Kenny Chesney Scores His 31st No. 1 With ‘Here and Now’

Kenny Chesney has topped the charts again, this time with “Here and Now,” the title track from his recently-released album. “Here and Now” is the first single from Chesney’s album and is all about living in the present. “What you put out first says everything about what your record is,” Chesney said in a statement. “Maybe it’s old school, but I like the idea that we’re setting not just a moment, but a way of approaching life that reflects the spirit of No Shoes Nation. I am always amazed and rocked by how they face life. They really know how to grab the moment and make the most of whatever it might be.”

The Tennessee native explained that even though he was anticipating taking the song on the road when he recorded, the current moment makes it even more relevant. “When we recorded ‘Here And Now,’ it was this awesome rush that captured the peak moments, finding them in your day, creating them and not just waiting around for them to happen,” he said “It was the perfect song as we were all getting ready for another summer of shows. But now, in some ways, this song is even more in the moment because we all have to remember to find joy.”

With Here and Now, Chesney tied Garth Brooks with nine No. 1 albums on the all-genre Billboard 200 Chart, giving the two stars the honor of the most all-time No. 1s on the chart for a country act. “I don’t think you cut songs to set records, but I can say it feels amazing to know other people feel what you’re trying to put into the world,” Chesney said. The singer added to Taste of Country that the album’s title track is a bit of a contradiction, seeing as he’s always on the go, but quarantine has forced him to press pause and live, as the song says, in the here and now.

“I knew that I was looking for a specific energy for me to stand up there on stage and what I wanted to say to my audience, you know, with this new music,” he said of hearing “Here and Now” for the first time. “I knew it was a contradiction of myself because I’m constantly moving. I crave living in the here and now and I know it’s important. It’s what this time right now has really, really… it’s been good for all of us that are busy that want to be still, because now we’re forced to be still. And it’s forcing us to live in the here and now.”