Jon Pardi sits at a desk on the again patio of his place on a Tuesday night in Nashville. His cowboy hat rides low, and initially, he speaks to the desk itself so you'll be able to’t see his face. He warms up, although, pushes again ten gallons, and he smiles as he talks about the place his music goes, about the place he’s going.
Pardi is a candid interview as soon as he warms up. He’s been there and achieved it, using the media practice over the ten and a half years since the launch of his label debut, 2014’s Write You A Song. And he’s been there and achieved it the place it issues too, on stage and in the studio, producing music that, whereas firmly rooted in neotraditional nation territory, hasn’t been afraid to straddle any and all kinds in an effort to flesh issues out. For, as Pardi says, there ain’t no level in standing nonetheless.
“I want people talking about it, you know?” he muses at one level. “You could do the same old, same old shit… but it comes to a point where it’s ‘push yourself’.
“There’s so many aspects of country music now – you got Hardy doing heavy metal, killing it; Morgan (Wallen) is halfway rapping; Post Malone’s here, it’s like, jump in the game, show ‘em you’re still there, you can do all that stuff, you can do this and still keep fiddle and that around, just let ‘em know – don’t be sleepin’ on me, man, ninja.” He karate chops together with his arms.
“Just do something fun,” he then shrugs, “because there comes a point where if you do the same thing over and over and over again, it’s just a sign of going crazy.”
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Pardi is presently in the midst of a severe run about the States on the Mr Saturday Night Tour, a run which has been on the go for some time, following the 2022 launch of his album of the similar title.
It’ll see him head to Australia subsequent 12 months, Pardi not too long ago being introduced as a headliner for 2025’s CMC Rocks in Willowbank in Queensland. “We never got to play CMC Rocks in Australia before… this’ll be our first time; it’s gonna be fun,” he enthuses.
Of the extraordinary variety of streams and album gross sales Pardi has amassed over the previous decade, an honest quantity stems from Australia, indicating an affinity down beneath together with his music, one thing which isn’t misplaced on him.
“Yeah, I feel like everyone is western out in Australia, you know?” he smiles. “They got cowboy in their blood; they’re just tough. You’re tough in Australia, it’s a big, tough country… and you know, everyone seems very active and doing their thing and loves country. I feel it’s very relatable [to me], the people alone, aside from the music.”
The music itself is taking a brand new flip, or at the very least, is being pumped up a notch. Pardi’s latest single is Friday Night Heartbreaker, a precursor to the man’s subsequent studio document, which has been in manufacturing for a short while now. “[We’ve taken] a little more time on this record; we recorded it in two weeks, me and the band and some of the studio guys,” Pardi confirms.
“The chain was off, you know? We just said, I’m gonna record everything I want – I like this song, I’m gonna record it, and we’ll make it sound country and rock. And you take Friday Night Heartbreaker, it’s got a lot of bells and whistles, it’s rockin’, it’s got a different edge to it, it’s kinda spooky.”
Carefully crafted, Friday Night Heartbreaker is certainly spooky, somewhat extra low-key than a variety of Pardi’s earlier work, however with an underlying drive to it, like there’s extra to return, simply over the horizon, and it might be one thing huge.
A big motive for this slight change in route, in stylistic addition, is Pardi’s collaboration on this album with famend producer and author Jay Joyce, whose resume reads like a who’s who of American music – Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Zac Brown, Lainey Wilson, in addition to the likes of Tin Finn, The Wallflowers and Iggy Pop outdoors of the nation realm. As Pardi says of Joyce, “Everything around me was changing, so I thought maybe it’s time to chase down a dream and make a record with Jay Joyce.
“He’s one of my favourite producers in Nashville, and it was so fun making this record – me and Jay hit it off, the band hit it off, and it was that moment where it just felt so good that you don’t care what happens. I’m proud of this record, [and] I’m proud of everything. No matter what happens, who cares? It’s a great record, and I stand by it.”
As but unnamed and with no launch date, the new album gained’t be far off, and there’s little doubt Pardi and the band might be sharing a bunch of it stay once they grace the CMC Rocks stage subsequent March. And with good motive – Pardi is inordinately enthusiastic about this launch, the change in sonic route, and the actual freedom he’s felt all through the manufacturing course of up to now.
“I wrote eight on the record, and there’s 17 [on there],” he explains. “There are some phenomenal songs – we had a meeting [with the songwriters] back in January, and I told ‘em what was going on… there were, like, 150 songwriters! I said, instead of sending me a hit, send me something that means something to you… and we got so many great songs. That’s why there’s 17; we just couldn’t let ‘em go; it was a really cool process.”
So, as we wind up and Pardi leans again on his porch on a Tuesday night in Nashville, it’s understanding that change is in the air, and this positive as shit ain’t one thing Pardi is anxious about. “Change is good, change is weird, change is uncomfortable, sometimes it’s necessary, and I’m really proud of [the old records]… but as of right now, we’re riding the wave of a great new record with Jay.”
Jon Pardi will headline CMC Rocks 2025 alongside Thomas Rhett and Cody Johnson. Tickets are offered out, however you'll be able to look here for particulars on any further tickets being launched.
CMC ROCKS 2025 Full Lineup
CODY JOHNSON (USA), JON PARDI (USA), THOMAS RHETT (USA)
With:
COLE SWINDELL (USA)
BILLY CURRINGTON (USA)
KOE WETZEL (USA)
MUSCADINE BLOODLINE (USA)
WYATT FLORES (USA)
LARRY FLEET (USA)
DYLAN MARLOWE (USA)
ASHLEY COOKE (USA)
ZACH TOP (USA)
KAYLEE BELL (NZ)
ALANA SPRINGSTEEN (USA)
OLE 60 (USA)
TRAVIS COLLINS (AU)
DALTONDOVER (USA)
CARTER FAITH (USA)
MACKENZIE CARPENTER (USA)
KASHUS CULPEPPER (USA)
LANE PITTMAN (AU)
ZAC & GEORGE (AU)
KEZIA GILL (UK)
MAX JACKSON (AU)
AMY SHEPPARD (AU)
SINEAD BURGESS (AU)
ABBIE FERRIS (AU)
IMOGEN CLARK (AU)
THE BUCKLEYS(AU)
DENVAH (AU)
VIXENS OF FALL (AU)
Y.O.G.A. (AU)
DEE JAYE BUX (AU)
DJ KONSKY (AU)
WITH STAGE HOSTS STORME WARREN, MIKE CARR & D.J. GRIZZLY ADAMS
21-23 March 2025 – Willowbank Raceway, Ipswich, Queensland
