Kenny Chesney Plots Release of ‘Here and Now’ Album
After nearly two years of work, he'll drop his next studio set on May 1.
After months of dropping selective updates, country superstar Kenny Chesney is finally ready to announce the plan for his next album. He’ll release Here and Now — his 18th non-holiday LP — on May 1.
Described as the icon’s first “true” album created under a recent agreement with Warner Music Nashville, the project was created slowly over the last 18 months and includes two already released tracks — the Ed Sheeran co-write, “Tip of My Tongue” and Chesney’s live-for-the-moment current single, “Here and Now.”
View this post on InstagramNew album #hereandnow out May 1. Link in bio for more.
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“When you’re this far into a career, I think artists need to keep pushing themselves and the music without losing sight of who they are, or forgetting the people you make music for,” Chesney says in a statement. “[The] No Shoes Nation [fanbase] is a very passionate place without borders; I get inspired every time I see and hear them. These are passionate people who work really hard. They make a difference in their community in all kinds of ways, giving back not so people think they’re good, but because that’s who they are and what they do. When they listen to music, they’re all in – and when they hear something they like, you can feel it in how they respond.”
Chesney reportedly recorded the new album with longtime producer Buddy Cannon and new collaborator Ross Copperman, exploring a new sonic approach that both speaks to Chesney’s past and embraces some of country’s new sounds.
“You know, it’s going to have a high fun factor,” Chesney explains. “People work hard, and need music that makes them smile, that kicks them into a happy place. There are also songs here that look at very specific people, that tell one person’s story, but it could be any of us. That’s the mark of a good song: let one person’s specific life say so much about a lot of people’s lives.”
Ahead of his Here and Now release, Chesney will kick off his Chillaxification Tour with Florida Georgia Line and Old Dominion April 18 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
