It's like the bumping, bumping, long road. Like you said, that's the same thing with this interview. We can go wherever we want. I think me and Michael have the same A D D as well. Yeah, for sure, Michael. Oh, yeah, you guys. I love watching

out together. He gets so excited when he sees you. We yeah, you know. I told lady my favorite part about people like him is I can turn off the

Nashville thing. Not that you turn on this like need to like be guarded or to like it sounds so dumb, but like when he's when I'm around Hobby, there's no like we're not talking about music, and if we are, it's not yeah, we're just hanging like it is just we can just be like, I don't feel like there's any agenda ever, it's just hanging, which y'all created the American hang because of that reason, which tell me about that that is exactly what you're talking about with the

class though, So me and Michael. Michael actually had the idea. He was like, what if we every Monday just got some beer and just wrote a song or didn't just but just try it, just hung out to put yourself in the space to do it. Yeah, And I was like, that's credity. I mean, and neither one of us had ship going on, like nothing like no number one songs, no, like they had lost their record deal. I think from

what scope. So they were here like trying, you know, trying to get a deal, just like touring, trying to write, but like trying to get something going. Yeah, and I had just lost my deal and I was trying to figure my life out. Aren't those moments like before you get to the next moment of greatness? Aren't those moments kind of like this? Do you ever feel like anything ever gonna? Yes? I mean we did. This is our

conversations every time we got it out. We were like, I mean, we could write the best song ever and it wouldn't matter, like you know what it cares. But so he was like, who do you think we should get? And I was like, we should get near Mason Cata like three who they didn't have anything going on either. They were at atually called Cadillite Black I think it was Yeah, that's ye. And then Kale Dodds is one of my best friends, like from for my whole life, Like I've known him since he was a kid. I

don't know that far back. Oh yeah, And I was like, dude, we gotta get Kale. And I was like, well, there's our there's our forsome. So every Monday night we would write demo and drink while writing, and then we'd go to M. L. Rose and play hoop shoot and drink beer. And I mean it was just a ritual. And we ended up writing like a bunch of the Thousand Horses stuff unintentionally, like drunk off Southern reality yep. And we uh and we jokingly because Neil's band used to be

called American Bang. Kale was like, we should call it American Hang. Neil was very against this, by the way. At first he was like, no, that's Lane, that's Lane. We can't do that. And then but then it became such a joke we kept calling it that you couldn't think of a better name. It just became to hang, the American Hang, can't you know. But what's cool about it is thousand Horses obviously killing it. They had a number one with Smoke the Top, just wanting with drunk

dout killing it. They're on the road with Audine, uh, you know, kind of like three Is had singles out there on the road with flour the Georgia line kills about to get a record deal. I'm riding and producing on your second number one hit. It's crazy and none of us had ship going on like four years ago. Can you believe that it's so cool? Doesn't feel like magic,

it does it? It makes are like our times when we get together now, just like we all just kind of look at each other and we're like, all right, let's cheer. This is which. By the way, y' all just wrote an amazing song Willie whatever the horses. It's so freaking good. And I think that the American hang is awesome because, like you said, you'll can just relax, you can get crazy and get weird, and just like you don't have to be like, you know, like so

worried about the national thing. Yeah, like we impressing anyone. I like riding with those guys because they we refuse to do anything normal. Let's just be weird. It's fun. It's like a soul filler day. You can push yourself. Yeah, there's no boundaries. Just like, let's just get weird, write something fun. I love it. Who else do you love writing with? I am really digging writing with Randy Montana right now. He's awesome and he had his own record deal and did you have a hit song on the radio?

At one point he wrote SuDS in the Bucket? Yeah, I don't you haven't studied his catalog, unfortunately, don't know. But all I know is that he's badass and we are writing great songs. We got We just got John Party Cut together. Um. One of my favorite songs I wrote last year he John Party Cut, which that never happens, you know. Usually you write a song with an artist or the producer or somebody associated. But it's really hard, I found to get an outside song cut. Yes, when

an artist is not writing on the song. Just hard. Yeah, and truly. We wrote this song with Jamie Stover and this is one of my favorites. And what's it called? Um, it's called turn You Down or Can't Turn You Down. I can't remember what they ended up going with for the title, but I don't care. They could call it, but it's just a cool vibe song. Randy can sing anything, and I like it, but I like him. I'm really digging around with Matt Jenkins right now. And he wrote

cop Car where It's at Oh for Dustin Lynch. He just wrote Confession the Floor George Line number one. Dang. Yeah, he's badass and I love always love Carry Barlow. R Barlow's well, I mean, other than the hand guys, I mean those those guys are the days that I like, I refuse to do anything normal for those guys. You know, that's awesome. It's like today we're gonna write something great or we're not going to write at all. Like that, I refuse to let this right go to waste. How

awesome is that? Here are your favorite artists work with? Um? Well right now? As far as the mean production or writing either well, obviously, Chris has been one of my favorite of all time. I mean just for obvious reasons, and we're good buddies and we write good stuff. And also you produce Chris. I don't know if I said that me and him and him actually co produced his record, which is fun because I love having Chris's studio brain like associated with it too, because he's really great in

the studio. As far as the tons of good ideas, um, he has a really good understanding of you know where it's gonna end up, you know what I mean, because it's hard to see that vision m But I love you know. I'm working on a new artist, seth Innish

right now. That's Sony. He is awesome. He's the first one that I've been a part of from like conception of him, Like I I found him, brought him to Scott, we signed him some publishing deal, we got him a record deal, and then now I'm working on his records. It was really fun. Yeah, totally Yeah. Um, I just cut some size with Cassidy Pope. Love her. She's so good and she's just like cool. She is the coolest, Yeah,

the coolest. I mean, she's if if I were a girl, I would want to be like Cassie, you know what I mean. She has a tattoo sleeve. She's like a beautiful girl. But she's also like a super cool hang. Yeah, it's like I don't know, She's just and she's an unbelievable singer. Yeah, she's just like great energy, great vibes to be around. Um, Kale Dodds. I just produced his stuff. I love working with one of the best buds. Um. I did Jamie Lynn Spears, did Brittany? Oh yeah? What

was Brittany like? And I love Jamie Lynn. She was so cool, gorgeous, she is gorgeous everything. Kind of one of those people though, because you've only seen him on TV, Yes, they don't feel real. Yeah, exactly, you're talking. I'm talking to her. I know she's a real person, but for some reason, she just doesn't seem like I can't believe it. Yeah,

I know. There's only a few people in that category for me, and they're kind of mainly pop stars because country is so like tangible for us, you know, like we're so involved in this community, like Katie Perry and like Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez. I was like that. When I met me and Landy were in Vegas, I was I was out riding with Rascal Flats and they got asked by Steven Tyler to come watch one of his shows. So afterwards, so we got the Sweet. Now.

I thought it was cool, just like that was cool for me just to watch him play from a Sweet in Vegas, And then Jodan was like, hey, you want to go down to his green room and kick it with him? And I was like, uh yeah, yeah, awesome. Seeing him in person was kind of like, what the heck? What was that? Like, he's awesome and he's around Nashville now a lot. Yeah, and I know a lot of my friends have written with him and like know him, but that doesn't make it any less crazy. Yeah, I'd

be like that around Dave Girl too. I'm a big Dave Girl fan, so I think I would geek out over day Girl. Yeah, okay, so who would you geek out of her? Dave Girl, Dave Girl for sure. Um, you're gonna laugh. But Ellie Goulding, you love her and it has nothing to do with it. It looks it is strictly you know that song. Michael loves that song too. You know why I got you on my mind? So Walker, my little boy thinks that it says why I got

you all my mommy. And so this is kind of kicky, but we just like let him embrace it and he sings it. Uh, and so it's really funny. Every morning, like this morning, just a minute ago, he said, can we have a dance party in my jeep? So we like, are we probably look so goofy me in this three year on the back and we're like, well, I got you all my mommy. Um. I would geek out of her though I don't know why. She just she's awesome, so good. So what you talked to Brittany about? We

were filming something? Okayically is it recent? Yeah, we're filming something for Jamie Lynn and she was in it. Okay, that's all. I think. That's all I can probably. But we're filming something that she was there, and she was at Jamie Lynn's wedding too, so I got to meet her there, but we were actually like in close quarters like this for the she breathed on you, how Bresma. It's amazing, okay, and Jamie Lear. Jamie Lynn is amazing too.

She's her own talent, like and that's a c and that's a big shadow to live under for Jamie Lynn, you know. And she's like totally emerged as her own. She does her own things. Does there's at least I don't pick up on it. I don't think there's any weirdness. I don't either she I think she just does her I feel like she does too, and she's just chill. We just cut some new stuff on her and it

is bad. And her voice is great. Oh yeah, and it's developed like into this like cool thing where she has super confidence in it now and like it's just tone and it's just a very unique, its own thing. It's really cool. Her live show has gotten so good and like I mean, she just kind of like over the years grew up and created this thing and I think people are gonna dig this new stuff. We can't wait to hear it. Her and Liz and Heather Morgan and Emily Shackleton. They all went to the beach, Tina

Parole and all these all these girls. I'm missing people, but they all went to the beach and they wrote you, I didn't want to go. There's too many girls. You can't handle this hand female. I can't. So I got one at home. That was enough. So they wrote these awesome songs and they came back and uh, it's so I'm really excited for people to hear it. I'm just I love being a part of her stuff. That's awesome. Yeah, that's cool. I'm lucky. I'm I'm getting to produce a

lot of cool stuff and and write on stuff. I just I'm having fun. That's my one rule in production. If I'm not having fun, I'm not gonna do it. Um that's that. That's why production world's for me. If I can have fun with it and like be excited about it, then I want to do it. But if it's stressful and it's just a job, I don't that's

the thing or anything. Your inspiration for producing, Like, how do you because Okay, I don't know if people regular people who aren't in the music industry know this, but like building tracks and all the behind the scenes production, like it's very complex. How do you figure out where you want to go and where you're inspired? You know, I really don't. I just like every day pray that, like I don't run out of that inspiration. Yeah, I mean,

I'm serious. It's like you, I really have no reason why it's there, Like why I'm able to hear a song and nowhere I wanted to go and be confident in it or wake up with a new idea to write, or wake up with a new groove or melody to do. I have no idea why that's there, And I just I'm like staying thankful for it, just like please don't

let it run out. And I guess if it ran out, I'd just take a trip for a little bit and just try to get But um, I think part of part of that is just surrounding myself with really talented people, uh to stay fed and inspired because I'm I think it's that's what's cool about co writing and uh, working with different people as they inspire you in different ways.

And yeah, I mean I write. When I write with Randy, I write a certain kind of song, like I don't know, it's just like we're in a band for the day, you know, in the same wavelength. Yeah, And the same thing with Michael. It's like me and Michael right songs that we write like you know what I mean, Like they know, like we're like in a band for the day. It's like, and that's what we get. What comes out

of those right sounds like me and him. So it's almost like putting it in a different way, like how you have friends, like your relationship like with your wife, or your relationship as a with a friend. It's different in each friendship, so like it right with a different person, it's different and eats right, Yeah it is. I love that. I mean, you know there's some people that you know, they always write songs that sound like them, But I love I kind of like hopping on different trains, you know,

every day. It just keeps me interested. So you know, one day we might write a super pop song, you know, and one day it might be super country, might super rock one day. I love that. That's fun. Yeah. Is it stressful thinking about having to get cuts or do you just let that go. Tell me, tell people what it's like being a professional songwriter, like you said, not an artist, you know, just needing other artists to cut your songs. What does that feel like? Um Man, It's

hard to describe. It's it's a scary, unknown feeling. And there's like there's so many factors that play into it, like who your friends with, um and that I don't mean that is like a something shady goes on. I just mean like just by nature of business, like people like doing business with people they're friends with. So it's like, you know, if I'm not friends with just pick an

artist Tim mcgrawl. If I'm not, if he's not a good buddy of mine, and none of his camp is good buddies of mind, harder to get a song in that camp then it would be if those were my good pals. And I'm just using as an example that that's definitely not a true statement about that, but it's like it just so that just means and so you know you kind of can you kind of have to embrace that a little bit and just be like and not your feelings hurt um and just try to write

the best song you can every day. But also, you know, I will say there is another element of like being smart about it and being like, hey, look, I know Luke Bryan's making a record coming up, you know, and it wouldn't hurt for me to like get in that headspace for a few weeks and like just really like try to listen to what his records and like what he how what his language is, you know, to know like and and just shoot for it. I mean, it

doesn't hurt. I mean, there's everybody has different approaches. I just I enjoy that, like trying to get my brain into his what would he want to say? And how do you want to say it? It's cool, um and all that mixed into like what you do naturally, you know.

So that's a lot. It's head games, it is, And I think the biggest thing I've learned is embracing that, Like, I'm not going to be the best writer for every record, right, so I might not be the dude that ever gets a carry Underwood cut, And I'm I'm okay with that. I would love carry Ingerwood Cut, but like, maybe I'm

not the best writer for carry Underwood record. You know, there's probably much better writers in town that write that stuff, but maybe I am the best writer for Chris record, you know, like, and I think just kind of embracing that, like, hey, look, you can't be badass at every genre and style and when there's so many different flavors. Yeah, So I think just like that's been really big for me in the last year, just kind of embracing like, Okay, I'm me

and this is what I'm good at. I'm just gonna do me and whatever that produces the beginning and when you write it out as long as you can. I can't remember who told me this. They said, if you if you have one run in this town. I think it was Mark D. Sanders, Maybe I might be wrong with he said, if you have one run as a song in this town, you're so lucky. If you have two runs in this town, you're a legend. And I

was like, oh damn. And it's true because like a run meaning like you have a streak of cuts and singles and hits, and like a real run, you're on your run right now. I hope it keeps going. But like if you have if you're lucky enough to have one, that the one that lasts long time, you're like, it's super fortunate. But if you can like stick around like Liz has, like stick around for like multiple decades and like still get cuts and still have singles like all

of Taylor Swiss first album, like songs about Rain. For Gary Allen, this is an unbelievable song. Crazy girl. Yeah, uh she a girl crush. She has like a bunch of cuts coming out. I think I don't want to speak too soon on catch she has. But she's she's like she's a freak. Yeah, she's I learned. Every time I write with this, I'll learned. What do you learn? She's not afraid. She's like the most fearless writer I've ever spit out stuff. She didn't care. She's not worried

about you thinking she sounds stupid. And that is so she dares to suck every day and could care Like I love it. It's the best and get such good songs that way, because then, like all of a sudden, it will trigger something in your mind that you wouldn't have thought about. Yeah, stream of consciousness. Just she spits it out. I love it. It makes rights with her so fun, And they tend to go fast because of that, because there's not a lot of like silent sitting and

so she has a great stream of consciousness. She does another thing like she has a good a lot of thoughts happening. Yeah, I mean her her like songwriting form like that would be what we're talking about, is really great. But also she has a lot of talent. To me, that form it doesn't it doesn't happen well, I mean, you can spit out a bunch of bull crap, but she actually has great stuff stuff. Yeah, so she I've learned a lot from her. So just to be more fearless,

you seem fearless. I mean I'm getting way more fearless day by day with do you think I should get older? You just kind of get more like you're saying, just like this is me, this is what I do, Like you know what you're good at now, So like you can just feel more comfortable to yourself. Maybe it is aged too, just a little bit of maturity. I don't know. I think it's probably a mixture of that. And you know once you once you feel what it's like to get a cut or like have a single, it's like

the confidence level goes up. Yeah, Like I think before I just kind of felt like, man, I could write the best song that's ever happened, and it wouldn't matter. And so like that thought keeps you from writing good stuff because we build our own like walls, ceilings. It's like, what is it called? Like it's a self fulfilling, self fulfilling prophecy. It's almost like you Timshaw, he's a Titans film,

a platformer, and he said the same thing. We all decide where we're like the highest we can go, and you know, like we put limits on ourselves. Yeah, and it's like once you realize like, oh my god, like

I could, I can. I can write songs and they can be singles and they can be number one songs and you can be that I can produce records that are hit records, and like you start believing this about yourself and then it and then it just starts happening, you know, And so it's like it's kind of an amazing there's probably a deeper lesson to be learned than life about that. But I think manifesting vision being of it. Do you are you like do you visualize? Yeah? I

mean how do you visualize? I mean I don't like I'm not intentional about it. I think that's just my personality in general. So what does that look like in your head? You know? Like I always tell any action is the best action, okay, and she was. She always hates when I say that because she's like a thinker and planner, and I'm like, no, just act and like, let God change your mind. If for some reason you're going on the wrong course, they'll just fix it. That's

so true. Act. Don't wait, just act. And that's kind of how I do, even in this setting. It's just like just go, I'm just gonna start building. Do you get like an urge or something or how do you know what to act? I just go and gut. You know, I've never I've never gone on gut and regretted it. I totally agree. And I think that's like God talking to us, right, Yeah, I think that's your intuition and

you're you know, discernment, you know, in life. Just I think we're all probably given that to a degree and we just have to learn to trust it. Don't you think people are scared to trust it? Yes, Like you have to choose to trust your gut in your intuition. And I think at this point I've heard the word no so many times, and I'm kind of just like it doesn't mean anything to me, So it's like or like that sucks, you know, So it's it's just like, what's the worst that could happen? You know, it's not

that big of a deal. I've I've hit plenty of walls in life to now know, like it's not I that's too short, yellow man, Yellow? When did you start trusting your intuition? Though? I've kind of always been that guy? I mean, I went to I went to college. I didn't like it. I'm not college, so I just didn't go to class. I just fished and road jet skis and drink. Did you stay in college and played shows? I stayed until the free college ran up from Georgia.

How do you get free college? They have hope grant um. But like I knew immediately I wanted to be a musician. So I just played shows and I stayed at home and I wrote and I played in bands. Didn't go to class. Tell my parents, no, you didn't care that you failed out of college. I didn't. But it was one of those things that like I didn't care, I knew. I just trusted this is what I want to do. That's a serious trust. And so I just, you know, I just started going on that path, like Nope, I

didn't go to class. I didn't. It's funny. I mean, I just we just wrote around jet skis every day, and I mean I went from time to time, but it was very rare. But it worked out. Not worked out. You're just like, nope, not doing it, Michael, are going to college either. I grew up thinking you had to go to college and get a degree. But like that is true. Okay, I'm not saying some people need to go to college for their career and they feel called to be a doctor or a lawyer or a dinist

or something. But other people feel called to be a musician or something that doesn't involve college. And college is not necessary for everyone. And I did not know that, Like you don't have to go to college. Yeah, I mean I do feel bad like encouraging people not to get to college. But if you don't need it, then you shouldn't go. Yeah, I mean, I do think that sometimes college is good to help you figure out who

you are and what you want to do. So sometimes it's just good to go just by default just learn you know what you want to do. But I do think the whole like go to college and just get a degree to get one, it's kind of weird. It is weird society thing we do. Yeah, because like what if you don't even like your degree? Yeah, I mean like like my my brother was is a good example of like he went and got an agriculture degree and at the time, everybody, Mom, I remember us being like,

why would you do that? But it's so awesome that he did it because he knew he wanted to do that. He's a fireman. But he now runs a freaking farm and it loves it. And now that agriculture degree couldn't be more important. But he knew he knew that that's where he really wanted to go. UM, want have to follow your love, like your love right, Yeah, Okay, So we're gonna wrap up because I know you have a lot to do because you're like almost having Well you're

very interesting, Corey. I like to wrap up with leave your life. So basically leave some inspiration, something that's inspired you or that you live by, or how you want to inspire people. Um, I would say, if you can get up this is there's a Bob Dealing quote that I'm gonna butcher, but I'm just gonna do the court crowded version. If you can get up every day and love what you do, you're a success, you know, And

that's how you define success. And I think that if if, if everybody in the world would just follow their passion and love and do what they love every day, that they would feel successful regardless of money, and they'd be happier, and that probably the world be a better place. I mean, you know, it's I had this conversation with a good friend yesterday that I used to be my guitar player and I'm trying to convince them to move here, and I just told him, I was like, dude, you can't.

There's no dollar sign on happiness. If God meant for you to be a guitar player or a musician, then that's what you're meant to do. And until you do it, you won't be happy. And you could probably live the rest of your life and make crazy money and be unhappy. And so I just I always it's just like a big believer and like, do you and do what you meant for at all costs, And totally, I know that's cheesy and cliche. I just think it's it's so important.

You only one life. And like my grandma used to tell me, you know, she always used to push this stuff too, and it's like she did. She ran a jewelry business. She loved jewelry. She ran her whole life and they never made much money. They were broke her whole life, Like I think she like when she died, they were just in massive debt. But it didn't matter.

She was happy. She was like super pumped about life because she did but she loved she loved talking to people and bullshitting with people every day and buying jewelry and making jewelry. And I just you know, so I've always just kind of lived by those rules that the way to go. Well, thank you, cord Her, and I guess what's going to come on? Caralve Caral love. She's a queen of talking, he Caral. I hope you guys

loved hearing from Korey crowd. He is so awesome. Next week is really cool because I'm having an industry executive, White the big wig, come in and tell us all the secrets and all the dirt that goes on behind the scenes. Rod Es he runs CIA, which is Creative Artists Agency. It's one of the biggest talent agencies in the world, and he's one of the biggest big wigs

at that company. And he's going to tell us all about Share Sonny, and share all of the acts that he works with, from Tim McCraw to Lady Antebellum to Taylor Swift to Julian Huff. He has worked with everyone, done everything, He knows everything, and he's so hilarious and so charismatic. So y'all get excited to hear from Rod Essex next week. Don't forget to subscribe on iTunes and under hyper Caroline Hobby and leave some awesome comments because

that helps us grow this thing. Okay, see'all next week. Bye. M