Chris Young has never been so excited about an album as he is with I Didn’t Come Here To Leave. The record, out on October 17, is his tenth, and his first on Black River Entertainment. For Young, it’s the record he has always wanted to make.
“I am very, very excited about this record, and for a lot of reasons,” Young shares at a recent media event. “Mainly the level of care that’s been given to this album. Not that any of my other albums in my career haven’t had that same level of care. It’s just that there’s something special about this one. I don’t know what it is. And it just makes me happy.
“I love going back and listening to it,” he continues. “Normally, as an artist, I feel like a lot of us get done, and don’t go back and listen to it anymore. And I’m walking around to my friends, going, ‘Hey, listen to this. This is cool, right?’ So, I’m just excited. I think this record is special. and obviously the new relationship with Black River is pretty incredible.”
Chris Young Is Eager For Fans To Hear His New Album
Young was with RCA Nashville for his entire career, since winning Nashville Star in 2006. His last record on that label was Young Love & Saturday Nights, out in early 2024. Even as he knew he was going to be a free agent, and before he signed with Black River Entertainment, Young was excited about his next musical chapter.
“It was very interesting for me, because I had all this music that I’d been writing,” Young reveals. “I’d be constantly writing, and I was like, ‘What am I doing?’ Like, I’ve got a record out. We just had a number one. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m just continuing to write more and more songs. And I had most of this album just teed up, ready to go. Not all of it, and I definitely re-recorded all of the demos that I had.”
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I Didn’t Come Here To Leave is produced by Young and his longtime friend and collaborator, Andy Sheridan.
“I normally just do like three or four passes,” explains the singer. “But on this record, I spent a whole lot of time just making sure we got it right. Even if it was a single word, I’m like ‘I don’t know. Let me let me do that pass again.'”
Young believes that it was God who was pushing him to make a new album, even before he knew what label he would be releasing it on.
“I don’t want to say this, and it be taken out of context, but it is sort of a God thing,” Young says. “It was like the man upstairs knew I needed this music. I was just being pushed to create.”
Chris Young Praises His Fans Ahead Of Release Of ‘I Didn’t Come Here To Leave’
Young has had almost two decades of success in country music, a rare feat for any artist. Young credits his loyal fans for his success, many whom have been with him since his career began.
“I always tell people, if you’ve ever listened to one of my songs and didn’t turn it off, you’re the reason I get to do this,” Young tells Franklin Lifestyle. “That’s the truth. Every bit of success I’ve had is because people cared enough to listen.”
Young’s debut single from the record, “‘Til the Last One Dies,” is in the Top 35.