Country
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Thomas Wesley is riding his horse back into the collective consciousness.
In a video uploaded yesterday (Dec. 12) to TikTok, the producer sidles up to the check-in counter at a lavish hotel. “Checking in for Diplo?” the hotel concierge says. “No, this time it’s Thomas Wesley,” counters the artist. He then winks at the camera before the video cuts to a shot of him strutting down a hallway while putting on a white cowboy hat while a clip of what is presumably his forthcoming country crossover plays.
The clip’s caption notes that “Thomas Wesley is back in business” and IDs the song as “Wasted,” a project with Kodak Black and emerging outlaw country singer Koe Wetzel. No release date for the song has been announced.
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“Wasted” marks a return to country for Diplo, who released his debut album in the genre, Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley, Chapter 1: Snake Oil, in 2020. The lead single from the album, the Morgan Wallen collaboration “Heartless,” spent 39 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 29. The album, which also included collaborations with Leon Bridges, Noah Cyrus, Cam, Zac Brown, Julia Michaels and more, spent 25 weeks on the Billboard 200, and peaked at No. 50.
“We’re reaching people without Nashville giving us the approval,” Diplo told Billboard of his work in the country genre in a 2020 cover story. “We don’t really need it. With streaming services, you don’t need to be on the radio. Country records go for, like, a year to reach the charts. I’m into that. I’m learning from that.”
Watch Diplo’s TikTok teasing his new song “Wasted” below.
Morgan Wallen becomes the first artist to rank at Nos. 1, 2 and 3 simultaneously on Billboard‘s streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Country Songs chart (dated Dec. 17), since the survey began as an all-encompassing genre ranking in 1958.
“You Proof” hits 17 weeks atop the tally, tying Thomas Rhett’s “Die a Happy Man” (2015-16) for the 10th-longest reign. Just ahead is Florida Georgia Line’s “H.O.L.Y.” (18 weeks, 2016), while FGL and Bebe Rexha’s crossover smash “Meant To Be” dominated for a record 50 weeks in 2017-18.
“You Proof” corralled 28.3 million all-format airplay audience impressions and 12.6 million official U.S. streams and sold 2,000 downloads Dec. 2-8, according to Luminate.
Plus, Wallen debuts three songs on Hot Country Songs in the top 10: “One Thing at a Time” (No. 2), “Tennessee Fan” (No. 5) and “Days That End in Why” (No. 7) – while his former 11-week No. 1 “Wasted on You” holds at No. 3, granting him his unprecedented triumph in the top three.
On Country Digital Song Sales, “Thing,” “Tennessee” and “Days” – all released Dec. 2 – arrive at Nos. 1, 2 and 3 with 13,000, 12,000 and 10,000 sold through Dec. 8, respectively. Wallen ups his career count to 17 top 10s on Hot Country Songs, and eight No. 1s among 19 top 10s on Country Digital Song Sales.
All three new Wallen songs are slated to appear on his next album. Wallen is the second act to infuse the Country Digital Song Sales top three with debuts, after Taylor Swift did so twice, in November 2010 and November 2011.
Wallen, thus, owns five of the Hot Country Songs top 10 – a feat that only he has achieved. The record is six songs in the tier, set on the Jan. 23, 2021, chart as Dangerous: The Double Album began its 81-week-and-counting command on Top Country Albums. He also claimed half the Hot Country Songs top 10 the following two weeks.
Meanwhile, “You Proof” rebounds from No. 2 to top Country Airplay for a seventh week (23.9 million, down 7%). It joins five other titles for the second-longest reign since the chart started in 1990. The record is eight, shared by Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett’s “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” (2003) and Lonestar’s crossover ballad “Amazed” (1999). “You Proof” now solely boasts the longest No. 1 stay of the 2020s, surpassing Dustin Lynch’s “Thinking ‘Bout You,” featuring MacKenzie Porter (starting last December), and Luke Combs’ “Forever After All” (starting in June 2021).
“You Proof” is additionally the first Country Airplay No. 1 with multiple other leaders amid its command. After it ruled for five weeks (Oct. 15-Nov. 12), Tyler Hubbard’s “5 Foot 9” topped the Nov. 19 chart, followed by Thomas Rhett’s “Half of Me,” featuring Riley Green (Nov. 26), and – after “You Proof” led again on the Dec. 3 tally – Bailey Zimmerman’s “Fall in Love” (Dec. 10).
“We are finding that the smash hits are hanging on much longer than the labels anticipate or want,” muses Charlie Cook, Cumulus Media vp of programming. “Research indicates that big songs are rarely finished when they peak on the chart.”
Among songs enduring past their Country Airplay peaks, Cole Swindell’s “She Had Me at Heads Carolina,” up 3-2, spends a 10th week in the top five following its four-week reign, rewriting two longevity records: the most weeks totaled in both the top three (14) and the top five (17).
Kane & Katelyn Climb
Elsewhere, Kane Brown and Katelyn Brown’s “Thank God” hits the Country Airplay top 10 (12-10, 18.1 million, up 6%). The former adds his 10th top 10, with eight of his nine prior top 10s having hit No. 1. Wife Katelyn claims her first top 10 in her initial chart appearance.
It all comes down to five. The season 22 finale of The Voice kicks off Monday night (Dec. 12), and Billboard wants to know which hopeful you’re rooting for going into the big night.
The five singers performing for the crown only represent three of this season’s four coaches, with Gwen Stefani‘s final contestant being knocked out in the semifinals.
That leaves John Legend with Omar Jose Cardona, freshman coach Camila Cabello with Morgan Myles and OG coach Blake Shelton with a whopping three finalists — bodie, Brayden Lape and Bryce Leatherwood — for his chance to win a ninth and final trophy before he leaves the show.
Bodie impressed early in the competition, earning a four-chair turn with his cover of The Fray’s “You Found Me.” Cardona’s mile-high voice, meanwhile, has soared on everything from Journey’s “Separate Ways” (another four-chair audition) to Foreigner’s classic “I Want to Know What Love Is.”
Floppy-haired heartthrob Lape has proven his country prowess all season long on tracks like Niall Horan’s “This Town,” Kenny Chesney’s “Come Over” and Jordan Davis’ “Buy Dirt,” and Leatherwood has donned his trusty black nine-gallon hat for every round of country crooning on covers of Conway Twitty’s “Goodbye Time,” Zac Brown Band’s “Colder Weather” and more.
As the lone female artist in the finals, the Nashville-based Myles has a one-in-five chance to become the first solo female to win the crown since season 16’s Maelyn Jarmon and also to bring Cabello a win on her rookie season in the show’s famous red chairs.
Part 1 of The Voice season 22 finale will air Monday night on NBC. Vote for the singer you want to win below.
Maren Morris is weighing in. After seeing that Meghan Markle was getting quite a bit of vitriol online following the release of her and husband Prince Harry’s new Netflix documentary series, the 32-year-old country music star came to the Duchess of Sussex’s defense.
In a recent TikTok, Morris revealed that though she hasn’t yet watched Harry & Meghan, she has seen what she feels is a confusing amount of public disdain directed toward the former Suits star following the Dec. 8 release of the docuseries’ first three episodes.
“This profound hatred and annoyance at Meghan Markle specifically — mostly coming from women, I have to say — it’s unfathomable to me,” she said. “People are saying, ‘Oh a woman should never take a man away from his family.’ Have you seen this family?”
She went on to give examples of past royals whose relationship to the British monarchy became strained over romantic relationships, including former King Edward VIII, who abdicated the throne in 1936 so that he could marry American socialite and divorcée Wallis Simpson. “[Princess Margaret] did not leave the family, but I kind of wish she had,” Morris continued, referencing the princess’ forbidden love with Peter Townsend, a British Royal Air Force office.
“Apart from Diana, Princess Margaret’s story is one of the saddest,” she added. “And if we talk about Princess Di, she didn’t leave her children, but she left the family.”
Though the final three episodes of Harry & Meghan won’t be released until Dec. 15, the show’s first half has already drawn mounting criticism from viewers. Some were particularly bothered by a scene in which Markle reenacts a moment she awkwardly curtsied for Queen Elizabeth. And NPR London correspondent Frank Langfitt has attributed reviewers’ negative reactions to a perception that Harry & Meghan was “self-indulgent” of the Duke and Duchess to make.
Morris, however, clearly disagrees. “Now, I don’t know these people, and neither do you, but I do have a moderate fascination with the monarchy and the royals,” the 2023 Grammy nominee said, noting that she’d watched Netflix’s The Crown. “But I don’t understand this very specific hatred to Meghan herself. I just don’t — I never have.”
“This all feels very pointed at one woman, as it mostly always has in history,” she concluded.
Watch Maren Morris come to Meghan Markle’s defense below:
Every year, country radio personnel vote on the artists who are most likely to become future country radio mainstays. The top five vote-getters perform during the New Faces of Country Music Show, which serves as the culmination of the annual Country Radio Seminar, putting the newcomers in front of numerous influential country radio industry members.
This year’s includes UMG Nashville singer-songwriter Priscilla Block, who broke through with “Just About Over You,” as well as Big Machine Label Group artist Jackson Dean, who earned a hit with “Don’t Come Lookin’,” and Sony Music Nashville newcomer Nate Smith, who is surging with “Whiskey on You.”
They join BBR Music Group artist and “Country’d Look Good on You” singer Frank Ray, as well as BMG’s Jelly Roll, who has a Billboard top 10 Country Airplay chart hit with “Son of a Sinner” and played a triumphant sold-out hometown arena show in Nashville on Dec. 9.
The 2023 New Faces of Country Music Show will take place March 15, concluding the 2023 Country Radio Seminar slated for March 13-15 at Omni Nashville Hotel.
CRB New Faces Committee Chairman Chuck Aly said via a statement, “The radio and streaming partner constituencies of CRS have spoken and, word is, the future of country music is bright. This year’s New Faces class comprises artists with admirable creative depth and burgeoning commercial impact. Translation: Don’t miss it!”
The first New Faces of Country Music show was held in 1970 and featured Jack Barlow, Jamie Kaye, Karen Kelly, Wayne Kemp, Lynda K. Lance, LaWanda Lindsey, Dee Mullins and Norro Wilson. Since then, a who’s who of country artists have performed on the show early in their careers, including Lefty Frizzell, Eddie Rabbitt, Vern Gosdin and Gene Watson. Reba McEntire, Alabama and Sylvia were among those on the 1980 lineup, while George Strait, Rodney Crowell and Ricky Skaggs performed at the event in 1982. Randy Travis and Marty Stuart were among the 1986 lineup, while Keith Whitley, Dwight Yoakam, Holly Dunn and Lyle Lovett were on the bill a year later.
Tim McGraw met his wife, fellow country singer Faith Hill, during the 1994 New Faces of Country Music Show; that year’s lineup also included Toby Keith, Lari White, Clay Walker and John Berry. Keith Urban and Brad Paisley shared the 2000 lineup, while Miranda Lambert and Eric Church were on the 2007 bill, and Taylor Swift and Luke Bryan were on the same bill in 2008.
Zac Brown Band kick off their 2023 From the Fire Tour in Columbus, Ohio, on June 30.
The 24-date amphitheater outing, produced by Live Nation, will conclude in November with two dates at Tampa’s Mid-Florida Credit Union Amphitheater. It follows the group’s 2022 Out in the Middle Tour. Openers on the Grammy-winning group’s 10th North American trek will be King Calaway, Marcus King and Tenille Townes.
“This past year was monumental, and we’re thrilled to bring all that momentum with us into 2023 and onto the ‘From the Fire Tour,’” Brown said in a statement. “We are all like family in this band and having the opportunity to bring our music from city to city is something we never take for granted. We can’t wait to be back out on the road with our fans.”
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In addition to the From the Fire tour dates, ZBB will also headline the C2C: Country to Country festival, which takes place in Glasgow, Dublin and London in March. Additionally, the band will play a number of U.S. festivals, including Milwaukee’s Summerfest and Chicago’s Windy City Smokeout. On Major League Baseball’s Lou Gehrig Day, ZBB will perform a Cincinnati Reds post-game benefit concert with a portion of proceeds from every ticket sold going to founding band member John Driskell Hopkins’ Hop On A Cure Foundation, which is dedicated to finding a cure for ALS.
From the Fire Tour tickets go on sale to the general public Dec. 16 via www.zacbrownband.com. A Citi card pre-sale starts Dec. 14, the same days as a fan club presale. A Spotify pre-sale begins Sept. 15. Ticket information is available on the band’s website.
2023 TOUR DATES:
Friday, June 30, 2023 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena+
Saturday, July 1, 2023 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium+
Friday, July 14, 2023 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Saturday, August 5, 2023 – Canton, OH – Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium#
Sunday, August 6, 2023 – Indianapolis, IN – Ruoff Music Center+
Friday, August 11, 2023 – Syracuse, NY – St Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview^+
Saturday, August 12, 2023 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts^+
Sunday, August 13, 2023 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center^+
Saturday, August 19, 2023 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park+
Saturday, September 2, 2023 – Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion+
Sunday, September 3, 2023 – Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion+
Saturday, September 16, 2023 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater+
Sunday, September 17, 2023 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater+
Thursday, October 5, 2023 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek~+
Friday, October 6, 2023 – Baltimore, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion#~+
Saturday, October 7, 2023 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center~+
Thursday, October 12, 2023 – Denver, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre#+
Friday, October 13, 2023 – Denver, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre#+
Saturday, October 14, 2023 – Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre+
Friday, October 20, 2023 – Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheatre+
Saturday, October 21, 2023 – Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheatre+
Thursday, November 2, 2023 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre+
Friday, November 3, 2023 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre+
Saturday, November 4, 2023 – Tampa, FL– MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre+
ADDITIONAL 2023 PERFORMANCE DATES:
Friday, March 10, 2023 – Glasgow, UK – C2C: Country to Country*
Saturday, March 11, 2023 – Dublin, IE – C2C: Country to Country*
Sunday, March 12, 2023 – London, UK – C2C: Country to Country*
Sunday, March 17 – Tuesday, March 19, 2023 – Willowbank, Australia – CMC Rocks 2023*
Sunday, June 2, 2023 – Cincinnati, OH – Cincinnati Reds Post-Game Benefit Concert*
Friday, June 23, 2023 – Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest 2023^*
Saturday, June 24, 2023 – Cadott, WI – Country Fest 2023*
Sunday, July 16, 2023 – Chicago, IL – Windy City Smokeout*
Sunday July 23, 2023 – Newton, IA – Hy-Vee INDY CAR Weekend*
+Special Guest King Calaway
^Special Guest Marcus King
~Special Guest Tenille Townes
Walker Hayes recently concluded his first headlining arena tour in November, and he’s already preparing to head back on the road in 2023, beginning April 13 when his new Duck Buck Tour launches in Rosemont, Illinois.
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Ingrid Andress will provide direct support on the 22-show tour, with Breland, Ray Fulcher, Nicolle Galyon and Chris Lane opening select shows. “More Hearts Than Mine” hitmaker Andress recently released the album Good Person, while Breland (known for his collaboration with Dierks Bentley and HARDY on “Beers on Me”) recently released the project Cross Country. Fulcher has penned numerous hits for Luke Combs and released the project Larkin Hill Mixes in 2021.
On May 5, Galyon and Lane will make a special appearance at the coveted Denver-area venue Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Galyon is known for penning songs including Dan + Shay’s “Tequila,” Lee Brice’s “Boy” and Morgan Wallen’s “Thought You Should Know.” Earlier this year, she released her debut album, firstborn. Lane has notched Country Airplay hits including “Fix,” “Big, Big Plans” and “I Don’t Know About You.”
The Duck Buck Tour takes its name from a lyric on the title track of his recent album Country Stuff: “I like shooting ducks and bucks.” Since then, the Duck Buck logo has popped up on Hayes’ merch, in music videos and on his social media.
“I can’t wait to get back out on tour,” Hayes said via a statement. “Headlining an arena tour for the first time this past year was a dream come true. The whole family was able to come out and the road has become our new home away from home. All the fans that have come out or will come out are making this dream a reality. I owe it all to them, and this next tour will be the biggest and best. I don’t take for granted that they spent their hard-earned money on my shows, and I plan to make it well worth It!”
A presale for Walker Hayes Fan Club members will launch Dec. 13 at 10 a.m. local time and will run through Dec. 15 at 10 p.m. General tickets will go on sale Dec. 16 at 10 a.m. local time.
Last year, Hayes earned his first No. 1 Country Airplay hit with “Fancy Like,” which also reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has also earned a Grammy nomination at the upcoming ceremony, for best country song. His current single, “Y’all Life,” is at No. 32 on the Country Airplay chart.
See the dates for the Duck Buck Tour below:
April 13 Rosemont, IL Rosemont Theatre*April 14 Peoria, IL Peoria Civic Center*April 20 Evansville, IN Ford Center*April 21 Rogers, AR Walmart AMP*April 22 Oklahoma City, OK Paycom Center*April 27 University Park, PA Bryce Jordan Center#April 29 Wilmington, NC Live Oak Bank Pavilion#May 4 Wichita, KS INTRUST Bank Arena+May 5 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre+June 2 Gilford, NH Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion#June 3 Boston, MA Leader Bank Pavilion#June 9 Jacksonville, FL Daily’s Place Amphitheater#June 10 Boca Raton, FL Mizner Park Amphitheater*June 17 Irving, TX The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory*June 22 Camdenton, MO Ozarks Amphitheatre#June 23 Nashville, TN Ascend Amphitheater#June 24 Orange Beach, AL The Wharf Amphitheater#July 28 Raleigh, NC Red Hat Amphitheater*July 29 Charlotte, NC Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre*Aug 3 St. Louis, MO Saint Louis Music Park*Aug 4 Indianapolis, IN TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park*Aug 5 Sterling Heights, MI Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre*
+Chris Lane and Nicolle Galyon
# Ingrid Andress and Ray Fulcher
*Ingrid Andress and BRELAND
Kenny Chesney, “Da Ruba Girl”
Chesney pays tribute to the life of his beloved rescue dog Ruby here, who recently passed away. This laid-back acoustic track details life with his furry companion, detailing the joy “Da Ruba Girl” brought to his life in a myriad of ways, from watching her chase squirrels, noticing the hair that didn’t grow or curl, and finding a jewel of a friend in a shelter, “lying there like a lost string of pearls.”
This fan favorite “Da Ruba Girl” previously aired regularly on Chesney’s SiriusXM station, No Shoes Radio, and all proceeds for the song will be donated to Stray Rescue of St. Louis.
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Ashley McBryde and Benjy Davis, “Gospel Night at the Strip Club”
You can let the needle drop anywhere on this project and land on an excellent track courtesy of McBryde and her creative cohorts on Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville. But this standout, which details the stories of a bartender, musicians and a dancer that help make a small-town bar a near-churchlike setting of its own — building to a key line, “Hallelujah/ Jesus loves the drunkards and the whores and the queers.” This track highlights Davis’ grainy, world-weary vocal. Written by Davis, McBryde, Brandy Clark, Connie Harrington, Aaron Raitiere and Nicolette Hayford, this evinces their talents as keen-eyed, open-hearted troubadours.
Garrett Hedlund, “Always Wanted To”
Actor/musician Garrett Hedlund released a pair of new songs today, including this heartbreaking track sung from the perspective of a 95-year-old man in a nursing home. His velvety-yet-grizzeled voice is a perfect match for the track, pulling out the nostalgia and resolution in lines such as, “Outside there’s a rusty pickup, underneath the shed/ Mockingbirds nest in the tail pipe, empty feed sack in the bed/ They took away my keys, saying I’m too old to drive/ It’s like they’re trying to bury me, while I’m still alive.” If the song sounds familiar, it’s because Cody Johnson also recorded it for his Human: The Double Album project.
Lily Rose, “Truth Is”
Lily Rose is willing to linger in the boozy space between the first crushing blow of a breakup and moving on with life, if it means feeling like she’s holding onto the relationship just a bit longer. “Chasing down what we were with this 100 Proof/ Is easier to swallow than the truth is,” Rose sings in her latest release. Earlier this year, Rose’s polished pop-country sound and unvarnished lyrical vulnerability earned an ACM Awards nomination for best new female artist.
Trace Adkins and Melissa Etheridge, “Love Walks Through the Rain”
This track from Adkins’ 2021 album The Way I Wanna Go features singer/songwriter great Melissa Etheridge. The song (and newly-released video) are a tribute to the hearty, enduring power of love. Each, of course, is a sturdy soloist on their respective verses, while Adkins’ gravelly baritone potently underscores Etheridge’s vocal fervor when their voices intertwine on the choruses. Adkins previously told Billboard that the song is “the best duet I’ve ever done.”
Rusty Truck, “Ain’t Over Me” (Music Video)
Musician and photographer Mark Seliger put his myriad talents to use in the crafting the new music video from his band Rusty Truck. Seliger directed the clip, which intertwines elements of theater, music and performative dance, and features actress Katie Holmes and dancer/actor Benjamin Freemantle, with choreography from Twyla Tharp. Holmes and Freemantle convey the emotional pull, the angst, the loneliness and the hope that unfurls in this folksy ode to unrequited love.
Ashley Cooke, “It’s Been a Year”
An appropriate track as 2022 draws to a close, Cooke ponders the swift passage of time on this song she wrote with Brett Tyler and Will Weatherly. With a tender voice floating above understated guitar, she sets the scene of returning home after so long away, to visit grandparents and see her best friend’s baby, born earlier in the year. Alongside the high points and the long days of grinding out a career, she chronicles the relative swiftness with which an ex-lover has moved on: “Now he’s at her place five nights a week/ Yeah, that feels kinda quick to me, but I guess it’s been a year.”
Larry Fleet and Mike Ryan, “Quittin’ Ain’t Workin’”
Fleet and Ryan bring the honkytonk vibes on this remake of a song that originally appeared on Fleet’s 2021 album Stack of Records. On “Quittin’ Ain’t Workin’,” he’s committed to getting sober after his ex left him behind, with a promise of reconciliation if he changes his ways. But after seeing her out with another lover, he swiftly ditches his plans and heads for the nearest watering hole. A rowdy romp for fans of ’90s barroom songs.
Kenny Chesney is using his music to honor his best friend. Chesney is releasing “Da Ruba Girl” — a song inspired by his dog Ruby — on Friday (Dec. 9). The song is inspired by his beloved four-legged pal, and was previously shared on his No Shoes Radio station on SiriusXM.
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“I wrote ‘Da Ruba Girl’ about Ruby, because she was this spirit who had so many different pieces to who she was,” Chesney told People about the tune. “It was a fun song, and I’d recorded it, but never included it on an album. Instead we’d play it on No Shoes Radio, where it became a fan favorite. People loved the song, I think, because they all knew a dog who had the same kind of spirit or heart, you know, the kind who was an underdog, who wasn’t the obvious choice.”
To honor Ruby, proceeds from the track will be donated to Stray Rescue of St. Louis, a dog shelter whose “sole purpose is to rescue stray animals in need of medical attention, restore them to health, and place them in loving adoptive homes,” its website states.
“No one had a bigger, bolder heart than Ruby. I’m proud to say #DaRubaGirl will be available to download and stream for the first time Friday. All proceeds from the song will go to @StrayRescue,” Chesney initially announced via Twitter on Sunday.
He also shared news of the song’s release on Instagram Friday. “Losing Ruby has left a hole there are no words for,” he captioned a photo of his beloved pup. “Ruby was everything good, and in her memory, this is her way of continuing to give and bring love where it’s most needed.”
The sentimental country track sees Chesney reminiscing on the beautiful relationship he had with Ruby, singing in the first verse of the track, “You needed her, she needed you/ To hold, to help fill a space/ Last in line, last cage at the rescue/ Was a love that no one could replace/ Lying there like a lost string of pearls/ Was da Ruba girl.”
Listen to “Da Ruba Girl” in the video above, and check out his social media posts below.
This year brought several multi-week No. 1 hits on Billboard’s country charts, along with a surge of new artists earning solid hits with their first singles. Meanwhile, several established artists delved deep into themes of redemption, heartbreak, nostalgia and even revenge.
On this list, Billboard highlights some of country music’s top songs of the past 12 months, from established artists and upstarts alike.