Country Music Talk

Kassi Ashton stops by the Absolute Radio Country studio to tell Baylen Leonard all about her duet with Parker McCollum, how performing music has been in her blood since she was a baby, and she reflects on the highs and lows of making it in country music.

Jackson Dean stops by the Absolute Radio Country during his UK tour to talk to Baylen about his new songs 'Real Real' and 'Be Your Man'. He talks about why UK country audiences will always be special to him, and reflects on the UK show that was possibly 'the best 30 minutes of his life'...

Tucker Wetmore joins Baylen to talk about his new album What Not To… He shares how personal his song writing is, how his exes must know which songs are about them and reflects on the success he's experienced over the last year…

Maggie Antone tells Baylen Leonard how a Tyler Childers cover she posted on TikTok helped to launch her career in country music. She also talks about her album 'Rhinestoned' and how growing up in Virginia means country has always been in her blood...

Baylen Leonard sits down with Drew Baldridge to hear the fascinating story behind his number 1 songs 'She's Somebody's Daughter' and 'Tough People'. He also reflects on his C2C Spotlight Stage performance and looks ahead to new music that's coming before the end of 2025.

Lou Nash talks to Avery Anna about her recent main stage performance at C2C and how it compared to her UK debut on the spotlight stage just 3 years ago. Avery also shares details of her exciting new album 'Let Go Letters' which comes out in May.

Chase and Isaac from 49 Winchester join Baylen Leonard in the studio to talk about their UK tour that's been announced for October. They share how it feels watching their UK fan base grow, and how important it is to support up-and-coming artists.

Wyatt Flores joins Baylen in the studio to talk about what's special about bringing his music to the UK. They also talk about his move from Nashville back home to Oklahoma, Wyatt shares his favourite meal to cook for friends and family and he teases some very special new music that's coming soon...

Baylen Leonard catches up with Tanner Adell to talk about her latest single 'Going Blonde'. As well as sharing the deeply personal story behind her new music, Tanner talks about her love of London and her UK fans, and what it's like working with Beyonce...

Kashus Culpepper catches up with Baylen Leonard and shares the story of how picking up a guitar for the first time while on deployment with the US Navy changed his life... He reflects on how he's built an unexpected career in country music, and talks about what it's like travelling to the UK for the first time.

Warren Zeiders sits down with Baylen Leonard to talk about his new album 'Relapse, Lies and Betrayal'. He also discusses how a Lacrosse injury led to him to pursue a path in country music and shares his healthy-living approach to ordering fast food...

Ryan Hurd sits down with Baylen Leonard to talk about his new album 'Midwest Rock & Roll'. He tells the amazing story behind his song 'Paul' and shares the inspiration behind the rest of the album.

Baylen Leonard sits down with Shaboozey just after his main-stage performance at C2C 2025. He talks about how his life has been a whirlwind since 'A Bar Song', looks ahead to his performance at Glastonbury this summer, and reflects on bringing a wide range of influences to his music.

Baylen Leonard sits down with Dierks Bentley backstage just before his headline performance at C2C. They talk about his latest song with Stephen Wilson Jr., how the country music scene has changed since his last visit to the UK, and how he's been making the most of his time in London...

Tyler Hubbard stops by the Absolute Radio Country studio to say hi to Baylen Leonard before hitting the main stage at C2C 2025. They talk about how it feels to be back in the UK as a solo artist, his album 'Strong' and the latest single 'Turn'. He also shares what it's like writing songs with Ed Sheeran.

Ben Earle catches up with Willow Avalon ahead of her C2C debut. They talk about her new album, who she is LOVING in country music right now, and she shares the story of how she went from living in her car in Los Angeles to landing a record deal....

Corey Kent chats to Baylen about his latest live EP, how it felt to do his first UK headline tour, and how he plans to make his UK fans a priority in his country music career.

Baylen catches up with his buddy Nate Smith who is on the line-up for the main stage at C2C 2025. He talks about his whirlwind career over the last 2 years, how excited he is to be returning to the UK, and shares the story behind his new collaboration with Hardy - 'Nobody Likes Your Girlfriend'.

Ben Earle sits down with country music superstar Kane Brown to talk about his latest album 'The High Road'. They discuss fatherhood and songwriting, what Jelly Roll brought to the song 'Haunted' and how it feels sharing the stage with his wife Katelyn...Kane also looks ahead to his HUGE UK tour later on this year.

Carly Pearce sits down with Baylen Leonard during her UK tour. They talk about the inspiration behind her hit song 'Truck On Fire,' how she loves being a member of the Grand Ole Opry in its 100th year, and what she gets up in the UK when she's not on stage performing...

Baylen Leonard catches up with Mark Wystrach from Midland to talk about the announcement that they'll be headlining The Long Road Festival this summer. Mark also shares what he loves about UK country fans and looks ahead to new music that's coming soon...

Darius Rucker stops by to tell Baylen Leonard all about his recent move to London, how he's loving life in the UK and writing with some of our homegrown songwriters... He also shares what it was like performing with Morgan Wallen in front of 70,000 fans, and looks ahead to his brand new series of shows on Absolute Radio Country.

Baylen catches up with Max McNown to talk about his viral hit 'A Lot More Free,' his brand-new album 'Night Diving' and his trip to the UK to play the C2C Festival in March.

Ben Earle catches up with Ashley Cooke to find out how it felt when her song 'Your Place' when to Number 1 last year, and what it's like travelling in her fancy new tour bus. They also talk about the Grand Ole Opry, her love for her UK fans and her brand new single 'I Almost Do'.

Baylen Leonard sits down with TJ and John Osborne to talk about the time they've spent touring the UK, their multiple award wins and nominations and the highlights of their illustrious career. They also share how they almost ended up being plumbers...

Ben Earle catches up with an act from Absolute Radio Country's Class of 2025... The Castellows talk about the whirlwind year they've experienced, from supporting Little Big Town in arenas to being announced for the main stage at C2C. They also share the inspiration behind their new EP 'Alabama Stone'.

Baylen Leonard catches up with rising star Laney Gardner - one of Absolute Radio County's Class of 2025. She talks about touring with Jelly Roll, gaining the attention of Morgan Wallen and Ernest, and shares the inspiration behind her debut album 'A Songwriter's Diary'.

Baylen sits down with Twinnie to find out all about her brand new EP 'Something We Used To Say'. She also talks about living in Nashville but flying back to the UK to star in Emmerdale, how it felt to make her Grand Ole Opry debut and picks the UK food that she misses the most when she's over in Tennessee.

Baylen meets up-and-coming country star Madeline Merlo to talk about her new collaboration with Dustin Lynch, what it was like moving to Nashville, and how it felt to play her Grand Ole Opry debut.

Baylen Leonard catches up with Kelsea Ballerini to find out all about her brand-new album 'Patterns'. She tells him about working with Noah Kahan, why she LOVES performing in the UK and much more.

Baylen Leonard catches up with Riley Green to talk about his new album 'Don't Mind If I Do'. Riley discusses working with Ella Langley, the rising popularity of 'traditional' country music and reflects on his UK debut supporting Morgan Wallen in Hyde Park in front of 50,000 fans,,,

Baylen Leonard catches up with Matthew Ramsey from the multi-CMA and ACM Award-Winning band, Old Dominion. He talks about what it was like headlining C2C 2024, teases a new album and return to the UK, and talks about their fan-favourites compilation collection 'Oldies But Goodies'.

Ben Earle catches up with Sam Williams, son of Hank Jr. and grandson of Hank Williams, who is now carving his own path in country music. He talks about collaborating with Dolly Parton, his latest release 'Act I: Scarlet Lonesome' and reflects on the day he made his Grand Ole Opry debut in his Grandfather's iconic cowboy hat.

Baylen Leonard sits down with country music legend Keith Urban to find out all about his brand-new album 'High'. Keith tells the story of why it was 4 years in the making, reflects on being inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame by Dolly Parton, and shares what it was like collaborating with Lainey Wilson.

Baylen Leonard talks to country music legend of 'Long Black Train' fame, Josh Turner, about his Grand Ole Opry debut, the TikTok revival of 'Your Man' and his brand new album 'This Country Music Thing'.

Jennie Longdon sits down with a country music superstar who has over 20 number 1 songs to his name... Thomas Rhett tells her all about how his family inspired his new album 'About A Woman,' reflects on his career and shares what it was like working with Morgan Wallen on 'Mamaw's House'.

The Long Road Festival Headliner Russell Dickerson sits down with Jennie Longdon to talk about how it feels to bring the RD Party back to his UK fans. He reflects on how it feels to be a father of two, shares his country music ambitions, and talks about playing the Grand Ole Opry.

Country music sensation Dasha talks to Jennie Longdon backstage at The Long Road Festival. They talk about her rise to fame, the support she's received from Lainey Wilson and Kelsea Ballerini and how it felt when she first realised 'Austin' was going to be a hit...

Jason and Cleto from Flatland Cavalry talk to Baylen Leonard, backstage on a hay bale at The Long Road Festival. They talk about how it feels to travel the world sharing their music, and reflect on the Texas bar that helped them get started in country music.

Baylen Leonard catches up with Randall King backstage at The Long Road Festival, just ahead of his debut UK performance on the Rhinestone Stage.

Baylen Leonard sits down with Grammy Award-Winning country music superstar Lainey Wilson to find out all about her brand-new album Whirlwind. She reflects on her Grand Ole Opry induction, talks about her collaboration with Post Malone and shares how this new album is her most personal work yet…

Don McLean talks to Jennie Longdon about how he feels about the UK audiences he has been performing to for over 50 years, and how it feels to be headlining The Long Road Festival. He also shares the story behind one of the most iconic songs in music history, 'American Pie'.

Wyatt Flores sits down on a hay bale with Baylen Leonard backstage at The Long Road Festival to talk about his enormous success over the last couple of years. He shares the personal story behind fan favourite 'Please Don't Go,' reflects on his performance at Nashville's CMA Fest earlier this year, and talks about how excited he is to be making his UK debut at The Long Road.

Jennie Longdon catches up with Colbie Caillat at The Long Road Festival. She talks about what she loves about the UK Country Music scene, what it was like working with Taylor Swift on 'Breathe' and teases her next country music project...

Kristian Bush from Sugarland joins Jennie Longdon on a hay bale backstage at The Long Festival. He talks about how it feels performing for UK country fans, what it's like working with names like Taylor Swift, Thomas Rhett and Megan Moroney and reflects on his many performances at The Grand Ole Opry. He also shares the inspiration behind Sugarland's brand-new EP 'There Goes The Neighbourhood'.

Russell Dickerson chat to Baylen Leonard about his latest single Bones, and shares how excited he is to be returning to the UK to headline The Long Road Festival before heading to London, Manchester, Birmingham and more on tour...

Baylen Leonard sits down with Charley Crockett, who shares the journey that took him from busking in Paris to selling out the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and playing the Grand Ole Opry. He also talks about learning his craft as a performer on the street and writing his latest album, #$10 Cowboy' while on the road.

Baylen Leonard sits down with up-and-coming country music sensation Tucker Wetmore to discuss the success of his single 'Wind Up Missin' You' and how playing Beethoven on the piano was the first step he took toward a career in music... He also shares what it's like touring with names like Luke Bryan and Chris Young, and what it felt like being asked to write for the 'Twisters' soundtrack.

Baylen catches up with multi-platinum artist Riley Green on his first ever trip to the UK to support Morgan Wallen... They talk about how he got started in country music, his album 'Ain't My Last Rodeo' and what it's like collaborating with Jelly Roll and Luke Combs...

Baylen catches up with record-breaking singer-songwriter Nate Smith to find out all about his brand new EP 'Through The Smoke'. They talk about what it's like supporting Morgan Wallen on tour, how he's made friends with Avril Lavigne and when he plans to come back to the UK...

Nashville legend Charles Esten stops by to tell Baylen all about his debut album, 'Love Ain't Pretty' which was more than 10 years in the making. He reflects on the popularity of the TV show 'Nashville,' what it means to have played the Grand Ole Opry over a hundred times, and shares his love for the UK...