“He Was Amazing and He's So Kind”: Kelleigh Bannen on Interviewing Post Malone, Chappell Roan and More for Apple Music

Over the past few years, Apple Music Country's Kelleigh Bannen has established herself as one of the most influential media personalities in the country music space.

As well as spearheading the streaming giant's second-to-none country coverage through her eponymous radio show and Today's Country stations, the Nashville native continues to release new music, with her latest release - the Charles Kelley-assisted ‘Nothin On’ - drawing widespread plaudits from across the country world.

Kelleigh Bannen's status as an esteemed artist, coupled with her warm, genial nature, give her interviews a unique sense of intimacy and insight. Whether you're listening to Bannen jest with Lainey Wilson or have a profound heart-to-heart with Kelsea Ballerini, you feel like a fly-on-the-wall of a chat between two longtime friends.

Speaking to Holler about her high-profile interview with Chappell Roan, which coincided with the arrival of the pop phenom's debut country single, ‘The Giver’, earlier in March, Kelleigh Bannen underlines that Roan surprised her with her levity and openness.

Bannen begins by expressing the (very relatable) hope that ‘The Giver’ is not a standalone country release, and that there's more to come in this vein from Roan, “I never imagined that we would have a Chappell Roan project to talk about - a song to talk about. Obviously, it's just a single right now. I'm crossing my fingers there might be a handful of other songs on this album that could live in our world, but she said she's keeping it loose right now. She's not making any commitments!”

Kelleigh Bannen admits that she wasn't sure what kind of persona to expect ahead of the Chappell Roan interview, “I was truly surprised by how warm, vulnerable and candid Chappell was. When you're with someone with such a bombastic stage presence - and she's such a character on stage, she suits up with the hair, the makeup and the outfits - I wasn't sure if she could just do the human-to-human”.

Bannen heartwarmingly stresses, “But she was so incredibly revealing about herself. She was funny, she was playful and she was cracking jokes. It was really a delight. Maybe this speaks to my own suspicions of what pop-stars are generally like. I tend to think our country people are pretty down-to-earth and easy to talk to, and I don't know that I assumed a huge pop-star would be quite as easy-going as she was”.

As for another blockbuster crossover artist, Post Malone, Kelleigh Bannen was tasked with conducting one of the only interviews with the double-Diamond-certified artist in the lead-up to his first country album, F-1Trillion. One of the most eagerly anticipated records of last year, across all genres, this was no small task - particularly given the fact that Post has traditionally carried out his Apple Music interviews with another of the platform's radio titans, Zane Lowe. Yet Bannen once again showcased the ease and amiability she has become synonymous with, offering listeners a fascinating insight into the creation of this impactful record.

However, such is the standard Kelleigh Bannen holds herself too, she confesses she wasn't happy with how it turned out, “I beat myself up after that interview. It happened really fast, the turnaround time was really fast. We flew out, it was a whirlwind - a lot like the Chappell interview, honestly - and I like to rely on my prep time, and time to live with the music so I'm not just cramming for the test, but to know the music in a relaxed way. So I look at that interview and I really beat myself up. I feel like I couldn't get out of my own way, just as I'm analysing it, you know?”

Nonetheless, it's safe to say fans loved the episode, with Post Malone demonstrating his trademark uber-politeness throughout. Bannen gushes, “He was amazing and he's so kind. The thing that I love about the way Post entered country music, is he entered it with a really curious heart and a desire to get the buy-in from Nashville”.

Bannen qualifies this, “I don't mean that everyone has to get the buy-in from Nashville in order to make a country project - they don't, and there are some brilliant albums, obviously, that didn't necessarily have to play by the Nashville rules, and I admire that too”.

The ‘Cherry Coke Can’ singer-songwriter celebrates the way in which Post Malone has immersed himself in Music City, performing at the Opry and Ryman, while working with Nashville staples such as ERNEST, Luke Combs and Charlie Handsome, “What Post did, is he kind of came to Nashville, and made the Nashvilliest album with all the Nashville people, and just did it in a way that was like, ‘I'm gonna embrace this whole way of doing it’ - and he did it. Like, he already had his doctorate doing country music at the highest level. It was amazing to watch”.

After a stellar 2024 packed with tectonic-pate-shifting projects in the country music landscape, such as Post's F-1Trillion, 2025 is already shaping up to be equally as thrilling, with new records on the way from Morgan Wallen, Lana Del Rey and many more.

“Just being in the middle of the astronomical growth of country music feels like a really amazing seat to be sitting in”, Kelleigh Bannen emphasises, “To the point where even all the rumours that are swirling about different projects or different crossover albums that might get dropped...I just know that the continued growth of country is going to mean that we get to be in some amazing conversations”.

Bannen teases that there's plenty on the horizon, “Specifically, I think I'm just excited about...I mean, I don't want to reveal any albums that haven't been released yet! But I think we're going to have a pretty stacked year, even just from our country mainstays. There are a handful of interviews that might be firsts for me with an artist, and I'm really excited to make the most of those album moments with them”.

As for her solo career, following the popularity of the beautifully intricate ‘Nothin On‘, it seems that - thankfully - Kelleigh Bannen has much more in store for her loyal fanbase.

Endearingly, even though all her recent releases have been rightfully championed by fans and critics alike, Bannen again admits she's contending with some self-doubt ahead of releasing her keenly awaited ‘Nothin On’ follow-up, “We've got a couple others that are ready to pop out, but I'm nervous! I'm a nit-picker and a second-guesser. There are a couple that we tracked last year, and I'm just not quite sure they're ready, so I'm honestly thinking about taking a little more time in writing. We will have a project with some live versions that will be coming out in June...But yeah, I'm honestly in my second-guess, self-hatred world...! So I've got to get confident about the next step for me, song-wise”.

Kelleigh Bannen remains a pioneering force in her field, with the ‘Don't Fall in Love’ crooner being the first female global radio anchor host in country music, and securing the coveted 48th Gracie Award for Streaming Syndicated Radio Host/Personality in 2023.

With each new Apple Music interview, Kelleigh Bannen consolidates her status as one of Nashville's modern-day trailblazers, influencing the country music terrain by mastering the art of one of humanity's most powerful, transformative tools - conversation.

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