Allister AnnFor a superstar like Kenny Chesney, you might think a Grammy nomination would be old hat. But after learning his sixteenth release is in the running for Best Country Album at the 60th Grammys, Kenny says that’s simply not the case.
“The Grammys represent the entire music community coming together,” he explains. “It’s the best of the best of every kind of music there is, voted on by the creators, the players, the songwriters, producers and engineers. To have this nomination means a lot, because it is about the music — and given how Cosmic Hallelujah got here, I can’t think of a better honor.”
Kenny freely admits he’s made some unconventional choices when it comes to his latest studio album: he changed the record’s name and lead single right before its launch, opted to make a video for the album track “Rich and Miserable,” and let a couple of college students shoot the treatment for his latest #1, “All the Pretty Girls.”
“People thought I was crazy doing what felt right for the music,” he reflects. “But sometimes songs need to be released, or given a video even if they’re not a single, or have the people who’re living the song make the video… It’s easy to lose track of the music in the marketing and the promotion, but for Cosmic Hallelujah, I wanted music to drive the decisions. Right now, I feel that was the right thing to do.”
It may be surprising, but Kenny’s only been nominated for a Grammy six times, and he’s never won. In fact, his current nod is his first as a solo artist: all the others have been for collaborations or duets.
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