Meridian, Mississippi trio Track 45, consisting of siblings, Jenna, Ben, and KK Johnson, have spent the early part of 2023 previewing their upcoming EP (releasing July 2023) through their newest singles “Last Man In Tennessee” and “Hate Me.” With CMA Fest happening this week, and Track45 making several appearances on stages around town during it, we checked in with them to talk about the fest, their latest music, their versatile songwriting cuts, and much more!

(Interview by: Jeffrey Kurtis) 

1) The 50th CMA Fest is coming up this week and you’re a part of it. What are you looking forward to most about being on the lineup for this milestone event?

We’re so excited to see the best fans in the best city!

2) You play the CMA Spotlight Stage inside Fan Fair X on Saturday at 11:30 AM. Why do fans absolutely need to add your performance to their calendars and what can they expect from it?

There’s lot of incredible artists playing (who we love), but if you’re a fan of harmony, family, and wanna hear songs about KK’s messy love life, then you should catch our set.

3) You’re also a part of the Country Goes Global event at The Wildhorse Saloon the day before at 2PM. In what ways will this performance be different than what people will get from the performance on the Spotlight stage?

This show will be full band, so you’ll get the whole experience and have room to dance!

4) Besides these two performances, where else will people be able to find you during CMA Fest weekend? Any Meet-N-Greets, etc.

We’ll be at the BMG snow cone truck @ 12 on Saturday and AJ’s @ 2 on Saturday

5) Moving over to your latest music…you’ve had a pretty busy release schedule this spring. Tell us a little bit about your most recent single “Last Man In Tennessee.”

“Last Man In TN” is a reminder that there are plenty of fish in the sea, and you don’t have to settle for that guy who thinks you’ll never get over him.

6) That release followed “Hate Me,” which came out the month prior. In what ways do you feel these two songs show the different depths and layers of who you are as songwriters and artists?

“Hate Me” is about trying to get over someone when you’re struggling to, and “Last Man In TN” is about being over someone and celebrating it in the good old country way-with jack and Jim!

7) You’ve released a few very well received projects thus far; both Small Town and Big Dreams. Are these last two singles releases part of a bigger puzzle or stand-alone? If part to a bigger puzzle… EP? Album? And when can fans expect it to drop?

They’re both part of a bigger project- we can’t wait to share the full EP in July!

8) As songwriters you’ve had a lot of success earning cuts with outside artists including Justin Timberlake, John Legend, Morgan Wallen, HARDY, and Kylie Morgan. Take us inside the writing room with you. What’s your writing process?

It’s always a different process-depending on the artists. We love getting to share our stories when we write for ourselves and getting to write for other artists is amazing because we get to be part of telling their stories too.

9) What qualities is it about your songwriting that you feel attracts such a wide range of artists and sounds, not really staying squarely put in one genre or the other?

We have a wide variety of influences from Dolly to Coldplay to Taylor Swift to The Beatles. It makes it really natural for us to be versatile and cross genres making music that we love.

10) We always end with this one, but what one piece of advice can you offer to someone who is just starting out and trying to break into the music industry?

Work hard, put in your 10,000 hours and have fun because it’s really about the journey.

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