Throughout his time in the spotlight, Cody Johnson used his love for artists like Willie Nelson and Geroge Strait to release nine studio albums. He also holds numerous awards for his contributions to country music like the Single of the Year Award for “Til You Can’t”. His latest album, Leather, released back in November 2023 with hits like “The Painter” and “Dirt Cheap.” With fans loving the new album and praising Johnson, he recently announced that a deluxe edition was coming later this year.
Videos by American Songwriter
Having teased a deluxe edition of Leather for some time, Johnson discussed the inspiration behind the extended album and how he decided which songs made it. Speaking with Canada’s Pure Country Radio, the singer admitted that he wasn’t the one to decide, but the fans were. “There’s a deluxe edition coming next year with 12 more tracks. This body of work is a little bit unique in the fact that I wanted to give the listener, give the fan a little bit of time to get to know these songs.”
[Don’t Miss Cody Johnson Live In Concert]
Spending almost twenty years in country music, Johnson understands how the industry works and how much planning goes into an album. But for his deluxe edition, he decided to take a step back and listen to the fans. He explained, “Let’s not make a plan of that’s the next single, and that’s the next single. Let’s see what happens…see what streams, see what reacts at live shows, and let the songs battle it out for themselves instead of us making a plan based on an algorithm that’s going to work.”
Cody Johnson Wanted Each Song To Have A Chance To Make It
Johnson detailed how he wanted to give each song a fair chance. Not wanting to just release another album, the country singer insisted on letting the fans and the songs decide. “There are songs that may show themselves to be a huge hit that we didn’t give much of a chance. As organically as this was created, the freedom to go in and cut a record just because I wanted to…we are just kind of going to let it ride. Let the fans decide, and let the songs decide.”
[RELATED: Cody Johnson Stops Show For a Fan in Distress: “This Is Not A Travis Scott Concert”]
Finishing the deluxe edition to Leather, Johnson seemed excited about sharing the songs with fans, announcing that the album will hit shelves sometime in the fall.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
(Photo by Leah Puttkammer/FilmMagic,)
