You can still cuss a little in country, too. Post Malone has had an extremely successful transition into country music, after releasing his debut country album F-1 Trillion in 2024, which featured country stars like Lainey Wilson, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Billy Strings, Chris Stapleton and more. Since then, he’s been on an international tour, selling out stadiums and bringing country to an entirely new demographic of fans. The album was really solid, but I was of course partial to the deluxe edition Post put out of just solo songs that felt decidedly more country in terms of the classic inspirations he’s talked about in the years leading up to his jump into country. As a longtime fan, it seemed like he transitioned pretty seamlessly into this new genre and did it really well, but there is one major difference he’s taken into consideration in terms of how to approach country as opposed to rap and hip hop. Posty says he’s tried to cuss a LOT less… but only in his music, of course: “I’m having a great time, dude. I try to cuss less in my songs. Not in real life, but in my songs.” I’d say he pretty much accomplished that goal… of course, I think a cuss word here and there in a country song can really work and not just sound like filler, and obviously it’s a pretty stark contrast of the lyricism of the rap songs he made a name creating. Being able to write, and write well, in such different genres takes a lot of talent and he deservers a ton of credit for that. Also during this interview, Post hinted at some new country tunes on the way, and played it coy when asked about whether or not he and Morgan Wallen might have some new music together in the works. He also confirmed he’s been in the studio so it sounds like we might have some new Post Malone music on the way, at least by next year: “I don’t know. I don’t know. I’m not giving it away… I’ve been in the studio, so I’m excited.” His song with Morgan in particular was a massive crossover hit, as “I Had Some Helped” was named Billboard’s 2024 Songs of the Summer, in addition to debuting at the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and becoming the second-longest-running number-one song of 2024. I think he’s obviously an incredibly talented artist, with the rare ability to make music in multiple genres that’s actually really good and authentic to who he is. It sounds like Post plans to stick around country for a while, and I’m here for it. You can watch the full interview here: Speaking of Posty, if you’re in Nashville today, his Broadway establishment will be celebrating their Grand Opening (a couple of months after they actually opened) this evening, and he will be performing a cover set right outside the bar to celebrate the occasion: View this post on Instagram A post shared by @postysbar The post Post Malone Had To Make One Big Adjustment When He Started Writing Country Music first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Aaron Watson doesn’t sugar-coat anything. The Texas country legend stopped by the podcast to talk about coming up in the Texas music scene and how that shaped his perspective of country music and the Nashville machine, dealing with record executives, being self-sufficient and taking a unique approach to his career, current country music beefs, how he started his tailgate talks on social media and the success that the videos have had online, playing the American Rodeo alongside Post Malone and what that experience was like and so much more. As a proud, independent artist, Aaron Watson has always had the mindset that he can make it on his own. He does things how he wants to, and doesn’t ever let a record label tell him what he can or cannot do. In fact, he told us that the only thing he’ll let record executives do is motivate him to put out more, incredible music: “I’ve had a couple of very well-known record executive guys in the last year tell me that I’m not relevant anymore. So that kind of lit a fire under me where I’m like, ‘Oh, (my next album) Horse Named Texas is going to be one of the best albums in country music next year.’ I’m so content and happy with where my career is at. I don’t measure myself off awards and hits. But if you want to challenge me, let’s go.” @whiskeyriff “If you want to challenge me… Let’s go.” // Check out the latest Whiskey Riff Raff episode with @Aaron Watson! Available now on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. #whiskeyriff #whiskeyriffraff #aaronwatson ♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff And to be clear, Aaron Watson doesn’t hate all record executives and the big wigs behind the record labels. The Texas native simply doesn’t care for how they treat artists, especially those that are up-and-coming. Later on in the interview, Watson explained how he’s been able to be a bit of a mentor lately, and that he’s been bewildered by some of the record deals that executives are offering young artists: “I won’t name names, but I’ve had a couple of kids come to me and have me look at their record deals they’ve been offered from major labels, and I’m like, ‘I would use this as toilet paper. This is just a bad loan. And they’re not gonna push a single to radio until you get 50 million streams?’ How do you get to 50 million streams?” Aaron Watson went on to voice his displeasure with the “minimum streaming” qualifiers, and explain how that doesn’t really make sense – or help out the artist that’s trying to make it. The country singer simplified things with an investing metaphor, and called out the record executives for being obsessed with numbers rather than trying to seek out and discover raw talent: “I look at some of the number one songs on country radio and they don’t have 50 million streams. But yet these kids are expected to have 50 million streams before a label will invest in them? Well that’s the equivalent of a small, mom and pop coffee shop… there’s a successful little shop and they want to franchise. So they go to an investor and they say, ‘Hey, we think we have something.’ That’s the equivalent of the investor saying, ‘Well, franchise your store, make it blow up, and after you are the most popular coffee shop, come to us and then we’ll invest in you.’ Once upon a time, people invested in young artists because they saw the ability (and potential).” They sure did… and I suppose we can file that under “things that used to make more sense back in the day.” At least we’ve got artists like Aaron Watson out there that aren’t afraid to call out how things are, and explain how they ought to be. You can hear more from the “July In Cheyenne” singer by downloading the podcast on Apple Podcasts by searching “Whiskey Riff Raff” or click here. We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts. Cheers, y’all. Audio The post Aaron Watson Calls Record Label Contracts That Require An Artist To Get 50 Million Streams “Toilet Paper” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Travis Tritt on Outlaw Country #travistritt #outlawcountry #cmafest

Not gonna find “Revival” on Kristi Noem’s playlist. By now I’m sure you heard that last week Zach Bryan teased an unexpectedly political new song called “Bad News,” which criticized the ongoing immigration raids by ICE and bemoaned the “fading of the red white and blue.” The song starts out pretty typical for a Zach Bryan song: “Didn’t wake up dead or in jail Some out of town boys been giving us hell I got some bad news I woke up missing you My friends are all degenerates but they’re all I got The generational story of dropping the plot I heard the cops came Cocky mother******* ain’t they?” However, once the song gets to its second verse, it dives into the political side of things. Right off the bat, Bryan took aim at the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). And towards the end of the verse, the country star reveals that the “Bad News” he’s singing about is the “fading of the red, white and blue.” He also seems to lament the fact that Bruce Springsteen, who famously rants about Donald Trump at every concert, has lost some fans recently: “And ICE is gonna come, bust down your door Try to build a house no one builds no more But I got a telephone Kids are all scared and all alone The Boss stopped bumping, the rock stopped rolling The middle fingers rising and it won’t stop showing I got some bad news The fading of the red, white and blue” As you can imagine, the song has drawn strong reactions from both sides of the political aisle. Many on the left are praising Bryan (although I’m guessing a lot of them don’t know much about him and won’t be such big fans once they dig into his background…), while many on the left have criticized the song as anti-law enforcement and called for boycotts of Zach’s music. Yesterday, TMZ reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (the agency that oversees ICE) for comment on the new song, and Tricia McLaughlin, the DHS Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs, provided a short, concise clap-back on behalf of the department: “Stick to ‘Pink Skies.'” But Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had much more to say on the song. When asked by reporter Benny Johnson for her thoughts on “Bad News,” Noem didn’t hold back: “I hope he understands how completely disrespectful that song is, not just to law enforcement but to this country, to every single individual that has ever stood up and fought for our freedoms. He just compromised it all by putting out a product such as that, that attacks individuals who are just trying to make our streets safe. So Zach, I didn’t listen to your music. I’m happy about that today. Today that makes me very happy that I never once gave you a single penny to enrich your lifestyle if you truly believe what that song stands for. But I am going to go out and probably download some Jason Aldean songs, John Rich songs, Jon Pardi, Kid Rock, any of those guys. Those guys know what it means to stand up for freedom. Glad I didn’t waste any money on Zach.” BREAKING: Secretary Kristi Noem flames country singer Zach Bryan. I just asked Noem about the new Zach Bryan song attacking ICE. Noem went scorched-earth calling the woke singer “completely disrespectful” to the law enforcement that protect him. Secretary Noem: "I hope Zach… pic.twitter.com/MPXuVshPnM — Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 7, 2025 The controversy surrounding the song has continued to get louder and louder, which finally led the country star to take to his Instagram story last night to share a message: “Please f***ing read this.” Zach tries to explain himself and his song “Bad News” a bit further, saying that the track actually celebrates how much he loves the United States of America, and that when fans hear the rest of the song, they’ll understand: “I wrote this song months ago. I posted this song three months ago as a snippet. This shows you how divisive a narrative can be when shoved down our throats through social media. This song is about how much I love this country and everyone in it more than anything. When you hear the rest of the song, you will understand the full context that hits on both sides of the aisle. Everyone using this now as a weapon is only proving how devastatingly divided we all are. We need to find our way back.” The “Pink Skies” singer went on to mention that he served in the U.S. Navy for eight years, and clarified that he wasn’t trying to set himself up on a pedestal with this teaser. Instead, he’s hoping that when the full version of “Bad News is released (he makes it seem as though he’ll still put the song out), it’ll be a unifying song rather than one that divides… like people are painting it out to be: “I served this country, I love this country and the song itself is about all of us coming out of this divided space. I wasn’t speaking as a politician or some greater-than-thou a******. Just a 29-year-old man who is just as confused as everyone else. To see how much s*** is stirred up make me not only embarrassed, but kind of scared. Left wing or right wing, we’re all one bird and American. To be clear, I’m on neither of these radical sides. To all these disappointed in me on either side of whatever you believe in, just know I’m trying my best too, and we can all say things that are misconstrued sometimes. Everyone have a great day and I love each and every one of ya!” He continued: “The last few months of my life, I’ve been scrutinized by more people than I ever thought possible. I feel like I’ve tried  my hardest in so many ways and it’s so hard to see where my bearings even are anymore. Been falling off a cliff while trying to grow wings at the same time. I am SO proud to have served in a country where we can all speak freely and converse amongst each other without getting doxxed, or accosted on the internet, or worse; the violence and heartbreak we’ve faced in the last few months. God speed ol’ sons I’m out.” Now, I don’t think Zach was really as surprised by the controversy as he makes it seem. He turned off the comments on the song when he posted it, so chances are he was expecting the backlash or at least some criticism. How long before he deactivates his Instagram account altogether? Might be for the best right now.The post DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Calls Zach Bryan’s New Song “Disrespectful,” Says She Would Rather Listen To Jason Aldean, Kid Rock, Jon Pardi Or John Rich first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Surprise. In a year full of continued breakouts from the likes of Zach Top, Ella Langley, Ty Myers and more, Megan Moroney has undeniably risen to the top of the ranks in country music throughout 2025. Beyond leading the upcoming CMA Awards in November with six nominations, including Female Vocalist and Album of the Year (Am I Okay?), the Georgia native also scored major career milestones, scoring her second career #1 with “6 Months Later” and her second career certified gold album, also for Am I Okay?. Additionally, Moroney has been on an absolute tear on the road throughout the year on the Am I Okay? Tour, selling out venues across the country, including Red Rocks Amphitheater and Radio City Music Hall. As the tour slowly comes to an end with only three dates remaining, Moroney is giving fans a gift to remember the tour with: an Am I Okay? Tour live album, which comes out TONIGHT. Taking to Instagram this morning, Moroney would thank her fans (the aptly titled emo cowgirls/cowboys) for the continued support throughout the tour and noted that the best way she could celebrate the closing of this chapter of her career would be to release the live album out to the world. “THE AM I OKAY? TOUR LIVE ALBUM IS OUT TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT! I’ve decided the only way I can possibly come to terms with this chapter ending is knowing that we’ll have the entire show to listen back to whenever we want… and we get to relive these memories forever. This tour is permanently burned into my brain & has given me some of the happiest times of my life. To all my emo cowgirls/cowboys, my rockstar band & my incredible touring crew… thank you for bringing your heart into this show with me night after night. THREE more shows left… THREE more nights of checking our pulses… y’all better be ready to bring it Dallas!!!!!” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Megan Moroney (@megmoroney) Along with the announcement, Moroney would share a teaser of the live version of her 2021 debut single, “Wonder,” along with a setlist from one of the shows from the Am I Okay? Tour. Though she didn’t officially announce the live album’s tracklist, judging by the setlist photo in the Instagram post, you can expect all of her hits, ranging from “Tennessee Orange” and “6 Months Later” to deep cuts such as “Hope You’re Happy” and “The Girls.” A full list of expected songs is as follows: Expected Tracklist “Man on the Moon” “Indifferent” “I Know You” “Noah” “Third Time’s the Charm” “No Caller ID” “I’m Not Pretty” “Hair Salon” “Girl in the Mirror” “Sleep On My Side” “Lucky” “Hell of a Show” “28th of June” “Hope You’re Happy” “Mama I Lied” “Miss Universe” “Break It Right Back” “Bless Your Heart” “Wonder” “6 Months Later” “The Girls” “Tennessee Orange” “I’ll Be Fine” “Am I Okay?” “Am I Okay?” “Wonder” Megan Moroney Tour Dates October 10 – Dallas, TX – Texas Trust CU Theatre October 11 – Dallas, TX – Texas Trust CU Theatre October 12 – Dallas, TX – Texas Trust CU Theatre October 18 – Tampa, FL – Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park October 23 – Brisbane City, Australia – Riverstage October 25 – Sydney, Australia – Sydney ShowgroundThe post Megan Moroney To Release Live Album From The “Am I Okay?” Tour Tonight – “We Get To Relive These Memories Together” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.