Apple Music Country host Ty Bentli knew that he wanted to spread the joy of music to the masses at a young age. “There are tapes of my best friend and I doing a bedroom radio show,” Bentli explains, explaining that tragedy helped fuel his belief in the power of great music. “I lost several friends to suicide when I was young, which informs my commitment to making people feel included, connected, and loved. I love to show people that they belong—and music plays a role in every bit of that.” From those humble bedroom beginnings, the South Dakota native and lifelong country music fan worked his way up the radio ranks, through Little Rock, Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, and, finally, New York City. Nashville opened a door when he was offered a nationally syndicated country show, which expanded internationally soon after. (“I’m still on each morning in New York City,” he explains, “but with the added benefit of a yard in Tennessee.”) On his namesake Apple Music Country show, Bentli uses songs, stories, and in-depth conversations with your favorite musicians to reflect what’s happening in the world each day. “My job is to take the connection you have to music, make it more fun, and give it more depth,” he says. “The personal aspect of a song and how it can emotionally move someone is so important.” Tune in to The Ty Bentli Show every Monday through Thursday on Apple Music Country at 7 am LA/9 am NYC/3 pm LDN. Hometown: Sioux Falls, South Dakota; now lives in Nashville Earliest musical memory: “Listening to Dolly [Parton] and Kenny [Rogers’] ‘Once Upon a Christmas’ as we decorated our first house on Driftwood Lane. We listen to that every Christmas—I knew every word!” First concert: “Brooks & Dunn at the Sioux Empire Fair was my first true feeling of a concert, but I went to a Bob Seger concert in Minneapolis when I was younger. I remember it smelling like a lot of weed.” First music video I remember seeing: “‘Thriller.’ It freaked me out! But it was awesome: the warning label at the front of it, the moment that MJ's eyes became yellow, the claws coming out, the dance.” First song I bought or downloaded: “I have had music in my house forever. The first time I spent my own money on it was when I got my first CD player. I bought four albums: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince Homebase; Paula Abdul Spellbound; Billy Ray Cyrus Some Gave All; The Very Best of The Beach Boys.” Why music inspires me: “It’s been said before: Music is what emotion sounds like. We all have emotions, and some of us have a better ability to recognize them. Music helps level the playing field a bit, allowing many people to find a common place to connect around one theme. That connection makes people feel like they belong, and hopefully helps them see their own value and potential.”