Kenny Chesney‘s BORN album is out. The 15-track record has happy songs, sad songs, love songs and more. But one thing it doesn’t have is any duets, a conscious decision by Chesney to eliminate from the project.
“Look, I love collaborations, but there are no collaborations on this record because I always felt like the collaborations had to start with the song,” Chesney explains. “I’m just not a big fan of putting people on a record just to have someone on the record. It’s just disingenuous, you know? So, there’s no collaborations on this record because I didn’t feel like the songs lent itself to it.”
Chesney poured everything he had into BORN, his first record since Here and Now came out in 2020. Far from taking a break between projects, the Tennessee native used the four-year gap to make BORN the most personal record he has ever released, and the one he was most eager to share with his fans.
“I think the best thing someone could say about this album BORN is that it reflects me, is that it’s genuine,” Chesney said. “It’s not made up, and there’s just a lot of me on it. It’s a fun record to listen to. It’s an emotional record to listen to. It’s a mirror to my life, and I think that’s what I would say when somebody asked me what do you want people to hear from this? What do you hope they take away from it? And that would be it.”
Chesney is getting ready to embark on his Sun Goes Down Tour. The cross-country trek begins in Tampa on April 20th, with that show — along with several others — already sold out.
“I know how hungry I am, and the band is, to get out there and hear No Shoes Nation in full, no holds barred voice,” Chesney said. “And that starts not long after they open the parking lots up, and the sounds of all that tailgating starts wafting into our bus compounds. Sometimes I think they love these shows as much as we do. But knowing how much we love playing these songs to No Shoes Nation, it’s hard to imagine how that’s possible.”
With the opening night of the Sun Goes Down Tour only a few weeks away, Chesney is deep into tour rehearsals, determined to give the best show possible, night after night.
“This is where it all starts to really feel real,” Chesney said. “We’ve got the stage and the T taped off. We have room to really play off each other and jam while we’re dialing the songs back in. But even more, all the teams are together, and we’re catching up after so many months off! When you’ve got a road family like I do, it’s a rush just being together.”
Chesney also sold out his tour stop in Philadelphia, plus all three shows at Gillette Stadium. Zac Brown Band, Megan Moroney and Uncle Kracker will serve as Chesney’s opening acts. The tour will conclude in Foxborough, Massachusetts on August 23, 24 and 25. Find all of Chesney’s music and tour dates at KennyChesney.com.
Read ‘Kenny Chesney: 11 Things to Know About the Superstar’ here.