Chris Janson is ‘One Hundred Percent’ Excited for ‘Everybody’ to Hear His New Album

Chris Janson discusses the making of his new album, and sheds some light on a few of his favorite tracks.

Written by Chuck Dauphin
Chris Janson is ‘One Hundred Percent’ Excited for ‘Everybody’ to Hear His New Album
Chris Janson; Photo courtesy Warner Music Nashville

On Friday, (Sept. 22), Chris Janson released his second album for Warner Music Nashville entitled Everybody. He tells Sounds Like Nashville that it’s a disc that he can’t wait for his growing legion of fans to hear and connect with.

“I am one hundred percent excited and ready for the fans to get this new music. I feel like this is certainly my best body of work yet. I had a great time writing and recording it. The songs just all feel very good and natural. Everything has been a great process, I’ve got to say, and having the first single do as good as it’s been doing has been a huge blessing as well,” he said of the set’s first release, “Fix A Drink,” which is climbing the singles charts.

Janson tried out much of the new material during his time on stage with Sam Hunt and Maren Morris as part of the 15 in a 30 Tour. The tour, which wrapped in Nashville over the weekend, was nothing short of a career moment for the Missouri native.

“It’s a very eclectic tour, obviously, with the three of us. It certainly doesn’t hurt that all three of us are on the radio at the same time – that’s a huge deal,” he explained. “The crowds have been amazing, and it’s been really fun to watch the new songs grow with the crowd. I can’t say enough good things about both Sam and Maren, as well.”

Though Janson is known for his rowdy and exuberant stage style, there are plenty of more reflective moments on Everybody, including the powerful “Drunk Girl,” of which he says contains a strong message for his younger fans.

“That’s one of my favorite songs I wrote on the record, and it’s a piano vocal [with] just myself and Gordon Mote in the studio. It turned out to be a wonderful piece, and one that is a true story. With me being a father, I wrote it from a father’s perspective,” Janson explained. “It’s a message song to the younger generation of men about being sure that you always show women the utmost of respect, certainly in the situations of taking somebody home, or in youthful terms, ‘hooking up.’ You want to make sure that you are doing it with great respect and being a man about it. I think that ‘Drunk Girl’ is the epitome of that, and such a well-written song. It was a joy to co-write it with Tom Douglas and Scooter Carusoe. It was certainly my honor to be a part of that song.

In addition to the aforementioned collaborators, Janson shares songwriting credit with some of the top writers in the business, like Ross Copperman, Jeremy Stover, and Rhett Akins, on Everybody. What makes a winning composing partnership? “First of all, you have to like the person, and they have to like you back. Secondly, you have to want to be at any job, because you have to want to do it correctly if you want to do it well. Those are the first two big factors for me, and third, it always helps if there is a respect factor with whoever is in the room. You have to be able to respect other people’s ideas, and roll with the punches. You may say something that not everybody is on the same page with, and vice versa, and you learn to mold and work freely with people like that. That’s how you co-write. It’s like building a house with two or three different contractors. You have to take everybody’s words for things, and make it your own, and mesh it together. Somehow, some way, it all works out pretty good. I’ve had great work with collaborators so far, and had several on this new album. I really enjoyed all of them.”

It would be a fair assessment to say that the “Buy Me A Boat” singer especially loved the creative process behind “When You Like Me,” as his wife Kelly is among the writers on the track. “That song just fell together naturally. It just felt good. We don’t ever fight, but we were laughing about if we did, and the title came out and we just had a good time laughing. It was a joyous occasion writing that song, and it was all in good fun. I think it’s an extremely relatable song with anybody out there, especially anybody who is in a relationship. You’re gonna go through ups and downs and curve balls, but as long as you can keep a smile on your face and love and positivity in the room, you can’t really go wrong.”

His love of family is apparent all over Everybody, from “Eyes For Nobody,” about his spouse, to “Bein’ A Dad,” which is self-explanatory. “That one is probably closer to my heart than anything on the record. I am a dad, and I was brought in on that song by Casey Beathard and Ed Hill. They had most of it done, and knew that it was a fitting song for me. I just can’t say enough about it. Every single word of it is true. It touches my heart, and I know it touches other hearts that are out there. Anybody who is a parent can absolutely relate to it… I’m grateful to be a dad, and that song touches upon who I am on a daily basis.”

Now that his time on the Sam Hunt tour is over, the multifaceted entertainer will embark on his very own headlining tour. The stage is his canvas, and he approaches it with zest and enthusiasm.

“You have to make hay when the sun is shining. Things have been going well, and we have to capitalize on that,” he  confessed. “I want to be the best that I can be, so when the work is presented and it’s readily available, you gotta do it. Not to mention, I have a family to support, and I love my job, so things go hand in hand. You can’t slow down. The minute you do, somebody takes your place, and I don’t want that to happen.”

When he’s not on the road, fans can frequently find Janson at the Grand Ole Opry, a place where he’ll hopefully be a member one day. When asked about an aspect of the WSM Radio show that appeals to him that the average fan might not see in the same light as he does, he instantly replied “The walls and the atmosphere are great, but a lot of the fans will see the ushers out front. Those people are working all around the building, and taking care of the artists on stage. There’s always someone to meet you and greet you and help you. That just means a lot to a guy like me personally. I can’t say enough about the incredible staff at the Opry. They just treat you with great respect and dignity. I think that’s what I’ve always taken away from it. I just love the homey, community feeling. I feel right at home there, there’s no doubt about it.”

Everybody is available in stores and at digital retailers now.