Danielle Bradbery. Photo: Haley Crow.

With her sophomore album, Danielle Bradbery wants fans to get to know the real person behind those flawless vocals that earned her the winner’s trophy on NBC’s The Voice in 2013.

“I’ve been waiting for these moments to reintroduce myself. I’ve been introducing myself as because I was 16 when I won The Voice and now I’m 21 so there’s a lot that I had to figure out as a person and an artist and a songwriter so it’s been really fun,” Bradbery says.

Bradbery’s sophomore effort, I Don’t Believe We’ve Met, releases Dec. 1 via BMLG Records. The title is appropriate, as Bradbery offers listeners her own perspective on the issues that matter to her, both as a person and as an artist. Bradbery co-wrote seven of the album’s 10 tracks, marking her first time co-writing.

“It was a whole new thing for sure,” she says of the writing process. “I had to ease my way into it, just going from not writing to now writing, it’s a huge difference. I didn’t realize it could open so many doors. On the first album I was on the outer shell of the songs, I didn’t really feel like I was 100 percent connected. Now I feel like I’m one with the songs. That’s a really surreal feeling.”

As the album’s release date draws near, Bradbery has given fans a taste of the project, releasing instant-grat tracks “Hello Summer” and “Human Diary.” During her visit to the MusicRow offices, Bradbery performed two new songs she co-wrote on the project, including light-hearted, dance-ready “Sway” and uplifting, introspective album cut “Worth It.”

Danielle Bradbery with MusicRow Magazine owner/publisher Sherod Robertson. Photo: Haley Crow

Thomas Rhett, who shares the same manager with Bradbery, co-wrote two tracks on the album, including “What Are We Doing” and “Hello Summer.”

“I see him as a big brother and he’s taken me under his wing by allowing me to be on the song “Playing With Fire,” which is amazing. He has given me so much amazing advice on how to perform and be myself and just watching him onstage is advice enough.”

“My goal with this album was to be as honest and real as I could. I love talking about real situations. Hopefully my fans and a lot of people will relate. Personally when I hear an artist hat sings a heartfelt song, I love that feeling and I want it to be that. I’m crossing my fingers that I come across that way.”

Danielle Bradbery with MusicRow Magazine staffers.

Brian Austin, Candie Brooks join City National Bank’s Nashville office

City National Bank has announced that four senior bankers have joined the bank’s Nashville and Atlanta offices. The new teams provide City National’s full complement of financial services to entrepreneurs, their businesses and their families in the regions.

“Since we opened our Nashville office more than six years ago, we’ve grown to be the premier bank to the entertainment community there, and now with our new hires we’re expanding to new markets in the area,” said Martha Henderson, executive vice president and head of Entertainment Banking. “Our new colleagues will expand our capabilities and will provide the exceptional level of service City National is known for.”

Brian Austin joins City National’s Nashville team as a senior vice president and senior relationship manager. Specializing in investment and trust needs for high-net-worth families, he works with the bank’s team of experts to deliver a full range of financial services to businesses and families in Nashville. Austin has nearly 35 years of financial services experience. Prior to joining City National, he served as a senior vice president and wealth advisor with Regions Private Wealth Management and was a principal at Ayers Capital, LLC.

Also joining the bank’s Nashville office is Candie Brooks, vice president and senior account manager. A Nashville native, she provides tailored financial advice and service to high-net-worth families and their businesses. Brooks has more than 25 years of banking experience. Most recently, she served as an assistant vice president and team lead for U.S Trust in Nashville.

City National opened its first Nashville and Atlanta offices in 2011, principally to serve the entertainment industry in the Southeast. In Nashville, it has grown to bank more than 90 percent of business managers and last year announced plans to add an additional 4,000-square-foot office space.

“Atlanta represents a diverse and growing economy,” said Rich McCune, senior vice president and regional team manager of Entertainment Banking. “We’re thrilled to contribute to the vibrant entertainment community, and look forward to serving entrepreneurs and their businesses as we deepen our level of service in the region.”

In Atlanta, Maura McKenna and Gregory Shakes have joined City National. McKenna is a senior vice president and senior relationship manager, and Shakes is a vice president and credit officer. McKenna provides financial solutions to entrepreneurs, their businesses and their families in the Atlanta region. Shakes provides credit and loan underwriting expertise to the bank’s Entertainment Banking relationship managers.

Most recently, McKenna was a senior vice president and relationship manager with Private Bank of Buckhead, a subsidiary of National Bank of Commerce, where she served commercial and industrial clients, as well as high-net-worth entrepreneurs and family offices. McKenna has more than 30 years of banking experience in both the Washington, D.C., and Atlanta markets. Shakes was a vice president and credit portfolio manager with Private Bank of Buckhead, where he analyzed existing loan renewals and modifications. Shakes has nearly 20 years of banking experience.

Keith Urban

The South by Southwest Conference and Festivals (March 9-18, 2018) has added keynote speaker Darren Aronofsky and the latest round of featured speakers to its programming lineup including Keith Urban, Luvvie Ajayi, W. Kamau Bell, Steve Ballmer, Yiying Lu, Stefan Blom, and others.

“Some of the world’s most imaginative thinkers are part of today’s announcement,” said Hugh Forrest, SXSW Chief Programming Officer. “These innovative speakers cover the depth and breadth of SXSW content, enhancing our standing as the foremost destination for creative people to gain the practical tools and outside-of-the-box inspiration to achieve their goals.”

Other featured speakers for the event include writer and host of With Friends Like These podcast Ana Marie Cox, This American Life creator and host Ira Glass, design ethicist Tristan Harris, biophysicist and engineer Hugh Herr, Facebook Vice President of Messaging Products David Marcus, activist Bree Newsome, athlete and model Aimee Mullins, best-selling author Daniel H. Pink, Altimeter Principal Analyst and Futurist Brian Solis, GSD&M co-founder and chairman Roy Spence, Pulitzer prize-winning author Lawrence Wright, and many more.

SXSW Conference programming is organized into 24 tracks divided between Interactive, Film, Music, and Convergence, presented in a variety of session formats. Once again, SXSW is offering expanded access to events for all registrants. Attendees will receive primary access to programming associated with their badge type but now also enjoy secondary entry to most other SXSW events.