10 Questions with ... Chris Janson

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Chris Janson has kept himself busy, especially within the past year or so; he has released his second studio album, topped the Mediabase Country singles chart twice, took the stage in large venues across America, joined the Grand Ole Opry family as a member, and much more, with no plans on slowing down any time soon. Janson recently chatted with All Access about his recent Opry induction and what it truly means to him; the writing process for his current single, "Drunk Girl;" and his deep admiration for Country radio.

1. Chris, thank you so much for taking time to chat with All Access today! First thing's first - let's talk about your huge recent accomplishment. You were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry a few weeks ago, and we got to witness it firsthand. Backstage, you expressed what the Opry really means to you. Can you share your admiration for the Opry with our readers and your friends at radio who weren't in attendance?

First of all, thank you. I appreciate it, and I appreciate everyone being there. As I said from the podium, there were two things that really mattered to me, and one was getting on the radio and having hit songs and the second was to be on the Opry, let alone be a member, which is a really big milestone in my life and career. I'm just so appreciate. I can't thank the Opry enough for believing in me and investing in me - the same for radio. It's not easy to get a hit song and not easy to get a song played, so I appreciate them believing enough to do so and afford me the luxury of having a real, substantial career. It's a huge blessing.

2. You were asked to join the Opry family by Keith Urban, and you were inducted by Garth Brooks. I know you're probably still speechless over this - who wouldn't be? - but, could you describe those moments for us? In what ways are you inspired by Keith and Garth - either personally, professionally, or both?

I'll start in reverse; I am certainly inspired by them both, musically, because they're both great talents, especially Keith, being an unbelievable genius on guitar and every instrument he really plays. Aside from that, when he made the invitation, it was at my sold-out show at the Ryman, just as a concert. It just meant a lot to me, because, I think, the most, because it was him, and we have such a long relationship together. Second to that, it was a total surprise; my wife and I are pretty much unsurpriseable people - we can pretty much figure anything out, most of the time - and, we had no clue. Then, fast forward to the actual induction, it could've been anybody, and it being Garth was certainly the highest honor any artist could have received. It was very humbling, and it just meant a lot to be, personally, because we had just played Garth's last show on his world tour together at Bridgestone, and he was so nice then, and even the same guy, but almost nicer, at the Opry. He's so humble. He's such a big star, and he didn't make it about himself, which is so classy. It's definitely something that, as an artist who's on the way up, I would definitely like to build a career after those two guys, because the humility factor with each of them really exudes.

3. Now that you're officially a member, what are some of the goals you would like to help the Opry accomplish within the next few years?

I definitely wanna be proactive in the Opry Trust Fund, as far as what that entails and trying to help folks in times of need. I've spoken to them pretty substantially about hosting. You don't ever see a lot of younger, newer generation of Opry members, per say, doing the hosting, like introducing people on stage, talking to the audience, reading commercials, and that kind of thing. I wanna do that. I think that's so cool, and why not? It gives fresh life and fresh energy to the Opry, not that it's not fresh and energetic as it is, because it is, but I think it'd be something new, and I think listeners would enjoy a change up every now and again. So, that's something I hope to be doing at some point in the near future. Like I said before, really being involved with the Trust Fund and any other kind of committees that I'm maybe not even aware of since I'm so fresh and new. I really find it important to help out generations of people that have paved the way before us. A lot of times we forget in the music business that some generations that have come before us, maybe they're not as financially suited as they would like to be or as we would think they are. As people get older - I mean, I'm 32 now, at some point in my life, I'm probably gonna experience maybe some medical things that come up, and I would home that somebody from a generation that is younger than me in the business would reach a helping hand out and help people of that class. The bottom line is, we as normal people - you as a writer and me as a singer, whatever people do - they forget that some people in the limelight maybe are not doing as hot as you think they are. So, in those instances, I wanna make sure that there's a place they can find refuge, peace, and strength, and we, as an Opry family, can help people along that have paved the way for us, especially us, referring to the last twenty years of artists. I have a lot of ideas, needless to say, but as I said the night of my induction, I'm just proud to be a part of the Opry family, and I will be there as needed, because that's what family is. I don't wanna be overbearing, but I wanna be a definite shining light and a strong force within the Opry.

4. You also garnered your second career #1 with "Fix A Drink" towards the end of last year. I'm sure the whole "being #1 at Country radio" thing never gets old. Can you talk about what topping the charts feels like to you, as an artist? And, did you know it was a hit when you wrote it?

We did think the song was a hit when we wrote it, but you never know until it gets out there, because, you know, some songs surprise you and are, and some songs surprise you and aren't. However, we had a pretty good feeling it was. What does it feel like to get a #1 as an artist? Honestly, it feels like we won the battle. It's like victorious, battle-winning day. It's such an intense grind on the chart and getting up the chart and competing against so many other records and artists that to win is really a big win. I don't care who it is or what song it is. Winning is winning, and it feels pretty darn good. It's a huge blessing. Personally, it's the way I feed my family. Being the man of the house, this is what I do for a living. So, it really goes a lot deeper for me than just having songs out there. I have different goals. I'm just trying to be the best I can be and have as many hits as I can. It's all about my family at the end of the day; it has nothing to do with anything else but that, for me, personally. I have more interests in this than just another single or just another song on the chart. It really matters to me. It's like survival of the fittest for me, that's how I look at it!

5. Speaking of Country radio, you hosted middays at KKGO/Los Angeles back in January. We're already aware that you have established many genuine friendships with Country radio folks, but did this experience give you a deeper appreciation for what they do?

Absolutely. First of all, it was fun as all get out, and I truly mean that, and I hope I can do it again at some point. It did give me a new appreciation for what they do and that side of it, because I can assure you they work hard, those people in radio, man! They have a lot of tasks and jobs, and they have a lot of things that they have to do that we as artists and we as normal people listening to the radio have no idea goes into it - scheduling, formatting, making sure everything runs smoothly and gets on the air. It absolutely gave me a new perspective and new respect for what they do, certainly. I gotta tell you, [KKGO/Los Angeles] are really on their game. They are top-notch. The company is ran well, and it shows.

6. What were some of the things you did to prepare for a month-long radio show? Any tips for those who are destined to be picked for KKGO middays in the coming months?

It may surprise you - and, I don't say this to be pretentious or cocky or nothing - I don't like to practice for anything that I do! I'm talking about...if it's a song, I don't rehearse, for music, my band, tours...any of that kind of junk. Especially for talking on the air, or even for hosting, I don't rehearse, because I don't want to take away any of the natural chemistry that happens in between the microphone and me. If I'm gonna talk in front of people or to people, I just gotta be me; me is not writing stuff down and being a totally scheduled know-what-I'm-gonna-say guy. I have to speak off the cuff, and I wear my heart on my sleeve and pretty much say what I feel and speak from my heart - that's what I do. I didn't prepare; I just went in and did it, and that's the most fun way way for me. And, I think it came off great! They seemed to be pleased with it. Now, advice for any other artists: everybody has their own way to prepare for things like that. It's fun, but it's a lot of responsibility, so if you're like me, and you don't feel the need to practice, then you better be on you're a-game. If you are different and feel more comfortable going through a practice routine to prepare, the bottom line is to be prepared; you've gotta have your ducks in a row and make sure that you're taking it serious. It's a serious matter; this is station's business. It's what they do for a living, so you're speaking on their behalf for not only a day, but for a full-blown month.

7. Let's talk about your current single, "Drunk Girl." This song is extremely powerful, especially in a time like this. Can you share what inspired you to write such a moving song? And, what was the writing process like? Since you were writing about such a sensitive subject.

The song wrote itself, basically. What I mean by that is, you know, sometimes you speak about [comfort], and sometimes you have to get uncomfortable to get comfortable. Even though it's a topic that's pushed under the rug sometimes and not brought up a whole lot in normal conversation, it's a topic that we believe needed to be spoken about. Doing the right thing is such an easy task - you just have to do it - and, the bottom line with "Drunk Girl" is taking the drunk girl home and doing the right thing...not taking advantage of somebody and seeing where it goes. [Songwriter] Tom Douglas brought the idea to the table, and Scooter Carusoe and I happened to be there. That's just how it goes; we booked a co-write to get together, try it out, and see what's up, and Tom brought the message to the table, and we were in awe. Our jaws really kind of hit the floor. When I say the song wrote itself...generally what we do is...Tom starts playing piano, and we're just picking on guitars or whatever we play. A lot of times, I'll write songs when I hear the music and the melody and put words to it. So, I just started wrapping stuff off and same for [Tom and Scooter], and the song was done in like probably an hour. That includes talking and jib-jabber, drinking Cokes, eating sandwiches, smoking cigars. Songs like that don't require a lot of work if you're just truthful with them. You just write the truth and write it how you see it. So, we painted a very vivid picture of the circumstance and the situation, and I think we did a good job of it. I'm proud as a songwriter and artist. I'm humbled by the fact that, first of all, I'm able to get into a room with guys like Tom and Scooter; secondly, that I'm able to sing it and be the guy carrying that torch; and thirdly, that my friends at radio are playing it, and it's working. I couldn't be more thankful [to radio] for playing a song that actually has real meaning; it has every bit of insight on maybe touching somebody's life and righting some wrongs. You never know; some young man or young woman may be listening who doesn't know the difference between a boy and a man, who wasn't brought up or raised to know what to do in those kind of situations, so maybe it'll be a shining light on people. I don't know. But, that's our hope. We wrote it with our daughters in mind; how would we want our daughters to be treated if they were in that situation, and also, how do we want our sons to treat women? We want them to treat them with great respect; we want our sons to be the guy that the girls want to date. When they become men, you want them to become good men - guys with good reputations, not guys that live another lifestyle.

8. Speaking of "Drunk Girl," we noticed that you spent some time filming in downtown Nashville with a piano in the middle of the night... Can you spill any details about what that's for?

By the way, I'm not one of these guys who says "thank you" if I don't mean it, like I really am so grateful to be on the radio, especially with this song. It is extremely humbling. It's hard to explain! When a song does well enough, and it rises like "Drunk Girl" is doing, then you have the opportunity to shoot a good video. [Warner Music Nashville SVP/Artist Development] Shane Tarleton and [VP/Creative Services] Mike Dupree put this concept together, and it is amazing. We're working with Director Jeff Venable. They were like, "How about we block down lower Broadway from Bridgestone [Arena] all the way down to the river and shoot this video in the wee hours of the morning and do the part that you're in it on the piano," and I was like, "Oh, my God!" So, I really didn't know what to expect, I gotta tell ya, until I got down there. As most people know, I started at Tootsie's on lower Broadway twelve years ago, and to be down there, it was so - and, I didn't show it because I didn't wanna freak people out - it was so, in a good way, emotional inside, because when you start somewhere, and you know what it's like so many years ago to come out of those bars after playing all night ready to go home or sleep in the back seat of your car...To go down there and shoot a big ol' huge production, basically a movie, in the middle of the street, and everybody is respectful of what's going on, and it's all about you...when it's made to be all about you like that, it's an extremely humbling situation. It was very touching. Details? No big deal! I played by baby grand piano in the middle of the street, probably around twenty times or so, and we got a bunch of different shots of it. It's gonna be interweaved within this big movie scenario-like video, which is gonna be really amazing. If it weren't for Shane Tarleton at my label having this brilliant idea and putting this together and Mike Dupree helping alongside him, this thing would not of been possible. Then also introduced me to the director - that was the first time I'd ever met him - that night. He was an amazing guy. It was thoroughly freakin' awesome! I've shot several videos at this point, and we've had good success with them, but this one is gonna be a game-changer.

9. You've also been touring... A LOT! You've been on the road with Sam Hunt, Cole Swindell, Blake Shelton, and you're gearing up to head out with Jake Owen in May. Can you share with us any huge takeaways from being on the road with such a diverse list of artists?

You get to see how people roll and how they tour. Thankfully, all the friends that you just mentioned that I've been out with have all just been real cool and easy going. I've been fortunate to be in situations that are comfortable with everybody, like everybody gets along, first of all. That's the first awesome blessing of the whole deal. But, I think, you know, what I take away from it the most is the same thing I always have; I'm just grateful to have a job in music. It's not everyday that people and artists in the world get to go tour in arenas, amphitheaters, and baseball parks, and big kind of venues. It's amazing. Simply amazing. When I was a kid, I was going to concerts at those kinds of places, thinking, "Holy cow, this is unbelievable," and now I'm that kid on the stage, looking at kids, looking at me, which is totally bizarre. But, it's pretty overwhelmingly awesome.

10. If you could curate your own headlining tour right now, what 2-3 acts would you bring along with you?

The Davisson Brothers Band out of West Virginia, Tucker Beathard, and Chris Knight. There's so many more that I wish I could take on tour with me! And, I'm sure they've all done their own headlining tour. I'm such a fan of so many people! For those three - by the way, to their credit, they can all headline - but, I'd love to take Chris Knight out, just acoustic, because I think he's one of the most badass songwriters to ever walk the planet. I'm such a huge mega-fan. My merch guy Tommy and I sit up late at night on tour buses and smoke cigars and listen to Chris Knight. I mean, who doesn't do that? Secondly, Tucker Beathard...I just really love Tucker. I have a heart for Tucker, because we have shared some similarities as far as some great wins in the business and some trials that we've had to face. I know he's been through things like that. I don't necessarily root for the underdog, I just root for the kids who work hard at it, and he works really hard. And, he's an artist; he writes his own songs, and he sings the way he wants to sing them. And, I think, from the best that I can judge, that he doesn't really care what anyone thinks about that - he just does things his own way. I really find a strong respect and appreciation for that. He was also raised in a good house; I love his dad, Casey. We write a lot of songs together. I just have a special place in my heart for Tucker for some reason. Thirdly, the Davisson Brothers Band out of West Virginia...they're friends of mine that have been best friends of mine since as long as I've been in the professionally music business. They picked me up on the side of the road one time; I was out of gas, broken down in a '74 Bronco in Leiper's Fork, TN, and it was late at night. I was broken down outside of the Castle Recording Studios. It was like one or two o'clock in the morning, and I don't know where they were coming from or what they were doing, but that was the first time I'd actually met them in person. They had seen me a couple of weeks before that on tour somewhere with Hank Williams Jr. in West Virginia. So, they had recognized my face and, I guess, my music at that point. But, they stopped to just help a stranger, and it happened to be me, and we became friends. They took me to get gas - I was walking down the road. They've had my back for a long time, even in times when I didn't have a record deal and stuff and was trying to find out my path, and it was an important part of my path. They would have me come open shows acoustic for them in West Virginia for $200 or $400 a night - whatever I could make - and, they took care of me like a brother and like family, and I will never forget those things. So, we talked about it a long time ago. We said, laughingly, whoever makes it first or whoever finds bigger success first, we're gonna help each other. And, I'm holding true to that right now, and I know they are, too. So, that's who I would take, for sure.

So, in the last few months, you've released a new album, you've hit #1 at Country radio, you've been inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, you've been on sold-out tours... What is next for Chris Janson for the rest of 2018?!

You know what, fingers-crossed we'll have a #1 with "Drunk Girl." We're already experiencing, thankfully, a hit with it, which I'm so proud of. I hope to be an even better husband, and I hope to be a better farther and an even better Christian. Lastly to that, I'm so thankful for everybody. It's teamwork, man. I can't say that I have goals by myself, because I don't. It's all about my team. Teamwork makes the dream work. Without the people around me, it ain't gonna happen. I'm just hoping to keep the ball in the air, and I'm thankful for my job. Every day having a successful job is a great day. That's what I hope for. Whatever else happens from here on out is icing on the cake. I've already been able to achieve my goals getting on the radio. I'm having #1 hits, thanks to them! And, I was playing the Opry and became a member. My two biggest goals I knocked down. Anything else from here, I just figure, I'm so thankful to be in the business.