Chesney flies high with first solo Grammy nod

Given that he routinely fills stadiums and has notched 30 No. 1 hits, it’s a pleasant surprise for Kenny Chesney to still be experiencing firsts in his 20-plus-year career. Tuesday morning he celebrated his first solo Grammy nomination: best country album for “Cosmic Hallelujah.”

“To me, the Grammys represent the best of what all music is,” Chesney said. “It’s everyone who makes music, who creates and plays, coming together as one big family — and really considering the best of the year.”

The Tennessee native has previously been nominated five times, including for duets with Pink (2016’s “Setting the World on Fire”) and Grace Potter (“You and Tequila” from 2011) and group outings with friends like Jimmy Buffett and Alan Jackson. But those were either in the duo/ group or collaboration categories so this solo recognition was particularly meaningful.

That the album also took risks both creatively and promotionally makes the nomination that much sweeter for the 49-year-old singer-songwriter. While “Cosmic Hallelujah” features its share of good-time party fare, Chesney said, “We also invested in a larger dialogue about our world.

“For ‘Cosmic Hallelujah’ more than any album, we defied conventional wisdom every way possible,” said Chesney, noting that, among other moves, the decision was made to change the first single to the song “Noise” nine days before release because it “felt so topical and urgent.”

That song, a catchy lament for our information overloaded times, hit No. 6 and was followed by two No. 1’s, “Setting the World on Fire” and “All the Pretty Girls.”

“This album, I did what I felt was the right thing to do for the music,” said Chesney, who recently hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with “Live in No Shoes Nation,” a compendium of live recordings.