Keith Urban
In 2022, four-time Grammy winner Keith Urban was working on a new album. It was to follow 2020’s The Speed of Now Part 1 as his 13th studio project.
He was also on a world tour at the time. In order to keep the album on track, Urban set up a rigorous schedule of returning to Nashville soon after a show, working on the record and going back out. He was even going to call it 615 because of his dedication to getting home and working on the collection.
What Urban found with the new schedule, however, was stress and creative limitations, which was not conducive to making an album. So, he decided to scrap 615.
“I’ve never had a theme or a concept for an album ever. Every album I’ve ever made has been very loose in a lot of ways,” Urban tells MusicRow. “Dann Huff, who’s made so many of them with me, would testify that we may have a plan to record a song one day and I might get to the session and say, ‘I’m not really in the mood for this song. I feel like this one might be better.'”
Urban’s spontaneity when in the studio has lended itself to the diverse range of projects he’s put out, with his catalog including records that have bluegrass roots as well as some that are more experimental and some that are straight-up country. While that musical ambiguity has likely been a big part of Urban’s over two decades of hits, he shares that he felt he needed a change in his process when making the forthcoming album.
“My records can go in all kinds of musical places, like [my 2018 album] Graffiti U. There’s a lot of stuff on Graffiti U that I don’t know what genre it is or what style it is. Depending on the listener, you could call it diverse or completely scattershot,” Urban says. ” I thought if I gave myself a framework to work in that it might give me more focus musically, and it might give me more continuity on an album.
“What I discovered was that framework did give me continuity, but the continuity actually ended up sounding linear, so all the songs were a bit too much the same,” he explains. “Because I was touring at the time, I would come home from tour and record one song. Maybe a month later I’d record another one and then two weeks later I’d record another one. Each one individually felt and sounded really good, but when I put them together as an album and tried to sequence them, I realized I was missing all the other extra colors, adventurousness and spirit.”
So, with a collection of songs ready to be track listed, Urban called it off.
“I felt like I punched myself in the stomach,” he admits. “It would’ve been so much easier to say, ‘Look, there’s four really good songs on this album. You only need four good songs on an album. Let’s put it out, hit the road and keep the machine going.’ But I just couldn’t do it.”
The tracks that Urban couldn’t part with were “Messed Up As Me,” “Break The Chain,” “Daytona” and “Heart Like A Hometown.” With them, he started anew and took the guard rails off the creative process that has built his career. The first song Urban made after going back to the drawing board was “Chuck Taylors.” Written with Jerry Flowers, Chase McGill and Greg Wells, the unreleased tune exudes charisma with a fun ’80s feel.
“If that song is bristling with exuberant energy and excitement, it’s because I felt I’d released myself from this structure, and I was free to do whatever the hell I wanted to do. That song was so liberating,” Urban says. “The very next day we wrote ‘Straight Line.’ I felt like I had just been let out of a cage.”
Balancing unleashed creativity and being a hit artist with a business to maintain can be a difficult tightrope to walk. With his recent introspection on his album-making process, he has found there’s only one way to balance it.
“Following the muse,” Urban notes. “That might sound hippie-dippie to a lot of people, but it has never let me down. It may not be the result I was expecting, but in the long run, I’ve never been let down by following and trusting my muse.
“The only time it’s ever gone awry is when I’m [too focused on] doing it a certain way, and then it doesn’t seem to flow. The music has to tell me where to go. If I could have talked to those four songs that I took off 615, I would have said, ‘You guys seem to be really clear on where I should go. What songs would you like around you on the album?’ They would have said, ‘You already know. Just get in the studio and start playing.'”
With that in mind, he crafted eight more tracks that paint a complete picture of the muse he followed. Urban has released a handful of the tunes, including the buoyant “Straight Line,” the tormented “Messed Up As Me,” the rollicking “Wildside” and the endearing “Heart Like A Hometown” as well as the groovy collaboration with Lainey Wilson “Go Home W U.”
As for the unreleased tracks, his fans should know that they are worth the wait, as the much-anticipated project is some of his best work yet.
“615 felt like a lot of songs. This one feels like a bigger excavation and capturing of my life,” Urban sums. “I’m excited for people to hear it.”
His next studio album, High, is set for release on Sept. 20 via Capitol Records Nashville.
Industry Ink: Megan Moroney, Justin Moore, Ashley McBryde, Tauren Wells, Heartland
/by Madison HahnenMegan Moroney Joins Tate McRae For Surprise Nashville Performance
Megan Moroney & Tate McRae. Photo: Beth Saravo
Megan Moroney joined Tate McRae during McRae’s Nashville show on Tuesday night (Aug. 6) at Ascend Amphitheater. The two performed Moroney’s “Tennessee Orange” for the sold out crowd.
Justin Moore Honored With Sign In Poyen, Arkansas
Justin Moore’s sign in Poyen, Arkansas. Photo: Nelson Chenault
The town of Poyen, Arkansas, the state of Arkansas and Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders honored Justin Moore on Wednesday (Aug. 7) with a 10 foot sign of the singer.
“What a great honor,” says Moore. “I would never have expected, or asked, for this, but I’m so thankful to our city officials and David Bazzel for spearheading this effort. I’m not one who finds comfort having praise heaped upon himself, so this is a proud moment, but a bit tough for me. I’m hopeful that I have contributed to my beloved city, as much as it has to me. Furthermore, I hope to continue to wave the flag for small town USA all over the country, as I believe it is the fabric that makes this country the greatest on earth.”
Ashley McBryde Performs On ‘Good Morning America’
Ashley McBryde. Photo: Katie Kauss
Ashley McBryde performed her current single and title track of her new album, “The Devil I Know,” on ABC’s Good Morning America (GMA) Wednesday morning (Aug. 7).
McBryde also spent some time speaking with GMA‘s Michael Strahan about the cover art for the project. “The whole process of making this record was that we all have different aspects of ourselves, some that we love to embrace, some that we do not love to embrace. So this whole process has been about not just coming to terms with it, but learning how to fall in love with all those aspects,” she shared.
Tauren Wells Tops The Christian Airplay Chart
Tauren Wells
Tauren Wells reached No. 1 on the Christian Airplay chart with his single “Take It All Back” in just 26 weeks.
The song also sits at No. 3 on the Hot Christian Songs chart, and has been the most-added tune at Christian radio for weeks while garnering 70 million global streams.
Heartland Releases New Racing Anthem
Pictured (L–R): Heartland’s Manager Cole Johnstone, Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway’s Gina Schild Knowles, BLE/Orchard’s Nancy Brown and Dewayne Brown, Heartland’s Lance Horton, Craig Anderson, Mike Myerson, Todd Anderson and Video Director Justin Mayotte. Photo: Courtesy of Heartland
Heartland has teamed up with Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway to release a new racing anthem, “Borrowed Time.”
“I was born and raised in Alabama, so somewhere between Talladega and Davey Allison, the love of racing is part of my DNA,” says Heartland’s Todd Anderson. “Simply put, ‘Borrowed Time’ is about having the guts to live life in the fast lane and not apologize for it. As the song says, ‘The devil can wait, I’m feelin’ good tonight. If I’m here tomorrow, just call it borrowed time.’ Now that’s racing to the bone!”
The group is also slated to perform the national anthem at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway tomorrow (Aug. 10).
Keith Urban Talks ‘Following The Muse’ Ahead Of New Album ‘High’ [Interview]
/by LB CantrellKeith Urban
In 2022, four-time Grammy winner Keith Urban was working on a new album. It was to follow 2020’s The Speed of Now Part 1 as his 13th studio project.
He was also on a world tour at the time. In order to keep the album on track, Urban set up a rigorous schedule of returning to Nashville soon after a show, working on the record and going back out. He was even going to call it 615 because of his dedication to getting home and working on the collection.
What Urban found with the new schedule, however, was stress and creative limitations, which was not conducive to making an album. So, he decided to scrap 615.
“I’ve never had a theme or a concept for an album ever. Every album I’ve ever made has been very loose in a lot of ways,” Urban tells MusicRow. “Dann Huff, who’s made so many of them with me, would testify that we may have a plan to record a song one day and I might get to the session and say, ‘I’m not really in the mood for this song. I feel like this one might be better.'”
Urban’s spontaneity when in the studio has lended itself to the diverse range of projects he’s put out, with his catalog including records that have bluegrass roots as well as some that are more experimental and some that are straight-up country. While that musical ambiguity has likely been a big part of Urban’s over two decades of hits, he shares that he felt he needed a change in his process when making the forthcoming album.
“My records can go in all kinds of musical places, like [my 2018 album] Graffiti U. There’s a lot of stuff on Graffiti U that I don’t know what genre it is or what style it is. Depending on the listener, you could call it diverse or completely scattershot,” Urban says. ” I thought if I gave myself a framework to work in that it might give me more focus musically, and it might give me more continuity on an album.
“What I discovered was that framework did give me continuity, but the continuity actually ended up sounding linear, so all the songs were a bit too much the same,” he explains. “Because I was touring at the time, I would come home from tour and record one song. Maybe a month later I’d record another one and then two weeks later I’d record another one. Each one individually felt and sounded really good, but when I put them together as an album and tried to sequence them, I realized I was missing all the other extra colors, adventurousness and spirit.”
So, with a collection of songs ready to be track listed, Urban called it off.
“I felt like I punched myself in the stomach,” he admits. “It would’ve been so much easier to say, ‘Look, there’s four really good songs on this album. You only need four good songs on an album. Let’s put it out, hit the road and keep the machine going.’ But I just couldn’t do it.”
The tracks that Urban couldn’t part with were “Messed Up As Me,” “Break The Chain,” “Daytona” and “Heart Like A Hometown.” With them, he started anew and took the guard rails off the creative process that has built his career. The first song Urban made after going back to the drawing board was “Chuck Taylors.” Written with Jerry Flowers, Chase McGill and Greg Wells, the unreleased tune exudes charisma with a fun ’80s feel.
“If that song is bristling with exuberant energy and excitement, it’s because I felt I’d released myself from this structure, and I was free to do whatever the hell I wanted to do. That song was so liberating,” Urban says. “The very next day we wrote ‘Straight Line.’ I felt like I had just been let out of a cage.”
Balancing unleashed creativity and being a hit artist with a business to maintain can be a difficult tightrope to walk. With his recent introspection on his album-making process, he has found there’s only one way to balance it.
“Following the muse,” Urban notes. “That might sound hippie-dippie to a lot of people, but it has never let me down. It may not be the result I was expecting, but in the long run, I’ve never been let down by following and trusting my muse.
“The only time it’s ever gone awry is when I’m [too focused on] doing it a certain way, and then it doesn’t seem to flow. The music has to tell me where to go. If I could have talked to those four songs that I took off 615, I would have said, ‘You guys seem to be really clear on where I should go. What songs would you like around you on the album?’ They would have said, ‘You already know. Just get in the studio and start playing.'”
With that in mind, he crafted eight more tracks that paint a complete picture of the muse he followed. Urban has released a handful of the tunes, including the buoyant “Straight Line,” the tormented “Messed Up As Me,” the rollicking “Wildside” and the endearing “Heart Like A Hometown” as well as the groovy collaboration with Lainey Wilson “Go Home W U.”
As for the unreleased tracks, his fans should know that they are worth the wait, as the much-anticipated project is some of his best work yet.
“615 felt like a lot of songs. This one feels like a bigger excavation and capturing of my life,” Urban sums. “I’m excited for people to hear it.”
His next studio album, High, is set for release on Sept. 20 via Capitol Records Nashville.
Spotify Celebrates Cowgirls With Carly Pearce, Carter Faith & Brandi Cyrus
/by LB CantrellCarly Pearce performs onstage as Spotify celebrates “Year of the Cowgirl” at Desert 5 Spot on in Los Angeles. Photo: Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Spotify
Cowboy and cowgirl culture is in full force in 2024.
According to Spotify, there have been more than 222,000 user-generated “cowgirl” playlists created on the platform globally this year, and the U.S. streams of their “Coastal Cowgirl” and “Neon Cowgirl” playlists have increased more than 100% in 2024. On Spotify’s algorithmically-curated playlists “Daylist” for individual listeners, “Country Love Songs Coastal Cowgirl” has become the most popular title for U.S. listeners.
Carter Faith performs onstage as Spotify celebrates “Year of the Cowgirl” at Desert 5 Spot on in Los Angeles. Photo: Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Spotify
To celebrate, Spotify has launched a “Year of the Cowgirl” destination on the platform, culminating a collection of “cowgirl” playlists, featured music from female country artists, related podcasts and audiobooks.
Spotify also held a “Year of the Cowgirl” event Wednesday night (Aug. 7) featuring special performances from Carly Pearce and Carter Faith and a DJ set from Brandi Cyrus at LA’s Desert 5 Spot. Guests celebrated female country hit-makers with a night of line dancing, country music and more.
Kelsea Ballerini Examines Some ‘Patterns’ On New Album, Due In October
/by Lorie HollabaughPhoto: Courtesy of Black River Entertainment
Kelsea Ballerini is ramping up for the release of her latest album Patterns, due out Oct. 25 via Black River Entertainment.
Teaming with producer and longtime collaborator Alysa Vanderheym, Ballerini opted for an all-girl approach to the new 15-song project, which came together after a songwriting retreat with Vanderheym, Hillary Lindsey, Jessie Jo Dillon and Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild.
With Patterns, Ballerini created an album that focused on female friendship, vulnerability and honesty, owning one’s jagged spaces and the way relationships really are, not the way they look on Instagram.
“There was an unpresumed feeling of knowingness that happened on that retreat,” Ballerini shares. “I felt safe, so then I was able to feel honest, and then more so, creative. We were all, as songwriters, in tandem but more so as women just in a real heart flow of it all. Having these heroes and friends champion the process and the guts of it all has been one of the joys of my career. Disassembling and sorting through the habits and nuances of ourselves, and then those that we love the most, is a chapter I am still in and will always stand by. I’m really proud of that story through music.”
Patterns seeks to unpack the patterns that get in our way, the fights that could be final and the friends who pull up and get you through. “Cowboys Cry Too,” with Noah Kahan, has started scaling country radio and streaming charts, and Ballerini has also released “Sorry Mom,” a song for mothers, daughters, sons and friends who offer the tough love but never stop loving the dreamer chasing a life they don’t understand.
Patterns follows Ballerini’s Grammy-nominated Rolling Up The Welcome Mat and Rolling Up The Welcome Mat (For Good). After her new album releases in October, the star will bring her expertise to NBC’s The Voice as a coach on season 27 in the spring of 2025.
Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Bar To Open Las Vegas Location
/by Lorie HollabaughJason Aldean
Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Bar is coming to the Las Vegas Strip this fall, marking the fourth location of the franchise joining Nashville, Gatlinburg and Pittsburgh.
The 22,500-square-foot, two-story venue is located at 63 CityCenter at the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon Avenue, and will feature two stages with regular live performances. The venue will include a 250+ seat main dining area, seven bars and an outdoor elliptical patio offering views of the Las Vegas Strip as well as a 15,000-square-foot second floor with resident DJs, an additional stage and an elevated VIP bottle service section. The Las Vegas location will also feature a 4,000-square-foot patio with views of the Strip.
“To open our fourth Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Bar and the first West Coast location in iconic Las Vegas is thrilling,” says Adam Hesler, TC Restaurant Group CEO. “We will be right on the Las Vegas Strip, at the epicenter of the excitement and look forward to hosting not only incoming visitors from around the world but also giving the Las Vegas residents a unique experience and inviting atmosphere to unwind and have a great time.”
Establishing a home for country music on the Strip, the venue will also feature a live on-air iHeartRadio studio on location, recording daily interviews with various musicians and celebrities who will often take to the stage for impromptu performances, creating an ever-changing lineup of live entertainment. Listeners can hear the programming on iHeartRadio’s KWNR 95.5 and on the iHeartRadio app.
Additional grand opening information on the location will be announced at a later date.
Justin Moore Tops The MusicRow Chart With ‘This Is My Dirt’
/by John Nix ArledgeJustin Moore reaches the No. 1 spot on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart this week with “This Is My Dirt.”
The track was released as a single in 2023 and was written by Moore, Paul DiGiovanni, Randy Montana and Jeremy Stover.
Recently, Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders celebrated the multi-Platinum country artist Moore with the unveiling of a 10-foot roadside sign to enter the city of Poyen.
“This is My Dirt” currently sits at No. 12 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart and No. 11 on the Mediabase chart.
Click here to view the latest edition of the MusicRow Weekly containing the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart.
Sea Gayle Music & Bobby Pinson Sign Justin Andrews
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L–R, back row): Emily Witters, JD Groover, Brandon Gregg, Kim Wiggins and Sam Ribler; (L–R, front row): Chris DuBois, Justin Andrews and Bobby Pinson
Sea Gayle Music and songwriter Bobby Pinson have signed singer-songwriter Justin Andrews to a worldwide publishing deal.
The Bearden, Oklahoma native and former oil field worker moved to Nashville in 2016, and has spent the last seven years playing live and honing his songwriting skills. He is set to release his new single, “Movin’ Mountains,” this month.
“Justin is at his best when he is on stage with a guitar in his hands and a microphone in his face,” says Chris DuBois, Sea Gayle Music Founder. “He is a truly great singer and performer. I can’t wait for the world to hear him and get to know him.”
“I love Justin’s voice and his creativity and what he stands for,” Pinson notes. “I’m truly excited to be a part of the team dedicated to bringing who he is and how he lives to life.”
“It’s literally a dream come true to be working with such a great group of people,” shares Andrews.
UMG Nashville Teams Up With Timbaland’s Mosley Music
/by Liza AndersonPictured (L–R, back row): UMG Nashville’s Lori Christian, Rob Femia and Chelsea Blythe; (L–R, middle row): MMG’s Gary Marella, Bluestone Publishing’s Eric Spence and UMG Nashville’s Mike Harris; (L–R, front row): UMG Nashville’s Cindy Mabe, Timbaland and UMG Nashville’s Charlene Bryant. Photo: Courtesy of UMG Nashville
UMG Nashville has teamed up with Timbaland‘s independent record label Mosley Music to explore rising talent and new discoveries in the music space.
“Over the past year, we have been working with Timbaland on the shared goal of developing great artists together as well as bridging the gaps in sound and culture in country music,” says Cindy Mabe, Chair & CEO, UMG Nashville. “I am so happy to finally announce our collaboration with Mosley Music on the heels of his prestigious induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Timbaland is one of the most iconic producers, songwriters and artists in the last 30 years—merging genres and opening the doors to magnify cultural impact across genres.
“Hailing from Norfolk, Virginia, Timbaland’s reach and impact have been felt across pop, hip-hop and country music including working with and bridging sounds for artists like Bubba Sparxxx, For King & Country and Brad Paisley,” she adds. “Timbaland continues to push open the doors making innovative cultural impact by pushing boundaries and I am excited to join forces in breaking barriers in country music.”
Timbaland shares, “I’ve been aligned with Universal Music Group the majority of my career as an artist and with my label Mosley Music, so UMG Nashville felt like the right place to partner for us in country. I love their mission of taking chances on special artists to meet culture. Cindy, Chelsea [Blythe], Charlene [Bryant], Rob [Femia], Lori [Christian], Mike [Harris] and the rest of the team at UMG Nashville understand our vision and I know will be a great partner for us to continue to break artists.”
LAST DAY: Voting For 36th Annual MusicRow Awards Ends TODAY
/by MusicRow StaffToday is the last day to vote for the 36th annual MusicRow Awards, presented by City National Bank. Ballots can be cast until 5:00 p.m. CT on Friday, Aug. 9.
This year’s winners will be announced online on all MusicRow platforms on Tuesday, Aug. 27. To receive a ballot to vote in the MusicRow Awards, become a subscriber here.
Click here to view the full list of MusicRow Awards nominees.
Nominees for the MusicRow Awards are determined by a committee. For the categories of Breakthrough Songwriter and Breakthrough Artist-Writer, outside nominations are also considered. For the Male and Female Songwriter of the Year categories, nominees are based on data from MusicRow’s Top Songwriter Chart. All nominations are based on projects that were active between the period of June 1, 2023 through May 31, 2024.
Top 10 Album All-Star Musician Awards for Bass, Drums, Engineer, Fiddle, Guitar, Keyboards, Steel, and Vocals will also be announced on Tuesday, Aug. 27, recognizing the studio players who performed on the most albums reaching the Top 10 of Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart during the eligibility period.
2024 MusicRow Awards Category Profile: Entertainer Of The Year
/by MusicRow StaffFollowing the announcement of this year’s nominees for the 36th annual MusicRow Awards, presented by City National Bank, we take a closer look at the Entertainer of the Year category. This category is voted on by MusicRow’s subscribers to honor outstanding achievements by a Nashville artist during the eligibility period.
This year’s winners will be announced online on all MusicRow platforms on Tuesday, Aug. 27.
Click here to see the full list of MusicRow Awards nominees.
Winners are determined solely by MusicRow Magazine subscribers. Voting is now open and closes on Aug. 9 at 5:00 p.m. To receive a ballot to vote in the MusicRow Awards, becoming a MusicRow subscriber here.
Two-time CMA Entertainer of the Year Luke Combs recently kicked off another stadium tour, setting attendance records in Milwaukee, Buffalo and University Park. The Asheville, North Carolina native led the 2024 ACM Award nominations with eight nods and performed an unforgettable duet of “Fast Car” with Tracy Chapman during the 2024 Grammy Awards. Combs’ cover of the track won Single of the Year at the 2023 CMA Awards, spent five consecutive weeks on top of Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart and reached No. 1 on the Hot AC chart, becoming the first song by a male solo artist to ever top both the Hot AC and Country chart. The song has been streamed over 1.1 billion times, has been certified double-Platinum and spent 18 weeks in the top five of Billboard‘s all-genre Hot 100 chart, eight of which were spent at No. 2. His Gettin’ Old album has further established Combs as one of music’s most authentic and powerful voices. He also recently released his Fathers & Sons collection celebrating the journey of parenthood.
Platinum artist Cody Johnson has built a following of passionately loyal fans, selling out shows across the country. To date, Johnson has garnered 46 career RIM certifications, a Pandora Billionaire Award, seven billion global streams and two No. 1 singles. He has earned multiple industry honors including CMT Artist of the Year, three CMT Music Awards, two CMA Awards and Best New Country Artist at the iHeart Music Awards. The Texas native’s latest studio album, Leather, features the No. 1 Gold-certified hit single “The Painter,” and top-10-and-climbing emotional tune, “Dirt Cheap.” His feature-length documentary, Dear Rodeo: The Cody Johnson Story, has notched Telly Awards and honors at The Wild Bunch Film Festival and the Wild West Film Festival. He has made television appearances on Today, The Kelly Clarkson Show and more, in addition to live performances at the iHeart Music Awards, ACM Awards, CMA Awards, CMT Music Awards, CMT Giants honoring Vince Gill and more. He recently wrapped his arena tour, including a sold-out stop at Bridgestone Arena.
Award winning singer-songwriter Jelly Roll burst into the country music scene with his debut country album, Whitsitt Chapel. The project debuted in the top three on the Billboard 200 all-genre chart and at No. 2 on the Top Country Album chart, earning the biggest country debut album in Billboard consumption chart history. In 2023, the Nashville native won four People‘s Choice Country Awards, three CMT Music Awards, Billboard‘s 2023 Breakthrough Award and the CMA Award for New Artist of the Year. He is also one of three artists to have scored three Country Airplay No. 1s in 2023 and the first to do it with his first three singles. The two-time Grammy nominee shares confessional, vulnerable expressions of self doubt through his tunes, including smash hit “Save Me” with Lainey Wilson and “Need A Favor.” His documentary Save Me became the most watched music documentary on ABC News. On the heels of his new release “I Am Not Okay,” he is gearing up for his headlining arena tour this fall.
10-time Grammy winner Chris Stapleton is one of country’s most respected and beloved musicians. At the 2024 ACM Awards, he brought home another four trophies, bringing his total to 19, while also holding 16 CMA Award wins. The release of his latest album, Higher, was met with overwhelming critical acclaim, including two Grammy wins for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song with “White Horse.” The project also includes top-35-and-climbing “Think I’m In Love With You.” With his reputation for delivering electric live performances, the Kentucky native recently appeared on Saturday Night Live for the third time. Stapleton has also had recent collaborations with Dua Lipa, Slash and George Strait, and appeared on the Tom Petty tribute album. He will continue his global headlining amphitheater tour throughout the year, while also playing stadiums with George Strait and Little Big Town.
With 11 Billboard Music Award wins in 2023, Morgan Wallen continues to push his fame to the top. His third studio album, One Thing At A Time, has remained atop the all-genre Billboard 200 chart for 19 non-consecutive weeks, taking the record for most weeks at No. 1 for a country album, and was the most streamed album of the year on Spotify. The six-time Platinum hit “Last Night” was streamed over 1.5 billion times, becoming the most-streamed song of any genre in the U.S. across Apple Music and Spotify and the longest-running No. 1 solo song in the Hot 100 chart’s history at 16 weeks total. His recent history making collaboration with Post Malone, “I Had Some Help,” impacted at country radio with 167 first-week adds, debuting at No. 15 on the Media base charts. The track has become the longest-running No. 1 of 2024. His 2023 stadium tour took the Tennessee native to five countries, playing for over 2.4 million fans. Wallen was also honored with the distinction of Billboard and Pollstar Country Tour of the Year.
Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Lainey Wilson has become a force in the music industry. As the reigning ACM and CMA Entertainer of the Year, her unique sound and spirit has led her to earn numerous accolades and develop a diehard fan base. Nearly 10 years after leaving her small town in Louisiana, she earned her first Platinum No. 1 hit with “Things A Man Oughta Know.” She’s built on that success, scoring six more No. 1 smashes and becoming the lead female artist with the most No. 1 hits this decade. Wilson has earned two Grammy nominations, nine ACM Awards, seven CMA Awards and became an official member of the Grand Ole Opry. Thus far, her music has taken her worldwide. Wilson also made her acting debut in season five of Paramount’s smash hit series Yellowstone. She is currently gearing up for the release of her next album, Whirlwind, containing previously-released tracks “Country’s Cool Again,” “4x4xU” and top-15-and-rising single “Hang Tight Honey.” Wilson is also in the middle of her “Country’s Cool Again Tour” across North America.