Chris Janson has done some label-hopping throughout his country music career. Initially signing with BNA Records in 2009, he left after the label restructured. In 2013, Janson released his debut single, “Better I Don’t,” with Bigger Picture Music Group. Two years later, the viral success of his song “Buy Me a Boat” landed him a record deal with Warner Music Nashville. Now, Janson is back at Warner Music after a stint at Big Machine. During a recent sit-down with Taste of Country Nights’ Evan Paul, the “Good Vibes” singer, 39, shed some light on his decision to return.
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“I just follow my heart really… I just didn’t feel right where I was,” Janson said. “Just, for no other reason, I just didn’t feel right in my heart about it. And if I don’t feel right in my heart about stuff, I just don’t do it anymore.”
During his previous stint with Warner, Janson had formed a solid relationship with Cris Lacy, now the label’s co-chair and co-president. When he decided to return to his former label, the “Drunk Girl” crooner invited Lacy to his house for a frank discussion.
“I just said the truth… you tell the truth. You don’t have to lie about anything,” Janson told Paul. “I just said, ‘Hey, look, I feel like I made a mistake leaving. We were having great success together. I’m not in a place where I really have to have it or have it. Either one… but I just want to make music over here again. And I’d like to hang my hat here, and I’d like to do it.’”
Chris Janson Has Released a New Album
On Aug. 1, Chris Janson dropped his sixth studio album and first project since returning to Warner, Wild Horses. He settled into a cabin on a farm near the Harpeth River in Franklin, Tennessee, to create his most personal work yet.
“We kept the door open most of the time to hear the birds….” Janson told Music Mayhem. “We were surrounded by hunting and fishing and the great outdoors, and we’ve got some good cigars on deck. What more could you ask for? … We light some good cigars and sing and play music and just do it the old-fashioned way, which is fun.”
Featured image by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for ACM
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