Cody Johnson Announces Long-Awaited Duet With Carrie Underwood, ‘I’m Gonna Love You’
After a year of teasing this collaboration, it will finally be released next week.
Cody Johnson, Carrie Underwood; Photo Courtesy of Cody Johnson
The time has finally come for Cody Johnson to release his highly-anticipated duet with Carrie Underwood. In a new social media post, Johnson announced that their collaborative track “I’m Gonna Love You” will be dropping on Friday, September 27.
Back in March of 2023, the Texas native got fans excited when he teased that something was in the works with the American Idol alum. It was initially expected to appear on his latest 12-track project, Leather, however, when the track list was announced, Underwood’s name was not included.
Prior to the project’s release last November, Johnson hinted to Country Now that there would be a deluxe version of the album that would feature “some really cool stuff.” As a result, they decided put his collaboration with Underwood on hold for the time being.
“The deluxe edition that’s coming out is gonna have some really cool stuff on it and we decided to kind of wait. Her team has been very, very easy to work with and we’re trying to wait for the right time to reveal what we’ve done,” Johnson told us at the time.
It’s unclear when the rest of the 24-song album will be released, but at least fans know that this duet will be theirs in a little over a week.
“Thank you @carrieunderwood for joining me on this one and making it so special. Can’t wait for y’all to hear it,” Cody Johnson wrote alongside a series of western style images that appeared to have been captured while filming something for the new song.
Over the last 24 hours, the “Dirt Cheap” singer has been dropping small hints that have all led up to the official announcement. He first posted a fuzzy behind-the-scenes clip with a snippet of the slow-tempo tune that revealed a sneak peek into the tenderness of the heartfelt story.
The caption read, “Stars are gonna light up a midnight sky..”
This video was followed by a brief conversation between him and fellow country singer/songwriter, Travis Denning, which found them discussing the original demo and how the song wasn’t supposed to be a duet, leading viewers to believe that the “ABBY” singer is a writer on the track.
“I cut that song in 2019. I didn’t have a hit yet or anything and I literally, this is what’s so crazy,” Denning began. “I was like, ‘Well, who can we get to sing the harmony?’ I was like, ‘shoot for the stars, baby’” he added before naming a female artist that was bleeped out.
It has yet to be confirmed whether or not “I’m Gonna Love You” will appear on Johnson’s next project. Once released, the 24-song collection will mark his second consecutive double album, following his October 2021 project, Human.
The first half of Leather features “Work Boots,” “Watching My Old Flame,” “The Painter,” That’s Texas,” his RIAA Gold-certified “Dirt Cheap” and more. It also includes collaborations with Jelly Roll on “Whiskey Bent” and Brooks & Dunn on “Long Live Country Music.”
This collection earned Jonson several nominations ahead of this year’s People’s Choice Country Awards, including Album of 2024, Male Song of 2024, and Storyteller Song of 2024, both for “Dirt Cheap.” Additionally, he has earned a total of five nods going into the upcoming CMA Awards.
Written by
Madeleine O’Connell
Madeleine O’Connell graduated from North Central College with a bachelors degree in Journalism and Broadcast Communications before deciding to pursue her studies further at DePaul University. There, she earned her masters degree in Digital Communication & Media Arts. O’Connell served as a freelance writer for over two years while also interning with the Academy of Country Music, SiriusXM and Circle Media and assisting with Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly podcast. In addition to Country Now, she has been published in American Songwriter, Music Mayhem, and Holler.Country. Madeleine O’Connell is a member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.