“It's a Pretty Incredible Story”: Kenny Chesney Teases What Fans Can Expect From His New Book, ‘HEART*LIFE*MUSIC’
By Maxim Mower
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During a new conversation with his co-author, Holly Gleason, for TalkShopLive, Kenny Chesney has delved into the creation of his first ever book, HEART*LIFE*MUSIC.
The eagerly awaited project, which will be released on November 4th, will serve as a series of snapshots into the No Shoes Nation flag-bearer's storied career, offering fans insights into the key turning-points in his discography and the various muses he continues to draw from, such as the US Virgin Islands, the sports arena and more.
Last week via an official statement, Chesney announced that HEART*LIFE*MUSIC had been completed, with the book now in the “revision and copy-editing” stages.
In the newly shared interview, Kenny Chesney has shed some light on HEART*LIFE*MUSIC, explaining to Holly Gleason, “People have asked me a lot why I haven't written a book yet, and honestly, ‘Why now?’ And I guess my answer to that is...it's a pretty incredible story, really, if I think about the kid that grew up in East Tennessee”.
He expanded, “I lived way out in the country, and I used to go out and lay in my grandmother's backyard. We lived so far out of Knoxville that you could look up at the stars at night and you wouldn't see any light pollution from any city anywhere. So it was just beautiful...I was, I guess, born a dreamer and a seeker, and always wondered what was past my county line. I remember going out and lying on my back in the backyard at my grandmother's house, and just staring at the stars and wondering if there was anything out there at all...One of the storylines of this book is someone that was very curious as a child, and someone that really had music in his life, and thought there might be something in my life that involved music, but had no idea what that meant or where it was going to lead”.
The unveiling of HEART*LIFE*MUSIC will cap off a blockbuster year for the ‘American Kids’ hitmaker, with Kenny Chesney becoming the first country artist to headline the Sphere in Las Vegas. Chesney completed his stellar 15-date residency earlier in June.
As any fellow member of No Shoes Nation can attest, ever since the turn of the century, Kenny Chesney's music has been lit up by a galvanising sense of joie-de-vivre, with the call to live every day as though it's your last permeating his unrivalled catalogue.
As a result, the name of his book - HEART*LIFE*MUSIC - feels apt, “I think that's the songwriter in me coming out. But I don't think you have to be in music to live your life with that kind of phrase or thought, you know? You take what's in your heart and try to make that as authentic in your life as you possibly can, and live your life that way. And if you are lucky enough to have the gift of music, what better way to pull all those things through than with songs and music and touching a lot of people and finding commonality with a lot of people? So that's why I felt like this book was important. That was the great title for this book, because I had a friend of mine that would always end her emails with ‘Heart, Life, Music’ - and I love that. It's simple, but it says a lot at the same time”.
In his warm chat with Gleason, Chesney also highlights what sets HEART*LIFE*MUSIC apart, “I've had a very unique journey in the music business, and I've had a unique journey getting into music”, before teasing that those who manage to get their hands on a copy can look forward to learning all about “the roads that took me down, and the people that I met...their stories, how they influenced me when I first moved to to Nashville to chase this impossible dream...”
Chesney reflects, “This is not a memoir. It's all just vignettes and postcards of my journey up until now, and it's been an incredible, very unique journey. Every artist that goes down the road has their own unique journey, but mine is filled with characters on the road, so many characters and friends that I've met in the Virgin Islands and all my relationships with a lot of people in sports that really inspired me”.
With Kenny Chesney's one-of-a-kind voice combining with the masterful pen of Holly Gleason, who has earned accolades such as the LA Press Club’s Entertainment Journalist of the Year and the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Association’s Independent Journalist of the Year, HEART*LIFE*MUSIC will emulate the music, acting as both an instrument of joy and a means of escapism.
The ‘Just to Say We Did’ singer-songwriter touches on the key ingredient, whether he is working on new music or crafting a book, “Creativity is the one thing that's...If all this out here on the road went away, that creative gift would still be inside of me. So there's a lot of my creativity in this book...It was all inspired by so many days on my boat in the Virgin Islands, or traveling down the highway...Everything about my life has fed my creativity. That's one of the most important things in my life...and it's one of the biggest gifts that I got from our creator”.
He hints at the lessons and perspective shifts that can be found nestled in HEART*LIFE*MUSIC, “I think everybody's given a lemon in life...We took that lemon, and we are still trying to squeeze every drop out of that lemon. When I say that, I mean the fun factor, and taking the life that we've been given and enjoying it as much as you possibly can. I have always lived by the idea of work hard and play harder, and people are going to see and feel and live a lot of that in this book”.
The Knoxville native goes on, “If there's anybody out there that has a dream in their heart and in their head, and they're scared to take those steps, to chase it - this book and my journey is proof that it could happen. It's not going to be given to you. You have to work really hard, and...nothing is for free. Nothing. In a society where we all kind of want instant gratification and validation, I think things that last are things you truly work hard for. There are a lot of those lessons in this book”.
Elsewhere during the fascinating conversation, Kenny Chesney confirmed his plans to go out on a book tour at some point to promote HEART*LIFE*MUSIC, as well as diving into the creation and impact of beloved anthems such as ‘Young’, ‘Beer in Mexico’ and ‘She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy’. His t-shirt emblazoned with the latter, Chesney light-heartedly pointed out, remains his most popular merch item.
Excitingly, after dropping his 20th studio album last year, BORN, and with fans already clamouring for more new music, Chesney underlines how he keeps his creativity ablaze, “I've just still got a fire within me to create. Once you get on stage and you see how people react to the songs and how those songs have been a part of their life, that is an addiction...I still have the fire in my belly to see that and to experience that, and that's the best way I can explain it. You know, I love it”.
Kenny Chesney concludes with a message addressing what he wants his loyal No Shoes Nation fanbase - the driving force behind everything Chesney does - to get out of HEART*LIFE*MUSIC, “Well, first of all, I hope they see a little bit of themselves in it...I think that's one of the common denominators of our connection, is that I've been fortunate enough to write and record some songs that reflect their own life. I think this book does that too. And, like I said earlier, maybe it'll give somebody that's in a small town that's got a dream that doesn't know what that means, and they have no idea how to go about it...Maybe this will give them a little courage to do that. I like the idea of that, because when I was growing up, like I said, lying on the ground in my grandmother's backyard, I couldn't have been further away from this moment. So if you're out there and you're lying in your backyard, staring up at the stars in the sky with a dream, I'm telling you, it can happen. It's not for free, but this book is proof...proof that the journey is worth it”.
This in-depth interview, which first aired and can be watched back via TalkShopLive.com, has undoubtedly stoked the flames of anticipation ahead of HEART*LIFE*MUSIC's release. As part of this link-up with TalkShopLive, fans are able to purchase a special signed copy of Chesney's forthcoming book via the official website.
With the Island Country trailblazer revealing he'll be returning to Sphere Las Vegas in 2026, and with Chesney continuing to cement himself as one of country music's most revered figures, we can't wait to reminisce, celebrate and toast the ‘No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems’ legend as we flick through HEART*LIFE*MUSIC this Fall.
Watch Kenny Chesney's full conversation with Holly Geason for TalkShopLive.com below:
For more on Kenny Chesney, see below:
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