Who wouldn’t be a little star-struck talking to Chris Stapleton? Over the past year or so, Mumford & Sons have been making waves in country music. Of course, they’ve remained one of the staples in modern folk over the past two decades. Scoring massive hits such as “I Will Wait,” “Little Lion Man” and “White Blank Page,” they’ve cemented themselves as an essential in the genre, up there with the likes of The Lumineers, Gregory Alan Isakov and the Fleet Foxes. Recently, they’ve made a plethora of different appearances with some of the biggest stars in country music. Not only did they make multiple appearances with Sierra Ferrell and reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, Lainey Wilson, throughout their 2025 tour, but Mumford and Co. were also featured predominantly during the Grand Ole Opry’s historic, first-ever international show in London at the Royal Albert Hall. Joining the likes of Combs, Darius Rucker, Ashley McBryde and more, frontman Marcus Mumford joined the “Hurricane” singer for a cover of Willie Nelson’s “Always On My Mind” at the event. With so many appearances with country superstars recently, especially over the past few months, many (myself included) were wondering if Mumford and Co. were signaling a potential full crossover into the genre due to the prominence and subsequent fusion of both country and folk over the past few years. As it turns out, they didn’t dive into country music fully on their last record, Prizefighter. Instead, they called on the living legend himself, Chris Stapleton, on the album opener, “Here.” Unsurprisingly, the track was one of the standouts from the record, which sees Mumford and Stapleton grapple with a broken relationship, telling the unknown subject of the song to essentially take everything from his past, knowing it will help them find peace. Recently, Mumford appeared on the TODAY Show to dive into how the collaboration came to be. @todayshowMarcus Mumford explained the backstory behind getting Chris Stapleton to feature on “Here,” the first song of Mumford & Sons’ latest album “Prizefighter.” Mumford says that the band had existing relationships with most of the features on the album, including Gracie Abrams and Hozier, but Stapleton received a cold call. “I was just sort of gushing about how much I love him. And I think he’s a generational voice, and I just am, I’m obsessed with him,” Mumford said. He added it was always his “dream” to have Stapleton on “Here,” specifically. “It was kind of (Chris Stapleton) to come on board.” Sponsored by Citi ♬ original sound – TODAY Show Here, he would reveal that Stapleton was the only artist he didn’t have some form of relationship with, noting how he had already worked with the likes of other collaborators such as pop star Gracie Abrams. “He was the only cold call on this record. Everyone else we already had relationships with, even like Justin Vernon, who is involved in the record, Rob Moose, who did some strings and Gracie Abrams. People like that, we already had friendships with.” Mumford would then dive into the specifics of his “cold call” with Stapleton. Calling it a bit “gross,” he recalled how much he gushed over the “Starting Over” singer’s artistry, calling him a “generational voice” and explaining how it was always his dream to have him on the track. “With Chris, I got his number, and I called him. I was a bit gross for the first few minutes of the call, because I was just sort of gushing about how much I love him. I think he’s a generational voice, and I’m obsessed with him. That was always my dream with the song ‘Here,’ which is the first song on the record, to have him sing the second verse. Graciously, he did it.” Finally, the “Rubber Band Man” singer would detail the brief phone call with Stapleton, recalling that the two talked about family and work before he pitched the song. Once again, he’d express how thankful he was for the collaboration. “We talked about family and work for a while first. I warmed him up and then got into the record. It was brief. He’s got lots of children, so we found a window. He plays a lot of shows, but it was kind of him to come on board. Before you go, fire up the track. Chris Stapleton Tour Dates August 1 – Cincinnati, Ohio – Paycor Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone August 6 – Toronto, Ontario – Rogers Stadium with Zach Top & Allen Stone August 8 – Detroit, Michigan – Ford Field with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone August 14 – Boston, Massachusetts – Fenway Park with Zach Top & Allen Stone August 18 – Virginia Beach, Virginia – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater with Maggie Rose August 21 – Atlanta, Georgia – Mercedes-Benz Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Ashley McBryde August 26 – Wantagh, New York – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater with Carter Faith August 28 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion with Carter Faith October 2 – Bristow, Virginia – Jiffy Lube Live with Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs October 7 – Lincoln, Nebraska – Pinnacle Bank Arena with Nikki Lane October 9 – Kansas City, Missouri – Morton Amphitheater with Nikki LaneThe post “Gushing About How Much I Love Him”: Marcus Mumford Says He Cold Called Chris Stapleton To Pitch Collaboration, “Here” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.