"I hadn’t been writing and had just been dying out on the road," says the Texas songwriter, who surprise-released a rejuvenating acoustic album in October

At the ACM Awards this past spring, Parker McCollum walked away with one of the night’s biggest honors, the trophy for Album of the Year. He’ll compete for the same honor at next month’s CMA Awards in Nashville on the strength of his self-titled 2025 LP.

But McCollum, despite evolving into one of the biggest breakout stars in country music over the past five years, says he couldn’t care less about any accolades or attention.

“I do not care for one minute about being famous or being popular or about any kind of legacy or any of that shit that comes along in this business,” the 34-year-old singer-songwriter says one recent morning, speaking from his Texas home as he prepares to head overseas for his first tour of the U.K. and Ireland.…