Koe Wetzel, long branded one of country music’s most unapologetically wild voices, is showing how time—and perspective—can start to tame even the rowdiest artists. The Texas singer-songwriter’s recently dropped single, “Time Goes On,” finds the 33-year-old looking back on the roads he could have taken and some of the mistakes he’s made.
“We wrote this as an acknowledgment of how quickly life moves, whether you embrace the changes that come with it or not,” Wetzel said in a press release about the track. Co-written with frequent collaborators Amy Allen, Gabe Simon, Carrie Karpinen and Josh Serrato, the song imagines an alternate life “pouring concrete on a West Texas street” instead of writing songs, and admits, “Crazy how the years go fast / Crazy how the hours feel long / Even through the mistakes and the can’t get through this / Time goes on.”
The single adds another highlight to a career already stacked with milestones. Wetzel, who’s said grew up listening to the sounds of alternative bands such as Nirvana and Sum 41, has built his loyal fanbase by smashing all types of genres into his Texas country sound. His defining fifth studio album, the Gold-certified *9 Lives*, released in 2024 via Columbia Records, earned recognition on multiple major year-end best-of lists, including Rolling Stone, Billboard, and the Tennessean, while the Los Angeles Times named “High Road” (featuring Jessie Murph) the overall No. 8 best song of 2024. To date, Wetzel has amassed 4.2 billion streams and packed venues with what he famously describes as “total chaos.”
A big part of Wetzel’s musical introspection may also be attributed to his recent weight loss, in which the former college athlete cut down on the booze and food indulgences and dropped 30-plus pounds. And the payoff from his leaner physique comes with each performance, which he said became noticeable during his 2024 and 2025 tours. Now with music festivals nationwide about to kick off, the goal is to stay that way for his upcoming shows, which begin March 7 at California’s Boots in the Park.
“It helped me a lot with my voice and the way I was on stage,” he explained. “I think [2025] was the best tour we’ve had so far.”
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“Time Goes On” follows his recent single “Surrounded,” a track that helped introduce this next chapter and showcased Wetzel’s ability to balance vulnerability with the confidence fans expect from him. Together, the songs hint at a broader body of work quietly taking shape, signaling that Wetzel is entering a new phase artistically—one that looks back just as much as it looks forward.
That reflective streak isn’t limited to his music. Between 2024 and 2025, Wetzel has also been open about working to overhaul his health and fitness. In an interview with Country Muscle Podcast host Jeff Tomko, he talked about shedding nearly 30 pounds and rediscovering the athletic mindset he carried with him as a college linebacker at Tarleton State University. At the time, the 6’1” 220 pound linebacker was known more for his power on the field than his power ballads. Squatting nearly 500 pounds back then, he describes himself as “pretty yoked up.” That was when his priority was chasing down quarterbacks instead of chasing No. 1 hits. “I was a head hunter,” he told CMP. “I was just sideline to sideline—go find the ball.”
Now the goal has been to get back into linebacker shape. Doing so, he says, required fewer late nights as well as scaling back on beer, liquor, and sugar. While on the road, he and the band often bring along weight-training equipment, including kettlebells, bands—even a portable cold plunge. When venues allow, they re-create old football workouts, from bleacher sprints to high-intensity circuits.
“I’m back in the gym, getting after it,” he says, noting that the goal was to “get down to 245 pounds.” During last year’s tour, he says he dropped from about 275 to 245, which led him to announce that he’s feeling “the best in shape that I’ve been in the last five or six years.” “I’m hoping to stay around 245,” he said in 2025, “just so I’m not a complete fat a**.”
Main Photo: John Park