Tyler Hubbard: ‘Strong’ Reenergized Me Creatively

Author Lauren Hoffman

May 13th 2:35 PM

When Tyler Hubbard released his sophomore solo album, Str o ng, last month, he was confident the album’s namesake was the most appropriate word to describe the 13-track collection.

RELATED: Tyler Hubbard Announces ‘Strong World Tour’

Hubbard wrote or co-wrote each of his new songs featured on Strong including “Vegas,” “Wish You Would,” “Park,” and his current radio single, “Back Then Right Now,” which he also co-produced alongside Jordan Schmidt.

The 37-year-old’s Strong album follows his first-ever self-titled solo project released in 2021. All eyes were on Hubbard when the album was released and it garnered him his first No. 1 song as a solo artist with “5 Foot 9” and his second No. 1, “Dancin’ In The Country.

While Hubbard continues his “rebuild” as a solo country artist, he knows that the hard times he’s faced over the last few years have only allowed him to “come out on the other side stronger” for it. This week on Backstage Country, the singer-songwriter opened up to Kelly Ford on how he’s feeling post album drop.

“It feels like a lot of freedom. And, you know, it’s kind of re-energized me creatively and as an artist,” Hubbard told Ford.

He continued, “It’s been good for me. You know, it’s been really fun to go to a pop up show in this crazy little hole in the wall honky tonk that nobody knows who you are. Then you get up and play a few hits and they’re like, ‘Oh my God!’ It’s just been it’s been really cool and it’s been inspiring.”

Hubbard will kick off his very own headlining ‘Strong World Tour’ this fall and head to Charlotte, Houston, Nashville, and Philadelphia, among other cities, along the way with Alana Springsteen as direct support.

Strong Tracklist:
1. Wish You Would
2. Park
3. A Lot With A Little
4. Night Like That
5. Take Me Back
6. Back Then Right Now
7. Vegas
8. Turn
9. American Mellencamp
10. BNA
11. Summer Talkin’
12. ‘73 Beetle
13. Strong

6 Of The Best Country Music Videos of All Time

Carrie Underwood –"Before He Cheats" (2006)
This is the song Carrie closed her shows with and is the song she is most recognized for. The music video of the song tells the story of revenge so well as Carrie’s character sashes tires and beats her former cheating boyfriend’s truck with a baseball bat (a Louisville slugger).

The video was filmed in downtown Nashville Printer’s Alley, a once popular spot in Nashville that now has bars and clubs where up-and-coming country singers can play their songs with hopes of being discovered.

Underwood passionately sings the song in the video, walking through the streets as people around her look and windows shatter. She carries the bat through much of this classic video.

“Before He Cheats” won Video of the Year at the ACMs in 2006. It won the CMT Music Award for Video of the Year in 2007.
The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks) "Goodbye Earl" - (2000)
The Chicks made their exit from country music after some political controversy, but before that happened, they made this video, an absolute gem.

The video features Hollywood actresses Jane Krakowski and Lauren Holly as Wanda and Mary Ann, lifelong friends who got together and killed Wanda’s abuser. NYPD Blue actor Dennis Franz played the abuser and murder victim. The Chicks met the actor while appearing on The Rosie O’Donnell Show and asked him to be in a future video.

Say what you want about The Chicks; this video is epic and for sure one of the best country music videos of all time. The video came out before the CMT Music Awards began in 2002, or I believe it would have won the top honor for sure.

The video won a CMA Award in 2000 for Music Video of the Year. It was the same year the Dixie Chicks won the coveted Entertainer of the Year from the CMA.
Dierks Bentley - "Drunk On A Plane" (2015)
Dierks’s sense of humor shines in this fun video that features Bentley playing himself in the plane, signing autographs for some ladies at one point and playing guitar and singing as the song’s character gets drunk on a plane taking a honeymoon trip alone as his wife to be dumped him.

Dierks also plays the plane’s pilot (he is an actual pilot who flies himself to his own concert dates all over the country). As the pilot, he dons a pilot hat, jacket, and sunglasses.

During that time, I attended the number one party in Nashville for “Drunk On A Plane,” where everyone was given a pilot hat and sunglasses like in the video.

Bentley is a fun guy, and this music video was as entertaining as any in-country music. I believe it is one of the best country music videos of all time.
Shania Twain - "Man, I Feel Like A Woman!" (1997)
This music video is like no other in country music and this is the song that made Shania a household name. The video has been viewed more than 400 million times on YouTube.

Twain’s style and dressing in drag, then shedding her coat and tie to dance around and sing the women’s anthem to perfection, is what makes Shaina stand out even today. The song and video are just as popular today as they were when they first came out over 25 years ago!

Having eye candy men dressed in tight, shiny black pants and see-through shirts dancing and playing guitar behind her in the video set the stage for one of country music’s most recognized and best music videos ever.

Two years after releasing this song and music video in 1999, Twain was crowned the CMA’s Entertainer of the Year.
HARDY with Lainey Wilson - "Wait In The Truck" (2022)
This music video is like a movie telling the story of a character killing an abuser of his friend. Lainey’s performance as the abused woman “waiting in the truck” is worthy of an Emmy for sure. Wilson is also in scenes where her character testifies in court and visits HARDY in prison.

The video won Music Video Of The Year and Musical Event of the Year at the 2023 CMA Awards in Nashville. It also won an ACM Award in 2022 for Visual Media (Video) of the Year.

It was nominated for CMT Music Video of the Year but lost out to Kane and Katelyn Brown’s “Thank God” video.
Reba McEntire - "Fancy' (1992)
This is one of the best story videos of all time in any genre of music, in my opinion. Reba is near perfect in the role of Fancy, a now famous star who grew up pleasing men at the instruction of her mother to survive.

The video starts with Fancy Rae Baker coming home to the “Outskirts of New Orleans” to the shack she grew up in. A cab driver is starstruck as he drives Fancy, wearing a fur coat, hat, and sunglasses, looking like a movie star, to her old home.

The song starts, and Fancy flashes back to tell her tale as Reba sings the song in the old shack.

Surprisingly, the music video did not win any awards. Reba did win the Video of the Year award from the ACM for her 1991 video “Is Their Life Out There?” and in 1986 for her “Whoever’s In New England” music video.