Corey Kent Celebrates First Chart-Topper ‘Wild As Her’ With No. 1 Party

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Pictured (L-R, back row): Warner Chappell’s Jessi Stevenson, Big Loud’s Mike Giangreco, Anthem Entertainment’s Courtney Crist, Red Creative Group’s Taylor Lamb, Concord’s Brad Kennard, Triple 8 Management’s George Couri and Sony Music Nashville’s Dennis Reese; (L-R, front row): BMI’s MaryAnn Keen, Brett Tyler, Kelly Archer, Corey Kent, Chris Farren and Studio Bank’s Ron Cox. Photo: Steve Lowry for BMI

BMI hosted their first No. 1 celebration of 2024 on Tuesday afternoon (Feb. 20) for Corey Kent‘s first-ever chart-topper “Wild as Her,” a Chris Farren-produced track written by Kelly Archer, Brett Tyler and Morgan Wallen.

Excitement and pride for the song’s creators emitted from fellow industry members as they filled the lobby. BMI’s MaryAnn Keen kicked things off by calling Kent, Farren, Tyler and Archer to the stage.

She shared that although Wallen couldn’t to make it to the event, everyone was happy that he was able to be there that day to co-write the Platinum-certified single. Keen moved on to talk about Tyler, who notched his second No. 1 with “Wild as Her.” She described his years of hard work and patience, and advised the crowd “not to sleep on him” as she called him “the next big thing.” Keen then brought attention to Archer and the significant impact she’s had as a female songwriter in the country format. She continued by noting that the songstress now has four No. 1s under her belt and listing the numerous accolades Archer has collected over the course her career thus far. Keen finished by addressing Kent and spotlighted his explosion in the Nashville music scene as well as the support he shows fellow songwriters by recording outside cuts.

The artist’s adorable son made his way on stage to sit on his dad’s lap as Anthem Entertainment’s Courtney Crist stepped up to the mic. Crist expressed her love for the hit and referred to it as “a song every songwriter wishes they had written.” She stated how happy Anthem is to represent Tyler and Archer and thanked all of their partners as well as Farren and Kent for their involvement before congratulating the contributors. Red Creative Group’s Taylor Lamb took the floor to applaude each person that helped get “Wild as Her” to where it is today and speak more about Archer.

Pictured (L-R): MusicRow‘s Liza Anderson, Brett Tyler, Kelly Archer, Corey Kent, Chris Farren and MusicRow‘s LB Cantrell. Photo: Steve Lowry for BMI

“Kelly doesn’t give up on her songs, and this song is a prime example [of that],” he said. “She knows what will connect with fans, because she has been one and continues to be one. She also pushes for the song to be highest quality it can be in the writers’ room and it comes through.” Lamb added, “Kelly doesn’t give up on herself. There are many moments throughout her story where she could’ve thrown in towel and moved back home but because of her confidence and God-given gift to write songs, her music continues to impact countless people. Finally, Kelly doesn’t give up on her people. She fights hard for the people she cares for and trusts her team.”

Big Loud’s Mike Giangreco was on deck to represent Wallen noting, “It’s always important to [Morgan] to celebrate the songwriters, and it’s important to him that he’s a songwriter on another No. 1 song,” and took some time to thank BMI and the teams included in the accomplishment while congratulating Kent, Farren, Tyler and Archer.

Up next was Warner Chappell Music’s Jessi Stevenson, who explained that “Wild as Her” is a testament to the fact that maybe the artist a song is meant for isn’t ready or in town yet and goes to show that writers should never give up on the work in their catalogs. She wrapped by acknowledging all of the contributing companies and commending the track’s creatives.

Concord’s Brad Kennard spoke on behalf of Matt Turner, who was unable to attend. He followed his praises of the singer, producer and writers by reading a special statement from Turner, who witnessed the full evolution of “Wild as Her.” Studio Bank’s Ron Cox then stepped up to emphasize how sacred and special these parties are and announce that a donation had been in Kent and the songwriters’ names to the Tim Tebow Foundation, which provides worldwide support to vulnerable people living in chaos and crisis. Country Aircheck‘s Chuck Aly took the stage to discuss how the tune influenced the country music conversation before Sony Music Nashville’s Dennis Reese took the stage to tell the more of the story behind the song and salute those who gave it life. Reese recalled hearing “Wild as Her” for the first time and detailed texting Steve Hodges immediately after hearing it about how he wanted it on RCA while describing what led to Kent’s signing.

“It takes a lot not just to get a song to No. 1, but to be a song that really has staying power,” he stated. “This song is still streaming almost four million a week—that’s the sign of a hit to me. It’s something people want to go back to over and over and it becomes a part of the soundtrack of their lives.”

Farren then expressed his gratitude and appreciation for his team members and the other individuals that played key roles the smash single’s success while recounting its growth. “There’s so much goodwill surrounding this song, it really fills me with a lot of satisfaction and joy,” he said. Farren recognized the writers before shining a light on Kent. “I’ve been lucky enough to work with a lot of artists over the years, some really good ones. In a world where it’s really hard sometimes to distinguish the really good from the mediocre, because there’s a lot of mediocre, [Corey] is the real deal. There’s nothing fake about what he does.”

Archer was the first writer to speak and thanked all of the contributing parties for their hard work and belief in “Wild as Her.” Among the many individual shoutouts, she gave a special one to Red Creative Group’s Jeremy Stover for talking her into staying in Nashville, and moved into recognizing her fellow collaborators and Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), where she serves on the Board of Directors. “Everyone who came out today, I really appreciate you all—from my co-writers to my friends,” Archer shared before informing everyone of the important work NSAI does for songwriters.

Tyler then took the stage to crack a few jokes and make us all laugh, while sincerely stating his admiration for his fellow creators and the musicians and engineers involved. He moved on to thank all of those in both his personal corner and his professional corner. Humorous yet touching, Tyler concluded, “I want to thank TJ Maxx for dressing me, my wife’s Starbucks habit for stressing me, the devil for testing me and Corey singing ‘Wild as Her’ for blessing for me.”

Finally, Kent took the mic, a ray of light beaming through the lobby onto him. He started by thanking his family, God and every group involved in his milestone song. Kent finished by lauding Archer, Tyler and Wallen. “At the end of the day, as honored as I am to be standing up here, this in my mind is a songwriters’ award. So please, one more time, make some noise for the people that wrote this song.”

Liza Anderson
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