Kenny Chesney Signs Up Under New Label HEY NOW Records
Kenny Chesney has always been good at writing and singing hits, selling out shows, and even venturing outside of music by recording his first-ever audiobook. He is also good at…
Kenny Chesney has always been good at writing and singing hits, selling out shows, and even venturing outside of music by recording his first-ever audiobook. He is also good at knowing exactly when to shake things up.
This 2026, he’s shaking things up by officially signing on as the flagship artist of HEY NOW Records, a brand-new Nashville-based label he helped build with his manager and other Nashville executives. If that’s not welcoming the new year with a bang, we don’t know what is.
Kenny Chesney Signs on a New Label
Chesney left Warner Nashville to become the flagship artist of Hey Now Records, an independent label he is founding with Clint Higham, his longtime manager, John Esposito, who was the former head of Warner Nashville, and Kris Lamb, who was one of the top executives at Big Machine, as reported by Variety.
Esposito said in a statement, “Hey Now Records was born out of conversations Clint, Kenny, and I had about the increasing lack of focus that artists are getting as rosters increase while staffs shrink. When Kris joined our conversations, I knew we would be lucky to have him at the helm of our operation. I'm thrilled to be in the role of co-founder, advisor, mentor and cheerleader for Kris as he leads the Hey Now Records operation.”
Named After Chesney’s Boat
In a press announcement, the new boutique label is described as “featuring a focused team spanning promotion, streaming, marketing and A&R, working together to recognize different kinds of musical magic and create a boutique environment where every artist receives specialized focus from the very beginning,” something Chesney said where they “could have the kind of fun that used to be such a part of our business.”
The country rocker added, “When Clint, Espo and Kris came to me with the idea of creating our own team, I was curious. A label like this can be all-in, lets-make-stuff-happen — and I have always been about making things happen. Creating and exploring what’s possible inspires me, and this is a moment where we can realize ideas in a matter of hours.”
The label takes its name from Chesney’s boat, Hey Now and a nod to his song “Happy on the Hey Now.”
