The Americana Music Association has announced some of its conference panel lineup for this year’s Americanafest running Sept. 22-25 in Nashville. Among the artists slated to participate in the panels are Jackson Browne, Valerie June, Aoife O’Donovan, and Joe Henry.

Presented in conjunction with The Grammy Museum, Browne will take part in a keynote interview discussing his latest album, Downhill from Everywhere; the craft of songwriting; and his advocacy on behalf of the environment, human rights, and arts education. The intimate conversation will be moderated by Scott Goldman, host of The Grammy Museum’s renowned Public Program series since 2010.

To celebrate her 2021 Americana Honors & Awards nominations for Album and Song of the Year, June will open this year’s Americanafest conference by leading a guided meditation open to all attendees at The Westin Nashville. The practice will be followed by a conversation with NPR’s Ann Powers about June’s acclaimed new album, The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers, which spent eight weeks atop the Americana Radio Albums Chart.

Following a 2019 Americana Duo/Group of the Year Award and 2020 Grammy win with the trio I’m With Her, O’Donovan will be joined by producer Joe Henry and Full Sail University award-winning engineer/producer Darren Schneider to discuss an upcoming project, which found O’Donovan and Henry collaborating remotely during COVID-19 while enlisting contributions and resources from the Full Sail creative community in Orlando.

A detailed schedule for this year’s Americanafest will be announced in August with concert and festival passes currently on sale at $349 or $249 for Americana Music Association Members. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.

Multi-Platinum songwriter, producer, and ACM Female Vocalist of the Year nominee Kelsea Ballerini will release her debut poetry collection, Feel Your Way Through, on Nov. 16. The collection is published by Ballantine – an imprint of Random House – and showcases a jacket image painted by the two-time Grammy nominated singer.

A born storyteller, lyricist, and wordsmith, Ballerini applies her intuition, introspection, and raw honesty to this candid collection of poems. Throughout, she opens up about family dynamics, relationships, and body image as well as confidence, self-love, sexuality, and the lessons of youth she’s picked up along the way.

“I’ve realized that some feelings can’t be turned into a song, so I’ve started writing poems,” Ballerini shares. “Just like my songs, they talk about what it’s like to be twenty-something trying to navigate a wildly beautiful and broken world.”

After recently teaming up with alt-pop trio LANY for her newest single “I Quit Drinking,” the song has quickly amassed over 11 million streams in its first 2 weeks and shot to No. 2 on the iTunes pop songs chart. Ballerini’s current single at country radio, “Half Of My Hometown (feat. Kenny Chesney)” has also racked up over 47 million world-wide streams to date.

The hardcover collection of Feel Your Way Through is available for pre-order now.

Hang Your Hat Music, a creative joint venture with Concord Music Publishing founded by two-time ACM Songwriter of the Year Hillary Lindsey, has signed two Nashville-based songwriters and artists, Ben Chapman and Meg McRee, to worldwide publishing deals.

“When we were talking about forming Hang Your Hat Music, Jake played me some of Ben’s music they were working on and I was instantly drawn in and intrigued,” says Lindsey. “I love real people, and real people are hard to find but without even meeting Ben, I was in because he’s so authentic with who he is as a person as well as with his artistry. When we finally did speak on the phone during quarantine, I fell in love with him even more. Then after getting to write with Ben, I knew my gut was right—damn what a talent! The second time we wrote together, Ben pulled in Meg, and within an hour of writing with her, I was all in as well. Meg is so smart with her lyrics, thoughtful with the way she writes, can sing her face off and I knew she was the real deal too. I’m so excited for them to be a part of the Hang Your Hat family—and to see how this next chapter unfolds for them.”

Originally from LaFayette, Georgia, Chapman started playing in bars at the age of 17, where he piqued the interest of a few seasoned Nashville songwriters. His music is heavily inspired by the smooth groove and hard-hitting sounds of the ’70s, pulling inspirations from bands like the Allman Brothers, Little Feat, and Hank Williams, Jr. and songwriting legends Guy Clark and Roger Miller.

“I feel so fortunate to be working with a team that encourages me to find my own sound and write songs that are authentic to me,” says Chapman. “From the short time I’ve worked with Hang Your Hat and Concord it already feels like family.”

Chapman and McRee are both working on their debut albums, which are scheduled to be released later this year. Chapman is working alongside Hang Your Hat Music GM, Jake Gear, who serves as lead producer on the album.

“Ben is a songwriter’s songwriter and true student to the craft—in addition to being an incredible musician and artist,” shares Gear. “He’s a genuine talent that we’re so excited to help cultivate as both a songwriter and artist. We’ve already begun work on his debut release and are stoked to continue to build off the creative relationships he’s already built with his peers and heroes.”

Hailing from Sugar Hill, Georgia, McRee began her music journey at the age of five, learning to play classical violin and also teaching herself guitar. She attended Vanderbilt University, where she discovered her pull towards music, and pursued multiple internships on Music Row in Nashville. McRee stays true to the tradition of country music, creating fresh sounds and lyrics, all while honoring her southern beliefs.

“Hang Your Hat and Concord felt like the perfect home for me from the start,” says McRee. “I’m thrilled and honored to get to work with the best publishers and songwriters in the industry so early in my career.”

Gear says, “Meg is the real deal. She has an incredible raw talent and passion for the craft of songwriting. She continues to blow me away not only her writing prowess, but ability to connect creatively with other artists in the room. She has a bright future, and we’re stoked to dive in and get to work developing Meg as both a songwriter and artist.”

Martina McBride‘s three-decade career will be highlighted in a new Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum exhibit, Martina McBride: The Power of Her Voice, opening July 30 through Aug. 7, 2022.

The exhibit encompasses the singer’s journey from her formative years performing in her family’s band as a child to becoming an award-winning country artist with an enduring career. Known for hits including “Independence Day” and “A Broken Wing,” the Kansas native released her major label debut in 1992 and had her first top ten on the Billboard country chart in 1993 with “My Baby Loves Me.” Inspired by forerunners such as Linda Ronstadt, Reba McEntire, and Connie Smith, McBride helped further modernize the image of female artists in country music, choosing material that often highlighted women’s strengths.

McBride’s second album, The Way That I Am crossed the million-seller plateau in May 1995 and began a streak of Platinum albums stretching into the 2000’s. She won four CMA Female Vocalist of the Year awards, three consecutively (1999, 2002-2004), and three consecutive ACM Top Female Vocalist honors from 2001–2003, and in November of 1995, she became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. After years of crossover pop success, McBride returned to her roots in traditional country with her 2005 album, Timeless, and albums that followed from 2007 to 2016 reached the Top Five on the country album chart. In 2015, she became a lead voice in combatting the dwindling airplay given to female country artists, and the Academy of Country Music presented her with the Cliffie Stone Icon Award in 2019 for her contributions to country music.

In support of the exhibit’s opening, McBride will participate in a conversation and performance in the museum’s CMA Theater on Sunday, Aug. 1 at 2 p.m. where she will discuss her career and share personal stories and memories associated with the artifacts included in the exhibit. Tickets will be available at the Hall of Fame’s website on Friday, July 2.

“Martina McBride has been creating powerful, socially conscious country music for more than 25 years,” says museum CEO Kyle Young. “Her anthems of personal empowerment have addressed the challenges women face and contributed a much-needed perspective to the genre. The empathy at the core of her music informs her life offstage, where she advocates for female artists.”

“Postponing the exhibit opening last year due to the pandemic was a difficult decision but the right one,” shares McBride. “It did, however, allow us more time to plan and dig through my archive to find several truly special artifacts. I’m excited to finally be able to let everyone see what we’ve created. Having an exhibit in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is something I’ve had on my dream list for a long, long time. Being able to share moments and mementos from my life and career with my fans and country music fans from all over the world is both humbling and exciting. I’m so grateful to be a part of country music.”