Photo: John Shearer
Chris Young marked the dawn of a fresh chapter in his two-decade career as he debuted his newest romantic ballad on Friday (April 4).
Young describes “Til The Last One Dies” as a “a straight-down-the-middle…epic love song.” Songwriters Ben Hayslip, Seth Mosley, and Jordan Walker teamed up to write the ballad. Young told iHeartCountry as soon as he saw the combination of writers on the song, he knew, “‘this is gonna be good. I’m gonna be mad I wasn’t in the room for this.’ And I am. I’m jealous. …It’s just a beautiful song.
“Ending a chorus with the hook line, ’11 real ones, one fake one, and I’ll love you ‘til the last one dies,’ is just absolutely chef’s kiss, gorgeous, beautiful way to say, ‘I love you,’” Young said. He noted later that “Til The Last One Dies” marks his first wedding-worthy, “straight-down-the-middle” love song to release as a single in more than a decade (“Who I Am With You” arrived in 2013, his manager pointed out, so he was “overdue” to release another one). He knew immediately, “I have to have this (song),” and joined forces with Andy Sheridan for the first time to co-produce it.
Young, who has tallied more than a dozen No. 1s spanning his career, marked another “first” when he shared a sneak peek of “Til The Last One Dies” with audiences at his live shows in the weeks before its official debut. He recently shared a clip of the moment he surprised a crowd with the first listen of his new single, and “judging by the initial crowd reactions, it seems like everybody loves this song.” Some fans also had the chance to catch “Til The Last One Dies” one day early on iHeartCountry stations on Thursday (April 3). Young shared a glimpse of his reaction as he heard the single playing for the first time on Nashville, Tennessee-based The BIG 98.
Young said in a statement that “songs like this don’t come along every day,” and classic, wedding-worthy ballads “are a core part of who I am as an artist. I've been doing this for a long time, and yet this feels like a new chapter. It's invigorating for me as a creator." The Grand Ole Opry member’s revitalized energy is carrying him into his next era on a new label home with his monumental 10th record ahead (following his 18-track album, Young Love & Saturday Nights, in 2024).
“There’s been a lot of change — but none of it has felt anything other than perfect,” Young said in a statement. “I’ve been writing nonstop, and all last year I was like, ‘What am I going to do with all these songs?’ But somebody upstairs had a plan for me, because we’ve hit the ground running. This feels like such a new chapter and so invigorating for me as a creator, and that’s definitely an awesome thing. …I don’t think those songs [like ’Til The Last One Dies’] come along every day.”
Young told iHeartCountry he has “a career that I’m incredibly, incredibly grateful for,” and he’s “ready for the new chapter.” listen to “Til The Last One Dies” here: