Kenny Chesney to Release First New Single in Two Years on May 8

Kenny Chesney ends a two-year recording absence with "Carry On," a genre-blending new single out May 8 via Hey Now Records. The track draws from country, bluegrass, and reggae and serves as the lead single from his forthcoming 20th studio album, which he is currently mixing.

Centered on a Key West bartender who has distilled a lifetime of stories into a philosophy of letting go and embracing what matters, the song builds to a chorus that doubles as a bridge between hard weeks and wide-open weekends. Its bridge puts the ethos plainly: "If it feels good, do it; if it doesn't, then don't."

"It felt great in the studio," he says of the song he co-produced with longtime collaborator Buddy Cannon. "Sometimes when you're running down a song, it all just falls into place because it just feels good."

"'Carry On' was fun," he continues, "because of all the different genres we drew from. Plus, I love a chorus that throws life wide open — and reminds you how to find the light no matter what's happening."

"Carry On" sits alongside Chesney's multi-week No. 1s "American Kids," "Save It for a Rainy Day," and "Get Along." The single arrives on the heels of a landmark 2025 that saw him become the first solo headliner and first country artist to perform at Las Vegas' Sphere, debut Heart•Life•Music at No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list in both the Hardcover Nonfiction and Combined Print and E-Book Nonfiction categories, and be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

"Nothing lifts a mood like music. It's something people can find their attitude adjustment in without doing too much work," Chesney says. "I love that this song says, 'Get out there and sing, even if you can't carry a tune in a bucket — because that's real. We don't care how you sound, we just wanna see everybody with their hands up, singing along with everything they've got. Those songs that change your energy are everything."