With Joe Nichols' latest single, 'Sunny & 75,' gaining popularity, he's gearing up to hit the road for the next few months to bring his music to fans all over the country. In a new behind-the-scenes interview, he opens up about the new single, his devoted fans and life on the road.

Nichols spends a lot of time gushing about his fans in the clip -- especially how much he loves getting to meet them at various tour stops. "Playing live for my fans ... gives me a chance to connect," he explains. "A lot of times they listen to a guy on the radio, but they don't really get to know the person behind the music. I think this is a great way to get to know each other."

Since releasing 'Sunny & 75,' Nichols has made the single part of his nightly setlist. Even though the new tune sounds a little bit different than his old stuff, he's ready to show it off to listeners -- and hoping that they like it.

"I hope the fans who have grown to like what I do professionally will also like what I've expanded into in this more progressive sound," he says, adding that 'Sunny & 75' is about as close to sounding like Journey as he's going to get.

For most country artists, summertime is synonymous with life on the road. From late May through early October, dozens of performers like Nichols find themselves waking up in a new city every morning, eager to bring their music to a fresh set of fans. While life on the go can get exhausting, Nichols is nothing but grateful to the people who spend their time and money to watch him play music.

"As a teenager and a young guy, I would get really excited about some shows, and maybe travel a little ways and jump through mini hoops to get to see my favorite artist play," he recalls. "It does make me feel really good that people are willing to spend their money and spend  time and effort and energy and their Saturday or Friday or whatever to come see us."

The behind-the-scenes clip shows all aspects of touring -- even the difficult things, like hitting the gym late at night or sitting around in cramped spaces backstage. Regardless of the hard parts, the singer says he feels lucky to be playing music, and even luckier to have such supportive fans.

Up next, Joe Nichols will perform at the inaugural Taste of Country Music Festival, slated for June 13-15 in Hunter Mountain, New York. Tickets are available for purchase here, but hurry -- with artists like Nichols, Lady Antebellum, Hunter Hayes and Willie Nelson on the bill, they're going fast!

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