• ABOUT
    • Contact
    • The Team
    • FAQ
    • Use & Privacy Policy
  • ADVERTISE
  • ROWFAX
  • JOB LISTINGS
MusicRow.com
  • CALENDARS
    • Album/EP Releases
    • Single/Track Releases
    • Industry Events
  • OBITS
  • CHARTS
    • Radio Chart (Current)
    • Radio Chart (Archives)
    • No. 1 Challenge Coin
    • Songwriter Chart (Current)
    • Songwriter Chart (Archives)
  • REVIEWS
  • MY STORY
  • NEWSLETTER
    • Newsletter (Current)
    • Newsletter (Archives)
    • SIGN UP (FREE!)
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • STORE
  • Click to open the search input field Click to open the search input field Search
  • Menu Menu

Dierks Bentley, Elle King Celebrate No. 1 Hit “Different For Girls”

October 6, 2016/by Jessica Nicholson
Pictured (L-R): Co-writer JT Harding, Dierks Bentley, Elle King and co-writer Shane McAnally. Photo: Ed Rode/ASCAP

Pictured (L-R): Co-writer JT Harding, Dierks Bentley, Elle King and co-writer Shane McAnally. Photo: Ed Rode/ASCAP

Dierks Bentley and Elle King welcomed songwriters, publishers, label executives, media and more to Nashville venue Moto on Tuesday (Oct. 4) to celebrate the No. 1 hit, “Different For Girls.”

ASCAP’s Mike Sistad and Robert Filhart led the festivities. Among those making remarks were Global Music Rights’ (GMR) Randy Gimmett, SMACK’s Robert Carlton, UMG Nashville’s Royce Risser (filling in for an ailing Mike Dungan) and producer Ross Copperman.

The Gold-certified hit marks Bentley’s 15th career No. 2, and King’s first country No. 1 single.

“Different For Girls” was penned by GMR writer Shane McAnally and ASCAP writer JT Harding. The longtime co-writers earned their first No. 1 songs together six years ago, when they penned Kenny Chesney’s “Somewhere With You.” “Different For Girls” is McAnally’s 19th No. 1 song, and Harding’s fifth.

Speaking about Harding, McAnally noted, “He brings joy to the room. Even when you write a song like this, you leave the room feeling like you learned something about bringing positivity to the world.” He continued, “Ross Copperman, you handled this song with such care. I could have become just an artful moment on a record, but you took this to where it sounded like the radio without compromising the lyrics and the message. That is hard to do. Thank you for taking such good care of this song.”

“I knew this song was special when Robert Carlton starting texting us about it when it was just a recording on Shane’s phone,” said Harding. “It’s scary to think about what Nashville would have been like for me without you. Everywhere I go, people ask me, ‘What’s Shane McAnally like?’ I tell them he’s the hardest worker I’ve ever met and he’s so quick to share credit. He believes in songwriters, especially up-and-coming writers, and Nashville is so lucky to have you. Also to my new publisher Rusty Gaston, thank you for believing in me.”

Pictured (L-R): ASCAP's Robert Filhart, co-writer JT Harding, ASCAP's Mike Sistad, Dierks Bentley, SmackSongs' Robert Carlton, Elle King, producer Ross Copperman, co-writer Shane McAnally, Capitol Nashville/UMG's Royce Risser and GMR's Randy Grimmett - Photo: Ed Rode/ ASCAP

Pictured (L-R): ASCAP’s Robert Filhart, co-writer JT Harding, ASCAP’s Mike Sistad, Dierks Bentley, Smack’s Robert Carlton, Elle King, producer Ross Copperman, co-writer Shane McAnally, Capitol Nashville/UMG’s Royce Risser and GMR’s Randy Grimmett – Photo: Ed Rode/ ASCAP

“I never thought that this would happen,” said King. “Thank you guys for writing a great song. It wouldn’t have existed without you guys working so hard on this.”

“It really changed my life,” said Bentley of the song. Describing the party atmosphere and subsequent recovery from life on the road, the singer thanked the songwriters “who know you better than you know yourself sometimes, and see paths for your career that you don’t even get a chance to see, because you’re just not fully conscious — other than when you’ve had two or three vodka Redbulls and it’s time to go onstage.”

He added, “A big part of the success has been the reach into the community. It’s taken me a while to realize that—12 or 13 years. You make great records when you balance out your own songs with great songs from the community.”

Joking about releasing other people’s songs as singles, he concluded, “It’s four in a row now I’ve cut. I need to maybe pull one of mine out at some point. I’m really thankful for that. Singing with Elle was a dream come true. Thank you guys for a great song and a great couple of years.”

“Different For Girls” is nominated for Musical Event of the Year at the upcoming 50th annual CMA Awards, while Bentley also has nominations in the Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year (for Black) and Video of the Year categories.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Jessica Nicholson
Jessica Nicholson
Jessica Nicholson serves as the Managing Editor for MusicRow magazine. Her previous music journalism experience includes work with Country Weekly magazine and Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) magazine. She holds a BBA degree in Music Business and Marketing from Belmont University. She welcomes your feedback at jnicholson@musicrow.com.
Jessica Nicholson
Latest posts by Jessica Nicholson (see all)
  • CMA Honors Robert Deaton With Chairman’s Award - December 4, 2020
  • Nashville Symphony, Nashville Musicians Association Reach Agreement - December 4, 2020
  • Zach Williams’ “Chain Breaker” Is Most-Added On ‘MusicRow’ CountryBreakout Radio Chart - December 4, 2020
Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on X
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share by Mail
https://music-row-website-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/10164344/Dierks-Bentley-Elle-King-No.-1-party.jpg 380 570 Jessica Nicholson https://musicrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MusicRow-header-logo-Mar19B.png Jessica Nicholson2016-10-06 09:05:582016-10-06 09:05:58Dierks Bentley, Elle King Celebrate No. 1 Hit “Different For Girls”
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

RECENT NEWS

  • Texas Songwriter U Program Now Accepting Submissions July 1, 2025
  • AD/HD Inks With The Neal Agency July 1, 2025
  • Apple Music Honors Toby Keith With Exclusive Apple Music Nashville Sessions July 1, 2025
  • Noeline Hofmann Inks With Sony Music Publishing July 1, 2025
  • Eric Church To Livestream Trilogy Of Red Rocks Shows Exclusively On Nugs July 1, 2025
  • Rusty Gaston Joins CMHOFM Board Of Officers & Trustees July 1, 2025
  • No Ka ‘Oi Songwriters Festival Unveils 2025 Lineup July 1, 2025
  • Otto Padrón Named Co-President & COO Of Get After It Media July 1, 2025
  • Mark Your Calendar—July 2025 July 1, 2025
  • Jason Aldean Extends ‘Full Throttle Tour’ Into Australia & NZ In 2026 July 1, 2025

Like Us on Facebook

Follow Us on Twitter

Tweets by MusicRow
© 2025 Music Row Enterprises, LLC - Enfold WordPress Theme by Kriesi
Website hosted by Nashville web design company, All My Web Needs.
  • Link to Facebook
  • Link to X
  • Link to Instagram
Scroll to top