Hunter Hayes. Photo: Brenton Giesey
Hunter Hayes’ album Wild Blue (Part 1), which released Friday (Aug. 16), may have come as somewhat of a surprise to fans, but for Hayes, the project is the chronicle and culmination of years of self-discovery, rejuvenation, creative freedom, and, as the album’s lead single suggests, heartbreak.
In 2011, Hayes released his self-titled debut project, which went on to earn a 2x multi-Platinum certification from the RIAA. At the tender age of 19, Hayes’ honey-smooth pop confections such as “Wanted,” “Somebody’s Heartbreak,” and “I Want Crazy” ushered him to the top echelons of the country charts, earning more Gold and Platinum certifications and introducing country music fans to a young, energetic conveyer of polished pop-country earworms, who was also touted for his keen guitar work and abilities as a multi-instrumentalist.
He followed with 2014’s Storyline and the following year’s The 21 Project, though only one single from those projects, “Invisible,” reached the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Hayes kept writing, though, by his creative standards, he kept coming up short.
“As a writer, I kept running into a wall,” Hunter says. “What I realized in hindsight, was that I had stopped including everything in my life in my writing, and only including the things that I thought I was allowed to write about. I wasn’t seeing what I felt like was proper progress and I wasn’t feeling the songs come to life.”
Earlier this year, he scrapped a newly-crafted batch of songs, retreated to his home studio, and started over, in secret.
“I didn’t tell the label, I just started making the record as if no one was watching. I thought, ‘This is a great opportunity for me to hit reset without anybody really knowing about it. I thought, ‘What would this album be if nothing kept me from telling the truth?’”
The songs poured out. First, “Wild Blue,” followed by “One Shot” and “My Song, Too,” and others that make up the 12-track album. The album is a study in self-acceptance, taking in the lessons from life’s lowest points, and moving on.
Live and learn/repent then repeat, build a bridge then burn it he sings on “One Shot,” his lone solo write on the project, his voice fill with a confident, emotional rawness while melding jazzy, quirky piano licks with a jubilant rhythm.
I’ve heard of demons but I never knew I had so many of my own, he sings on the title track amid a clipped, syncopate rhythm and tense guitar solos, soothed by ethereal piano, as he compares the feeling of flying with letting go of a relationship.
“I’ve been in love with aviation for a long time. I dreamed about being a pilot as a kid. I had an aircraft simulator on my computer. But more so, I think the song was born out of the feeling of flying, being weightless.” Says the 27-year-old, whose voice still brims with boyish energy.
“All my friends tell me about these flying dreams—I’ve had one in my life. Apparently it is something that happens when your soul is properly free, when you are not weighed down by anything. So it’s kind of a journey to have that dream and Wild Blue (Part 1) is the road to hopefully having one of those. It something you have to slowly manifest and hope you’ve done the work to clean out all the things that are holding you back. It’s just about moving on from things and the struggle. Part 1 is about the triumphs the struggles and the achievements about getting to that point.”
Those struggles came in various forms, as Hayes simultaneously found himself in the dissolutions of both business partnerships and a serious romantic relationship along the way.
He’s gracious over the loss of a lover in a pair of songs penned with Jordan Reynolds and Dave Barnes, “Loving You” and “My Song, Too.”
“It started with about an hour and a half of trying to write something else,” Hayes says of the latter track. “I didn’t have that title, but I said it sometime during the session. We took a break and I started spilling my guts for about 30 minutes. Dave called me out on it. He said, ‘What would you do with that as a title?’ I had to hide the fact that I was crying the entire time. Just being brutally honest, it was tough to go into those details—every line in that song is so personal. I wanted a song that had gratitude in it, because at that point, that was the biggest emotion I had to work with. I wanted a song to say that. I didn’t want to write a bunch of angry breakup songs.”
His voice carries a rugged edge that complements the weightier material, such as the searching, questioning “Dear God,” penned with Andy Grammer and Dave Spencer. Hayes transparently wrestles with the self-doubt and spiritual questions that arise in the aftermath of loss on lines like When everything I love just leaves/Are you sure that there’s nothing wrong with me?
“I worried that song would be too heavy. I was surprised at how many people needed a safe space to have that conversation. Andy was the first to sing the chorus; I was scared of it and at the same time I thought it was brilliant, because that’s so honest. How many times have I wanted to ask that just to get confirmation that it’s not [true]?
“I was convinced I would send the song in [to the label] and no one would react to it, or everyone would be scared of it. I was so dead wrong. Everyone on my management team, at the label, and my close circle, felt is was powerful. It was encouraging like, ‘Ok, I did the one thing I was scared shitless to do and that’s what’s connecting.’ It taught me, ‘Keep being scared, and do things that scare you, that’s where the magic is. That’s what connects.’”
As the title suggests, Wild Blue (Part 1) is the first in a trilogy of albums.
“I wasn’t planning on telling anyone it’s a three-part thing. I was going to give myself an out, but I ‘m ok with the world knowing that,” he muses, saying that Part 2 is over halfway completed.
“We’ve got some stuff mixed and mastered. There was a time this summer where we felt the entire album was there, but I just keep writing. I’ve never written so much and I’m writing a lot of songs by myself, which tells me I have a newfound creative confidence I haven’t had in a while.”
Jason Aldean Announces Three-Night Vegas Stand At Park Theater
/by Lorie HollabaughJason Aldean is returning to Las Vegas for a series of special shows, “Jason Aldean: Ride All Night Vegas,” launching Friday, Dec. 6 with three back-to-back nights at the 5,200-seat Park Theater at Park MGM.
“I’ve wanted to bring our show back to Vegas for a while now, and the timing feels right,” said Aldean. “We’re going to pack up the show, set it up for a couple days and hang out with our Vegas family. I’m looking forward to being back.”
Presented in partnership by MGM Resorts International and Live Nation, the “Aldean Army” fan club can first purchase tickets to the special dates tomorrow (Aug. 20), before general on sale this Friday (Aug. 23) at jasonaldean.com. Additionally, Citi is the official presale credit card of “Jason Aldean: Ride All Night Vegas” and Citi cardmembers will have access to purchase presale tickets beginning Wednesday (Aug. 21) through Citi Entertainment. M life Rewards loyalty members, as well as Live Nation and Ticketmaster customers, will receive access to a presale scheduled to begin Thursday, (Aug. 22).
Trevor Rosen Signs With Twelve6 Entertainment
/by Lorie Hollabaugh(L-R): Travis Myatt (Twelve6 Entertainment Sr. Director, Publishing), Trevor Rosen, and Heidi Hamels (Twelve6 Entertainment, Partner) Photo credit: Annelise Loughead
Trevor Rosen has signed a worldwide publishing agreement with Nashville-based publishing and artist development company Twelve6 Entertainment. The deal includes publishing on Rosen’s existing catalog of hits in addition to his new compositions going forward. Twelve6 Entertainment was launched by business partners Heidi Hamels, Tom Becci and Zach Sutton.
The founding member of ACM and CMA Vocal Group of the Year, Old Dominion, Rosen is the writer on Old Dominion’s latest No. 1 song, “Make It Sweet,” and has been a co-writer on all of their hits, including “Break Up with Him,” “Song for Another Time,” “No Such Thing as a Broken Heart,” “Hotel Key” and “Written in the Sand.” Rosen has also penned No. 1 hits for Dierks Bentley (“Say You Do”), The Band Perry (“Better Dig Two”), and Blake Shelton (“Sangria”). He is also a co-writer on “I Met a Girl” by William Michael Morgan, and has had his songs cut by Keith Urban, Sam Hunt, Kelsea Ballerini, Scotty McCreery, Chris Young, Dustin Lynch, Craig Morgan, Randy Houser, and many others.
According to the company’s official site, others on the Twelve6 Entertainment roster include Jerry Flowers, Alex Hall, Jared Keim, and Roman Alexander.
Hunter Hayes On Making His Latest Album: “What Would This Album Be If Nothing Kept Me From Telling The Truth?” [Interview]
/by Jessica NicholsonHunter Hayes. Photo: Brenton Giesey
Hunter Hayes’ album Wild Blue (Part 1), which released Friday (Aug. 16), may have come as somewhat of a surprise to fans, but for Hayes, the project is the chronicle and culmination of years of self-discovery, rejuvenation, creative freedom, and, as the album’s lead single suggests, heartbreak.
In 2011, Hayes released his self-titled debut project, which went on to earn a 2x multi-Platinum certification from the RIAA. At the tender age of 19, Hayes’ honey-smooth pop confections such as “Wanted,” “Somebody’s Heartbreak,” and “I Want Crazy” ushered him to the top echelons of the country charts, earning more Gold and Platinum certifications and introducing country music fans to a young, energetic conveyer of polished pop-country earworms, who was also touted for his keen guitar work and abilities as a multi-instrumentalist.
He followed with 2014’s Storyline and the following year’s The 21 Project, though only one single from those projects, “Invisible,” reached the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Hayes kept writing, though, by his creative standards, he kept coming up short.
“As a writer, I kept running into a wall,” Hunter says. “What I realized in hindsight, was that I had stopped including everything in my life in my writing, and only including the things that I thought I was allowed to write about. I wasn’t seeing what I felt like was proper progress and I wasn’t feeling the songs come to life.”
Earlier this year, he scrapped a newly-crafted batch of songs, retreated to his home studio, and started over, in secret.
“I didn’t tell the label, I just started making the record as if no one was watching. I thought, ‘This is a great opportunity for me to hit reset without anybody really knowing about it. I thought, ‘What would this album be if nothing kept me from telling the truth?’”
The songs poured out. First, “Wild Blue,” followed by “One Shot” and “My Song, Too,” and others that make up the 12-track album. The album is a study in self-acceptance, taking in the lessons from life’s lowest points, and moving on.
Live and learn/repent then repeat, build a bridge then burn it he sings on “One Shot,” his lone solo write on the project, his voice fill with a confident, emotional rawness while melding jazzy, quirky piano licks with a jubilant rhythm.
I’ve heard of demons but I never knew I had so many of my own, he sings on the title track amid a clipped, syncopate rhythm and tense guitar solos, soothed by ethereal piano, as he compares the feeling of flying with letting go of a relationship.
“I’ve been in love with aviation for a long time. I dreamed about being a pilot as a kid. I had an aircraft simulator on my computer. But more so, I think the song was born out of the feeling of flying, being weightless.” Says the 27-year-old, whose voice still brims with boyish energy.
“All my friends tell me about these flying dreams—I’ve had one in my life. Apparently it is something that happens when your soul is properly free, when you are not weighed down by anything. So it’s kind of a journey to have that dream and Wild Blue (Part 1) is the road to hopefully having one of those. It something you have to slowly manifest and hope you’ve done the work to clean out all the things that are holding you back. It’s just about moving on from things and the struggle. Part 1 is about the triumphs the struggles and the achievements about getting to that point.”
Those struggles came in various forms, as Hayes simultaneously found himself in the dissolutions of both business partnerships and a serious romantic relationship along the way.
He’s gracious over the loss of a lover in a pair of songs penned with Jordan Reynolds and Dave Barnes, “Loving You” and “My Song, Too.”
“It started with about an hour and a half of trying to write something else,” Hayes says of the latter track. “I didn’t have that title, but I said it sometime during the session. We took a break and I started spilling my guts for about 30 minutes. Dave called me out on it. He said, ‘What would you do with that as a title?’ I had to hide the fact that I was crying the entire time. Just being brutally honest, it was tough to go into those details—every line in that song is so personal. I wanted a song that had gratitude in it, because at that point, that was the biggest emotion I had to work with. I wanted a song to say that. I didn’t want to write a bunch of angry breakup songs.”
His voice carries a rugged edge that complements the weightier material, such as the searching, questioning “Dear God,” penned with Andy Grammer and Dave Spencer. Hayes transparently wrestles with the self-doubt and spiritual questions that arise in the aftermath of loss on lines like When everything I love just leaves/Are you sure that there’s nothing wrong with me?
“I worried that song would be too heavy. I was surprised at how many people needed a safe space to have that conversation. Andy was the first to sing the chorus; I was scared of it and at the same time I thought it was brilliant, because that’s so honest. How many times have I wanted to ask that just to get confirmation that it’s not [true]?
“I was convinced I would send the song in [to the label] and no one would react to it, or everyone would be scared of it. I was so dead wrong. Everyone on my management team, at the label, and my close circle, felt is was powerful. It was encouraging like, ‘Ok, I did the one thing I was scared shitless to do and that’s what’s connecting.’ It taught me, ‘Keep being scared, and do things that scare you, that’s where the magic is. That’s what connects.’”
As the title suggests, Wild Blue (Part 1) is the first in a trilogy of albums.
“I wasn’t planning on telling anyone it’s a three-part thing. I was going to give myself an out, but I ‘m ok with the world knowing that,” he muses, saying that Part 2 is over halfway completed.
“We’ve got some stuff mixed and mastered. There was a time this summer where we felt the entire album was there, but I just keep writing. I’ve never written so much and I’m writing a lot of songs by myself, which tells me I have a newfound creative confidence I haven’t had in a while.”
Carrie Underwood To Host 53rd Annual CMA Awards Alongside Guest Hosts Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton
/by Jessica NicholsonCarrie Underwood will return as host of “The 53rd Annual CMA Awards” with special guest hosts and Country Music Hall of Fame members Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton, celebrating legendary women in country music throughout the ceremony.
Underwood has co-hosted since 2008, and has earned seven CMA honors. She has sold 64 million records and earned 26 No. 1 songs. Combined, the three hosts hold 124 CMA Awards nominations and 22 total wins, 11 of which are for Female Vocalist of the Year. In addition, the three superstars hold a combined 14 nominations in the Entertainer of the Year category, with Parton receiving the award in 1978 and McEntire winning in 1986.
“It’s an incredible honor to welcome Carrie, Reba and Dolly to the CMA Awards stage this year,” says Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “In addition to awarding the year’s best and brightest in the genre, ‘The 53rd Annual CMA Awards’ will celebrate the legacy of women within Country Music, and we couldn’t think of a more dynamic group of women to host the show.”
Final nominees for “The 53rd Annual CMA Awards” will be announced Wednesday, Aug. 28 live during ABC’s “Good Morning America” from their Times Square studio in New York and via livestream following the broadcast.
Country Music’s Biggest Night™ broadcasts live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 8/7c on the ABC Television Network. Robert Deaton serves as Executive Producer, Alex Rudzinski serves as director, and David Wild is Head Writer.
Opry Moment: Marcus and Levi Hummon
/by Jessica NicholsonMarcus and Levi Hummon perform together on the Grand Ole Opry.
Singer-songwriter Levi Hummon recently welcomed his father, songwriter Marcus Hummon, to join him during a performance at the Grand Ole Opry. The performance marked a sweet father/son moment, as Marcus will be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame on Oct. 14.
“It’s always an honor taking the stage at The Grand Ol Opry. It’s even more special when you get to bring your dad up to celebrate the fact he’s going to be inducted in the Nashville Songwriter Hall Of Fame,” Levi said. “I embrace the fact that my dad had a huge impact on me as a songwriter and an artist. For me its a family affair and I’m blessed and want to cherish every single moment.”
Levi’s recent song, “Change My Life,” has earned more than 6 million streams on Spotify. He will perform at revered Nashville venue Exit/In on Sept. 5.
On The Row: Leah Turner
/by LB CantrellLeah Turner, Benji Harris. Photo: Haley Crow for MusicRow
Singer-songwriter Leah Turner recently visited the MusicRow Magazine offices to play some new music. Turner’s new single “Blah Blah Blah” is out now, and she will release a Spanglish version of the tune soon.
Turner said, “I know it’s shocking to everyone but I’m half-Mexican, so to be able to really get into that demographic with the roots that I have has been something that has been cool. It’s been fun to embrace my Latin side.
“I read something that said 56% of millennial Latinos are turning to country music. And if you think about it, the vaqueros—which are the cowboys—they live the same life that we sing about. Does it look a little bit different, absolutely. So I think sprinkling in the Spanish so you can draw in that demographic, it’s like, ‘Oh, somebody is out there that maybe doesn’t look exactly like me but has the same blood running through them, and can speak what I can speak.’ Just trying to show them, ‘Hey, country music loves you!'”
Turner was raised in a Spanish-speaking household in Palm Springs, California, and didn’t speak any English until she was seven years old. She has now lived in Nashville for nearly five years.
“I was signed to Sony and there was a regime change,” the former Columbia Nashville artist said. “So I’m reintroducing myself to the Nashville community. I’m surrounded by a great team,” she said. Turner is represented by L3 Entertainment.
Turner also played a sensual “Wax On The Table,” and a sassy “Lipstick Stains.” Turner weaves Spanish in with her mostly-English songs beautifully.
Leah Turner with MusicRow Owner/Publisher Sherod Robertson. Photo: Haley Crow for MusicRow
MusicRow Staffers with Leah Turner and Benji Harris. Photo: Haley Crow for MusicRow
Industry Ink: NSAI, Gina Putman, Gospel Music Association
/by Haley CrowNSAI Honors Songwriter Beckie Foster
Pictured (L-R): Beckie Foster and Steve Bogard.
At the August Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) board meeting, President Steve Bogard presented songwriter Beckie Foster with a special unanimously-voted resolution from the NSAI Board thanking her for 35 years of service. Foster retired from the board earlier this year.
Celebration of Life Set for Gina Putman
A Celebration of Life for industry veteran Gina Putman has been set for Wednesday, Aug. 21 at 5:30 pm at Cabana in Nashville. Putman passed away on Monday, Aug. 5. She worked at Sony Tree for 14 years and Safford Motley PLC for two years before becoming a hair and makeup artist at BBC Salon in Nashville. Putman was the granddaughter of legendary songwriter Curly Putman. All are welcome to attend.
2019 GMA Summit
The 2019 Gospel Music Association Summit will be held Monday, Oct. 14 at Mockingbird Theater in Franklin, Tennessee. The second annual event will explore the impact of Latin CCM, Contemporary Music in the Catholic Church, the rise of voice-enabled technology and more. Speakers will include recording artist/author Erica Campbell; recording artist Evan Craft; Alex Davila, CEO/Public Relations Manager, Adarga Entertainment Group; Chris Nolin, VP Sales & Resource Development, WorshipNOW Publishing; Nate Sheets, CEO/Chief Steward, Nature Nate’s; and Julie Craig Ulmer, Senior Marketing Manager, Cracker Barrel. For more details click here.
Dylan Scott Pays Tribute To Keith Whitley On ‘An Old Memory’ EP
/by Jessica NicholsonSome of Dylan Scott‘s earliest childhood memories include riding in the car with his father, and listening to music from the late Keith Whitley. Today, Scott released An Old Memory—A Tribute To Keith Whitley, a project that finds Scott paying homage to Whitley’s influence by covering seven of his signature hits, such as “Don’t Close Your Eyes,” and “I’m Over You.”
Though country fans know Scott for the more pop-country oriented sounds of his chart-topping hit “My Girl,” he comes by his love of classic country music honestly. Not only did his father regularly listen to country traditionalists such as Whitley, he was also a guitarist for country artists including Freddie Hart and Freddy Fender.
When Scott signed his recording contract with Curb Records, it was his cover of Whitley’s “Between an Old Memory and Me” that caught the label’s attention.
“When I first came to Nashville, I met a guy named Charlie Craig, and I had no idea who he was,” Scott says. “I started writing with him only to soon discover that he was a co-writer on ‘Between an Old Memory and Me.’ Shortly thereafter, I recorded a demo of that song which eventually led to my record deal. From there, it wasn’t long before I had my Opry debut where I was honored to perform the song. To have this tribute record called An Old Memory, is a dream come true and completes the full circle.”
Scott recorded the EP at Nashville’s Sound Emporium Studio, the same studio where Whitley originally recorded many of the songs 30 years earlier. He also worked with several of Whitley’s original session musicians. Produced by Jim Ed Norman, Matt Alderman, and Curt Gibbs, the album features legendary and award-winning musicians, Mac McAnally, Eddie Bayers, Larry Paxton, Biff Watson, and Carl Jackson. Scott’s father, Scotty, joins on guitar for “When You Say Nothing At All.”
The EP also features both Whitley’s son, Jesse Keith Whitley, lending his voice to “I’m Over You.” Lorrie Morgan, Whitley’s wife at the time of his passing, joins Scott on “Tell Lorrie I Love Her.”
Scott will perform some of the songs from the EP, as well as tracks from his earlier EP release Nothing To Do Town, on the Grand Ole Opry on Aug. 27.
Bandzoogle to Host Artist Websites for CD Baby’s HostBaby
/by Lorie HollabaughHostBaby and Bandzoogle have joined forces, and Bandzoogle will be taking over hosting for artist websites powered by HostBaby, as CD Baby winds the service down.
Artists will keep the same domain, inbox, and other assets, as well as all hosting time purchased and all deals with CD Baby, and will also gain access to Bandzoogle features like highly customizable mobile-friendly templates, direct-to-fan eCommerce to sell music, merch, and tickets, as well as run crowdfunding and fan subscriptions, and integrations with popular platforms like Bandsintown and YouTube.
They expect to start migrating sites around the end of 2019 and HostBaby sites will eventually be migrated over to the Bandzoogle platform and will gain access to Bandzoogle’s amazing suite of tools.
New Tracks: Blake Shelton, Trace Adkins, Old Dominion, Vince Gill, Tanya Tucker, Jon Pardi
/by Jessica NicholsonBlake Shelton and Trace Adkins have reunited following their 2010 hit “Hillbilly Bone,” and the new song, “Hell Right,” is every bit as rollicking and righteous as one would expect. The track was penned by David Garcia, Brett Tyler, and Michael Hardy (who also goes by HARDY as a solo artist).
Tanya Tucker takes on mortality in her new track, “Bring My Flowers Now,” the closing track on her upcoming album While I’m Livin’. The track is co-written by Tucker, Brandi Carlile and the twins Tim and Phil Hanseroth, and advises friends and family to invest in loved ones while they are still living with lyrics like, Don’t spend time, tears or money on my old breathless body/if your heart is in them flowers, bring ’em on.
Vince Gill drew from his own personal experience with an attempted sexual assault for “Forever Changed,” from his upcoming OKIE album. In 2018, Gill performed the song at the Ryman Auditorium as part of the UMG Nashville artist showcase during Country Radio Seminar.
“I knew it was important for people to hear—it’s a real thing and you can’t sweep it under the rug,” Gill says, “It’s a story about sexual abuse and grew out of an incident that happened to me in junior high school—I was lucky and I escaped, but who knows how my life could have been different had I not gotten away.”
Old Dominion released a second track from their upcoming album, following the recent track “One Man Band.” The new track, “My Heart is a Bar,” was written by OD band members Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen and Brad Tursi, alongside Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne.
Ramsey said of the song, “’My Heart is a Bar’ might be the loneliest sing-a-long of all time. It’s a song about feeling alone and used and pissed off at love to the point of throwing up your hands and saying ‘screw this!’ That’s a feeling a lot of people can identify with. It’s lonely and liberating at the same time. That’s why we decided to treat this like a big bar-room-sing-along so we can all sing and say ‘screw this!’ together!”
Brett Young continues revealing songs from his upcoming album The Acoustic Sessions (out Sept. 13 on BMLG Records), with an acoustic take on the autobiographical song “Chapters.” The song reunites Young with co-writer Gavin DeGraw, as they recorded the stripped-down version of the song at Blackbird Studios in Nashville.
Tenille Townes‘ latest release “Jersey on the Wall,” is inspired by meeting a group of high school students in Grand Manan, Canada. Townes met the students after a group of five students had been in a tragic accident, where one of the students, Danielle, passed away.
Townes returned to the school’s graduation ceremony the following year, watching as Danielle’s parents were given her honorary scholarship. Townes noticed Danielle’s jersey on the wall. Swirling with emotions and questions about loss and spirituality, Townes went in a writing session with Gordie Sampson and Tina Parole months later, where she penned “Jersey on the Wall.”
Jon Pardi released another track from his upcoming album, Heartache Medication (Capitol Nashville), due Sept. 27. “Tequila Little Time” begins with a bright horn section, followed by Pardi’s tongue-in-cheek proposition to spend more time with potential lover.