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Kenny Chesney: An Album Release Interview His Way

Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group

Kenny Chesney took some time from his tour rehearsals to return to MetLife Stadium, where he’s sold over 400,000 tickets since the stadium opened, for a conversation with NBC’s Willie Geist.

TV Interview Location

Kenny said before he did the TV interview, “It’s strange being in a place like MetLife we know so well when it’s cold, dark, and raining. It’s just here, waiting. Knowing all the faces we’ve seen light up, the staff, the memories, it’s a pretty great place to sit down and talk to someone like Willie Geist, who gets the music and recognizes so much of what we do is about building and trying to grow.”

He continued, “Nothing exists in a vacuum; not a tour, certainly not an album – and we still make albums – so coming somewhere so special to us was a great place to sit down and look at the journey to No Shoes Nation.”

RELATED: Zac Brown, Kenny Chesney Among Artists on Jimmy Buffett Tribute Concert Lineup

No Traditional Record Release Media

Chesney added, “This close to a tour, I realized we couldn’t do the traditional record release media stuff most people get to do. So I wanted to do one thing that would really matter and make sense: to talk to someone who wasn’t looking to do lifestyle stuff but really dig in and consider what this all means. When you do that, Willie Geist is the man to call.”

Beyond their conversation about music, especially Born, the pair talked about sports, dreams, living a life that matters, and how No Shoes Nation is an outgrowth of how Chesney and his people view the world.

Sunday TODAY airs at 8 AM ET on NBC.

Picking Songs

In talking with us about picking songs for the new album, Born, which comes out Friday (3/22), Chesney told us, “When I look for songs, I obviously feel like I’ve got to have a little bit of me in it, but that’s not always the case. I look for songs that pique someone’s interest. I look for songs that give somebody the courage to take a chance in their own life. I look for songs that give somebody the courage to fall in love or actually to get away from someone.”

He continued, “I don’t know. Just live their life to the fullest and take chances, love hard, work hard, and play hard, and that’s been the kind of DNA of my whole career in many ways.”

Five Country Albums That Turn 20 in 2024

  • "Live Like You Were Dying" - Tim McGraw

    This was Tim’s eighth studio album. The title track was the first single from the album, and the song peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and stayed there for seven weeks. The song won McGraw won a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.

    The music video for the title track prominently featured McGraw’s father, former baseball player Tug McGraw, who had died of brain cancer. Billboard named the song the number-one song of 2004.

  • "When The Sun Goes Down" - Kenny Chesney

    This album came out at the peak of Chesney’s success (although it’s been a long “peak” — he still sells out stadiums of shows twenty years later). The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling over 550,000 copies in its first week. The title song was a duet with Uncle Kracker, who is touring with Kenny again this year.

    The song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, holding the number-one position for five weeks. It was Uncle Kracker’s first appearance on the country music charts.

  • "Twice The Speed of Life" - Sugarland

    This album quickly catapulted Sugarland to headlining status and was their debut project. The group, then a trio, received a nomination for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards in 2006. They were also nominated for New Artist of the Year at the 2005 American Music Awards. In 2006, they were nominated for New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards. “Baby Girl” was the highest charting single from the album and reached number two on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.

    Jennifer Nettles, Kristian Bush, and Kristen Hall made up the band when they formed in 2002. Hall later left the group, making them a duo in 2006.

  • "Barn & Grill" - Blake Shelton

    Blake was a baby act in 2004, just a few years since his debut album release. Barn & Grill was his third studio album release. An actual neon sign was made and photographed for the album’s cover. In 2014, Shelton said that he had been given the sign and had it displayed in his house in Oklahoma.

    The album produced the sing “The Baby,” which became Shelton’s second number-one hit after his first chart topper, “Austin.”

  • "Feels Like Today" - Rascal Flatts

    This album came out while Rascal Flatts was on top in country music. Their third album, Feels Like Today, has sold over five million copies since its release. It has been certified 5× Multi-Platinum by the RIAA. Many artists have covered the song “Bless This Broken Road” from the album. Rascal Flatts’ version was the highest-charting, becoming a number 1 hit on the Billboard country music charts.

    In 2005, the song won a GRAMMY for the songwriters for Best Country Song. The song was co-written by Marcus Hummon, Bobby Boyd, and Jeff Hanna in 1994.

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.

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Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group
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