Trace Adkins Says He’ll Keep Making Music ‘As Long As I Can Still Sing Those Songs’

Trace Adkins feels as though he’s already accomplished more in the past three decades of his career than he ever imagined he would, but he has no plans to slow down anytime soon. The hitmaker recently revealed that he’s still feeling stronger than ever behind the microphone, and that is enough motivation to continue playing shows and making new music.

“As long as I can still sing those songs in the same key that I recorded them in and I can still hit the licks and hit the notes and do all the things that I need to do. I guess I’ll just keep doing it,” he told Theo Von in a new episode of his This Past Weekend Podcast.

Adkins thought back to his football days, noting how he didn’t walk away from the game until he reached a point where he couldn’t play at the level that satisfied him. The same thing goes for music. When the day comes that he can no longer deliver the sound that fans keep coming back for, he will happily hang his hat up.

“I don’t want to be one of those guys. I’ve seen those guys. I’ve been to those shows where they’re still out doing it. And it’s like, ‘Dude, just quit. Just please stop. We don’t want to remember you like this.’ I don’t want anybody to say that about me ever.”

At the current stage of Adkins’ career, he believes that years of experience and giving up smoking have only sharpened his talent, allowing him to continue singing his catalog of hits while feeling more confident in his voice than ever before.

“I think I’m better at it now than I ever have been…I quit smoking and range got better. The bottom’s gotten better over the years. I mean, I can go deeper than I ever could, and that’s just going to get better,” he explained. “With age, your voice just gets lower and lower. But I haven’t lost anything on the top either. I can still hit everything on the top end that I always could. So hell, why not? Just keep doing it.”

This has given him the motivation to make a new country album. Adkins admits that after releasing his last full-length project in 2021, The Way I Wanna Go, he wasn’t sure if he would make another record, but upon reaching his 30th anniversary in country music this year, he realized that there’s no reason not to get back in the studio.

“It had 25 songs on it because we did that during COVID when we didn’t have anything else to do. So we just stayed in the studio all the time and ended up with 25 songs. I thought, ‘Okay, that’s it. I don’t have to do another record.’ And then when 30 years came along and my voice is still the way it is, I thought, ‘I guess I will do another record.’ And I’ve always been like that.’”

It’s unclear exactly when we will get this record or how it will sound, but it’s safe to say that Trace Adkins will approach it the same way he has with all his past projects and make the music on his own terms.  

These days, he says he has no interest in trying to compete with his fellow artists or fight for another No. 1 at country radio. After everything he’s accomplished over the past 30 years, he’s content with his career and is just enjoying the chance to keep doing what he loves.

“I’m not in there crossing swords with the young guys anymore. I don’t need to do that…I’ve had a great career. Don’t get me wrong. I’m totally content. I mean, I’m very happy. I’ve had a great run. It was a great ride, but things pass you by. People move on to different things, and I’m cool with that.”

Adkins continued, “I’ve been able to do what I wanted to do. I recorded what I wanted to record, sang what I wanted to sing, said what I wanted to say. I’ve had an opportunity to do some acting stuff and had a lot of fun doing that. So yeah, man, it’s great.”

Rather than worrying about what’s next, he finds himself appreciating just how far the journey has taken him.

“I did way more than I ever thought I would do. I mean, this whole thing was like, I would never have allowed myself to dream that big. I think I’m a realist in that respect. I wouldn’t have allowed myself to dream that I would have this kind of career and get to do this for as long as I’ve done it. No way. So everything’s gravy now.”