Justin Moore on Small-Town Life and the Album He Says Is His Best Yet
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."
It's been 15 years since Justin Moore debuted on the county music scene with his self-titled album. Now, as he prepares to go on tour and launch his eighth studio album, so much has changed for the 40-year-old singer, but he's managed to hold on firmly to his small-town Arkansas roots.
The "Backwoods" singer is set to drop This Is My Dirt on October 11, and he calls it his best work yet. Justin says, "I think every artist, every time they make an album says it's the best thing they've ever done. I guess you would hope that you would believe that each time or you're probably in the wrong business. The longer you do this, you start learning even more about yourself and who you are as an artist and what you want to say and sound like and that may even evolve over the years."
Country Living sat down with Justin to talk about his upcoming projects and keeping it simple in Arkansas.
On Getting Involved (and Staying Out of the Way)
Justin and his wife Kate are raising four kids in Arkansas, and they are a sports-loving family. Kate was a state-champion swimmer, and Justin grew up playing baseball and basketball. Now he's coaching his own children and other kids in their community of Poyen, Arkansas (pop. 300). He says, "I just like being involved in my community, to be honest with you. I'm always asking how can I actually make a difference in this town or this community, and what do I need to stay away from because I'm gonna ruin it or make it worse?
"I wanna coach my kids. They're all involved in sports. Any time you have an opportunity to influence young people's lives, I think that's where I can have the greatest impact, and it's been a lot of fun. And the cool thing for me is, when I go to school to pick my kids up or go to the diner to eat, kids come in and go, 'Hey, Coach J.M.' It has nothing to do with my music or anything like that."
Through his partnership with Bobcat, he's shining a light on the importance of youth sports complexes, like the one in Poyen. Bobcat is in the process of finding a community parks and rec facility to receive a $100,000 makeover.
Justin recognizes the importance of youth sports and facilities, especially in small towns. He says, "I think sports are great because they can, in my opinion, teach you how to lead, they teach you how to be a part of a team, how to learn, how to deal with success and deal with failure, hard work, discipline."
On This Is My Dirt and Hitting the Road
Justin's life at home keeps him busy. Between coaching sports, hunting and fishing, and working on his land (he says getting on his Bobcat equipment and working on his 50+ acres is his "Zen place"), he's found time to record a new album. This Is My Dirt is due out on October 11. Justin says, "I've learned more about what I do best—the type of songs I do best, how to put an album together. I'm better in the studio, not only singing but helping produce my albums. So I'm excited about it."
This Is My Dirt
amazon.com
$9.49
He continues, "Every album that we get to put out—you never know when the last one is gonna be. This stuff is gonna last forever long after I'm gone, and hopefully you can leave a mark. I think it's as traditional a country album as we've made, which makes me proud. That's what I do best, and that's what I personally love the most."
Justin is joined by three friends for duets on the album: Randy Houser, Dierks Bentley, and Blake Shelton. He explains, "We have one with Randy Houser, who's a great friend of mine. We've done this together for a long time and have toured together a number of times. Matter of fact, we're going out here in a month or so together on a tour.
"And then we have Dierks Bentley on a song, who I have a ton of respect for and who has always been very kind to me, and I'm a big fan of his music. On another song, we have Blake Shelton. He's also been really great to me, and he's always been really awesome to me taking me on tour with him. He certainly doesn't need to be doing this at the stage of his career he's at, but when I texted him and sent him the song, he said, 'let's do it.' For those guys to take time out of their busy schedules to be a part of this project is also very exciting."
Justin and Randy set off this week on The Country Round Here Tonight Tour, with dates through mid-October. Justin said, "We're trying to come up with some different stuff to do, to be honest with you. Certainly he'll go do all his big hits, and we'll do the same, and then we're trying to do something kind of cool together at the end of the show. We're trying to think of a way to make it unique."
On the Arkansas Razorbacks
In addition to music and his family, one of Justin's passions is the Arkansas Razorbacks football team. Ask him about their season, and he shifts into a breakdown worthy of an ESPN analyst. Justin takes in Razorbacks practices and games when his schedule allows, and when it doesn't, he watches from afar (the singer reportedly bought a round of beers for a bar full of Arkansas fans in New York City during their home opener).
He admits the schedule is "ridiculous," yet he believes in head coach (and friend) Sam Pittman, and, with the return of Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator, he remains optimistic: "It wouldn't surprise me if we won four games and it wouldn't surprise me if we won eight. It always comes down to those 50/50 games. I think we'll get back to a bowl game this year, and I think if we do, that's a great step in the right direction."
Preorder Justin's new album, This Is My Dirt, now. Visit his website to find his complete tour schedule and buy tickets to upcoming shows.
You Might Also Like
