Chris Young Announces Emotional Song, 'Drowning,' From Upcoming New Album

Chris Young's current single, "Raised on Country," is the debut single from his upcoming new album. The song is a fun, uptempo anthem, but there's another song, "Drowning," on his next set of tunes that hits much closer to home for him.

"There's a song called 'Drowning' on there," Young told PopCulture.com. "When I sang it on the Opry, it's about a friend of mine that passed away. I've never really written anything like that before. I've been fine every single time that I've sung it, until that night. I just came apart as I got to the second verse. I was like, 'Oh man. I'm gonna cry.' And I did. And so I turned around to reset, and then everybody stood up and started clapping. We just played the rest of the song out. But it's an incredibly powerful song."

Young just shared part of his Grand Ole Opry performance of "Drowning" in a social media post.

"Last week, I debuted my new tune Drowning at the Grand Ole Opry and broke down in the middle of it," Young wrote. "Since then so many people have shared stories of loved ones lost and how they have connected to this song. I want you guys to have this one, and make it your own, so I'm going to release it this Friday."

Young promises that not all of the songs on his new record will be as emotional as "Drowning."

"There's a lot of fun stuff," said Young. "There's a lot of light stuff on there. And there's a lot of stuff I just haven't written about or cut songs about. I think this record is really, really special."

Young's next project already promises to be more personal than his previous seven records, even though that's not something he necessarily intended.

"Everybody keeps saying that to me," Young said. "Just from my reactions when I'm talking about the music. I don't know why that is. I just think this album is really something that's going to blow people away. I'm really, really proud of it. That's the hallmark for me. We got done, and I listened to everything top to bottom, and I was like, 'This is what I wanted to make.'"

Young is currently on his Raised on Country Tour, where he is playing in some of the biggest venues he has played in his career.

"It's insane," Young gushed. "It's the biggest thing that I've ever attempted. Not only just the size, the stage and the sheer scope of what we're doing, but also the crowds. They've been incredible. Just that vibe of being in an amphitheater, and having a show there, I've never done that before. I've had tours where we've done arenas, and really big arenas.

"But being in some of those amphitheaters where I've opened for other artists before," he added, "and getting to experience that for myself, with my name on the outside of the building, is really special."

Find all of Young's upcoming shows by visiting his website.

Photo Credit: Getty images/ Rick Diamond