Combustion Masters has signed Payton Smith to its growing label roster.

Smith released his self-titled, debut EP in 2019, featuring standout track “Like I Knew You Would,” which has over 50 million streams worldwide. In 2020, he was named to Taste of Country‘s Hottest Country Artists Under 25 list and was included in MusicRow‘s Next Big Thing class of 2021. His most recent release, “Need You To Not,” is available now.

“Sometimes your gut just screams at you to do something….this is the feeling I got the first time I met Payton,” notes Combustion President Chris Farren. “He is a great singer, sizzling guitar player and has a sense of focus and artistry well beyond his years…as well as being a really good guy! I couldn’t be more excited to be working with Payton and to see where this all goes next.”

“Payton’s the kind of guy you want to run through walls for,” adds Blake Duncan, Combustion’s Senior Creative Director, A&R. “His passion and energy with a guitar is hypnotizing, followed up with his raw and authentic storytelling! We are stoked to add Payton to the Combustion Family!”

Smith is currently in the studio working on new music with Farren at the production helm. The 22-year-old is signed with Eclipse Music Group for publishing.

“The Combustion Music team has the experience and the passion for music that attracted me from our first introduction,” shares Smith. “The vision they show towards my career has me feeling inspired and ready for this new chapter. I could not have hoped for more than to have the opportunity to work with this dream team. Onward!”

The Combustion Masters roster includes Jameson Rodgers‘ debut self-titled EP, BBR/Wheelhouse Records artist Kolby Cooper, Sony/RCA rising artist Corey Kent, and up-and-comer Faren Rachels.

Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB) has announced the nominees for the New Faces of Country Music Show, which will take place on Wednesday, Mar. 15 at the Omni Nashville Hotel during CRS 2023. This year’s nominees are Priscilla Block, Callista Clark, Jackson Dean, Ernest, Jelly Roll, Frank Ray, Elvie Shane, and Nate Smith.

The New Faces of Country Music Show was created in 1970 and recognizes emerging artists who have achieved significant success at country radio during the qualification period, which is Nov. 1 – Oct. 31. For more qualification criteria, click here.

Voting for the Class of 2023 will open Monday, Nov. 28 and close Friday, Dec. 2 at countryradioseminar.com. The five acts with the most votes will form the lineup for the sold-out show.

Eligible voters must be full-time employees primarily involved in the programming, promotion, and distribution of country music from the following company types: broadcast radio, satellite radio, television outlets, and digital service providers, while expressly excluding those with vested interests in individual artists or musical works such as labels, managers, agents, and publishers.

The War And Treaty is launching their headlining 2023 “Lover’s Game Tour” on March 19 in Oklahoma City.

The husband-and-wife duo will visit 35 cities this spring with stops in Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, Detroit, Washington D.C., Louisville, and more before closing out the leg at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl on May 13.

Tickets for new headlining dates will be available Nov. 18, and fan club members can access tickets beginning tomorrow (Nov. 15). A portion of ticket sales will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Association and Vet Tix.

“The shows this year have felt more like a family reunion,” Michael Trotter Jr. notes. “You know how it is….some family you’ve known for a while and then you meet other family members you don’t know…but their vibe is so on point with yours that it’s more filling than the barbecue on the grill. We know next year’s tour is going to feel just like that so we just need to bring the right meats for the grill…the right beer for the cooler…and play the right songs!”

Fresh on the heels of their recent CMA Awards performance, the duo surprised fans with the release of their Blank Page EP.

Ingrid Andress has announced both U.S. and international dates for her headlining “The Good Person Tour,” which will kick off Feb. 24 in Salt Lake City.

Andress will make stops in Los Angeles, New York City, and London before wrapping up in Norway on May 24. The tour will feature special guests Madeline Edwards, Carter Faith, and Nick Wilson. Tickets for “The Good Person Tour” will go on sale this Friday (Nov. 18) at 10 a.m. CT. For more information, click here.

The three-time Grammy nominee recently reached the top of the Country Aircheck chart with her Platinum-certified hit “Wishful Drinking” alongside Sam Hunt, marking her second career No. 1. The track is also included on her latest album Good Person.

Good Person follows Andress as she enters the next chapter of her career. She reunites with co-producer Sam Ellis to dive deeper into the reflection and confession her debut record Lady Like introduced. She also co-wrote every song featured on the project, such as the title-track, along with piano ballad “Blue,” and the self-growth centered “Seeing Someone Else.”

With over one billion global streams and fans across the globe, Andress spent much of 2022 out on the road with Keith Urban for his North American “The Speed of Now World Tour,” which wrapped earlier this month.