Riley Green will always be grateful for his rural Alabama roots. The 37-year-old, who now calls Nashville home, credits his upbringing with any success he has today.
“I think that probably for me, from a music business standpoint, it’s hard to have blinders in this town,” Green says. “When you’re so wrapped up in charts and awards and those type of things, it’s so easy to start looking at what somebody else is doing that’s having success. And for me, every bit of success that I had came from that small town in Alabama. It came from me playing in bars down there, writing songs, and playing them for people down there.”
Green still returns, at least in his mind, to his hometown when he needs inspiration.
“It’s definitely very helpful to my career, inspiration-wise, to be in that place mentally,” Green explains. “And then when you’re on the road, you can almost forget what home feels like, what my grandmother’s house smells like. So, it’s nice to go back every once in a while and kind of be reminded of that inspiration.”
Riley Green Gives An Update On His Next Album
Green’s Don’t Mind If I Do album came out in 2024, but he is already working on a new record. He currently has a Top 15 hit with Ella Langley, on the project’s title track.
“We’re in the studio about to start cutting songs for the next record,” Green reveals on Sirius XM’s The Highway. “So it kind of doesn’t slow down when you have something that works.”
The success of “Don’t Mind If I Do” comes after a string of hit singles for Green, including “Different ‘Round Here” and “Worst Way,” along with his “You Look Like You Love Me” duet with Langley. Although grateful, Green admits that the continuous hits make it hard for him to keep making music.
“I think on the creative side it doesn’t really slow down,” Green reflects. “And people might think when you have a big record or something, it’s kind of like, ‘Well I can relax.’ And that’s just not the case. It’s really like, ‘Where’s the next one at?’ And for me, when I was writing all the songs for Don’t Mind If I Do, it really never stopped. I was kind of in that mindset of I need a lot of songs right now. And it’s exciting to be able to continually record new music. I think that’s the most fun part of it is writing and recording.”
When Riley Green Plans to Release His Next Album
Green doesn’t have a title or release date for his next record, but he does hint it will be early next year, to coincide with his Cowboy As It Gets Tour, which begins in April.
“We’re going to go into the studio this fall, and probably release new music between now and then,” Green tells Billboard. “And then try to have the whole album out around the time the tour starts.”
Justin Moore, one of Green’s favorite artists, will join him on his 2026 Cowboy As It Gets Tour
“I was a huge Justin Moore fan as a kid. I’ve still got a picture of me at meet and greet where he opened for Eric Church when I was about 23,” Green says. “And it’s just so cool to be able to go out on the road with him and hear him play all of his hits and maybe even introduce him to some of my fans.”
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Photo Credit: David Higgs