Deana Carter can’t wait to hit the road this year. The Nashville native is opening for Blake Shelton on his Friends and Heroes Tour, a full-circle moment for Carter.

“Blake used to open for me, back in the day,” Carter tells Everything Nash. “But listen, Blake has always been — first of all, he’s so handsome. He’s always been just a hunk. But he is hilarious, and he’s so kind. I just kismet with him. I don’t get to see him very often. He’s off in the stratosphere now. But back in the day, he was just super sweet. I feel like we kind of had a little bond, and he’s been so gracious.

“Blake, I love you forever,” she continues. “I always have, and I always will. Thank you so much for your kind heart in including me in your Friends and Heroes Tour.”

Shelton isn’t the only artist Carter is a fan of. She also recently sang the praises of Lainey Wilson, whose “Watermelon Moonshine” hit was rumored to be inspired by Carter’s “Strawberry Wine.”

“She’s from a little town right next to where my parents and all my people are from,” Carter tells Everything Nash. “And so, my cousin and her dad are buddies. The families have known each other. And Lainey being very young and aspiring to do music, we knew about her early, and she’s just shown so much promise for so many years. I’m not surprised that she is just knocking it out of the park. She’s the real deal. She comes from good people.”

It’s astonishing to Carter that it’s been 30 years since her debut album, Did I Shave My Legs For This? was released.

“We had worked on that record for four or five years, trying to get it ready,” Carter recalls. “It had gone through a lot of renditions and songs and things. My co-producers changed a few times, and about the time we had it done, we were just so happy to have it finished and have it out there. It was such a team effort by everybody at Capitol and the community, the publishers. It was a real community record at the end of the day.”

“We all stay kids inside, so I think that’s why time goes faster, ’cause we stay the same inside,” she adds. “Little growth spurts here and there. But being a kid at heart is the key. That’s what keeps everyone feeling so retro and current at the same time.”

Carter has plenty of tour dates in 2025, in addition to her shows with Shelton.

“I’m so honored to kick off the spring with Blake, and then we have solo shows,” Carter says. “We’re doing a lot of festivals and things, and Rock the Country is going to be part of that for the rest of the year.”

Find all of Carter’s music and upcoming shows at  Deana.com.