Country music sensation Tim McGraw joined Clint Black on his show, “Talking In Circles with Clint Black,” to reveal the secret behind what makes a “great artist.” The short interview from season two was exclusively obtained by PEOPLE and will premiere on Saturday, March 12.
With a grand piano nearby and two acoustic guitars at arm’s length, the legend sparked a conversation around what makes a musician successful and pointed out the battle several entertainers face while honing in on their craft.
“As you know, the first rule of being a great artist is know who you are — and a lot of artists never figure out who they are as an artist,” the seasoned singer-songwriter told Black. “They’re trying to be somebody that’s not them.”
The hitmaker continued to open up about his own artistry and confirmed that he found himself early on in his career.
“For me, I always knew who I was as an artist, but I was never opposed to opening my ears and opening my eyes and finding the core of what I am and knowing the road that I am on,” he said while also mentioning that he would often pull inspiration – negative or positive from everywhere.
“But also being able to find bright shiny things along the way that I can add and incorporate into the music that I was making. And I owe a lot of that to my girls growing up and hauling cheerleaders around the football games,” he added about his three daughters he had with wife and country hitmaker Faith Hill.
McGraw revealed that his young girls would often show him trending music, and he would give it a chance. Whether he enjoyed the material or not, he would take notes and apply what he learned to his own music.
“I think I can take that and sort of thicken it up and widen it a bit, and it would work really good for this song that I’m working on,” he would think to himself while listening to music by other musicians. “You find stuff that you like, and you sort of incorporate it into what you’re doing.”
Towards the end of the interview, McGraw told Black that musicians must understand their strengths and weaknesses to reach new heights in the highly competitive industry.
“I think the biggest thing as an artist to figure out, is figuring out what you don’t do well. And if you identify that first, then you’re well on your way to doing good stuff,” he concluded.
Tim McGraw is set to embark on his 17-city amphitheater trek come April 29 in Rogers, Arkansas. Country music star Russell Dickerson, TikTok phenomenon Alexandra Kay, and Brandon Davis will be joining the multi-platinum vocalist out on the road. Tickets to see the chart-topping entertainer own his sound and dominate the stage are available for purchase.