Kenny Chesney is celebrating a massive career accomplishment. Chesney is celebrating an astonishing 105 million units certified from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), including 22 new certifications.
“These kinds of numbers almost don’t exist,” Chesney says. “Who counts that high? But seeing all the discs and the size of the plaque, it hits you how big this really is. What I know is what I hear when the band and I are on stage. You can tell when you hear people cheering and singing these songs with every bit of joy they’ve got, this isn’t just a song they like. These songs are something that hits them in the heart. To me, even more than Platinum or Gold, it’s the sound of those voices that tells me how much this music means.”
Among the new certifications for five and four-time Platinum status for “American Kids” and his “You and Tequila” duet with Grace Potter, respectively. Five new songs: “Summertime,” “When The Sun Goes Down” featuring Uncle Kracker, “Come Over,” “Don’t Blink,” “Get Along,” received three-time Platinum certification, joining his previous three-time Platinum songs, “Somewhere With You.”
In addition, “I Go Back,” “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems,” “All The Pretty Girls,” “The Good Stuff” and “The Boys of Fall” are now double Platinum, joining previously certified double-Platinum songs “There Goes My Life,” “Setting The World on Fire” featuring P!nk and “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.”
Chesney also has new five five new Platinum certifications and three new Gold certifications, contributing to his overall total of 51 RIAA-certified singles.
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“I know what music meant to me, the way a song can change your moment, give you clarity or just make you feel seen,” Chesney says. “Because some of these songs are fun, that doesn’t mean it can’t matter or doesn’t say something people connect with. And with ballads, I’ve tried to make them speak to a moment that’s so real you can see it.”
Chesney also credits his longtime producer Buddy Cannon with helping him push the envelope in his music, ever since Chesney’s fourth album, I Will Stand, out in 1997.
“Buddy and I have really tried to push what we were doing in terms of the songs and how we recorded them,” Chesney says. “I wanted to say the stuff people never said for kids like me – and find the sweet spot where melody and lyric reflect each other in a way that made each song even more than any one moment. I wanted songs that I hoped would always be true.”
Chesney was recently named Billboard‘s No. 1 Country Artist of the 21st Century. He just wrapped up his Live at Sphere Las Vegas residency, with plans to return in 2026. Chesney will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame later this year. His HEART*LIFE*MUSIC book will be out on November 4.
“I was, I guess, born a dreamer and a seeker, and always wondered what was past my county line,” Chesney shares on TalkShopLive. “I remember going out and lying on my back in the backyard of my grandmother’s, at my grandmother’s house. And just staring at the stars, and wondering if there was anything out there, at all.
“And one of the storylines of this book is someone that was very curious as a child, and someone that really had music in his life,” he adds. “And thought there might be something in my life that involved music, but had no idea what that meant or where it was gonna lead me.”
Pre-order the book, and find all of Chesney’s music and upcoming shows, at KennyChesney.com.