Cole Swindell’s wife, Courtney Little Swindell, shared her heartfelt response to her husband’s story behind the title track of his upcoming album, “Spanish Moss.”

“I’ve heard this story many times & I know I’m pregnant but this made me cry,” Little Swindell wrote on her Instagram story on Monday evening (March 31). “I love this song and the meaning behind it so much!”

Swindell teamed up with songwriters Devin Dawson, Jordan Minton and Jordan Reynolds to bring “Spanish Moss” to life. He released the ballad on Friday (March 28) ahead of his fifth studio album’s debut on June 27. The 21-track project will also include previously-released songs “Kill A Prayer,” “One Day” and “Forever To Me.”

“My dad loved the coast, near Savannah, and I was born in Savannah. So, I’ve spent some time there, and just, every time I see it, I’ll never forget a story,” Swindell shared in the clip that made his wife cry. “One of the last times I was with him around the holidays, I left the coast to go back to the other side of the state for Christmas with my mom. And I got there and, I got out of my truck, and I looked back to lock it, and there was some Spanish moss hanging out of the gas tank. I was like, ‘what is that?’ And I opened it up and it was just — he had left me a handful of Spanish moss just because that’s how he was. And he just wanted me to think of him when I saw Spanish moss. So, we named the album that, and funny enough, songs, you know, they come from all kind of ideas. But they don’t always end up like that. So, the idea has nothing to do with that story, but it turned out to be a great songs.”

Swindell and his wife announced last month they’re expecting Baby No. 1. The parents-to-be quickly followed up with a gender reveal to announce the baby is a girl. Swindell is one of several country artists welcoming a baby into the family in 2025. Others include Lauren Alaina, Jordan Davis, Lady A’s Hillary Scott, the trio’s Charles Kelley and more. See the growing list of pregnancy announcements here.

Swindell joined the star-studded lineup of the 2025 iHeartCountry Festival, which is slated to take place on Saturday, May 3. The festival, hosted by iHeartRadio’s Bobby Bones, will return to Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Other artists in the lineup include Brooks & Dunn, Thomas Rhett, Rascal Flatts, Sam Hunt, Megan Moroney, Bailey Zimmerman and Nate Smith.

Hulu will be the Official Streaming Destination of the festival, with performances livestreamed exclusively to all Hulu subscribers at no additional cost. Additional information about the livestream will be posted across Hulu’s platform and social media channels. Fans can tune in to the 2025 iHeartCountry Festival to catch all of the action live on May 3 at 8pm ET/5pm PT (7pm CT) across iHeartCountry stations nationwide and on the free iHeartRadio app via iHeartRadio's iHeartCountry station. Tickets to the 2025 iHeartCountry Festival are available now via Ticketmaster.com.

Kathi Yeager