Having even one song on the radio is significant. Scoring a No. 1 single is a feat. But doing that ten times over is a milestone most can only dream of, and one that Chris Young made a reality.
“It’s tough to have 10 singles on the radio, much less 10 No. 1s, so this is a really big, defining moment for me,” Young tells Taste of Country and other media at a No. 1 party for his most recent chart-topper, “Losing Sleep.”
Known for his traditional sound and booming voice, “Losing Sleep” is a different world for Young, with its steamy lyrics and pop production bridging the gap between his traditional roots and presence as a contemporary hitmaker.
“I think everybody, when I put this out, went, ‘This is really different.’ This is the most pop track anybody has ever heard my vocal on, and we did that intentionally,” he explains.
5 Country Singers Who Should Be on The Bachelor
The difference in Young’s most contemporary single to date is apparent when hearing it in the midst of his more traditional-leaning nine No. 1 hits back-to-back, which is exactly how Young performed them to mark the occasion at Nashville’s Tin Roof. His romantic side shows through on “Gettin’ You Home,” “The Man I Want to Be” and “You,” while he delivers all the pain and sorrow of “Tomorrow,” “I’m Comin’ Over” and “Sober Saturday Night.” But “Losing Sleep” is in a category all its own, and fans clearly embraced this new step, savoring Young’s strong vocals while appreciating the forward-thinking production.
Young recognizes the challenge of changing up one’s sound so much that people won’t embrace it, but he was willing to take that risk in order to push his sound forward. “Trying to walk that line of balance of making sure that it was still me, but it was something that was going to jump out at people for the first single off a record was intentional,” he says.
Performing 10 hits in a row, Young proved why he’s one of the best male vocalists in the genre — he recently scored a nomination in that very category in the 2018 ACM Awards — and affirmed that straying away from one’s musical comfort zone does yield its rewards. But it’s the times he sat on the lower end of the chart at No. 52, 37 and 23 that makes this career-defining moment even more humbling.
“There’s other songs that have existed in my career that had to happen to get to this point, and I’m insanely proud of everything that I write and everything that we get a chance to celebrate. But if you’d asked me do I ever think I was going to get to 10,” he ponders before adding, “No.”
Though he didn’t splurge on any lavish purchases to celebrate the milestone, Young did make a $10,000 donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, an organization he’s proudly supported since his career began. He continues on his 2018 Losing Sleep World Tour through September with Kane Brown and Morgan Evans.
Chris Young Spills His Dream Vacation
Country Music Tours on the Road in 2018
This Article Was Originally Posted at www.TasteofCountry.com
http://tasteofcountry.com/chris-young-losing-sleep-number-one-party/
