Dustin Lynch admits that 2016 will be a hard year to beat. The Tennessee native kicked off the year by headlining his own Hell of a Night Tour, then joined joining Luke Bryan on the road for Bryan's Kill the Lights Tour ... and then hit the road with Chris Young and Cassadee Pope on Young's I'm Comin' Over Tour. And in between tour dates, Lynch tried to find time to get in the studio and wrap up his upcoming new record.

"What a life-changing tour," Lynch tells The Boot of his run with Bryan. "It’s been all about preparing for what’s to come, and that’s the music."

While Lynch admits that it's been "really hard" to find time to record, and doesn't yet have a release date for his next album, he hints that one of country music's biggest stars might have a few co-writing credits on the project.

"I got to write a few with Luke," Lynch reveals. "I don’t know if they’ll make the album yet or not. I would love to have a song with Luke singing on it; that’s a goal of mine, so we’ll see what happens … Fingers crossed we’ll make it happen."

Lynch is also hoping for a guest appearance or two on the project.

"I don’t have anything in stone yet, but I would love to do a duet," he admits. "I haven’t done one yet. It’s my third album, so it’s time. If the combo’s right, and we can find the right song -- I don’t want to force it."

Lynch, who hopes to have a few writing sessions with Young as well, also earned a No. 1 hit this year with "Mind Reader," from his sophomore album, Where It's At. Still, Lynch says he doesn't really have a formula for writing a hit.

"[I just] write a lot. And write all the time," Lynch shares. "A lot of times, I’m driving down the road, or I’m hanging on the boat or something … Write what you experience.

"I think we all feel hopefully the same things in life," he adds. "Music is all about that connection."

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