The final mixes were long ago locked in, the track list had been set in stone months earlier and the early November release date had happened just a few days prior — but as he was in his car on the way to the 2022 BMI Awards, Russell Dickerson still wanted to listen to his new, self-titled third album.

"Even on the way here, I was like, 'I wanna listen to the new record,'" the singer joked with Taste of Country on the red carpet of the songwriters awards show. "It's a vibe right now!"

At the time, the singer was looking towards another headlining string of dates on his She Likes It Tour (a trek that wrapped on Dec. 10), but he hinted that he's assembling tour plans for 2023, too.

"You know me, I don't stop touring ever," he adds.

During his scant downtime, Dickerson's soaking up dad life at home with his wife Kailey and their two-year-old song, Remington.

"Oh, it's so fun right now," he admits.

"Even today, Kails went to go vote, and I had Remington. We were just wrestling around, roughhousing, sliding down the slide, everything," the singer recounts. "He goes down for a nap at 1 usually. It was, like, 3:30. [Kailey called me and] she was like, 'Why do I hear Remington in the background?' I'm like, 'Oh my God, I forgot to put him down for a nap.' We were just hanging and vibing and I completely forgot."

When Dickerson does head out on the road in 2023, Kailey and Remington will join him — the singer explains that he "always" brings his family with him while he's touring, even on the less child friendly outings, like when the singer took Remington overseas on a 16-person bus tour in Europe.

"That was not the right call," Dickerson says, without batting an eye. "We made a mistake, straight up. We did. I will admit it. But you know, we got through it, and here we are."

But a stressful touring situation is a small price to pay for spending family time together: Dickerson says that even when it's hard, time with Remington is always one of the brightest spots in his day.

"It's the best thing in the world," he relates. "We're best friends and I love every second I get to kiss his face and wrestle him. I mean, it's hard. He's two! But I don't know. It's absolutely the best thing in the world."

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