Ty Herndon has inked a new three-album deal with Club44 Records, launching the partnership with a reimagined duet of his 1995 breakout hit “What Mattered Most” featuring LeAnn Rimes.

The single marks the first release from Herndon’s upcoming album via Club44, Thirty, a career-spanning celebration of his 30 years in country music. “What Mattered Most” quickly shot to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart when it was originally released and the song’s runaway success earned him an ACM nomination for Top New Male Vocalist and launched a career that would include four chart-topping hits, a Grammy nomination, and Dove Awards.

“Recording this song with LeAnn was nothing short of magical,” says Herndon. “She and I go back three decades — we were touring together in the ’90s when her career exploded and she used to come out on stage and sing this song with me. So all these years later, re-recording it as a duet, was a full-circle moment I’ll never forget. Her voice brings depth and beauty to the song, which is breathtaking. We’ve both lived a lot of life since then, and I think you can hear that in every note.”

Thirty will feature newly-recorded versions of Herndon’s most iconic hits, reinterpreted as collaborations with an all-star lineup of musical guests. The project offers both a tribute to Herndon’s past and a powerful step forward for the enduring artist. The album’s release date will be announced later this summer.

Between 1995 and 2002, Herndon charted 17 singles, including a string of Top 10 favorites such as “I Want My Goodbye Back,” “Loved Too Much,” “A Man Holding On,” and “Hands of a Working Man.” He reached the top of the charts again in 1996 with “Living in a Moment” and in 1998 with “It Must Be Love.” Over the following decade, Herndon continued to break new ground with the release of a Greatest Hits collection and the albums Right About Now, Lies I Told Myself, and the Grammy-nominated Journey On.

In 2015, he made history as the first major male country artist to come out as gay, and has since released the albums House on Fire and Got It Covered, as well as launching the annual Concert for Love & Acceptance. His 2022 album JACOB featured the singles “Till You Get There” and “Dents on a Chevy,” a duet with Terri Clark that spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the independent country charts, becoming the top independent country single of 2023.

UTA Celebrates CMA Fest

UTA celebrated CMA Fest performances with its clients last week.

 

Dustin Lynch Returns With CMA Fest Poolside Party

Dustin Lynch brought his poolside party back to downtown Nashville for this third annual CMA Fest event with two back to back shows on the rooftop of the Margaritaville Hotel Nashville.

Lynch surprised fans with performances from Sister Hazel and Deana Carter. With sponsors Coors, Happy Dad and Hey Dude Shoes in the mix, the event also kept traditions alive with the famous mullet barber and a fan-favorite belly flop competition.

 

Bailey Zimmerman Surprised With Eight RIAA Certifications Ahead Of CMA Fest Performance

Bailey Zimmerman was surprised on Sunday (June 8) with eight RIAA certifications ahead of his CMA Fest performance at Nissan Stadium. The new certifications include “Rock and A Hard Place” (6X Platinum), “Religiously” (4X Platinum), “Never Comin’ Home” (Platinum), “Change” (Gold), “Fix’n To Break” (Gold), “Get to Gettin’ Gone” (Gold), “Never Leave” (Gold) and “Chase Her” (Gold).

Zimmerman will release his upcoming album on Aug. 8 and kicked off his “New To Country Tour” last week.

 

Tay Keith Launches Music For Healing Initiative For American Cancer Society

Tay Keith has launched his Music For Healing Initiative in support of the American Cancer Society. This new initiative, created in collaboration with Drumatized Cares and the American Cancer Society, is designed to offer comfort and healing through music to guests during treatment. By integrating music into the care experience, the initiative will travel to Hope Lodge communities across Tennessee, delivering speakers and gift bags to provide a sense of peace during some of life’s most challenging moments.

 

A2IM And Luminate Launch A2im Star Certification Program Recognizing Independent Album Sales

The American Association of Independent Music and Luminate have teamed up to launch the Star Certification program, recognizing the album sale achievements of independent artists. The tiered system includes One Star for 50,000 album sales, Two Star for 100,000 album sales, and Three Star for 300,000 album sales.

“This certification was created to recognize real achievement on terms that truly reflect how the independent sector operates,” said Dr. Richard James Burgess MBE, President and CEO of A2IM. “We’re grateful to Luminate for their collaboration and commitment to building a credible, data-driven system that allows our community to celebrate its achievements with integrity.”

The first plaques given out recognized John Prine’s The Tree of Forgiveness (Oh Boy Records) with a Three Star label, Frankie Cosmos’s Next Thing (Bayonet Records) with Two Star, and Spice’s 10 (VP Records) with One Star.

 

Daphne Wraps Residency At Nashville’s The Basement

Combustion Music’s Daphne celebrated the end of her residency at Nashville’s The Basement on June 10.

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Cam will release her latest album, All Things Light, on July 18 via RCA Records.

The news follows the release of Cam’s latest single “Alchemy” last month and comes with the second single from the project and album opener, “Turns Out That I Am God,” featuring a spellbinding arrangement of stacked vocals and stark guitar tones.

“There’s an Alan Watts talk where he speaks about how we’re all God, we’ve just forgotten,” says Cam. “I wanted this song to express that idea humbly, asking how we might live our lives if we acknowledged that we are all God together.”

All Things Light arrives following a time when Cam was dealing with the intense isolation of becoming a mother in the early days of the pandemic, and started writing songs as a means of finding solace. She soon unlocked an entirely new level of depth in her lyrics, and as her daughter Lucy grew older and began asking questions about life and death, Cam felt called to dig even deeper and create a body of work embedded with insights for Lucy to carry with her through the years.

The project was produced by her longtime producer Tyler Johnson as well as a lineup of co-producers and contributors including Michael Uzowuru, Ethan Gruska, Jeff Bhasker, Aldae, Starrah, Ilsey Juber, Nick Lobel, Ian Fitchuk, Anders Mouridsen and Simon Maartensson. With its convergence of country, folk, left-field pop and more, the album emerged from the same creative wellspring that gave rise to Cam’s contributions to Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, which earned Cam an Album of the Year Grammy for her songwriting.

Backline, a nonprofit organization connecting music industry professionals and their family members with mental health and wellness resources, has partnered with Spotify to announce a global initiative, Heart & Soul, Mental Health for Creators.

The initiative will include a global expansion of Backline’s current resources, a dedicated email (global@backline.care) to help users navigate local care options, a “Mind The Music” digital guide made for industry professionals, therapy access grants, wellness events intended to connect people in various facets of music from songwriters to tour crews, and more.

“Backline is honored to serve as a steward of Spotify’s investment into the creative community, ” says Backline Executive Director & Co-Founder Hilary Gleason. “Bringing our work to scale is a meaningful way to uplift the well-being of artists all around the world. This collaboration is taking these invaluable mental health and wellness resources beyond borders. Music knows no bounds, and now people who make music happen have access to care and a compassionate community. Our work together will help ensure that artists have the resources, support, and stability they need to thrive both personally and professionally.”

“Heart & Soul is our commitment to the creators behind the music. Artists and songwriters face immense pressure, and their mental health can’t be an afterthought,” adds Lauren Siegal Wurgaft, Head of Social Impact, Spotify. “Supporting creators’ well-being is essential to sustaining a vibrant music ecosystem. By working closely with trusted partners like Backline, we’re not just offering resources, we’re helping drive lasting change in how the industry approaches mental health.”