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Kenny Chesney woke up to some very outrageous news. With a landmark opening week at Sphere in Las Vegas, where he became the first country act to headline, the news broke that the soft-spoken songwriter/superstar was named Billboard’s Top Country Artist of the 21st Century. Recognizing his imprint on the genre across both singles and the larger perspective of his albums, the honor comes on the heels of being a 2025 Country Music Hall of Fame Electee, alongside June Carter Cash and producer/executive Tony Brown.
“No one gets up to go the gym and expects to see news like this on their phone,” the clearly stunned Chesney said. “All I was ever trying to do was find the best possible songs, things that spoke to the heart of how No Shoes Nation lives – and then taking that music, those albums that were slices of my life out to everyone who wanted to come out, be a part of the shows, the moments and the memories we made in every city we played.”
With 33 Billboard No. 1 Country Airplay songs, more than anyone since the chart’s inception, nine all-genre Billboard 200 Albums, as well as all 17 of his 21st century albums topping their Country Albums chart, Chesney’s music has been an indelible part of what country music can contain. Enlisting duet partners Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews, Grace Potter, the Wailers, P!nk and Uncle Kracker on major hits, as well as Mindy Smith, Ziggy Marley, Jimmy Buffett, George Jones and Joe Walsh, Chesney’s country is an expansive place.
As Billboard’s Jim Asker noted, “Kenny Chesney rules as the No. 1 country act on Billboard’s recap of the first 25 years of the 21st century… The ranking is based on performance on the weekly is based on performance on the weekly Top Country Albums and Hot Country Songs charts from the start of 2000 through the end of 2024.
“After debuting on Billboard’s charts in December 1993 and becoming a format force by 1995, Chesney dominated the first quarter of the 21st century, landing all 17 of his No. 1s on the weekly Top Country Albums chart between 2000 and 2020. With his trademark mix of love songs and breezy beach singalongs, he also ran up 20 No. 1s (of 23 total) on Hot Country Songs in that span. Both totals are the highest among all artists in those years.”
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