Kenny Chesney’s Mom Even Thought He Was Dating Grace Potter After Their Steamy Video For “You And Tequila”
Did Kenny Chesney’s mom really think she was about to get a new daughter-in-law?
Turns out…yes.
Kenny Chesney has kept his dating life locked up tighter than Fort Knox ever since his short-lived 2004 marriage to Renée Zellweger. The country superstar rarely shares anything about his romantic life, which of course only fans the flames of speculation — especially whenever he teams up with a female artist.
And nothing stirred the rumor mill quite like “You and Tequila.”
Released in 2010 as the fourth single from Hemingway’s Whiskey, the song — written by Matraca Berg and Deana Carter — didn’t hit #1, but it became a massive fan favorite, now certified 4× Platinum and arguably one of the biggest songs of Kenny’s career.
A Drunken Demo and the Perfect Match
In his new book Heart Life Music, Kenny shares that the demo showed up in his inbox in the middle of the night after writer Matraca Berg “had been drinking red wine with a friend” and was just tipsy enough to hit send.
Kenny fell in love with the song immediately — but he needed the perfect female voice.
Berg suggested Grace Potter, who at the time was fronting the rock band Grace Potter & the Nocturnals. Fans of both artists questioned the pairing, but Kenny knew the truth instantly:
“I knew we were aligned. She sounded like coming home.”
The magic clicked before the song was even mixed. And then came the music video…
The Video That Fooled Everybody — Including Kenny’s Mom
In early 2011, Kenny and Grace filmed an undeniably flirtatious, sun-soaked, sensual music video for “You and Tequila.” Their chemistry was so wild that rumors exploded overnight.
Kenny writes:
“Anyone who’s ever seen that video assumes we were having sex. Even Mom thought we were sleeping together, but that wasn’t true.”
Yes — even Karen Chandler, Kenny’s own mother, thought Grace Potter might be her future daughter-in-law.
But according to Kenny, what fans saw wasn’t romance — it was two artists with wandering, creative hearts:
“The chemistry comes from our gypsy souls, our desire to chase music where it takes us.”
Just Friends — Nothing More
Despite fan fantasies, Grace Potter has been happily married since 2018, and the two have never been romantically involved. But what they do have is one of the most electric and genuine musical friendships in modern country.
They toured together on Kenny’s 2011 Brothers of the Sun Tour with Tim McGraw, recorded another duet (“Wild Child”) for his 2014 album The Big Revival, and Kenny also contributed vocals to a version of Potter’s emotional track “Stars.”
And earlier this year, Grace joined Kenny at his Las Vegas Sphere residency for a surprise performance of “You and Tequila,” proving that the spark — the musical one — is still very much alive.
Just two kindred spirits… even if Mom thought otherwise.