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Lady Gaga is gearing up for a grand Mayhem Ball and all her little monsters are invited, if you can snag tickets. Tour dates were announced a couple weeks ago, and tickets have been selling out quickly ever since. Luckily, Mother Monster has just added 13 extra nights to the tour, including multiple shows in New York City, London, and Paris. If you act fast, there are plenty of tickets still available through Ticketmaster and other resale sites including StubHub, Vivid Seats, Seat Geek and Gametime that you can shop.
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Following her headlining sets at Coachella, Gaga will kick off the Mayhem Ball tour in Las Vegas on July 16. The concert will then hit six North American cities including three shows in Seattle, six nights at Madison Square Garden in New York and a three-night run in Miami, Toronto and Chicago before heading abroad to Europe and the UK. Unlike her previous Chromatica Ball tour in 2022, this tour will mainly be arena-based.
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“This is my first arena tour since 2018,” said Gaga in a statement. “There’s something electric about a stadium, and I love every moment of those shows. But with The MAYHEM Ball, I wanted to create a different kind of experience — something more intimate — closer, more connected — that lends itself to the live theatrical art I love to create.”
Keep reading on to learn how you can secure tickets to Lady Gaga’s Mayhem Ball below.
How to Get Tickets to Lady Gaga’s ‘Mayhem Ball’ Tour Online
Lady Gaga’s Mayhem Ball tour will kick off July 16 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Tickets have already gone on sale through Ticketmaster. While they’re selling fast, fans can still secure tickets through other resale sites including StubHub, Vivid Seats, Seat Geek and Gametime.
StubHub is offering tickets for as low as $146. Each purchase comes with the FanProtect Guarantee, which will keep your purchases protected. You can also use the interactive venue map to choose tickets based on price and seating section.
Another option is Vivid Seats, which has tickets for this tour for as low as $146. You can also save $20 off orders of $200+ when you use the code BB2024 at checkout. Each ticket purchase will be protected through the site’s Buyer Guarantee, which you can learn more about here.
SeatGeek currently has tickets starting at $135 and you can utilize the site’s deal rating scale to determine how good of a deal you’re getting. SeatGeek uses a 1-10 rating system, with 1 being the worst deal and 10 being the best deal you can get. You can also save $10 off your ticket purchases of $250+ (offer valid on first purchases only) when you use the code BILLBOARD10.
For affordable tickets, Gametime is offering ticket options for as low as $136. Purchasers will receive the Gametime Guarantee, which includes event cancellation protection, a low-price guarantee and one-time ticket delivery. Bonus offer: Get $20 off orders of $150+ when you use the code SAVE20 at checkout.
Check out the dates for the 2025 Mayhem Ball tour below:
North America
Jul 16 – Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
July 18 – Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
July 19 – Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
Aug. 6 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
Aug. 7 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
Aug. 9 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
Aug. 22 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
Aug. 23 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
Aug. 26 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
Aug. 27 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
Aug. 31 – Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center
Sept. 1 – Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center
Sept. 3 – Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center
Sept. 6 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
Sept. 7 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
Sept. 10 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
Sept. 11 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
Sept. 13 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
Sept. 15 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
Sept. 17 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
Sept. 18 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
Europe/U.K. dates
Sept. 29 – London, UK @ The O2
Sept. 30 – London, UK @ The O2
Oct. 2 – London, UK @ The O2
Oct. 4 – London, UK @ The O2
Oct. 7 – Manchester, UK @ Co-op Live
Oct. 8 – Manchester, UK @ Co-op Live
Oct. 12 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Avicii Arena
Oct. 13 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Avicii Arena
Oct. 15 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Avicii Arena
Oct. 19 – Milan, Italy @ Unipol Forum
Oct. 20 – Milan, Italy @ Unipol Forum
Oct. 28 – Barcelona, Spain @ Palau Sant Jordi
Oct. 29 – Barcelona, Spain @ Palau Sant Jordi
Oct. 31 – Barcelona, Spain @ Palau Sant Jordi
Nov. 4 – Berlin, Germany @ Uber Arena
Nov. 5 – Berlin, Germany @ Uber Arena
Nov. 9 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Ziggo Dome
Nov. 11 – Antwerp, Belgium @ Sportpaleis Arena
Nov. 13 – Lyon, France @ LDLC Arena
Nov. 14 – Lyon, France @ LDLC Arena
Nov. 17 – Paris, France @ Accor Arena
Nov. 18 – Paris, France @ Accor Arena
Nov. 20 – Paris, France @ Accor Arena
Nov. 22 – Paris, France @ Accor Arena
Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” enters the winners circle on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart, jumping three spots to the top of the April 12-dated ranking. She leads the list for a second time, after “Good Luck, Babe!” hit No. 1 for a week last September. “Pink Pony Club,” on KRA/Amusement/Island Records and promoted to radio […]
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New Orleans rapper Rob49 is taking over the game with his new anthem “WTHELLY,” and the streets are absolutely screaming it.
The track dropped with a hook so catchy it’s stuck in everyone’s head, and it’s about to be the club banger of the summer. The buzz started brewing during Super Bowl weekend in his hometown, New Orleans, where the unreleased song was bumping in all the local clubs. Word got around fast, and even Cardi B hit Rob49’s DMs asking, “Where the hell can I find this song?” She told him she’d been looking for it all weekend because every spot she went to in N.O. had it on repeat.
Less than a month later, Rob49 dropped “WTHELLY” and the world went crazy. It’s already getting mad love from the industry, and it’s turning into a whole new slang that’s popping off everywhere. People can’t stop saying it, remixing it, or shouting it out in their captions. It’s everywhere, and it’s not slowing down anytime soon.
Rob49’s been putting in work since he hit the scene in 2022 with his breakout single “Vulture Island.” That track went crazy, and then he followed it up with the remix featuring Lil Baby, which gave him major co-signs. The music video even brought out legends like Birdman and Kevin Gates, solidifying Rob49’s place in the game. Now, with “WTHELLY,” he’s back with another one that’s shaking up the culture and has the clubs on fire. The whole rap game is tuned in, and Rob49’s not slowing down anytime soon.
An annual tradition on American Idol continues on Monday (April 7) – Hollywood Week, an integral part of the process of finding a winner, which has been part of the series since season 1 in 2002. But this year’s Hollywood Week is different from any previous edition, with the addition of Idol’s first artist-in-residence, Jelly Roll.
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“Hollywood Week is even more chaotic than what you see on TV. The episodes are pretty chaotic, but the camera can’t catch all of the chaos,” Jelly Roll tells Billboard during a sit-down interview. “I love it because it reminds me of the music business. It’s real. They’re not hazing these kids. This is stuff that happens in our business all the time. I can’t wait for the world to see this – the show brings me in when the kids are picking their head-to-head songs, so I am in the trenches with these babies. I watch them pick their songs. I give them advice and I catch them picking their partners. Some of them probably picked the wrong partner,” he shares.
“There was one group of singers who didn’t know how to communicate with each other, and I said, ‘This is the biggest decision you’re going to make because this is the last time the judges decide who goes forward. I’m going to give y’all my advice right now. Take it or leave it and I won’t be offended, but I think at this point your best bet is to pick a song that you feel safe doing together, not where one has to carry the other.’
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“Another group picked a song that the girl knew really well, and the guy didn’t know, and they thought it was the best for them. I said, ‘At this point, if y’all aren’t going to change the song, then there’s going to be a point where you’re going to have to carry this song,’ and that’s exactly how it shook out. She ended up having to carry the song and then, as happens in American Idol, there’s a plot twist, but I can’t give that away.”
Season 23 is not the first time the producers have shaken up the Hollywood Week format. “We refresh it here and there, year-to-year,” executive producer and showrunner Megan Michaels Wolflick explains over breakfast with Billboard. “The auditions are the auditions. The live shows are the live shows. Hollywood Week is the round that has the most flexibility, but I do think that it’s really important to keep the integrity of the challenges the same as far as actually giving them real experiences that they might have in the industry, like staying up all night, collaborating with someone you’ve never met before, learning a new song. Some years you have duets or groups. With Carrie Underwood coming back, it was important for me to maintain some of the things that she had experienced in her season.”
And what did Underwood think of that? “Hollywood Week for her was the biggest eye-opening experience,” says Wolflick. “She remembers so much about all of it and her group round with Vonzell Solomon singing ‘Please Mr. Postman’ and all the little things, like forgetting her words in the first round. She sang ‘Young Hearts Run Free’ by Candi Staton. She didn’t really know that song. It was a different era then with no original music and you couldn’t play guitar. So she’s definitely seen the evolution. It was nostalgic, yet she was still excited about it.”
Wolflick elaborated on adding Jelly Roll to the mix, following his appearance on the season 21 finale and his mentorship during the Hawaii shows in season 22. “He was so great last year. He sat with the panel and he brought so much charisma and excitement. When the show aired the feedback was very positive and we and ABC were eager to do something with him. I’m sure every other show, like The Voice, were asking him too. He’s very hot. He loves American Idol. He told me, ‘This is one of the biggest things to ever happen to my career.’ He literally watched every single tape. He watched every single bio. He took the kids off to the side before going on camera and made them feel comfortable. I’ve never experienced mentoring on this level. I think carving out his role on the live shows is going to be interesting, too.”
In a separate interview, Jelly Roll confirmed his feelings about the show. “I love Idol. I’ve been an Idol fan my whole life. Who doesn’t love watching a kid’s dream come true on national TV? That’s what we get to see. To come back this year and have a full-time position with the cast is really great.”
Expanding on his role on Idol this season, Jelly Roll’s enthusiasm was apparent. “It’s fun. I’m glad we’re talking about this, because I look at my role probably different than anybody else does. I think I am the bridge from these young artists to the people’s living room. I am a bridge between them and the judges. I’m a constant mentor and source of advice, but more than anything, my job is to try to make these kids feel as good as I know they sound.”
Wolflick explained why this new role was created for Jelly Roll. “The word mentor seemed a little cliché and I wanted something with some weight. An artist-in-residence matches the gravitas that he has. He’s there with us all season. Hopefully he’s here for the long haul. He’s invested above and beyond what we would really expect of him.”
With all the announced dates sold out so far, Lady Gaga has added 13 new nights to her anticipated Mayhem Ball world tour. The new stops will including second nights in Manchester and Stockholm, as well as third nights in Las Vegas, Seattle, Miami, Toronto, Chicago and Barcelona and fourth shows in both London and […]
Now that we’re all feeling sufficiently liberated, it’s time for another Executive Turntable, Billboard’s weekly compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across the music business. There’s been a taxing amount of news this week, so let’s tarry no more.
ASCAP announced the results of its biennial election for the board of directors. ASCAP president and chairman Paul Williams revealed the 12 writer and 12 publisher members elected for a two-year term starting April 1, 2025. Newly elected writer member Claudia Brant, a 2019 Grammy winner for best Latin pop album, joins the board. Re-elected writer members include Jon Batiste, Desmond Child, Sharon Farber, Dan Foliart, Michelle Lewis, Terry Lewis, Marcus Miller, Jimmy Webb, Doug Wood and Alex Shapiro. Re-elected publisher directors include Peter Brodsky, Bob Bruderman, Marti Cuevas, Ree Guyer, Keith Hauprich, Dean Kay, Evan Lamberg, Leeds Levy, Irwin Z. Robinson, Paul Robinson, Jon Singer and James M. Kendrick. “It is both a privilege and a responsibility to be elected to the ASCAP board by our songwriter, composer and publisher peers,” said Williams. “The ASCAP Board takes seriously our commitment to advocating for and protecting the value of our more than one million members’ music and upholding our principles of fairness and efficiency to maximize distributions to our members.”
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Ross Charap, a respected music industry attorney and a fixture in Billboard‘s annual list of top counselors, joined Barton LLP as a partner in its New York office. Previously at Arentfox Schiff, Charap and his then-partner Matt Finkelstein managed over $1 billion in music asset transactions and achieved significant victories, including policy changes at the Mechanical Licensing Collective that returned millions in royalties to songwriters. Charap’s clients include such up-and-comers as Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Billy Preston, as well as numerous “Great American Songbook”-level writers. He notably defended the Rolling Stones in a copyright infringement suit over the track “Living in a Ghost Town.” Roger Barton, managing partner of Barton LLP, praised Charap’s expertise and commitment to the creative industry, saying “few can match his depth of understanding of the legal complexities and business realities facing today’s artists.” Barton LLP’s entertainment and intellectual property practice handles complex issues like trademark and copyright infringement, music clearances and intellectual property transactions, working closely with corporate and finance teams.
Exceleration Music appointed Matt Harmon as head of rights development, where he’ll work with partner labels like +1 Records, Alligator, Kill Rock Stars and Yep Roc to enhance new releases and catalog value. At Exceleration, he will lead label operations, focusing on A&R, marketing, and catalog development. A veteran of the independent music industry, Harmon spent over 20 years at Beggars Group US, rising from head of sales to president. He played a key role in overseeing Matador Records, 4AD, Rough Trade, and XL Recordings, contributing to their growth. Exceleration partner John Burk pointed to Harmon’s “deep expertise in independent music, coupled with his proven ability to drive both creative and business success.”
Encore Recordings appointed Jacob Fain as head of A&R and promoted founding GM Ned Monaghan to president. Fain, previously evp and head of A&R at Elektra Records, will be based in Los Angeles and report to founder and CEO Joie Manda. Monaghan, formerly head of global hits at Spotify, was hired as GM in late 2021 and will now oversee all company facets, including A&R, marketing, legal and finance. Encore Recordings, launched in late 2021, is an independent, full-service music company with a roster spanning Latin, Afrobeats, dancehall, hip-hop, R&B, and pop, featuring artists like Dei V, Vict0ny, Uncle Waffles, EBK Jaaybo, Khamari and Saul Villarreal.
Entertainment business management firm FBMM announced a round of promotions in its Nashville office. Laura Beth Hendricks, Ben Huddleston and Abby Lamb have been promoted to associate business managers. Hendricks, a licensed CPA since 1996, joined FBMM in 2010 and oversees several clients’ full scope of business management. Huddleston joined FBMM in 2016 and built a team that primarily works with a group of music executives and high net worth individuals, offering services including bookkeeping, tax planning and more. Lamb has been with FBMM for a decade and supports a diverse range of clients including international touring artists, producers and indie artists. –Jessica Nicholson
Langham Hospitality Group appointed Andrew Grant as group director of music to develop a comprehensive music strategy across its hotel brands. Grant will oversee live performances, collaborations, and signature soundscapes to enhance guest experiences. As part of LHG’s Brands Operations team, he will establish industry partnerships, design global music programming, and curate special events for The Langham Hotels & Resorts’ 160th anniversary. He will also manage music curation at Eaton DC. With over 25 years in the music industry, Grant has been a Resident DJ at Ibiza’s DC10 and a producer for Barraca Music, as well as working in event production and logistics from roles at Aronis Group and the Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival. LHG, a subsidiary of Great Eagle Holdings, operates over 40 hotels worldwide, including The Langham, Cordis, Eaton Workshop and Ying’nFlo.
iHeartMedia will nominate Robert Millard as a director on its board at its upcoming annual meeting in May. Millard, former chairman of L3Harris Technologies, has experience in business, finance and strategic planning, and has served on boards including Evercore and MIT Corporation. Upon election, he’ll join the compensation committee and chair the audit committee. Meanwhile, Brad Gerstner will not seek re-election, citing other commitments following six years on the board. The company said in an SEC filing that his departure is not due to any disagreements.
Outback Presents expanded its board of directors with the addition of six industry figures. Led by chairman Leigh Feuerstein, known for building respected brands, the new board members include Dimitri Cohen (CIO, Raven Capital), Constance Schwartz-Morini (CEO, SMAC Entertainment), Jermaine Preyan (Young Money Entertainment), Ignacio Meyer (president, Univision Television Networks Group) and Austin Rosen (CEO, Electric Feel Entertainment). Their appointments aim to reinforce Outback’s leadership and drive long-term success in the entertainment industry. Co-CEOs Mike Smardak and Brian Dorfman praised the new members for their diverse backgrounds and shared passion for live entertainment. The expansion follows a big year for Outback, with nearly 1,700 shows in 283 cities and over 4.5 million tickets sold.
Symphonic Distribution elevated Colleen Shea to director of product management, Mónica Rodríguez to associate director of QA, and Alek Perepelitca to principal software architect, strengthening its product and technology teams. Shea, who joined in 2022, has led initiatives like Recoupments, a payment management system, and the redesign of SplitShare to streamline artist payouts. Rodríguez, with Symphonic since 2021, has scaled QA processes and ensured platform reliability. Perepelitca, part of Symphonic since 2019, has upgraded the company’s delivery infrastructure. VP of product Ali Lieberman praised Shea’s leadership and product management skills, while CTO Eshan Shah Jahan commended Rodríguez and Perepelitca’s contributions. Headquartered in Tampa, FL, Symphonic has a significant presence in Nashville, Los Angeles, Miami, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Ireland and Africa.
All Things Go Festival, the Maryland/New York music festival that recently expanded to three days, strengthened its leadership team with key hires. Kelsey McKenna joins as head of brand partnerships, bringing experience from Sunshine Sachs, while Sarah Pepper takes on the role of director of marketing and ticketing after working at Daydream State. Finally, Elise O’Leary, formerly of Live Nation, has been appointed community and content manager. Additionally, the festival launched an advisory board to help shape its future, featuring industry leaders Lizzy Plapinger (LPX, MS MR, and Neon Gold Records co-founder) and Lauren Glucksman (Apple Music).
Jeff Zuchowski (aka Jeff Z.) and Chad Doher launched Loaded Dice Entertainment (LDE), a full-scale entertainment company aimed at empowering independent artists. LDE offers a range of services including artist development, label services, marketing and distribution, and brand development. Jeff Z., with extensive experience in radio programming (Z100, WKTU) and digital streaming (nine years at Pandora, rising to svp of artist marketing and industry relations), and Chad Doher, a media mogul with a background in film (co-founder of Global Pictures Media), bring their expertise to LDE. Jeff Z. has a history of transforming industry relationships and producing high-profile events, while Doher has exec-produced Hollywood films including Arctic Dogs and The War With Grandpa, and created a platform for independent artists. LDE said it plans to announce new signings in the coming weeks.
NASHVILLE NOTES: Creative Nation, founded in 2011 by Luke and Beth Laird, added Alex Albanese as creative manager. The Belmont University graduate previously worked at Sony Music Publishing as creative coordinator for the A&R team. Creative Nation has also promoted Abby Holcomb to senior director, operations & digital, while Jayne Hamblin rises to director, management & records. Among Creative Nation’s clients are Barry Dean, Lori McKenna, Kassi Ashton, and Oscar Charles … PERK PR & Creative Agency, a Nashville-based firm, hired Ali Patton as a publicist. Patton previously worked at The Nashville Briefing and The 615 House, where she managed social media and curated industry news. She also gained experience as an agent assistant at The Neal Agency, supporting music agents. PERK PR represents a diverse roster of artists, including Ashley Anne, Charlie Collins, Cody Cozz, Dallas Alexander, Dylan Jakobsen, Jordyn Mallory, Kiana, Madison Olivia, Sheyna Gee and Taylor-Rae, among others. Reach Patton at ali@perkpr.co.
ICYMI:
Lee Zeidman
Tim Pithouse was appointed as the general manager of Def Jam Recordings. Previously serving as president of Three Six Zero, Pithouse will now lead the label and manage its diverse roster of artists … Lee Zeidman, the longtime president of Crypto.com Arena, Peacock Theater and LA Live, is retiring. After 45 years in the industry, Zeidman shared with Billboard that he’s ready to move on from full-time work and “write the next chapter in the book of Lee.” [Keep Reading]
Last Week’s Turntable: Universal Music Canada Shores Up A&R Team
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Kanye West seems to confirm a split with his wife, Bianca Censori, in a new unreleased track from his upcoming album, WW3.
During a live stream with DJ Akademiks, Kanye previewed a song titled “Bianca,” where he sings, “My baby she ran away.” The lyrics appear to suggest that their relationship has hit a rough patch, and Kanye opens up about some of his personal struggles in dealing with it. In the song, Kanye also references a tense moment in his relationship with Bianca, revealing that she tried to get him mental treatment, but he refused.
Ye raps, “My baby ran away but first she tried to get me committed, Not going to the hospital because I am not sick I just don’t get it.” This line hints at a possible breakdown in communication or understanding between the two, adding another layer of complexity to their relationship.
Perhaps the most eyebrow-raising line comes when Kanye compares his relationship with Bianca to the controversial dynamic between Cassie and Diddy. He boldly states, “I’m tracking my b*tch through the city, I guess we the new Cassie and Diddy.” This bold statement suggests that Kanye and Bianca’s relationship is messy but still in the spotlight, with Kanye calling them the new “power couple” making waves in the media.
Kanye also hints at the influence of his late mother, Donda West, on his music. He adds, “I’m making this song for Bianca, I’m feeling the spirit of Donda.” This statement could suggest that Kanye is channeling his emotional experiences and memories of his mother into his new music, blending personal pain with creative expression.
Check out the snippet below:
Kanye West reveals in his song “BIANCA” from his new album BULLY that Bianca left him after having a panic attack over his posts on X. He says he had to track her using the Maybach app after she ran off with his Maybach 👀
pic.twitter.com/XulN2v89cY
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) April 3, 2025
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Ken Carson is keeping the chaos alive. The Atlanta rapper has announced his next project, More Chaos, arriving April 11 via Opium/Interscope.
The news comes as pre-orders for the album go live this Friday (April 5), marking the beginning of a new era following the success of his breakout project A Great Chaos, which debuted at No. 11 on the Billboard 200.
His last single, “Overseas,” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 and continues to chart, and also debuted at No. 34 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, marking his third appearance on the ranking, after “Fighting My Demons” (No. 40) and “Jennifer’s Body” (No. 43).
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A Great Chaos (Deluxe) added fan-favorite cuts like “ss” to his growing catalog, with the project earning over 828,000 album-equivalent units in the U.S. alone, with 1.3 million globally, and was recently certified gold.
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At just 24, Ken Carson is already carving out a legacy as one of the most daring voices in the next generation of hip-hop. Known for blending high-octane production with a genre-less aesthetic, his music has resonated with a global fanbase while attracting praise from major names across music, fashion, and pop culture.
Among his high-profile fans and co-signers: Jay-Z, Drake, J. Cole, LeBron James, Anthony Kiedis, and Sydney Sweeney. Carson’s Chaos World Tour sold out its first leg, including three nights in New York City, two nights in Los Angeles, and a stop at London’s 12.5k-capacity OVO Arena Wembley. To date, the tour has hit over 70 cities across 80+ dates and shows no sign of slowing down.
In 2024, Carson’s reach expanded even further. He toured with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, modeled for HVN x Y/Project by Marc Jacobs, and played major festival slots including Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash and Coachella.
You can now pre-save Ken Carson’s More Chaos ahead of its April 11 release.
Albums with upward of 20 to 30 songs may be de rigueur for many artists in today’s music landscape — but when it came to crafting their new Stoney Creek Records/BMG album Fell in Love With a Cowgirl, out Friday (April 4), country group Parmalee had other ideas.
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“We wanted to give everybody a break,” Parmalee lead singer Matt Thomas tells Billboard of the album’s succinct seven tracks. “We wanted different stuff — not putting three versions of the same song on an album just to fill up the album.”
“And we just wanted to pick the best of what we had and do songs we love, and love to play live,” adds Parmalee drummer (and Matt’s brother) Scott Thomas.
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The North Carolina-born brothers, alongside their Parmalee bandmates, their cousin Barry Knox (on bass) and Josh McSwain (on guitar/keys), are also tasked with extending their hot streak of recent chart hits. In the past four years, the group has earned three No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay hits — “Just the Way,” “Take My Name” and most recently, 2024’s “Gonna Love You” — as well as the No. 3 hit “Girl in Mine.”
This year, they balance out the serious-minded ballad “Gonna Love You” by veering into up-tempo territory with the new album’s first release, “Cowgirl,” the summer-ready, danceable song that certainly picks up on the “cowgirl” vibe that has swept culture over the past year.
They launched their headlining Fell in Love With a Cowgirl Tour in February, and “Cowgirl” is already making its impact known. “Man, to see [the audience] already know the song is pretty exciting,” says Matt.
A range of sounds from rock-oriented songs such as “Miss Me When You’re Drinkin’” to pop-tilted love songs like “Day One,” “God Knew Better” and “Feels Like Home” scaffold the album around the group’s sinewy harmonies. Matt Thomas is a co-writer on every song, with other Parmalee bandmates contributing writing to various songs.
“We know our lane and what our fans expect from us,” Matt says. “The easiest thing to write about is love, and I think that’s kind of a thing that works for us. So, it always ends up coming back to that. We like to make people feel good.”
Listening to Parmalee’s carefully sculpted harmonies surrounding Matt’s high-flung lead vocals easily conveys the influence of vocal-forward groups from the rock, R&B and Americana worlds.
“Growing up in North Carolina, you go in any gas station, and you hear Motown and beach music and soul. Classic rock, and the Temptations,” McSwain says. “We still play Boyz II Men on the bus sometimes, all the ‘90s R&B stuff. And you had the bluegrass with the high harmonies.”
“I grew up thinking the harmony was the lead,” Knox recalls. “My mom would never sing along [to the melody] with the radio — she would harmonize to everything, so I grew up just thinking that’s how you sang.”
“When I’m singing at my best, it’s at a high register so these guys can come in at the middle register,” Matt says. “We’ve always done the three-part harmony thing where it needs to be. That’s the learning curve, too, of going from the studio to the stage. You can make anything sound good in the studio. You get up there and start playing it live, you only nail that thing one time and you got to do it every night. That’s something I think about, too, when I’m writing a song.”
Parmalee has seen its share of successes and lulls since releasing its Stoney Creek debut, Feels Like Carolina, in 2013. Debut single “Musta Had a Good Time” cracked the top 40 on the Country Airplay chart, but the group followed it with their first bona fide Country Airplay chart-topper, “Carolina.” However, subsequent songs failed to match the success of “Carolina,” and by 2019, the group found itself at a creative — and career — crossroads.
The following year, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Parmlee teamed with labelmate Blanco Brown to release “Just the Way.” The song became the group’s second Country Airplay No. 1 and a pivotal launchpad for its current string of musical success.
“It’s the miracle of timing, of working and not giving up,” says Scott. “Then ‘Just the Way’ gave us direction. After that song [became a hit], we were like, ‘The sound’s got to be right,’ and had ‘Take My Name’ and ‘Girl in Mine.’ That song was just as big for us as when ‘Carolina’ first came out. It’s had a huge impact.’”
There’s more music on the way, as Fell in Love With a Cowgirl is the first of a two-part project. The second half could possibly see the release of the song “Boots on Broadway,” a collaboration with Jelly Roll that the group first teased two years ago.
“It almost made this album, with the seven we have. It was a contender,” Knox says.
“We have to get with Jelly — he’s been so busy,” Matt says. “It’s a conversation of, ‘Is this what you want this collab to be, or do you think we might do something different?’”
They connected with the “I Am Not Okay” hitmaker more than a decade ago, long before Jelly Roll signed with BBR Music Group and broke through in the country space with songs like “Son of a Sinner.”
“When we moved to town, we had the same attorney and he was like, ‘There’s this guy and I think you guys will hit it off,’” Matt says. “We’re both hard workers and just coming from independent backgrounds and stuff. He came to our house, and we wrote together and everyone was just chill.”
With their string of radio hits and headlining shows, it is staggering to consider that the group has yet to garner even a nomination in the group of the year/vocal group of the year category at either of country music’s two most-coveted awards ceremonies, the CMAs and ACMs (their lone nomination came a decade ago, for the ACM’s new vocal duo or group of the year).
“I mean, I don’t know what the criteria is,” Matt says. “Radio has always had a big play in it — if you had a hit, you were probably going to be nominated, right?”
But they take the group’s continual absence from the final nominees in the group-honoring categories with the same dogged determination that’s seen them through previous peaks and valleys this far.
“We’re right there, it’s almost our time,” McSwain says. “We just have to keep having hits, get our crowd coming in and build it, and then it’ll hopefully happen.”
The Bear star Jeremy Allen White had some pretty big shoes to fill when he signed on to star as Bruce Springsteen in the upcoming biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere. But according to The Hollywood Reporter, the Emmy-winning actor proved that he was more than up to the task this week when theater owners got […]