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Country music has its share of talented biographers: Robert K. Oermann, Barry Mazor and Holly George-Warren, just to name a few. They are able to boil a life in the genre down to a few hundred pages. But not everyone gets that kind of space to document their history. Musicians have been known to convey their experiences in three or four minutes — a challenge, to be sure.
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George Birge, coming off back-to-back Country Airplay hits with “Mind on You” (No. 2, 2023) and “Cowboy Songs” (No. 1, 2024), engaged in that very exercise for his latest single, “It Won’t Be Long.”
“I was ready to take another step as an artist,” Birge reflects. “I found a little bit of a lane of stuff that was working for me. But I also wanted to continue to grow as I got a deeper connection with my fans, and kind of pull back the curtain a little bit more and maybe tell a little bit more of a story and showcase a little bit more in my life.”
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Over the course of 2024, he attempted several times to do that very thing, but none of those efforts seemed to land. That changed during a co-writing session on Oct. 22 at the Liz Rose Music offices in Nashville, where Joe Fox (“Last Night Lonely,” “Breakin’ In Boots”) had a room with a piano. The appointment that day also included Chase McGill (“Next Thing You Know,” “5 Foot 9”) and Trannie Anderson (“Heart Like a Truck,” “Wild Horses and Wildflowers”), writing with Birge for the first time after bumping into him regularly on the golf course. Anderson, it turned out, had an idea they all thought was workable, but before they got too far, McGill felt he should speak up.
McGill’s oldest daughter was a few weeks from turning 7, and just a few days earlier, he had had a discussion with his wife, Kara, about how fast their world seemed to be going. It inspired a hook, “Life might be a lot of things/ But it won’t be long.”
“I instantly was like, ‘That’s it. That’s what I’ve been looking for,’ ” Birge says. “And everybody’s like, ‘If you’re in, let’s chase it.’ ”
Even Anderson, whose idea was scrapped by that turn of events, was up for it. “We wrote exactly what he needed, right when he needed it,” she says. “It’s so rare that it happens that way.”
Since they knew what the song’s payoff line would be, they dug in on the opening line, turning the “It won’t be long…” hook into a repetitive device. The writers became Birge’s biographers, questioning him about key moments in his relationship with Kara. Those events — their first meeting, their first kiss in a parking lot, their first child — were folded into the piece, capturing the story of their relationship.
“As a songwriter, I’ve kind of learned that the more specific and personal you are, the more relatable a song usually is,” Fox notes. “That’s why it’s so cool with George on this one. A lot of it’s his details, but you wouldn’t know that listening to it. I mean, anyone listening to it could put their details in there.”
Indeed, Birge’s renovation of a dilapidated house, taken down to the studs, isn’t everyone’s experience, but anyone who has done even a minor home makeover can relate. “Any kind of remodeling you do, man, no one forgets that,” McGill says.
They also incorporated Birge’s Little League background, weaving in his No. 7 uniform, as well as his son’s use of the same number. They spent a half-hour on that vignette. “That was the line that took the longest to flesh out,” Birge recalls. “There’s a cadence change to it, and we wanted that line to really pop because it meant a lot seeing your last name [on a uniform] at the plate again. It’s a new version of you. It’s a new chapter. There’s nothing like your kids imitating you.”
The bridge would tie three Birge generations together, while the chorus provided an interpretation of the narrative. Halfway through that stanza, the phrasing and melody change just enough to spotlight the key point of “It Won’t Be Long”: a challenge to the listener to “take the risk” on a life-changing relationship.
“I always like a more drastic melodic change on the second half of a chorus,” Anderson says. “I tend to structure a lot of my songs that way, and I think everyone kind of wanted that to happen.”
“It Won’t Be Long” was written primarily on guitar, but as they finished the work, Fox segued to the piano, which he thought would better reflect the song’s emotional content. He layered that piano part with guitar to create the foundation for a spare demo, with Birge addressing the lead vocal almost as a narration and Anderson shadowing with a single harmony.
It wouldn’t be long before the song made its initial impact. Within hours, Birge’s team was doing figurative handstands over it, and by the end of the week, they had designated it as his next single and even picked an add date. And Fox was enlisted to produce it.
Fox used Birge’s lead vocal from that demo, as well as Anderson’s harmonies, and built a new instrumental framework one piece at a time. Fox played guitars and bass, hired Jerry Roe to deliver a light drum part, got David Dorn to redo the piano and brought in Justin Schipper for atmospheric steel guitar and Dobro. Fox also snuck a single synthesizer note underneath that plays throughout the entire song, even remaining in place when it clashes with the accompanying chord. It provides a barely perceptible, movie-like tension.
“I kind of went for the cinematic thing the whole way through,” Fox says. “It’s one of the first times I put strings in a radio country song.” He did have Birge return to the studio to update his vocal, though he only changed a couple of notes. “We fixed, like, two words,” Fox says. “The way he pronounced them just wasn’t super clear. We just added plosives to the words.”
The production impressed his co-writers, who had suspected Fox would make sure the song’s message remained central to the final recording.
“One of the hardest things to do on these types of songs is use restraint,” McGill says. “It’s so easy to go throw a huge, [amped-up] drum kit on there — big pop and snare — and make it a big banger. Sometimes, with lyrics like these, it’s best just to let it sit right there so the words can sink in. And I think they did an awesome job of that.”
RECORDS Nashville released Birge’s musical biography to country radio via PlayMPE on Jan. 16, anticipating that “It Won’t Be Long” will deepen his connection with listeners as they relate their life stories to his, even if he had only four minutes to create the arc.
“It’s all real life,” Birge says. “It was just picking the stories that pop the most, whittling them down to fit perfectly into the song.”
If Post Malone pulls it off, “c’mon!” could be the next “whazzup?!” The rapper-turned-country-star appears alongside comedian Shane Gillis in a preview of the pair’s Super Bowl LIX ad for Bud Light that dropped on Thursday (Jan. 23). Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The 23-second teaser […]
Country music was shaken, and stirred, and chilled by Shaboozey‘s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” during 2024.
The breezy interpolation of a 20-year-old hip-hop song has spent 30 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs in the third-longest run thus far in history. It’s been certified quintuple-platinum by the RIAA. And now Luminate recognizes it as the most streamed country song of 2024, as well as last year’s top-selling country digital song.
Luminate’s 2024 year-end report, released Jan. 15, showed country expanding in the United States and growing significantly in foreign markets as well. The report also underscored the genre’s growing footprint in nontraditional demographics, with Beyoncè‘s Cowboy Carter ranking as the year’s top-selling country album, and finishing No. 6 among the top 10 country albums when tracked by total-equivalent album (TEA) units.
It marked the first time that either Shaboozey or Beyoncè appeared on a year-end Luminate country list, though their emergence within country did not mean the disappearance of familiar sounds and faces. Morgan Wallen repeated in the top two positions among country albums by TEA units with One Thing at a Time and Dangerous: The Double Album. Zach Bryan landed three titles among the top 10: Zach Bryan (No. 3), American Heartbreak (No. 5) and The Great American Bar Scene (No. 7). And Luke Combs finished at No. 9 and No. 10 with This One’s for You and Gettin’ Old. It marks the seventh straight year that This One’s for You finished among the top 10.
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The shift from the traditional purchasing economy to streaming continued, as country compiled 118 billion on-demand audio streams during 2024. Digital album sales in the genre were a mere 1.7 million units.
Two anomalies make it imprudent to compare year-to-year numbers. Luminate changed its methodology for tracking physical album sales. Plus, the tracking period —from Dec. 29, 2023, through Jan. 2, 2025 — covered 53 weeks, rather than the typical 52 weeks.
Still, 2024 was only the second year that on-demand country streams exceeded 100 billion. (The genre logged 113.1 billion in 2023.) And the 1.7 million album sales are a far cry from a decade ago, when country moved 33.3 million albums. In fact, the top two albums from that year — Eric Church‘s The Outsiders and Luke Bryan‘s Crash My Party — sold 1.6 million albums on their own that year, nearly matching the digital total for the entire genre in 2024.
Notably, country’s streaming footprint has widened during this decade. On-demand country streams in the United States are up a whopping 57% since 2020 and have also grown 7.7% outside of U.S. territories.
Following are the top 10 entries for five country consumption lists compiled by Luminate for 2024:
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At just 17, Ty Myers has crafted a 16-song debut album (The Select, out Jan. 24 on RECORDS Nashville/Columbia Records) that blends country songcraft, blues-drenched guitar riffs and soulful, gritty vocals in a way that sounds far beyond his years.
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Myers was born and raised in Austin, a Texas city that boasts over 250 live music venues and has garnered the moniker “Live Music Capital of the World.” So, there’s little wonder that while many of his Gen Z musical contemporaries followed the bedroom TikTok-to-hit performer pathway, Myers’ roots extend back to the vaunted singer-songwriter haunts of Austin. His songwriter father regularly played in Austin’s local venues, while Myers’s grandmother played piano in church.
“My earliest memory is sitting at a bar top at four years old,” Myers tells Billboard. “I have pictures of me just passed out, sleeping on a bar top. I should not have been at that age, but I was always just locked in on music.”
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Myers recalls first singing alongside his father at a now-defunct local Austin venue, Nutty Brown Café & Amphitheatre. By eight, Myers was writing his own songs, and by 11, he was doing full-fledged performances with his father.
“We would do songwriter swaps at local places, just trying to get my foot in the door a bit. Places aren’t usually too quick to let an 11 or 12-year-old come play for people who are trying to have a good time and drink,” Myers recalls. “My dad kind of had relationships at a lot of places and he helped me out.”
Beyond the musical talents of Myers and his parents, he is the nephew of Lonestar member Dean Sams, and Myers notes to Billboard that he also has a familial connection to George Strait’s longtime piano player Ronnie Huckaby.
Along the way, Myers soaked in the sounds of Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix, George Strait and Chris Stapleton, channeling their influences. By high school, Myers was balancing playing music with playing baseball and football. After he tore his ACL playing football, and realized the recovery process would hinder him from playing for the rest of the season, Myers redoubled his efforts on music, pouring the dogged work ethic he learned growing up on his family’s cattle ranch into songwriting, live performance and guitar playing. He began recording with producer Tommy Detamore, known for his work with artists including Ronnie Milsap, Jim Lauderdale, and The Texas Tornados.
“Growing up, country was always my main influence,” Myers recalls. “So those first sessions were very country-based, which is Tommy’s bread and butter — he’s an old-school steel player. He played with everybody under the sun and he really perfected those first sessions.”
Those sessions created what would become Myers’s breakthrough songs including “Tie that Binds,” “Drinkin’ Alone,” and earnest love song about enduring affection “Ends of the Earth” — and are included on his full-fledged album, alongside songs produced by Brandon Hood, such as the R&B-inflected love song “Firefly,” the horn-laden “Can’t Hold Me Down” and the Americana/country-informed “Drunk Love.”
“I feel like this album is a real culmination of all of my influences,” says Myers, who is managed by Starstruck Entertainment. “I blended everything that I love into one, hopefully unique, sound.”
The album’s title nods to the fictional bar LA Select, featured in author Ernest Hemmingway’s book The Sun Also Rises. “That’s kind of where [the book’s characters] all go,” Myers says. “They leave the world behind, relax and have fun, and lay all their stresses to the ground, which is kind of what I want people to do when they listen to the album.”
The CAA-aligned Myers just launched his 45-show headlining The Select Tour, which is largely sold out and added 19 new dates. Among the tour stops are shows at revered music venues including Gruene Hall in New Braunfels, Texas, and New York City’s Bowery Ballroom.
Myers, Billboard’s January Country Rookie of the Month, told us about the making of his album. navigating his musical breakthrough, and some of his favorite past-times beyond music.
“Tie That Binds” was the song that first caught fans’ attention after it was featured on the TikTok Bonfire Specials. What was it like seeing that initial reaction from both fans and the industry?
It was surreal. We were on family vacation in Key West and that day we were going to drive from Marathon Key to Key West. It’s like a 45-minute drive. And in that time, three labels reached out in 25 minutes—it almost felt like somebody’s playing a prank on you and you don’t know what to expect, going from zero to a hundred like that. And in the days that followed, it felt like every day was a different call.
You are signed with RECORDS Nashville and Columbia. How did that joint deal come about?
It was coming down to either RECORDS or Columbia and we had a meeting in New York. The day before the meeting, we were told, “We want to do a joint meeting with RECORDS and Columbia,” and it turns out they wanted to do the deal together and it couldn’t have been any more perfect.
What advice has your uncle given you about navigating the music industry?
He told me that he was the only one out of the group there at an awards show one time, and he went up [onstage] to accept the award. He saw the video two years later and said he didn’t remember accepting the award, and that’s because he was always thinking about what’s next. So he told me to appreciate the moments.
You wrote “Ends of the Earth” by yourself. What was the writing process for that song like?
I wrote it in my room. I would say about 90% of the songs I write are in my room, but I with that, I knew I wanted to write kind of a soul song. That old-school intro, kind of “boom, boom, boom.” The “Ends of the Earth” idea came next, kind of a play on words that I do in the chorus. I just built it off of that and wrote that one probably within an hour.
How does your live show inform your approach to songwriting?
That’s the number one thing I think about when I’m writing songs, because when you’re performing live, that’s the roots of music. I love playing live.
You’ve opened shows for Randy Rogers Band, Wade Bowen and Cody Johnson. What have you learned from them in regard to live shows?
Randy and Wade love to have fun on stage, so I got that from them. And playing with Cody Johnson, I love studying his show, and how he really gets the audience involved. There’s not very many people who can move at an arena like Cody Johnson..This past year has been a whirlwind for you. What are the moments that stand out?
Opening for Willie [Nelson], getting to sing gospel [music] with him onstage. I could have melted into the stage; it was truly amazing. Looking over and seeing Willie Nelson, and then he says your name onstage, it’s like, “This isn’t real.”
When you are not making music, what do you do for fun in your off time?
Hunting and golf.
Who is your favorite pro golfer?
Tiger Woods, for sure. That’s obvious, though. My second-favorite golfer would be [Jordan] Spieth. He went to [The University of] Texas.
Do you have a favorite podcast?
I love Theo Von. I listen to Theo Von all the time.
Congratulations are in order for Lauren Alaina, who is expecting her first child with husband Cam Arnold! The country star revealed the exciting news with People, and showed off her new baby bump in her music video for “Those Kind of Women,” released on Wednesday (Jan. 22). In the clip, the 30-year-old American Idol alum […]
Jason Aldean is sharing his support for Carrie Underwood after her performance at Donald Trump‘s presidential inauguration ceremony, where technical difficulties led to the American Idol winner delivering a rendition of “America the Beautiful” a cappella. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Aldean appeared on a recent episode […]
Ringo Starr earns his first top 10 on Billboard’s all-genre Top Album Sales chart (which dates to 1991) as Look Up enters the list dated Jan. 25 at No. 7. The effort from The Beatles’ iconic drummer also arrives across a host of other Billboard album tallies, including Indie Store Album Sales (No. 2), Top Rock Albums (No. 7), Americana/Folk Albums (No. 12), Top Country Albums (a career-best No. 27) and Top Rock & Alternative Albums (No. 30). On the overall Billboard 200, it starts at No. 147, marking Starr’s 20th entry, dating to his first, Sentimental Journey, in 1970.
The 11-song album, recorded in Nashville and produced by T Bone Burnett, was released Jan. 10, on the revived Lost Highway imprint.
Starr recently told Billboard, “I did love country music before I was in (The Beatles). We got plenty of it in Liverpool, because the lads who were in the merchant navy would bring not only rock and roll over, but country — and when country bands went on tour in England, they always played Liverpool.” The new set boasts a host of collaborators from the worlds of country, Americana/folk and bluegrass, including Alison Krauss, Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle.
Look Up earned 9,000 equivalent album units in the tracking week ending Jan. 16 in the United States, according to Luminate, with 8,000 of that sum in traditional album sales.
That 8,000-sales figure yields Starr’s No. 7 arrival on Top Album Sales, marking his first top 10 and his 14th chart appearance on the 33-year-old chart, whose history dates to May of 1991, when Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Starr had previously peaked at No. 11 with 2021’s Zoom In.
Meanwhile Look Up charts on multiple other surveys. It opens at a career-best No. 27 on Top Country Albums, marking his second entry – and second top 40-charting effort – on the list. The 84-year-old previously appeared on Top Country Albums when Beaucoups of Blues hit No. 35 in December 1970.
Plus, Look Up starts at No. 12 on Americana/Folk Albums marking Starr’s first appearance on the 15-year-old chart.
-additional reporting by Keith Caulfield
Jelly Roll is teaming up with Contemporary Christian Music hitmaker Brandon Lake for a new collaboration on a fresh version of Lake’s hit song “Hard Fought Hallelujah.” Both Lake and Jelly Roll teased the song on social media this week, and the collaboration will officially release Feb. 7.
In November, Lake earned his Billboard Hot 100 debut with “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” which also became his sixth No. 1 on the Hot Christian Songs chart. The song’s sound and message resonated with listeners, prompting Lake to release his eight-track EP Hard Fought Hallelujah: Heavyweight Edition, featuring various versions of the song, including live, demo, acoustic and instrumental versions.
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Lake shared a video snippet of the song on his Instagram, and Jelly Roll’s wife Bunnie XO commented on the post, writing of her husband Jelly Roll, “My baby is fineeee.”
Written by Lake with Steven Furtick, Benjamin William Hastings, Elevation Church singer-songwriter Chris Brown and Rodrick Simmons, the song features lyrics including “I’ll bring my storm-tossed, torn-sail, story-to-tell hallelujah.”
“I wanted to give my fans a taste of something special while on the road,” Lake shared of the song, according to CCM Magazine. “This song is about the battles we face, the grit throughout the fight for faith and the praise that comes after. I hope it resonates deeply with everyone.”
The collaboration seems a natural pairing for the two artists, as Jelly Roll often includes faith-centered references in his own music, while Lake’s brand of worship music wraps in hard rock and soulful influences. Jelly Roll’s current album, Beautifully Broken, topped the Billboard 200 last year, while Lake most recently earned Grammy nominations for best contemporary Christian music album (Coat of Many Colors) and best Contemporary Christian music performance/song (for “Praise”). Lake also picked up songwriter of the year (artist) and Pop/contemporary album of the year (for Coat of Many Colors) trophies at the 2024 GMA Dove Awards.
See a preview of “Hard Fought Hallelujah” below:
Bailey Zimmerman recently earned concern from music fans on social media following a shaky performance on Jan. 18 during this year’s Crash My Playa festival, held in Cancun, Mexico. Videos of Zimmerman’s performance show the singer — normally known for his energetic stage shows — seemingly having trouble reaching notes, wandering around the stage and taking a tumble at one point.
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Now, the “Rock and A Hard Place” hitmaker is taking responsibility for his performance and asking fans for their continued support.
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Zimmerman posted a video to Instagram on Tuesday (Jan. 21), directly addressing his Crash My Playa performance.
“I was always raised up to hit my problems head-on, and never to lie, and always be truthful and honest, even when you’re embarrassed,” he started his video message. “So, I’d like to talk about something that’s been eatin’ me alive. Last weekend, down in Cancun, Mexico, I’m sure everybody’s seen the videos of me playing absolutely awful, and singing absolutely awful. And, I feel like you guys deserve an explanation from me, because you’ve had my back through the highs and lows, and through every mistake.”
He continued, “What happened was, I decided to drink that day, which was a mistake, and I got up onstage and I was too drunk to play. And I sang awful, I played awful, nobody got the show that they wanted or paid for, and I’m disappointed in myself. If you’ve been to my shows, you know how much I’ve talked about God since day one, and it was an awful representation of that. And to anybody, like I said, that’s embarrassed of me, I’m there. I’m embarrassed as well, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that this never happens ever again. I want to show you guys the person that I truly am.”
He ended by saying, “So, I’m just asking for a little bit of grace. Man, growing up is interesting. It’s not an excuse, but man, thank you to everybody that’s got my back. Thank you for staying, thank you for showing me love, and grace, and we’re gonna crush this year. But yeah, I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I freakin’ love you guys more than anything in the world and I don’t wanna lose ya. Forgive me and I love ya. Thank you for listening.”
Zimmerman’s next concert is set for March 1 in West Palm Beach, Florida. He also recently revealed his 2025 summer tour dates on his New to Country Tour, with the shows launching in June.
Luke Bryan’s Crash My Playa event celebrated its ten-year anniversary in 2025, with this year’s Crash My Playa also featuring performances from Bryan as well as Jason Aldean, Kane Brown and Lainey Wilson.
To date, Zimmerman has earned four Billboard Country Airplay chart-toppers, including the six-week No. 1 “Rock and A Hard Place.” He was also nominated for the CMA’s new artist of the year honor during November’s ceremony.
See Zimmerman’s full video below:
Parker McCollum gave a tip of the hat to late Country Music Hall of Famer Toby Keith when the Texas native performed at the Commander-in-Chief Inaugural Ball on Monday night in Washington, D.C. following Donald Trump’s swearing-in ceremony as the 47th president of the United States earlier that day. Parker performed a rendition of Keith’s […]
