Nearly a year after its release, Randy Houser’s “Like a Cowboy” has ridden into the Top 5 of Billboard’s country airplay chart.

The fourth single from Houser’s How Country Feels album, “Like a Cowboy” has also surpassed 3 million units sold, but those aren’t the only reasons 2015 looks like a big year for the talented singer.

This spring, Houser will hit the road on the Kick the Dust Up tour with pal and reigning CMA entertainer of the year Luke Bryan. And if there’s one thing Houser is looking forward to most, it’s connecting with country fans on a massive scale.

“I’ve never in my life had the opportunity to play for this many people at one time,” he told CMT Hot 20 Countdown. “That’s what we try to do every night -- win fan base -- and we basically want to meet people and to feel like we know them when we leave … and we also want them to feel like that with us. This is just a great opportunity for me to meet a bunch of people at one time.”

Preparing for the tour has brought out a nostalgic feeling in Houser, and one reason is the pride in seeing his longtime friend remain grounded even in superstardom.

“When I see (Bryan’s) show, I see a guy that I knew 12, 13 years ago,” he said. “I see the dude sitting right beside me on a stool, and then I see all the new toys that he gets to go play with every night, and I’m like, ‘That looks like fun!’

“One thing I will say that I’m real proud of Luke for is the fact that he really is -- and it shows every night -- he’s still that same dude that he was when we were just hanging out around Nashville.”

The Kick Up the Dust tour kicks off May 8 in Grand Forks, North Dakota, with more than 40 dates scheduled through October.

For more, tune in to an all-new episode of CMT Hot 20 Countdown Saturday and Sunday (Feb 28-March 1) at 9 a.m. ET/PT.