Chesney's "Here and Now" coming May 1

Chesney has indicated new music was coming, sharing studio videos and recording updates.

This is his first project for Warner Music Nashville. He wrote and recorded over the last 18 months,

"When you're this far into a career," Chesney said, "I think artists need to keep pushing themselves and the music without losing sight of who they are, or forgetting the people you make music for. No Shoes Nation is a very passionate place without borders; I get inspired every time I see and hear them.

"These are passionate people who work really hard. They make a difference in their community in all kinds of ways, giving back not so people think they're good, but because that's who they are and what they do. When they listen to music, they're all in - and when they hear something they like, you can feel it in how they respond."

Chesney co-produced with longtime collaborator Buddy Cannon (Willie Nelson, Alison Krauss, Merle Haggard), with additional production assistance from Ross Copperman.

"You know, it's going to have a high fun factor," Chesney said. "People work hard, and need music that makes them smile, that kicks them into a happy place. There are also songs here that look at very specific people, that tell one person's story, but it could be any of us. That's the mark of a good song: let one person's specific life say so much about a lot of people's lives.

"And one of the things I really wanted (for Here and Now) was to bring a lot of my favorite writers together, not to do 'writing camp,' but just hang out and talk, remember when it was the stories and laughs that sparked songs, not sitting down to churn out something to cut."

That creative spontaneity drove last summer's Chesney/Ross Copperman/Ed Sheeran "Tip Of My Tongue," written, recorded and released in the flow of the moment. As Chesney maintains, "We are now in a place and time where music isn't stuck with one specific way to record or release songs to the fans. I will always love 10 or 12 songs that speak to each other, but there's also an immediacy that lets you stay in the moment, and I love that freedom, too."

No track list was released.

Chesney's Chillaxification Tour kicks off April 18 at AT&T Stadium in Texas.