As we dive headfirst into a new year and even look ahead to spring, Michael Ray sees a new season of music emerging while in the studio with producer Michael Knox. The Eustis, Florida native has spent the last two years reflecting on his journey since moving to Music City and what it means to find fulfillment in all aspects of life.
“My romance with the business of music was starting to take its toll on me,” says the singer who first moved to Nashville in 2013. “Things really come into focus when you take the time to live a little life. I feel like the music that we’ve been writing has real intention and is focused on the next chapter. I’ve discovered lately, especially in spending time with my family, that there’s a lot of life you miss when you’ve got your head down, doubling down on work. I think a lot of folks feel that way as all our lives changed, and so this idea of being present has moved beyond an idea…it’s how I’m living life these days.”
Ray used to think of “being busy” as being in the studio or on the road constantly, but now he’s embraced the time between tour dates. “Being busy living life is the goal. I find I give more in my live shows when I’m the same human off stage and on, versus only giving folks one side of me for 90 or 120 minutes when I’ve got a microphone in my hand.”
Kicking off February 18 in Los Fresnos, Texas, with additional shows to be announced, Ray’s 2023 tour dates are taking him back to some cities that first embraced him as he retraces his steps from the days in a 15-passenger van, zigzagging across the Southeast. “I want people to come out to see us and know that when they do, we’re gonna take great care of that time as it means more to us all now.”
“The main things that have kept me going this year is my family, friends, and these incredible fans that have become friends,” says Ray. “I think they’ll see a lot of life lived in these songs, and hopefully they’ll see themselves in it, too.”
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit MichaelRayMusic.com or follow him on Instagram and Twitter @MichaelRayMusic and Facebook.com/
Michael Ray 2023 Tour Dates
Feb. 18 Los Fresnos Rodeo
March 3 Dakota Event Center
March 4 North Dakota Winter Show Concert Valley City, ND
March 11 Carnaval ME
March 17 The Foundry Greenville, SC
March 24 Shooting Star Casino Hotel & Event Center Mahnomen, MN
April 22 The JL Bar Ranch, Resort & Spa Sonora, TX
April 25 Von Braun Center Arena
April 26 Temecula Stampede
April 27 Stoney’s Rockin Country
April 28 Clovis Rodeo
May 19 Grizzly Rose
May 20 365 Sports Complex
June 3 San Bernadino County Fairgrounds Victorville, CA
June 15 Barefoot Country Music Fest Wildwood, NJ
Aug. 26 Country In The Burg
