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As well as treating fans to a blistering set at Country Thunder Arizona 2023, Cody Johnson stopped by KMLE Country 107.9 for a surprisingly revealing interview regarding new music.
Almost immediately after he dropped his acclaimed double-album, Human, in 2021, fans of the man known as ‘CoJo’ have been clamouring for news on the nature of his follow-up project.
Given the immense success that Human has enjoyed, expectations are unquestionably high for his next record. One of the lead singles from Human, ‘Til You Can't’, earned Cody his first ever Grammy at this year's ceremony for ‘Best Country Song’, while his live rendition of the motivational hit won him the 2023 CMT Award for Performance of the Year.
It seems he'll be sticking to this winning recipe for his new record, with Cody confirming to KMLE Country 107.9 that it'll be another double-album, comprising 24 songs.
The Texas hitmaker also revealed the new album will be entitled Leather, and that it'll be underpinned by a recurring theme of “fun”, regardless of whether he's singing on a ballad or a honky-tonk anthem.
Cody Johnson outlined, “I think we're going to release this one a little differently, but it'll be 24 tracks [in] total”, before adding the caveat that fans will have to wait a little longer before they'll get to hear the finished product, confirming that it'll be released “Maybe by the end of the year, maybe next year”.
The neo-traditional country star went on to express his pride at the material that's made its way onto the new record, “This round of 24 songs, I have to say, is the best round of songs I've ever recorded - and I feel like that's the way it should be. Each album should outdo the last one”.
He also emphasised that each song will carry a sense of levity, which could mean we're in store for more tracks in the mould of ‘Cowboy Scale of 1 to 10’ and ‘Honky Tonk Hardwood Floors’, “I think the theme of this new album is ‘fun’, it doesn't matter whether it's a ballad or whether it's tongue-in-cheek...it all has to be fun, it all needs to make you kind of want to move around and bob your head a little bit”.
With that introduction, it's safe to say that our sense of anticipation just surged through the roof. We'll be keeping our fingers crossed that Cody Johnson decides to put out Leather before the year is out.
Although we're still awaiting confirmation of the Leather tracklist, one song we know will be featuring is Cody Johnson's previously teased duet with Carrie Underwood.
This blockbuster collaboration will no doubt send ripples of excitement around the country music world, and we would imagine they'll drop the song ahead of the album itself - which means we could well hear the star-studded single in the coming months.
The Texas hitmaker spoke about the upcoming project during the recent CMT Awards Nominees TV special.
For more on Cody Johnson, see below:
