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The 2023 iHeartCountry Festival Presented by Capital One will welcome Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, Sam Hunt, Elle King and more on Saturday, May 13, when it is held at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. The event will again be hosted by iHeartCountry personality Bobby Bones.
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Also on the bill are Parker McCollum, Justin Moore, Jordan Davis, Mitchell Tenpenny and special guest Bailey Zimmerman.
“We are so excited to celebrate the tenth year of the iHeartCountry Festival with country music fans in the live music capital,” said Rod Phillips, executive vice president of programming for iHeartCountry. “With this lineup fans are sure to experience a night of unforgettable performances and we are thrilled to be returning to Moody Center in Austin.”
Fans across the country will also be able to hear the performances, as iHeartMedia country radio stations will broadcast the event live in their local markets, as well as on iheartradio.com on May 13 starting at 8 p.m. ET.
Tickets for the event will go on sale to the general public on Jan. 27 at 1 p.m. ET at ticketmaster.com. Capital One cardholders will get access to pre-sale tickets 48 hours before the tickets go on sale to the general public, with cardholders’ access beginning Jan. 24 at 11 a.m. ET and running through Jan. 26 at 11 a.m. ET.
Brown’s collaboration with his wife Katelyn, “Thank God,” currently sits at No. 4 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart, while Hunt’s “Water Under the Bridge” is at No. 23. King is gearing up for the release of her first official country album, Come Get Your Wife, out Jan. 27. Meanwhile, Davis is enjoying the reigning No. 1 song on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart, with “What My World Spins Around.”
See the full lineup for the 2023 iHeartCountry Festival below.
Austin Neal‘s year-old booking agency — The Neal Agency — has named Adi Sharma as a co-head and agent, and has added “Fall in Love” hitmaker Bailey Zimmerman, Canadian country artist Josh Ross, and indie artist mike., as well as lifestyle brand Stevenson Ranch to the roster.
These additions expand the agency’s roster, which already reps Morgan Wallen, HARDY, ERNEST, Chase Rice, Ashland Craft, Riley Green, John Morgan, Lauren Watkins and Seaforth, to a dozen clients.
The Neal Agency celebrated its one-year anniversary in December 2022 and has nominations at the upcoming CMA Touring Awards, including talent agent of the year (Austin Neal).
“It’s surreal to think this time last year we only had two employees, other than myself, and no office. Going into 2023, I am able to walk into a full office of 12 each morning – which is both humbling and exciting,” Neal said via a statement. “Adding Adi’s leadership to that mix will allow the company and our culture to reach new heights in our sophomore year. We are all so excited to be able to work with one of the brightest young agents in this business who will undoubtedly help lead the company going forward.”
“Austin and I have known each other since I moved to Nashville and we have always had a very like-minded approach to supporting and growing artists’ careers,” Sharma added via a statement. “To see what he and this team have built in the span of a year is inspiring. I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this rapidly growing team, to work with one of the best agents in the business, and to help the company continue to grow into the future.”
This year will mark more successful tours for the company, as Wallen’s One Night at a Time World Tour makes its way to Australia, the United States and Canada, including over 20 stadium shows along the way. ERNEST, who notched his first headlining tour last fall, will join Wallen on all of his 2023 dates.
Additionally, HARDY’s the mockingbird & The Crow Tour will launch Feb. 16 and is sold-out across 19 cities. Meanwhile, Rice’s Way Down Yonder Tour has 36 dates set through the summer. Seaforth will set out on their first headlining tour in 2023, with their 23-date About Time Tour.
The Neal Agency team (Pictured L to R: Hank Wiehebrink, Simone Chretien, Juliette Edwards, Haley Teske, Evan Kantor, Austin Neal, Andrew Greene, Kelly Sherin, Kolby Vetter, Adi Sharma, Marisa Mineo, Spencer Foote)
Tiia Sparzak
Maren Morris got emotional as she fulfilled a “decade-long dream” of serving as a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
The country star appeared on Friday’s (Jan. 13) episode of the series and that night tweeted: “I’ve done some cool s—. #DragRace is rivaling it all. Getting my jacket framed next to my Grammy. It is DONE.”
In a post-episode Untucked clip, Morris was teary-eyed as she spoke from her heart to the room.
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“Coming from country music and its relationship with LGBTQ+ members, I just want to say I’m sorry,” Morris said. “And I love you guys for making me feel like a brave voice in country music. So I just thank you guys so much for inspiring me.”
“I’m gonna cry,” she admitted.
In August, Morris showed her allyship when she called out the “unapologetically conservative” wife of Jason Aldean, Brittany, who spread hurtful anti-trans misinformation on her Instagram account. When Brittany called gender-affirming care for minors “one of the worst evils,” Morris and Cassadee Pope jumped in with comments, with Morris calling Aldean “Insurrection Barbie” and telling her to “not be a scumbag human.”
When Fox News’ Tucker Carlson called Morris a “lunatic” for her comments, the singer created T-shirts that read “lunatic country music person,” and later donated more than $100,000 worth of proceeds to GLAAD’s Transgender Media Program and Trans Lifeline.
In November, Morris spoke out against Candace Cameron Bure for her plans to“keep traditional marriage at the core” of content on her new network, Great American Family. Morris commented “Make DJ Gay Again,” a reference to Bure’s most famous role as Full House‘s DJ Tanner.
“We love an ally! So grateful @marenmorris stopped by #Untucked to support our Queens with this heartfelt message,” the official Rupaul’s Drag Race Instagram account posted on Saturday (Jan. 14).
Watch Morris’ Untucked clip below.
Is Kelsea Ballerini jumping in ‘Heartfirst’ with someone new?
The singer-songwriter was spotted hanging out with Outer Banks actor Chase Stokes during the college football national championship game at Inglewood, California’s SoFi Stadium on Monday as the Georgia Bulldogs took on the TCU Horned Frogs.
Ballerini and Stokes were included in a group photo from the game that Raising Canes founder Todd Graves shared on social media. The group also included Taylor Rooks, entrepreneur Jonathan Davis, Noah Beck and more.
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Stokes later shared a carousel of photos, including a pic of himself seated beside a blonde woman as they watched the game together. He tagged Ballerini in the photo. Ballerini commented on the post, saying, “Go Vols,” a nod to her Knoxville, Tennessee, hometown football team, the Tennessee Volunteers.
In August, Ballerini revealed her split from husband and fellow country artist Morgan Evans. Ballerini and Evans met in March 2016 while both were co-hosting the CMC Awards in Australia. They became engaged in December of that year and married Dec. 2, 2017, in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
“I’ve always tried to share my life with you in a real and vulnerable way, while also protecting layers of my personal life as they unfold,” Ballerini told fans via social media. “This is now public record so I wanted you to hear from me directly that I am going through a divorce.” Ballerini called the “deeply difficult decision” a “result of a journey of love, growth and effort that ultimately has come to an end.”
Last year, Ballerini also released the album Subject to Change, spearheaded by the album’s first single, “Heartfirst.” At the Grammy Awards on Feb. 5, the song is nominated in the best country solo performance category.
Katie Dean is exiting her role as senior vp of promotion at MCA Records Nashville to pursue new opportunities, following a two-decade career at Univeral Music Group Nashville (UMGN). Dean has led the promotion team at MCA Records Nashville since 2015.
Elsewhere, David Friedman has been named vp of promotion for MCA Records Nashville while Miranda McDonald rises to vp of national promotion.
Friedman began his major label career at Capitol Records Nashville and also spent time at Arista Nashville and Columbia Nashville. For the past seven years, he’s worked as vp of national promotion at UMG Nashville. In his new role, he heads up the MCA Nashville promo staff, leading strategies for an artist roster that includes Kassi Ashton, Jordan Davis, Vince Gill, Parker McCollum and George Strait.
“Having David move to run MCA’s promo department is one of the easiest decisions I’ve made in a long time,” UMGN executive vp of promotion Royce Risser said in a statement. “He has been ready for this position for years, and I have been selfishly keeping him in his former role because I loved having him there. He will be an incredible asset to MCA’s iconic roster, and I have every bit of confidence that he will continue the building success story at MCA Nashville.”
“Like Lynyrd Skynyrd once said, I’m ‘Workin’ For MCA!’” added Friedman. “I’m beyond excited to transition within the UMGN family to the MCA promotion team and look forward to working alongside these flamethrowers in breaking new artists and growing the careers of this phenomenal roster. Thank you, Royce, Mike Dungan, and Cindy Mabe, for this amazing opportunity.”
McDonald joined MCA Nashville in 2012, working as the label’s Southwest regional director. She had previously worked as a radio regional for Valory Music and as a radio host and reporter for CMT Radio. In her new role, McDonald will work with Risser on radio initiatives for the label group’s four imprints: Capitol Records Nashville, EMI Records Nashville, MCA Nashville and Mercury Nashville.
“Miranda McDonald has been our secret weapon for years,” Risser said. “Not gonna be so secret anymore. Her intuitive nature and deep relationships are some of the best I’ve ever seen in radio promotion. She is also a true ‘creative’ and now I will have the ability to utilize her skills for all four of our labels. I am so excited for her to begin ripping it up for UMG Nashville.”
“MCA has been my beloved chosen family for over a decade now,” McDonald added. “So, to be given the opportunity to not only continue working alongside MCA, but also with my extended family at each of the imprints, their incredible artists, and an entirely new group of partners in radio, is an honor. I am so fortunate to continue to grow my career with the best team in the industry. Answer my calls please.”
The shift at MCA Nashville follows the recent news that Cindy Mabe will succeed Mike Dungan as chairman/CEO of UMG Nashville, effective April 1. Dungan recently announced his upcoming retirement after more than four decades in the music industry. Mabe was named president of UMGN in 2014. With her ascension, she becomes the first woman to serve as chairman/CEO of a Nashville-based major-label group. Dungan will continue to serve as an adviser to UMG chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge.
Dolly Parton has offered her condolences following the sudden death of Lisa Marie Presley on Thursday (Jan. 12) at age 54.
In a social media post, Parton addressed Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie’s mother, directly. “Priscilla, I know how sad you must be. May God comfort you at this time,” she began before turning to the late King of Rock n’ Roll and his daughter. “Elvis, I know how happy you must be to finally have her home and to have her back with you. Lisa Marie, may you rest in peace. We all love all of you.”
The “Lights Out” singer was rushed to the hospital on Thursday (Jan. 12) after going into cardiac arrest at her home in Calabasas, Calif. Priscilla confirmed in a statement on social media that her daughter had been hospitalized.
The Naked Gun actress announced her child’s passing later that evening. “It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us,” she said in a statement. “She was the most passionate strong and loving woman I have ever known. We ask for privacy as we try to deal with this profound loss.”
Lisa Marie Presley was born Feb. 1, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn., and was the only daughter of Elvis Presley and actress Priscilla. Following her parents’ divorce in 1973, she lived in Los Angeles with her mother, though she also regularly visited her father at Graceland in Memphis until his death on Aug. 16, 1977.
In 2003, Lisa Marie launched her own music career, beginning with her debut album To Whom It May Concern (via Capitol Records), which was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. The single “Lights Out” reached the top 20 on Billboard‘s Adult Pop Airplay chart. To Whom It May Concern reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200, as did its 2005 followup album, Now What. Her 2005 single “Dirty Laundry” reached the top 40 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. She would release her third album, the T Bone Burnett-produced project Storm & Grace, in 2012. That same year, she made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry.
Lisa Marie will be buried at Graceland in Memphis, with her final resting place being alongside her son, Benjamin Keough, who died in 2020. Elvis, as well as other members of the Presley family, are also buried at Graceland. Lisa Marie is survived by her mother, Priscilla, as well as three daughters, including Riley Keough.
See Dolly Parton’s message below:
Apple TV+ will boot scoot into the reality music competition space on March 24 with the launch of My Kind of Country. The series will feature country stars Jimmie Allen, Mickey Guyton and masked crooner Orville Peck as scouts who will search the world to find the next big country star. In addition, executive producers actress Reese Witherspoon and singer Kacey Musgraves will be featured in the series.
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The show was described in Friday’s (Jan. 13) release as, “a fresh take on a competition series, breaking down barriers in country music by providing an extraordinary opportunity to diverse and innovative artists from around the world.” The three A-list scouts will choose a roster of up-and-coming artists, who they will invite to Nashville to showcase their sounds for the panel in a chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime shot at stardom.
The winner of the eight-episode series will receive what is described as a “life-changing prize” from Apple Music that will include “unprecedented support and exposure on the platform.”
In addition to Witherspoon and Musgraves, the show’s other executive producers include Hello Sunshine’s Sara Rea and Lauren Neustadter; Sandbox Entertainment’s Jason Owen; Emmy-nominated showrunner Izzie Pick Ibarra (The Masked Singer, Dancing With the Stars); and Done + Dusted’s Katy Mullan (The Disney Family Singalong, The Little Mermaid Live!). Emmy-winner Adam Blackstone (Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Faith Hill) is the series’ music director.
First Country is a compilation of the best new country songs, videos & albums that dropped this week.
Chris Young, “All Dogs Go to Heaven”
Young releases two new songs today, and each revolves around love and devotion. “Looking For You” depicts a couple’s love story, while “All Dogs Go to Heaven” is a tribute to man’s best friend. “He’s the closest thing to pure love that I’ve never known,” Young sings in “All Dogs Go to Heaven.” On this tender track, Young’s low-key (yet passionate) vocal still pierces the soul.
Lukas Graham and Mickey Guyton, “Home Movies”
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Guyton teams with Danish pop band Lukas Graham for the inspirational ballad “Home Movies,” which leans into the value in looking back on memories, even the less than superlative ones. These two artists pair wondrously on this sleek, anthemic pop ballad. The song is from Lukas Graham’s upcoming album 4 (The Pink Album), out Jan. 20.
Dierks Bentley, “Same Ol’ Me”
Bentley mashes up a swampy, honkytonk vibe with bluegrass flourishes as he declares that though time brings changes to fashions, hairstyles and age, he will remain steadfast in his love for down-to-earth bars, getting rowdy and his significant other. The song is from Bentley’s upcoming 10th album, Gravel & Gold, out Feb. 24.
Diplo feat. Kodak Black and Koe Wetzel, “Wasted”
Thomas Wesley (aka Diplo) comes galloping back into the country scene, this time teaming with Koe Wetzel and Kodak Black for the party jam “Wasted.” The track is a deft blend of pulsating, hard rock rhythm with a lyric that muses on the peaks and valleys of being intoxicated. “The pistol on the counter keeps starin’ at me, I threw away the bullets and I gave it away/ ‘Cause life is so much sweeter when you taste it/ Bring me back to life when I’m wasted,” they sing. Diplo released his first country-tinged project 2020, spearheaded by the hit “Heartless” with Morgan Wallen.
Ian Munsick, “River Run”
Gorgeous fiddle laces this organic musical romp as he recalls a short-lived romance with a lover whose “gypsy blood runs through her veins.” Though he, like many in his small town “just settle like the dust when the day is done,” he acknowledges that she, like the river, will never stay still. His sophomore album, White Buffalo, will be released April 7.
Alana Springsteen, “You Don’t Deserve a Country Song”
“You didn’t give me anything that’s worth writing down,” Springsteen sings with a forceful retort over a jaunty melody, making it clear she won’t be wasting her pen, paper and songwriting talents on a subpar ex-lover. This confidence bolstering jam also namechecks Brooks & Dunn’s “Neon Moon,” Keith Urban’s “You’ll Think of Me,” and Rascal Flatts’ “What Hurts the Most.” Bonus points for Springsteen tacking on a voice memo of her co-writers singing along at the end.
Drayton Farley, “Norfolk Blues”
Farley parlays his time working on the railroad into this driving folk-rock track, which finds him chronicling working double shifts far from home and hanging onto the hope of providing his family a better life in the process. The honesty, ache and resolution in Farley’s rough-hewn voice are palpable, making him a potential major contender with the new wave of rawer rock production and vulnerable vocals that is currently impacting country music. “Norfolk Blues” will be included on Farley’s upcoming Sadler Vaden-produced album Twenty on High, out March 3 via Hargrove Records/Thirty Tigers.
Michael Warren, “Another Round”
Warren delivers a polished, radio-friendly track that simmers in the romantic early days of a relationship and namechecks Shenandoah in the process. Warren’s warm and amiable, paired with the song’s smooth production, should make this track at home on any number of country and pop playlists.
Royale Lynn, “Runs in the Water”
This newcomer brings ferocious, ceiling-scraping vocals and melds them with a roaring chorus and scorching guitar work on par with anything that came out of the hard-driving 2000s rock and country scenes.
On Thursday (Jan. 12), Spotify released its Hot Country Artists to Watch list, and making this year’s list is Megan Moroney, who just released a music video for her viral hit “Tennessee Orange, which currently ranks at No. 43 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart.
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“I remember when I moved to town, I dreamed of being on the Hot Country Playlist,” Moroney said in a Spotify video. “To be on that playlist now is very cool for me and I’m very grateful.”
“Narcissist” singer-songwriter Avery Anna makes the list too, as does Dylan Marlowe (known for his remake of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” and new song “Goodbye Gets Around”).
ERNEST, who earned a top 20 Billboard Country Airplay hit with “Flower Shops” (featuring Morgan Wallen) and recently launched his own music publishing venture, also makes the list.
“There have been a ton of awesome names on this list and it’s an honor to be one of them,” ERNEST says in the video.
Country-rock group 49 Winchester’s high-octane sound puts the group on the list, while they are joined by “Don’t Come Lookin’” hitmaker Jackson Dean, whose music was recently featured on the hit series Yellowstone.
Also landing on the Spotify Artists to Watch list this year is the group Restless Road, known for “Take Me Home” (a collab with Kane Brown inspired by the John Denver classic “Take Me Home, Country Roads”), as well as “Growing Old With You.”
Others making the list include Ella Langley (“Country Boy’s Dream Girl”), Josh Ross (“First Taste of Gone”) and Tanner Adell (“Honky Tonk Heartbreak”).
See more from this year’s honorees below:
Dierks Bentley is offering fans an early glimpse into his upcoming 10th studio album, Gravel & Gold, which drops Feb. 24.
With the album, Bentley also celebrates two decades of steadily building his music career, going from playing tiny clubs to arenas. Bentley released his eponymous debut album in 2003, as well as his debut single “What Was I Thinkin’.” Since then, he’s earned 14 Grammy nominations and notched 18 No. 1 hits on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart. He’s collaborated with artists including Miranda Lambert, Elle King, Brothers Osborne, Vince Gill, BRELAND, Hardy, Maren Morris, Holly Williams and Luke Bryan.
In a recent video he posted to social media, the singer-songwriter shared, “My love for country music, that’s what’s always kept me going, town to town, show to show…I worked hard, I took chances, went for things.”
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Bentley says that his passion for quality heading into Gravel & Gold led him to create and then scrap his work — twice.
“I wrote, I recorded, it wasn’t good enough,” he says in the video. “I threw it out and started over, twice. I had to get it right, for the fans, for me. It had to be the best country music I ever made. Everyone showed up, my heroes and my friends. We did it together.”
Bentley recently released the track “High Note,” featuring bluegrass artist Billy Strings, as well as Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas and Bryan Sutton), which followed his first single release for the upcoming album, with “Gold.” The video clip also shows Bentley in the studio with singer-songwriter-musicians including Vince Gill and Jedd Hughes.