Shane McAnally Reflects On Expanding His Family Via Surrogate And Finding Joy Beyond The Hits

Hit songwriter Shane McAnally and his husband, Michael Baum, are preparing to welcome their third child, a baby boy. The couple are already parents to 12-year-old twins and they’re thrilled to expand their family via surrogate.

McAnally may have just turned 51, but he’s not letting age, or society’s expectations, dictate his choices, including when to grow his family.

“I know things are changing all the time,” McAnally tells PEOPLE, while discussing the expectations society often sets. “And of course, since ours is a nontraditional family anyway, we don’t feel like those rules apply.”

The family of four left the hustle and bustle of Nashville in late 2023 and moved to Santa Barbara, Calif., where they now surround themselves with a much more easygoing setting. McAnally still finds himself traveling to Nashville for work about once a month, but him, his husband and their children have found themselves to be very comfortable and secure in their new home.

This lifestyle change ended up being the reason they felt it was the right time to add another member to their family, which is something the songwriter admits he has wanted for a long time now.

“We have really nested,” says McAnally. “Our kids have found an incredible rhythm here. It’s just been a really good thing for our family. Michael always says, ‘Things grow here,’ and so we just wanted to expand the love. I’ve wanted to have another baby a lot through the years.”

Throughout the process of their second surrogacy, McAnally explains it’s felt like everything has perfectly fallen into place.

“It just started to feel like it was meant to be,” he added. “I have to trust the way the universe does things, and it was all green lights.”

So far, the biggest issue the parents have faced is getting their daughter, Dylan, and son, Dash, on board with the idea of welcoming another sibling at this stage in their lives.

“They were just like, ‘Absolutely not.’ ‘We’re good. We love the number four, and everything’s great.’”

McAnally admits it wasn’t easy breaking the news to their kids, especially because he says they have given them “such license to speak their minds.” When they finally shared a sonogram a few months later, confirming that the baby was on the way, the twins weren’t exactly thrilled.

“It was not well received,” McAnally admits with a laugh.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Michael McAnally Baum (@michaelmcanallybaum)

While listening to the advice of friends who know what it’s like to have their kids years a part, he’s hoping that his kids’ opinions will change once the baby actually arrives. It seems like slowly, but surely, as the due date approaches, his son has at least started to change his tune slightly.

“He’s already asking, ‘How old would he have to be before he could sleep with me?’ and ‘When will I get to show him basketball?,’” McAnally said of his son.

“We just have to get through the initial part and make sure she doesn’t smother the baby!” he added in reference to his daughter.

The couple are expecting their baby boy to arrive in San Diego, with them and their twins present for the occasion. This time around, he expects the process of caring for their newborn to go different than when they welcomed the arrival of their twins.

Their first set of children were born during the height of McAnally’s hit-making streak, and as a result, he admits it became too much on his plate. With baby number three, he has a much clearer head and work schedule. He now finds much more joy in spending time with his kids than chasing hits.

His career was kickstarted in 2010 after his song, “Somewhere with You,” was recorded by Kenny Chesney and became a groundbreaking success. McAnally has gone on to rack up 50 No. 1 songs that he’s written and/or produced for other artists including Sam Hunt, Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban, Kacey Musgraves, as well as the Tony-winning Broadway musical, Shucked.

But that doesn’t mean Shane McAnally is stepping away from his career entirely. In fact, just 10 days after his baby’s due date, he’ll hit the road with Walker Hayes, opening as a stand-up comic for all 10 tour dates.

This major career shift came one day when he decided to try writing an entire stand-up show and ended up falling in love with the newfound way to express his passion. Luckily, he had the support of his husband right from the start.

“He told me, ‘I was wondering when you would figure this out,’” McAnally recalls.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by shane mcanally (@shanemcanally)

That show that he wrote eventually came to fruition. It was titled “You Never Know,” and debuted at the Bluebird Café in May. Since then, he’s brought his comedy to sold-out crowds at clubs in Nashville, New York, Los Angeles, and Huntsville, Ala.

McAnally’s sets typically run for a full hour and are known to conjure up laughs from stories about his songwriting inspirations, life as a gay dad, and growing up in tiny Mineral Wells, Texas, raised by his mom. He also sneaks in a few of his biggest hits and a few never-to-be-recorded gems.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Walker Hayes (@walkerhayes)

Joining the country star on the road to deliver a 20-minute opening set each night will be a full circle moment for the pair of creatives, as McAnally has already worked alongside Hayes in various ways over the past 10 years.

The tour, dubbed Walker Hayes Tour Live, is underway now. Shane McAnally is set to join on November 6 in Paducah, KY and continue through the very last date of the trek, November 22.