{"id":18210,"date":"2019-09-05T09:59:34","date_gmt":"2019-09-05T15:59:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/?p=1811479"},"modified":"2019-09-05T09:59:34","modified_gmt":"2019-09-05T15:59:34","slug":"michael-ray-recalls-his-make-or-break-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/music-news\/michael-ray-recalls-his-make-or-break-moment\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Ray Recalls His Make-or-Break Moment"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"byline\">by <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/author\/shelburnec\/\" title=\"Posts by Craig Shelburne\" rel=\"author\">Craig Shelburne<\/a><\/span> <span class=\"date\">8m ago<\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n<p>You might have seen Michael Ray before, but he promises you haven\u2019t seen him like this.<\/p>\n<p>With the upcoming <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/cmt-on-tour\">CMT on Tour<\/a>, Ray says he\u2019ll be shaking things up on stage.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe always bring our best to every show, but with the CMT name on top of it, it makes you want to elevate what you\u2019re doing even more,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople that have seen us before, they\u2019re going to see a whole new different show.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3A85JE2ugiI?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3A85JE2ugiI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p>He continues, \u201cWe\u2019re reconstructing the set, we\u2019re adding stuff, and I think that day four will be different than day one. I think every night we\u2019re going to go back to the set and see if something worked right, or how we can make it better every night. Every night is going to get better and better on this tour. If you\u2019ve seen a Michael Ray show before, this isn\u2019t one that you\u2019ve seen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>During a visit to the CMT office, he talks about his pre-show ritual, his vocal ambitions, and the game-changer of his latest hit, \u201cHer World or Mine.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"photo\" id=\"3a2a7c00\">\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"><noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;img&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/06\/GettyImages-1144030509-1559495257.jpg?quality=0.85&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=480\" srcset=\"http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/06\/GettyImages-1144030509-1559495257.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=481 481w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/06\/GettyImages-1144030509-1559495257.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=660 660w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/06\/GettyImages-1144030509-1559495257.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=768 768w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/06\/GettyImages-1144030509-1559495257.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=980 980w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/06\/GettyImages-1144030509-1559495257.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=1200 1200w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/06\/GettyImages-1144030509-1559495257.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=1500 1500w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/06\/GettyImages-1144030509-1559495257.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=1800 1800w\" title=\"Michael Ray\" class=\"js-srcset-img shortcode-image portrait p3x4\" alt><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<div class=\"photocredit\">Steve Jennings\/WireImage<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>CMT: What goes through your mind in those moments before you walk out on stage and perform?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>MR: Me and the guys try to have about 20 or 30 minutes together if we can, just us, shut everything off, make a drink. We do a little ritual prayer and take a shot and just kind of grasp what we\u2019re doing. I think that in those moments before you go on stage, whether it\u2019s an arena or club or whatever, you try to get your mind focused.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019re about to take however many people are in that crowd away for 75 minutes. And my goal in the end is for them to leave feeling exhausted and recharged \u2014 all at the same time \u2014 and ready to make memories and moments for them.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JOIvhO2fDTI?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JOIvhO2fDTI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p><strong>Do you love to be on stage, with all eyes on you?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Yeah, it\u2019s fun seeing the connection. It\u2019s fun seeing those moments where you go, \u201cOK, they\u2019re in.\u201d It\u2019s always a fun thing because it\u2019s like we\u2019re taking them somewhere else, but they\u2019re taking us somewhere else, too. It\u2019s this weird tornado of energy that happens. It\u2019s like: them, us, them, us. And then throughout the night it speeds up and at the end it\u2019s this big night. So, yeah, it\u2019s a lot of fun to see them excited about the music.<\/p>\n<p>My first concert was Garth Brooks. I was 12 years old and he played \u201cThe Dance.\u201d I don\u2019t know if he said anything, I think he just started the guitar lick, but the entire place went nuts. And I remember going, \u201cI want that.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"photo\" id=\"76566694\">\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"><noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;img&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/08\/Michael-Ray-by-Jeff-Nelson-1566252684.jpg?quality=0.85&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=480\" srcset=\"http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/08\/Michael-Ray-by-Jeff-Nelson-1566252684.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=481 481w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/08\/Michael-Ray-by-Jeff-Nelson-1566252684.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=660 660w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/08\/Michael-Ray-by-Jeff-Nelson-1566252684.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=768 768w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/08\/Michael-Ray-by-Jeff-Nelson-1566252684.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=980 980w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/08\/Michael-Ray-by-Jeff-Nelson-1566252684.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=1200 1200w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/08\/Michael-Ray-by-Jeff-Nelson-1566252684.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=1500 1500w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/08\/Michael-Ray-by-Jeff-Nelson-1566252684.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=1800 1800w\" title=\"Michael Ray by Jeff Nelson\" class=\"js-srcset-img shortcode-image portrait p3x4\" alt><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>At some point in my life, I wanted that moment when I can play a chord or hit a lick, and people just know, and they connect to that song so much that it fires them up. With \u201cHer World or Mine,\u201d we\u2019ve been saying that\u2019s \u201cThe Dance\u201d moment in my show, because it became about that piano lick.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve played it in Australia, we\u2019ve played it in the UK, we\u2019ve played it in Canada and all over the United States, and everywhere it\u2019s that same reaction. \u2026 All the travel, the tiredness, the not being home, everything that it takes to get to that show \u2013 in that moment you go, \u201cThis was it. It was all worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WXJmTbU0O0g?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WXJmTbU0O0g?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p><strong>That melody is what grabs me on \u201cGet to You.\u201d Why did that song interest you to record?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It was something for me to show vocals more than I had on the first album, to show what I could do, but also there\u2019s a bit of a message that that song had. The melody of it was great. It\u2019s a ballad but the chorus really drives. When we play that song, it\u2019s a bouncer, and people sing every word to it.<\/p>\n<p>What shocks me is how many guys connected to that song. When I recorded it, it was like, \u201cOK, who hasn\u2019t been in that position? I\u2019m trying to figure this out and you\u2019ve got to help me here.\u201d You love somebody so much and you just go, \u201cI don\u2019t know what it is, but I want you to find it, even if it\u2019s not me.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lyyfWV27X8w?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lyyfWV27X8w?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p><strong>\u201cOne That Got Away\u201d was big hit for you. What\u2019s it like as a performer to see a song that nobody really knows grow into a song that everybody knows?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This song was probably one of the coolest experiences of my career, as far as watching a song, because technically my album was finished. And I\u2019d switched management, there was a bunch of professional stuff that was going on, but I had this album that didn\u2019t feel finished. And when I went to my new management, they were like, \u201cWe agree with you. What are we missing here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne That Got Away\u201d was a song that was on the table quite a bit throughout the recording process. Matt Ramsey and Trevor Rosen of Old Dominion are two of the writers on it, with Josh Osborne and Jesse Frasure. Matt was singing the vocal on the demo, and he has such a distinct, great voice, so it was hard to hear that not being an Old Dominion song.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/A8v2PRf-wLY?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/A8v2PRf-wLY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p>As soon as we recorded it, it was like, \u201cYeah, OK, this feels great.\u201d We started playing it live and it started becoming that part of the set where it was the energy that was coming up. And to see it start climbing the charts\u2026. I remember calling back to my management and people on my label and saying, \u201cThis thing\u2019s connecting.\u201d Like, we\u2019re just kicking it off and people are singing every word.<\/p>\n<p>To see this song literally come from something that wasn\u2019t even on the album \u2014 the album was technically finished \u2014 to being on the album, to being the single, to being the single that I needed for a show, for my live show, for radio, and to be the song that we needed to set up a song like \u201cHer World or Mine\u201d to be next \u2026 It had a lot of pressure on it. [laughs]<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/56m-t2PeKg8?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/56m-t2PeKg8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p><strong>It was a make-or-break moment being the first song from the second record. People could have asked, \u201cDoes he still have it or was that a fluke?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Yeah, totally, it had a lot of weight on it. I needed that fun song. I haven\u2019t had one out like that since \u201cKiss You in the Morning,\u201d kind of a fun, uplifting sing-along. I felt like the fans wanted it from me, and we found the song that we felt represented that.<\/p>\n<p>And that song doing what it did, who knows if we\u2019d have been able to have \u201cHer World or Mine\u201d out right now? I\u2019m very grateful for that song, and very grateful for country radio and my fans and country music fans for embracing it like they have.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/1811479\/michael-ray-recalls-his-make-or-break-moment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: CMT News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Craig Shelburne 8m ago You might have seen Michael Ray before, but he promises you haven\u2019t seen him like this. With the upcoming CMT on Tour, Ray says he\u2019ll be shaking things up on stage. \u201cWe always bring our best to every show, but with the CMT name on top of it, it makes [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-18210","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-music-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-13 09:53:13","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KRKY Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18210"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18210\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}