Chance Peña Shares New Single 'i am not who i was'; On US Tour Now With David Kushner

Known for his heartfelt songwriting and an electrifying stage presence, rising singer-songwriter Chance Peña has shared a new single, “i am not who i was.” The song serves as another reminder of the young artist’s growth as a musician and storyteller. Calling it “introspective,” MXDWN premiered the track further calling out Peña’s “soulful vocals.”  Of “i am not who i was” he shares, “It’s a song about growing into a new version of yourself and entering a new season of life that your loved ones might not recognize.”  

Today’s single comes as Peńa is touring North America as the direct support for David Kushner. Having already wowed audiences in, among other markets, Austin, New York and Toronto, the tour hits the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis tonight and concludes in Seattle, WA on October 1. Chance will play at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles on September 25. All shows are listed below. The dates are the first he’s played since a June tour (also as the support for Kusher) that included a stop at Bonnaroo Music Festival.

This summer Peña released his Lovers to Strangers EP which features the single “In My Room.” The track currently has 151 million streams across Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube, and 5 billion views on TikTok, with 2 million video creations and counting. 

At only 23, Chance Peña might be one of the youngest music industry veterans you’ll ever meet – an old-soul folk singer and producer who’s been gigging and writing songs for the better part of a decade. Born and raised in Tyler, Texas, and now based in Los Angeles, Chance has been honing a sound that’s effusive, unashamedly emotional and, above all, totally honest. With Lovers To Strangers, he emerged as a deft chronicler of the trials and tribulations of romantic relationships and life as a twenty-something. 

At the age of 15, Chance competed on The Voice and began to both understand the contours of the music industry and fall in love with the idea of becoming a musician himself. Surrounded by fellow musicians his own age for the first time, away from the day-to-day humdrum of Tyler – “I quit the football team to be a musician,” he quips – he found within himself a hunger for the struggle and glory of professional music.

The experience also opened his eyes to how “fake” aspects of the music industry could be, and how he wanted to conduct his own career moving forward. “I realized how the industry actually works – it’s not all petals and roses and the most talented person becomes the most successful,” he says. “I learned pretty quickly that hard work pays off – it outdoes talent any day. The show showed me how fake showbusiness and Hollywood can be.” 

Shortly after leaving The Voice, Chance signed with a publishing company, and began working on music for film and TV, as well as for other artists. True to his word, Chance worked hard, and saw his talent begin to shine through just as much as his toil – evidenced by “Conversations In The Dark”, a single for John Legend’s Bigger Love that he co-wrote. “That was such a surreal moment – I have a gold record on my wall because of it,” he says. Of course, he didn’t stop to smell the roses. “I put my head down for a couple years, and wrote and learned and grew.”

2023 has announced Chance as a rare kind of songwriter, whose aim is not broad-based fame or monetary success, but human connection. “I’m ready to share this part of me, so that I can move on,” he says. “I hope that these songs help somebody – that these lessons learned can help them deal with the things in their own lives, whatever that may be. At the end of the day, when I put a song out, it’s no longer mine – it’s yours.”

Chance Peña tour dates (supporting David Kusher)

9/21 - Varsity Theater - Minneapolis, MN 

9/23 - Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO 

9/25 - The Fonda Theatre - Los Angeles, CA 

9/26 - Great American Music Hall - San Francisco, CA 

9/29 - Wonder Ballroom - Portland, OR 

9/30 - Fortune Sound Club - Vancouver, BC, Canada 

10/1 - The Showbox - Seattle, WA

Photo Credit: Shervin Lainez