Before He Was A Country Star, Chris Young Was A Breakdancer In Nashville

There’s plenty of country singers with an athletic background but no doubt Chris Young has the most unique one.

Like most people I’ve been fully wrapped up in the Olympics over the past few weeks and even put together a Team Country Music if you’re so inclined to learn more about some of your favorite artists, and while I try my best to appreciate every sport for what it is, breakdancing, or breaking, kind of makes me scratch my head.

This is the first year breaking will be contested at the Olympics and it’s certainly gotten a lot of attention from the media and online communities.

Originated in New York as part of the hip-hop scene, each match (called a “throwdown”) featured two dancers (called “B-boys” or B-girls”) going head to head in a best of three rounds. A panel of nine judges scores each battle based on technique, vocabulary, execution, musicality, and originality. I’m not going to pretend like I understand most of that but it seems somewhat similar to the gymnastics floor routines, at least to my simpleton brain.

Anyway, breaking kicked off in Paris today with the B-girls and the men will start tomorrow, and all this talk of break dancing reminded me of Chris Young busting out some moves back in the day.

Yes, that Chris Young. The guy who sang “Gettin’ You Home”, “You”, “Voices”, and “Tomorrow”. The guy that drove middle aged women wild with his smooth baritone and facial hair.

Turns out, Chris had a career as a breakdancer before hitting it big in country music.

His mom let the world know on the Got It From My Momma podcast back in 2023 that Chris made some cash by breakdancing in Nashville when he was just 16 years old.

“He used to breakdance on Second Avenue… made as much in tips breakdancing as he did one year during CMA Fest singing. He was about 16 that year… He’d play during the day, I’d book him to play in those little bars up and down Broadway, and he’d play for tips, and then he’d come home, change his clothes and go back and breakdance at night, and people didn’t even realize it was the same guy.”

Everyone has a unique path to stardom but I’m going to say not many have ever done it his way…

If you were hoping for some videos of Chris’ throwing down, don’t you worry because I found a few. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did today.

Here he is breaking at the Ryman.

And here’s a clip of him on The Talk

And finally, a clip from CMA Fest.