Kenny Chesney has topped the Billboard’s Top Country Artists List. Credit to Jason Kempin/FilmMagic.
Los Angeles, California (May 28, 2025)- Kenny Chesney stands at the pinnacle of Billboard’s Top Country Artists of the 21st Century chart, marking a remarkable 25-year run that has solidified his legacy as the top country act of the era. Billboard’s ranking, which evaluates performance on the weekly Top Country Albums and Hot Country Songs charts from January 2000 through December 2024, showcases the genre’s most impactful artists since the turn of the millennium.
Chesney, who first appeared on Billboard’s charts in 1993 and found his stride by 1995, has dominated the genre in the new century. Between 2000 and 2020, he landed all 17 of his Top Country Albums No. 1s and notched 20 of his 23 total Hot Country Songs chart-toppers, the highest count for any artist in that span. He also holds the record for the most Country Airplay No. 1s since 2000, with 30 chart-topping hits.
His first stadium headlining show in Knoxville in 2003 set the stage for what would become a defining element of his career: sold-out performances across more than 100 stadiums. That live energy helped fuel the identity of his fanbase, “No Shoes Nation,” a name born during a 2012 concert at Gillette Stadium and inspired by his laid-back 2003 hit “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem.”
A mainstay at Sony Music Nashville’s BNA Records until his 2018 switch to Warner Music Nashville, Chesney has also topped the all-genre Billboard 200 nine times, showing crossover success without sacrificing his country core. Upon reaching his 30th Country Airplay No. 1 with “Take Her Home” in 2024, Chesney credited his fans, saying, “Any time I can hold a mirror up and reflect No Shoes Nation, it’s winning … and this feels like all the people who love these songs are winning, too.”
Trailing Chesney in the top 10 are other powerhouses who shaped country music since 2000. Tim McGraw ranks No. 2, with 16 Hot Country Songs No. 1s and 13 Top Country Albums chart-toppers since the turn of the century. At No. 3, Taylor Swift bridged the genre with mainstream pop, achieving nine Hot Country Songs leaders and revisiting her country roots with successful re-recordings in the 2020s. The late Toby Keith (No. 4) and Keith Urban (No. 5) round out the top five, with major contributions to both the sonic and cultural evolution of the genre.
Rascal Flatts holds the No. 6 spot, leading all duos and groups with 12 Hot Country Songs No. 1s and eight Top Country Albums leaders. At No. 7, Luke Combs set records with 14 consecutive No. 1 singles to start his career. Jason Aldean (No. 8) and Blake Shelton (No. 9) have each delivered long strings of hits, the latter balancing chart success with mainstream visibility as a longtime coach on The Voice. Carrie Underwood, the highest-ranked woman at No. 10, boasts more No. 1s on both major charts than any other female artist in the same period, beginning with her 2005 breakthrough on American Idol.
Billboard’s retrospective recognizes the artists who defined and redefined the country genre over the past 25 years. With Chesney at the top, it’s a reminder of the enduring power of storytelling, melody, and connection in country music’s ever-evolving landscape.
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