Cody Johnson might be a country music powerhouse, but he’s just a husband trying to get it right at home. Married to his wife, Brandi, since 2008, Johnson has spent the last 15 years building a career and learning the ins and outs of what makes a marriage work.
And according to him, romance isn’t something that comes naturally—it’s something he’s had to work at.
Learning How to Love the Right Way
Cody Johnson recently admitted that being romantic doesn’t always come easy for him. Speaking with Coyote Country, the “‘Til You Can’t” singer shared that he’s still figuring out what makes his wife feel truly appreciated even after all these years.
“I’ve been married 15 years … You have to intentionally learn how to be romantic,” he said. “Because a lot of the time, guys like me think we’re being romantic, and she’s just going, ‘Jesus.'”
He’s learned that for Brandi, the simplest gestures mean the most. It’s not about grand, sweeping declarations—it’s about the little things that show he’s paying attention.
“I’ve had to really learn her,” Johnson explained. “What I think might be romantic isn’t always what she thinks is romantic. But something as simple as ‘Hey, I ran your bathwater’—that means something to her. I just got points for that. My wife’s very simple.”
From Country Star to Family Man
When Johnson steps off the stage, the cowboy hat comes off, and the family man takes over. Despite a schedule packed with tours, awards, and songwriting, his wife and two daughters remain his top priority.
“I go home and flip the switch off,” Johnson told CT40. “I’m not Cody Johnson the singer. I’m the rancher, the husband, the dad. I take my kids hunting and fishing and all that.”
Country music may be in his blood, but it comes second to the life he’s built with Brandi and their girls.
“Besides Brandi, besides our two beautiful daughters, it’s the only thing in life for me that’s a constant. It’s in my DNA. I wake up with it every day in the forefront of my mind, trying to make country music that means something.”
The Woman Who Saved Him
For Johnson, his career and life wouldn’t be what they are without Brandi. While accepting Album of the Year for Leather at the CMA Awards, he clarified how much he owes to the woman by his side.
“If it wasn’t for Brandi, I wouldn’t be here,” he said. “I’m being dead serious when I say that if it weren’t for Brandi, I would probably be dead or in jail.”
She’s not just the love of his life—she’s the person who pushed him to be the man he is today.
“She’s the woman that encouraged me to be the man I am—as a husband, as a father, as a CEO of a company, as a leader. I owe everything I have to that woman.”
Cody Johnson’s music might be built on grit, heart, and authenticity, but it’s clear that Brandi is the one keeping him grounded at the core of it all. Whether it’s on stage or at home, he’s a man who knows exactly where his foundation lies.