Country crooner Chance McKinney took some time out of his busy writing and recording schedule to chat with us about his brand new EP Take It From An Ex, time in quarantine, and what fans can expect next. Check out our conversation with the “Nothin’ Better To Do” singer and be sure to stream his EP on your favorite digital platform now!
Hey Chance, thanks for speaking with us! Congratulations on the new EP release, why did you decide to release this project now?
Take It From An Ex (the EP itself) has been ready to go since mid-May when “Nothin’ Better To Do” came out as a single. We were just trying to get everything together in the midst of a pandemic so we decided to roll with the NBTD single while everything settled down. That went so well we figured we’d do the same thing with “Rhythm of You” and that just kinda blew up (in a good way) on us. But, as summer was coming to an end we wanted to get the entire project out there. It’s really been a blessing. People are consuming music like crazy right now (hmmm… wonder why) and the response has been unprecedented for me.
A few of the songs like “Nothin Better To Do” were previously released, what made you pick this and “Rhythm of You” as the first songs to give to fans?
“Nothin’ Better To Do” is pretty special to me. It was an idea I had last year and when Covid hit, my co-writers (Kevin and Joe) and I got to go back and re-visit it. When we finished and it got cut, I kinda felt like it not only represented the best of me (writing-wise) but also it was “timely” if you know what I mean. In a time where many of us had “Nothin’ Better To Do”, it brought a little levity to the situation. Even though the song wasn’t about the pandemic, it sure landed for fans because of the double-meaning. When it came to “Rhythm of You,” we released it for entirely different purposes. It was mid-summer, most states were loosening up their restrictions and we wanted to give fans something they could listen to on the lake, in the yard, at the gym, or whenever they needed a pick-me-up. We didn’t want anything “heavy” coming out of this camp… there was plenty of “heavy” to go around. Apparently, we guessed right because ROY started right out of the gate with 3x as many plays on Spotify daily as any song I’d ever released before.
You’ve got some of the most clever songwriting in country music, where does the inspiration come from?
Wow. I actually appreciate compliments like that most. So much goes into writing for me that I’ll take “clever” any day. But to answer your question… biking. I took up mountain biking and road biking when everything shut down this year. I’m amazed at how many song ideas I get when I get over half way into my ride. It must be that I’m tinkering on the brink of exhaustion because I’ll get back and have to write down tons of stuff that’s runnin’ through my head. Leaving me alone for that long (12-15 miles in some cases) is NOT a recipe for relaxation. I get an idea, then I start working out angles, and before long I’m having a full-blown conversation with myself. I’m surprised I haven’t wrecked more than I have (at least 3 substantial wrecks) because I’m focused on the song instead of the ride.
Have you been writing a lot in quarantine?
More than ever. Next project is already done. Hell, maybe even the next 3 projects are done! Zoom writes have kinda become a “thing”… and once we got over the hump of learning the etiquette, we started crushing. I wrote every song but one on this project and the next two projects will be nothing but “all Chance, all the time.”
Now that the new music is out, how are you planning to share it with fans in new ways since most places are still not allowing live performances?
We’ve started a series called #BathroomCuts we’ve tried out online. It’s like havin’ a bunch of people over for a “live” show from my bathroom. Nah… not that kinda live show. Just some music. We’re also tryin’ to get more music videos cut, but with restrictions it’s proving to be a difficult task.
Do you have any plans to release more music videos for the new music? We loved the “Nothin Better To Do” video!
We’re tryin’. We’ve got one in the works.
What is one thing you’ve learned about yourself in the last 6 months?
I don’t do well without “live” music. I need that interaction with fans.
Though everything is up in the air, how do you plan to close out the rest of 2020? What’s next?
We’re workin’ on new, new music. Who knows? We might even sneak in another EP before the end of 2020. But, let’s just live in the moment of Take It From An Ex for right now.
About The Author
