Cody Johnson Says ‘I’m Here To Stay’ After Injury Comeback, Teases Flood of New Music

A ruptured eardrum forced Cody Johnson off the road late last year, putting his fast-moving career on pause for surgery and recovery. That time off could have easily slowed down his momentum, but instead he’s coming back stronger and more driven than ever with the promise: “I’m here to stay.”

“I was out for three months after the surgery, and I had this mentality of when I come back, I’m taking no prisoners. When I come back, I’m putting my head down and I’m going to freaking work,” Johnson admitted during an appearance on Dale Brisby’s Rodeo Time podcast.

Because he fully leaned into that mindset, the country star says he has “so many songs” set to drop outside of his next album, which is already finished and waiting in the wings.

“I’ve already got the whole gun is loaded. The ammunition’s there. We’re just fixing to start sending it,” he teased.

In the midst of his recovery, Johnson scored a milestone that has helped add even more fuel to his fire. During the 2026 CMA Awards, he took home his first-ever Male Vocalist of the Year award, which put an end to Chris Stapleton’s four-year winning streak. The Texas native honestly shared that after devoting basically his whole life up to this point to music, it felt pretty surreal to be recognized in such an esteemed category

“To get Male Vocalist of the Year, especially when you’re in a category with Luke Combs and Chris Stapleton, that’s a big deal. So I was pretty taken back. I was pretty proud of that one,” he said, recalling his reaction.

Now that he officially has that honor under his belt, he’s ready to start working toward the next accomplishment, which in this case would be the Entertainer of the Year award at both the major country music award shows. But even if (and when) he does reach that point, he will continue to strive for something bigger and to become a better artist than he was the year before.

“I’m still chasing the gold buckle. Cowboys, you chase the gold buckle. And for me, that gold buckle is Entertainer of the Year. I mean, ACMs, CMAs, and that’s what I’m after. And when I get it, I’m probably going to go chase it again.”

Each night when he’s on stage, Johnson strives to instill that motivation into every person in that audience through his music and especially with songs like the empowering hit, “’Til You Can’t.”

“I sing the song, ‘if you got a chance to take it, dream won’t chase you back’ and all that. But me making it in the industry is a one in 10 million chance, man. You have to be prepared to lay it all on the line. So I went with no backup plan and in my mind, I was like, ‘I’m either going to die doing this or it’s going to work.’”

His tireless dedication has already proved to be successful in so many ways and because of that, he has been able to provide a comfortable life for him and his family. This is an accomplishment he is clearly very proud of, but it also hasn’t slowed down his drive in the slightest.

“I have that level of comfort, if it’s all over, it’s okay for my family,” he admitted. “Now I’m like, we’re just doing it for sport. Now we’re just doing it for the absolute love of the game. I just want to try to be something in country music that is remembered forever because that’s my sport.”

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All the new music that the “I’m Gonna Love You” singer is preparing to be released throughout the next few months will power all the massive shows he has on the books this year. In addition to his 2026 headline trek, Johnson is preparing to make his headline debut at Stagecoach on April 24.

“That’s a huge deal,” he said of the chance to perform at such a large-scale country music festival. “I just feel like now is the time in my career to make the push to set the bar higher and to say, I’m not going away. I’m here to stay.”