Tim McGraw is one of country music’s reigning superstars, but it’s not just country that he listens to when he is by himself. The 56-year-old reveals he rarely listens to music, but when he does, his tastes extend far beyond the country music genre.
“I don’t listen to music a whole lot, except for new stuff when I’m working on it,” McGraw admits on The Rich Eisen Show. “But I’m a ’70s freak, ’80s freak. I love the Eagles, Phil Collins. I always go back to Merle Haggard, Keith Whitley, George Strait… Not just country. I’m influenced by everything. Everything that I grew up listening to, I’m influenced by.”
Perhaps surprisingly, McGraw’s favorite music to listen to is neither country nor pop, but a throwback to his younger years.
“I love Yacht Rock,” McGraw says with a laugh. “That’s probably my favorite station. I get so much crap from my friends and my kids when I tell them that I listen to Yacht Rock. They say, ‘I never pegged you for a Yacht Rock guy.’ I’m a sucker for it. I know every word to every song on the Yacht Rock channel. And I sing it at the top of my lungs. The kids are going, ‘Dad, that’s enough.'”
McGraw’s current single, “Standing Room Only,” is in the Top 15. The song is the title track of his forthcoming new album, out on August 25, which also includes “Remember Me Well” and “Hey Whiskey ”
“As an artist, I always want to dig deeper and get better every time I make a new record – it’s a big part of what drives me, and I really believe this is one of the best projects we’ve made,” McGraw says of Standing Room Only. “I’ve been working on this album since 2020, and this collection of songs are some of the most emotional, thought-provoking, and life-affirming music I’ve ever recorded.”
The Louisiana native just announced his Standing Room Only Tour with Carly Pearce serving as his opening act for all dates.
“It’s the first time we’ve done an arena tour in a long time,” McGraw tells Entertainment Tonight. “I’m looking forward to it. We’ve got some crazy spectacular production I’m looking forward to everybody seeing. This is probably one of the coolest productions we’ve ever had. We’re gonna blow it out.”
The singer hopes that his wife, Faith Hill, and their three daughters join him for at least some of the shows, although he admits it’s unlikely he will get any of his girls to share the stage with him.
“Maybe I’ll talk them into it,” he hints. “Maybe they’ll sort of grow out of that phase a little bit where they don’t want to sing with me. They’ll sing with Mom, but I’m probably not up to par with the rest of them. I’m the worst singer in the family. It’s true. I’m pretty good, but I’m the worst singer in the family.”
Standing Room Only Tour tickets will be available beginning on Friday, August 4, at 10:00 AM local time. Find all of McGraw’s music and upcoming shows at TimMcGraw.com.