The Country Icon Post Malone Was Most Freaked Out to Work With in the Studio

Post Malone’s record F-1 Trillion is a star-studded who’s who of the country music world, including one musician Post Malone was most freaked out to work with in the studio. From Blake Shelton to Hank Williams Jr. to Dolly Parton, Malone pulled out the big guns (and sang about them, too) in his country crossover debut.

But out of every celebrity appearance on the record, Posty revealed in an August 2024 interview with Apple Music that one artist made him more nervous than anyone else.

The Musician Post Malone Was Most Freaked Out By

Post Malone’s crossover into country music might come as a shock to those who don’t know him very well, but for those who do, they know F-1 Trillion is a continuation of a life-long love of the genre. Getting to collaborate with any of the artists on the tracklist must have felt like a dream on its own, but Post Malone revealed the musician he was the most freaked out to work with was a 1990s superstar.

“Tim [McGraw] was freaky,” the songwriter admitted. Post and Apple Music host Kelleigh Bannen quickly dove into an animated conversation about how, exactly, someone could be as attractive as McGraw. “It is annoying,” Post joked. “It bothers me. Um, no, but it’s just like—he comes in normal, and I’m like, ‘Oh my god, I can’t even.’ This is out of control. This is the coolest ever.”

Post and McGraw collaborated on “Wrong Ones,” which opens Post’s August 2024 album. The initial announcement coincided with Post Malone’s debut at the Grand Ole Opry, further marking his shift from rap artist to a bona fide country superstar. And who better to amplify your country cred than the man behind 90s country smash hits like “I Like It, I Love It” and “My Best Friend”?

A Long-Time Fan Turned Collaborator

Months before Post Malone announced his collaboration with Tim McGraw, he paid homage to the country superstar during his April 2024 set at Stagecoach in Indio, California. As he was announcing his cover of McGraw’s “Don’t Take the Girl,” Post said, “I have a daughter now, and she’s two years old. This song hit before, but now even more after having her.”

From covering country classics to hanging out with iconic artists like Toby Keith long before the world accepted Post as a “country” musician, Post’s love of the genre has permeated even the most anti-country stages of his career. While F-1 Trillion might seem out of left field to some, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“I’ve always wanted to make a record like this,” Post said in his Apple Music interview. “But for the longest time, it seemed so inaccessible because I don’t know how the hell it works. I didn’t know how band day worked, how session dudes worked. It was just so cool, and I’m just mind-blown. It’s amazing.”

As we dive further into the tracklist of Posty’s star-studded country album, we have to agree.

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