Off The Record - An American Songwriter Podcast

On this episode of “Off the Record,” American Songwriter editor-in-chief Lisa Konicki sits down with Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill. He discusses the band’s intimate show at Nashville’s Basement East, where Zach Bryan made a surprise appearance, and their early days singing a cappella on Music Row before landing seven record deal offers in New York. Followill also reveals that “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody” were written on the same night, and explains why “Sex on Fire” still matters: “One of them pays the bills.”The conversation centers on O My Beloved, the band’s first independent, self-produced album. Followill explains how a broken foot pushed him away from rock anthems and back to his songwriting roots. “I was so busy trying to be Kings of Leon that I had abandoned the songwriter, if you will,” he says. He opens up about the family losses behind the record, including his mother’s death, and walks through songs such as “My Whole World,” “Pretty Thing” and “Get You Down.”Followill closes with a look at the band’s upcoming tour, including two nights at London’s O2 for the 20th anniversary of “Because of the Times.” He also offers advice for aspiring songwriters: be honest about your influences. The episode is a candid portrait of an artist rediscovering why he writes.Let's go Off the Record with Kings of Leon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Off the Record, host Lisa Konicki talks with Shaboozey about his path from Virginia, to the top of the charts. He explains how hip-hop’s sense of regional pride pushed him to find a sound for his home state—“I want to bring a feeling and create a sound for Virginia that I felt like we didn’t have”—and reveals that the vocal on “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” was the original demo, recorded with just a guitar.Most of the episode centers on his new album, The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales, a revisionist Western about a sheriff’s daughter seeking revenge on the outlaws who killed her father. “That’s why I call it an epic. I don’t really just call it a story,” he says. He walks through how the song “Stray Bullet” sparked the whole storyline and how the album ties into a companion comic. He also talks about recording interludes with Sam Elliott and Jamie Foxx and working with guests like Orville Peck, Kehlani, and Teyana Taylor.Shaboozey opens up about his imposter syndrome and his ambitions in film, including a TV pilot about the DC punk scene. He closes with advice for aspiring songwriters: “It changed my life just trusting my ideas. So I think that’s my advice. Trust your ideas.”Let's go Off the Record with Shaboozey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Linda Perry joins host Lisa Konicki for the latest episode of Off the Record while in Nashville on tour with the Indigo Girls to discuss her new documentary and album, both titled Let It Die Here. The film follows a turbulent time in her life, including her mother entering hospice, her breast cancer diagnosis, and an emotional breakdown caught on camera.Perry also opens up about her songwriting process, which starts with chords and ad-libbing rather than lyrics, and puts melody and phrasing first. “I come from heart 100%,” she says. She admits that while she’s nurturing with other artists, she’s brutally hard on herself, and that watching the documentary is what finally unlocked her own songs.She discusses the making of the album, from writing “What Lies With You” at 2 a.m. and recording it with a full band and strings within hours, to turning her documentary score into the record’s instrumental interludes. Perry reflects on her complicated love for her mother, the closure they found in her final months, and the lesson she carries into raising her son: “The greatest teacher I had about what not to do is my mom.”Let’s go Off the Record with Linda Perry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the latest episode of Off the Record, Vince Gill sits down with host Lisa Konicki to look back on the moment he left Oklahoma as a teenager 50 years ago. That move is at the heart of his 50 Years From Home project, a monthly series of EPs drawn from roughly 150 new songs. As Gill puts it, “I don’t want to check out of here with a whole bunch of songs in the desk drawer.”Gill shares the stories behind the latest EP, Stillwater Night, from writing with wife Amy Grant to singing with daughter Corrinna, plus collaborations with artists like Wyatt Flores, HARDY and Post Malone. Gill also teases the upcoming Marty and Me with Marty Stuart and shares how he finally finished a song he’d been stuck on for 35 years. His guiding principle for it all: “Don’t impress me, but move me.”The conversation gets candid and funny, too, as Gill talks about getting fired by Ricky Skaggs, his concerns about AI in music, a heartfelt tribute to Dolly Parton, and behind-the-scenes stories from a decade with the Eagles. It’s a warm, vulnerable look at one of country music’s most beloved artists.Let’s go Off the Record with Vince Gill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Off the Record, Lisa Konicki sits down with Wynonna for a raw, revealing conversation. After a heartfelt tribute to the late Dolly Parton, the talk turns to The Hard Truth, the album Wynonna spent five years making with husband and producer Cactus Moser, and the first on which she wrote nine of the ten songs. She admits releasing something so personal is frightening, but explains why she had to: "We kept a secret and secrets keep you sick and there's no secret anymore."Wynonna walks through the stories behind the songs: discovering at 30 who her biological father was, only for him to die before they met; the grandmother who raised her spirits; her daughter's addiction and incarceration; and her complicated bond with her mother, Naomi Judd. "I love her so much that I forgot myself," she says, while describing the forgiveness the album helped her find. Her humor shines through too, as when she describes her two kids as "one on parole and one on patrol."Moser joins for the final stretch of the episode, sharing how the couple met on tour in 1989 and why he wanted the album's sound stripped-down and gritty. The episode closes on a hopeful note, with Wynonna teasing a more joyful next record. As she puts it, "The Hard Truth allowed me to be free."Let’s go Off the Record with Wynonna. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Off the Record, host Lisa Konicki talks with hit songwriter Jessie Jo Dillon, the first songwriter ever to win ACM Songwriter of the Year three years in a row. The episode opens with a game that pits her own hits against each other and includes a video tribute from actor-singer-songwriter Luke Grimes praising her work on his album Red Bird.Dillon talks about growing up as the daughter of legendary songwriter Dean Dillon, why she avoided songwriting at first, and how she approaches her craft: lyrics first, one clear emotion, and a focus on what the artist wants to say. She also shares stories behind hits like "Am I Okay?" with Megan Moroney, "10,000 Hours" with Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber, and Jelly Roll's FIFA anthem "Lighter."The episode ends with her new imprint, Gatsby, which she named after her favorite novel, and its first artist, Carter Faith. She also leaves us with advice to aspiring writers: “write from the heart and outwork everyone.”Let’s go Off the Record with Jessie Jo Dillon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Off the Record, Editor-in-Chief Lisa Konicki sits down with Parker McCollum fresh off the birth of his second son, Rocker, and an ACM Award for Album of the Year win. McCollum opens up about balancing tour life with two young boys and reflects on the win for his self-titled record: "a record that got the most of my heart and soul and effort and time and focus than any body of work ever has."In the episode, listeners will hear the story behind recording in New York City, where McCollum asked his band for total creative commitment. You’ll also get to hear about the origin of "New York Is On Fire," born from watching Central Park's trees "literally on fire" from a plane window. He also breaks down his songwriting process and even improvises a verse live in the studio.The conversation also covers the album’s deluxe tracks, including a duet with Lee Ann Womack, and McCollum’s advice for aspiring songwriters: "There's only one you... lean into that as hard as you can." A funny and personal episode.Let’s go Off the Record with Parker McCollum. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the latest episode of Off the Record, Riley Green sits down with host Lisa Konicki for a conversation that begins with the reality of fame, including AI-generated stories about his family, before turning to AI in songwriting. Green insists real country music has to come from lived experience, not a machine: "I feel like that's a really lazy way to try to create something."Throughout the show, Green gets to dig into his new album, That's Just Me, touching on the album’s name, its mix of autobiographical and co-written songs, and standout collaborations— including honoring the late Toby Keith on "Think As You Drunk" with a Keith vocal snippet, that Green calls "a perfect little surprise, tip of the cap, and a great little moment in the song."Listeners also get a look at Green’s favorite classic country songs, his family roots, and his current stint on The Voice. The episode is a personal discussion that lives up to its Off the Record name.Let’s go Off the Record with Riley Green. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Off the Record, Editor-in-Chief Lisa Konicki talks with Alex Warren, calling in from his tour in Australia, about his new album WILDCHILD. Alex discusses his journey from homelessness and a viral internet moment to chart-topping success, and explains why he built this record as, in his words, "a tutorial on how to feel" —each track built around a different stage, from grief to falling in love. In this episode, you will hear the stories behind the album cuts, including "Cry Wolf," written the day he set boundaries with toxic people in his life, and "Same Stars," inspired by the aching feeling of loss. Warren also dives into the meaning behind the album's title, a nickname from his late father, and the closing track, which features his dad's voice alongside a guitar solo from John Mayer. Off the Record explores Alex's songwriting process, his collaborators, and his hopes for fatherhood—all grounded in his core mission: "I write music that helps people get through the loss of their parents, a breakup, and falling in love." Tune in for a down-to-earth conversation about turning pain into music. Let’s go Off the Record with Alex Warren.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Off the Record, host Lisa Konicki sits down with Little Big Town — Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook — for a wide-ranging conversation that includes personal catch-up and real talk about their music.Listeners get a glimpse into the band's off-stage life: Kimberly's skincare finds, updates on their now-teenage kids, and a fun game of "most likely to" that unveils members' quirks (Sweet, unsurprisingly, wins nearly every category).The heart of the episode is a look at their new album, It's a Dying Art, produced with Gena Johnson. The band walks through the writing and recording process for songs like "Crickets," "Jet Plane," and "Hey There Sunshine," describing a choice to embrace rawness over polish. Fairchild explains that the goal was to preserve something machines can't replicate, saying, "you still can't replace the humanity that happens when harmonies are sung imperfectly."Finally, listeners hear the band's feelings about AI's growing role in music. While they use it for practical things like homework help, they're wary of what it means for songwriting and authenticity — Schlapmam sums it up simply: "It has no soul." The episode closes with a look back at career highlights like "Girl Crush" and Harry Styles' cover, plus advice for aspiring songwriters, with Jimi's takeaway: "just keep writing."Let’s go Off the Record with Little Big Town. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices