State Champ Radio Country
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Think of it as three chords and the gospel truth.
The most interesting, and most under-recognized, thread among finalists for the 57th annual Country Music Association Awards, airing tonight (Nov. 8) on ABC, is the sound of gospel choirs. For the first time in history, the single of the year category features two such groups: The historic Fisk Jubilee Singers appear in the background of Jelly Roll’s song about a spiritual crossroads, “Need a Favor,” and a makeshift choir arranged by Nashville soul singer Jason Eskridge underscores the power of redemption in the back half of HARDY’s murder ballad “wait in the truck,” featuring Lainey Wilson.
In addition, The War and Treaty, whose sound is loaded with church-y timbre, picked up their first nomination for vocal duo of the year. The genre, it appears, is circling back to its unbroken origins and reclaiming the sound of gospel at a time when society is particularly divided.
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“I think most people inside their hearts are crying out for something to ease all of the anger,” says producer Brent Maher (The Judds, Dottie West). “How it all lined up for this [awards] show — that could be coincidence. But I don’t think there’s any doubt that there is a need for that.”
Maher has had a hand in country’s gospel trend. As producer of A Tribute to the Judds, he enlisted BMI executive/arranger Shannon Sanders to assemble the Fisk Singers for Jelly Roll’s closing duet with K. Michelle, “Love Can Build a Bridge.”
But there’s plenty more spiritual sound to go around. Miko Marks and the Resurrectors employ the Fisk ensemble on “Jubilee”; Elle King’s album Come Get Your Wife features a pair of songs with an Eskridge-led choir, “Try Jesus” and “Love Go By”; Cody Jinks’ “Outlaws and Mustangs” slides a choir into its final minute; and producer Tony Brown (George Strait, Reba McEntire) compiled a Gaither Tribute album, paying homage to late Southern gospel icon Bill Gaither in a 10-track project that has Ronnie Dunn leading a choir on “Because He Lives.” For extra emphasis, The Oak Ridge Boys have launched their farewell tour, preparing to cap a successful country career that hinged on harmonies founded in their gospel origins.
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In country’s formative years, the genre’s artists tended to include gospel segments in their shows, or record entire faith-filled albums. That approach offset the drinking and cheating themes that were also prominent in the format’s lexicon, demonstrating the push and pull at work in its creative soul. “Country music and R&B have never shied away from the fact that the dark and the light always run close to each other,” Brown says.
That’s apparent in both “Need a Favor” and “wait in the truck,” which feature desperate characters dealing with addiction and murder, respectively. It’s appropriate that the Fisk Singers are part of this moment: the group was established over 150 years ago to raise money and awareness for the historically Black Fisk University, established during Reconstruction. The Fisk group existed decades before the country format coalesced, and its foundational role in Nashville’s development as a music center is one of the reasons why Jelly Roll chose to perform with them on the single, as well as on “Love Can Build a Bridge.”
“He really wanted that to happen,” says Sanders. “It meant something to him to be a son of Music City, to have the Fisk Jubilee Singers — that was on his creative bucket list. That’s what made it that much more satisfactory.”
Adding to the satisfaction of the moment is the subtle message rendered by the nominations. Morgan Wallen’s 2021 incident in which he used a racial slur, and Jason Aldean’s current single, “Try That in a Small Town,” with a video that led many to view the song’s vigilante message as bigoted, contributed to a widespread belief that country is unwelcoming. Mickey Guyton, Kane Brown and Darius Rucker have all fielded racist attacks on social media, and in 11 Minutes, a Paramount+ documentary about the massacre at Las Vegas’ Route 91 Harvest festival, Black concertgoer Jonathan Smith recalled another attendee dismissing him: “I didn’t know your kind liked this music.”
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But that message runs counter to the stated interests of the industry at large, which has signed more artists of color and developed several programs to more quickly boost minority creators and executives. The choirs provide aural support for that position. “Country’s evolving to this more inclusive place,” Sanders says.
Eskridge — who has toured with the likes of Lyle Lovett, Zac Brown Band and blues artist Jonny Lang — agrees. “I’ve been the only Black dude in a group of 60,000 people, and those groupings of people are not indicative of the negativity that you’re seeing. It’s always been primarily a very loving and a very accepting atmosphere,” he says. “The negativity always gets the loudest voice, but I don’t necessarily believe that that’s the norm.”
The recording industry marketed country and the blues separately beginning in the 1920s, but the two forms grew out of the same Southern soil. Black performers — particularly Country Music Hall of Fame member DeFord Bailey — helped create the informal, back-porch sound of early country, and country artists such as Hank Williams, Bill Monroe and Johnny Cash were trained by Black musicians. The late Carl Perkins, who can be heard singing and playing on the Judds tribute album, recalled gospel figuring into life as a sharecropper in racially blended West Tennessee.
“It wasn’t a whole bunch of white people picking cotton together in one field and all kinds of Black people in another field,” Maher says. “They were all mixed together. And, he said, when [they] would take a quick lunch break, it’s not like ‘I’m going to my house, you go to your house.’ They would just congregate somewhere, and pretty soon, somebody started singing a tune. They’d all be singing, and most of them were gospel songs.”
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The gospel story is one of transformation, and the return of gospel’s sound to country is a natural reaction to division, outward evidence of a desire to heal long-held grievances and to bolster community. Gospel allows people to hear pain from the past, asserts The War and Treaty’s Michael Trotter Jr., “in the voices that [have] long been gatekeepers of the soul.”
But, he adds, it also helps them “remember the feeling of surety, peace, love — and that feeling, above all, that encourages us to drive on, which is hope! Hope belongs in country music, and that’s what Tanya and I are here for.”
It’s not a mistake that the sound of gospel is most evident in quartets or full-blown choirs. The message seeks out harmony, and harmony only comes through multiple voices working together.
“Our world is a crazy place these days,” says Eskridge. “I think anytime something promotes or echoes unity, I think people are probably drawn to it a little more.”
That’s enough to explain the current rise of gospel. “Need a Favor,” “wait in the truck” and “Love Can Build a Bridge” all represent individuals aspiring to a higher calling, and the choirs bring that home. “Putting a gospel choir on something is like putting strings on a song to make it sound bigger,” Brown says. “It represents something bigger than you.”
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Lainey Wilson and HARDY are already winners heading into tonight’s (Nov. 8) 2023 CMA Awards.
This morning, the Country Music Association revealed that HARDY and Wilson’s dramatic murder ballad, “Wait in the Truck,” picked up trophies for musical event of the year and music video of the year.
“Wait in the Truck” was produced by HARDY, Joey Moi, Jordan Schmidt and Derek Wells, while Justin Clough directed the music video.
These mark HARDY’s first CMA Awards wins, while Wilson took home new artist of the year and female vocalist of the year during last year’s CMAs. Part of the song’s strength is the charismatic vocal interplay between the two singers, as well as the message tackling domestic abuse.
“You rarely hear songs like this that bring light to heavy situations that people are really scared to talk about,” Wilson previously told Billboard of “Wait in the Truck.” “I feel, in my heart, that our job is to sing about the things that people are afraid to talk about. It’s a song that definitely starts a conversation.”
Co-producer Moi also previously noted, “When somebody’s had the guts to write something completely alternative and also make it sound completely mainstream at the same time, it’s a unicorn-type song.”
Heading into this year’s ceremony, Wilson leads the nominees with nine total nominations (including entertainer of the year and female vocalist of the year), while HARDY picked up four nods. “Wait in the Truck” is also up for both single of the year and song of the year.
The 57th annual CMA Awards will air tonight on ABC from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Wilson and HARDY are both slated as performers, as well as Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Luke Combs, Dan+Shay, Jordan Davis, Alan Jackson, Jelly Roll, K. Michelle, Little Big Town and more.
The 57th Annual CMA Awards is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the executive producer, Alan Carter is the director and Jon Macks is the head writer.
Following the tremendous success of such music-driven shows as The Beatles’ Love and Michael Jackson’s MJ One, Cirque du Soleil is partnering with Universal Music Group Nashville for an acrobatics spectacular that will feature country music. The still-untitled touring show will launch in Nashville in July 2024 at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and feature music from both contemporary and legendary country artists.
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“Nashville is the perfect location to launch our new show centered around country music,” Cirque du Soleil CEO Stéphane Lefebvre tells Billboard. “It’s a place where the genre has thrived and continues to evolve, making it a natural fit for our new theatrical touring show to debut, celebrating the roots and evolution of country music.”
The show marks Cirque’s first venture using country music. “Working with this new specific music genre challenges our creative team to innovate and come up with unique ways to interpret the music,” says Lefebvre. “It pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in live entertainment. Shows like Love and MJ One have taught us that the synergy between our extraordinary performances and the power of the music can create a powerful and captivating live experience, and we are convinced that pairing our expertise with the country music genre including artists from Universal Music Group’s vast repertoire, will be a successful collaboration.”
Lefebvre says it is too early to specify what songs or artists will be used in the show, but says, “Our goal is to create a captivating musical experience that resonates with our audience on a deep and emotional level. The heart of our show lies in the diverse selection of songs. We have carefully curated a blend of classic and new songs that touch upon a wide range of subjects. From heartbreak to love, good times and bad times, celebration, and friendship, our song choices are a reflection of the human experience in all its complexity.”
The music will be performed by live musicians and singers instead of licensing the existing recordings. “The live element adds an extra layer of authenticity and energy to the performance, enhancing the emotional connection with the audience,” Lefebvre says. “It will be a celebration of the evolution of country music and we aim to showcase the authenticity of the genre and how it has evolved over time.”
Though running in Nashville instead of Las Vegas, Lefebvre still expects the show to have an international appeal: “Country music also has a global fanbase, and its unique storytelling and melodies can resonate with people from all walks of life… Exploring the world of country music provides us with an exciting artistic challenge as well and the emotional depth, storytelling, and authentic charm of country music can be translated into breathtaking acrobatics, visual spectacles, and immersive storytelling.”
The CMA Awards may be rightfully billed as “Country Music’s Biggest Night,” but in terms of pure star power, the annual BMI Country Awards just might prove a close rival, as artists including Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Ashley McBryde, Kenny Chesney, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, The War and Treaty, Cole Swindell, Kane Brown, Ronnie Dunn, Tyler Hubbard, Bailey Zimmerman, Chris Young, Charles Kelley, Dustin Lynch and Priscilla Block were all in attendance on Tuesday evening (Nov. 7), as the awards ceremony was held at BMI’s Nashville office.
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The evening began as BMI president/CEO Mike O’Neill addressed the elephant in the room — speculation over a potential private equity sale of BMI — by stating that no deal has been made.
“If we move in that direction, it will only be with a company that shares in our mission, which is to support your creative growth and grow our distribution. That is and will always be our number one priority. That will never change, no matter what happens,” O’Neill told the audience.
Additional BMI executives including BMI Nashville’s VP, Creative Clay Bradley and executive director, creative Shannon Sanders were on hand to honor BMI’s 50 most-performed country songs of the previous year, which included 27 first-time BMI Award winners.
Combs and Wallen shared the songwriter of the year accolade. Combs was honored for co-writing his own singles “Doin’ This,” “Going, Going, Gone,” “The Kind of Love We Make,” as well as Zac Brown Band’s “Out in the Middle.” Wallen co-wrote Keith Urban’s “Brown Eyes Baby,” Corey Kent’s “Wild as Her,” as well as his own “Thought You Should Know” and “You Proof.” Combs and Wallen surprised the audience by taking the stage together, and offered a twist on a typical performance by swapping songs, as Combs performed Wallen’s “Thought You Should Know” and Wallen returned the favor by performing Combs’s “Going, Going, Gone.”
Wallen’s “You Proof” was named the 2023 BMI country song of the year, published by Big Loud Mountain, Bo Wallace Publishing, Ern Dog Music, Songs of Universal, Inc., Sony/ATV Songs LLC and Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. BMI’s most-performed Country song of the year was written by Wallen, Ernest Keith Smith and Charlie Handsome.
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. was named publisher of the year, for publishing 25 of the 50 most-performed songs of the year, including Hubbard’s “5 Foot 9,” Maren Morris’s “Circles Around This Town,” Thomas Rhett’s “Slow Down Summer,” Zach Bryan’s “Something in the Orange” and Zimmerman’s “Rock and a Hard Place.”
The awarding of the evening’s highest accolade provided some of the most heartfelt moments, as Matraca Berg was recognized with the BMI Icon Award. The BMI Icon Award has previously been awarded to songwriters including Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, James Brown, Brian Wilson, Carole King and Kris Kristofferson.
Berg’s BMI Icon Award is the latest in a career filled with prestigious honors, including the ACM Poet’s Award and induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Bradley called Berg “a trendsetter, a rulebreaker.”
Former BMI CEO Del Bryant signed Berg as a BMI affiliate at the beginning of her career; she earned her first No. 1 as a writer at just 18, when her collaboration with Bobby Braddock, “Faking Love,” became a No. 1 Billboard Country hit for T.G. Sheppard and Karen Brooks in 1983. Berg went on to be the go-to writer for numerous artists over the past four decades, a writer who can.
In 1996, she became the first woman to have five No. 1s in a single calendar year. Her ability to exquisitely detail the stories held closest to the heart, and deftly characterize an array of emotions, made Berg a go-to writer for many artists, but particularly many of the female artists whose music dominated country music in the 1990s. She is a writer and/or co-writer on hits recorded by Patty Loveless (“I’m That Kinda Girl,” “You Can Feel Bad”), Deana Carter (“Strawberry Wine,” “We Danced Anyway”), Reba McEntire (“The Last One to Know”), Martina McBride (“Wild Angels,” “Still Holding On”), Trisha Yearwood (“XXXs and OOOs (An American Girl),” “Wrong Side of Memphis,” “Everybody Knows,” “They Call It Falling”), The Chicks “(If I Fall You’re Going Down With Me”), Faith Hill (“You’re Still Here”) and more. Her songs have also garnered three best country song Grammy nominations, for the Kenny Chesney-Grace Potter duet “You and Tequila,” Carter’s “Strawberry Wine” and the Gretchen Wilson-recorded “I Don’t Feel Like Loving You Today.” She also released seven of her own albums along the way.
Prior to Berg accepting her honor Tuesday evening, video tributes were shown from Loveless and Yearwood, as well as songwriters and publishers who played essential roles in Berg’s career, including Dean Dillon, Bobby Braddock, Aimee Mayo, Pat Higdon, and Chris Farren.
Two of the artists indelibly influenced by Berg’s work — Lainey Wilson and Ashley McBryde — performed in her honor, with Wilson performing the CMA song of the year-winning hit “Strawberry Wine,” and McBryde performing “Wrong Side of Memphis.”
McBryde recalled that as she was preparing to move to Nashville, a friend gifted her with a copy of Berg’s 1997 album Sunday Morning to Saturday Night. “Thank you for setting the bar,” McBryde said.
Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter performed their 2010 Grammy-nominated hit “You and Tequila,” a song that proved a full-circle career moment for Berg, as she co-wrote it with Carter.
Chesney recalled being in Malibu when he heard “You and Tequila” for the first time, saying, “I went, ‘Wow, this song is going to maybe bring a lot of people together’ — and it brought me and the wonderful Grace Potter together…thank you Matraca, I love you.”
Berg thanked several of her co-writers, including “Wild Angels” co-writer Harry Stinson, her “You Can Feel Bad” co-writer Tim Krekel, and her “Strawberry Wine,” “Wrong Side of Memphis” and “Wild Angels” co-writer Gary Harrison. “There would be no me standing up here with out him,” she said of Harrison. She also thanked Carter, saying, “‘You and Tequila,’ we just go on and on, don’t we?” She also thanked music publishing exec Higdon, another early champion. “We started working together, I think I was 22 years old. Boy, you saw something in me.”
“I’ve been a BMI writer since right out of high school. It means so much, this honor,” Berg told the packed audience. “All I ever wanted to be was a songwriter.”
The 57th annual CMA Awards will air Wednesday, Nov. 8, live on ABC from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, crowning this year’s slate of winners, as voted upon by the CMA’s more-than 6,000 members. But the star power extends far beyond only the winners — there are plenty of top-notch performances and presenters, as well.
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The ceremony — which will again be hosted by Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning — will feature several special performance moments, including Morgan Wallen joining forces with Post Malone and HARDY to offer up several classic country songs. Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Zac Brown Band and Coral Reefer Band member Mac McAnally will honor the late singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett.
Jelly Roll, a five-time nominee, will take the stage twice during the evening, first opening the show with a performance of his No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay hit “Need a Favor,” and performing again later in the show for a collaboration with K. Michelle on The Judds’ signature song “Love Can Build a Bridge.”
Meanwhile, newly-minted Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Tanya Tucker will be joined by Little Big Town for a performance of Tucker’s 1972 debut hit “Delta Dawn.”
Lainey Wilson leads this year’s nominees with nine nods, including entertainer of the year, female vocalist of the year, single of the year and song of the year. Wilson is just the fourth artist in CMA history to land nine or more nominations in a single year. She follows Merle Haggard (nine nods in 1970), Alan Jackson (a record 10 nods in 2002) and Miranda Lambert (nine nods in both 2010 and 2014).
Jelly Roll has five nominations this year, including new artist of the year and male artist of the year. Luke Combs and HARDY have four nominations each, followed by Jordan Davis, Ashley McBryde, producer/mix engineer Joey Moi, songwriter-producer Jordan Schmidt, Chris Stapleton, Morgan Wallen, and musician/producer Derek Wells with three nominations each.
See below for a full list of performers and presenters:
Performers:
Kelsea Ballerini
Luke Bryan
Kenny Chesney
Luke Combs
Dan + Shay
Jordan Davis
HARDY
Alan Jackson
Jelly Roll
Cody Johnson
Little Big Town
Mac McAnally
Ashley McBryde
Megan Moroney
Old Dominion
Carly Pearce
Post Malone
K. Michelle
Chris Stapleton
Tanya Tucker
The War And Treaty
Morgan Wallen
Lainey Wilson
Zac Brown Band
Presenters:
Paula Abdul
Bill Anderson
Nate Bargatze
Kevin Cahoon
Jordan Davis
Cynthia Erivo
Sara Evans
Brian Kelley
Lady A
Martina McBride
Parker McCollum
Craig Morgan
Darius Rucker
Corey Seager,
Gerry Turner
Keith Urban
Hailey Whitters
Chris Young
When the Country Music Association hands out its 57th annual awards on Wednesday (Nov. 8), Hailey Whitters will have one of the best seats at the ceremony, given that she’s a finalist for best new artist. She’s a buoyant personality on a normal day, but Whitters is particularly upbeat about this long-sought career stage.
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“I always dreamed of getting to be a part of the CMA Awards,” she says. “It’s been 15 years I’ve been chasing this dream in this town, so there definitely have been moments where that window might have seemed to pass for something like that. So I’m elated to be a best new artist [nominee].”
The nod comes on the heels of her bubbly breakthrough single, “Everything She Ain’t,” and with her follow-up, “I’m in Love,” Whitters is solidifying the brand with two-and-a-half minutes of bright, seemingly random images sold with her blade-like vocal tone.
“I hope it kind of sends a message that I’m here to stick around for a while,” she says, “like, I’m not just this one-hit wonder — whatever — with ‘Everything She Ain’t.’ There’s more where that came from.”
“I’m in Love,” like Whitters, had to wait a long time for its opportunity in the spotlight, and with good reason. The title is, by itself, less than overwhelming. After Nicolle Galyon (“Tequila,” “half of my hometown”) logged it into the list of potential song titles on her phone, it was years — potentially a full decade — before she found a setting where it made sense to even suggest it.
“When we start a co-write and people start throwing out ideas, I usually start at the bottom because those are the most fresh, new ideas,” she says. “When you get in a rut and none of these ideas are sticking for whatever reason, sometimes I’ll just scroll way back up.”
That was the case on January 11, during a writing session hosted by Cameron Bedell (“Down Home,” “Found It in You”). They had booked an assignment with Lee Thomas Miller (“In Color,” “It Ain’t My Fault”) and ended up postponing and re-booking several times for over a year. Once they got into the room — nothin’.
For 90 minutes, they batted around ideas, unable to find anything that got all three of them interested. So Galyon reached back for “I’m in Love,” which was better than it sounds because it came with a device: This is in that, this is in that, and I’m in love. As simple as that was, it had potential with the right this’es and that’s.
“The whole thing was, how can we make whatever they’re going to be as unique as we possibly can?” says Miller.
The only other parameter they set was to develop a ’90s sound for it. Bedell started in on an easy chord progression, Galyon crafted a melody around short phrases, and she and Miller traded images, beginning with an opening line — “Beers in the bucket, suds in the sink” — that gave a wink to Sara Evans’ “Suds in the Bucket.”
“When [Nicolle] and Lee were going back and forth, they were going so fast,” Bedell recalls. “They were like, ‘There’s chicken in the skillet.’ ‘Oh, yeah. And there’s ice in the drink.’ But then there’s ‘this in this.’ I was sitting there going, ‘Yeah, yeah, all that’s good,’ as I’m chunking away at the guitar. It was just like a puzzle we were all trying to put together at the same time.”
They stuck faithfully to the “in” theme until they worked their way to the chorus, where they signaled the new stanza by flipping the sentence to “Ooh, ooh, I’m out of my mind.”
“We’d given a lot of information, and then you get to the chorus, you need a break from it,” Miller explains. “We went the opposite at the most important line. That’s the first time — the chorus breaks the device.”
But that shift also represented a change in the focus of “I’m in Love.” “The verses are all environmental, you know; painting the picture of what’s going on around her,” Galyon notes. “But the chorus is what’s going on inside her.” They tossed the “in” device out at two more key points: at the end of the last verse and in a bonus line — “Chills down on my spine, hearts on the line” — in the final chorus.
There were a few other oddities. “Deers in rut” is a hunting term — they essentially reference animals in heat in the song’s chorus. They also incorporated some astrological material in multiple spots: man in the moon, stars in a line and Mercury’s all in retrograde. “‘Sister’s in her room smokin’ God knows what’ and the ‘Mercury’ line kind of make it feel a tad modern and a little edgy, because everything about it is so wholesome,” Galyon observes.
They came back a second time, mostly to revise the way the chorus closed out. Galyon, who had to run, sang a quick vocal for the demo, fully intending to improve on it later. Bedell worked further on it, and the creative team for his publisher, Liz Rose Music, got excited about it, quelling the last of his minor doubts.
“After we finished it, I was like, ‘I don’t know if anyone is going to like this because maybe they feel like it’s too much random stuff,’ ” remembers Bedell. “That was my fear at first.”
Whitters held meetings with publishers to consider outside songs, with Galyon — the head of her label, Songs & Daughters — in the room. Liz Rose co-founder Dave Pacula told Galyon how much he liked “I’m in Love” — a surprise to Galyon, who didn’t think the demo was finished — and Whitters and her husband, producer Jake Gear, had him play the demo, which was not on the day’s agenda. By the end of the first chorus, they were ready to put it on hold.
“It just felt like me — so like my language — and felt like something I would say,” Whitters recalls. “The energy behind it is kind of flirty, kind of playful, fun. It just felt really strong.”
Gear booked a fairly large band for two days of recording at Nashville’s Sound Emporium on February 27 and 28, though the group doesn’t sound all that big. The players all find moments to shine in small bursts, particularly impressive since the windows between the song’s phrases are fairly tight.
“It’s just so fun having everybody there at once instead of resorting to overdub sessions,” says Gear. “There’s a lot of stuff on the track, but it’s not necessarily too busy. It’s because they know what everybody’s doing.”
Gear and engineer Logan Matheny added some hand claps — shades of “Everything She Ain’t” — and they got Michael Rojas to provide some old-world character with an accordion part. “Haley loves accordion,” Gear says. “She’s got family down in Louisiana — we spend most Easters down there — and there’s this Cajun restaurant we go to all the time to hear Zydeco. And then I’m a sucker for [John] Mellencamp. He had a lot of accordion in his stuff, and that heartland rock sound has a little bit of a throwback, old-timey thing.”
“I’m in Love” became the title track for a summer EP, and Big Loud and Songs & Daughters released it to country radio via PlayMPE on Sept. 26. It tracks at No. 55 on the Country Airplay chart dated Nov. 11. Coinciding with her first CMA nomination, Whitters would like to think it’s a sign her career details are working just like the stars in the text.
“They all kind of lined up,” she says. “I’m just really excited for this new era. It just feels very fun. And very country.”
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Wild horses don’t easily slow down, and neither does Lainey Wilson. The country singer-songwriter will expand her headlining shows with Lainey Wilson: LIVE, a string of nearly a dozen shows across Europe and Australia. The trek will launch March 20 in Melbourne, Australia, and will make stops in cities including Sydney, London and Amsterdam before […]
This week’s crop of new music features the radio-ready sounds of newcomer RVSHVD, the Latin-threaded collaboration of Leah Turner and Jerrod Niemann, a gorgeously voiced ballad from Lauren Watkins and Carter Faith, a rollicking new song from the dependably excellent Muscadine Bloodline, and the unflinching honesty of singer-songwriter Rett Madison.
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RVSHVD, “Small Town Talk”
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Jason Aldean earned plenty of criticism for the lyrics and video for his “Try That in a Small Town” this year. With “Small Town Talk,” RVSHVD — another small-town Georgia native who grew up in Willacooche, Georgia (population 1,200), a mere two hours from Aldean’s Macon hometown — offers a more uplifting take on what life is like in small towns. The song and video pay tribute to the values instilled by not only his family, but his tight-knit community — hard work, ethics and love. Sonically, the song’s rock-fused vibe fits squarely into country radio’s pocket, while RVSHVD’s laid-back vocals exude warmth and earnestness.Kameron Marlowe, “Tennessee Don’t Mind”
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Written by Daniel Tashian and Lady A’s Charles Kelley, Marlowe’s latest embodies the yin-and-yang of life on the road and what happens when a run of touring comes to a close. Far from some ballad lament, this track churns with the propulsive rhythm of a runaway horse, features smoking fiddle work and highlights Marlowe’s standout vocals, especially his upper register.
Leah Turner and Jerrod Niemann, “South of the Border”
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A latticework of drums, commanding horns and growling electric guitars guide this sultry Latin-country groove. Mexican-American artist Leah Turner teams with “Lover Lover” hitmaker Niemann, and their harmonies meld stunningly, while the energy in their vocals prove a perfect match on this toggling of English and Spanish lyrics. This song turns up the heat, and hopefully is just the first of more collaborations to come from these two.
Muscadine Bloodline, “How Hangin’ Fruit”
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Charlie Muncaster and Gary Stanton of Alabama duo Muscadine Bloodline have steadily and independently built up their fanbase through consistent new releases and dogged dedication to touring. Though they just released the project Teenage Dixie earlier this year, they’re already working on a new album, and have issued a pair of songs to preview the new project, including this snarling, heartache-driven song that swiftly works its way to breakneck speed as the lyrical angst winds tighter. The particularly acerbic lyric, “There ain’t a spoonful of sugar to help the taste of your own medicine go down,” is laced with extra bite.
Rett Madison, “Jacqueline”
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The opening track on Madison’s recently released sophomore EP One For Jackie, “Jacqueline” is filled with raw grief, offering a stark contemplation of emotional wreckage in the aftermath of her mother Jacqueline’s suicide in 2019. The lyrics are exquisite, and unfiltered: “Searched your note a hundrеd times/ For answers and peacе of mind.”
The rest of One For Jackie details the complicated web of emotions that Madison has navigated in her journey toward understanding and healing, from the moments when unexpected events bring back memories (“Flea Market”), musing how a demise doesn’t absolve a complicated relationship (“Death Don’t Make a B*tch an Angel”), to imagining a post-death connection (“Kiki”). It’s a sterling, unflinchingly honest album, one not afraid to highlight grief’s messy margins.
Lauren Watkins feat. Carter Faith, “Cowboys on Music Row”
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In this hazy ballad, these two supremely talented singer-songwriters lament the lack of “real cowboys” in Nashville’s commercially-minded Music Row area. Their voices blend gloriously as they sing of seeking out lone rangers, red-headed strangers and rodeo men who “sang what they knew.” By the time they land on the gut-punch lyric, “This place might as well be a ghost town / The soul of 16th Avenue,” it’s clear they’re making a cooly incisive assessment. The song is included on Watkins’ upcoming album Introducing: The Heartbreak, out Nov. 17 on Big Loud Records/Songs & Daughters.
Scotty Hasting, “How Do You Choose”
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Hasting is a former Army Infantryman who survived 10 nearly fatal gunshot wounds while serving in Afghanistan. His debut offering for Black River Entertainment finds Hasting pondering the push-and-pull of emotions as he battles survivor’s guilt after years of military service while some of his comrades didn’t make it home. Starting off driven primarily by acoustic guitar and Hasting’s rough-hewn vocals, “How Do You Choose” is escalated with electric guitar, understated fiddle and full-bodied percussion. A promising, impactful debut.
Matt Schuster, “Last Fall”
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Singer-songwriter Schuster already made a splash with “Tell Me Tennessee,” and proved his promise as a songwriter, landing a cut on Bailey Zimmerman’s album with “Chase Her.” On his latest, which he wrote with Abram Dean, Emily Falvey and John Newsome, he takes inspiration from John Mayer’s 2006 song “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room,” offering a moody petition to savor the last moments of a rapidly wilting relationship, if only to ward off the chill of the impending loneliness. His amiable, low-key voice leaves space for slick and slightly soulful instrumentation, giving the song a bittersweet undercurrent.
Entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA) will relocate its Nashville office in late 2025, occupying nearly 75,000 square feet across two floors in the mixed-used district Nashville Yards, being developed by Southwest Value Partners and AEG.
CAA’s new Nashville office, located at 955 Church Street in Nashville, will feature indoor-outdoor work spaces, listening lounges, private terraces on each floor, three levels of dining, retail and entertainment space, as well as meeting hubs and a large outdoor vegetated deck overlooking Nashville Yards. CAA employees will enjoy access to open plazas, courtyards, and green spaces; ample parking, valet, and executive car services; and proximity to the luxury Grand Hyatt Nashville and newly renovated Union Station Nashville Yards.
“Guided by our colleagues in Music, CAA opened our first office in Nashville in 1991, immediately making an impact on Music City that continues today,” said Howard Nuchow, co-head, CAA Sports, in a statement. “With more than 3,400 employees across 25 countries, CAA’s track record of success and growth in the representation of entertainment and sports talent and brands has solidified our leadership position around the world. The move to Nashville Yards demonstrates our commitment to Nashville and the Southeast, while providing our employees, clients, and guests an inspiring environment that captures the spirit of Nashville, one of the most significant sports and entertainment destinations in the world.”
CAA’s Nashville operations currently include more than 130 employees working in music touring, music brand partnerships, music marketing, digital media, sports, brand consulting, property sales, and CAA ICON. In the past year alone, CAA has booked top tours for Tim McGraw, Shania Twain, Keith Urban, Willie Nelson, Zac Brown Band, The Chicks and Carrie Underwood. The company has also worked to aid in raising up a new crop of headliners including Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Brett Young, Kelsea Ballerini, Carly Pearce, Whiskey Myers and Koe Wetzel, while expanding its roster with new signings including 49 Winchester, Warren Zeiders, Hailey Whitters, Luke Grimes, Wyatt Flores, Priscilla Block, Dylan Marlowe and Larry Fleet.
Grammy winners Miranda Lambert and Jon Randall have partnered with Big Loud Records to launch their own imprint, Big Loud Texas. Lambert and Randall will be directly instrumental in signing and developing artists on the roster. Meanwhile, Randall will serve as president of A&R for the imprint, while also contributing as a producer.
“As a teenager chasing my dreams in the honky-tonks of Texas, Nashville seemed so far away,” Lambert said in a statement. “Every time I’m back home I get to hear the incredible talent our state produces, and I feel a responsibility to help get more of those Texas voices heard. I’m really excited to team up with my buddy Jon Randall and Big Loud to do just that. Get ready, y’all – we’re bringing even more Texas to town!”
“When I was a kid playing in bands and kicking around Texas, I knew that making music was all I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Randall added. “Since then, I’ve gotten to play with so many of my heroes produce legends and friends and travel all over the world… but all those roads lead right back home. I feel very blessed to share this full circle moment with one of my best pals, Miranda Lambert, and help some other dreamers chase their song around the world.”
Longtime friends and creative allies, Lambert and Randall collaborated on 2021’s Grammy-nominated The Marfa Tapes, alongside fellow Texas singer-songwriter Jack Ingram. Randall also served as a producer alongside Lambert and Luke Dick on her 2022 album, Palomino. A Grammy, CMA and ACM Award-winner, Randall has spent three-plus decades in the music business seemingly doing it all as a solo artist, guitarist, songwriter and critically acclaimed producer. In addition to his longstanding relationship with Lambert, he has written with and for artists including Guy Clark, Kenny Chesney, Reba McEntire and many others, plus produced projects for Dierks Bentley, Parker McCollum, Dwight Yoakam, Jack Ingram, Pat Green and more.
“I’ve admired what Miranda and Jon have done – both as musicians and as champions of young talent – for many years, so it’s an honor to join forces in this way,” Big Loud CEO/partner Seth England said in a statement. “One of the most important things to us at Big Loud is to align with cultural camaraderie. Texas exudes that spirit and no one knows that better than Miranda and Jon.”
Big Loud Records is also home to Morgan Wallen, who has had a stellar year, dominating the Billboard Hot 100 with “Last Night” and the Billboard 200 with One Thing at a Time. The label’s roster also includes Lauren Alaina, HARDY, ERNEST, Hailey Whitters, MacKenzie Porter, Larry Fleet, Charles Wesley Godwin, Stephen Wilson Jr., Dallas Smith, Maggie Rose, Griffen Palmer, Shawn Austin, Lily Rose, Jake Worthington, Ashley Cooke, Lauren Watkins and Zandi Holup.
Big Loud Records was honored as the No. 1 Billboard Hot Country Songs label in 2021 and 2022. Big Loud’s executive team has earned recognition as part of the Billboard 40 Under 40: svp / GM Patch Culbertson (’22), svp of radio promotion Stacy Blythe (’21) and CEO / partner Seth England (’14). Additionally, members of the Big Loud brass — partners England, Moi and Craig Wiseman, as well as Adams, Blythe and SVP of Marketing Candice Watkins — have been honored as Billboard Indie Power Players and Billboard Country Power Players. England was named the inaugural peer-voted Country Power Players’ Choice Award recipient, an industry-wide nod honoring the executive that voters believe made the most impact across the country music business over the past year.
