Brad Paisley hit the country radio Top 5 this week, as he climbs the charts with his latest smash, “This Is Country Music.” So far, Brad has racked up an incredible 18 number-one hits, including the last 14 in a row. But with all those chart-toppers in addition to his other hits, Brad still looks back at his first number-one single as the hit that had the biggest effect on his life. (AUDIO INFO BELOW)

• “This Is Country Music” is the first huge single from Brad’s upcoming album of the same name, now slated for release on May 24th!
• You can pre-order your copy of the album and get an immediate digital download of “This Is Country Music” at ThisIsCountryMusic.com!
• The reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year is currently headlining his H2O Frozen Over Tour — check out bradpaisley.com for a date near you!

  Brad Paisley recalls the hit that had the biggest effect on his life. (:39)
“There are certainly those that were life-changing, more than others. ‘He Didn’t Have to Be’ is still probably the most life-changing three minutes that I’ve ever written, because we wouldn’t…I really believe we wouldn’t be sitting here anymore. Maybe we’d be sitting here with me having written a number-one hit for someone else, but I don’t think I’d still have a record deal without that song. I think it was like you could see potential in it, and that’s an important thing. That would be my advice to any new artist is to find a song early on that shows your potential. It doesn’t have to show everything you’re capable of, but it needs to show that, and that did.”