Kenny Chesney thought his next album was completed, but he still found room for three more songs. The singer-songwriter reveals that he just added three new tracks to the record he once believed was finished.

“It’s a little bit like putting a puzzle together,” Chesney explains. “You know the best possible thing is there; you just have to figure it out. It’s been kind of fun, kind of crazy-making, but it reminds me the power of an actual album. Ten, 12 songs that hold together, not as a concept, but more as a vibe rather than just a flood of songs.”

Chesney already said the new record would be a positive one, his first since Born came out in 2024.

“For anyone who’s looking to fill their days with light and joy, without pretending tough stuff doesn’t exist, this record’s gonna be for you,” Chesney recently vowed. “We’ve got all songs – I think – picked, and now it’s just a matter of making them sound as good as we can. It’s a lot of great guitars, different rhythms, and pretty amazing songs from some of my friends, some emerging writers, and a few of Nashville’s most iconic writers ever.”

What Kenny Chesney Says About the New Songs On His Next Record

Chesney’s next set of tunes includes “Carry On,” his 100th charting single, and the first song in his historic career to be added at every reporting station. But these three other songs also have a place on his next set of tunes, something he realized as he was listening to them.

“I’m trying to find the sequence and make some decisions,” Chesney says. “But those three songs make this a whole other project. Shane McAnally and I had a conversation – just like ‘Noise’ – and a great song came out of it; someone sent me a song that my friends Brett James and Tony Lane had written that says it all about life… and I’ve got one that’s about a place. But it’s also a state of mind, and a state of being that’s really special. Are they singles? I don’t know, but they’re great; that’s what matters.”

From a young age, Chesney fell in love with country music. Now 58, he still loves country music as much as he did when he was a kid, and maybe more.

“Maybe it goes all the way back to church, WIVK on the radio as a little kid, the Cas Walker local TV show in the morning getting ready for school, and all the music me and my friends listened to. But I got addicted to how music made me feel real young, and it’s the one thing I can’t quit no matter how much discipline I’ve got.”

Photo Credit: CMA / Kayla Schoen