Parker McCollum caught up with Billboard's Lyndsey Havens & Tetris Kelly at the ACM Awards 2025.
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00:00So 60th anniversary of the ACMs, what's a country music memory that stands out for you?
00:05Man, I won New Artist of the Year here a few years ago, so that's a pretty good memory for me.
00:10It was my first award, and I don't know, man, I just remember watching them on TV.
00:14Every year I get to come to them, it's pretty special.
00:17How did you celebrate that win, do you remember?
00:19I probably went to bed.
00:21That's a lie, Parker. I don't believe you.
00:24Country music really knows how to party.
00:26Very few people would say they went to bed.
00:28I feel seen by you.
00:30I'm the king of cutting out early and going to bed, so I got things to do.
00:33Oh, but you guys are going to cut out early tonight. I can see it happening.
00:36I got things to do.
00:37Right after this, right?
00:39100%.
00:39So what are you working on lately? What can you talk to us about?
00:43I got a new album coming out on June 27th.
00:45It's self-titled, favorite thing I've ever done, favorite songs I've ever written on this record.
00:50We got a new tour, starts at the end of June.
00:52About to play four stadiums with George Strait and Chris Stapleton up in the Northeast,
00:56so we got a lot going on. It's good right now.
00:58I'm always curious when an artist does a self-titled album, how do you know that that's the one you want to be self-titled?
01:04Because you can't really do it again.
01:06I've always wondered when I would do it, and it was really just when I couldn't think of a good album title and a good idea to wrap it around.
01:12But this album's super personal, and like I said, it's my favorite thing I've ever done.
01:17So it just seemed like the right time to do it.
01:19It's amazing. We can't wait to hear it.
01:20And what about what kind of man represented the project the best?
01:24You know, that was the first song we cut on the record.
01:25We cut the whole record in seven days in New York City, and that was the first one that we cut.
01:30And we cut two of them the first day.
01:32It was that, and the song we just put out called Hope That I'm Enough.
01:35And I wanted Hope That I'm Enough to be the single, and it didn't make it.
01:38But I wrote What Kind of Man about my wife, Hallie Ray, and it's pretty honest, pretty authentic,
01:43and kind of tells a true story.
01:45So any time I can be honest and sort of make it up, sort of tell the truth, that's right up my alley.
01:52I love that you said, like, that didn't make it.
01:54Like, how are you in those rooms when you're, like, I'm sure arguing with your manager or the label
01:58and, like, all these people?
01:59Because the people at home don't know about that experience.
02:01So how is it to be in that room fighting for your own music?
02:04You know, it's not really a room.
02:05It's more of just a series of text messages.
02:08But I let the label do, you know, push the single that they think is going to do the best at radio.
02:11And then, you know, all the songs are going to come out.
02:15And whether the song goes number one or not, you still got to get on that bus and go play those shows.
02:19So I try not to think too much about it.
02:20Man, I love that, man.
02:22We love everything you do, you know.
02:23Yeah, we appreciate the new music.
02:25And I hope you have fun tonight.
02:26And I hope you get to go to bed early.
02:28I will.
02:28I will.
02:29No doubt.
02:30We'll be checking on you.
02:31I'll be asleep too.
02:32Thanks so much.