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10 Questions with ... Chris Janson
January 24, 2016
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/chrisjansonmusic
Twitter: www.twitter.com/janson_chrisChris Janson spent most of 2015 riding a wave of success that led to his major label signing, a #1 single, first full-length album, and a heavy touring schedule. But this isn't an overnight success story. Janson has had other label deals that never quite panned out, released EPs and singles to radio, toured across the country, held residency at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge in Nashville, and has played the Opry close to one hundred times in the ten years he's been in Nashville. He's also written hits for artists including Tim McGraw, Randy Houser, Joe Nichols, Tyler Farr, Jerrod Niemann, Craig Campbell, LoCash, and more. He's a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and a dancing machine on stage.
After dropping his major debut full-length album "Buy Me A Boat," and taking the single of the same name to number one in 2015, Janson will once again hit the road in full force, this time joining with Blake Shelton this coming Summer. On the heels of a stellar 2015 and selection to the CRS 2016 New Faces show, Janson sat down with All Access Nashville Assistant Editor Monta Vaden to reflect on the successes of 2015 and look ahead to what is on the horizon for 2016.
1. Thank you so much for taking time to speak with All Access. You've been voted in to the "New Faces" showcase for CRS 2016, and while you've played to most of this cast of characters before during your radio tour, this setting will be a bit different. Can you tell us what it means to you to be chosen to play this show, and how you will prepare for the performance?
You know what, first of all, I don't think I'm going to prepare any differently. Other than - I'm always a feel kind of guy, so I have to see what I feel like right then. My thing is, since I know we're limited in time per artist, I'm probably going to make a little bit of a more strategic setlist than I normally would do. But other than that, I mean, these are my friends and my compadres that I've grown relationships with over the years. So, it's a comfortable room for me. Now I say that, but knock on wood, because I haven't done it yet! But I feel like it will probably be comfortable for me. These people are like family to me. These relationships have grown from nothing to something. And it starts from the ground. And I'll tell you, I had a couple of goals when I moved to Nashville those years ago. One was to be on Country radio and have hits as a singer - this was before my songwriting career and everything - and second was that I wanted to play the Opry. And I'm telling you what, I'm getting to do both of those things. And I know how big of a deal it is to be picked for New Faces. It's like - in years past, that's all people talk about! So, the world humbled would be an understatement. I'm so grateful. And it's not just me. My family is grateful! My wife is, and my kids - it's a whole big deal for us! There's a lot of people they could have picked, so to be recognized, I have to tell you, I'm extremely grateful to my friends for believing and taking a chance and giving me a career. And now putting me at the top of that list with some of my peers, man, that's just a great blessing!
2. Where were you when you found out that you had been selected as to perform at CRS 2016 New Faces, and how did you react?
I darn near cried, honestly! My wife and I both did. We were together, and she got the email and told me about it. It was a great moment. It's one of those pinnacles in your career as a Country music artist, and I never really realized - you just think when you're not on the radio, "God, I just want to be on the radio!" And then when you're on the radio, you say, "God, I'm just so thankful to You that I'm on the radio!" And it's a big deal, but you never really realize all the things that go in to it. Everybody works off of one another, and that's something I really had to learn. So that aspect of the whole deal and everybody voting you in is so much more of a big deal than just a stereotypical "big deal." To me, it's like - it just goes to show that years of hard work and real, true effort - and just being real with people and honing your craft and becoming the artist that you are but also that you want to be - it's a very gratifying moment. And that's how we felt when we found out. We don't take a minute of this for granted! I'm just so grateful to have a job, and one that is actually working.
3. I think most of radio is familiar with your backstory and the long road you've been on to get to this point. Looking back on journey, were there ever times you thought about throwing in the towel? What kept you motivated?
I tell ya, I think everybody would be lying if they said they didn't have at least one or two moments like that along the way. And yes, I mean, I think in every - let me say in every job form, you probably have those thoughts, right? But for me, number one, I'm a Christian. Number two, I have a great wife and a great family. And not only is that just an uplifting part of my life that is good for my spirit, but it also gives me motivation to work for something other than myself. Music was always something that I did. I, I, I. Well, there's no I in we. So, not only do I have a great record label and a great family, I have a great team around me and a great support group. Even with Country radio programmers - and even at radio, I've made friends with the front desk clerks! You treat people the way you want to be treated, and it comes back tenfold. So you try not to let those moments ever catch up to you. You just - like I've always tried to tell myself, and I live by this kind of mantra - the more positive you keep, the more positive vibes you're putting out there. So, that's what I've always done, and I've always just kept my head up. And I figured out over the years that God has a greater plan. If something doesn't work out, it was obviously for a reason. So, through other record deals, and through publishing deals, and just all the ups and downs this business can bring you - and trust me, it can bring you some - I tell you what, when the timing is right, the timing is right. So, my time hit with "Buy Me A Boat" for the first time in a big way the last couple months, and we're already off and running with the new single, and all these great things. And it's not so much a snowball effect as I feel that it's just timing. And I've grown up a lot, and I've learned so much of what to do - and what not to do, most importantly - and that's on a personal level, too, not just in business. So when all those stars align, and you get everything just lined up right in your life, everything seems to fall in to place. And that's how it feels for me right now. And leading in to the New Faces show, I'm not just confident in my music, I'm also just in a good mood!
4. You've penned songs for multiple artists and have been hard at work in writing session since you were just 18 years old. Did you ever consider focusing solely on being a writer and letting the so-called "Mailbox Money" roll in, or did you always have the desire to be on stage?
Yes, I'd be lying if I said no! But the thing is, no matter how many times - and there weren't very many, but there were a few times where I considered it - and I think every artist who is a writer does that at some point. If things - if you have a similar story to me, and I know some of my friends do - for me, music is always what I've done. I was playing and singing and performing before I ever even thought about writing a song. There was a time in my life where - when I moved to Nashville ten years ago - I thought, "Of course, every artist writes their own songs! Duh!" As a P1, consumer-buying listener to Country radio, that's just what you think. So, I was that guy. Music always stuck with me as far as performing and being an artist. It's in my blood; it's what I do. So, no matter what, I just couldn't stop. I figure, either way, if I'm getting played on the radio, what a blessing! And if I'm not, I'm still going to keep doing it. And if I have a record deal, great, but if I don't, fine. I'm just going to keep doing it and keep doing it. I've got a family, and I've got bills to pay. But secondly, what else would I do?! It's a very humbling feeling, but in a good way. I don't know what else I would do, because all I've ever know is to get up and play and make people smile - or try to, at least - and do what my heart says. And my heart is always leading me to playing music and singing. And, I'll tell you what, writing songs came after the fact.
5. As a family man, how has this past year changed the at-home dynamic? Are you able to balance the influx of work with family time, and what advice would you offer to inspiring artists who are also family men and women concerned about the work-life balance in the music industry?
Everyone is just trying to figure that out, right? And it's hard to figure out! I could imagine for any average human being, this is hard! And this is an interesting life. It's not a hard job, but it's a hard way of getting used to something so quick. The job is great! Are you kidding me? Anybody who ever complains about having a job in the music industry playing music for a living or writing songs, well they ought to just be kicked out! I'll tell you what, there's just no room for bitching and complaining! It's the easiest job. I get up at any time I want in the morning, and I do whatever I want. But, long story short, my point is that - first, let me just tell you the advice I'd give anyone doing this. I have to tell you, I'm a very faith-based person, as far as my Christianity is concerned. I'm the biggest sinner you'll ever meet, too, but I've gotta tell you, keeping God first has really kept my bearings together. And we just pray about it. We pray really hard. And secondly, when I took my latest deal with Warner Bros. and everything that was happening around "Buy Me A Boat," and the initial crazy wave of everything that happened from day one - which has changed our career, obviously - my wife manages me with TK. So she's like my day-to-day, my go-to, my everything. Without her, I'll be honest with you, I would not do it. I just wouldn't do it if my family wasn't involved. My kids come first. It's the time-old traditional morals: God, Family, Work. So, that's really simple for me. That's how I look at it, and that's how I'll always look at it. I would always tell people, if they ask me - and people have asked me - "Well, how do you juggle it all?" I'm not a juggler; I'm not in the circus. I play music for a livin', and I prioritize. You may have to spend a little extra money and get an extra bus, or you may have to get a few extra plane rides, or you may even have to learn to be a pilot - and I'm learning, thanks to Tim McGraw! But you do whatever it takes to be with your family. You just find ways to do it. The kids obviously have school and things, but when they're young, you just take them with you! You learn to do it, and you never compromise your family or your normal, everyday average lifestyle for the job. Not ever. Period.
6. Let's talk for a minute about the song that undoubtedly got you to this place - "Buy Me A Boat." When you wrote the song, did it feel like a hit? Did you ever consider pitching it to other artists, or did you always know it would be one that you held on to for yourself?
So, I write a lot of songs, as you know. That's like my second job. So I do it with a real serious head. But every now and again - see when I sit down to write songs as a songwriter nine-to-five or during the day, in the transitional period before Warner Bros. and before "Buy Me A Boat," I had a lot of time to write songs for other artists, and I was playing on the weekends. But long story short, I write a gazillion songs that I almost know when I go in to it that it's not going to be for me. These are songs I'm trying to direct toward somebody else or their sound, or what have you. But "Buy Me A Boat," me and Chris DuBois sat down, and I said, "Let's write something where we aren't trying to write for anybody, and we don't care. We aren't trying to write in any direction; let's just write something that's cool!" So that's what we did! Well, it was something we thought was cool, anyway, and thank God it worked out. When I got it done, I was trying to fight those feelings. I mean, I just knew it - it was one of those rare ones that I just knew, "Gosh, I could really sing this one!" But I'll be honest with you, I did think about maybe trying to give it to my 2016 upcoming tour partner, Blake Shelton, or somebody with an A-list status. But I played it for my wife, and she's my best judge of ears. And she said, "No. We've been promising your fans out there," what fan base we had built at this point, you know, "new music, and we're going to go with it." So I decided, well, that's the one. And we did, and that's all she wrote, honestly! It has turned out to be my career song, and the one that broke me in to the stratosphere of the next-level artistry. But, it was so unplanned! It was just all for the love of music. I was just me having fun, singing and writing about things that I know and that I like, and things that I think are cool. And what a blessing! I can't tell you how many times I've sat down to write a song and tried to get on the radio and tried to get a cut or tried to get a record deal. But it's like, the minute you quit trying, and you just go back to the basics of being real and being who you are and doing what you want to do, it worked. And my friends in radio played it, and it's just amazing. And when you feel those relationships, and you feel the love from those relationships that have been built in radio - and these aren't just pick up the phone when you need something every now and again type of relationships. These are friends of mine. People I would do things for, people who have done and would do things for me. These are the people who changed my life and the way that my family lives! They changed the way that I tour and the audience I'm in front of and the places I get to play. I'm forever indebted to my friends at radio. Coming from a guy like me - and I'm sure I have the same type of feelings that a lot of people do - I always like to feel in my heart that I feel a little bit different on a personal level, that words will never be able to express my gratitude for just being embraced by this industry. I've put in time, and it just makes it that much sweeter to feel that embrace, and I don't take it lightly. Everybody has made my dreams come true this year, and I'm now starting to write new dreams down on my clipboard, because my goals were achieved!
7. "Buy Me A Boat" led to a lot of things for you - including your record deal with Warner Music Nashville. Now that the full album has dropped and you're working your second single, "Power Of Positive Drinkin'," what goals have you set for your career in 2016?
I don't think I'll ever be able to top what happened in 2015, first of all. Let me just say that! But I'll tell you my next goals in my musical life. I would like to be able to be fortunate enough to continue to have hits on the radio. There's nothing like that. It's the most unbelievable life changing, fun - I mean, it is fun to have a hit song to go play live! That's a blast! It just changes the game. So I hope to have more radio hits, first of all. And secondly, just on a career basis, I'd like to get some more songs recorded by other artists, too. Because that still makes me giddy, like a kid. I get excited, like, "Whoo! Somebody cut my song! That's so cool!" A lot of songwriters nowadays get jaded, and they'll say, "Oh, a cut doesn't pay nothing," or something like that. Shut up, man! The fact that you're getting a song even pitched is a big deal! The fact that you have a publishing deal in a day where maybe 1% of the songwriting community can't get a deal - I'm talking about hit songwriters who can't get a deal! Just shut up and be grateful, man! That's such an important message - just shut up and be grateful! So, if I'm fortunate enough to have a couple more cuts recorded, that's always just a surprising, exciting thing. Thirdly, I'm just gonna tell ya, one of my greatest goals as I mentioned earlier is that the Grand Ole Opry has always been very important to me, even from when I was a child. And I've played it a good bit of times now, and I'm so grateful. But in the future years, I'd like to do whatever I have to do to be an Opry member. It's important to always have that grind mentality, no matter how big you get or how many hits you've got or how cool you think you are - which is a lot of the hokey part. But you should always have that grind and that want and desire to be the best, and not in a cocky way, but just to beat your own best. And that'll all come in God's timing, and when everything is supposed to align, it will. I have seen it unfold before my eyes this year. So those are my next three big musical career goals. And now, personally, my family goals are that I just want to continue to try to be the best husband I can be, the best dad I can be, and just pray that God will bless us continually with good health. Honestly, that's the most important thing. I'm just really grateful, and honestly, I'm just happy! I hope everyone can tell that. I'm having such a ball with all of this.
8. There are a lot of Pop, Rock, R&B, and other influences melding together to make today's Country sound different than it did twenty years ago. What did you listen to growing up, who would you cite as your biggest musical influences, and what genres - if any - do you pull from when creating your own music?
So I create like this - I try not to copy anybody's style - but you're a product of what you grew up listening to. So, I had a lot of inspiration from Hank Williams, Jr. records, and a lot of early 80s records and things like that. Those are all just badass, good music! That, mixed with a little bit of Waylon, and I hate to go so stereotypical here with you on what you think I might listen to, but that kind of stuff is really what I listen to. I genuinely do! But, on a total side note, I also listen to a lot of Punk Rock, a lot of 70s - Sex Pistols, Ramones, things of that nature - and then I've got a whole other side of me that listens to Don Henley, and I'm way in to that. My thing is, I couldn't give you an honest answer as far as what I pull from, because I really do pull from everything. I pull mostly just from life experiences - from the real stuff that I see - like from my wife, my kids, things that have happened to me, adversity, trials, tribulations, everything in life. Hell, Yeti coolers and trucks - I've got both! Just real stuff! I try to pull from that, and I don't ever try to write songs for other people as far as in the market - I just write songs that I like, and hopefully they work. Like with "Buy Me A Boat," I thought, "Shit, if I was listening to that, I'd think that was cool!" So thank God there were a bunch of people out there who thought it was cool, too!
9. Anyone who has seen you perform live knows what a strong, dynamic stage presence you have. But for those who may not have seen you play live yet, what can you share to prep radio programmers for your performance, and how would you describe your live show?
I'd call it a roller coaster! You're going to get a little bit of everything, and that's in all aspects of the game, as far as songwriting, performing, energy - low and high, left and right. So that's why I tell people, it's like a roller coaster ride. It's a little bit everywhere, but it's always on the same track. Everything will flow together, but you'll get a hint of a little bit of everything. I'm an artist, so I like to get up there and just paint a picture. Tell a story, and see what happens. I'm a songwriter, and I'm very proud of that, and I just like to - I guess the best way to say it is that I'll just smack 'em in the face with a whole lot of truth! I write songs from a very real place, and I enjoy singing them to people. Merle Haggard wrote songs for the workin' man, and I don't consider myself a Merle Haggard, but I do consider myself a guy who writes songs for just the average, everyday listener. Heck yeah, man, just people like me that want to hear good Country music! So that's what I try to do.
10. From a year-long stint at Tootsie's in Nashville, to the Opry; from opening for Toby Keith and Luke Bryan to CMA Music Festival and The Raging Idiots' Million Dollar Show - you've been a working artist for a long time, but last year and this coming year may easily be your biggest, including heading out on tour this Summer with Blake Shelton. What are some of your favorite venues to play, and what venues are still on the bucket list to hit?
I don't have any on my bucket list, really. Well, I mean, I always wanted to play CBGB, but that's never going to happen now. I wanted to do a Bridgestone Arena [in Nashville] show, and I'll be getting to do two of those with Blake, so that's checked off the bucket list for me. But my two favorite venues are the Grand Ole Opry House at Opryland and the Ryman Auditorium. I've been fortunate enough to do it over the past couple of years now as we've been building this thing, and I've just gotta tell ya, playing the Opry on those stages - that was my dream goal, and that's what I'm doing.
Bonus Questions
1. You've been "the new guy" on several tours now. Looking at other "New Faces" in the industry and up-and-comers in the Nashville community, who are the guys and gals that out there working to break through who impress you? If you were to go out on a headlining tour this year with support acts, what "New Faces" would you like to bring with you on the road and why?
Now, these guys - I've got one act to tell you, maybe two. They're both entertaining. One has been touring their butts off around the country with very little recognition for a long time. I have their new hit single, first time they've ever broken through that high, and that's LoCash. Hardest working guys in the music business that I know of, and absolutely the nicest gentlemen. There's not a thing fake about them - they are the real deal. I will tell you this, I sing the praises of them, because on a human basis, they deserve everything. Second, there's a bad that has traditionally been a regional kind of band through West Virginia, and they helped me out a lot through the years when I was just here and there struggling to get gigs years ago, and they always helped me, so I would always help them - and they're called The Davisson Brothers Band. They're good friends of mine, and they're entertaining as they can be. So I've had them opening up a couple shows for me. And you know what, we all start - as Hank Jr. and Charlie Daniels said it best years ago, there are no opening acts! If you're on tour together, you're out there supporting one another, period. And I always thought that it was kind of like, as a guy now - especially as I'm starting to, for the first time ever, have some support acts in front of me - I always thought it was kind of like talking down to somebody to say, "Oh, well that's the opener or the opening act." No, that's not the "opening act." These are some people that are going on in front of me. So they are a support on the show, and that's a big deal. It seems like saying "opening act" has a stigma attached to it, like, "Oh, I've just been an opening act for years now." Well, that's not true. Believe you me. I know the ones over the years who have treated me like a support act and the ones who have treated me like "just an opening act." Toby Keith treated me like a support act through and through, and then some. What a great guy! Hank Jr. and Lynyrd Skynyrd, same thing. It was great. I've never really had a bad experience! Luke Bryan? Hands down, the nicest dude to tour with. He takes care of people, and he is such a good guy. And I just recently spent some time around Blake [Shelton], and I'll tell ya, what another gem! Just a great human being, and so I'm really looking forward to this 2016 tour with Blake. And I'll tell you, somebody else who has been really awesome to me in my career is Tim McGraw. We did a duet on my new record called "Messin' With Jesus" that I wrote with my wife, which was awesome. And he has been such a strong advocate for "Buy Me A Boat," and he has cut my songs. I just can't say enough good things about that guy! And that's just a little small list there of guys who have treated me with a lot of respect. And that's a big deal! And, leading in to CRS, most of those guys I mentioned have been on the New Faces show. So it's all a big deal, and those are some big shoes to fill. I'm glad I'm getting the opportunity to at least try and fill them - I'm going to give it my best and do what I do. It's a very gratifying thing to be put even on those lower pedestals of that kind of level. You've gotta start somewhere, and I'm just really proud to be in the game. CRS New Faces is a generational thing, and it's such a big deal to be included in it. I want to stress that, because I can't even believe that I'm getting to do this! That's the truth. So you can expect to see some on-fire-ness from me!
2. After countless radio visits and radio shows, is there anything that radio does NOT know about you that you can - or would like to - share here?
I'd do anything for Country radio, because Country radio has done everything for me!
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