Following 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 Female Songwriter of the Year category.

Female Songwriter of the Year nominees are based on data from MusicRow’s Top Songwriter Chart. Eligible projects were active during the eligibility period of June 1, 2023 to May 31, 2024.

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.

Below are a selection of songs that entered the MusicRow Songwriter Chart for the Female Songwriter of the Year nominees:

Jessi Alexander
“5 Leaf Clover” recorded by Luke Combs
“Ain’t No Love In Oklahoma” recorded by Luke Combs
“Chevrolet” recorded by Dustin Lynch feat. Jelly Roll
“Light On In The Kitchen” recorded by Ashley McBryde
“No Caller ID” recorded by Megan Moroney
“You, Me, & Whiskey” recorded by Justin Moore & Priscilla Block

Kat Higgins
“The Painter” recorded by Cody Johnson

Jessie Jo Dillon
“Back Then Right Now” recorded by Tyler Hubbard
“Halfway To Hell” recorded by Jelly Roll
“Memory Lane” recorded by Old Dominion
“Messed Up As Me” recorded by Keith Urban
“No Caller ID” recorded by Megan Moroney

Hillary Lindsey
“Burn It Down” recorded by Parker McCollum
“See You Next Summer” recorded by Brian Kelley

Liz Rose
“Burn It Down” recorded by Parker McCollum

Emily Weisband
“Can’t Breakup Now” recorded by Old Dominion & Megan Moroney
“Glory Days” recorded by Gabby Barrett
“Looking For You” recorded by Chris Young

Pictured (L–R): Aniket Adhikari, Gabi Coccio, Jennie O’Rourke, Michael Blazer and Taylor Leibold.

Nonprofit organization Musicians On Call (MOC) has added five members to its Nashville team. Aniket Adhikari joins as Technology Manager, Michael Blazer joins as Operations Manager, Gabi Coccio joins as Strategic Partnerships Coordinator, Taylor Leibold joins as Fundraising Coordinator and Jennie O’Rourke joins as Digital Marketing Coordinator.

“The growing demand for Musicians On Call’s programs in hospitals all across the country has given us the opportunity to bring more creative and energetic team members into the organization,” says Pete Griffin, MOC President & CEO. “The talent and experiences Aniket, Michael, Gabi, Taylor and Jennie bring to their roles will take MOC to a whole new level. I’m confident that the innovative ideas they’ll bring to the table will have a great impact on our mission. With their help, more hospital patients will benefit from the healing power of music.”

A graduate of Emory University, Adhikari has experience working in the banking industry, and has earned multiple Salesforce certifications. As Technology Manager, he will supervise the organization’s technology platforms and initiatives, including Salesforce admin and the continued development of MOC’s proprietary online program platform.

Blazer joins MOC after serving in the U.S. Army Aviation for eight years. While serving, he went on two combat deployments, his latest assignment being in Special Operations Aviation. He has also worked with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. In his new role as Operations Manager, he will assist with all operational needs across the organization.

Bringing experience working as Marketing Director at Chick-fil-A and managing influencer brand campaigns for Odyssey Entertainment Group, Coccio joins the organization with a plethora of knowledge in campaign management, contracts, budgeting and more. As Strategic Partnerships Coordinator, she will manage administrative tasks for the department and assist in campaign execution and partner prospecting.

A Belmont University alum, Leibold has previously held roles at Whiskey Jam and the BlinkNow Foundation, in addition to internships with Twelve6 Entertainment and BMI. In her role as Fundraising Coordinator, she will oversee donor relations and communications, data management, campaign execution and general support of the fundraising department.

Also a Belmont University graduate with a degree in songwriting and music business, O’Rourke has industry experience in video editing, graphic design and artist management. She also runs her own social media consulting business, and has worked as a music publishing intern with Harlan Howard Songs. In her role as Digital Marketing Coordinator, O’Rourke will manage MOC’s social media presence, website and email strategy and help with external fundraising, partnerships and program campaigns.

Photo: Courtesy of Big Machine Records

Jackson Dean will deliver his sophomore album, On The Back Of My Dreams, on Sept. 6 via Big Machine Records. The 13-track project features the studio version of his live-show staple, “Heavens To Betsy,” out today (Aug. 2), as well as previously-released numbers “Big Blue Sky” and “Train.”

Entering a bold new chapter, the emerging star has built each tune with turn of phrases, biblical references, soaring guitars and subliminal messages alongside his bandmates, collaborators and producer Luke Dick to tackle subconscious themes of freedom, solace, pain, youth and mortality.

“The title can be interpreted from a few different angles but the face value of that phrase is that in-between state, when you’re in the process of waking up, but reality hasn’t quite set in and each song on this project has a little bit of that magical surreal feeling…its drawn from a lyric in the song ‘Jane,’ this kind of otherworldly, misty tune that immediately embedded into my brain,” shares Dean. “I’ve lived a lot of life and have watched a lot of life be lived, and each of these songs were written from a single frame of life, almost as vignettes, drawn from daydreams, nightmares and everything in between.”

Set to impact country radio on Aug. 19, “Heavens To Betsy,” which the artist co-wrote with Benjy Davis and Driver Williams, finds a man finally addressing the things he once couldn’t bear to face and aims to take listeners on an emotional journey starting out sincere but reserved, backed by light acoustic guitar until a piercing electric portion.

“‘Heavens To Betsy’ is like the little song that could. We wrote it and never thought it’d see the light of day but I started playing it on radio tour to get it out of my head… and kill time and I saw a grown man break down and cry to it. That’s an image that will hit you like a ton of bricks. So we started incorporating a bigger version of it into our live shows and I thought the Live At The Ryman version would be the only place it lived. But once again this song exceeded my expectations… night after night people tell me how it’s helping them through their grief—which is such a beautiful thing,” Dean notes. “Just the other day someone told me that their father died 11 years ago and hearing ‘Betsy’ gave them the closure they’ve been seeking. That’s the reason we do this.”

He is also currently on the road supporting Lainey Wilson’s “Country’s Cool Again Tour.”

On The Back Of My Dreams Track Listing:
1. “Big Blue Sky” (Jackson Dean, Brandon Aksteter, Rich Kolm, Sean Mercer)
2. “Duct Tape Heart” (Jackson Dean, Casey Beathard, Luke Dick)
3. “Talkin’ To Backroads” (Jackson Dean, Luke Dick, Ryan Tyndell)
4. “Daddy Raised” (Jackson Dean, Tucker Beathard, Bryan Simpson, Ryan Tyndell)
5. “Long Goodbye” (Jackson Dean, RL Burnside, Trent Dabbs, Luke Dick, Jeff Hyde)
6. “Real Real” (Jackson Dean, Luke Dick, Josh Osborne)
7. “Heavens To Betsy” (Jackson Dean, Benjy Davis, Driver Williams)
8. “Train” (Jackson Dean, Brandon Aksteter, Luke Dick, Rich Kolm, Sean Mercer)
9. “Free” (Jackson Dean, Blake Chaffin, Luke Dick)
10. “Sweet Appalachia” (Jackson Dean, Luke Dick, Ryan Tyndell)
11. “Jane” (Jackson Dean, Luke Dick, Ryan Tyndell)
12. “Heaven” (Jackson Dean, Luke Dick, Laura Veltz)
13. “Another Century” (Jackson Dean, Brian Koppelman, Jon Sherwood)

Pictured (L–R): HAYLO Music’s Josh Saxe, Aaron Farmer and Tyler Hubbard. Photo: Evan Mattingly

Tyler Hubbard‘s HAYLO Music has signed songwriter and producer Aaron Farmer to an exclusive publishing deal, administered by Endurance Music Group (EMG).

With over 15 years of live performance experience, Farmer has worked with Hubbard and Florida Georgia Line as well as Nate Ruess, The Chainsmokers, Nelly, Mat Kearney, Backstreet Boys, Bebe Rexha and more. He has also placed original songs with national brands such as Facebook, Mitsubishi and P&G, among others.

“I’ve been fortunate to have Aaron in my life and in the band for years. Not only is he an incredible guy, but also a super talented writer, musician and producer,” shares Hubbard. “Aaron adds so much to anybody he works with, so I’m grateful he chose to call HAYLO his publishing home.”

“Adding Aaron to our HAYLO team was a no-brainer,” says Josh Saxe, GM of HAYLO Music. “His continued creative collaboration with Tyler on tour, along with a staggering aptitude for any music genre makes him a tour de force for our roster. We’re lucky to have him.”