Photo: Wes and Alex for iHeartRadio
Chris Janson delivered an epic set â packed with electrifying anthems and soulful ballads, spanning the earliest days of his career to his most recent body of work â during his exclusive iHeartCountry Album Release Party.
Janson performed for an intimate crowd as fans live-streamed the show on iHeartCountryâs YouTube channel and listened across iHeartRadioâs iHeartCountry stations nationwide on Tuesday night (June 20). Jansonâs 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 Jansonâs personality. All of which â including a few all-star collaborations â 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, âGood Vibes,â before performing the title track of his new album. In between songs, Janson also fielded a few questions in brief Q&A with iHeartRadioâs Wayne D, during which he reflected on writing The Outlaw Side Of Me.
âI have always walked outside of the lines. Not on purpose, I was born this way,â Janson said, adding that âwhen youâre 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.â
Janson â whose writing credits also include some of the country music genreâs biggest megastars, including his label mate Tim McGraw â also spoke passionately about his wife and kids, including the love song he wrote about his wife (and his fastest-rising single to date), âAll I Need Is You.â 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 Goinâ 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 âyou gotta dream big to win big,â and âI bet on myself all the time, win, lose or draw.â That includes asking âtwo of the biggest stars in the worldâ to join him on â21 Forever,â Janson reflected as h delivered a solo performance of the track that includes Dolly Parton and Slash. That song is his âabsolute biggest collaboration to date.â
The L.A. crowd also got to hear some of Jansonâs biggest smash-hit anthems from earlier chapters in his musical career, including âFix A Drink,â âBuy Me A Boatâ and âDone,â to name a few, in addition to the former iHeartCountry On The Verge Artistsâs latest album.
âFrom the minute I started this album, 'til the minute we finished, I enjoyed every second,â Janson previously said in a press release. âThis 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.â
Find the full The Outlaw Side Of Me album on iHeartRadio here.
1 of 5 Photo: Wes and Alex for iHeartRadio
2 of 5 Photo: Wes and Alex for iHeartRadio
3 of 5 Photo: Wes and Alex for iHeartRadio
4 of 5 Photo: Wes and Alex for iHeartRadio
5 of 5 Photo: Wes and Alex for iHeartRadio