HARDY stopped by The Bobby Bones Show today (January 23) to talk about his new album, the mockingbird & THE CROW, the ghost stories that have happened in his house, perform his favorite song from the new album, and more!

After much anticipation as one of Nashville’s most popular songwriters, HARDY’s sophomore album, the mockingbird & THE CROW, is finally out. The collection of 17 songs is made up of half country songs and half rock songs, proving HARDY can shine in both genres.

Being such a prominent songwriter who has written some of the biggest country songs in the last few years, HARDY felt the pressure when it came time to release his own album. He explained how the typical record cycle is about two years, and during that time he picked the best 10 to 15 songs he’d written and saved them for himself. The album name represents the internal struggles he has with country artists vs. rock artists. The mockingbird is the country songwriting side of the album. The crow represents the rock side. He got the inspiration for the name when he realized the songs he writes for country are made for the radio and are pretty, like a mockingbird. And a crow doesn't sound as pretty and fly their own path. By making a half country, half rock album, HARDY is definitely flying in his own path. He has created a space in country music where his music can be both country and rock, and it seems to be working. He currently has a rising rock single called “JACK” along with his current chart-climbing country single “wait in the truck” featuring Lainey Wilson.

Each song was co-written by HARDY, except for one titled “happy,” which is his only solo write on the album and the first song he wrote on his own since 2013. He said it’s his favorite song on the record. The idea came to him when he was driving to the golf course. At one point, he wanted to write a children’s book about personifying happiness and turning it into a person. Once that idea was born, he sat down to write and couldn’t stop. He found himself finishing it at three in the morning, and knew he wanted to include it on the album.

All though he just got married in October to his wife Callie, there is only one love song on the record, called “i in country.” “There is no I in country but there is a YOU,” HARDY explained about how the title was born. The song is about how he knows how to do all these “country” things, but what’s the point of doing them if you don’t have anyone to share it with.

In HARDY’s free time, he collects Native American artifacts, but it may have brought a ghost into his house. He explained that weird things have happened in his house that he can’t explain. It started when he was looking for arrowheads and found a spot with tons of broken ones and took them home. A week later, he woke up in the middle of the night with all the lights on, his appliances unplugged and other strange things happening that he can’t explain. The moment that really made him think he had a ghost in his house was when he and his wife hung up a mirror and then the next day there was a huge scratch in it, and when they were watching Yellowstone they heard noises downstairs. When they looked to see what it was, the kitchen table chair had been scooted over two feet. Then, he woke up in the middle of the night and saw something human sized jump from the loft of his house and run out. His only explanation for everything is he might’ve brought something home with his Native American artifacts collection. His wife and him saged every corner of the house and haven’t had the problem since.

HARDY is excited to display his new music on his headlining tour, the mockingbird & THE CROW, which completely sold out just 10 days after tickets went on sale. The 16-date tour kicks off February 16 in Indianapolis, Indiana and wraps up on April 29 in Irving, Texas. Jameson Rodgers and rock band, Blame My Youth, will support him.

HARDY performed his new song “happy” in studio!

Country Top 30 Countdown