While staying in Colorado, Dierks Bentley's daughters started a local radio show where they introduce dad to lots of new pop music.
"I'm trying to help them with a playlist," the proud dad shared. "We love Lizzo and Dua Lipa and of course Maggie Rogers. They have a big influence on me too."
Dierks also praised Brothers Osborne' new album Skeletons that was released during the pandemic. "I just thought it sounded so good," he explained. "They are always super inspiring and going for stuff and trying new things."
One huge positive in the past several months is creating memories with family. As Dierks explained, "Just to be living in Colorado and have hiking, biking, camping and fishing with my kids and coaching a hockey team and getting to do a lot of stuff that I missed out on since being on the road, it's been a rejuvenating year in a lot of ways for me."
Throughout the pandemic, Dierks has been paying his band and crew full salary.
"I still have 25 people on full salary," he admitted. "Most people have made cuts or let people go but I can't do it. People talk about road families. Sometimes you have to put your money where your mouth is and this is my family. These are the people I spend a lot of time with. I've hired each one of them personally and they're super close to me and my actual real family. I'm trying to take care of them through this time."
Throughout quarantine, Dierks has been making new music in creative ways.
"The biggest thing for singers—songwriters is writing using Zoom," he explained. "I didn't even know what Zoom was until March and now I've used it a lot to write songs. I'll be out here in Colorado but a buddy is in Nashville. Someone else is in Florida. When it comes to recording, you can do a lot through the iPhone. I've heard some vocals for demos and it's like, wow. It's unbelievable what technology can do."
On Oct. 23, Dierks will perform "Gone" for the first time at the iHeartCountry Festival. Streaming live online, the event turned out to be a "special event" for the performers. "They really did a great job," Dierks added when praising event organizers.
When not working on music, Dierks has been busy finalizing new designs thanks to his fashion collaboration with Flag & Anthem. "It's a lot of stuff that I see my fans wearing," the singer explained. "They make great stuff."