Mat Kearney Has Found Contentment Eight Albums Into His Career

Mat Kearney has found the sweet spot in his career. The singer-songwriter’s North America tour supporting his self-titled album could be called The Beautiful, Couple-Thousand-Seat Theater Tour. In his hometown of Nashville, Kearney will play the Roman Theatre, a former tabernacle and home to the Grand Ol’ Opry. He’ll also play the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, Wisc., the Vic Theatre in Chicago, the Majestic Theatre in Dallas and The Orpheum Theatre in Boston, among other places.

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“There’s basically no better size room to play than a couple thousand in a theater,” Kearney tells Billboard ‘s Behind the Setlist podcast. “It sounds the best. There’s enough collective energy that it feels special.”

Not that Kearney doesn’t want to play bigger venues. But eight albums into his music career, which began when Kearney took up songwriting as a soccer player studying English literature at California State University, Chico in Northern California, the Oregon native is content with the level of success he has managed to sustain.

“I can’t tell you how lucky I feel in this season of life,” says Kearney. “There’s the seasons where you’re dreaming of, like, ‘I just need one more big smash so we can play the [amphitheaters] everywhere.’ As humans, we like to desire that next stage beyond what we perceive we’re currently at as [being] better or the goal. And I still want big songs that connect with people. But there’s something about the season of life that I’ve embraced and enjoyed so much.”

Two decades into a recording career, Kearney has released music on a major label (Universal Music Group-owned Republic Records, currently the most successful label in the country and the home of Taylor Swift). The 12-track Mat Kearney , on which he was backed by the band The Brook & The Bluff, was released on an indie (Middle Kid Records). He’s experienced success (2011’s Young Love went to No. 4 on the Billboard 200 ) and quieter periods. At this point, the highs and lows don’t phase him.

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“You ride a few of those waves and you’re kind of like, the lows don’t scare you because you’re like, ‘Hey, I’ve done it this long.’”

Listen to the entire interview with Mat Kearney at the embedded Spotify player below, or go to Spotify , Apple Podcasts , iHeart , Amazon Music or Everand .

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