Dierks Bentley is taking care of all kinds of business in the bathroom.

During his recent appearance on the Friday Night Takeover with Audacy’s Rob + Holly, Dierks shared he was in the bathroom “maybe somewhere in Mississippi” when he started the creative process for “Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go),” which he released in June 2007 as the third single from his 2006 album 'Long Trip Alone.'

“I was in the bathroom — not that actual bathroom [stall], but I was in a backstage bathroom because the acoustics are so good in there, [and I] was working on songs,” he told Rob + Holly. “I remember I was kind of pounding on the sink there, getting that kind of kick drum sound.”

He continued, “This was back when I was doing like 300 [show] dates a year… I was thinking I wanted an up-tempo song about my life at that point… a lot of your writing comes from where you are and for me, I was on the road, which had been my dream since day one. It’s not a song that’s gonna be in the hall of fame for songwriting quality, but it certainly is a huge hit and people relate to it.”

Taking care of business in the bathroom did lead Bentley to great success for that particular song as it eventually marked his fifth #1 single and is arguably one of the most recognized tracks of his career to date.

In addition to his creative space, Bentley also disclosed his pre-show drink of choice from back in the day and he says it’s all thanks to Kenny Chesney. “Before Chesney, it was whiskey, and then Kenny turned me on to Red Bull and Malibu. Ugh!” He said wincing his face at the thought of the taste.

“I’d never had Red Bull in my life before I met Kenny Chesney,” he disclosed. “It’s like a dog whistle… If I drink a Red Bull now, I’m immediately ready to go on stage. Like, ‘Where’s my guitar? Where’s the stage? Must go play show. Must play music.' I don’t even touch that stuff away from the show because it messes with my mind.”

He laughed, “Kenny ruined me, once you have one taste of that, it gets you right ready to go on stage.”

Hear more about Dierks’ creative flow, upcoming 'Broken Branches Tour' and what he’s doing to support up and coming songwriters in Nashville by checking out his entire conversation with Audacy’s Rob + Holly above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Rob + Holly