Kenny Chesney has described his visceral reaction to getting sent ‘Carry On’ for the first time. The Knoxville native's new single has been added by 158 out of 158 Country Radio stations in the US, a feat that has only been accomplished twice before.

Chesney's latest sun-soaked, island-inspired offering captures the radiant joie-de-vivre that pulsates at the heart of the ‘No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems’ crooner's discography. It finds Chesney reflecting on how everyone, regardless of whether you're 20, 70 or 100, should feel as though they can be their true unrestrained, unabashed self.

The track, which was penned by a trio of Nashville heavyweights Chase McGill, Jessi Alexander and Matt Jenkins, uses the example of a 69-year-old bartender at an iconic Key West bar to portray how living life to the fullest is an ageless state of mind.

In an official statement, Chesney touches on the core message that sprung to mind when he listened to that first ‘Carry On’ demo, “The world’s overwhelming. Between our phones and the news, it’s a lot. But the truth is: our lives are right now, and we need to remember – no matter what – that we gotta find the joy and happiness wherever, however, because that’s the only thing we can control”.

He goes on to recall the feeling of hearing ‘Carry On’ for the first time, “Some songs just hit you in the heart. When I heard it, I was right there at the end of the bar at Schooner Wharf, which is such old Key West. I could see it, hear it, taste it – and the more I listened to songs, and I’ve heard some unbelievable songs this time around, the more I knew I wanted to find a song that would not just make people happy, but give them permission to live their life so in the moment and free”.

Chesney, much like his ‘Tropical Country’ predecessor, Jimmy Buffett, has always enjoyed a close relationship with the cushioning palms and soothing tiki-bars of Florida's Key West, with many of his songs drawing inspiration from the oft-romanticised idyll.

The country legend concludes on a note of gratitude towards Country Radio, “Based on the response from radio, I’m not the only one looking to be empowered, inspired, lifted up. Like the bridge says, ‘If it feels good do it, if it doesn’t then don’t…’ Nothing could be simpler, but man, isn’t that everything life comes down to?”

It's hard to think of a better way to sum up the sunny, glass-half-full outlook that drives Chesney's loyal No Shoes Nation fanbase, with so much of the ‘I Go Back’ singer-songwriter's galvanising catalogue revolving around the cri-de-coeur that we should go out and drink up every drop of joy and excitement that life has to offer us.

With ‘Carry On’, Chesney serves up his latest reminder to seize the day, and cements himself as one of country music's most uplifting, inspiring and energising figures.

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