RAPID CITY, SD – Country music star Jo Dee Messina will bring her energetic live show, three decades of hits and new music to the Central States Fair on Aug. 27.

Messina recently spoke with HomeSlice Media Group’s Brandon Jones about returning to the road, connecting with multiple generations of fans and the release of her latest album, “Bridges.”

“I’m excited to be there,” Messina said of her upcoming Rapid City performance.

Jones previously opened for Messina during a concert in Deadwood and said her commanding stage presence made a lasting impression.

“I’ve been hyping you up ever since because of your energy onstage and the show you deliver,” Jones told her. “If you get a chance to go see Jo Dee Messina, stop what you’re doing and go see her.”

Messina said the audience remains one of her favorite parts of performing. After 30 years in country music, her shows now attract fans from several generations.

“You’ve got 6-year-olds, 36-year-olds and 56-year-olds — three generations of people just singing these songs,” Messina said. “It’s a blast.”

Along with the familiar hits, Messina’s live show includes new material and opportunities for the audience to get involved.

“We play games with the audience, and our shows are a lot of fun,” she said.

Messina’s newest album, “Bridges,” is available on streaming platforms. She wrote all but one of the songs on the record, making it an especially personal project.

“It’s kind of near and dear to my heart,” Messina said. “It’s very fulfilling when you have an idea and then it comes out, from the beginning to the end of the song.”

Although the album had been available for only about six weeks at the time of the interview, Messina said she already had additional songs in reserve. She also hopes to continue writing and collaborate with other artists on their projects.

For now, however, her focus remains on “Bridges” and taking its songs to audiences across the country.

Beyond writing, recording and touring, Messina also prioritizes fitness as a way to meet the physical demands of performing. She said she lifts weights five days a week and trains specifically to maintain her strength.

“You’ve got to keep your muscle up,” she said.

Her nutritional goals include eating plenty of protein and choosing whole foods such as eggs and cottage cheese rather than relying entirely on protein shakes. Messina joked that she was recently inspired to lift heavier after meeting a woman at a church event whose biceps were bigger than hers.

The singer’s commitment to fitness is sometimes noticed in unexpected places. During a previous visit to Deadwood, Messina went for a run around the community without attracting much attention.

“No one ever expects it, so they don’t recognize me out there,” she said.

Messina has also influenced a generation of younger performers, although she said she still has difficulty fully understanding the impact she has made. Artists including Lainey Wilson and Kelly Clarkson have recognized her influence and congratulated her on reaching 30 years in the music industry.

“It just kind of blows me away,” Messina said. “I keep my head down and do my thing, so I don’t really know how to grasp that.”

Messina emerged as one of country music’s leading voices in the 1990s, building a catalog of songs that continues to resonate with longtime listeners while reaching younger fans. That broad appeal remains visible each night when fans of different ages sing together from the audience.

Her Aug. 27 performance at the Central States Fair will give Rapid City fans an opportunity to hear those career-spanning hits alongside songs from “Bridges.”

Tickets and additional information are available through the Central States Fair website at centralstatesfairinc.com