Riley Green Opens Up About Keeping His Fans at the Heart of His Music

Riley Green is giving fans a closer look at the mindset and approach behind his music as he gears up to release his next album, That’s Just Me, on September 18.

On Wednesday, September 9, Spotify debuted the latest episode of its Countdown To video series, featuring Green as this week’s guest alongside host Pat McAfee. During their conversation, the country star opened up about everything from his songwriting process and the achievements that mean the most to him, how his collaborations come together organically and more.

One of the biggest takeaways from the episode was when the Alabama native explained how he often puts himself in the listener’s shoes when making decisions about every aspect of his career. He explained that he often considers what fans want to hear and experience rather than focusing on what he personally wants to play or record.

“I look at everything I do in my career as a fan. What would I want to see my favorite artist do? You know when I’m on stage performing how would I want to make my setlist? It’s not necessarily the songs I want to play—it’s what does somebody that bought that ticket, that saved up, that works a construction job, what do they want to see me do?”

The same approach carries over into his album-making process. When Green goes into the studio to make a record, he asks himself, “what does that person want to hear me sing about?” At the same time, he has never lost sight of the stories and experiences that shaped him. He makes a point to stay connected to his Alabama roots and the values he grew up with by bringing those influences into every record.

“I always tend to make sure I find a way to write from that same place that got me here, which is a small town in Alabama where I grew up. So I always try to go home and write, you know, at least 4 or 5 songs going to be on every record from that mindset of just how I grew up and my family values.”

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That connection to home has given Green plenty of songs that are inspired emotions and experiences of his own life. While those personal stories remain a big part of his catalog, he stressed the importance of having a balance between those stories and songs that anyone can relate to.

“I love those types of songs—sad country songs, story type songs, and then you got to have those…just fun, easy listening [songs] that makes you want to hold a beer up at a show,” Green told McAfee.

Beyond finding the right balance in his songwriting, Riley Green also uses each album as an opportunity to step outside of his comfort zone.

“Every record, I want to try to push myself musically a little bit into something that I’m not necessarily comfortable with,” he explained.

With his upcoming fourth studio album, That’s Just Me, Green is stepping into a new chapter with even more vulnerability, as many of the tracks were written and recorded during a pivotal period in his life and career. This collection of songs will mark yet another achievement in an already impressive list of career milestones.

Riley Green has already accomplished a lot throughout his time as a country star, like earning recognition from both the CMA and ACM Awards, solidifying himself as one of country music’s most undeniable forces and racking up seven No. 1 songs to date. But when asked if he has a “North Star” or a major goal he’s hoping to achieve, Green simply explained that he does not consider himself to be “goal-oriented” and that he judges success different than fans might expect.

“I can’t think of things in my music career where I thought, ‘man, I’ve got to accomplish that.’ And then when I get there, I’m like, yes, awards, you know what I mean? The moments that stand out to me were playing the Grand Ole Opry and my grandparents being there. That was awesome. You know, number one records, great. And getting recognized at awards shows by your peers is a huge deal. Red Rocks was a really cool one. But for me, it was more like, I saw all the opportunities that I had, and I just felt like, man, I need to get as much out of this as I can.”

He went on to say that he often thinks about how many people would love the opportunity to do what he gets to do every day. That perspective helps him keep himself in check, especially when he catches himself complaining about opportunities that others would consider a dream come true.

“So I think that mine is—opposed to being like ‘this is my goal on the board I need to get to that,’ it’s more just like ‘man, I’m going to keep my head down and grind and see where that gets me.’”

The “Think As You Drunk” singer is currently in the midst of his largest headlining tour to date, his Cowboy As It Gets Tour, which will take him to major cities and arenas across the country through December.