Newly crowned ACM entertainer of the year Cody Johnson laid the foundation for his win with life-affirming songs like "'Til You Can't," "The Painter," "Dirt Cheap" and "The Fall."
Now that he's clinched the coveted title, the Texas cowboy is ready to have some fun with his next album — and especially his new radio single.
"'Horseback' was probably one of the most fun songs to cut on Banks of the Trinity, and it's actually not about the horse," Cody says. "When I figured out that this is just about an old country boy that went through a divorce and she took his horse and he went and stole his horse back, I laughed until I cried, and it was so fun."
"[One of the song's writers] Wyatt McCubbin sang the demo and I fell in love with it," he adds.
Once his most recent hit peaked at #1, choosing "Horseback" to lead the way was a no-brainer.
"It was an easy choice for me as the flagship single from Banks of the Trinity because we had just come out of 'The Fall,' and it was such a serious song that I kind of wanted to change the channel a little bit and show you guys a little bit of my humorous side," Cody says. "And it's really freaking fun to sing."
He's set to perform "Horseback" June 24 on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, before the arrival of the 16-song album on June 26.