Country songwriter and performer Jon Pardi is know for writing music that often provides a good time. Whether it’s tracks like “Tequila Little Time” or “Mr. Saturday Night,” Pardi, well, knows how to party. But he also knows how to tap into something more emotive, with songs like “Heartache Medication” and “Head Over Boots” as prime examples.
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But some may also wonder what the 38-year-old California-born Pardi has to say about life and love and the world at large outside of his thrilling or tear-jerking tunes. That matter is the subject of today’s inquiry. Here below, are the 20 best Jon Pardi quotes.
1. “I can be a traditionalist but also play with Luke Bryan and get the crowd to go crazy. I think that mix is a lot of what has kept me going and kept people fired up about the music.”
2. “You gotta have a good beat to survive in modern country in general. Everyone wants to feel good, laugh, dance, and cry. But at the same time, they all want it to sound happy.”
3. “As a songwriter, we’re looking for a good story, and we’re always looking to push the limits.”
4. “I’ve been able to carve my way out with lyrics and melodies.”
5. “We travel so much as touring musicians and artists that sometimes, when you hear a great song that you really think could be on your project, you go ahead and record it instead of try to write it.”
6. “There’s a connection when people are dancing, laughing, and singing, and that definitely happens with ‘Head Over Boots.'”
7. “Sing your heart out and write the best song you possible can.”
8. “I’ve really been studying lyrics, printing out lyrics to songs I love and reading them like a letter.”
9. “Take everything you can from what people say. Keep going and stick to your instincts. And what your soul tells you to do, use that.”
10. “I will never, ever speak out against somebody who is living the dream and doing what they want to do, because that’s what I’m doing.”
11. “‘Dirt On My Boots’ is a very different song. I heard the melody, and I heard the lyrics, and I heard the drive of that song. I totally related. It was kinda me when I was on my bulldozer working for my dad.”
12. “You’ve got these guys that have this fresh, street, hip-hop country that sells a zillion. Keep doing that. I’ll keep doing my stuff. We’ll see how it goes.”
13. “I just have fun on stage. There’s nothing premolded out there. I try to always do something different.”
14. “I’m a funny guy. You’ve got to be able to make fun of yourself. We only live once.”
15. “My grandmother loved country music, and she’s the one who really got me into country music. She had George Strait tapes, a bunch of them. I remember listening to tapes, taking them out, the covers and the back.”
16. “I grew up in rural Dixon, CA, and I’ve been hunting with my father ever since I was a young boy. He taught me how to hunt and shoot, firearm safety, and have respect for the outdoors.”
17. “Getting a beginner publishing deal really helped me gain the skills. I just kept writing and writing. You just take everything out of life and turn it into an idea or a melody or a song and find the best writers you can to write with that fit you and know what you want to do.”
18. “My music is my No. 1, and I’ve got people who believe in me and keep me going. I’m thankful.”
19. “I always want to just stay humble, and I always want to keep climbing.”
20. “I chose to be this guy. It’s who I want to be, and it’s always been me—just keepin’ it country.”
Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images
