Young ready to perform at rodeo

SIKESTON -- If country music artist Chris Young has his way, fans will forget all their worries and simply enjoy themselves when he takes the stage Friday night at the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo.

"Somebody once told me: 'Your job is to make people not have to worry about anything for 90 minutes or however long you're on stage," Young said during a phone interview with the Standard Democrat.

The 30-year-old Murfreesboro, Tenn., native said he has never been to Sikeston, but he's looking forward to his performance.

"If they've never really come out and seen one of my shows before -- and even if they have ... it will be stuff they've heard on the radio before, and I mix in stuff they haven't heard and some of my favorite covers -- and I'll try not to butcher those," Young joked.

His favorites include a Keith Whitley song or an old rock cover -- whatever strikes him that day.

"I always change it," Young said. "It will depend on my mood -- and the crowd."

And performing outdoors, especially in the summertime, is something he always enjoys, he said.

"Being outside is so much fun," Young said. "It's fun for me and my band on stage and everyone out there in the crowd."

His latest single, "I'm Comin' Over," is currently No. 22 on the Hot Country Songs Chart and and No.17 on the USA iTunes Country Music Chart. For the past two weeks now, Young's video for "I'm Comin' Over" has been No. 1 on GAC's Top 20 Countdown.

"I just really love this song," Young said. "This is the first record I've co-produced -- and it's really come out and taken on a life of its own. It's been incredible."

Young's latest track is also his fastest-selling single he's ever had.

"It's 10 weeks old and well over 200,000 single sales," Young said, adding sales are actually over 250,000 when factoring in all forms of media.

So far, the music video for the song has over 3.2 million views on the online video viewing source, Vevo.

Follow Young on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat or visit his official website: www.chrisyoungcountry.com.

Tickets for Friday's rodeo as well as the other nights of the rodeo are available for purchase online at www.sikestonrodeo.com or by calling the ticket office at (573) 471-7196.

For the complete story, see the Sunday edition of the Standard Democrat.