Metal health awareness and open talk about addiction within the celebrity circle, as well as the LGBTRQ circle, has only come to the forefront in the last few years. With COVID being a major player in the progression of depression and addiction, we are now sharing our stories. Entertainer Ty Herndon shared last year’s relapse publicly, in hopes that others would learn from his journey. He has become empowered by getting back on his sober journey with new music and a podcast.

On this episode, we chat about Ty’s relapse, setting boundaries, what keeps him going, his relationship with religion, coming out as bipolar, his sober creative process, other LGBTQ trailblazers in country music, his personal mantra, life after coming out, his proudest moment of his career, his wish for the LGBTQ community, and, on a lighter note, getting back into the dating world….with host Alexander Rodriguez.

Country music artist Ty Herndon burst onto the scene and made his chart debut in 1995 with "What Mattered Most," which became his first No. 1 song and garnered a Song of the Year award. It was also the title track to his first album, which debuted on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and had the biggest first-week shipment in the history of Epic Records Nashville. Between 1995 and 2002, Herndon charted 17 singles. In 2014, Herndon became the first major male country artist to publicly come out as gay in an exclusive with People magazine. He received an outpouring of support that only strengthened his relationship with fans and the country music community, expanding his reach to new and diverse audiences. Shortly after, he made history when he hosted a first-of-its-kind country music event, The Concert for Love and Acceptance, now an annual event that provides a stage for LGBTQ and allied artists. In 2020, he created the Foundation For Love & Acceptance to further his work on behalf of LGBTQ youth. Herndon found himself back at No. 1 in 2020 — this time on iTunes with his remake of "Orphans of God," a collaboration with Kristin Chenoweth and Paul Cardall featured on his holiday release, Regifted. Over the last year, he has been working on the new album, JACOB, his first of all-new music since 2016's House On Fire. In addition to his own foundation, Herndon lends his time and talent to MusiCares, which has supported Herndon through his struggles and supports those in the music industry with a safety net of services. Most recently, Ty launched a new podcast titled SOUNDBOARD. The long-form podcast features conversations with high-profile artists discussing their struggles and wins along their mental fitness journeys - guests include LeAnn Rimes, Michael Ray, Crystal Lewis, and more!

Check out Ty’s cover interview for Metrosource on newsstands around the nation or at Metrosource.com