Cody Johnson's 2 Kids: All About Clara Mae and Cori

Cody “CoJo” Johnson is an incredibly proud girl dad to his kids, Clara Mae and Cori.

The country singer-songwriter and his wife, Brandi Johnson, have been married for over a decade after meeting as teenagers. They welcomed their first daughter, Clara Mae, in 2015, and the couple expanded their family further with the birth of their second child, Cori, in 2017.

As for whether Clara Mae and Cori plan to follow in their famous father’s footsteps, Cody told PEOPLE that his girls have been performing since they were in diapers.

“[They] get their microphones and play their little guitars and scream at the top of their lungs, ‘Daddy, I’m like you,’ ” the CMT performer said in 2018.

Since then, his daughters have taken the stage with him. Clara Mae and Cori made a special appearance during Cody's performance at the historic Grand Ole Opry in February 2024, where the father-daughter trio sang a cover.

Regardless of their future endeavors, Cody is going to “encourage my girls to do whatever they want to do,” he told PEOPLE Now.

“I don’t want them to feel like they have to go into the music business because I’ve been in it," he added. "I want them to be able to chase their dreams with the same amount of passion that I’ve chased mine. Whatever that may be. I’m gonna support them 100 percent."

Here's everything to know about Cody Johnson’s kids: Clara Mae and Cori.

Clara Mae, 9

Cody and Brandi welcomed their first daughter, Clara Mae, in 2015.

The family resides on their private ranch in East Texas, where Clara Mae has had the opportunity to witness and learn from her dad’s hard work ethic up close.

"I'm working my horses, I'm working my cows. I'm putting out hay, I'm putting out feed. So they still see Dad's a rancher, and he's got this cool other job, too,” he told PEOPLE in 2022.

When he is on the road, Cody also makes an effort to bring his kids "so they can see Dad works.”

"I teach them there's character in hard work. This is not just, 'You're gonna watch me on TV tonight and it looks real glamorous.' It's a lot of miles, a lot of work,’’ he said.

With that sentiment, the parents don’t like to spoil their children either. Cody continued, “If you want something, you're gonna work for it. Your mom's not your maid. You're gonna clean your stuff up.”

Although Clara Mae is still several years away from dating, Cody is getting a head start teaching her what she should look for in a future partner.

“I just always try to be with my girls, the guy that I want them to bring home someday,” the “Dirt Cheap” singer-songwriter said in a Taste of Country interview. “I figure if I can do that ... their standards will be here. You open the door, you say, ‘Yes, ma’am,’ and you treat them like they’re supposed to be treated."

Cody's fatherhood journey has also influenced his work, as evidenced by his song, “I Know My Way Back (Clara’s Song),” which debuted in 2016.

While appearing on Radio Texas, LIVE!, Cody explained the song’s lyrics originated from wanting to “write a song that made me feel good, but instead of thinking about my wife and that kind of love, I just thought about my daughter.”

“I started playing this song riding down the road to [only] miss home so much and the more and more I've played, it just feels good,” Cody said of his father-daughter ballad.

Cori, 7

Cody and Brandi celebrated the arrival of their second child together, a daughter named Cori, in 2017. A year after her birth, Cody opened up to PEOPLE Now about what it’s like living on a tour bus as a family of four.

“We’re very fortunate — my wife and my two girls get to come with me a lot on the bus. We got our own bus just for that," he said in 2018. "When you’re gonna go on the lead singer’s bus, you think you’re gonna see a lot of things, not toys and diapers everywhere, but that’s generally what it looks like."

“[It’s a] big million dollar daycare center,” he joked of their living arrangements.

However, striking the right balance between family and music is an evolving process for the country crooner, whose children are growing up alongside his career.

“As a dad and as a husband, you have to be intentional with your time,” he told The Big 98, Nashville’s local country radio station. Cody explained that he tries to be mindful of his schedule and shows up for his daughters as much as possible.

For the CMA Awards winner, that also means sharing his hobbies and interests with Clara Mae and Cori. Hunting is one of his favorite things to do, and it has also become a pastime for Brandi and their daughters.

“Clara got her first buck, and Cori got her first doe,” Johnson shared with PEOPLE in 2023. “And it's really fun. It's a great concept to teach them about how hard it is to go hunt, how to clean the deer, get the meat."

He continued, "Now we’re gonna take that meat to your Aunt Mary’s house and we’re gonna fill her freezer. We’re gonna take it to your grandparents’ house and fill their freezer. You’re providing food for our family. And it's so fun.”

Cori has also served as the inspiration behind her famous dad’s lyrics. His 2021 hit “God Bless the Boy (Cori's Song)” tells the “cautionary tale for the boy who ... Cori ... will eventually fall in love with,” reads Cody’s website.