Chasing a country music dream isn’t easy.
You grind and grind and grind to try and get your name out there and captivate fans with your music. Packing into a van, brushing your teeth in a truck stop bathroom, trying to find time to write and record while playing 200 dates a year. Of course, these days you can blow up on TikTok lip-synching in the front seat of your truck and get a record deal, but you get the point… it’s not as glamourous as you might think.
And the when you finally make it big, the money and the notoriety come, as do the opportunities, and in plenty of ways things do get easier, but it still consumes every second of your life. When you finally make it big, your schedule gets filled with public appearances, tours, and interview after interview. and while it’s the dream and the end goal, the constant need to be in the public eye can take its toll.
On a recent episode of the God’s Country Podcast, Riley Green discussed the complex feelings associated with fame and success.
The Don’t Mind If I Do artist starts off this segment by noting that he’s so grateful for the life that he lives, but with such a packed schedule, always having someplace to be or something to do, he sometimes finds himself dragging his feet on the way to these events, unable to even enjoy these kind of dream-come-true moments. Riley Green compares the lyrics of Merle Haggard’s “The Way I Am,” his favorite song, and how he sometimes relates to the line, “Wish I enjoyed what makes my living.”
“That song feels very relevant to me where I am at in my life. ‘Wish I enjoyed what makes my living,’ obviously I love playing country music and traveling on the road. But there are moments when I find myself dreading something I’ve got to go do. I’ve got to take a step back and go, ‘This is awesome.’
Y’all know what I’m talking about. When you do so much and are spread so thin.”
Riley recalls feeling stressed out on the day of his Red Rocks debut, which was a sold-out show. Instead of living in the moment and soaking it all in, he recalled feeling worried about his radio appearances earlier that day and making sure all of his friends and family were settled as they came in for the show.
“It’s a living-in-the-moment kind of thing. It’s hard to do when your moments are so planned out.”
Co-hosts Dan and Reid Isbell praise Riley for his thoughts on that topic because it is their dream, but it can be challenging to keep the passion for music separate from the work aspect.
“All the things that lead up to a show, it makes the show seem stressful. It gets me in a place where I’m not enjoying it, I’m just hoping it goes well… I can’t remember the last time I looked forward to a show three months out. I’m trying to get through this week.”
It’s a crazy life that a touring musician leads, and while it’s glamorized heavily by fans, it’s not always as luxurious as it seems. Yes, they get to pursue their passions, making it their career, but there are often complex emotions when you turn pleasure into business.
Riley Green is keeping it real, as always, opening up about this topic. This reminds fans that they are allowed to feel burnt out with work, too. Just like we might have tough weeks in the office, they will have tough weeks on the road.
