Kenny Chesney on Chasing George Strait’s Shadow
Kenny Chesney admits he once fell into the same trap many young country singers do: trying to be the next George Strait. And while there’s no shame in aspiring to follow The King, Chesney says it nearly cost him his own artistic identity.
In a 2023 interview with Country Countdown USA’s Lon Helton during CRS (Country Radio Seminar), Chesney reflected on those early years:
“I was a lot like a lot of artists, honestly. I was trying to be the newer version of George Strait. I think Garth would tell you the same thing — he loved George. That was the bar. I wore a belt buckle. I was trying to be that.”
Realizing He Wasn’t Alone
Chesney soon realized he wasn’t the only one aiming for Strait’s lane. While it was an admirable goal, the country charts were full of artists doing the same thing. He felt his work wasn’t standing out:
*“This isn’t a slam toward anybody, but I realized there were acts out there that felt the same way I did. We were all trying to reach for Strait. I didn’t have as good of a song as Tracy Lawrence had with ‘Time Marches On.’ I just felt I wasn’t truly being authentic as an artist during that time.
There was a phase, after Garth hit, where everybody wore the same shirt.”*
Finding His Own Voice
The turning point came when Chesney decided to stop chasing Strait’s image and start focusing on his own path. That shift led him to write more personal songs and embrace his island-inspired lifestyle:
“But the moment I stopped trying to be George Strait, that was the moment my life changed. I started really writing songs. And my life in the Virgin Islands, I spent a lot of time writing out there.”
The “Don’t Blink” Dilemma
Chesney also opened up about one of his biggest hits, “Don’t Blink.” Surprisingly, he hated the decision to release it as a single back in 2007.
*“When we released that song… I hated it. I felt like it just touched every button you could possibly touch to get somebody to like a song and I hated it. We were on the plane to Dallas and I was in Joe’s ear the whole two-hour ride about how much I hated this single choice.
I said, ‘It’s never gonna work, this is going to be the end of everything. I’ve worked really hard to be here and you’re gonna cut my legs off with ‘Don’t Blink.’”*
But once the song hit radio, the response was immediate. Chesney recalled arriving at a station where even the receptionist told him she loved the track. He thought his label head must have put her up to it—but he hadn’t.
A Four-Week #1 Classic
“Don’t Blink” ended up topping the Billboard country airplay chart for four weeks and became one of Chesney’s most enduring hits. Featured on his 2007 album Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates, the reflective ballad remains a fan favorite more than 15 years later.
Looking back now, Chesney sees it as proof that sometimes an artist’s instincts aren’t always right — and that the songs you least expect can turn into timeless classics.
