Chris Young recently left Sony Records and signed with Black River Entertainment, and we got to the bottom of why he did it.
The “Til the Last One Dies” singer was a guest on Taste of Country Nights, where host Evan Paul asked him if there was any beef with the last label and what caused him to leave.
Young said, “I had been at Sony for almost 19 years. My deal was actually up, so I was like, ‘I get to play free agent for once.'”
The singer continued, “I was just gonna take a whole bunch of meetings. My very first meeting was with Black River Entertainment. Sat with them for three hours. Played the new music, they loved all the songs. They gave me everything I asked for and more.”
Knowing that fans might want to know some more details of the new deal, we went back in a little harder and asked what was it that finally sold him and put him over the edge.
Young reminded us that Kelsea Ballerini is also on Black River Entertainment, then said, “One of the things that got said was, they’re like, ‘Look, we got our queen. We want you to be our king.'”
Young admitted, “Man, that’s hard to turn that down.”
It seems as if there is no bad blood between Young and his former label, Sony, after their long and successful 19-year run together.
Young is excited for this next chapter in his career, where he will be more of the major focus of a label with a smaller footprint, rather than another artist under a major label’s umbrella.
From “Think of You” to “Famous Friends,” take a look back at some of Chris Young’s best collaborations.
Gallery Credit: Lorie Liebig
Kelsea Ballerini is taking fans inside the dazzling modern farmhouse that she now calls home in Nashville. The singer’s new residence is filled with colorful furniture and bold-print wallpaper that she calls “maximalist,” but it’s also set on a piece of land big enough for her dog, Dibs, to have some room to roam.
Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker