Chris Janson was finding success as a songwriter long before his breakout single, "Buy Me a Boat." He'd also been waiting an awful long time for it as an artist: Janson had been signed to two labels prior to independently releasing the song (he left the first after a restructuring, and his second label closed while he was signed).

Finally, in 2015, "Buy Me a Boat" started to take off, after receiving airplay on syndicated country radio DJ Bobby Bones' show. Janson earned a record deal off of the single, and after years of hard work, his career was on the upswing.

So, where was Janson when he first heard that life-changing single on the radio for the first time? Below, he shares with The Boot.

I had heard myself a few times in the past, where I'd had minor Top 40 singles on other record deals, but I don't really consider those moments big moments, because they were sort of in passing, and at the time I didn't know how to appreciate them. But I remember when "Buy Me a Boat" came out, I will never forget what I was doing.

I was going to get emissions done on my truck, and get tags put on a truck that I'd bought off Craigslist. This is a true story. And I was picking up diapers while I was out. And I remember that [my wife] Kelly called me, and [Warner Music Nashville A&R executive] Cris Lacy called me. Everything was happening at one time. I didn't even have the radio on, by the way.

I had the window down, just chilling, and Cris called, like, "Oh my God! Oh my God!" I literally said, "Call Kelly." I didn't even know what was going on here, in the meantime. Everything was flooding in at the same time.

That was the biggest, I think -- the biggest breakthrough of being like, "Wow, something is happening, and I don't really know what's happening." But we are so grateful for that.

Yes, [it's still as exciting now]! I'll tell you why: It could go away in a heartbeat. It could go away in a second. You're not promised a radio hit. You're not promised a hit song at all. Thankfully, we've had several now, and I'm grateful for that. It just means so much, no matter what song it is, coming on the radio. It also means as much whenever I write something and it comes on the radio with someone else. It all supports my family, which is the most important part to me.

Chris Janson Opens Up About the Surprising Success of "Buy Me a Boat"

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