Whether it’s a 20-minute phone call or the first 20 seconds of any of his songs, it’s clear that Chandler Walters brings energy wherever he goes.
From swingin’ numbers like “Worth the Trouble” to hard-driving country rockers like “Justa One Kiss,” Walters keeps a goal of making country music that packs a punch, capturing the rollicking energy of 90s country, albeit with a modern flare. Walters closes 2025 with four originals and a fantastic cover of Vince Gill’s “One More Last Chance” to his name, and a host of music slated for release in 2026.
We chatted with Walters about becoming a frontman, co-writing Post Malone and Morgan Wallen’s smash hit, “I Had Some Help,” new music on the way and much more!
Pro Country: Your bio mentions a mix of rock and country influences. Who were some of the earliest artists you remember hearing that made you fall in love with those styles of music?
Chandler Walters: I remember Stevie Ray Vaughan and his guitar playing being a major influence. I was influenced by blues artists like Chuck Berry and BB King growing up. Hearing that guitar music made me realize that I wanted to play guitar. After that, it was Guns n’ Roses and playing Guitar Hero: Legends of Rock, which was actually a big reason why I picked up the guitar. I was killing it at that game, so I figured I should try the real thing [laughs].
PC: When did you realize that music, and the actual guitar, were something you wanted to, and feasibly could, pursue as a career?
CW: I picked up the guitar when I was nine, but by the time I was 11 years-old, I was playing acoustic guitar in church every Sunday. It probably wasn’t even turned on for the first few years [laughs]. That let me play with a band, and they allowed me to mess up and keep playing with them. That was a big moment for me.
When I got to high school, my grades started getting really bad. I was playing gigs on the weekends, and I knew there was no way I was going to college. Nashville randomly came up around that time. It made me think about taking music seriously.
PC: You moved to Nashville on a whim in 2021. Can you talk about what it was like immersing yourself in a city with so much collective talent?
CW: I bought a pedal steel right before I moved to Nashville. That was my way in, because nobody really played pedal steel. I posted a TikTok of myself playing “Your Man” by Josh Turner, and overnight, it had half a million views. ERNEST ended up finding that, and he reached out to me on TikTok and said, “where are you at?” and I said “anywhere you need me to be.” That was the start of a crazy relationship, and he’s still my best friend to this day.
PC: Soon after moving to Nashville, you joined ERNEST’s band as a steel guitarist, where you played for several years, and he has become a consistent collaborator. Can you talk about the camaraderie you feel with him and what his friendship has meant to you?
CW: I was out with him on the road the very first time he had a bus. For the first time, we were able to get out there, smoke a lot of weed and have a really good time. It was a crazy first few months. I was thrown into massive arena shows opening for Morgan Wallen.
With ERNEST being such a great songwriter, we wrote all the time on the road. That’s what got my songs recorded by Bailey Zimmerman and a bunch of ERN cuts. We’d get off the road, and him and I would keep writing. That lead to me getting signed to a publishing deal at Big Loud. I’ve had that deal for almost four years now. It’s been crazy.
PC: You’ve had plenty of success as a songwriter, including the multi-platinum “I Had Some Help,” a duet by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen. What was it like watching the song explode and take on a life of its own, and eventually topping the charts?
CW: No pun intended, but I definitely had some help with that [laughs]. I was blessed to be in a room full of very talented people. The night before we wrote the song, we were all at Losers, and Post wanted to order shots for the entire bar, which ended up being about 150 shots. I looked at Charlie Handsome, and I asked how we were going to do that, and he said, “we’re going to need some help,” and that’s where the song started. The next day, I brought up the title, and ERN started riffing on the melody.
Watching it do what it did was a surreal experience. You always hear stories about how a song happens, but actually getting to watch it climb the charts and make it to number one, and stay there, was crazy. I’m so blessed to have been a part of it.
PC: You joined Post Malone’s band as a steel guitarist around that time. What was it like playing with one of music’s biggest artists and playing in stadiums for so many people?
CW: It was a crazy transition. I was still playing for ERNEST at the time when him and I got involved with Post’s record. Post wanted a steel player in the writing room, which is how I got there, and naturally, him and I became really good friends.
The night of the CMA Awards in 2021, Charlie Handsome and ERN told me to come by the studio. Post is the nicest guy in the entire world. He takes the best care of everybody around him. When he asked me to go out with him, it was a big turning point. I remember the conversation I had with ERN; it was a “is this it?” moment. It was a healthy, exciting thing for both of us, where I got to take the next step in my career, and ERN was a great friend for letting me do that. That tour was insane. All the shows were amazing. I was playing music that I grew up listening to. I listened to beerbongs & bentleys instead of listening in Spanish class [laughs].
On the “Big Ass Stadium Tour,” Post let me open every night. That was an insane experience. Oftentimes, I played three shows a night, because I hosted afterparties for fans. I had my set around 5:20, would have to come down from that dopamine, get back on stage at 9 to play for Post for two hours, then play for three hours at the bar down the street. It was a whirlwind, but such a blessing to be able to connect to fans through both his music and mine, too.
PC: You made your artistic debut with Cadillac Sessions, releasing two originals and a cover song, along with songs by your labelmates at Deville Records. After the success you’d had as a musician and songwriter, what did it mean to put your name on a handful of songs and release them into the world?
CW: That wasn’t a decision I think I would’ve made for myself, but they told me that I needed to sing my own songs. I have an interesting story to tell with my steel guitar background and the songs that I’ve written for other people. It means a lot to me that my friends around me, who are also artists, are rooting for me and want to see me succeed. That’s all I could ever wish for.
PC: Each of your solo songs on Cadillac Sessions have earned hundreds of thousands of combined streams and views across platforms, with “Worth the Trouble” earning well over 250,000 streams on Spotify alone. As a new artist releasing music for the first time, what was it like to see the response each song received?
CW: You’re actually informing me of that now, I had no idea [laughs]. That’s sick! Now I can say that I’m so thankful for anyone who took the time of day to support what I do and what I’ve worked for. I think we’re bringing back country music. Instead of making it the typical sound on the radio, that’s the mission I’m on.
PC: You released your first standalone single, “Justa One Kiss” in October. Why did you and your team feel that “Justa One Kiss” was the right song to be a standalone and follow Cadillac Sessions?
CW: It’s a super fun song, and I think the world needs more fun songs that you can have a good time and drink some beers to. ERNEST sent me that song about a year ago. There’s a few more songs that I’ll be putting out that have that same feel. That’s the type of song that I want to sing.
PC: You released your newest single, “All I Need is You,” about a month ago, which you co-wrote with Monty Holmes and Roger Springer. Can you take us in the room and talk about how the song came together?
CW: I think the three of us are a power trio! I’m very lucky to know those guys and to call them my friends. The first time we got in a room together, we wrote four songs in one day, which is almost unheard of. That was on maybe our fourth or fifth writing day. We’d written a few other songs that day, but that one is such a fun country song. I want my songs to have a smile on them. My friends call me “Cheese,” because I’m always smiling. I love the chorus and the line, “me without you is like toast without butter!” [laughs].
PC: You’re working with producer Bart Butler, who has worked with artists like Jon Pardi, Randall King and Walker Montgomery. What is it like working and collaborating with someone in the studio who thrives with the traditional country sound?
CW: Bart is a great friend of mine. When it came time for me to put out a record, it was obvious to me. Bart can take traditional-sounding country and put it in today’s world in such a great way. Bart was willing to work around my crazy schedule over the past year. He’s the guy I can go to and say “hear me out, what if we did this,” and he always makes it happen. That’s so important in a producer/artist relationship. Bart is the man.
PC: You’ve alluded a couple times to more music on the horizon. What information, if any, can you give about what is coming next? What can people expect to hear?
CW: I’ll let it fly: my next song will be out in mid-February. It’s an upbeat, banger of a song. I won’t give the title yet, but it was also written with Monty and Roger. It was one of the first songs we wrote, and it’s one of my favorite songs that I’ve ever written.
PC: You regularly perform “Walters Western Wednesdays” in Nashville. In that spirit, can you tell us a few of your favorite honky tonk and western songs?
CW: Oh my gosh! “Last Time the First Time” by George Strait, for sure. We always play “Slide Off Your Satin Sheets” but Johnny Paycheck. “D-R-U-N-K” by David Allan Coe is a great one. “Whiskey Bent and Hellbound” has to be on there, too. And “Too Gone, Too Long” by Randy Travis. That’s a good little group.
PC: You’re hitting the road with both Josh Ross and Ernest. How much are you looking forward to being a part of both tours and bringing your new music to fans?
CW: Getting to play shows as Chandler Walters for my friends is so cool. Working with them in this way as my own artist is such a blessing. The fact that I get to tour the country with my music is something that every artist, and even the five year-old version of me, wishes for.
PC: With plenty of dates on the books and new music set for release next year, what else do you have planned going into 2026?
CW: Honestly, this interview is my last work thing for the rest of the year [laughs]. I’m going to take a lot of time off to rest. It’s been an awesome, tiring, amazing year. At the top of the year, I’m going to be with ERNEST, and I’ll be writing more for my record. 2026 will be about a bunch of music for me. I’ll put out a song every five or six weeks. On top of that, I’ll be doing a bunch of festivals in the summer. The ball is rollin’!
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