The next era of Koe Wetzel is coming soon. This morning, he announced his sixth studio album The Night Champion will be out everywhere on June 12th.
It’s his first studio album since he released 9 Lives in 2024, and it will capture “the aftermath of a wild run, it delivers all the signature force, punch and ragged details people expect, tempered by the clarity that comes with surviving it.”
Koe of course earned a massive and loyal fanbase as he made his way through pretty much every bar and honky tonk in his home state of Texas, with a guitar and a dream, and he says this new project is a continuation of his life since 9 Lives, where a lot has changed. He’s now a dad and is engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Bailey:
“It’s a continuation of ‘9 Lives,’ from that record to now. Really, it’s everything that’s happened – because you don’t go from kids playing for beer to headlining Red Rocks, arenas all over the country, partying and trying to make sense of it all and not shift.
My head space is clearer now. I can look back, see how it fits together. It doesn’t make sense, exactly, but it all happened. That search for what it all means keeps bringing me back.”
He is know for his hard-charging, very rock-infused country, though it seems like he’s finding more of a balance in terms of a softer sound on this new project, which is a direct reflection of his life over the last 15 years:
“It’s crazy I’m not in jail or dead as hard as I went these last 15 years. Right now, I’m the best version of myself I’ve ever been. I survived the night side of me. I’m coming out of it a champion. That’s the essence of the record. It’s kind of where I am now: an edgy roughness to all the songs that doesn’t give a f***, but there’s a tenderness to it, too. Whatever happens, I’m man enough to deal, but the focus and headspace have shifted; I’ve grown up and become okay with looking back.”
Koe says the songs were written out of his authentic feelings and experiences, and he hopes the authenticity of his artistry comes through to fans on every song:
“You’ve gotta go in and get the music behind the feeling. When you force it, people feel it. I know what I want to say now, where the songs should go, and I want them to come from a space, not an appointment. I’m not torn between the worlds. This is where all the fans meet. No matter when they got here, this is that moment.”
It will be really interesting to hear how he blends all of that together, and he shared the news of the album with a trailer on Instagram, where he explained the journey of being a kid in Texas to a rock star in a nutshell:
“Before the lights, before the noise, before anyone knew his name, there was a kid. They tell you who you’re supposed to be, and what to chase, and what to quit. Some people don’t learn in the daylight. They learn in the dark.
Growing up isn’t about getting older, it’s about surviving who you were and becoming who you are. Every scar, every mistake, every late night,. it all counts Because when the sun goes down, that’s when the real ones rise. Welcome to ‘The Night Champion.'”
We’ll have to wait and see how many songs are on the tracklist and what that might entail, but luckily for fans, it won’t be too much longer until the album is out and it’s likely he’ll put out at least another song or two before that.
You can watch the album trailer here:
Koe already released “Time Goes On” from the tracklist, with another new one, “Hurts Like You,” dropping this Friday.
The Night Champion World Tour Dates
May 5 | Sydney, N.S.W (Australia) | Enmore Theatre
May 9 | Brisbane, Qld. (Australia) | Fortitude Music Hall
July 8 | Edmonton, Alb. (Canada) | Rogers Place
July 10 | Penticton, B.C. (Canada) | South Okanagan Event Center
July 11 | Abbotsford, B.C. (Canada) | Abbotsford Centre
July 23 | Nampa, Idaho | Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater
July 24 | Stateline, Nev. | Lake Tahoe Amphitheatre at Caesars Republic
July 25 | Las Vegas, Nev. | The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas
July 30 | Airway Heights, Wash. | Northern Quest Casino
July 31 | Bend, Ore. | Hayden Homes Amphitheater
Aug. 1 | Tacoma, Wash. | Dune Peninsula
Aug. 6 | Bonner Springs, Kan. | Azura Amphitheater
Aug. 7 | Evansville, Ind. | Ford Center
Aug. 8 | Nashville, Tenn. | Bridgestone Arena
Aug. 12 | New York, N.Y. | Pier 17
Aug. 13 | Reading, Pa. | Santander Arena
Aug. 14 | Gilford, N.H. | BankNH Pavilion
Aug. 19 | Boston, Mass. | Leader Bank Pavilion
Aug. 20 | Washington, D.C. | The Anthem
Aug. 21 | Pittsburgh, Pa. | Petersen Events Center
Aug. 26 | Buffalo, N.Y. | Outer Harbor Live at Terminal B
Aug. 27 | Cleveland, Ohio | Wolstein Center
Aug. 28 | Rochester Hills, Mich. | Meadow Brook Amphitheatre
Sept. 3 | Austin, Texas | Moody Center
Sept. 4 | Baton Rouge, La. | Raising Cane’s River Center
Sept. 5 | Bossier City, La. | Brookshire Grocery Arena
Sept. 10 | Knoxville, Tenn. | Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center
Sept. 11 | Greensboro, N.C. | First Horizon Coliseum
Sept. 12 | Wilmington, N.C. | Live Oak Bank Pavilion
Sept. 17 | Alpharetta, Ga. | Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
Sept. 18 | Columbia, S.C. | Colonial Life Arena
Sept. 19 | Richmond, Va. | Virginia Credit Union LIVE!
Sept. 24 | Pikeville, Ky. | Appalachian Wireless Arena
Sept. 25 | Huntsville, Ala. | The Orion Amphitheater
Sept. 26 | Brandon, Miss. | Brandon Amphitheater
Sept. 30 | Rogers, Ark. | The Walmart AMP
Oct. 1 | North Little Rock, Ark. | Simmons Bank Arena
Oct. 2 | Tulsa, Okla. | BOK Center
Oct. 3 | Wichita, Kan. | INTRUST Bank Arena
Oct. 8 | Chicago, Ill. | Salt Shed Fairgrounds
Oct. 9 | Fishers, Ind. | Fishers Event Center
Oct. 10 | Milwaukee, Wis. | Fiserv Forum
Oct. 28 | Morrison, Colo. | Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Oct. 30 | Lubbock, Texas | Cook’s Garage
Additional Live Shows
May 15 | Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, N.M. | Boots in the Park
May 30 | Panama City Beach, Fla. | Gulf Coast Jam
June 12 | Del Mar, Calif. | San Diego County Fair
June 14 | Santa Rosa, Calif. | Country Summer Music Festival
June 20 | Lewisburg, W.Va. | Wild Trails Festival
June 27 | Ashland, Neb. | Country Drive Music Festival
July 3 | Winnipeg, Man. (Canada) | Country Thunder Winnipeg
July 16 | Eau Claire, Wis. | Country Jam USA
July 17 | Manchester, Iowa | Delaware County Fair
Aug. 15 | Montreal, Que. (Canada) | Lasso
Aug. 22 | Lima, Ohio | Allen County Fair
Aug. 29 | Lucknow, Ont. (Canada) | Lucknow’s Music in the Fields
Oct. 16 | Salt Lake City, Utah | Red West Music Festival
Oct. 18 | Tucson, Ariz. | Boots in the Park
Nov. 20 | St. Petersburg, Fla. | St. Pete Country Fest
