Garth Brooks Raves About Brandi Carlile During BIG 615 Launch (Exclusive)

06/18/2023 03:08 pm EDT

Garth Brooks is clearly a big fan of Brandi Carlile. The Country Music Hall of Famer unveiled The BIG 615, the first station as part of his TuneIn partnership, on Thursday, and in a post-press-conference interview, we brought his attention to a recent tweet from Carlile praising him. The "Heart's Content" singer had applauded Brooks amidst his decision to still serve Bud Light at his upcoming Nashville bar, calling him "an absolute gem" who she'd love to work with.

Brooks was flattered when hearing about Carlile's message and went on to rave about her. He particularly praised Carlile, who's been performing for decades but has blown up in the mainstream country scene in recent years, for her ability to lift her fellow collaborators up as her star continues to rise.

"She's everywhere right now," the country music icon noted of Carlile. "She might be the [artist] that's on fire most. But the difference between her and everybody else that's ever come before her, she's on fire for other people. Because of her, there are a lot of artists that have got a second day in the sunshine, and that's a sweet gift."

He added, "She's new herself, but she's already helping out everybody. So that shows the strength right there. Forget about men or women: that shows the strength of an artist right there."

Garth also went on to praise Brandi's "commanding" stage presence when she performs and noted she's definitely an artist that listeners can expect to hear on The BIG 615. Carlile seems to be exactly the kind of country musician Brooks wants to broadcast around the globe. He sees the TuneIn station as "artist-driven" and a way to globalize country music rooted in the tradition that makes the genre special.

"What this station is, is more artist-driven," Brooks said during the Nashville press conference. "Terrestrial radio is an agenda to the labels. It works great, It worked great for me, right? But what happens on terrestrial radio is, as long as the labels have you, then you're on the radio. The second something happens, and you're not at that label, the career goes into some other stage.

"Our thing is, I think there are some artists that outlive their label. One of them for me, is George Strait. I want to hear the new stuff from George Strait. I want to hear it right next to Luke Combs. I want to hear new stuff from The Chicks. We can talk about The Chicks all day and everything other than music, but this might just be one of the greatest music-making artists/bands/whatever you want to call them in our history. I want to hear their new stuff."

The BIG 615 is just the first TuneIn station Brooks will launch via his SEVENS Radio Network. More station announcements are expected soon. Stay tuned to PopCulture.com for more updates from Garth Brooks' BIG 615 launch. For more Brandi Carlile, we recommend her Grammy-winning 2021 album In These Silent Days. There is also an acoustic version of the record titled In the Canyon Haze, which she released in 2022.

Quick Hits About Garth Brooks:

• Garth Brooks' wife is Trisha Yearwood. They married on Dec. 10, 2005.
• Garth Brooks has three children with his ex-wife, Sandy Mahl: Taylor Mayne Pearl, August Anna, and Allie Colleen Brooks.
• The "Thunder Rolls" and "Callin' Baton Rouge" singer has been in the headlines as of late for vowing to serve Bud Light in his upcoming Nashville bar, Low Places. Bud Light has been pulled into a conservative culture war due to a sponsorship deal the brand made with transgender actress Dylan Mulvaney. Garth Brooks is a longtime ally of the LGBTQ+ community and doesn't care a bit about the backlash. He told Billboard: "We're going to serve every brand of beer. We just are. It's not our decision to make. Our thing is this, if you [are let] into this house, love one another. If you're an a–hole, there are plenty of other places on lower Broadway."
  
• Garth Brooks is also known for his work as Chris Gaines, a rockstar alter-ego. He released one album under the Chris Gaines persona but recently revealed he wants to return to the character.
• After wrapping up his recent stadium tour — which earned an extremely positive review from us here at PopCulture.com — Garth Brooks is currently in the midst of a Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The Vegas run is titled "Garth Brooks/Plus ONE."
• Garth Brooks is a graduate of Oklahoma State University. He returned to the college back in April for two fundraiser concerts.

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