Chris Janson recently unveiled his latest album, Wild Horses, and this week he joined Rob + Holly to talk about the making of his new LP, and share the remarkable story that led him to sell away all his objects of vanity.
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The sixth studio album from Janson showcases the singer like never before, exploring deeper and stepping out of the shadow of criticism and control to give fans his most authentic self. "We made this album, and for the first time in my whole career I didn't have anybody tell me what I could write, what I could sing, how I could sing it, how I could record it, what I could do," Janson says. "For the first time ever, I never had that and it's the most freeing feeling ever, man."
Janson says he named the album Wild Horses because he's always been one, and now he can finally roam the world like one. "Like the song says, 'wild horses were never meant to be tamed and wild horses will drive you half insane.' I know I've driven people half insane before, but they've driven me half insane and I'm just a free spirited guy," he admits. "I'm a real artist and I've always blazed my own trail but I used to have to be quiet about it. I don't to be quiet about it anymore."
During the wide-ranging talk with Rob + Holly, Chris talked more about the album, his hobbies, and shared an unbelievable story about how meeting a homeless friend of the family led him to sell away items he'd collected, like Johnny Paycheck's car and an array of expensive watches.
"I've never felt the hand of God like I felt that, physically and theoretically slapped me in the chest and I sat up in the bed," says Chris. "I had this really strong premonition over me and it said 'you gotta get rid of the vanity in your life.' So, the next morning after Thanksgiving, I sold the Johnny Paycheck car. I sold the Minnie Pearl car. I went into my gun room and I got all of the expensive watches that I've been collecting and coveting and 'don't scratch it, don't look at it, if you touch it, if I wear it, it devalues all the things,' and I sold them all the day after Thanksgiving, sold them all."
"I sold everything that I was collecting vanity wise," Chris says, finally sharing the unreal exclamation at the end of the story. "I got my life right. I got my heart and my body right. The guy I sold the cars to calls me on a random Tuesday and goes, 'Hey man, you know what? I just got this strong feeling that I need to give these cars back to you, so I'm sending them your way. I'm giving them to you.'"
To hear more from Chris Janson, check out the full conversation above.