Chris Young Breaks Down During 'Drowning'

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Chris Young has a new song that he shared during CMA Fest, and his first performance of the song got him quite emotional.

When he performed "Drowning" on the stage at the Grand Ole Opry Tuesday night just days before CMA Fest officially kicked off, it tore him up. He shared on Instagram, "Last week, I debuted my new tune 'Drowning' at the @opry and broke down in the middle of it... since then so many people have shared stories of loved ones lost and how they have connected to this song. I want you guys to have this one, and make it your own, so I’m going to release it this Friday."

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Chris shared with us before stepping on stage at CMA Fest, “I cried like a baby in the middle of my song. I didn’t mean to do that. I turned my back around to pull it back together and the audience stood up. I was like, ‘Nope, I’m toast.’"

Young co-wrote "Drowning" about his grief following the death of a friend. The song is from his forthcoming album that he's been working on. He will release the song on Friday (6/14).

-Nancy Brooks

Chris Young

Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media GroupEditor

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.