Justin Moore makes it a priority to savor family moments and traditions at home.
The Arkansas-born singer-songwriter recently caught up with PEOPLE to talk about his family, music, and why he doubts he’d still be a country artist if he didn’t move back to his hometown. Moore, 39, kickstarted his career with a move to Nashville, Tennessee, but always viewed his time in Music City as “a necessary part of my journey while I was trying to achieve my dreams.
“I would not still be doing this for a living if I didn't live here [Arkansas],” he added later in his interview with PEOPLE, and later went on to talk about the land he inherited from his grandfather, which his kids know is meant to stay in the family. “I just wasn't happy. I don't think you can perform your best at your craft unless you're happy. It was the right move for us, and it's been wonderful.”
Now, Moore is known for career-spanning hits like “The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home,” “With A Woman You Love,” “We Didn’t Have Much,” and one of his latest No. 1s, “You, Me, And Whiskey,” with Priscilla Block. Most recently, Moore teased his next era of music with “This Is My Dirt,” which he debuted one day early on iHeartCountry in November.
Moore penned “This Is My Dirt” with Paul DiGiovanni, Randy Montana and Jeremy Stover. He describes it as “a song about how you grew up, and more specifically, where you grew up. The land I live on today and where I raise my children, is the same land that I grew up on. It has been in our family since the late 1800s.
“My great, great grandfather raised my grandfather here,” he continued. “My grandpa inherited the land from him, and then I inherited it from my grandpa. So, it's really special to us, for obvious reasons. But no matter where you grew up, I think everybody holds a special place in their heart for that place — whether it's a subdivision or thousands of acres, whatever the case may be. This song is about taking pride in wherever it is that you call 'your dirt.’”
Moore is gearing up to join Cody Johnson on the “’Til You Can’t” star’s headlining tour, along with Chris Janson and Dillon Carmichael. See the dates below.
1-19 Sacramento, CA Golden 1 Center
1-20 Anaheim, CA Honda Center
1-26 San Deigo, CA Pechanga Arena
1-27 Glendale, AZ Desert Diamond Arena
2-2 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
2-9 Wichita, KS Intrust Bank Arena
2-10 N. Little Rock, AR Simmons Bank Arena
2-16 Sunrise, FL Amerant Bank Arena
2-17 Jacksonville, FL Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena
3-15 Indianapolis, IN Gainbridge Fieldhouse
3-16 Birmingham, AL Legacy Arena @ BJCC
3-22 Worcester, MA DCU Center
3-23 Baltimore, MD CFG Bank Arena
4-12 Lexington, KY RUPP Arena
4-13 Memphis, TN FedEx Forum
4-20 Georgetown, TX Two Step Inn Festival
4-25 Boise, ID ExtraMile Arena
4-26 Spokane, WA Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena
4-27 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome
5-2 Calgary, AB The Scotiabank Saddledome
5-4 Abbotsford, BC Abbotsford Ent & Sports Complex
5-17 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena
5-18 Fargo, ND FARGODOME
5-31 New Orleans, LA Smoothie King Center
6-1 Panama City Beach, FL Gulf Coast Jam+
6-14 N. Lawrence, OH The Country Fest+
6-13 Bloomington, IL Tailgate N’ Tallboys+ (on sale now)
7-11 Ft. Loramie, OH Country Concert @ Hickory Hills Lakes+
7-13 Chicago, IL Windy City Smokeout+ (on sale now)
8-17 Denver, CO Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater
+Cody Festival dates