With instantly recognizable hits such as “Whiskey Lullaby,” “She’s Everything,” “I’m Gonna Miss Her” and many more, it’s easy to say Brad Paisley has cemented himself as a country music legend. With a career spanning more than 25 years, some would have hung up the cowboy hat by now, but Paisley recently spoke to MusicRow about how he doesn’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon.

Today (Sept. 27), Paisley released his newest single “Truck Still Works,” after premiering it at the People’s Choice Country Awards last night live from the Grand Ole Opry. Written by Paisley, Chris Dubois, Will Bundy, Hunter Phelps and Rodney Clawson, with production from Luke Wooten and Paisley, the new tune serves as a precursor for the Opry member’s next era.

At first listen, fans will recognize the ode to one of Paisley’s biggest hits “Mud On The Tires.” Co-written with Dubois, the track became a No. 1 single in 2005. There are little easter eggs hidden throughout “Truck Still Works,” including the same guitar licks and the beloved lyric, “how ‘bout a little test drive down by the lake.”

“‘Truck Still Works’ feels like we did something brand new and also feels like a return to certain themes. But more than that, it’s the feeling of way back when I first started,” Paisley says.

Co-writers Bundy, Phelps and Clawson already had the idea for “Truck Still Works” in hand when the A&R team at UMPG heard it and suggested the writers bring Paisley and Dubois in. That’s where the ode to “Mud On The Tires” came to life.

“I don’t know whether or not they were trying to stay off of ‘Mud On The Tires’ at all with what they were doing, but once we were involved, it was like, ‘No, let’s say it,'” he says, recalling how the writes balanced what to add in from the 2005 hit and what to leave out. 

One of the first people to recognize the connection to Paisley’s older hit was his youngest son, who was away at summer camp while Paisley was writing and recording the song.

“He hadn’t heard any incarnation of it prior. We got in the car and I hit play and didn’t tell him about it. He turned to me and said, ‘Dad, while I was at camp you wrote the sequel.'” 

With the release of the new single, Paisley is giving a glimpse into what fans can expect from his new music moving forward.

“There’s plenty of heavy topics [to talk about right now]. Just watch the news. I wanted to do something here that really exists for feeling good,” Paisley says. “Turn this thing up in whatever vehicle you’re driving. It should sound really good and it should take you away from some of those things. More than that, it’s a return. It’s nostalgia. I love things that evoke good memories, and that’s what this did for me.”

While making his new music, Paisley recorded and wrote for Post Malone‘s F-1 Trillion album, which included co-writes with Ernest and Lainey Wilson. He says that though the modern country hitmakers were excited to work with him, he had questions for them as well.

“What’s funny is when we sat down to write together, they had a lot of questions. But for me, it was the same thing. I wanted to know what the new guys that are doing so well would think of a [song] like this” he shares.

Gearing up to kick off the new era, Paisley got the call to debut the song at the People’s Choice Country Awards. It was a no-brainer decision for him. When discussing the opportunity with the show’s producers, Paisley recalls how the idea came up to not only live debut “Truck Still Works,” but also how he was going to integrate “Mud On The Tires.” The performance was also a way for Paisley to show that he’s still here to make an impact on the country genre.

“It’s a nice way to check back in and [for everyone to] see what I’m up to—’cause I’m not retired yet.”

Paisley is excited to show the world what he has been working on, and says that he genuinely loves what he is going to be sharing with everyone.

“I’m really excited because I like what I’m doing,” he sums. “It’s so much fun to bring you great memories and nostalgia, but it also sonically sounds new for me.”

The second annual People’s Choice Country Awards was held at the historic Grand Ole Opry last night (Sept. 26), where the country music community gathered to celebrate the genre’s favorite people: the fans.

Host Shania Twain came down from the rafters on a pink heart with to start off the electric night. As the country legend was descending with “Man! I Feel Like A Women” playing in the background, fans and other country stars in attendance were on their feet for the first of many times throughout the night.

Immediately after hitting the ground, Twain welcomed Kane Brown for the first performance of the evening. Brown came out with high energy to perform his current single “Fiddle In The Band.” After the hostess reappeared for a few opening remarks, it was already time for the first award of the night.

Nashville native and comedian Nate Bargatze presented the award for The New Artist Of 2024 to Shaboozey, marking his first of two trophies during the night. “I never thought I’d be up on the Grand Ole Opry stage accepting something like this,” he shared at the podium.

Lady A then took the stage for a fiery rendition of Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks’ “Stop Dragging My Heart Around,” which the trio recorded for the Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty album.

Twain was welcomed back to the stage, this time wearing her iconic all black look. She welcomed out Ashley Cooke and WWE champion Cody Rhodes to present The Group/Duo of 2024.

When Dan + Shay were accepting their trophy, they shared, “this has been the best year of our career. We’ve been out on the road all year getting to play for and hug our fans, and we are so grateful.”

Buzzing with anticipation, the entertainment started back up with Keith Urban playing his current single “Messed Up As Me” solo. After Urban fired the place up by shredding the guitar and showing off his vocals, Carly Pearce appeared to present The Crossover Song of 2024.

The award went to “Lonely Road” by MGK and Jelly Roll. Since Jelly Roll is currently out on his “Beautifully Broken Tour,” MGK accepted the award for both of them. “Thank you to the John Denver estate for trusting us with this one. I love you Jelly!”

With no signs of the show slowing down anytime soon, it was time for one of the night’s highest honor. Parker McCollum began the presentation of the Country Icon Award to superstar Miranda Lambert. McCollum pointed out Lambert’s incredible talent, longevity and influence in the genre, as well as her big heart off stage. After a video montage of Lambert’s career from the beginning to now, the icon took the stage to perform “Kerosene” and “Dammit Randy,” and proved exactly why she deserved the crown.

“It’s been a lot of years, tears, beers and Tito’s,” Lambert shared. “I feel like I’ve been able to make so many great memories in my life and career because of the fans. Y’all keep creating all these years, 20 years later.”

Keeping the female power going, Kelsea Ballerini took the stage to perform her newest song “Two Things” in a “field” of sunflowers, eventually having the set switch mid-song to a city back drop. The night’s host then handed out the trophy for The Female Song of 2024, which was presented to Dasha‘s “Austin (Boots Stop Workin’).”

“Country music has just opened its arms to me. Thank you for that,” she noted in her speech. The War And Treaty were welcomed to the stage after and brought the Grand Ole Opry crowd to church with “Can I Get An Amen,” featuring a whole choir. The duo received a rowdy standing ovation after their powerhouse performance.

Bailey Zimmerman began the night’s celebration for Kane Brown, who was chosen as this year’s Country Champion Award recipient. Zimmerman noted that Brown “gives back not for headlines or pats on the back [but because he’s] always there doing the right thing.”

While accepting the honor, Brown stated, “I just want to say for any kid that’s watching, anybody that has a dream, anybody that wants to give back…there’s a lot of people that need your help. Don’t listen to people that tell you no when you’re trying to do something.”

With two guitars in hand, it was time for Brad Paisley to debut his brand new song, “Truck Still Works” with a mashup of 2005 hit “Mud On The Tires.” Paisley spent the first half of the performance with his acoustic guitar and then spent the rest of the time showing off his skills on the electric.

Keeping the performances going, McCollum then took the stage again to play his current single “What Kinda Man,” where he stood in the coveted Opry circle for the classic country sounding song. Shaboozey and Dasha then came out onto the stage to present the final award of the night, The Group/Duo Song of 2024.

Old Dominion took home the last televised trophy for “Different About You” off their Memory Lane project. The group thanked the fans for voting for a deep cut on their album.

With the night winding down and fans still buzzing from anticipation inside the Opry, the stage was prepared for MGK’s performance. Set to look like a two lane country road, MGK stood in the center and went into Denver’s “Take Me Home” before transitioning into his now-award-winning collaboration “Lonely Road.” After the stunning performance, he ran over to Twain and the two closed the night off together.