Chris Janson fans have plenty of reasons to be excited these days. On the one hand, he is working on a new album and he has already shared the main single, an overwhelming ballad called “Bye Mom”. The song – a powerful story of loss inspired in part by Janson co-writer Brandon Kinney, who lost his mother in 2020 – is proof that Janson is one of the greatest modern storytellers in the country genre, versatile enough to write. tears as well as the radio – ready bangers like “Buy me a boat”.

And although Janson didn’t need help writing powerful songs, he says he enlisted another of Nashville’s greatest modern artists, Eric Church, to help him write one of the songs from his new album.

“We wrote a song together just under a month ago,” the singer told Taste of Country’s Billy Dukes ahead of the CMA Awards in November, “And I’m going to record this song that we wrote together. . So that’s pretty cool. “

The idea that they should work together came quite easily, Janson says. “That’s an idea he sent me, and he said, ‘What do you think?’ I said, ‘Do you think we should co-write it?’ Yes and yes, and we did, and that’s it, “he explains.

For those scoring at home, this brings Janson’s teams with Church for his new album to a potential total of two – at least, according to a tease he offered. Taste of rural nights back in October.

“I said what you did there,” Janson laughs when the idea of ​​two duets is suggested to him. “I don’t know about the other, man! I don’t know about the other! I’d say there’s a good chance, and this?”

Janson and Church’s friendship blossomed over the past two years, with the two bonding over fishing trips – and music, of course. In recent months, due to returning tours, they’ve both focused a bit more on the latter than the former, so Janson says he and his superstar pal haven’t had a chance to go much on. the lake together.

“He was on tour and I was on tour, probably more than one would expect,” continues Janson. “… We haven’t been fishing lately. But our friendship continues to grow together.”