Chris Young is known for his engaging, entertaining shows, thanks in part to advice he got from an artist early in his career, advice that has stuck with him for years.

“Another artist one time told me, ‘Somewhere in that crowd there’s a mom and a dad, and they paid for a babysitter to sit at home with their kid,'” Young tells Music Connection. “‘And they barely had the money to do it. They saved up just enough money to buy a ticket to your show. And they’re so excited to be here. This is their date night. It’s their only night out this month. So don’t mess it up.’ It’s layered because it was definitely some advice I needed, and one I think a lot of people could use.”

Fortunately, Young is by now a seasoned performer, and a talented vocalist, with an impressive vocal range, and ability to sing various styles. The Tennessee native can sing a variety of styles and genres, but has his feet, fortunately, firmly planted in country music.

“I took vocal lessons for years,” Young reveals. “I had a scholarship for jazz to Berklee College of Music. I can also sing in multiple languages. A lot of people don’t know that. But the most important thing for me is I wanted to be a country singer and do that for a long, long time.”

Young’s latest album, Young Love & Saturday Nights, is out now. The record, his first since Famous Friends came out in 2021, was very authentic to Young, who co-wrote 15 of the 18 songs on the project.

“I had a lot of time to make this record,” Young says. “I’m really proud of it and it says a lot of stuff I haven’t said before. There’s definitely love songs and break-up songs, and sexy songs and party songs. But I also wrote stuff about my dad, and my dog too. It’s very personal.”

Indeed, Young was far less concerned about the lapse of time between albums, and more focused on making sure the record was the best that it could be.

“I wanted this album to be special. I had a lot of time to work on this record, even though patience is not my strong suit,” Young shared during a recent media event. “I decided, ‘Hey, let’s change things up a little bit.’ There are songs on here that I didn’t write. There are songs on here that I co-wrote. There are songs that I produced by myself. There are songs I produced with my friends. And I really was just trying to find a lot of things that I wanted to say.”

Young will headline the free Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th celebration in Nashville. He is currently on his Young Love & Saturday Nights Tour. Find all of Young’s music and tour dates at  at ChrisYoungCountry.com.