HARDY is always churning out new music. And he doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon. The country music singer/songwriter, 32, recently released his new half-country half-rock album, the mockingbird & The Crow, featuring 17 tracks.
Aside from that, HARDY has doled out more projects with his collaborative collections, dubbed Hixtape, which puts a fun twist on a Mixtape.
In 2019, prior to becoming the reigning ACM Songwriter of the Year, HARDY dropped his first-ever Hixtape with Hixtape, Vol. 1. That album featured ten tracks in the style of a hip-hop mixtape and a hefty star-studded cast of 17 country artists. Among them were Morgan Wallen, Trace Adkins, Thomas Rhett, Keith Urban, the late Joe Diffie, and more. Hixtape, Vol. 1 also produced a No. 1 hit on Billboard’s Country Airplay Chart with “One Beer,” featuring Lauren Alaina and Devin Dawson.
Meanwhile, Hixtape Vol. 2 was released in 2021 and included four more “backroad bangers and party-friendly anthems” in contrast to the first. The collaboration-only album featured an extended all-star cast with names like Jon Pardi, Marty Stuart, ERNEST, Lainey Wilson, Dierks Bentley, Jimmie Allen, Midland, Ronnie Dunn, and many more.
Hixtape Vol. 3 Is In The Works And Will Be “Completely Different”
Now, HARDY is opening up about the next set of tunes, which will make up Hixtape Vol. 3.
During a recent interview with Holler Country, the Mississippi-born crooner referenced the NOW That’s What I Call Music! Albums, which grew popular in the U.S. in the late ‘90s and early 2000s and featured various artists across different genres. He shared that he has plans to release multiple Hixtapes similarly to the successful NOW series. HARDY also adds that folks can look forward to a “completely different” set of songs with Hixtape Vol. 3 compared to earlier projects.
“The next Hixtape is going to be completely different – in the best way! We have the ball rolling on Hixtape Vol. 3. People are going to be like, ‘No way, really?’ I will be on it – I should be on every Hixtape in some form or fashion,” HARDY shared.
HARDY continued, “We’re hoping that Hixtape goes for 20 years. I want them to be like the NOW That’s What I Call Music CDs. I want it to go on and on. You can always expect a Hixtape at least every other year. But the next one we have in the works is pretty badass. So keep your ear to the ground, because it’s really cool…”
HARDY didn’t reveal a drop date for his next Hixtape roll-out, but judging by his timeline, fans should be on the lookout for another set of songs in 2023.
Teased All-Female Chickstape Project & Rock/Country Hixtape
Along with the next installment of the Hixtape series, HARDY opened up about his idea to create a “Chickstape” in the future with a female-only group of collaborators.
“It’s not a real thing yet, but there might be an all-female Hixtape one day,” he told Billboard, before adding that he might also create a rock country Hixtape, as a nod to his latest album, the mockingbird & THE CROW.
“I could see doing a rock Hixtape, where I could write a bunch of rednecks, ‘He Went to Jared’ type of songs and get rock guys to sing on it,” he added.
All that means is folks can certainly look forward to more material from HARDY soon.
In the meantime, fans can enjoy HARDY’s songs from his latest album live as he’s currently on the road as part of his The Mockingbird & The Crow tour. The trek, which launched on Feb. 16, in Indianapolis, Ind, includes openers Jameson Rodgers and Blame My Youth. The second leg of the tour, featuring Lainey Wilson and Dylan Marlowe, will kick off in late August and continue into December.
Additionally, fans can catch HARDY on the One Night At A Time World Tour, serving as support for Morgan Wallen throughout the entire summer.
