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Country

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This year was largely defined by pop stars who rewrote the rules, genre outlaws who succeeded in new territory and a rap beef that gave us a unifying anthem. But throughout the year, a handful of artists were enjoying their own major milestones — ones that not only defined their year, but their career.
From award recognition to chart firsts to major synchs and more, artists including Victoria Monét, Gracie Abrams, Natasha Bedingfield, A. G. Cook, Carín León, and Tems reflect on their defining moments of the year.

Gracie Abrams

Gracie Abrams

Abby Waisler

Last year, every single time I watched The Eras Tour — which was every time I opened — never once did it feel like there was going to be an end. When we were asked to come back, knowing that it would be to close it out, I immediately felt so nostalgic for the experience. Over the past few challenging, strange, scary years, Taylor has been a source of light for people who desperately needed it, and for developing artists, the tour has been an unimaginably significant springboard. For my career, it’s been undeniable. It’s hard to make sense of streaming numbers on your phone — I’m not someone who’s ever really been super tapped into that data — so to track the difference in audience reception quite literally in front of my eyes on The Eras Tour has been mind-blowing. I thought I was hallucinating when I first heard [Swifties] singing my lyrics back.

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What was most exciting about my own headlining tour was that I had made [2024 second album] The Secret of Us with my live show in mind. I’ve had the most fun performing “us.” in particular because on the days I’m not singing it with Taylor, it becomes this duet between all of us onstage and everybody in the crowd. And it was nominated for a Grammy! The whole reason Taylor and I wrote it in the first place was we’d just come off a dinner where she’d very sweetly said we needed to celebrate my first Grammy nomination [for best new artist in 2023]. The full circle of it all is hard for me to wrap my head around.

The Secret of Us has had the most traction out of any of the projects I’ve put out before, and there are milestones that are fun to acknowledge. When “I Love You, I’m Sorry” ended up being the song that took off the most, I felt like it was — not that we needed it — permission to allow acoustic guitar to remain the driving force behind “That’s So True,” which came from the feeling of living with a burning, fiery rage of jealousy. Seeing the life that song is having right now is psychotic to me. The audience’s engagement has only felt stronger as these rooms have continued to, by some miracle, expand. But what I clock as my metric for success is how it feels to create a thing and then sing it with a group of people who resonate with it. I just can’t believe any of it is real.

Natasha Bedingfield

Natasha Bedingfield

Cameron Jordan

Last year, my publisher reached out and I recognized the name [in his pitch]. I was like, “Ah, [filmmaker] Will Gluck! I remember him.” My song “Pocketful of Sunshine” was a big part of his [2010] movie, Easy A. He seems to use my songs in things and they resonate. So when I wrote back [about using “Unwritten” in his new film], I said, “A hundred percent yes.”

I went to the premiere [of Anyone but You], and the actors were like, “They just kept making us sing your song!” I think he made them sing it in every scene. I remember my publisher being like, “They’re really using it a lot.” And they even came back after they edited the movie and said, “We actually want to give you a bit more money because we ended up using the song even more.” We were really blown away by how it was used and how funny it was. There’s a moment where Sydney [Sweeney] is looking up at [Glen Powell’s] butt, singing, “Reaching for something in the distance.” I mean, that’s the kind of humor that I love.

People watched the movie and they left singing the song, and then they filmed themselves singing it and put that up on TikTok. And I got a call from Will saying, “Because the song is trending on TikTok, it’s making more people go see the movie.” So it was this really amazing thing that kind of served each other.

It feels like “Unwritten” has been one of the songs of the year. I feel really touched by this, and I couldn’t have anticipated it. Last year, I was thinking, “We need to do something for the [20th] anniversary! Let’s celebrate. Let’s put music out.” And then this happened without me. It was outside of my control, and it’s just been wilder than I could have imagined.

I think it’s everyone’s song, but nobody knew that until Anyone but You. What’s so poetic about this is that “Unwritten” itself is a song that’s changing and growing, and the story about it is evolving. When I was writing it, we imagined the arenas and the stadiums and the crowd singing it. And when we were producing it, I remember being like, “How do we pick sounds that aren’t going to be dated?” “Unwritten” is like my baby, and I hope it keeps shape-shifting.

A. G. Cook

A.G. Cook

Henry Redcliffe

Charli and I were talking about doing remixes almost from the beginning. I was really pushing this notion that I have about music in general in the post-streaming era. I like that music doesn’t have to completely end at the album release; the masters that get uploaded to streaming aren’t necessarily the final version.

What’s been so nice about brat is that even the way it was rolled out, the Boiler Room set happening early on and so forth, it’s holistically been about there being different versions. We’d sometimes even talk about remixes while working on the tracks themselves. There was always this notion that at some point, there would be a high-effort extension of the album. Thematically, brat is so interesting in how it is pure Charli, not using features. But obviously there’s all that energy building up for actual collaborations to happen. We knew while making it that if we wanted to collaborate, that would go on the remix album, but we’d also give collaborators agency to make songs even more in their image.

The original tracks were operating in real time, so it was no surprise that the remix album just continued that experience [by reflecting on] those months [after brat’s release]. The confessional nature of brat also provoked a lot of the remix collaborators to match that. Especially the [“Girl, so confusing” remix with Lorde], because it was conceived right as the album came out. That set the tone for the remixes to be actual conversations.

For [the “Mean girls” remix with Julian Casablancas], we wanted to make sure he could really make it his own, that it wasn’t just “Julian’s going to jump on for a verse.” That would have felt wrong for everyone. Charli and I wanted to demonstrate, like, “We’re not precious. We’re fine to dismantle it.” There are some remixes that didn’t happen simply because we sent it to people and they didn’t know where to start or were uncomfortable making a completely different genre. But the “Mean girls” remix is a good example of making sure it didn’t just feel like a feature, but an amalgamation that would then challenge Charli and I to also put ourselves on it.

The original songs are as clubby as DJs want to make them, or not. There’s so much ammo in brat, so many intriguing moments that could be looped, taken apart. I’ve already heard people do so many of their own remixes. There are funny ones where Charli is interviewed and is like, “Yeah, I love dance music, but I don’t really like drum’n’bass.” Then there’ll be like 10 drum’n’bass remixes, almost as like a “f–k you.” I think that’s the most fun part.

Carín León

Carin León

Carlos Ruiz

Being at the Grand Ole Opry was culturally very significant. As a Latino, as a Mexican, as a fan of country music, to go to the capital of country and play inside the temple of country music meant a lot to me. I think we made our mark.

I’ve always been close to country music, listening to Johnny Cash, George Strait and the newer generation of artists who are so good and are breaking parameters and doing things differently, just as we are with Mexican music. I love what artists like Luke Combs and Post Malone are doing, but if I had to choose a single country act, it would be the great Chris Stapleton. He’s given us a lot of love.

In fact, the last time we performed in the South, we sang “Tennessee Whiskey,” and I said, “Respectfully, for me, the best country singer, technically and artistically speaking, is Chris Stapleton.” Then we realized his wife was there, and she got up and came to the stage to see us. It made me realize music really has no borders. We have a country project set for next year, mostly in English, with a lot of collaborations.

We’ve been making other inroads with country music this year, and one day my manager, Jorge Juárez, and I were on a flight and he said, “We’ve just been confirmed for the Grand Ole Opry.” As if this was normal. My first words were “You’re kidding me!” Because I know how hard it is to play there. Many American artists never get to do it. It felt like confirming the biggest stadium ever.

It was the culmination of all those dreams I had as a kid of playing in a mythical and legendary space. Playing there allowed me to be me and to be that person that since childhood has loved country music, especially because our Mexican music is so influenced by country. I think it’s the only place where I’ve cried onstage. It’s something money can’t buy — and a memory I’ll take with me till the day I die.

Victoria Monét

Victoria Monét

Dalvin Adams

I really liked the process of getting into the Grammys. I was doing a lot of prep physically, like watching my food intake, lots of workouts. A really special moment happened where I took [my daughter] Hazel with me to a fitting with Versace. It was my daughter’s first time on a red carpet, and she [was going to] be matching with me. Versace allowed us to pick a specific brown and bring that theme of [my album] Jaguar to life.

[Winning the best new artist Grammy] was one of the biggest goals that I had for the year. You know how much it takes to get recognition in this industry or bring a vision to life and what kind of marketing it took to get there, what kind of focus and dedication and sacrifice. [But I have this] yin-yang mentality like, although this means the world to me and I appreciate it, I can’t make it my be-all and end-all to determine whether or not I’m good — because the other [nominees] were also amazing and they didn’t get it, and they’re going on with their lives and doing amazing, incredible things.

I have [my Grammys] on a banister upstairs; it’s kind of become an awards banister. There are a few plaques there and a framed tweet about the Grammys that I tweeted in 2015, almost like a manifestation. It puts a pep in your step to know that you did the right thing, but also you have so much more work to do, so just keep going and remain grounded and know that all of these things are a blessing.

You want to continue to do what you love even if the accolades don’t ever come again. There were many years where I thought I was great and I didn’t have those awards on my banister. It was just knowing, because of my work ethic, greatness comes that way. And when the recognition and attention come, you want to make sure that doesn’t become your driving force. Those are extras, but it does feel really nice.

Tems

Tems

Adrienne Raquel

Once I have a vision, I’m always trying to do everything to put my vision in place. But that can also sometimes turn into perfectionism, which I learned to let go of while [making my debut album, Born in the Wild]. You [have to] be as authentic as possible and allow yourself to flow in the music — letting go of anything that you think you’re supposed to do, be or show.

I’m not thinking too much about genres or rules: “Oh, you have to make Afrobeats.” My “why” is different. My “why” is to release my thoughts. It’s an honor to be able to make music that you want to make and for people to be able to connect to it — and for someone to recognize that is also really great.

[At Coachella], Wizkid was around and we asked him if he’d come out [to perform “Essence”], and he was really down. Justin [Bieber] happened to also be around. He hit me up that morning and said he’s down to come out if I needed him. And I was like, “Yes!” It was amazing. Everybody was going crazy. The crowd was screaming, the floor was shaking. It was a vibe, like a huge party.

[In November], we had just arrived at midnight in Melbourne, Australia, so I wasn’t thinking too much about the Grammys. I was extremely tired, so I went to bed hoping to get a little bit of rest before my show the next day. Around 5 a.m., my phone started vibrating on my bed. It’s calls and people shouting, “Oh, my God. Congrats!” I’m like, “Bro, what’s going on?” They’re like, “Bro, three Grammy nominations!” It was worth being woken up for, especially for the people that have worked on this album — not just me, but my friend and my producer [GuiltyBeatz], [and] Spax, [who] also engineered it.

There are so many people that worked sleepless nights and really did their best to help me out, and it’s beautiful to see them have the recognition. All it takes is a Grammy-nominated project that you were a part of for your life to change. That’s what I really care about the most.

This story appears in the Dec. 14, 2024, issue of Billboard.

“For ‘A Bar Song’ to still be doing what it’s doing is insane,” an awestruck Shaboozey told Billboard in November about his breakout song’s then-16-week-long run atop the Billboard Hot 100. “[It’s] crazy how much the song carried on its own. We don’t even do anything and it’s like, ‘Hey, you’re aiming for a 17th week now!’ ”
Of course, monthslong No. 1 smashes don’t just happen on their own — but “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” which has achieved 19 weeks at No. 1, wasn’t the only country single to reach the peak this year. Between Post Malone’s Morgan Wallen-assisted “I Had Some Help,” Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ’Em” and Wallen’s own “Love Somebody,” country has topped Billboard’s all-genre singles chart more than any other genre this year. Shaboozey’s and Post Malone’s smashes are the only 2024 releases to log more than three weeks atop the chart — a notable feat, considering that the former is a country newcomer and the latter is a pop/hip-hop crossover star.

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“I Had Some Help,” which arrived in April and debuted atop the Hot 100, marked the first major release of Post Malone’s country music foray, which Grammy Award-nominated producer Louis Bell describes as a “natural transition” from the singer-songwriter space of the artist’s 2023 Austin album. “We want each project to flow into the next,” he tells Billboard.

Posty’s pop-country jam started with massive streams and sales, perfectly setting the stage for the arrival of the album F-1 Trillion, which opened in the penthouse of the Billboard 200 (dated Aug. 31) with 250,000 units, according to Luminate. All 18 songs from the album’s standard edition reached the Hot 100, including 15 collaborations with country powerhouses like Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley and Chris Stapleton — a testament to the Nashville goodwill that the Grammy-nominated pop star had accrued during his formal entry into the country space.

Historically, country music has been vigilant about newcomers immersing themselves in the genre’s roots, and Post got his boots dirty to prove his bona fides. He and Bell, who co-produced every track on F-1 Trillion, began working on it in November 2023 in Nashville right before the Country Music Association (CMA) Awards — foreshadowing the four nods that “I Had Some Help” would earn at the awards show the following year.

The two collaborators worked on the first few songs of the F-1 Trillion sessions with country superstar Luke Combs. “Post started saying that it [made] sense to collaborate on a lot of these records because he wanted to show Nashville how much he loves country and shine a light on the people who are in the city that inspired him,” Bell explains. “That was always the vision from the top down.” By inviting Nashville heavyweights such as Tim McGraw to collaborate in person, Post made sure that “word spread pretty quickly of how legitimate [he] was and how much he knew about the genre.”

To fully transition into the new style, he and Bell also implemented a new approach to their creative process: mulling over stories and concepts at the onset of a session instead of building out beats and melodies they had already been tinkering with.

The month before “I Had Some Help,” Post covered Hank Williams at Nashville’s iconic Ryman Auditorium, and in the months following the song’s release, he performed his first songwriter’s round at the Bluebird Cafe, played a set of classic country covers at Stagecoach 2024, made his Grand Ole Opry debut and brought out Blake Shelton as a surprise guest at his first-ever stadium show.

While Posty had to overcome his pop profile in his quest for crossover success, Shaboozey, a newcomer to the mainstream, had to establish who he was. “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” served as the fourth single — but was the first to get a radio push — from his third studio album, Where I’ve Been Isn’t Where I’m Going, which topped the Folk Albums and Independent Albums charts. With no major country collaborators, Shaboozey’s project didn’t come with the overt approval of the Nashville establishment — but it did arrive on the back of two appearances on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter in March, helping to spur eye-popping early consumption for “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” now nominated three times over at the 2025 Grammys ceremony.

“It was a bit of a fast and furious [situation],” says Heather Vassar, EMPIRE senior vp of operations, Nashville. Country radio programmers “were already familiar with Shaboozey’s name, but we had a very global, multiformat approach. When we decided to launch at country radio, we made sure they understood him and the whole project. The more authentic conversations we had, the more receptive they’ve become, and they’ve been incredible.”

Harnessing the power of his interpolation of J-Kwon’s 2004 Hot 100 No. 2 hip-hop smash, “Tipsy,” Shaboozey was able to expand the reach of “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and tap into more diverse segments of country’s listenership. The track’s whistling instrumentation kept it squarely in the country genre, while its rap-sung flow and Birkin name-check kept it accessible for hip-hop and top 40 audiences — and those who had been newly corralled into the post-Cowboy Carter country wave. Shaboozey also made his Nashville rounds, playing The Nashville East and Spotify House at CMA Fest.

“The beauty of our country ecosystem — outside of select playlists — is that genre lines have been less of a concern,” Spotify country editor Claire Heinichen says. “Pop-country was the dominant subgenre for most of the 2010s. We knew the audience would really resonate with [these] songs. The data spoke for itself.”

It will be difficult for country songs to replicate the Hot 100 dominance of “I Had Some Help” and “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” without the boost of 2024’s larger paradigm shift. Yet Posty’s emphasis on adhering to country traditionalism and Shaboozey’s plays to more underserved country music listeners provide equally strong blueprints for future crossover hits.

This story appears in the Dec. 14, 2024, issue of Billboard.

Country fans can celebrate the end of 2024 with Jon Pardi! NHL and TNT are set to host Barnburner, a hockey-focused fan experience on Dec. 31 in celebration of the 2025 Discover NHL Winter Classic, with Pardi as the headliner. The event, which takes place around Chicago’s Wrigley Field, will take place from noon to […]

Less than 12 months ago, Hudson Westbrook was attending school and making a living breaking cattle in his native Texas, with plans to join his family working in the oil and gas industry. Instead, he’s released a self-titled debut EP, has a slate of hit streaming songs to his credit — including “5 to 9” and “House Again” — and has swiftly added his name to a growing crop of new artists forging their music on traditional country sounds and timeless songwriting.

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“It’s been crazy,” Westbrook tells Billboard of his whirlwind year. “It’s gone way better than I expected, and I’d be happy if we had even half of the success we’ve had so far.”

Growing up in Stephenville, Westbrook’s life revolved around sports and farm life. He was part of a state championship-winning high school football team. He also worked with cattle and was involved with Future Farmers of America, serving as a chapter president for 75 schools.

He began playing guitar in 2020 and wrote his first song after enrolling at Texas Tech last year. In April Westbrook released his breakthrough song “Take It Slow,” which has earned over 10 million Spotify streams. Soon after he released his first video, Hudson says various music executives began reaching out, so he sought advice from a fellow Texan and musician, Grant Gilbert, who pointed him toward the Warner Music Nashville-distributed River House Artists.

“He was like, ‘These are the best people I can guide you towards,’ and then I talked to a booking agent and they said the same thing — ‘I trust them. I’ve seen it firsthand.’” Westbrook says.

Now with River House, and managed by River House’s director of creative/A&R Zebb Luster, Westbrook has followed with a steady slate of resonant songs over the past several months, including “Dopamine,” the romantic “5 to 9” (11.5 million Spotify streams since its August release) and the sobering “House Again” (over 14 million Spotify streams since its October release). In the process, he’s seen his Spotify followers swell to more than 2.6 million monthly listeners.

“When I started writing, I really was pushing myself to get outside of my comfort zone and find who I am as an artist,” Westbrook says. “When we released ‘5 to 9,’ I was like, ‘This is real; I think this can work.’ I feel like that’s a major reason why this is working right now, is because I’m writing about stuff that I’m experiencing firsthand.”

Westbrook’s “House Again” reached No. 14 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart. In November came his seven-song, self-titled project, which reached No. 46 on Top Country Albums, while Westbrook rose to No. 25 on Emerging Artists. According to Luminate, Westbrook’s catalog has earned 79.6 million official on-demand U.S. streams.

Those streams have translated to burgeoning concert audiences, and Westbrook says he’s doing his best to connect with as many of his fans as possible.

“We did a free show at Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth and a thousand people showed up,” he recalls. “The merch line was four hours long, and I sat there and signed all those. Then, we went to open for Midland [in September] and the merch line was still going by the middle of their set.”

Westbrook seems poised to continue his ascendant trajectory in 2025. January will see the launch of his own headlining tour, while he will also play several country festivals in the summer. He also has his sights set on releasing a full album.

Westbrook, Billboard’s Country Rookie of the Month for December, opened up about his career journey, songwriting, and his favorite music.

What is the story behind “House Again”?

We came up with the hook and I was like, “What if this was about my parents’ divorce?” and we wrote about just little things that I experienced as a child, watching as my parents got divorced. I used to live in the country with tons of land around our house, then I had to move to a golf course [community] with like point zero of an acre around it. It was a big change. I feel like it was expressing my frustration as a kid, watching that happen and not being able to control any of it or figure out why it’s not working.

You worked with several top songwriters on your EP, including Marv Green. What was it like writing songs for this project?

It was great. I was very nervous. You’re a new artist, your whole life just changed. These people have been doing this for years and have written number ones and you’re like, “Screw me. I’m going into this room and anything I say is going to sound dumb.” I feel like the day we wrote “House Again” was the first day that really opened up, like “This was my idea. This was my experience.” I realized I have to make sure I speak up about my experiences, and that I’m writing about something that I experienced because I relate to that best and I can write towards that best.

Who would you like to write or record with?

I think Randy Montana is my dream [co-writer], and Dean Dillon. I love all the older dudes that have created country into what it is today. And then I think for collabs, Megan Moroney would be really cool, and Parker McCollum or Ella Langley.

What is a song you wish you had written?

“Like a Cowboy” by Parker McCollum, written by Chris Stapleton and Al Anderson.

What is your desert island album?

Benson Boone’s Fireworks & Rollerblades.

What is your take on the current state of country music?

I think everything new is going to go back to old. I think people are leaning toward sounds like Merle Haggard and Tracy Lawrence. I think we’re seeing that firsthand with Zach Top. People are leaning towards those older sounds.

What television show are you watching right now?

I started watching Landman on Paramount Plus. It’s a movie about what I would be doing if I wasn’t doing music. I watch it and I’m like, “Dude, there’s still something there.” I still would love to do that one day. I’ve never watched Yellowstone, but Landman right now is my stuff.

What is a holiday memory that stands out to you?

I think a Christmas memory that stood out to me is [from] three Christmases ago, when my grandpa was about to pass away. He sat all of us down and told us that he was going to pass away, but he prayed and said that everything was going to be okay. He was like, “Don’t worry about me. Y’all keep doing Christmas at my house. Y’all are always welcome to do Christmas here.” It was really sad, but it was really cool to watch him be like, ‘Y’all are still welcome here.”

What does being from Texas mean to you?

I’m always going to stay loyal to Texas. I live in Lubbock. If you live in Nashville — and not hating on anyone that lives [in Nashville] — but it can become a very cycle-based lifestyle. Write at 10, write at 2, play shows on the weekend — I love music, but I find beauty in separating yourself from what you love, so that you love it more once you do it again.

Little Big Town and the Grand Ole Opry are ushering in the holidays this year, pairing Christmas music with one of Nashville’s most iconic stages in the upcoming television special Little Big Town’s Christmas at the Opry.

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Set to air Dec. 16 on NBC beginning at 8 p.m. ET/PT (and streaming on Peacock the following day), the special will be hosted by three-time Grammy winners Little Big Town (who will also lend their sterling harmonies to several songs).

They will also welcome several of their fellow friends and artists, including Dan + Shay, Kelsea Ballerini, Sheryl Crow, Kirk Franklin, Josh Groban, Kate Hudson and Orville Peck to perform a mix of Christmas classics and original holiday music. The mix of solo performances, duets and other collaborations were all filmed in front of an audience at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House.

In an early-look clip previewing the special, Little BIg Town’s Jimi Westbook says, “There’s no better place to celebrate the holiday and season that we love so much, than to be here at the Opry with friends and family.”

The clip also spotlights Ballerini performing a rendition of “White Christmas,” Dan+Shay performing “Holiday Party” from their 2024 album It’s Officially Christmas: The Double Album, and Little Big Town teaming with Groban for a harmony-filled collaboration.

“We are simply beside ourselves to announce that we will host our own NBC Holiday Special at the prestigious Grand Ole Opry House,” Opry members Little Big Town previously said in a statement. “This is an incredible honor for us, and we are beyond thrilled to share this special evening with viewers and fans across the country.”

In October, the six-time CMA vocal group of the year winners released their first Christmas project, The Christmas Record, which includes their renditions of songs including Merle Haggard’s “If We Make It Through December” and Amy Grant’s “Tennessee Christmas.”

The NBC special is executive produced by Jesse Ignjatovic, Evan Prager and Barb Bialkowski for Den of Thieves. Jason Owen and Ashley Edens also executive produce.

See the First Look at NBC’s Little Big Town’s Christmas at the Opry below:

12/13/2024

From Linkin Park 2.0’s BBMA debut to Teddy Swims, Jelly Roll, Coldplay, Fuerzo Regida and Stray Kids, we’ve got all of Thursday night’s (Dec. 12) sets here for you.

12/13/2024

George Birge notches his first leader on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart as “Cowboy Songs” moseys two spots to No. 1 on the Dec. 21-dated survey. The song increased by 14% to 28.9 million audience impressions Dec. 6-12, according to Luminate.

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“Cowboy Songs” is from Birge’s same-named album, released in April. He co-authored the single with Lalo Guzman, Matt McGinn and Michael Tyler. Guzman and McGinn produced the track about a love interest who “only dances to cowboy songs.” (“That steel guitar’ll steal her heart,” Birge sings.)

“Having the No. 1 song on the Billboard Country Airplay chart is an absolute dream come true,” Birge says. “It’s wild to think that the song I wrote about chasing my wife across dusty dive bars in Austin, Texas, is now sitting at the top. I couldn’t think of a better way to end the year.”

Birge’s first Country Airplay leader follows his rookie entry, “Mind on You,” which hit No. 2 in January.

Before launching his solo career, and signing to Records Nashville in 2021, Birge was half of duo Waterloo Revival with Cody Cooper. (The pair made two appearances on the lower reaches of Country Airplay in 2015.)

At Home in the Top 10

Dan + Shay earn their 12th Country Airplay top 10 as “Bigger Houses” rises 11-10 (17.3 million, up 2%).

The song, which the duo’s Dan Smyers co-wrote, is the title cut from the pair’s LP that entered at its No. 9 Top Country Albums high in September 2023, becoming the twosome’s fifth top 10.

The act — Smyers and Shay Mooney — logged its initial Country Airplay top 10, and first of eight No. 1s, with “Nothin’ Like You,” which dominated for one week in December 2015. The tandem most recently reigned with “Glad You Exist” for a week in August 2021.

The 2024 Billboard Music Awards presented by Marriott Bonvoy are in the books, with multiple artists taking home awards in between memorable performances from Stray Kids, Jelly Roll and more. Shaboozey was the first star to take the stage at the ceremony Thursday night (Dec. 13) — a fitting kickoff considering his single “A Bar […]

Nothing is bringing Jelly Roll down after winning his first-ever Billboard Music Award during Thursday night’s (Dec. 12) ceremony, and the star kept riding the high with a dynamic performance of “Liar.” “I see people crying and I see strangers wrapping their arms around them and spreading the love all throughout the building. I can […]

Morgan Wallen was a big winner at this year’s Billboard Music Awards, picking up four trophies, winning in the categories of Top Male Artist, Top Country Artist, Top Country Male Artist and Top Collaboration (for his Post Malone collaboration “I Had Some Help”). Wallen accepted the honors and thanked fans in his acceptance speech. Holding […]