Forward Artists is marking one year in Nashville with 10 hair and makeup artists and stylists on their roster. With offices in Los Angeles, New York and London, the boutique agency opened its doors in Nashville last year, led by Nashville’s Director of Forward Artists, Morgan Feldman.

Feldman’s first signing was celebrity hair and makeup artist Tarryn Feldman, before curating the entire talent roster by July 2024, just six months after opening their doors in the city. Nashville’s Forward Artists specializes in country glam and male grooming, partnering with some of the biggest names in the industry, such as Kelsea Ballerini, Tucker Wetmore, Megan Moroney, Carly Pearce, Little Big Town, Ella Langley, Lainey Wilson and more.

“We’re incredibly proud of the strong launch of Forward Artists’ Nashville office!” says Alex Polillo, Forward Artists Managing Partner. “Expanding into this deep-rooted creative hub has been a long-held goal, and it took finding the right leader in Morgan to bring it to life. Collaborating with the talented artists, musicians and creative professionals here is an exciting step in our mission to support the industry’s top beauty and style talent. We look forward to building new relationships and contributing to Nashville’s dynamic creative community.”

The Nashville roster includes hair and makeup artists Amber Cannon, Chris Bear, Jessica Candage, Jessica Miller, Mari Brown, Marz Collins and Tarryn Feldman, as well as stylists Lindsey Dupuis and Olivia Rose, and male groomer and stylist Kelly Henderson.

“Over the past 16 years in Nashville, the relationships I’ve built have been integral to my personal and professional growth,” shares Morgan Feldman. “These relationships have guided me through each season of my career, shaping the path I’m on today. A key relationship that has greatly influenced my journey is with Tarryn Feldman, whose trust and support have been invaluable. Tarryn not only entrusted me with her career but also introduced me to Forward Artists, a relationship that has opened countless doors and led me into an exciting new chapter. The relationships among the artists on our Nashville roster are rooted in mutual respect and genuine support, creating an environment where we all cheer each other on as a true team. At Forward Artists, we place great emphasis on nurturing meaningful relationships—whether it’s the bond between clients and artists or between clients and our internal team. This focus on cultivating authentic relationships is something our clients immediately feel and recognize, making it a cornerstone of our work.”

It’s no secret that Zach Top, the Washington state native whose sound harkens back to the best of ’80s and ’90s country, has been turning heads since his breakout last year.

His rise has been meteoric. His debut album, Cold Beer & Country Music, released last spring via independent label Leo33, racked up over 3.5 million streams in its first week and earned widespread acclaim. His hit “I Never Lie” is climbing toward the top 10 at country radio, and his headline “Cold Beer & Country Music Tour” sold out within hours. Add in a New Artist of the Year nomination at the 58th CMA Awards and a Discovery Artist of the Year win at the 2024 MusicRow Awards, and it’s clear Top is leading country music’s new traditionalist revival.

This weekend, he took the stage for two sold-out shows at the Ryman Auditorium, met by an electric crowd eager for steel guitar, country gold songwriting and vintage style. Jake Worthington opened Friday (Feb. 28), with Cole Goodwin handling Saturday (March 1), proving that Top’s peers share his commitment to making traditional country music mainstream again.

On Friday night, Worthington kicked things off with his signature country-as-cornbread charm, debuting his upcoming single, “I’m The One” featuring Marty Stuart (out March 14), alongside crowd-pleasers like “State You Left Me In” and “Hello Shitty Day.” He wrapped his set with a one-two punch of George Jones classics, “The Grand Tour” and “White Lightning,” priming the audience for Top’s arrival.

When Top hit the stage in a striped button-down tucked into jeans, topped with a cowboy hat and boots, the Ryman roared. Most of the audience stayed on their feet all night.

He opened with “Sounds Like the Radio” and “I Don’t Mind” before launching into his first of many covers, George Jones—and George Strait’s—“Love Bug.” A well-timed pulse check got the crowd riled up for “Beer for Breakfast,” before he brought them back down to sway along to “Lonely for Long” and “Dirt Turns to Gold.”

With his signature charm, he tossed a wink to the crowd during “Ain’t That a Heartbreak,” and had the women in the audience swooning with “There’s the Sun.” A Merle Haggard classic, “Ramblin’ Fever,” came next.

Then, a curveball: Top and his exceptional band’s performance of “The Kinda Woman I Like” turned into The Commodores‘ “Brick House,” before he shared that they were venturing into a bluegrass section, to highlight the singer-songwriters roots in the genre.

“‘Brick House’ to bluegrass, just how Bill Monroe intended it,” Top joked.

He leaned into the genre with a rootsy rendition of his own “World Gone Wrong,” followed by Ricky Skaggs’ “Don’t Cheat in Our Hometown” and Randy Travis’ “If I Didn’t Have You.” Sending the band off, he performed “Kentucky Bluebird” solo, earning rousing approval.

The energy surged again with fan-favorite “Bad Luck,” and bandmate Cheyenne Dalton took center stage for a fiery rendition of Sara Evans’ “Suds in the Bucket.”

Next up, the crowd—especially the women—erupted for Top’s cheating song “Use Me.” When he sang, “Tell me you love me,” the entire room shouted back, “I love you!”

After a rollicking take on Sammy Kershaw’s “Cadillac Style,” Top welcomed Worthington back for a duet on “Murder on Music Row.” Watching two young artists committed to making traditional country cool again was a moment that felt like history in the making. They grinned at each other and as the audience ate it up.

As the night wound down, he introduced his band with “Justa Jonesin’” before diving into his biggest hits. When the first notes of “I Never Lie” rang out, the crowd blew the roof off the Ryman, making for a special moment as Top’s potential first chart-topper took center stage. He rode that energy through “Things to Do” before closing with the anthemic title track, “Cold Beer & Country Music.”

Top’s “Cold Beer & Country Music Tour” rolls on this weekend in Atlanta, with additional support slots for Alan Jackson and Dierks Bentley throughout the year. With performances like this, it’s clear that Zach Top isn’t just reviving traditional country—he’s making it the hottest thing in town.

Morgan Wallen stays atop the country albums and streaming songs charts this week, according to Luminate data. His 2023 album One Thing At A Time accrued 41K in total consumption (1K album only and 52 million song streams) and his newest track “I’m The Problem,” maintains the No. 1 spot on the songs chart with 14 million streams.

Also on the albums chart, Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album keeps its No. 2 position earning 29K in total consumption, Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion stays at No. 3 with 25K in total consumption, Jelly Roll’s Beautifully Broken at No. 4 with 19K and Zach Bryan‘s American Heartbreak with 18K.

On the songs chart, Shaboozey remains in the No. 2 position with “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” earning 13 million streams adding to one billion, Wallen’s “Love Somebody” at No. 3 with 12 million streams, Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help” stays at No. 4 with 12 million streams and Wallen closes the list out at No. 5 with “Smile” garnering 9 million streams.

Nashville is getting its first-ever Professional Rodeo Cowboy’s Association event when the new Music City Rodeo comes to town at Bridgestone Arena on May 29-31.

Tim McGraw’s Down Home, a partnership with Skydance Media, in association with Humes Rodeo, are bringing the event to the city. McGraw, Reba McEntire and Nashville native Jelly Roll are set to headline the event’s concerts, with all three serving as founding members of MCR.

Each day will showcase seven thrilling rodeo events from bull riding to barrel racing, team roping to broncs, featuring the world’s best cowboys and cowgirls going head-to-head for over $200,000 in prize money. Fans will enjoy the full pageantry of rodeo with additional family-friendly activities like mutton bustin’, clowns, and Rodeo Queens, before culminating each night in a headlining arena concert.

“For eight decades, Nashville’s music stars have been the soundtrack to America’s iconic rodeos—country music and rodeo go hand in hand,” says McGraw. “So, it was time to bring the magic of the rodeo home to Nashville and I’m thrilled to be bringing it here.”

“It’s no secret that rodeo is in my blood, and I’m thrilled to be a part of starting a new Nashville tradition. Country music and rodeo coming together in Music City, what a perfect combination…I just knew I had to be part of it,” shares McEntire.

“As a Nashville native, this felt like a chance to be a part of a history-making event for the city. I have vivid memories when it was announced in Nashville that we were getting a hockey team with the Predators, or a football team with the Titans…and I watched Bridgestone Arena be built from the ground up. Headlining Music City Rodeo in my hometown as a part of the first rodeo brought to town feels like the same type of milestone,” adds Jelly Roll.

Additionally, Music City Rodeo is joining with Nashville’s Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt to benefit the patients and families it serves, with a portion of all event proceeds going toward supporting their mission of providing world class pediatric healthcare and research.

Tickets for Music City Rodeo go on sale beginning March 7, and a select number of pre-sale tickets including VIP packages will be available starting March 5 at 10 a.m. CT here.

Garth Brooks is set to release The Anthology Part V: The Comeback, The First Five Years on April 4 at Amazon and TalkShopLive.

The Anthology Part V gives fans an all-access pass to the wildest comeback in music history as Garth goes through the extreme highs and lows of the most challenging time in his life as an artist. The music business changed dramatically in the 14 years he was retired, and Anthology Part V highlights how he embraced new technology, reinvented his music and created one-on-one conversations between himself and those who waited for his return. The collection features six CDs, 66 songs, (including seven live recordings,) and over 150 never before seen photos, capturing the magic that led to Garth’s fifth and sixth CMA Entertainer of the Year awards.

To launch the Anthology on TalkShopLive, Garth will do a series of one-on-one conversations with friends and colleagues present during those pivotal comeback years. The first conversation will stream March 10 with Mike Palmer (drums), Jimmy Mattingly (fiddle) and Chris Leuzinger (guitar). All conversations will stream at 6 p.m. CT. The final conversation will be with Trisha Yearwood on the Anthology release date, April 4.

The conversations will also be a shoppable simulcast on Amazon Live and GarthBrooks.com. The Sevens Radio Network on TuneIn will air the audio live on The Garth Channel and showcase highlights on The BIG 615 and Tailgate Radio.

March 17:  Author Warren Zanes and singer-songwriter Karyn Rochelle
March 24: Production Manager Brian Petree and Road Manager Bryan Kennedy
March 31: Storme Warren and sound engineer Mark Miller