Billy Dean has a big 2023 planned, and a big kick-off for next year as well. The country music legend will join artists like  Tracy Lawrence, Shenandoah, Darryl Worley, Neal McCoy, Joe Nichols, Clint Black, Wade Hayes, Linda Davis, Jimmy Fortune, Moe Bandy and more on the 2024 Country Music Cruise, setting sail on January 20 from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

“We have a lot of younger people starting to become fans of the ’90s country music,” Dean tells Everything Nash of his reason for wanting to be part of the 2024 Country Music Cruise. “And honestly, it’s gonna be nice to see some new faces and new fans, just this generation of folks that are listening to country music who are a little bit younger.”

Dean, who maintains a very busy touring schedule year after year, felt it was important for him to be part of next year’s cruise, both for his loyal fans, as well as to hopefully engage those who might be hearing his music for the first time.

“It’s really to get reacquainted with some of the newer fans of country music, if they even cruise,” Dean shares. “It’s like a little market research for me.”

The 60-year-old might be part of the Country Music Cruise for his fans, but it’s also for himself. Dean has made it a point to spend more time away from distractions, something he says is easy to do while at sea.

“The one thing I do like about cruises is, you are kind of in your own little world, and you’re away from the phone,” Dean reflects. “My New Year’s resolution this year was to get away from the phone a little bit, and just, just try to spend more time with the people that are in front of me, rather than the people that are texting me. And that’s gonna be something that I think the cruise will do for me. It will  help me put my phone down and deal with the people right there.”

Dean has a long list of hits to perform while on the Country Music Cruise, including “Let Them Be Little,” “Only Here For A Little While,” “Billy the Kid,” “Somewhere In My Broken Heart” and more. But the Florida native says he will also have new music to sing as well, songs he is eager to release.

“I spent the last several years writing and recording and stockpiling masters,” Dean reveals. “So I have a whole library of masters that have never been released, and part of the reason that they haven’t been released — ’cause I’ve been working on this since like 2008 — is basically waiting for legislation to catch up to technology.

“I just didn’t want to put it out there and give it away,” he adds. “I wanted to find out, how do people want their music delivered? CD players aren’t even in cars anymore. They’re streaming. Is there even a reason to do a body of ten songs, or do I just take this catalog of songs and just release one a month or so?”

Dean has a lot of songs he has written and recorded, while he also works on more music, something he vows to keep doing for years to come.

“New music is a way to let your audience know that you’re still active and that you’re still relevant and that you’re still creating music even though they want to hear the ’90s hits,’ he shares. “It’s just a way to let them know that you’re still viable and you’re still working.”

The 2024 Country Music Cruise will travel to Grand Turk, Key West and Half Moon Cay, returning on January 27. Cabins are quickly selling out. Use the code EverythingNash for an exclusive low rate. More information can be found at CountryMusicCruise.com.

Find all of Dean’s music and upcoming shows at BillyDean.com.