10 Questions with ... Cody Johnson

1. Share about that new song/album of yours.

"By Your Grace" is very special to me in that it’s very authentic, very genuine…it comes from the heart. I think that whether you’re talking about Country music or Gospel music, or any other genre, I think sometimes we get a little too caught up in trying to find the right hook or find the right beat or melodic structure to get people to like it. “By Your Grace” was not recorded for anyone to necessarily like it. It was recorded because I feel like the message was strong enough…somebody needs to hear it. The first person that needed to hear it was me and it honestly changed my life. It’s a great reminder for me every day that no matter what I screw up, no matter what I do, that there’s still an out route. There’s still hope. And if there’s hope for me, there’s hope for you. That’s the reason it was recorded. I hope you enjoy it.

2. Share a challenging part of the past year.

One of the biggest challenges for me in the last year was coming out of 2020 where we didn’t tour at all. 2021 was a really heavy touring year. We did about 135 shows plus appearances. And in that time, I was able to record a double album called "Human," a documentary called "Dear Rodeo" that’s available on Amazon Prime and a Christmas album. It was a lot of work, but nothing good comes without hard work. I accepted the challenge and I’m also excited to not tour as heavy this year.

3. Some really great advice you received recently was…

Some great advice that I’ve been given is to remain in a constant state of positive expectancy. And I think that if we really, actually believe that God is in control, even the bad times, we should be happy because those bad times He’s allowing us to go through are probably, most-likely leading to something greater if we will embrace the process. That’s the next piece of advice. Iron isn’t sharpened without a little bit of tough time. I think if we embrace the process, it helps us to remain in a state of positive expectancy.

4. How do you continue to deepen your relationship with Jesus?

I am the world’s worst about putting it off. When it comes to reading my devotions, when it comes to digging into the word, I put it off. I struggle with it. I pray about it. One of the things that I think that continues my relationship is that I don’t make a decision without prayer. And I think even when the answer’s been ‘no’, instead of getting mad about it, it’s just as simple as man, ‘Dad said no’. It’s that easy. I think that when we give God that control, when we say alright my gut, or your intuition or whatever you wanna call it…when He says no, the answer’s no. I think it’s a lot easier to hear the yes’s when you can recognize the no.

5. Share how you balance creating, recording, and performing.

I balance recording and performing really well in that I don’t push it. I never chase anything. Whenever my juices start flowing and I feel like writing, I start writing. I’ve spent so many years writing songs, just trying to crank them out. I think that quality over quantity is my approach at this point. When I feel the juices flowing, I write. When I really feel moved to record an album, I get into the studio. The performing, although it’s a job, this year we were able to do something really cool and only take 75 shows and be really strategic about the shows that we play. To me, that ups the intensity of each show. There’s not as much so you’re having to give a little bit more to the audience and it’s so incredible because the audience ends up giving it back to me.

6. Tell us about someone who you really respect and why.

I have a lot of respect for Willie Nelson. I always have. The fact that he went to Nashville very early on as a Country music artist and was told no…no to his sound…no to his look. He came home to Texas and he became who he is today, just Willie. He has always been unapologetically himself. He’s not afraid to branch out and do collaborations with different genres which is something that I’ve struggled with. He’s not apologetic about his political views. He’s not apologetic about his views on Christianity and he doesn’t ever seek to offend anybody. He’s a very kind person in all that he is and I’ve always had a lot of respect for Willie.

7. What's one thing that most people would be surprised to learn about you?

I struggle a lot with social anxiety. When I get to thinking about it too much, I start second guessing myself…the notes I sing, what I look like when I walk through the door. The only way to get over that for me is to remind myself that hey, I’ve been given a talent. I’ve been given an opportunity. Don’t short-change this. Everybody’s expecting you to not be freaking out when everybody’s screaming your name. That actually gives me a little bit of courage to think that way.

8. What’s your favorite room at home and why?

My favorite room at home is not a room at all. It’s an arena out back behind the house. It’s full of sand and that is where we spend a lot of time with my horses and our steers. A lot of good family time comes out of that arena.

9. What’s something you’re looking forward to?

I’m looking forward to finally getting back to Houston Rodeo this year [where he performed on February 28th]. I’m also going on tour with Luke Combs on a stadium tour. 2022 is going to be a big year for us.

10. What do you do to chill and unwind?

Absolutely the opposite of what anybody reading this does to chill and unwind. I like to get on my horse. I like to go to work. For me, that’s therapeutic. No music. No noise. Just me…outdoors with what God created and the animals I love and with my family. A lot of times it’s pretty fast-paced. I don’t know that I really ever chill unless I’m sleeping, and I have a five-year-old and a seven-year-old, so that’s not very often.