When Dierks Bentley releases a new song, he loves the suspense of finding out if it’s truly music to the public’s ears.
This month, the country artist, 49, finds himself eagerly waiting for the response to his 11th studio album Broken Branches and the newest single, titled “She Hates Me.”
“This is always a really fun time,” he told Us Weekly before the album’s release on Friday, June 13. “It reminds me of ‘Drunk on a Plane.’ It was in the same seasonal time when this song was out. It was on [the] radio, but I hadn’t played it in front of anybody yet.”
“I’m not sure what the response is gonna be, if they’re gonna like it,” he continued of his latest track. “A lot of people told me that ‘Drunk on a Plane’ would never go over [well]. They’re like, ‘Dude, your rednecks don’t fly.’ I’m like, ‘Rednecks don’t fly? Have you been on a Southwest flight?’”
In 2014, “Drunk on a Plane” became the No. 1 song on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, proving it was best to ignore any initial hesitation.
Now, as Bentley prepares to hit the road with Zach Top and The Band Loula for the “The Broken Branches” tour, he wants to find out once again how fans will react to his new song live.
“There’s a big difference between what works on the radio and what actually works when you’re playing in Sioux City, Iowa, you know?” he said. “That’s exciting. There’s also a song on this record I just put a video out for called ‘Standing in the Sun.’ The song’s incredible.”
In 2003, Bentley released his self-titled debut album with hits including “What Was I Thinkin’.” Since then, the country singer has earned 15 Grammy nominations and more than 20 No. 1 hits.
When he looks at the country music genre today, he can’t help but applaud all the unique voices finding success.
“I love Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, Jelly Roll. These guys are all so great,” he told Us, before praising other rising stars like The Red Clay Strays and Ella Langley. “There’s a lot happening in country [music]. It’s exciting.”
What’s also exciting is watching his children explore more and more music. Bentley and his wife Cassidy Black have been married since 2005 and share Evalyn, 16, Jordan, 14, and Knox, 11.
While his son loves hockey, Bentley continues watching his daughters explore more and more musical activities.
“They all love music. That’s all we do in our family is listen to music,” Bentley explained. “It’s the core of who we are as a family. It really starts with my wife. She knows way more about music than I do. I got bluegrass and traditional country music covered. But she knows Lionel Richie. She grew up around all this music that I was never exposed to.”
Whether he’s watching his daughters sing the National Anthem at events, cheering on his son at the ice rink or traveling the country on a tour bus, Bentley can likely be found looking stylish and comfortable in Flag & Anthem.
The country singer has been a longtime partner of the fashion brand and even has his own collection called Desert Son.
“Everything I’m involved with is something that’s core to who I am — whether it’s the whiskey that I’m out there doing or the bars that I own,” Bentley shared. “I wanna be able to wear something wearable for when we’re headed to the bus [or] I got a gig and this is what I wear on stage anyway or I’m just coming off stage [or] I’m going to a school function. The quality of Flag & Anthem is so good, and it fits so great.”
