Chris Janson Reveals How He Overcame Hardships to Make Music on His Terms

Chris Janson has had two No. 1 hits, with “Buy Me a Boat” and “Fix a Drink,” earned a spot on several big tours, including last year with Sam Hunt and his current run with Cole Swindell, sold out his own shows, and just became the newest – and youngest – member of the Grand Ole Opry.

Although Janson began his time in Nashville living in his car and struggling to make ends meet, Janson has no hard feelings about his early hardships.

“Nobody has ever really stood in my way,” Janson shared with PopCulture.com at a recent media event. “I think that everybody has to find their path in this town especially, Nashville. It’s a really hard town to be from, but I think any music business town is that way. You just have to find the ins and outs of what makes you tick and how you do it the best.”

Janson learned early on that he needed to stand on his own two feet, and not try to mold himself into what everyone else was doing – even if that meant he didn’t easily get recognized for his efforts.

“What made me tick was writing my own songs and singing my own songs and consistently doing it my own way,” he explained. “Every time I ever tried to do it somebody else’s way, I faltered and I fell and it never worked. I have a great wife, and I have a great family life. And that really kept me sane.”

While Janson certainly had his moments when he wanted to give up, he found encouragement by looking to artists who have gone before him, and relying on his own faith.

“Certain artists on the way up that you open for make you feel like you’re not supposed to be there,” Janson shared. ‘It’s my show, and I’m doing it this way, and this is the time we get.’ And there are certain ones who make you feel like you’re supposed to be there, Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton – they all make you feel like you’re supposed to be there. Garth Brooks is the best at it. And I gotta say all those moments outweigh the bad ones.

“Plus, I’m Christian, and I love the Lord,” he added. “I pray really hard, and I don’t really have anything in my life that gets me down that much, just music. I’d be doing it either way. I’m just proud to be doing it on this level.”

Photo Credit: Instagram/TheChrisJanson