Alexandra Kay. Photo: Courtesy of 117 Entertainment Group
Over the past few years, TikTok has been a vital piece of the rise and discovery of many independent artists. Bolstered by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and many people being forced to quarantine during much of 2020, many artists on TikTok have found their own pockets of success on the app. Some have even signed deals with major labels, agents, publishers, and more.
One of these independent TikTok artists who have seemingly found their groove is country artist Alexandra Kay.
In just a short amount of time Kay has earned 8 million career streams, more than 2 million TikTok followers, and over a million followers across her other social platforms. Along the way, she has also charted a handful of singles on iTunes, made TV appearances on NBC’s The Voice, and secured a starring role in the Netflix Original Series Westside.
Most recently Kay landed an opening spot on Tim McGraw’s spring amphitheater tour and a 3-show run with Tracy Lawrence and Clay Walker in March.
The Illinois native, who auditioned for American Idol in 2011, spent much of her adolescence writing poems. What began as a coping mechanism for becoming a teenager, starting a new school, her first love, her first heartbreak, and everything in between, soon grew into hearing melodies in her head and eventually bloomed into writing songs.
Alexandra Kay. Photo: Curt Simshauser
“It was definitely a coping mechanism. It wasn’t something that I ever thought would be a career for me. That’s for sure,” Kay shares with MusicRow. “When I was younger, I entered into some young authors contests. My short stories were climbing in these contests and winning awards, and that’s when my parents were like, ‘She has a gift for writing.’”
She continues, “You don’t know you can sing until someone tells you you can sing, and it’s got to be somebody that’s not your mom or grandma. When my friends started to tell me that I had a good voice, I started to cultivate that and wonder if I really was a good singer. I started to practice and I would lay on my bed on my stomach and sing the whole Taylor Swift record from top to bottom… That’s when I decided I was gonna do everything that I could to be able to do this for life because I loved it so much.”
Kay’s road to TikTok started pre-pandemic where she posted a few videos that didn’t garner much attention. However, once she began sharing her original songs on the platform, the pieces began to fall into place.
The singer shared her stories behind the songs, as well as her journey of landing a major record deal that didn’t pan out due to creative differences on what songs to release. Deciding to take her songs straight to the fans themselves, Kay shared them on TikTok and quickly earned her first No. 1 song on iTunes thanks to the platform’s endless audience.
“[TikTok] passes the middleman. If you’re thinking about it in a business sense, you’re taking your product directly to the consumer. In the world of music, we didn’t have that opportunity prior to this,” she explains. “You’re getting to do it in a way that can captivate somebody’s attention in a very short amount of time, but then leave them wanting more and make them want to consume it again.
“[Through TikTok] artists have the opportunity to tease things. They get to test things with their fans first. It puts us in control,” she continues. “You get to take something that you’ve created and, without having to put a whole bunch of money into it, you get to just say, ‘What do you think about this?’ The fans, who are the people consuming the music anyways, [can tell you exactly what they think]. That’s absolutely incredible.”
Alexandra Kay. Photo: Curt Simshauser
On top of all of the other successes she saw in 2021, Kay also embarked on the “In Real Life Tour” alongside fellow TikTok artists Cooper Alan and Thomas Mac.
Split into three legs, the first potion of the run started in 200 capacity rooms, which quickly sold out at nearly every stop. With the second leg, the trio went up to 400 capacity venues, and for the third they upped the ante to 800-1000 capacity rooms.
“We were all in label talks at the time because we all had songs that were doing really well. However, we all separately decided, for our own reasons, that we weren’t gonna sign right now and that we were gonna stay independent,” Kay offers. “We started talking about touring because one of the big questions in the industry—and in those meetings—is that you have this following on social media, but are they going to buy tickets? Are they going to come out to see you play?
“We decided to eliminate that question and go figure it out,” Kay shares. “We didn’t know if there were going to be successful moments. We invested a lot of money and a lot of time into it, and we had a lot riding on it. To be able to come out on the other side of [the successful tour] was really wonderful.”
As an artist who has been on both sides of the spectrum—having had a major label deal and now being independent—Kay isn’t naive to the benefits a label can bring, be it financial, networking, or reach. However, she believes that the advantage of being able to make her own decisions regarding her music, touring, and career outweighs the disadvantages.
Alexandra Kay. Photo: Courtesy of 117 Entertainment Group
“The time for independent artists is now and I think it’s because of social media platforms like TikTok,” Kay sums, adding that her advice for indie artists is to do as much as they can on their own, and then build out a team.
Stepping into 2022, Kay has an impressive list of goals, including charting her upcoming full-length album on Billboard, re-releasing her most popular single “How Do We Go” with an undisclosed duet partner, collaborations, and more.
“This year was a dream. That’s really the only way that I can describe it. I’ve gotten to accomplish so many things that I could have only dreamed possible,” Kay expresses gratefully. “Moving into 2022, I want to become a better writer, a better person, and a better performer. This year I’ve been given so many opportunities to grow, so I want to be able to look back in 2022 and realize how much I’ve grown as a human.”
Cory Asbury Joins Maximum Artist Group’s Management Roster
/by Lydia FarthingCory Asbury
Award-winning Christian singer-songwriter Cory Asbury has signed an exclusive artist management agreement with Maximum Artist Group.
A native of North Carolina, Asbury is a songwriter, singer, speaker, author, and worship leader, whose credits include “Reckless Love” and “The Father’s House.”
He burst onto the top of the airplay and sales charts with “Reckless Love,” which has gone on to earn Gospel Music Association Dove Awards for Song of the Year, Worship Song of the Year, and Worship Album of the Year; a 2019 Grammy nomination; Billboard’s 2019 Christian Song of the Year; and BMI’s and ASCAP’s 2019 Christian Song of the Year, among other accomplishments. The single was recently certified 2x Platinum for sales consumption of more than two million units.
“Cory is an incredible songwriter and artist who has experienced amazing success over the past few years,” says Mitchell Solarek, president of the Nashville-based firm. “We are thrilled he’s now a member of the Maximum family and we’re hugely excited to be part of his future.”
“I am incredibly excited to run with Maximum. Mitchell and his team are people of extremely high character,” adds Asbury. “Any time you can find folks with pure hearts for God coupled with a tenacious reach for excellence, you know you’re in good hands. I am confident they’ll help me bring my God-given vision to fruition.”
Asbury will embark on upcoming January events with the KLOVE Caribbean Cruise and “Rock the Universe” festival at Universal Studios Florida. Additionally, late spring 2022 and fall 2022 tours are in the works.
Asbury joins a roster that includes Gold and Platinum selling, multi-award winners Natalie Grant, Tauren Wells, and producer/writer Bernie Herms, among others.
Dillon Carmichael To Embark On ‘Son Of A Tour’
/by Lorie HollabaughDillon Carmichael. Photo: Alex Berger
Riser House Records’ recording artist Dillon Carmichael is set to hit the road later this month on his headlining “Son Of A Tour.”
The 12-date trek will kick off Jan. 20 in Catlettsburg, Kentucky, and includes a stop at Nashville’s 3rd and Lindsley. He will also visit Detroit, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Myrtle Beach, and more through Feb. 19. Tickets are available now at dilloncarmichael.com.
The tour marks the first headlining trek for the Kentucky-bred singer since the release of his sophomore album, Son Of A, in October. His current single, the project’s title track, is climbing the country charts after debuting on Mediabase this past fall as the No.1 most-added single upon impact.
Tom T. Hall’s Death Revealed As A Suicide
/by LB CantrellTom T. Hall. Photo: Courtesy Robert K. Oermann
More than four months after his passing, legendary songwriter Tom T. Hall‘s cause of death has been revealed as a suicide.
The Country Music Hall of Fame member “sustained an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound” on Aug. 20, 2021, according to The Williamson County Medical Examiner’s report. He was 85.
Country music blog Saving Country Music first reported Hall’s cause of death on Wednesday (Jan. 5).
Hall, also known as “The Storyteller,” is known for crafting enduring country standards such as Jeannie C. Riley’s “Harper Valley P.T.A.,” Alan Jackson’s “Little Bitty” and Bobby Bare’s “How I Got to Memphis.” He was the author of 12 No. 1 country songs, and was inducted as a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1978.
As a recording artist, he placed more than 50 singles on the country charts in 1967-87. 21 of which became top 10 hits, including “A Week in a Country Jail,” “The Year That Clayton Delaney Died,” “(Old Dogs, Children and) Watermelon Wine,” “I Love,” “Country Is,” “I Like Beer,” and “Faster Horses.”
Hall was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008. He was presented with a BMI Icon award three years later.
In 1968, Tom T. Hall married songwriter and former Music City News journalist Dixie Dean. She passed away in 2015.
Read Hall’s full obituary here.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
Morgan Wade Gets Even More ‘Reckless’ With New Expanded Debut
/by Lorie HollabaughMorgan Wade. Photo: David McClister
Morgan Wade is dropping an expanded deluxe version of her Arista Nashville debut Reckless on Jan. 28. The yearning new track “Run” is available now.
Co-produced by Jason Isbell + the 400 Unit guitarist Sadler Vaden and Paul Ebersold, Reckless (Deluxe Edition) offers six additional tracks, pulling in a scalding read on Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds,” Wade’s first release “The Night,” and some of the other songs that were in the conversation around Reckless’ sample of life as a passionate, tattooed 20-something struggling against a rapidly changing world.
“Honestly, the more exposed I am, the better it makes me feel,” admits Wade. “There are a million fake people out there, and who needs more of those? Who listens to them? Or believes it? If you’re struggling, and you put it out there, people actually say, ‘I really connected with (whatever the content).’ In making other people feel less alone, somehow I’m less alone. So I give away my feelings, then I get a sense I’m not the only one.”
Reckless topped Rolling Stone Country’s 25 Best Country and Americana Albums list, and her debut single at country radio, “Wilder Days” landed on both TIME and Rolling Stone magazine’s 10 Best and 50 Best Songs of the Year.
Randall King Views Life Through A ‘Shot Glass’ On New Major Label Debut
/by Lorie HollabaughRandall King. Photo: Yve Assad
Randall King is releasing his major label debut album, Shot Glass, on March 18 through Warner Music Nashville.
The project features 11 tracks, eight of which were co-written by King. King has already given several sneak peaks of the album with previous releases “You In A Honky Tonk,” “Baby Do,” and “Record High.”
Centering around a night out at a bar, each song represents a different point of view of those in the room. Produced by Bart Butler and Ryan Gore, Shot Glass tells the tale that you’re never drinking alone.
“This record is four years in the making, and there are a lot of things I’ve gone through in those years,” shares King. “Heartbreak, love, loss, fear, anger, peace. You hear all of that through this record. It’s a piece of me that I love and can’t wait to share with the world, for it to resonate and hit folks right where they need. There are songs I’ve written over the last five years on this record, some I’ve played out and some nobody has heard yet. I’m excited to drop it and let it off the chain!”
The Texas native released his first major label collection in 2020 with his Leanna EP. Named after his late sister, the EP reflects on King’s personal struggles in early life with depression and OCD, as well as the obstacles he faced after the unexpected loss of his sister. Throughout his career, King has accumulated over 100 million global career streams to date.
Alexandra Kay: ‘The Time For Independent Artists Is Now’ [Interview]
/by Lydia FarthingAlexandra Kay. Photo: Courtesy of 117 Entertainment Group
Over the past few years, TikTok has been a vital piece of the rise and discovery of many independent artists. Bolstered by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and many people being forced to quarantine during much of 2020, many artists on TikTok have found their own pockets of success on the app. Some have even signed deals with major labels, agents, publishers, and more.
One of these independent TikTok artists who have seemingly found their groove is country artist Alexandra Kay.
In just a short amount of time Kay has earned 8 million career streams, more than 2 million TikTok followers, and over a million followers across her other social platforms. Along the way, she has also charted a handful of singles on iTunes, made TV appearances on NBC’s The Voice, and secured a starring role in the Netflix Original Series Westside.
Most recently Kay landed an opening spot on Tim McGraw’s spring amphitheater tour and a 3-show run with Tracy Lawrence and Clay Walker in March.
The Illinois native, who auditioned for American Idol in 2011, spent much of her adolescence writing poems. What began as a coping mechanism for becoming a teenager, starting a new school, her first love, her first heartbreak, and everything in between, soon grew into hearing melodies in her head and eventually bloomed into writing songs.
Alexandra Kay. Photo: Curt Simshauser
“It was definitely a coping mechanism. It wasn’t something that I ever thought would be a career for me. That’s for sure,” Kay shares with MusicRow. “When I was younger, I entered into some young authors contests. My short stories were climbing in these contests and winning awards, and that’s when my parents were like, ‘She has a gift for writing.’”
She continues, “You don’t know you can sing until someone tells you you can sing, and it’s got to be somebody that’s not your mom or grandma. When my friends started to tell me that I had a good voice, I started to cultivate that and wonder if I really was a good singer. I started to practice and I would lay on my bed on my stomach and sing the whole Taylor Swift record from top to bottom… That’s when I decided I was gonna do everything that I could to be able to do this for life because I loved it so much.”
Kay’s road to TikTok started pre-pandemic where she posted a few videos that didn’t garner much attention. However, once she began sharing her original songs on the platform, the pieces began to fall into place.
The singer shared her stories behind the songs, as well as her journey of landing a major record deal that didn’t pan out due to creative differences on what songs to release. Deciding to take her songs straight to the fans themselves, Kay shared them on TikTok and quickly earned her first No. 1 song on iTunes thanks to the platform’s endless audience.
“[TikTok] passes the middleman. If you’re thinking about it in a business sense, you’re taking your product directly to the consumer. In the world of music, we didn’t have that opportunity prior to this,” she explains. “You’re getting to do it in a way that can captivate somebody’s attention in a very short amount of time, but then leave them wanting more and make them want to consume it again.
“[Through TikTok] artists have the opportunity to tease things. They get to test things with their fans first. It puts us in control,” she continues. “You get to take something that you’ve created and, without having to put a whole bunch of money into it, you get to just say, ‘What do you think about this?’ The fans, who are the people consuming the music anyways, [can tell you exactly what they think]. That’s absolutely incredible.”
Alexandra Kay. Photo: Curt Simshauser
On top of all of the other successes she saw in 2021, Kay also embarked on the “In Real Life Tour” alongside fellow TikTok artists Cooper Alan and Thomas Mac.
Split into three legs, the first potion of the run started in 200 capacity rooms, which quickly sold out at nearly every stop. With the second leg, the trio went up to 400 capacity venues, and for the third they upped the ante to 800-1000 capacity rooms.
“We were all in label talks at the time because we all had songs that were doing really well. However, we all separately decided, for our own reasons, that we weren’t gonna sign right now and that we were gonna stay independent,” Kay offers. “We started talking about touring because one of the big questions in the industry—and in those meetings—is that you have this following on social media, but are they going to buy tickets? Are they going to come out to see you play?
“We decided to eliminate that question and go figure it out,” Kay shares. “We didn’t know if there were going to be successful moments. We invested a lot of money and a lot of time into it, and we had a lot riding on it. To be able to come out on the other side of [the successful tour] was really wonderful.”
As an artist who has been on both sides of the spectrum—having had a major label deal and now being independent—Kay isn’t naive to the benefits a label can bring, be it financial, networking, or reach. However, she believes that the advantage of being able to make her own decisions regarding her music, touring, and career outweighs the disadvantages.
Alexandra Kay. Photo: Courtesy of 117 Entertainment Group
“The time for independent artists is now and I think it’s because of social media platforms like TikTok,” Kay sums, adding that her advice for indie artists is to do as much as they can on their own, and then build out a team.
Stepping into 2022, Kay has an impressive list of goals, including charting her upcoming full-length album on Billboard, re-releasing her most popular single “How Do We Go” with an undisclosed duet partner, collaborations, and more.
“This year was a dream. That’s really the only way that I can describe it. I’ve gotten to accomplish so many things that I could have only dreamed possible,” Kay expresses gratefully. “Moving into 2022, I want to become a better writer, a better person, and a better performer. This year I’ve been given so many opportunities to grow, so I want to be able to look back in 2022 and realize how much I’ve grown as a human.”
Manager, Agent & Promoter Randy Jackson Passes
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L-R): Randy Jackson & Glen Campbell. Photo: Courtesy of Absolute Publicity
Longtime Nashville & Texas music manager, agent and promoter Randy Jackson passed away on Dec. 21 in Alpine, Texas. He was 75.
Jackson began his career as a talent agent for the Hubert Long Agency and later worked with Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty until becoming the road manager for Johnny Rodriguez.
Pictured (L-R): Earl Campbell, Randy Jackson, and Charley Pride. Photo: Courtesy of Matt Stevens
He went on to work as an agent for Charley Pride at the Chardon Agency in Dallas. While there, Jackson discovered new talents including Neal McCoy and Janie Fricke. Jackson went on to manage Fricke and they eventually married.
He later married Sherry Jackson, and returned to his college alma mater, Sul Ross University in Alpine, where he and Sherry tutored the football athletes while supporting the Lobos football team.
Throughout his career, Jackson produced and promoted concerts throughout Florida and Texas. Jackson’s final concert was only three days before he passed as Asleep at the Wheel played a sold out show at the Cailloux Theater in Kerrville, Texas.
Memorial arrangements have not been shared at this time.
The 64th Grammy Awards Postponed Due To COVID Surge
/by Lydia FarthingThe Recording Academy has postponed The 64th Grammy Awards due to rising concerns surrounding the COVID-19 Omicron variant. The show was originally set to take place on Jan. 31 at Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center) in Los Angeles. Details regarding a rescheduled date have not yet been announced.
“After careful consideration and analysis with city and state officials, health and safety experts, the artist community and our many partners, the Recording Academy and CBS have postponed the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards Show,” the organization says in its official statement. “The health and safety of those in our music community, the live audience, and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly to produce our show remains our top priority. Given the uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant, holding the show on January 31st simply contains too many risks. We look forward to celebrating Music’s Biggest Night on a future date, which will be announced soon.”
This postponement marks the second consecutive year that the Grammy Awards have been postponed because of the pandemic. Last year’s show, also originally set for Jan. 31, was rescheduled to take place on March 14 due to a spike in COVID cases in LA.
This year’s Grammy nominations were announced on Nov. 23, with Chris Stapleton and Mickey Guyton both sporting three nominations each, and Jimmie Allen seeing the only all-genre nomination from a country artist. In the Americana space, Brandi Carlile earned a whopping five nominations and Yola came out with two nods. For a full list of this year’s nominees, click here.
Chicago-Based Alt-Rock Artist Letdown. Signs With Big Loud Rock
/by Lorie HollabaughLetdown.
Alt rock artist Letdown. has signed with Big Loud Rock, the new alternative/rock imprint of Big Loud Records. His new single, “Empty,” is available now on all digital platforms.
The project is helmed by Chicago-based musician Blake Coddington, who in 2020 released his debut single, “Spotlight.” Several singles, over 10 million streams, and 500,000 TikTok followers later, Coddington is gearing up for a number of releases throughout 2022 and beyond.
“Letdown. is the perfect act to join the Big Loud Rock family,” shares Greg Thompson, president of Big Loud Rock. “The music is incredible, the lyrics are thoughtful, and the potential is unlimited. We are proud to be a part of Blake’s journey.”
“I struggle a lot with my mental health, it’s tough for me to put a smile on for everyone else,” Coddington explains. “I write music not only as therapy for myself but for others who feel they are spread too thin, falling short or just not good enough.”
Round Hill Music Acquires Niko Moon’s Publishing Rights
/by LB CantrellNiko Moon. Photo: Matthew Berinato
Round Hill Music has announced the acquisition of hit country songwriter Niko Moon‘s publishing rights, via its Round Hill Music Royalty Fund Limited.
The deal encompasses 29 compositions written for artists, including the Zac Brown Band.
As a songwriter, Moon has penned hits such as the Zac Brown Band’s “Homegrown,” “Keep Me in Mind,” and “Loving You Easy,” as well as Rascal Flatts’ “Back To Life” and Bentley’s “Gone.” He was named Songwriter of the Year at the 2021 SESAC Nashville Awards.
In 2021, the RCA Nashville recording artist achieved his first No. 1 hit as an artist with his 2x-Platinum debut single “Good Time”—which is not included in the Round Hill deal.
Josh Gruss, Founder and CEO of Round Hill Music, says of the deal, “Niko is a much sought after songwriter and an acclaimed performer in his own right. His unique gift and authentic love of music marks him out an elite talent among his peers.”
Moon adds, “I am so happy to be doing this deal with Round Hill. I wanted these songs to go to an organization that values the music as much as I do, and Round Hill is definitely that place.”