When It Comes To Chris Janson, ‘Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get’

Chris Janson is making a statement with the release of his new single, “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get.” Out now via Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment/Harpeth 60 Records, the anthemic track will officially impact country radio on March 11.

“Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get” marks Janson’s first new release since his album The Outlaw Side Of Me, a project released in June of 2023 that produced his number one hit, “All I Need Is You.”

In an exclusive interview with Country Now, the chart-topping singer/songwriter shared everything that there is to know about the track, including how it came to be, what it was like working with co-writers Tyler Hubbard and RaeLynn, whether or not it is a glimpse into a forthcoming album and more. 

Teased “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get” On Social Media

Janson teased the soon-to-be hit song via social media for weeks leading up to its official announcement, using a Wheel of Fortune board to reveal the title of the tune. Day after day, the Grand Ole Opry member would share a post that added even more letters to the board, inching closer and closer to the announcement, which ultimately arrived on February 20.

“WHATCHA SEE IS WHATCHA GET! Available 3/8.”

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He then offered the television debut of the song during Dolly Parton’s Pet Gala on CBS.

Of the unique song rollout, Janson told us, “I gotta be honest. That was not my idea. That was my start team’s idea, so they get all the credit and they did a great job at it. Best rollout I’ve seen actually. I loved it… You got to put your trust in your team, and I trust my team fully, and they are just fabulous. They executed it perfectly, and you know, people just really love that concept. I couldn’t believe it. It was a great guessing game.”

The Meaning Behind The Lyrics

Janson then proceeded to discuss the meaning of the song itself, which celebrates individuality – encouraging listeners to be who they want to be, rather than what others want them to be – as exemplified in the title “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get.”

Janson admitted that the title itself is “an absolutely true description of who I am on and off stage, and it really showcases my life… The song talks about sitting in a tree, waiting on a deer, sitting on a river bank…I’m on one of my river farms right now looking at a tree stand as I speak to you and looking at the river out the other window, so it’s never been more true.”

The Missouri native concluded by sharing something that day one fans of his will be pleased to hear: “I got to tell you, out of all my releases, this one reminds me so much of the ‘Buy Me a Boat’ era, which is still going very strong, and you know, for fans of that kind of style of Chris Janson music, if you will, I think they’re going to just eat it up. I really am very proud of it.”

Working With Tyler Hubbard and RaeLynn

Hitmakers Tyler Hubbard and RaeLynn served as Janson’s collaborators. “Both are fantastic artists and writers in their own regard, and you know, they were kind enough to let me collaborate with them on this song, and I couldn’t be more proud of it,” Janson shared, before diving into the details of what it was like working alongside the two artists, as well as how “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get” came to be as a whole.

After explaining that his previous chart-topping tune, “All I Need Is You,” was written over Zoom during the pandemic, Janson revealed that this song followed a very similar writing process. Given that Janson was in Florida at the time, Hubbard and Raelynn sent him the first renderings of the song remotely, with the president of Big Machine Label Group, Scott Borchetta, telling Janson that Hubbard had him in mind.

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Naturally, this came as a surprise to Janson, sharing with Country Now that he was honored that he was hand-picked by such a legend within the country music scene. He continued by admitting that he is a huge fan of his work both as a solo artist and as a part of Florida Georgia Line, deeming the fact that he was sent the song to be an extremely “high compliment.”

After writing “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get” over the phone, Janson has a session booked to record the song, but “that’s when the big storm hit in Nashville” the week of January 15, resulting in a record-breaking amount of snowfall. Fortunately for the 37-year-old, “We made it happen. We went into the studio anyway, and we were probably the only crazy people in Nashville doing it, but we got the song recorded and got the vocal recorded all in one day, and boom! It was done.”

Is “What You See Is What You Get” a Glimpse Into A New Album?

Admitting that “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get” is reminiscent of the “Buy Me a Boat” era, does this mean that Janson is working on a project that returns to his roots?

According to Janson, an album is still up in the air. “To be honest with you, we have not had any talks about a new album just yet. I mean, we just put out The Outlaw Side Of Me last year, but music moves so fast, and the music business in the world we live in now, in the digital age, just moves a lot quicker than it used to… We’re not in the talks of a new album just yet, but I’m constantly moving, writing, and recording new music, and this just happens to be the first one.”

He continued passionately, “Whether it gets tied back into The Outlaw Side Of Me in some sort of shape or form, I’m not sure, or whether it spearheads the beginnings of a full-blown new record, I’m not sure at that point either. All I know is when you catch lightning in a bottle, it’s rare… When ‘Buy Me a Boat’ happened, it was just lightning in a bottle. It just happened, and out of all the songs that I had at the time, you know, even independently, it just was a real standout, and that’s what this song is.”

Debuting The Song At Dolly Parton’s Pet Gala

While it is unclear where “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get” will land when it comes to its placement on a future or previous project, Janson plans to perform it live nonetheless. As mentioned, Janson had the chance to debut the song during Dolly Parton’s Pet Gala, an experience that he said was “just awesome.”

“We love Dolly and Dolly’s been good to us, and we’ve done several things in the past together, and so, you know, of course, it was an immediate yes when she asked for me to be a part of it,” Janson said, admitting that performing an unreleased at the Pet Gala was “risky business.”

He shared with a smirk, “The fans, their honest reaction is gonna show, because it’s an unknown song at that point… They were really fired up, and everybody was happy, up, dancing, getting out of their seats, and you know, the overall comment was, ‘Man, that feels good,’ and it does feel good, so it makes me very proud to have this song, and I think it’s going to go to great measures.”

With dozens and dozens of live performances to come in 2024 – including the Parti-Gras tour with Bret Michaels, which Janson says will be “one hell of a party.”