Cindy Watts Joins ‘American Songwriter’

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Cindy Watts

Veteran country music journalist Cindy Watts has joined American Songwriter as a Senior Writer, leading Nashville insider beats.

“I’m so excited to jump in with American Songwriter in Nashville and expand and continue what I’ve done my entire career, which is entrench in Nashville’s country music community, earn people’s trust, tell their stories in a variety of mediums and help artists and songwriters connect with their peers while growing their fan bases,” says Watts. If fans want to know the true story that no one else is talking about, we’ll have it. “If they want to know the trendiest—or most inside baseball—places to go in Nashville, we’ll have that, too. From the artists and their music to the genre, business and its culture, we’re going to check every box.”

Watts has spent more than 20 years reporting on country music, with the bulk of her career spent with The USA Today Network. The 2015 winner of the CMA’s Media Achievement Award, she organized and hosted USA Today Network’s award-winning podcast Country Mile, which featured artists including Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley, Ashley McBryde and more.

Since leaving The Tennessean/USA Today Network in 2020 for a brief stint in artist management, Watts has freelanced for CMT, People, Country Insider, USA Today and more. She is a native of Sevierville, Tennessee and a graduate of the recording industry management program at Middle Tennessee State University, where she recently spent a semester teaching journalism.

LB Cantrell
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