Jason Isbell appeared on The Daily Show to sit down with Trevor Noah for an interview about his new album The Nashville Sound and the conversation leaned heavily on Isbell’s outspoken voice on social media and in his songs. 

“It’s not Alabama that hates you, it’s the people that live here,” Isbell joked when Noah asked him why Southern states like Alabama haven’t taken kindly to Noah’s criticism of the government. “Alabama is a beautiful place, it’s just there are Alabamans there.”

Isbell reflected honestly on his music and how it fits into the spectrum of more popular country music. “There’s a difference between an artist and an entertainer and I think at my best I’m being an artist and I’m making something that I want people to consume as an action,” Isbell said. “I would rather people listen to my record to listen to music than listen to my record to get ready for a sporting event.” He later joked, “I got songs about cancer and shit. If you’re driving to the Iron Bowl you’re not going to put on a cancer jam.” 

Watch the full interview below. 

Isbell then took to the stage for a beautiful performance of one of The Nashville Sound‘s standout songs “If We Were Vampires.”

“If We Were Vampires”