Koe Wetzel appeared at Country Radio Seminar (CRS) 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee, a three-day industry-only event, held at the Omni from March 18–20. While there, he spoke with the media and participated in the popular Cycle of a Song series as part of the Digital Music Summit.
During that panel, he discussed his collaboration with Jessie Murph on “High Road.” However, before the series, he sat down with Music Mayhem for an exclusive one-on-one interview, which touched on his friendship with Ella Langley, upcoming music, and more.
Langley, who sings on Wetzel’s 2023 song “That’s Why We Fight, was also in attendance at CRS, where she was named one of six artists in the “Class of 2026” New Faces of Country Music, alongside Chase Matthew, Kelsey Hart, Meghan Patrick, John Morgan, and Josh Ross. Her career has skyrocketed in recent months, fueled by her smash hit “Choosin’ Texas,” which she co-wrote with Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, and Joybeth Taylor.
As of late March of 2026, “Choosin’ Texas” has spent four weeks at No. 1, breaking a decade-long record for the longest-running No. 1 country hit by a solo female artist, a record previously held by Taylor Swift. In addition, Langley has found success with songs like “You Look Like You Love Me” (feat. Riley Green), her breakthrough hit, “Weren’t for the Wind.” Adding even more momentum, Langley just earned her first-ever iHeartRadio Music Award for Best New Country Artist.
Speaking with Music Mayhem about their friendship and Langley’s success, Wetzel had nothing but praise. “It’s awesome. Ella and I have been friends for a long time, so everything that she’s getting and has got going on right now, she deserves 100%,” Wetzel gushed. “I couldn’t think of a better person to have everything happening for her. So I’m glad everybody now is starting to see what I’ve seen for her and known for a long time. So yeah, shout out to Ella. She’s such a badass.”
Wetzel, a native of Pittsburg, Texas, is experiencing major milestones of his own. Just this month, he performed for a crowd of roughly 60,000 fans at RODEOHOUSTON at NRG Stadium during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, marking a significant moment in his career. And that isn’t lost on him.
“Obviously, it was kind of a surreal moment being in that moment and getting to play in front of all those people and having so many fans come out and support. It was just a really, really cool moment, and I just didn’t try to think about it too much, just enjoying it while I was there,” Wetzel said of the milestone concert. “It was great. Being a Texas artist and coming up in Texas and playing all the rodeos, coming up and getting to do it there at the world’s biggest rodeo in Houston was great. It’s kind of like a welcome home. We’ve been away from Texas for a while, getting out and playing, but it was a blessing. It was great. We had a great time, so it was a lot of fun.”
Just weeks earlier, on February 28, 2026, Wetzel returned to his hometown of Pittsburg, Texas, for “Koe Wetzel Day,” a celebration in his honor. Surrounded by family, including his parents, Gary Dale and Julie Wetzel, his girlfriend Bailey Fisher, their daughter Woods Madison, and close friends, Wetzel was recognized by the community where he grew up.
Parker McCollum also joined the celebration, and the two artists performed their hit song “Love” together. Koe Wetzel was presented with a key to the city and honored with a new mural during the festivities.
“We’ve been trying to top ‘Love,’ and we haven’t done it yet,” Wetzel said, hinting at another potential collaboration with McCollum. “And it’s crazy to even say that, but we try not to go in there and have that mindset, but we’re getting there. I think we’ve got a write coming up in a couple of weeks. So yeah, I think we can look forward to something like that on the horizon.”
When asked if there’s anything folks don’t know about him, he addressed public perception, saying, “Well, all my friends and family, everybody that knows me knows who I am and what kind of person I am. So don’t let social media or anything else kind of push you off on who I am or what I am. I’ve always kind of been, you get as much respect as you give, and just learn who somebody is before you make the first opinion or whatever.”
As for new music, Wetzel confirmed that fans won’t have to wait much longer.
“Yeah. We’ve been done with this new record for almost a year now, so we’ll be dropping it this summer,” he said. “Got a lot more music in the vault as well. So 2026 is going to be fun. We’ve got the tour coming up this summer that’ll run through the end of the year. A lot of new music and I don’t know, we just got a lot of stuff coming, so excited about a lot of it.”
Wetzel has already given fans a preview of his forthcoming new album with the release of “Time Goes On.” The upcoming project will follow his 2024 album, 9 Lives, which featured his five-week No. 1 hit “High Road” with Jessie Murph, which was also 2025’s most-played song at U.S. Country Radio.
“Honestly, it’s just kind of a flow from 9 Lives in a sense. With 9 Lives, it was kind of a turnover, a new lead for us, kind of calming everything down from the rock side,” he explained. “So this is kind of being added onto that, but it’s going to kind of capture everything that we’ve done from the beginning. I think it’s got a little something for everybody.….”
In addition to his music career, Wetzel has been embracing life as a new dad after welcoming his daughter last May.
“She hasn’t reacted to the music yet because we haven’t played a lot of it for her yet, but she loves it when daddy sings,” Wetzel shared. “But yeah, it’s been great. The transformation over the past year and everything, and obviously, with my mental health and my health now and every aspect of my life, it’s kind of pushing over into the music as well. And it’s been great. She’s the love of my life. She’s changed me for the better. I get to see her tonight. I haven’t seen her in a couple of days, so I can’t wait to squeeze her when I get home.”
Later this May, Wetzel will hit the road on The Night Champion World Tour, a 45-city headlining run featuring support from Shane Smith & The Saints, Ole 60, Wyatt Flores, Corey Kent, Wade Bowen, Bayker Blankenship, Kolby Cooper, and Logan Jahnke on select dates.
For more information on Koe Wetzel’s new album and upcoming tour dates, visit his official website at koewetzelmusic.com.
