ABC/Image Group LAIn the midst of one of the most historic weeks ever in country music, everything seems to be going Kenny Chesney’s way. He and Pink have the number-one song with “Setting the World on Fire,” and Cosmic Hallelujah is set to debut at the top of the Billboard all-genre Top 200 album charts. Add to that heartfelt tributes by his contemporaries Keith Urban and Eric Church before accepting the BMI President’s Award Tuesday, and you can see why the superstar from East Tennessee is at an emotional high point.
Kenny’s week culminated with the Country Music Association giving him its Pinnacle honor at the 50th Annual CMAs Wednesday night, right after the headline-making performance by Beyoncé and the Dixie Chicks. He admits he’s a little mystified that some seem to think he might’ve been less-than-impressed by the collaboration.
Reached for comment by ABC Radio, Chesney’s rep says the singer thinks it’s “odd that being serious and really taking in what the Chicks and Beyoncé were doing would be judged like that,” adding Chesney thought the performance was “incredible.”
There was also the matter of a performance of a different kind: Chesney accepting an honor that was being given for only the third time. Chesney’s rep says Kenny wanted to “maintain composure” before getting up to speak before a room of his peers and musical heroes.
One week after its release, Kenny’s latest album is poised to debut at number-one on both the country and the all-genre albums charts.
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