Chris Janson delivered an epic set — packed with electrifying anthems and soulful ballads, spanning the earliest days of his career to his most recent body of work — during his exclusive iHeartCountry Album Release Party.
Janson performed for an intimate crowd as fans live-streamed the show on iHeartCountry’s YouTube channel and listened across iHeartRadio’s iHeartCountry stations nationwide on Tuesday night (June 20). Janson’s party comes a few days after he unleashed his latest full-length studio album, The Outlaw Side Of Me, which made its long-awaited debut on Friday (June 16). The 14-track project is packed with songs that describe every side of Janson’s personality. All of which — including a few all-star collaborations — were co-written by Janson, apart from one that he penned entirely on his own.
Janson launched his exclusive iHeartCountry Album Release Party with one of the biggest singles of his career, “Good Vibes,” before performing the title track of his new album. In between songs, Janson also fielded a few questions in brief Q&A with iHeartRadio’s Wayne D, during which he reflected on writing The Outlaw Side Of Me.
“I have always walked outside of the lines. Not on purpose, I was born this way,” Janson said, adding that “when you’re a real, true artist and a real, true songwriter, I believe you have to walk outside the lines… I just do things the way that I do it, and my fans, I think they appreciate it.”
Janson — whose writing credits also include some of the country music genre’s biggest megastars, including his label mate Tim McGraw — also spoke passionately about his wife and kids, including the love song he wrote about his wife (and his fastest-rising single to date), “All I Need Is You.” That song is one that quickly became a fan-favorite on The Outlaw Side Of Me:
- Rowdy Gentle Man
- Honkytonk Minute
- Outlaw Side Of Me
- All I Need Is You
- Hank The Hell Out Of The Honkytonk (feat. Brantley Gilbert)
- Dirt In My Life
- Tap That
- Good Folks Goin’ To Work
- G.O.A.T.
- Get It Right
- Every Day Of The Week (feat. Darius Rucker)
- 21 Forever (feat. Dolly Parton, Slash)
- Days In The Field
- 21 forever (feat. Slash)
Janson reiterated the importance of self-advocating throughout the event, saying “you gotta dream big to win big,” and “I bet on myself all the time, win, lose or draw.” That includes asking “two of the biggest stars in the world” to join him on “21 Forever,” Janson reflected as h delivered a solo performance of the track that includes Dolly Parton and Slash. That song is his “absolute biggest collaboration to date.”
The L.A. crowd also got to hear some of Janson’s biggest smash-hit anthems from earlier chapters in his musical career, including “Fix A Drink,” “Buy Me A Boat” and “Done,” to name a few, in addition to the former iHeartCountry On The Verge Artists’s latest album.
“From the minute I started this album, 'til the minute we finished, I enjoyed every second,” Janson previously said in a press release. “This album encompasses all sides of me! The lover, the party guy, the conservationist, the family man and of course, the rowdy side. I love the songs, the imaging and had a good time making the music. I hope you all enjoy The Outlaw Side of Me - my favorite album, to date.”
Find the full The Outlaw Side Of Me album on iHeartRadio here.
1 of 5 Photo: Wes and Alex for iHeartRadio2 of 5 Photo: Wes and Alex for iHeartRadio3 of 5 Photo: Wes and Alex for iHeartRadio4 of 5 Photo: Wes and Alex for iHeartRadio5 of 5 Photo: Wes and Alex for iHeartRadio