Riley Green Reflects on a Breakout Year and Heads Into 2026 More Motivated Than Ever [Exclusive]
The country superstar on his CMA wins, collaborating with HEYDUDE, holiday chaos, and hitting the road again in 2026.
Riley Green; Photo Courtesy HEYDUDE
2025 shaped up to be the biggest year of Riley Green’s career so far. He headlined a massive tour, took a few songs to the top of the charts, and walked away with multiple major industry honors, including three CMA Awards at last month’s ceremony. And as he looks toward 2026, he’s feeling more motivated than ever to top it.
Calling in from sunny Los Angeles, Green reflected on his standout night at the CMA Awards and the opportunity to perform during “Country Music’s Biggest Night.”
“Well, for one, it’s always nice to have an award show like that towards the end of the year. You get to catch up with everybody and celebrate this cool thing we all get to do, which is traveling around playing country music. And to be able to go to those things is always fun. But to be nominated, and then to have a night we did, me and Ella [Langley] win three awards, it’s a pretty special thing. I’ve been around long enough to know it doesn’t happen very often.”
Green has now earned CMA wins in back-to-back years (one in 2024 and three this year), a streak he doesn’t take lightly.
“I didn’t think I would get to go. It never crossed my mind that I would ever be up for an award or win an award, or much less win three,” he admitted. “It’s great, and to be able to perform at the award show is a big deal, so it was a great night all the way around.”
Ahead of the big show, Green stopped by Riley Green’s Duck Blind in Nashville, where he hopped onstage for a surprise performance celebrating his partnership with HEYDUDE. He said it was a fun way to give back to fans and let them be part of the moment.
“Well, that’s the coolest thing about having your own bar in Nashville, aside from being able to eat and drink for free, is whenever you have an event like that, you get to do it right there at your bar and it’s always cool,” he pointed out. “At this point, we’ve kind of got people that have been listening to me for a long time, and regulars even that come in the bar. So letting them be involved in something like that, and kind of sneak in and feel like they’re getting something a little special that everybody can’t be a part of, is a pretty cool thing. So HEYDUDE did a great job with the event, and it was obviously fun for me to get to do it right there at my bar.”
For Green, working with HEYDUDE was a no-brainer. He says the shoes fit seamlessly into his lifestyle.
“For one, comfy dad shoes is probably my style more than anything, so when they reached out about doing a partnership, it was a pretty easy ‘yes’ for me,” he shared. “I grew up going down to the beach and doing offshore fishing, and the lifestyle of lounging around the farm or around the beach house or whatever it is, is certainly what I do when I have time off. So it was a great bunch, and more than anything, when you do a deal like that, it’s about meeting the people and seeing that you all have similar goals, and they’re all just good folks and they’ve been really great to work with.”
His HEYDUDE partnership may also score him some points with his nieces and nephews this holiday season.
“I’ve got a lot of nieces and nephews now that I need to hook up with some HEYDUDEs. I think that’d be a great idea for Christmas.”
Speaking of the holidays, if you want to know what Christmas is like for Riley Green and his family, just go listen to his song “Christmas To Me.”
“That might be the most accurate and true song I’ve ever written,” Green declared, and with a laugh added, “except for my sister doesn’t have a tattoo. That’s the only part that’s not true.”
He described his Christmas as a “little bit of chaos” but also “really special,” and just like the song, if you pull up to his grandma’s house, you can bet it’s going to look “like a parking lot.”
“You run into the Bass Pro Shop, you get a last-minute gift, we forgot somebody or whatever it is. And we have such a big family. Somebody’s always got some kind of emotional breakdown it seems like at Christmas. And I got two sisters and two girl cousins that were always around, so it was a lot of females and that drama going on. So it was a really cool thing growing up with a really close family like that. And I think the chaos of family get-togethers is kind of what makes it fun and keeps it exciting.”
With his final two shows of 2025 taking place this weekend, Green is already looking ahead to 2026 and feeling more inspired than ever.
“When you have a year we did, some people might think there’s a feeling of like, ‘Oh, well, I can relax now. I’ve accomplished this.’ But it is really the opposite,” he revealed. “It’s such a motivating thing when you’re writing songs and people are relating to ’em and it really seems to be working, and you’re getting recognition from the industry and your peers. And for me, it just makes me want to go put out more music and play more shows.”
Green told us that fans can expect more new music at the beginning of next year and, of course, plenty of shows around the world, with dates planned in the U.S., Canada, and Australia throughout the year.
Lauren Jo Black is a longtime country music journalist, editor, host, and media personality whose work has helped shape the conversation around country music for nearly two decades. As the current Editor-in-Chief of Country Now, she has become one of the genre’s most respected voices, interviewing hundreds of country music’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, and countless others. Over the course of her career, Black’s written work and interviews have reached billions of country music fans worldwide. A 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Black began her career by founding Country Music Is Love, one of country music’s earliest independent digital publications, which she later sold to a major record label in 2015 before it was rebranded as Sounds Like Nashville. She then served as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief for more than two years. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, and she previously served as the Country Music Expert for Answers.com. Widely recognized for her expertise, Black has appeared as a featured guest on The Bobby Bones Show, BobbyCast, and Scripps News Morning Rush, providing insight on country music’s biggest moments. She has also hosted Country Now Live, a concert series featuring performances from artists including Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Brett Young, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Chris Young, and more. The series has welcomed thousands of fans in person while reaching millions more online. In addition, she hosted Connect With Country Now, a weekly interview series featuring conversations with rising country stars. Throughout her career, Black has earned a reputation for discovering and championing artists long before they become household names. She has covered Luke Bryan since the early days of his career, beginning when he was writing songs for other artists, including Billy Currington’s No. 1 hit “Good Directions,” before stepping into the spotlight with his debut single, “All My Friends Say” and eventually becoming one of biggest names in music. She also gave Megan Moroney her first opportunity to walk a major red carpet as Country Now’s official guest correspondent at the 2022 CMA Awards. An interview she conducted in 2018 for Forbes.com with Luke Combs that inspired his multi-week No. 1 hit, “Doin’ This.” She has also hosted stages at CMA Fest, moderated an industry panel at Country Radio Seminar, and helped lead important conversations about the evolving landscape of country music media. Beyond journalism, Black has also used her platform to support charitable causes and highlight organizations making an impact. Through Country Now Live, she has helped raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while also advocating for animal rescue through Country Now’s Pupdate series, spotlighting organizations including MuttNation Foundation, Wags & Walks, and Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. Black has been recognized as one of Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. She is a longtime member of both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). After nearly 20 years covering country music, Lauren Jo Black has spent her career telling the stories behind the artists, songs, and moments that have shaped the genre. Her first-ever book, Country Music Forever: An A-to-Z Celebration of Icons, Songs and Stories, brings that same passion and firsthand knowledge to the page, celebrating not only the legendary artists and timeless songs that have become the soundtrack to generations of fans, but also the places, traditions, and cultural moments that have made country music one of the most beloved genres around the world.
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