When Cody Johnson Debuted 'Dance Her Home' [Distant Replay]

In December of '13 Cody Johnson joined us on the big show to debut his-then-brand-new radio single "Dance Her Home." The song got so popular so fast -- with nowhere to hear it outside of his concerts -- that fans took to scouring the internet for pirated concert videos. Views of him singing it live number in the tens of thousand, all without radio play.

One of Texas brightest stars, and one of it's good guys, Cody Johnson is the next generation of Texas Music, hell country music. He doesn't do it by being flashy though, or making absurd statements. He doesn't sing gimmicky songs. The East Texas native does it with dynamic live shows, great music, and thoughtful lyrics.

We don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but does that sound like another young country singer outta Texas in the early '80s? Anybody?

For Johnson his music is not a regional thing. "I'm not necessarily Texas country music, I'm necessarily not Nashville Music," he says. "But I know that I believe in country music. And I'm gonna just keep doin' my thing."

And how about the current flux of pop and hip hop in country music? Johnson's stance is one of diplomacy, even graciousness. "Eventually country music is gonna be turned back to country music," he says, "but I love every bit of it and I'm proud to have my songs on the radio... Just to have my songs on the radio, that blows my mind."

His energy and drive are as infectious as his music. The new album Cowboy Like Me is due out in 2014. Download "Dance Her Home," now.