The Stephan Hogan Podcast

Christian singer-songwriter Matthew West joins The Stephan Hogan Podcast to talk about never feeling good enough, the pressure to prove yourself, and finding freedom in God’s grace. Matthew has 40 No. 1 songs as an artist and songwriter. But when I bring that up, his mind goes straight to the songs that stopped at No. 2. Why is it so hard to feel like enough, even when you have so much to celebrat...

What Thomas Rhett told Jordan Davis about being a dad gets to the heart of balancing country music, family, and fatherhood. Jordan Davis joins The Stephan Hogan Podcast to share Thomas Rhett’s reminder about showing up for your kids. When you’ve spent the night onstage hearing thousands of fans cheer your name, how do you come home tired and find the energy to be the dad your children need? For fa...

How do you move forward without answers? Jackie Patillo, President of the Gospel Music Association and executive producer of the GMA Dove Awards, joins The Stephan Hogan Podcast for an honest conversation about Christian music, gospel music, faith, grief, leadership and calling. Jackie opens up about losing her son Gabriel to cancer, wrestling with anger and unanswered prayer, and carrying public...

Dan Tyminski, the singing voice behind George Clooney’s “Man of Constant Sorrow” in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, shares an untold behind-the-scenes story about recording the song, Clooney trying to sing it himself, and the financial surprise Dan never saw coming. The interview was over. The cameras kept rolling. Then this happened. In this raw conversation from The Stephan Hogan Podcast, Dan takes...

Kane Brown’s manager, Martha Earls, breaks down how to build an artist brand, grow a loyal fanbase, and turn social media attention into a lasting music career. Martha shares her journey from working the front desk and tape room at Warner Chappell to breaking industry barriers, pioneering social-first artist discovery, and taking country music to stadiums and global stages like Formula 1. They div...

When Aaron Dorn walked away from a promising banking career, declined an opportunity at Vanderbilt, and accepted a commission in the United States Marine Corps, many believed he was throwing away his future. Instead, that decision helped prepare him to build one of Nashville’s most distinctive financial institutions. After serving as a Marine intelligence officer, Aaron returned to Vanderbilt, ear...

In this episode of The Stephan Hogan Podcast, Bear Rinehart, the GRAMMY-nominated, multi-platinum frontman of NEEDTOBREATHE and the artist behind Wilder Woods, opens up about the hidden cost of a 20-year music career. 00:00 Bear Rinehart on Authenticity and Why Zach Bryan Connects 01:52 Growing Up Fundamentalist and Confronting Childhood Trauma 03:33 How Therapy Helped Bear Rinehart Understand His...

Dan Tyminski nearly said no to Avicii’s “Hey Brother.” His teenage daughter changed the answer, and that decision changed far more than one recording session. Most people know Dan’s voice before they know his name and global EDM hits. He is the voice behind “Man of Constant Sorrow,” a defining member of Alison Krauss & Union Station, the unmistakable bluegrass singer on Avicii’s “Hey Brother,”...

Kip Moore opens up about country music, the music business, country radio, songwriting, touring and the radical authenticity that helped him build a global career on his own terms. In this Kip Moore interview on The Stephan Hogan Podcast, Kip breaks down how he grew a massive international fanbase across South Africa, Australia, Europe and the UK, including selling out an arena in Cape Town in sev...

Building a top 1% brand isn't about how much you post, but how you apply the fundamental laws of human connection to your social strategy. In this conversation, we talk about the five rules behind building a powerful personal brand, why followers and viral views do not always create a real audience, and how to turn attention into lasting connection. Chris also breaks down Venture Music’s orbi...

99% of songwriters fail to recoup their deals. In this episode, Lee Krabel (VP of A&R at SMACKSongs) breaks down the brutal business reality of Nashville—and how you can beat the odds. Most people think the music business is about "getting discovered." The truth? It’s a high-stakes investment game where only 0.00019% of songs actually reach the top. We’re sitting down for a deep-dive...

How do you go from selling merchandise for Hootie & the Blowfish to advising Luke Combs to turn down a $13 million offer? In this episode of The Stephan Hogan Podcast, the founder of Riverhouse Artists reveals the high-stakes decisions, the "valley of death" moments, and the data that proved the industry wrong. Lynn explains how she worked her way through artist management, A&R,...

What does it really take to build a music‑tech startup in Nashville? In this episode, co‑founder Kevin McCarty shares the story behind We Should Write Sometime, the platform known as “Tinder for songwriters.” Kevin reveals how he built the app, raised money from investors, and risked his own financial security to keep the company alive. You’ll hear the real cost of building a music product from sc...

Maslow said creativity and self-actualization come after your basic needs are met. But what if that’s backwards? In this solo episode of The Stephan Hogan Podcast, I break down why Maslow’s hierarchy of needs does not fully work for creators, entrepreneurs, artists, songwriters, founders, podcasters, and anyone trying to build something from nothing. If you are building a business, brand, song, po...

Zack Telander joins The Stephan Hogan Podcast for a conversation about Chris Williamson, Modern Wisdom, Diplo, AI music, fatherhood, creativity, and the fight to keep art human. Many people know Zack through Olympic weightlifting, YouTube, Modern Wisdom, or his friendship with Chris Williamson. But this conversation goes deeper than the clips. Zack shares how he went from fitness creator to songwr...

Richard Casper survived four IED blasts as a Marine in Iraq. But the fight that almost took him out did not happen overseas. It happened when he came home. In this episode of The Stephan Hogan Podcast, Richard Casper opens up about combat, traumatic brain injury, PTSD, survivor’s guilt, grief, veteran suicide, and the invisible wounds many veterans carry long after the war is over. After Iraq, Ric...

Chris Thacker is the co-founder and CEO of Stage Water, a canned water brand built for the live music community. He is also a longtime tour manager for Dierks Bentley and has spent decades behind the scenes of the music industry leading teams, solving problems, and keeping major tours moving. In this episode of The Stephan Hogan Podcast, Chris Thacker shares how Stage Water launched, how the compa...

At some point, the dream changes. Ben Montague started as a musician chasing songs, shows, and the artist life. Then he found himself driving through the night after gigs, windows down just to stay awake, so he could open his guitar shop the next morning. That was the crossroads. Today, Ben owns Carter Vintage Guitars and Norman’s Rare Guitars. But the real story is not about guitars. It is about...

https://www.gofundme.com/f/stephanhoganpodcast Stephan sits down with Mitchell Tenpenny for a real conversation about fatherhood, grief, losing a parent, anger, therapy, phones, social media, AI, fake validation, human connection, and why live music still matters in a world full of content. Mitchell Tenpenny is known for songs like Drunk Me, Truth About You, At the End of a Bar, and his latest cha...

Kent Earls is one of the music executives behind the scenes helping shape the songs, songwriters, artists, and careers people are talking about in Nashville. In this episode of The Stephan Hogan Podcast, Kent Earls sits down with Stephan to talk about the business behind the hits, from his time as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Universal Music Publishing Group Nashville to becomin...

Jake Owen has lived a lot of life since “Barefoot Blue Jean Night.” The songs. The tours. The success. The public highs. The private lows. The reinvention. And all the things people search for when they want to understand the man behind the music: Jake Owen songs, Jake Owen tour, Jake Owen music, Jake Owen age, Jake Owen married, and yes, even Barefoot Blue Jean Night lyrics. But this conversation...

After a career at the summit of the music industry, most recently as the Global Head of Country Music at Apple, Michael Bryan reached a definitive conclusion: scaling without soul is a race to the bottom. In this masterclass on creative discipline and longevity, Michael reveals the Southern Drift manifesto, a blueprint for leaders and creators who want to build empires that last 40 years, not 40 s...

The Truth About Music Royalties, Creator Funding, and Long-Term Careers | Alex Heiche Alex Heiche sees the creative business from a rare vantage point. As the founder of Sound Royalties, he works with songwriters, artists, producers, and creators at the intersection of money, ownership, pressure, and long-term career building. Founded in 2014, Sound Royalties is the world’s leading specialty finan...

Rusty Gaston sees the music business from a rare vantage point. In this conversation, we talk about what really makes songs connect, why the best careers are built on more than hype, and what happens when somebody who came from the independent world steps into one of the most powerful roles in Nashville publishing. This is a real conversation about the heart behind the business. If you care about...

James Shotwell, founder of Country Minute, breaks down how songs actually go viral in today’s music industry, what artists and labels are really paying for, and how influencer marketing is shaping country music. Country Minute is one of the fastest-growing platforms in country music, reaching millions of fans every month through TikTok, Instagram, and short-form content that drives music discovery...