Kenny's "Knowing You" Turns Gold, So Does HERE & NOW, SONGS FOR THE SAINTS

“KNOWING YOU,” KENNY CHESNEY’S 34TH NO. 1, TURNS GOLD

Certifies 500,000 Sold Alongside Songs for the Saints and Here And Now

“...Knowing you, you’re still wild and free...”

At a time when people debate the enduring power of songs or moments, Kenny Chesneysees “Knowing You,” his record-maintaining 34th No. 1, certified Gold for sales of 500,000. The classic country waltz – which stands in stark contrast to most of what’s on country radio – joins the post-Hurricane Irma and Maria celebration of island spirit Songs for the Saints and his Blue Chair Records/Warner Music Nashville debut Here And Now for RIAA certification.

“I will always believe in the power of a genuinely great song,” Chesney says of “Knowing You” and its success. “Beyond trends or moments, there are real emotions, deep life truths that the best songs carry. When I heard ‘Knowing You,’ I knew it wasn’t what anybody else was probably looking for – but it was a song that had to be heard. So, we went with it; we believed in it, and Kat Higgins and Adam James got their first No. 1s.

“To me, those are the things Nashville was built on. I am proud to carry on those kinds of traditions, to set sparks for young writers and to hear that actual people responded to the song the same way I did. When you hear a song like this is Gold, you know that greatness still touches people in the heart.”

“Knowing You,” a four-minute waltz about celebrating someone lost to time, a break-up or death, is exactly the kind of song to connect beyond surface or mere TikTok momentum. Higgins, James and Brett James were recognized by the Academy of Country Music’s expert panel with a nomination for Song of the Year at the March 7 ACM Awards, live from Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium exclusively on Prime Video.

In addition, Songs for the Saints, written and recorded in the immediate wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, and Here And Now, his ninth No. 1 debut on the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart, have also been certified Gold for sales in excess of 500,000. Crafted with immense attention to detail and expanding the narratives Chesney began defining with 2005’s Be As You Are (Songs from an Old Blue Chair) and 2002’s No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems, each project takes a deeper dive into both his introspective life on the water and his unique perspective on coming of age and awareness in the flyover.

“I am always pushing myself, along with my producer Buddy Cannon, to move deeper into the heart of No Shoes Nation,” Chesney explains. “The people who live inside these songs, they grow, have life all kinds of experiences, but they keep their spirit, which no matter what they do is a little untamed and free.

“And they’re also people who want to have that physical piece of the music to hold on to. They value what these songs represent, so this reminds me how much music really matters in a world that often feels like it’s just rushing by.”

With his Here And Now 2022 Tour kicking off April 23 in Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium, the only country artist in the Top 10 of Billboard’s Top 25 Live Artists in 25 Years is ready to get back to what he does best: bring the music to the people. With “Everyone She Knows,” another female empowering moment for the women who live in their own terms and defy expectation, hitting country radio now, it’s time to get back to summer as normal out in the No Shoes Nation.

For more information and to purchase tickets to all dates, visit www.KennyChesney.com.

Blue Chair Bay Rum Presents Kenny Chesney’s Here And Now 2022 Tour Fueled by Marathon
April 23 Tampa, Fla. || Raymond James Stadium
April 30 Charlotte, N.C. || Bank of America Stadium
May 5 Noblesville, Ind. || Ruoff Music Center
May 7 St. Louis, Mo. || Busch Stadium
May 14 Milwaukee, Wis. || American Family Field
May 19 Orange Beach, Ala. || The Wharf Amphitheater
May 21 Atlanta, Ga. || Mercedes-Benz Stadium
May 25 Charleston, S.C. || Credit One Stadium
May 26 Huntsville, Ala. || Orion Amphitheater
May 28 Nashville, Tenn. || Nissan Stadium
June 2 The Woodlands, Texas || Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
June 4 Arlington, Texas || AT&T Stadium
June 8 Canandaigua, N.Y. || CMAC
June 9 Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio || Blossom Music Center
June 11 Pittsburgh, Pa. || Heinz Field
June 15 Virginia Beach, Va. || Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
June 16 Bristow, Va. || Jiffy Lube Live
June 18 Philadelphia, Pa. || Lincoln Financial Field
June 23 Cincinnati, Ohio || Riverbend Music Center
June 25 Chicago, Ill. || Soldier Field
June 29 Brandon, Miss. || Brandon Amphitheater
June 30 Rogers, Ark. || Walmart AMP
July 2 Kansas City, Mo. || GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium
July 9 Bozeman, Mont. || Bobcat Stadium
July 12 Stateline, Nev. || Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey’s
July 13 Stateline, Nev. || Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey’s
July 16 Seattle, Wash. || Lumen Field
July 19 Bend, Ore. || Hayden Homes Amphitheater
July 20 Bend, Ore. || Hayden Homes Amphitheater
July 23 Inglewood, Calif. || SoFi Stadium
July 27 Boise, Idaho. || Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater
July 28 Salt Lake City, Utah || USANA Amphitheatre
July 30 Denver, Colo. || Empower Field at Mile High
August 6 Minneapolis, Minn. || U.S. Bank Stadium
August 10 Columbia, Md. || Merriweather Post Pavilion
August 11 Syracuse, N.Y. || St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview
August 13 East Rutherford, N.J. || MetLife Stadium
August 18 Columbus, Ohio || Historic Crew Stadium
August 20 Detroit, Mich. || Ford Field
August 26 Foxborough, Mass. || Gillette Stadium
August 27 Foxborough, Mass. || Gillette Stadium

Kenny Celebrates KNOWING YOU No. 1 with BMI, Kat Higgins, Adam James & Brett James @ Historic Sutler

HEARTFELT NO. 1 PARTY FOR “KNOWING YOU”
KENNY CHESNEY’S 34TH NO. 1 BRINGS NASHVILLE OUT TO HONOR

When Kenny Chesney recorded “Knowing You,” people thought he was crazy. Everyone knew it was a brilliant classic country ballad, but what do you with that? If you’re Kenny Chesney, you let your first full-on Blue Chair Records/Warner Music Nashville release Here And Now get a head of steam – and send the song to country radio.

What some folks would think is crazy, Kenny Chesney, Warner Promotion’s Kristen Williams, Shari Roth and team took to the top of the charts. It wasn’t a rocket fueled 18-week ride like many of Chesney’s multiple-week No. 1s, but the slow and steady rise matched the song’s tempo and reminded people just how good real country music feels. That No. 1 was cause for the songwriting and publishing communities to come together at Nashville’s historic Sutler Saloon to do something equally unthinkable in recent times: to celebrate a No. 1 together as a community.

“When I met you, I asked you what your dream first cut was,” Adam James – whose entire family, from grandmother who tracked the song’s progress week-to-week on the country countdown shows to his darling toddlers, were in attendance – told those assembled, “and you said, ‘George Strait.’ Well, Kenny, that’s how I – and a lot of us – feel about you.”

For Adam James and Kat Higgins, “Knowing You” was their first No. 1. Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer Brett James acknowledged the thrill of that first No. 1, adding, “The first time I met these two writers, it was writing this song.” For Brett James, who’s written a fistful of Chesney smashes including “When the Sun Goes Down,” “Reality” and “Out Last Night,” he told those assembled that his first cut was in 1997, when Kenny recorded “Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me” on Everywhere We Go. Brett James ended up back in college, but returning to the record business, he and Chesney fell into the multiple-week No. 1 “When the Sun Goes Down,” and his future was set.

For Higgins, who spoke of publisher Pat Higdon’s faith in a young female writer, she embodied the joy that comes with topping the chart. But even more she cherished the idea that Kenny’s version of their song existed. “Writing with these guys, then having Kenny Chesney record this song the way that he did, it’s what you hope for, what you dream.”

Chesney, always quiet, took the stage after the executives spoke, telling the writers how proud he was to have been able to record a song like this. With a smile, he said, “I remember my first No. 1 – and I know that feeling. There’s nothing like it...

“And when I heard this song, I knew: I have a few people like that. Some have passed, some aren’t in my life anymore, but this song... It leaves it wide open, so the person can be anyone who’s gone. That’s what’s so beautiful about this, and I’m so glad I got to be the one to sing this.”

Ever the welcoming host, BMI’s Clay Bradley kept the presentations coming, reminding people how good it felt to be together, how it reflects the spirit of the people who write those songs that come from the heart. Beyond reminding people to vote for the song on the ACM’s second-round ballot, he stood as a representative of a Nashville built on creators, where songs are king and the best song wins.

Like Warner Nashville Chairman and CEO John Esposito, who ran through accolades, stats and the power of really special songs to carry the moment, the executives were as moved by the music as the other 200 people in attendance. As Chesney said later, “This is the kind of vibe Nashville was built on. Everyone knew everyone, rooted for great songs and created an all-for-one spirit. I love that ‘Knowing You’ could bring us all together like that as we start what I think is going to be a very good year.”

"Knowing You" Is Kenny Chesney's 34th No. 1; Simple Waltz Celebrates Those Loved, But Gone

In a world of uptempo positivity, Kenny Chesney knew “Knowing You,” a four-minute waltz about celebrating someone lost – whether to time, a break-up or death – was the kind of song that wasn’t going to take his singles’ usual high-speed flight up the Country Airplay charts. Recognizing the quality of the song, the depth of its emotional current and the power of what the song provides listeners, the eight-time Entertainer of the Year dug in and said, “Let’s put this out.”

Today, Kenny Chesney has his 34th No. 1 single. Harkening back to a time in country music when life-capturing ballads such as CMA Award-winners “Strawberry Wine” and “I Hope You Dance” ruled the charts in profound ways, Chesney’s ruminative waltz offers a respite in the realm of today’s Nashville. It also provides people letting go of people and moments they loved with a way to be joyous in honoring what was.

“Losing people you care about is always hard,” Chesney offers. “There’s a hole where all that adventure used to be. But if you pause for a moment, remember all the crazy times; the discoveries, moments you shared while sad andlaughing... If you take all that in, if you know the person who’s gone brought all that to you; how can you be anything but glad? When you’re sad, it’s so easy to forget... But I worry we lose all the love and beauty in sadness over what’s gone. My hope, throughout the life of this single, has been for people to take this idea and embrace it, embrace that person they loved who’s gone and celebrate every small thing that was part of their relationship.”

The official music video – shot in Gloucester, Mass and St. Croix to demonstrate the juxtaposition of the Technicolor feelings life with this person elicited and to the muted tones of a world without them – was a mini-movie honoring the song’s core emotions. Award-winning director and longtime friend Shaun Silva created a panoramic clip as breathtaking as the melody is simple. For fans of true country music, it reflects the duality for the young man from East Tennessee chasing a dream and the crazy world he built over time.

Written by Adam James, Brett James and Kat Higgins, the yearning song was Higgins’ first cut. Now it will become the very first American No. 1 for the Canadian Country Music Association-nominated songwriter/artist, whose songs have also been recorded by Carrie Underwood and The Lone Bellow. As Chesney says, “One of the things I love about this business is moments when someone appears with such a special take on life... and they write it down, then suddenly the whole world sings their songs.

“There is such a beautiful innocence to this song. I love the idea that what was great is what matters; the idea that what you felt that was so good – that’s the thing to hang on to. Wishing the other person well, hoping they’re out there spreading that same joy, feeling that same love wherever they may be? To me, that’s just beautiful.”

With his Here And Now 2022 tour kicking off April 23 in Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium, the only country artist on Pollstar’s Top Touring Artists of the Decade is ready to get out and see No Shoes Nation. After three years away from the people he loves, people who live their lives in his songs, the only hard thing about “Knowing You” hitting the top of the chart is figuring out where to put it in his high-energy, two hour-plus set.