Chris Janson might make audience members feel like they are sitting on an island Friday.
The “Fix a Drink” singer will perform in the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium at 8 p.m. Admission is $35 for the first 10 rows and $25 for the remainder of the seats.
The stop is part of Janson’s Everybody Tour, which is named after his second studio album released in September. Everybody peaked at No. 7 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart in October. The song “Fix A Drink,” which is off the album, peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.
Anna Strayer, a junior studying journalism, likes the song “Fix a Drink” because she listened to it during the summer.
“Everytime I hear that song, I think of the guys in my friend group and flashbacks to summer,” she said.
Janson burst onto the country scene as an artist in 2015 when his single “Buy Me A Boat” hit radio waves. The song was played before Janson had an official record deal. He released the song as an independent artist through iTunes and it was played on the country music radio show The Bobby Bones Show. The exposure boosted his sales and ultimately landed him an official deal.
Strayer wasn’t a big fan of Janson’s when he dropped his first single, but his later songs made her like him more.
“I really didn’t think that much of him with ‘Buy Me a Boat,’ but then ‘Holdin’ Her’ came out, and I never made the connection that it was him,” Strayer said.
“Buy Me A Boat” peaked at No. 3 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart and has more than 42 million plays on Spotify.
His second most-listened to song on the streaming service is a ballad about his family called “Holdin’ Her,” which has been listened to more than 7 million times.
Kaylee Hagen, a freshman studying nursing, likes the song “Holdin’ Her” and Janson’s songs in general because they’re catchy.
Hagen also likes the fact that the OU Performing Arts and Concert Series brings in artists like Janson.
“It gives people an opportunity to see someone they wouldn’t get to see,” she said.
