Justin Moore may have set out to become the next George Strait, but life had other plans, and he can honestly say now that he’s more than okay with that.
In a new interview on the God’s Country podcast, Moore reflected back on his early career, when he first moved to Nashville at 18 years old. At the time, he had his heart set on becoming as big as the King of Country.
“I wanted to be bigger than anybody, sell more tickets than anybody,” he admitted.
However, his priories shifted after getting married and having kids. He suddenly started caring more about his life at home than how he was perceived by fans.
“God is number one for me. Number two is my family. And it’s more important to me to be a good parent and a good husband than it is to be George Strait,” he declared.
Nashville Was Never Going To Be His Forever Home
So he packed up his life and Nashville and moved back home to Poyen, AR where the population is nearly 300 people.
“I have a lot of great friends here in Nashville. Nashville was really good to me, but it just wasn’t home. It just never felt like home,” Moore admitted. “And so we moved back home.”
In the back of his mind, Moore says that he always knew he wouldn’t stay in Music City forever and because of that he never bought a house in Tennessee. This turned out to be one of the best decisions of his life. Now, he gets to do things like watch his oldest daughter be taught by his same teacher and live on the property he grew up on.
The Cost Of Leaving Music City
That being said, choosing family over the fast-paced Nashville grind hasn’t come without sacrifices.
“To be honest with you guys, it’s probably cost me some things in career,” he explained.
Even though Moore admits he doesn’t care about awards nor does he attend the big industry award shows anymore, he believes that his absence from the hub of country music has cost him the chance to take home a few trophies. Moore also says that his touring life has likely seen a negative impact as a result.
But at the end of the day, it’s not about the wins or the amount of tickets he sells, instead he cares more about the impact he’s having on his kids by being present in their lives.
“Here’s the thing. I want my kids 20 years from now to go, ‘Dad was here, he was here and he made us the priority.’”
In celebration of Moore’s dedication to his hometown, he was honored with a ten-foot road sign at he entrance to the city of Poyen, AR in August of 2024. The massive roadside sign reads, “Welcome To Poyen, Home Of Justin Moore.”
“I would never have expected, or asked, for this, but I’m so thankful to our city officials and David Bazzel for spearheading this effort,” Moore said in a statement at the time. “I’m not one who finds comfort having praise heaped upon himself, so this is a proud moment, but a bit tough for me. I’m hopeful that I have contributed to my beloved city, as much as it has to me.”
Justin Moore still stays busy on the road with an average of 75-80 shows a year at this stage of his career. Plus, he maintains the balance of family time by bringing his kids out to his shows from time to time.
“My wife does not care anything about coming out unless it’s like Chicago or Manhattan. She’s like, ‘where you going? Nah, I’m good.’ But the kids want to go.”
More Has Seen No Lack Of Success
Despite stepping back from some parts of the industry, it’s safe to say that Justin Moore has had no lack of success over the past near two decades of his career. In that time, he has racked up 13 No. 1 hit singles, earned the title of multi-platinum selling artist and has become a household name for fans all over the world.
“I don’t know that I saw that happening, as far as the amount of success we’ve had, but for some reason, man, I always thought I would do it. I don’t know why…but if you told me I would have 20+ top 10 records and we’ve been doing this for now going on two decades, I don’t know that I would’ve thought that,” he admitted.
At the end of the day, Justin Moore has built a life rooted in what matters most all while still becoming one of the biggest acts in country music.
The Arkansas native is currently on the road with Joe Nichols and Austin Michael, performing across Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Nebraska and more in June. His next performances are set for Bethlehem, PA on June 13 and York, PA on June 14.
The post Justin Moore Says He Dreamed Of Being The Next George Strait Before Becoming A Husband And Father appeared first on Country Now.