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A pair of collabs, from Wynonna Judd and Trisha Yearwood, and a collab between Flatland Cavalry with Kaitlin Butts, lead this week’s batch of new releases. Additionally, country group Sawyer Brown returns with a high-octane new song and new documentary, while Brittney Spencer pays homage to her musical heroes and CCM artist Anne Wilson continues her foray into country music.
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Wynonna Judd and Trisha Yearwood, “Cry Myself to Sleep”
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Two of country music’s most towering female vocalists—Yearwood and Judd—join forces to push this nearly four-decade-old song to loftier heights. In the mid-1980s, Wynonna and her mother Naomi originally recorded the Paul Kennerley-written song for The Judds’ 1986 album Rockin’ with the Rhythm. But here, sisters in song Wynonna and Yearwood trade angsty phrases, with Yearwood bringing one of her most blues-soaked vocals to date, matching with Wy’s snarling growl. The song will be included on A Tribute to the Judds, out Oct. 27 on BMG in honor of The Judds’ 40th anniversary.
Flatland Cavalry with Kaitlin Butts, “Mornings With You”
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Flatland Cavalry’s bandleader and chief songcrafter Cleto Cordero’s wife, ace singer-songwriter Butts, has been a frequent collaborator on the band’s previous albums. Their harmonies purvey a particularly conversational appeal on this warm, easygoing track about briefly leaving the grind of road life behind for contented morning moments with a lover. Cordero wrote the song with Nick Walsh and “The Blade” hitmaker Ashley Monroe.
“Mornings With You” will be included on Flatland Cavalry’s upcoming Oct. 27 album Wandering Star, which will mark the band’s first deal with Interscope.
Brittney Spencer, “Bigger Than the Song”
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In 2020, Spencer caught the attention of music lovers with her sterling rendition of The Highwomen’s “Crowded Table.” Since then, she’s release the EP Compassion, performed on the CMA Awards alongside Mickey Guyton and Madeline Edwards, and earned awards nominations from the Americana Music Association and from CMT.
On her latest, Spencer, a cooly assertive-yet-nimble vocalist, offers a thunderbolt of musical recognition for her sheroes on this masterly tuneful track, namechecking a platoon of artists whose music has left an indelible imprint — including Reba McEntire, Alanis Morrisette, Janet Jackson, Britney Spears and Beyonce.
Spencer wrote the song with Jennifer Wayne and Tofer Brown. “Bigger Than the Song” previews Spencer’s upcoming debut album My Stupid Life, which will be released Jan. 19 on Elektra.
Anne Wilson, “Rain in the Rearview”
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Though Wilson broke through in Contemporary Christian Music circles with songs like “My Jesus” and “Sunday Sermons,” her Kentucky twang and country-leaning songcraft sensibilities were apparent from her debut album (which featured Lady A’s Hillary Scott on one track). She’s since made her Opry debut, recorded with Josh Turner and performed alongside Jordan Davis during the recent ACM Honors. Now, she aims to expand beyond the CCM genre, fusing the two genres on her three-track project The Beginning, and releasing “Strong” to Christian radio, while releasing “Rain in the Rearview” to country radio.
She wrote “Rain in the Rearview” with Zach Kale, The Cadillac Three’s Jaren Johnston and CCM star Matthew West (also a co-writer on “My Jesus”). She nods to Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take the Wheel” on this moody track, as she sings of accelerating through pain and disappointment, her rootsy and soulful voice bolstered by spirals of acoustic guitar, while an acoustic coda showcases Wilson’s ceiling-scraping vocal capabilities — though here, she employs that power judiciously, keeping the focus on the message rather than the messenger.
Sawyer Brown, “Under This Ole Hat”
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As the appetite for revivalism for ‘80s and ‘90s country music stays high, Sawyer Brown nods to their own four-decade here, defined by high-octane performances and highly-engaging songs such as “The Dirt Road” and “Some Girls Do,” not only with new documentary Get Me to the Stage, but their latest song “Under This Ole Hat.”
The group proves they’ve still got plenty of swagger on this flat-out rockin’ track that sounds as if it would have nestled in perfectly on the group’s classic early albums. The rhythm charges with precision, and lead singer Mark Miller’s voice still sounds as energetic and charismatic as ever as sings of “40 years of road-dogging,” and ”breaking out of Nashville chasing a sound,” while namechecking Charley Pride, James Brown and the Charlie Daniels Band, and at times nodding melodically to “Some Girls Do.” The song will be included on the group’s Blake Shelton-produced new album, slated for 2024.
Veronique Medrano, MexiAmericana
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Brownsville, Texas native Medrano exalts the influence, roots and heritage of Latin music and culture within country music throughout her new album, MexiAmericana, which she crafted in Corpus Christi and San Antonio. Almost a decade ago, Medrano issued her debut album Encantadora, and has garnered several Tejano Music Awards nominations. Medrano’s 11-song album offers a range of styles, deftly melding country, airy pop, Tejano, conjunto and more. She nods to Latin country trailblazers, including Freddy Fender with “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights,” reimagining the song with an accelerated tempo and searing accordion. She offers a bilingual version of the Roy Orbison classic “Crying,” but also the irresistible Tejano dance grooves of “Pam Pam Pam” and the biting rock of “Que Suerte Tienes.” The smooth, plaintive pop of “Get to Heaven” resides alongside the blistering “Que Hueva,” a retort to the recent strike-down of Roe v. Wade. In the process, Medrano has meticulously crafted an essential album in the towering canon of Latino-country projects.
Meghan Patrick, “The Boy Who Cried Drunk” (Demo)
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Patrick sends off a warning shot against domestic violence, cataloging a litany of red flags in this dark, gripping song. Here, she’s the wise best friend delving into her own experience and pain, spilling truth about the temporary highs and toxic lows of getting involved with an abuser who blames his ways on alcohol. The track’s polished but never overdone production places the focus on Patrick’s warm yet world-weary vocal, and on this essential message. Patrick wrote “The Boy Who Cried Drunk” with Billy Dawson and Jacob Hackworth.
The Tennessee Bluegrass Band, “Coming Down the Line”
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With their 2022 debut album, The Future of the Past, this group of mostly 20-somethings quickly established their penchant and skill for performing — and in the process, helping pass down — traditional-minded bluegrass.
The latest iteration of the band includes newcomers Geary Allen, who wrote “Comin’ Down the Line,” as well as bassist/vocalist Anissa Burnett, who both join founding members Aynsley Porchak, Lincoln Hensley and Tim Laughlin.
This group releases the first look at their upcoming second album with a song that further conveys The Tennessee Bluegrass Band as keen bluegrass practitioners, while expanding the genre’s canon of train songs, with twin fiddles mimicking the sound of a train horn, followed by fleet-fingered picking and syrupy-smooth harmonies.
When Nashville’s Belmont University — then a mere college — introduced a music business degree in 1973, a good portion of the city’s music pros scoffed at the endeavor.
“There was a bit of resentment that somebody was going to try to take somebody’s job,” remembers Doug Howard, who started as a student in January 1976 and went on to become the dean of the Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business from 2015-2022. “I literally had somebody say to me, ‘You can’t teach what we do in school.’ My thing was the 10,000 hours, you know — I discovered The Beatles in 1964, and I never stopped listening. I had been a student maybe longer than [they] had. I just couldn’t say that.”
Belmont will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its music business school on Oct. 3 in a different position. Scores of students with a passion for music debunked Music Row’s skepticism, demonstrating their enthusiasm by working for free at thousands of internships, learning a specialized business and contributing their formal lessons — and their determined ingenuity — to a Nashville entertainment industry that is arguably more professional in 2023 than the ’73 version.
Belmont is a big reason for that. Its vast list of former students includes Brad Paisley, Trisha Yearwood, Warner Chappell Nashville president/CEO Ben Vaughn, songwriter Hillary Lindsey (“Burn It Down,” “Blue Ain’t Your Color”), recording engineer Chuck Ainlay, Sony Music Nashville chairman/CEO Big Yellow Dog Music partner/CEO Carla Wallace, song plugger Sherrill Blackman, producer-guitarist Dann Huff (Kane Brown, Keith Urban) and Morris Higham Management partner Clint Higham, just to name a few.
In short, a Belmont music business degree is as helpful on Music Row as a Harvard law degree is in Washington, D.C., politics.
“I had no idea it would be this important to who I became,” Paisley says. “I got there, and I saw a recording studio and internship programs that allowed me to go hang out at ASCAP for free and walk into music meetings.”
In one of his first assignments, Paisley was required to interview someone active in music. He didn’t settle for one person — he interviewed three: former Desert Rose Band guitarist John Jorgenson, singer-songwriter Mike Reid (“I Can’t Make You Love Me,” “Stranger in My House”) and bluegrass musician Carl Jackson. In a stroke of luck, Jorgenson returned the student’s call with an invitation to come down to a studio where he was recording. Paisley ended up sitting next to Jorgenson while he played the session.
Belmont is one of dozens of schools that now offer music business degrees, but it has some advantages. It was one of the first colleges to develop a program, and it’s literally at the end of Music Row — an intern can work for two hours between classes and easily return to work when their last class ends. The locale itself creates potential.
“My first thing ever was as a seat filler for the TNN/Music City News Awards,” remembers Vaughn. “I ended up sitting in Kix Brooks’ seat most of the night because they were winning everything. So I sat by his wife, and we had this nice conversation, and I’m like, ‘This is crazy.’ I’m 18 years old, but even stuff like that, if you’re not part of Belmont, you’re just not knowing there’s all these little opportunities and things to be involved in.”
The program’s founder, the late Bob Mulloy, literally grew up on what would become Music Row — he was raised in a house that was eventually leveled to make way for BMI — and he had a stiff task. Belmont was a Baptist school, and there was plenty of pushback from higher-ups who feared that a music-biz degree would attract undesirable students. Howard, who had a shaggy appearance in the mid-’70s, remembers being grilled mercilessly by Mulloy.
“Those early years, he wanted guys and girls to come that were really committed to be in a profession,” Howard recalls. “He had this very stern [air]. And we’re scared of it. But I got it. He was under the microscope, and he put a tone to us that, ‘Hey, guys, the whole program depends on you.’ ”
Howard ended up becoming a publishing executive and Lyric Street senior vp of A&R, building on both his studies and the contacts that Belmont afforded. Mulloy may have seemed tough in the program’s earliest years, but he was a champion for his students.
“Mr. Malloy was my survey [of a music business] teacher,” says Vaughn. “He says, ‘Look to your left, look to your right. The people that are your peers and classmates will be people you work with in the industry.’ And he was right, man. He was so right.”
Indeed, Vaughn counts one of his biggest rivals, Sony Music Publishing Nashville president/CEO Rusty Harmon, as a classmate, as well as producer Jeremy Stover (Justin Moore, Travis Denning) and songwriter Ashley Gorley (“Last Night,” “Truck Bed”). Howard formed friendships with songwriter-producer and record exec Mark Wright and songwriter Gordon Kennedy (“Change the World,” “You Move Me”). Florida Georgia Line founders Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley met at Belmont. And Paisley was introduced to frequent co-writers Frank Rogers and Kelley Lovelace, as well as Cindy Mabe, now Universal Music Group president/CEO.
“You get what you put into it,” says Paisley, who transferred into the program. “That was the thing. I was interning, I was going to studios, I was interviewing people, I was shaking hands with anybody that would shake my hand. Because I was like, ‘Look, I’m a junior already. I got four semesters to do this. I got to figure out how to do this for a living or go back to West Virginia and teach guitar lessons.’ ”
Belmont has helped hundreds of students figure it out over the last 50 years. And those students have in turn brought an intense desire to participate in the industry and make a difference. Many are now running Music Row.
“These are passionate people coming to town,” Howard says, “who love this business and want to make it better.”
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Two years ago, Dustin Lynch deepened his collection of hits with the six-week Billboard Country Airplay chart-topper “Thinkin’ ‘Bout You,” a collaboration with MacKenzie Porter. On Killed the Cowboy, out Friday (Sept. 29) via Broken Bow Records, Lynch keys up another collaboration — this time with Broken Bow Records label mate and “Need a Favor” hitmaker Jelly Roll, interpolating the melody and groove of Dobie Gray’s 1973 hit “Drift Away.”
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Lynch says that he and Jelly Roll met through a mutual producer, Zach Crowell. “Jelly and Zach started making music years ago, before I even moved to Nashville, when Zach was making beats for Jelly when he was rapping,” Lynch tells Billboard. “When we couldn’t tour for those couple of years around the pandemic, Zach and I were staying connected and heard this song,” he says, noting that he first recorded the song in late 2022.
Lynch tested out the song during Luke Bryan’s Crash My Playa festival in January, with Jelly Roll adding his vocals a few months later in Austin, Texas. “I related to the lyrics so much, and we get to name-check Brooks & Dunn in there, so literally, it’s a perfect scenario,” Lynch says. “And with Jelly, ‘Drift Away’ is such a classic melody, and we kept this super loose and had some grit and rough edges to it, and Jelly has the perfect voice for it, with the soul he has in his voice.”
With Killed the Cowboy, Lynch is six albums deep into a career that has earned the Tennessee native eight No. 1 Country Airplay hits, including “Small Town Boy” and “Where It’s At (Yep Yep).” He’s steadily built a catalog ranging from tender tracks such as “Cowboys and Angels” to more sultry fare like “Seein’ Red.”
Much of his new album delves into heartbreak, from the title track to “Breakin’ Up Down.” But it’s the meticulously detailed, small-town love story “Only Girl in This Town,” written by Devin Dawson, Josh Thompson and Kyle Fishman, that launched the making of Killed the Cowboy. “This was a song that my ears perked up on making another album,” Lynch says. “It was one of those songs that stuck around and stood the test of time. I kept finding myself coming back to it and loving it even more.”
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Lynch is a writer on nearly half of the album’s dozen songs, including the evening romance-propelled “George Strait Jr.,” which nods to the Country Music Hall of Famer (though Strait’s son is named George “Bubba” Strait, Jr.). “He’s my hero, personally and professionally,” Lynch says of Strait. “He’s a class act. I wanted to tip my hat to him, but do it in a fresh way. I took us a while to really nail down how to do that without getting too heavy. We wanted to capture that late-night vibe.
“I think over the years I’ve learned to be in a present frame of mind and creative flow to really offer something to my co-writers,” Lynch adds of his writing process. “I’ve found a good balance of how much I like to write. I kind of need a break whenever we get done with an album to just reset a little bit. But then once I start writing, I fall back in love with the process of creating that magic that writing songs is and there’s no better feeling than getting in my truck and playing a new one and it making me feel something.”
Between tour stops on his 2023 Party Mode Tour, writing and recording sessions, Lynch has found that rejuvenation in the Rocky Mountains and in Canada, as well as on his farm outside of Nashville.
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“I’ve learned that’s important for me as an artist to go out there on the farm and have that time to myself,” he says. “I’ve left a lot of it wild and continue to improve the habitat for the native wildlife there. I’m a nerd when it comes to animals and conservation.”
Lynch, who studied chemistry and biology in college, also runs a small cattle operation. “I remember my first job was in middle school, helping out and making $5 an hour working down the street from my house on an angus [beef] farm. It’s great to be back in the game, kind of relearning a lot about that world.”
On record, his sound may run from traditional-minded country to sleeker pop fare, but when he’s on his farm or in the mountains, his musical tastes run the gamut from rootsy to R&B. “I’m listening to Mount Joy, Noah Kahan, Colter Wall, but then also, I’ve been for a long time obsessed with H.E.R. and SZA. I love R&B. But musically, that’s kind of where I’ve been living, in that Americana space. It probably just stems from the fact that, this time of year, I love being in the mountains and that music goes well with it.”
Looking ahead to 2024, Lynch will launch his Killed the Cowboy Tour featuring pop/R&B/country artist Skeez as an opening act.
“He’s kind of been a chameleon and able to pull the country fans and some top 40, hip-hop type of collabs off,” Lynch says. “I know he’s going to bring a lot of his fan base, which are going to be new eyes and ears for our show. Country music is as wide open as I can remember it being. We’re in a spot right now where we can be in front of a lot of new eyes and ears and blend those lines in the sand of genre, and just go off of good vibes and good music.”
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Kelsea Ballerini has an important PSA. After some viewers were convinced that the 30-year-old country pop star had lip-synched her performance of “Mountain With a View” at Thursday night’s (Sept. 28) inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards, she took to Instagram Stories to defend her vocals.
“I just want to say, if I was lip-synching, I would’ve sounded a lot better,” Ballerini joked in a video.
The “This Feeling” singer also provided a reason for why her performance may have seemed out of sync, something viewers tuning in to the broadcast pointed out. “One of the cameras was off,” she explained. “Thank you, and good night.”
Then, just to make sure she’d gotten her point across, Ballerini reshared a glammed-up photo from Thursday evening in her Stories, showing her looking slyly at something off camera on her left side. “Me singing live watching people thinking otherwise,” she captioned the snap.
Also on Ballerini’s side is NBC, the network home to the People’s Choice Country Awards. “nobody does live vocals like her!” it captioned an Instagram video of the star’s intimate performance, calling it “FLAWLESS.”
In addition to performing, Ballerini was nominated for several awards at the inaugural event, including people’s artist, female artist, social country star and album of 2023. Before the awards ceremony started, the singer shared her thoughts on a subject that’s on just about everyone’s minds right now: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s rumored romance.
“I love Travis,” she gushed. “We did SNL together. I love Taylor. We were close for many years. I want happiness for everyone, so vibe.a
“I ship happiness!” she added in a separate red carpet interview. “Whoever is happy with whoever is what I ship. I adore Taylor. I adore Travis. So if they’re happy, I ship it. Period.”
Watch a clip of Kelsea Ballerini singing “Mountain With a View” at People’s Choice Country Awards below:
Morgan Wallen is doubling up on his One Night at a Time 2024 tour, adding back-to-back shows in each city and making his May Nashville stop a three-peat with a trio of consecutive nights at Music City’s Nissan Stadium.
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In addition to bringing a plethora of country radio hits, Wallen will welcome a slate of artists to open various shows on the trek, including Bailey Zimmerman, Jelly Roll, Jon Pardi, Lainey Wilson, Nate Smith, Bryan Martin, Lauren Watkins and Ella Langley. For his July 26 headlining show in Arlington, Texas, a special guest from the state will perform; direct support acts for the added Nashville shows will be announced soon.
Among the tour stops is a show in Oxford, Miss., making up for a concert that Wallen canceled just before showtime earlier this year. Fans who previously purchased tickets for the canceled April 23 show will have access to an early presale, and details will be sent directly to ticketholders via email.
Fans wanting to get their hands on tickets for the One Night at a Time Tour 2024 will need to register at Ticketmaster.com, through Sunday, Oct. 1. Once registration closes, fans will be randomly selected to receive a day/time of the presale along with a code that grants them access to the presale. Fans who previously registered for the presale now have the option to update their show preference to one of the newly announced dates.
Wallen is also using the tour to give back, with $3 from every ticket sold for his U.S. shows going to the Morgan Wallen Foundation, which supports programs for youth, focusing on sports and music. The organization recently donated $500,000 to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Nashville’s Parkwood community project, and has supported revitalization efforts at ballparks in Boston and Chicago.
On Thursday (Sept. 28), Wallen was one of the evening’s biggest winners during the inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards, picking up honors for artist, album and tour of 2023 (for his One Night at a Time World Tour).
The Live Nation-produced trek’s namesake album, One Thing at a Time, was issued in March and debuted atop the all-genre Billboard 200 and held the top spot for 12 consecutive weeks. His song “Last Night” remained atop the Billboard Hot 100 for 16 non-consecutive weeks, and was the most streamed song of the summer, becoming the first tune by a country artist to earn the top spot in Spotify’s “Songs of the Summer” list.
For the full list of 2024 concert dates, visit morganwallen.com.
On Thursday night (Sept. 28), the Grand Ole Opry House hosted the inaugural, fan-powered People’s Choice Country Awards, hosted by Little Big Town. The awards ceremony — which aimed to add a fourth major country music awards show to the annual country awards circuit — thrust many of today’s top crop of stars and timeless […]
Toby Keith, who received the Country Icon award at the first ever People’s Choice Country Awards on Thursday night (Sept. 28), shared an update on his battle with stomach cancer, which he was diagnosed with in 2021. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I’ve walked some dark hallways. Almighty’s […]
Kelsea Ballerini is on the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce train. “I love Travis. We did SNL together. I love Taylor. We were close for many years. I want happiness for everyone, so vibe,” the country star told Extra on the red carpet at the first People’s Choice Country Awards. Ballerini was also discussed Swift’s […]
Music legend Willie Nelson may be best known for as a country superstar, but some might not realize he’s visited many other Billboard album genre charts outside of the Top Country Albums chart — where’s racked up a record 53 top 10s, with 18 of them hitting No. 1. Over the years, Nelson has placed high-charting efforts on these genre-specific album rankings: Blues Albums, Kid Albums, Reggae Albums, Traditional Jazz Albums, Jazz Albums, Americana/Folk Albums and Top Christian Albums.
Now, Nelson’s new Bluegrass album, released on Sept. 15, appropriately debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Bluegrass Albums chart (dated Sept. 30), marking his first appearance on the 21-year-old tally. On the album, Nelson reinterprets a dozen of his older songs, joined by a bluegrass ensemble. Billboard’s Bluegrass Albums chart ranks the top-selling bluegrass albums of the week in the U.S., based on traditional album sales, as tracked by Luminate. In the week ending Sept. 21, Nelson’s Bluegrass sold 3,000 copies.
Below is a recap of Nelson’s history on Billboard’s major album genre charts, aside from Top Country Albums. (In addition, Nelson has logged 83 entries on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart.)
Chart NameAlbum Title, Peak Position, Peak Date
Blues AlbumsMilk Cow Blues, No. 2, Oct. 7, 2000
Kid AlbumsRainbow Connection, No. 7, June 30, 2001
Reggae AlbumsCountryman, No. 1 (nine weeks at No. 1), July 30, 2005
Traditional Jazz AlbumsTwo Men With the Blues (Nelson and Wynton Marsalis), No. 1 (four weeks), July 26, 2008Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles (Nelson & Wynton Marsalis featuring Norah Jones), No. 1 (five weeks), April 16, 2011Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin, No. 1 (five weeks), March 19, 2016My Way, No. 2, Sept. 29, 2018That’s Life, No. 1 (two weeks), March 13, 2021
Jazz AlbumsTwo Men With the Blues (Nelson and Wynton Marsalis), No. 1 (four weeks), July 26, 2008Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles (Nelson & Wynton Marsalis featuring Norah Jones), No. 2, April 16, 2011Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin, No. 1 (three weeks), March 19, 2016My Way, No. 2, Sept. 29, 2018That’s Life, No. 1 (two weeks), March 13, 2021
Americana/Folk AlbumsLast Man Standing, No. 1, May 12, 2018Ride Me Back Home, No. 1, July 6, 2019First Rose of Spring, No. 1, July 18, 2020The Willie Nelson Family, No. 12, Dec. 4, 2021A Beautiful Time, No. 3, May 14, 2022
Top Christian AlbumsJust As I Am: 18 Hymns and Gospel Favorites (Willie Nelson and Bobbie Nelson), No. 37, Aug. 27, 2022
Bluegrass AlbumsBluegrass, No. 1, Sept. 30, 2023
The very first People’s Choice Country Awards are going down live from Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House on Thursday night (Sept. 28).
Going into the show, Morgan Wallen led all nominees with 11 nods, trailed by Luke Combs and HARDY with nine nods each; Jelly Roll with eight; Lainey Wilson with seven; Zach Bryan and Kane Brown with six each; and Megan Moroney with five.
But who will be the night’s big winner? Follow along with Billboard’s full winners list below:
The People’s Artist of 2023
Blake Shelton
Kane Brown
Kelsea Ballerini
Lainey Wilson
Luke Combs
Morgan Wallen
Old Dominion
Zach Bryan
The Male Artist of 2023
Bailey Zimmerman
Blake Shelton
HARDY
Jelly Roll
Kane Brown
Luke Combs
Morgan Wallen
Zach Bryan
The Female Artist of 2023
Ashley McBryde
Carly Pearce
Carrie Underwood
Elle King
Kelsea Ballerini
WINNER: Lainey Wilson
Megan Moroney
Miranda Lambert
The Group/Duo of 2023
Brothers Osborne
WINNER: Dan + Shay
Lady A
Little Big Town
Maddie & Tae
Old Dominion
Parmalee
The War and Treaty
The New Artist of 2023
Bailey Zimmerman
Corey Kent
ERNEST
Ingrid Andress
Jelly Roll
Megan Moroney
Priscilla Block
Zach Bryan
The Album of 2023
Bell Bottom Country – Lainey Wilson
Different Man – Kane Brown
Gettin’ Old – Luke Combs
One Thing at a Time – Morgan Wallen
Religiously. The Album. – Bailey Zimmerman
Rolling Up the Welcome Mat – Kelsea Ballerini
the mockingbird & THE CROW – HARDY
Whitsitt Chapel – Jelly Roll
The Song of 2023
“Fast Car” – Luke Combs; Songwriter: Tracy Chapman
“Last Night” – Morgan Wallen; Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, John Byron, Ryan Vojtesak
“Love You Anyway” – Luke Combs; Songwriters: Dan Isbell, Luke Combs, Ray Fulcher
“Need a Favor” – Jelly Roll; Songwriters: Austin Nivarel, Jason DeFord/Jelly Roll, Joe Ragosta, Rob Ragosta
“Tennessee Orange” – Megan Moroney; Songwriters: Ben Williams, David Fanning, Megan Moroney, Paul Jenkins
“Thank God” – Kane Brown, Katelyn Brown; Songwriters: Christian Stalnecker, Jared Mullins, Jaxson Free, Josh Hoge, Kyle Fishman
“Thinkin’ Bout Me” – Morgan Wallen; Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, John Byron, Ryan Vojtesak, Taylor Phillips
“wait in the truck” – HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson; Songwriters: Hunter Phelps, Jordan Schmidt, Michael Hardy, Renee Blair
The Collaboration Song of 2023
“Beer With My Friends” – Kenny Chesney & Old Dominion; Songwriters: Bryan Simpson, David Lee Murphy, Shy Carter
“Cowgirls” – Morgan Wallen feat. ERNEST; Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Ernest Keith Smith, James Maddocks, Milan Modi, Rocky Block, Ryan Vojtesak
“red” – HARDY feat. Morgan Wallen; Songwriters: Michael Hardy, Rhett Akins, Ben Hayslip, Jacob Rice
WINNER: “Save Me” – Jelly Roll with Lainey Wilson; Songwriters: David Ray, Jason DeFord/Jelly Roll
“Thank God” – Kane Brown, Katelyn Brown; Songwriters: Christian Stalnecker, Jared Mullins, Jaxson Free, Josh Hoge, Kyle Fishman
“wait in the truck” – HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson; Songwriters: Hunter Phelps, Jordan Schmidt, Michael Hardy, Renee Blair
“We Don’t Fight Anymore” – Carly Pearce, Chris Stapleton; Songwriters: Shane McAnally, Carly Pearce, Pete Good
“You, Me, and Whiskey” – Justin Moore, Priscilla Block; Songwriters: Brock Berryhill, Jessi Alexander, Cole Taylor
The Crossover Song of 2023
“Dawns” – Zach Bryan feat. Maggie Rogers; Songwriters: Maggie Rogers, Zachary Lane Bryan
“Just Say I’m Sorry” – P!nk, Chris Stapleton; Songwriters: Alecia Moore, Chris Stapleton
“Life Goes On” – Ed Sheeran feat. Luke Combs; Songwriter: Ed Sheeran
“Seasons” – Bebe Rexha, Dolly Parton; Songwriters: Bebe Rexha, Ido Zmishlany, Sarah Solovay
“Texas” – Jessie Murph feat. Maren Morris; Songwriters: Alex Niceforo, Amy Allen, Jessie Murph, Warren “Oak” Felder
“That’s Not How This Works” – Charlie Puth feat. Dan + Shay; Songwriters: Jordan Reynolds, Charlie Puth, Dan Smyers
“UNHEALTHY” – Anne-Marie feat. Shania Twain; Songwriters: Anne-Marie Nicholson, CASTLE, Connor McDonough, Riley McDonough
“Wasted” – Diplo feat. Kodak Black & Koe Wetzel; Songwriters: Bill K. Kapri, Richard Cook Mears IV, Ropyr Wetzel, Thomas Wesley Pentz
The Music Video of 2023
“In Your Love” – Tyler Childers
“Need a Favor” – Jelly Roll
“Tennessee Orange” – Megan Moroney
“Thank God” – Kane Brown, Katelyn Brown
“Thought You Should Know” – Morgan Wallen
“wait in the truck” – HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson
“Where We Started” – Thomas Rhett, Katy Perry
“You Proof” – Morgan Wallen
The Concert Tour of 2023
Blake Shelton: Back to the Honky Tonk Tour
Carrie Underwood: Denim & Rhinestones Tour
Chris Stapleton’s All-American Road Show Tour
Kenny Chesney: I Go Back 2023 Tour
Luke Combs World Tour
Morgan Wallen: One Night at a Time World Tour
Shania Twain: Queen of Me Tour
Zach Bryan: The Burn, Burn, Burn Tour
The Social Country Star of 2023
Bailey Zimmerman
WINNER: Blake Shelton
Carrie Underwood
Dolly Parton
Kelsea Ballerini
Luke Combs
Morgan Wallen
Shania Twain
