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Dustin Lynch is back to keep us company, taking us inside the songs from his new album, 'Clean Slate,' plus sharing what happened behind-the-scenes of his Bravo 'In The City' appearance.
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00:00Back to Keep Us Company this week to talk all about his brand new album, Clean Sleep.
00:03It's Dustin Lynch.
00:04Hey, hey.
00:04How are you?
00:05I'm good.
00:05Yeah?
00:06Yes.
00:06This new album is amazing.
00:08Thank you so much.
00:08I want to talk about the title track and why you wanted the name of the album to be Clean
00:12Sleep.
00:13Yeah, well, it was just where I was in life.
00:16And I heard that song when I needed to hear it.
00:18That's what I love about music.
00:20I didn't write that song.
00:21It's one of the songs I didn't write on the album.
00:22Some buddies of mine sent my way, and it stopped me in my tracks in my kitchen.
00:28Gave me chills.
00:30Made me tear up.
00:31And it's like, oh, wow, that's special.
00:34And literally for me, what it meant, I was at a crossroads where it was like, okay, the
00:40balance of how busy do I want to be?
00:44Because as I say yes to opportunities in the music world, I'm saying no to my personal
00:50life, which already is pretty taxed as far as getting to be home, to have any sort of
00:56relationship.
01:00And it's scary.
01:01But I was like, you know what?
01:03What a fun opportunity to get to try and make new music that's not been made.
01:07And I'm speaking on my residency in Vegas and Miami and the collaborations that have come
01:13from that.
01:13All those days of making that music and traveling to do those shows used to be days I had here
01:20to hang with friends, go see my niece and nephew, my friend's kids, play ball, go on dates.
01:27Gone.
01:28Gone.
01:29And so, yeah, it's just like, you know what, though?
01:32We all have an opportunity to have a blank page and write our own story.
01:38And sometimes that's me taking a moment and going, yo, chill out.
01:45We got to come down here.
01:46Yeah.
01:47Because it's easy to stay in the clouds in this business and keep going and keep numbing.
01:54So yeah, that's really what the song meant to me.
01:57I'm glad it kind of brought me down.
01:59My wish is that it gets out there and affects somebody in a positive way like it did me.
02:04I was going to say, do you feel like you've found now the balance that you want to have
02:07between your schedule and being able to be home and dedicate time to your personal life?
02:11Yeah, but I think this year's been so exciting with this album coming out and the busyness
02:17of getting it ready.
02:20But I didn't realize that saying yes to a new venture in the dance world would be a shot
02:30of adrenaline in the arm of my country career.
02:32I'm so excited to go make country music again.
02:36Not that I wasn't.
02:37Yeah.
02:37But for whatever reason, I'm really excited to go.
02:41I mean, we're talking about a new album that's coming out.
02:43I'm ready to go make another one already.
02:45That's awesome.
02:46It's been a cool ride.
02:49And no, I haven't rested enough this year.
02:51I know, right?
02:52We'll get this album out and then we'll figure that out.
02:55I want to talk about the lead track on the album, Made in a Bottle.
02:57I think this is probably my favorite on the album.
02:59It's such a bop.
03:00Talk about the story behind that one.
03:01Yeah.
03:01So Made in a Bottle is a cleverly designed song.
03:05It feels happy.
03:05You know, it's got a super like hooky catchy bounce to it.
03:09But it's about a guy that's at a bar trying to drink his way out of, you know, missing
03:14somebody and getting over somebody.
03:15Been there.
03:16Hand up right here.
03:18But those nights can be fun too.
03:22And I just fell in love with the song because we were needing that energy in a live show.
03:28And we debuted it at Red Rocks in April and it felt great.
03:31And we kept it in the set all year.
03:32So it's been road tested.
03:34The energy fits what we go for in our live show.
03:37If we want it to be raucous and country and it's just a good drinking honky tonk song.
03:43It's funny because some of my favorite like upbeat songs are the sad songs.
03:46Yeah.
03:47You know what I mean?
03:47That's how it goes, right?
03:48When you think about it.
03:48Yeah.
03:49It's always so funny that it happens that way.
03:50You also, there's a song on the album called How You Been with Ashley Cook.
03:53Yeah.
03:53Which you've called like the part two to Thinking About You.
03:57Talk about that song and then getting to work with Ashley.
04:00Yeah.
04:01I wrote that song out in Arizona.
04:02I had some guys fly out there and write some songs with me for a couple weeks.
04:09And originally we did not write it as a duet because we were like, ah, you know, we got
04:14to think about you.
04:15It's kind of, and I came back home and was listening to How You Been and all the other
04:19songs we had written those two weeks.
04:21And I was just like, no, we need to write a verse for a partner in crime and make this
04:29thing a duet for a girl.
04:31And so we wrote a few different versions, sent one to Ashley because I was just like, man,
04:35something tells me her vocal would be great on this song.
04:38And she loved it and was like, I'm in.
04:40And the timing work where her album was coming out, but she was done with that and was available
04:46to release it for us.
04:47And we knew we liked the song and then we released it.
04:51And it kind of popped off on its own.
04:53And now we're just kind of like, uh-oh, here we go.
04:56So we'll see what happens.
04:57Which is awesome.
04:57And I know like when you guys were shooting like visuals in the music video, you and Ashley
05:00were out surfing.
05:01Yeah.
05:01How was that?
05:02I imagine like some fun bloopers and stuff.
05:04Yeah.
05:04That's just us doing life in Nashville.
05:06I mean, that's out there at the lake.
05:07We're out, you know, at the lake house here in Nashville and on my boats.
05:10And we just thought it'd be a fun summer.
05:13It's a feel good, fun, summery feeling song.
05:16And I thought it'd be a good, good fun day.
05:19Honestly, selfish.
05:20Yeah.
05:20You're like, what do I want to do today?
05:22Well, I was like, we got to film promo.
05:23We might as well be, you know, out surfing, having fun.
05:26How was Ashley surfing?
05:27She was great.
05:28I got to teach her.
05:30So super athlete.
05:31Oh, yeah.
05:32She's very athletic, but I wasn't sure if she'd like surf before.
05:34Yeah.
05:34Well, that was the first day she threw the rope in, you know, where she's not holding on
05:38anything and the waves just pushing her behind the boat.
05:40And then for her to do that and be able to sing along to the song while we film her.
05:45It was impressive.
05:45It was very impressive.
05:47She does not have give up in her body.
05:49I know that.
05:50She gave it a, it was a long day of her surfing and singing.
05:54And we had so much fun doing it.
05:55That's awesome.
05:56You've said that with this album, there's a lot of like, it touches on like growth and
06:00goals.
06:00And I know that you're very goal driven.
06:01Like you're always like learning something new.
06:03Like for years, it was like getting your pilot's license as we like come to the end of this
06:07year and thinking about 2027 now that the album is out, like what's next on your list
06:10of like goals or stuff you're trying to accomplish?
06:12Great question.
06:13Um, yeah, I feel like goals that I said is more of a manifestation because it always seems
06:18like if I set them, I get them.
06:20Um, and so I'm just going to continue to do that.
06:22I want to be more, um, intentional with getting a guitar back in my hands, um, at the house.
06:30And that comes, that comes with rest, you know, I need to be home for a little bit to
06:34want to pick up the guitar, to want to pick up the car.
06:37I noticed when I'm at home, I'm like, cause I have a guitar sitting on purpose all over
06:41my house and, uh, and up at the farm and, um, I never touch them if I'm busy.
06:48Right.
06:48Right.
06:48Cause I mean, I'm, I'm playing them four or five days a week as it is, but I know it's
06:52when I'm home, I'll like, after a handful of days, I'll just find myself, pick them
06:55one up.
06:56I want to do that.
06:57Um, and figure out where the next chapter goes.
07:01Yeah.
07:02That's what's going to be, um, this winter.
07:03And, um, and I know I've like, I've already flipped a switch into, um, writing for a dance
07:10project, you know, and completing, continuing those releases.
07:13Um, we've had four mega dance releases in 26 and going into 27, we've got a couple more
07:20in the pipeline.
07:20So continue that project, um, and get that out.
07:24Hopefully sometime in 27, it'll be a dream.
07:26How are you like managing the set list now with like all the dance stuff that you're doing?
07:29Like, are you infusing that into some of the live stuff at the country show?
07:33Like, I'm sure it's hard to like put some of that in, but then not too much.
07:36Cause it is two different audiences, but they do overlap.
07:38They overlap.
07:39Yeah.
07:39In a big way.
07:40Um, no, you know, if we do a dance song and we have before, we will make it very organic
07:47and rootsy and bluegrassy, um, yeah.
07:50Cause the BPM works pretty well, you know, with strumming acoustics, um, mandos, fiddle
07:57and banjo.
07:59So it ends up being more of a grassy jam, which is cool.
08:03Um, and, but no, as far as like, you know, the, as far as trying to mimic a dance record
08:11with the country band, there's a couple of songs we could do.
08:13Um, but I, I just like keeping those separate, you know, I want the fans to come see both
08:18shows cause it's two different, it's parallel projects, you know, it's not like, oh, I'm
08:25doing that now.
08:25It's no, I'm doing both.
08:26And, um, I'm proud of both.
08:28We got the country tour running and we got the EDM tour running.
08:31It's so much fun.
08:32You, um, next year are going back to crash my playa for your 12th year hosting your pool
08:37party.
08:37When you think about the last 12 years of doing that, what are some of like the big standout
08:42memories, um, ones that are appropriate, I'm sure are hard to come up with.
08:46Yeah, no, we've had some epic, epic shows.
08:49Um, some funny stuff happen with, you know, on stage where the tabloids back in the States
08:54take, but you know, it's, it's all that crowd.
09:00Um, most of that crowd has been there before and they know what to expect.
09:04Um, so it's fun.
09:06It's comfortable.
09:06Uh, we can go down there.
09:07It's, it's always a one-on-one show with me and Luke.
09:10Um, usually the other artists that we have down, um, are just doing their thing and doing
09:16their show.
09:16Yeah.
09:17I think they're a little scared of getting off of the script.
09:20Um, but you know, we, Luke and I've been there, he's had me along for 12 years, every
09:23year it's happened.
09:24And, um, so we have a little bit different, um, method to the madness.
09:31I say a different approach to it.
09:32Yeah.
09:32We're not worried about the rough edges or if we don't get all the lyrics right, or if
09:36we decide to do a shotgun, if we decide to get a fan on the stage and shotgun a beer
09:41or something like that's what Crash Reply is for.
09:43That's why we do that festival, you know?
09:44Yeah.
09:45Um, it's what it is.
09:46It's, it's a family down there of pirates.
09:48Um, and, uh, yeah, the pool situation's coming back down there.
09:52So we've got it.
09:53We've got a theme picked.
09:55And it's going to be epic again.
09:57And, you know, it's a one of one show.
09:58It only happens once on that day.
10:00And, um, it's become such a memorable experience.
10:03So to, to pick a few out, um, man, getting to perform with Luke and he always is like,
10:09yo, what songs do you want to do?
10:11And other than this past year, I'll be like, I want to do this song and this song.
10:15And then I'll get on stage and we won't play those songs.
10:17He'll just pick a cover song.
10:19And it's like living a nightmare.
10:21Cause you're like, well, what's it going to be?
10:22Well, it's like, yeah, I know the song, but I don't know.
10:24The second verse lyrics, you know, and he doesn't care like teleprompter.
10:28I think he does it halfway on purpose.
10:29He probably does.
10:31No one hit.
10:31So he ends up kind of helping me out through it, but, uh, I come back in strong on the
10:35course, but no, it's fun.
10:36Um, I have all my close circle of friends down there and rent a bunch of houses and we just
10:42have a blast for a week.
10:43So much fun.
10:43You recently made an appearance on Bravo's show in the city.
10:47And I know that you're like very comfortable being on stage in front of like thousands
10:49of people, but how was it being like on camera for an entire evening?
10:53It was, it was, um, not something I was used to.
10:59I'm kind of glad it went how it did.
11:01I don't watch reality TV.
11:03So I don't either.
11:04I wasn't like, Oh, this is what I don't, I don't know what's going on.
11:07Um, I just know that, you know, Lindsay's like, Hey, you're in town.
11:10We're going to be filming.
11:11There's some drama going down.
11:12Come have a drink.
11:13So we're on this rooftop and, um, man, you know, storylines are going and there's some
11:21drama happening.
11:22And I'm sure you're trying to like catch up.
11:24I'm catching up.
11:24But also, you know, at this point we've been at the bar for a couple, three hours and I've
11:29kind of figured out what's happening and I find myself taking sides and having opinions
11:35and you got to be careful with whose side you take on those things.
11:38Right.
11:38Cause then also it can be like changed anyway.
11:42And everybody's history, you know, I was trying to play it smart.
11:45Um, but I could say how it's addicting because it is, I was like, how much of this, none of
11:50it's acting.
11:50Cause I would go down, I went downstairs for a bathroom break and there was two guys down
11:53there, like hot, real mad.
11:57Oh my God.
11:57And it wasn't, the cameras aren't down there.
11:59It was not acting.
12:00And I'm like, wow, this is awesome.
12:04But what I realized is like, this is way addicting because it's not my friend circle.
12:09I just was kind of plopped into the social setting and, uh, I started kind of pushing
12:13buttons, a little puppeteer, you know, it was cool.
12:17It's fun because I feel like Nashville is always like on the radar for like reality TV show.
12:22Like you always hear like something could be bubbling up or coming.
12:25We haven't had anything.
12:25Well, they've tried.
12:26I know.
12:26I know.
12:27Does it make you like, if that was an option, like, is that something now that you would
12:30want to do or would you still stay away from it?
12:31I don't know.
12:32It'd have to be the right concept, you know, an opportunity right now.
12:34I don't feel like I have the bandwidth to do it.
12:38You have no time.
12:38Yeah.
12:39I mean, we've talked about doing, actually, I was, um, I had a concept I was, I pitched
12:44and, and a big network wanted to pick, pick up and I was going to produce it, but I just
12:49didn't have the time in town to.
12:51What was the concept?
12:52I don't want to say, cause I think I could still do it.
12:54Okay.
12:55Um, that's cool though.
12:57But yeah, it's just like, man, cause once again, it's like, okay, well, what's that's
13:01going to have to take away from touring and what does it take away?
13:04Is it more shows I take away?
13:05Is it less time in the studio?
13:08Is it valuable days with my family that I give up?
13:10And I'm just not ready to do that yet.
13:12You know, if we get to a season where I'm like, Hey, I don't want to tour this year.
13:16Maybe that's the time to go do something like that, you know, but, um, I'm having so
13:20much fun making music right now.
13:22Yeah.
13:22We'll leave that for Lindsay and company.
13:25For sure.
13:25And then you've got a bunch of shows you're playing this year.
13:27I know you'll be on the road again next year.
13:29I always love to know like, what are pre-show rituals for you?
13:31Like, what are the things you have to do every day before you go on stage?
13:33Or like, do you and the band have something you do every night before you go on stage?
13:36Yeah, we do.
13:36And I'm, I'm, I'm super proud of it.
13:37My, my management team gifted me a, um, mobile bar.
13:43Great gift.
13:44That, uh, it's, it's like super heavy duty.
13:46It's in a road case.
13:47So huge protective case that we roll on and off the semi trucks.
13:51And, um, so what it has speakers in it, all the refreshments you can imagine.
13:56We just plug it into power, fill it up with ice, boom, full bar there.
14:00And we've got a wall full of Polaroids from all the cities and our friends.
14:03Um, and one hour before the show starts, the band meets there and it just, it's a way
14:09for us to all be together, um, have conversation and have our minds on the show.
14:15Yeah.
14:16Um, have some, you know, have some beverages and play music and, and we're rocking out.
14:21I was saying, what are you playing?
14:22What are you listening to?
14:22My drummer is, is the best, um, DJ of random vibe ever.
14:29It's always different.
14:30Um, but you know, that hour, I mean, we're all back there singing and dancing.
14:35So we hit the stage loose.
14:37Yeah.
14:38Like we're pre-gaming hard and I'm not talking about boozing.
14:41And I'm just talking about getting musical vibes are high, vibes are high blood's flowing.
14:46When we hit that stage, we're getting warmed up.
14:47I mean, we're almost breaking a sweat before we get out there just from having fun, dancing
14:52and talking music and, you know, as, oh, this song and then that band.
14:56And then you talk about, you know, musical history and so much, some, you know, bass player
15:00has a random story about, Hey, well, this guy grew up here, you know?
15:03And it's just like, there's so much knowledge of music between all my band guys.
15:06It's, it's a really cool thing.
15:08And we hit the stage, um, the fans have been pre-gaming, you know, and warming up with,
15:14with the opening bands.
15:15So we feel like we, we got to get on their level and not come out there, Hey, what's
15:20up?
15:21We just got off the bus.
15:21Boom.
15:22Um, we're in there with them.
15:23I love that.
15:24Uh, we are going to be playing a bunch of songs from your catalog while we have you on
15:27the show.
15:28And I want to talk about your very first number one with where it's at.
15:30Yeah.
15:31Something I always love to ask people is like, because that's like the first, like almost
15:34like big paycheck you usually get as an artist after like years and years of just
15:37like struggling.
15:38Yeah.
15:38Did you make a big or a first like memorable number one page, like number one purchase?
15:43Yes.
15:44Um, yeah.
15:45So, um, I'm trying to think it would have, it would have been, well, probably not after
15:50where it's at.
15:51It takes a while.
15:52Um, you know, it's so funny.
15:53I would go back to my hometown and after you have a song on the radio, everybody's
15:56thinks you're rich.
15:58I was making more money playing frat parties.
16:00Literally.
16:01Um, at, and then when I had hits on the radio, um, cause you know, the overhead gets crazy
16:08when we tour, but, uh, probably, I mean, my first home in Nashville, I was living downtown
16:13renting, um, a place.
16:16This was before downtown Nashville was even livable.
16:19Yeah.
16:20I mean, I was still having to drive 20 minutes to get groceries and, and, um, I found myself
16:25on Tuesday night, like having everything done.
16:27And, um, it's like, well, I can sit on the couch.
16:30I don't really watch TV.
16:31So I was like, I'll just go to Broadway.
16:33And I was like, uh, I probably need to get away from this.
16:36This is going to, this is going to have control quick.
16:38Um, I need a place to rest.
16:40So I bought a house outside of town on the lake.
16:43I'm a water rat.
16:44I love fishing.
16:45I love, um, you know, boating and surfing.
16:48And so that was probably my big purchase that really changed my life and, and quality of
16:53life.
16:54For sure.
16:54And, uh, got me, at least I had to make an effort.
16:57To go downtown and find trouble.
16:59Yeah.
16:59And then we're also been playing Cowboys and Angels.
17:01Can you talk about the story behind that?
17:02Yeah.
17:03Cowboys and Angels is still my favorite song to play every night.
17:05I actually saw my grandparents last night in Florida.
17:08Um, they're the Cowboy and Angel.
17:11They're high school sweethearts.
17:12Been married 71 years.
17:14And, um, I wrote that song as with them in mind.
17:18I was just hoping they'd like it.
17:19It felt really special to me.
17:20I think probably because of that reason and got to play it for them.
17:23And then I had meetings with my record label at the time and I was like, man, this one
17:29feels different.
17:29They did not get it.
17:30They did not hear it.
17:32Really?
17:32Um, and ended up, uh, kind of being a blessing because it was like, man, if y'all don't get
17:40that, you don't get me.
17:41Um, and that's fine, you know, not everybody in, um, or did they miss, you know?
17:47Right.
17:48So I ended up with it, you know, still my, still my label home.
17:51And, and, um, you know, that was like, as soon as I got out of that first deal under
17:56that one, we hit the ground running with Cowboys and Angels and, and on a prayer.
18:00And man, it's been wonderful.
18:01It really has been.
18:02And then last song before we wrap up, I want to tell the story behind Small Town Boy.
18:06Yeah.
18:06Small Town Boy is, is fun.
18:08Um, it's, it's, it taught me a lesson that song did.
18:12I, I get pitched so many songs, um, each week and it can, I have to be in the right
18:17headspace.
18:18I want to make sure I'm not missing a song.
18:20I'm not like on my game, um, listening to songs.
18:24I just put them off and then it'll pile up.
18:25And I got pitched as a folder of a couple, couple, three songs were in it.
18:32And Small Town Boy was one of those songs and it'd been a few weeks, maybe two weeks,
18:35three weeks, clicked on it.
18:37I was headed to hunt at my, uh, lease I had South of Nashville.
18:41And, um, I got a phone call about halfway through Small Town Boy.
18:45So I didn't get to hear the rest of it.
18:46And then it, then I got to the farm and I went hunting and I'm like, man, I was jamming
18:50that Small Town song.
18:51What was that?
18:52I got back in the truck, played it.
18:53And before I got back to the interstate from that farm, I had like a stomach ache.
18:58I'm like, I missed one.
18:59Oh my God.
19:00I love this.
19:00This is a smash, but it's been two weeks.
19:03I guarantee you Luke Bryan's heard it or what, you know?
19:07And so like, I'm hitting everybody.
19:09They're like, no, it's available.
19:10I was like, I'm cutting that next week.
19:12Like, I don't care.
19:13And, um, so I knew, you know, I just had a gut feeling on that song right away.
19:17And of course you can't imagine a song doing what Small Town Boy did ever, but to be one
19:23of the most played songs, um, and still each year is crazy and such a blessing for me.
19:28It's amazing.
19:29Well, listen, thank you for the time today.
19:30The new album is so great.
19:31I'm so happy for you.
19:32There's like so many fantastic songs on here.
19:34Yeah.
19:34I'm excited to listen to it.
19:35Dustin Lynch.
19:36Yeah.