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Carrie Underwood Surprised With Platinum Album Certification

Pictured (L-R): Cindy Mabe (President, UMGN), Ann Edelblute (Owner, The HQ), Royce Risser (EVP of Promotions, UMGN), Carrie Underwood, Mike Dungan (Chairman & CEO, UMGN), David Garcia (Underwood’s Co-Producer), Brian Wright (EVP of A&R, UMGN), Jackie Jones (Vice President, Artist & Industry Relations, RIAA). Photo: Country Radio Seminar 2020/Kayla Schoen


Carrie Underwood
 was surprised with an RIAA Platinum certification plaque for her latest album, Cry Pretty, and four certified singles from the album, on Friday (Feb. 21). Following Underwood’s artist interview as part of the annual Country Radio Seminar, held at Nashville’s Omni Hotel, UMG Nashville CEO & Chairman Mike Dungan and UMG Nashville President Cindy Mabe presented Underwood with the latest accolade for her sixth studio album, the first she co-produced alongside David Garcia.

Four singles from Cry Pretty were certified by the RIAA including the Platinum-certified “The Champion” and the Gold-certified “Cry Pretty,” “Love Wins” and “Southbound.”

Cry Pretty is an album of risk and boundary pushing,” Mabe said. “Carrie put her whole heart, raw emotion and personal story into writing, producing and releasing the music from this album for the world to see behind the curtains. Cry Pretty is Carrie’s artistic evolution and provides a chance for fans to see her at her most vulnerable and raw, so celebrating Platinum status is such an incredible gift that proves big risk gives way to big reward.”

Underwood said, “This means a lot, because I feel like this is the project that I’ve done, and the album that I’ve done, that is the most ‘me.’ I’m honored and I’m humbled, and God is good.”

The critically-acclaimed album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, cementing Underwood’s place in history as the only woman to land four country albums at the top of the all-genre Billboard 200 chart. The album was the best-selling all-genre female debut in 2018 and she continues to hold the record as RIAA’s No. 1 certified female artist for Digital Singles.

On March 3, she will release her first fitness lifestyle book, Find Your Path: Honor Your Body, Fuel Your Soul, and Get Strong with the Fit52 Life. The book provides a common-sense approach and tips from Underwood on staying active, eating well, and looking as beautiful as you feel, 52 weeks a year.

Carrie Underwood with a plaque for her Certified Platinum Album, Cry Pretty. Photo: Country Radio Seminar 2020/Kayla Schoen

Weekly Radio Report (2/21/20)

Click here or above to access MusicRow’s weekly CountryBreakout Radio Report.

MusicRow Pics: 18th Annual MusicRow CountryBreakout Awards And Meet & Greet

Pictured (L-R): MusicRow‘s Sherod Robertson; Capitol Records Nashville’s Bobby Young, Megan Youngblood, and Annie Sandor; Richey Promotions’ Diane Richey; MusicRow‘s Alex Parry; Richey Promotions’ Kiersten Suarez and Ben Kann, Capitol Records Nashville’s Brent Jones. Photo: Steve Lowry for MusicRow

MusicRow held its 18th annual CountryBreakout Awards and Meet & Greet yesterday (Feb. 19) at The Listening Room Café in downtown Nashville. The breakfast event, presented by FirstBank, was a full house that enjoyed an awards presentation, mingling, and music from country newcomer Joe Hanson and traditional country favorite, Shane Owens.

Awards were given to the following for earning the most spins in 2019 on MusicRow‘s CountryBreakout Radio Chart: Luke Combs for Male Artist of the Year, Carrie Underwood for Female Artist of the Year, Old Dominion for Group/Duo of the Year, Riley Green for CountryBreakout Artist of the Year, and Smith & Wesley for Independent Artist of the Year. Ashley Gorley won Songwriter of the Year for penning nine No. 1 songs on the CountryBreakout Radio Chart, Capitol Records Nashville took home Label of the Year for the 16th time, and KBOE’s Steve Shettler was awarded Reporter of the Year for exemplifying the spirit of the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio chart.

Read Bobby Karl‘s full recap of the event here.

Pictured (L-R): Shane Owens, Joe Hanson. Photo: Steve Lowry for MusicRow

Pictured: Smith & Wesley. Photo: Steve Lowry for MusicRow

Pictured: River House Artists’ Lynn Oliver-Cline. Photo: Steve Lowry for MusicRow

Pictured (L-R): Bill Warner, Kele Currier, Kirsti Manna. Photo: Steve Lowry for MusicRow

Pictured: Joe & Martina. Photo: Steve Lowry for MusicRow

Pictured (L-R): SESAC’s Edie Emery and ET Brown, MusicRow‘s Sherod Robertson. Photo: Steve Lowry for MusicRow

Pictured: Joe Hanson performs. Photo: Steve Lowry for MusicRow

Pictured: Shane Owens performs. Photo: Steve Lowry for MusicRow

Weekly Radio Report (2/14/20)

Click here or above to access MusicRow’s weekly CountryBreakout Radio Report.

CMA Selects Inaugural Rob Potts International Exchange Program Participants

The CMA has selected Julie Bowser (United States) and Megan Hopkins (Australia) as the inaugural participants of the Rob Potts International Exchange Program for individuals pursuing a career in the country music industry. Bowser and Hopkins will participate in the four-week, industry-focused program, which honors the memory of late Australian promoter Rob Potts.

The program allows one participant from the U.S. to partake in a work-experience program in Australia, while the participant from Australia will travel to Nashville to complete a work-experience program. Both Bowser and Hopkins will have a primary contact guide them throughout the four-week program, in which they will participate in internships and networking opportunities in the other’s country. Additionally, both participants will take part in power lunches with industry leaders and will have the opportunity to attend CMC Rocks festival in Australia and CMA Fest in Nashville.

Bowser is a recent graduate of Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business management. She has completed internships at multiple artist management companies, served as a production assistant, and worked at various concert venues. Bowser will begin her program in Australia later this month and will meet with music industry leaders and attend a CMA task force meeting, comprised of industry leaders in Australia working to promote country music in their territory.

Hopkins graduated from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia with a bachelor’s degree in business information systems and is currently a Material Coordinator for Nine Network Australia. Hopkins will come to Nashville in May to spend four weeks learning from music industry professionals, making visits to industry leaders and participating in a studio day with award-winning session musician Derek Wells.

“We are excited to see the country music industry in both Nashville and Australia come together to support and educate future leaders in the music business,” says Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “Julie and Megan have bright futures ahead of them in the music industry and we are looking forward to providing them a comprehensive look into the business through this program. We appreciate the companies and individuals who have played an integral role in making the Rob Potts International Exchange Program a reality, as we honor Rob’s legacy and contribution to the Country Music community.”

A celebrated Australian manager, promoter, country music champion and CMA Board member, Rob Potts’ career spanned more than 30 years. As CEO of his company Entertainment Edge, Potts helped open doors for Australian country artists including Tommy Emmanuel, Morgan Evans and Keith Urban, in addition to serving as manager for Evans. His success in the touring of U.S. country artists in Australia led to Potts establishing the CMC Rocks festival brand and forging a long-running partnership with Chugg Entertainment Chairman Michael Chugg AM. Their flagship, CMC Rocks Queensland, is now the biggest country festival in the Southern Hemisphere.

“My father worked for decades to break down the barriers between the U.S. and Australian Country Music industries and to back emerging talent on stage and behind the scenes,” says Jeremy Dylan, Potts Entertainment Chief Executive Officer. “The recipients we selected have enormous potential and will take full advantage of the opportunities this scholarship affords to fast track their deep understanding of the industry on an international scale and their place in it. Thanks to CMA for making this concept a reality and something Rob Potts would have been proud to see his name on.”

MusicRow Radio Report (2/7/20)

Click here or above to access MusicRow’s weekly CountryBreakout Radio Report.

InCharge: Applications For MusicRow’s 2020 InCharge Print Issue Now Open

MusicRow is now considering candidates for its annual InCharge issue, the published directory of Nashville’s music industry decision makers. Now in its 33rd year, InCharge serves as the April/May issue of MusicRow Magazine and is slated for an April release.

Applications for new submissions for InCharge have been closed. 

All applications will be reviewed by committee to determine the candidates chosen for this year’s InCharge print issue.

For advertising opportunities, please contact Sherod Robertson at srobertson@musicrow.com.

For questions regarding the directory, please contact LB Rogers at lbrogers@musicrow.com.

Lady Antebellum Celebrates 10th No. 1 Single With Emotional Celebration

Pictured L-R (Back Row) Songwriters Laura Veltz, Jon Green, Ryan Hurd, Producer Dann Huff, Songwriter Sam Ellis. (Front Row) Lady A’s Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, Dave Haywood

Lady Antebellum celebrated their 10th career chart-topping hit, “What If I Never Get Over You”—the trio’s first at new label home BMLG Records—during an emotional No. 1 party held at Nashville’s Analog at the Hutton on Feb. 3.

The song marked Lady Antebellum’s first No. 1 in six years, following 2014’s “Bartender”—a fact not lost on Lady A’s Dave Haywood, who brought his five-year-old son, Cash to the child’s first No. 1 party.

“My wife and I were talking yesterday and I said, ‘I think we should bring him to the party,’” Haywood said, before tearing up. “This has not happened in his lifetime, you know? That just makes me want to say we don’t take this lightly. This is big for a lot of people, but this is huge for us. I didn’t know if we’d get to have another one of these, and it means so much, so thank you. It’s given us such a peace to make music again and that’s been such a gift.”

Not only did the song reach the No. 1 spot on country radio, but it was also certified Gold by the RIAA.

ASCAP, BMI and SESAC co-hosted the party, which honored the song’s writers Sam Ellis (ASCAP/UMPG), Ryan Hurd (BMI/UMPG), Jon Green (SESAC/UMPG), and Laura Veltz (BMI/Big Machine Music).

ASCAP’s Beth Brinker, BMI’s Spencer Nohe, and SESAC’s Lydia Schultz spearheaded the festivities, while others in attendance to celebrate the songwriters included UMPG’s Cyndi Forman, Big Machine Music’s Mike Molinar, Big Machine Label Group founder/President/CEO Scott Borchetta and BMLG Records President/CEO Jimmy Harnen.

“This has been such an incredible journey so far,” Lady A’s Hillary Scott said. “I thank so many incredible hearts up here. I’m so overwhelmed with love and gratitude…you just poured your hearts into promoting this song.”

Scott also specifically thanked the Big Machine promotion staff for their tenacity and creativity in bringing the song to the attention of radio execs.

“We have had so many singles released over the course of our career. Never have we ever been doing radio remotes in Las Vegas and had someone from the promo team—Michelle [Kammerer]—taking PDs out of the booths, with headphones, to play them our latest single and to get them in from the beginning to build that. They heard it first, and felt that ownership. That was so above and beyond, and so gorilla grassroots, it was incredible, just the fact that that was the tone that was set going into this new chapter, in a really pivotal time in our careers.”

Pictured L-R (Back Row) BMLG Records’ Jimmy Harnen, Cherylynne Nader, Madeline Farr, Andrew Thoen, Liz Santana, Stella Prado, Michelle Kammerer, Andi Brooks, Matthew Hargis, BMLG’s Scott Borchetta, Producer Dann Huff. (Front Row) Songwriters Sam Ellis, Laura Veltz, Lady A’s Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, Dave Haywood, Songwriters Ryan Hurd, Jon Green. Photo: Steve Lowery

Lady A’s Charles Kelley had similar compliments for the Big Machine Staff and the band’s management at Red Light.

“I could sit here and thank every single person. You have all been involved at some point in the past 13, 14 years. Jimmy [Harnen], we did it. We dreamed about doing this as a band. I’ve never worked with someone who sends us a text every 20 minutes and he’s the head of our label. Sometimes it’s like too much information, but it takes all that anxiety away. We can focus on the music. It’s just so comforting. To me, this day is all about the songwriters, publishers and promo staff. Also our manager Callie [Cunningham], we had a serious moment that could have completely gone the other way, but she and everyone else on our team weren’t going to let us throw it away. This is pretty wild.”

Universal Music Publishing Group’s Cyndi Forman announced a donation to the organization MusiCares in the name of the songwriters.

Forman also addressed Lady A and producer Dann Huff, saying, “Watching you guys throughout your career, the word that sums it up for me is ‘integrity.’ Thank you guys so much for making this song yours. Dann, we are always in awe of how you make these records sound. I know one writer/producer—I won’t say his name, but it rhymes with Sam Ellis—who was beside himself when we first heard the song together.”

Forman said of Ryan Hurd, “He sort of grew up at Universal and I remember the conversations we had when he was trying to decide whether or not he wanted to make a record for himself and do the artist thing and the one thing he said was, ‘I don’t want to quit writing for other people. I want to keep having activity, I don’t want to lose momentum,’” before noting that indeed, he has stayed true to that goal.

She told Green, “Through all of this we’ve had a lot of cuts and misses and frustrations. But through it all, you never came in with a ‘Why me?’ attitude. You kept your head down, you stayed focused, you focused on identity as a songwriter and we got these great [writing] combos…because of what you brought to the table as a songwriter. I’m so proud of you and congratulations on your first number one.”

Forman also thanked Veltz, saying “You are the common denominator that makes the magic happen.”

“We work with so many great songs and still there are some that separate themselves,” Big Machine Music’s Mike Molinar said of the hit. “The day that this song was texted to me, I was driving down the highway. By the time I made it out of the first chorus, I had to pull over, get off the road and call Laura [Veltz]. I said, ‘This is not a little hit, this is a big hit.’ And it’s also the scariest moment for a music publisher, because the songwriters did their job now it’s ours to mess up. So I was really lucky we had Cyndi and Kent Earls and experienced publishers we could talk to about where are we are going with it and who do we trust with this song. So much of this is about collaboration and trust. We knew we could trust Allison Jones and producer Dann Huff. This is an amazing record. We knew we could trust the BMLGR team to leave no stone unturned at radio. What we really knew is we could trust Charles, Hillary and Dave to get everything that makes this song great. This may be their first number one in several years, but to paraphrase the words of the great poet LL Cool J, ‘Don’t call it a comeback—they’ve been here for years.’”

Molinar also noted that Veltz is a co-writer on the current No. 1 single on the country charts. “And today we are having another single shipped, and you are getting another cut today. Congratulations, my friend.”

Big Machine’s Scott Borchetta recalled the early conversations he had with the trio in bringing in them into the label fold. “When Charles and Dave and Hillary were open to having a conversation about possibly switching homes, Jimmy and I got really excited. We also got a little bit scared. We wanted to make sure we get this right and really understand what we want to represent to them and make sure we were giving them the opportunity to do everything they wanted to do because as we all know there is a lot left to do in Lady Antebellum world. We had this incredible meeting over at Charles’ house because they were very honest about who they were and what they wanted to do, but they also allowed Jimmy and myself to be very honest about what we thought they were doing, and we made some pretty specific recommendations and really laid the groundwork for what our relationship could be. I don’t know that I’ve ever been involved in anything that I’ve been more proud of than this Lady Antebellum record.”

The No.1 party was also a reunion for Lady Antebellum and many execs on the BMLG team. In 2009, as Lady Antebellum celebrated their first No. 1 single with “I Run To You.” At the time, execs Matthew Hargis and Jimmy Harnen were both at Capitol, while Michelle Kammerer worked at CAA. That same year, Harnen left Capitol to join Big Machine.

“For the next nine years, we all admired Lady Antebellum’s meteoric rise from afar at BMLG,” Harnen said. “Then in 2018, they were looking for a new home and Scotty B and I wasted no time in offering them a new home at BMLG. Next we needed a producer and it took us all of about 30 seconds to hire Dann Huff. “

Harnen presented the trio with a crystal award commemorating their No. 1 single.

Veltz thanked Huff, Borchetta and all of BMLG for their work and persistence in promoting the song to radio.

“You make a song and you know it’s right…I feel like it’s my baby and then it’s heading off to college and you’re just rooting for it.”

She also thanked her co-writers, and teared up as she addressed Big Machine Music’s Mike Molinar.

“Thank you for what you’ve built and what you continue to build. Songwriters are so lucky to have you at the helm of careers that we hold dear. To my sister Alison Veltz Cruz, I love you. My family, to my husband Wesley who is just everything and to our children, they are my support system at home and really allow me to have fun with this. It’s a gift I won’t ever get over. To Hillary, Charles and Dave, thank you so much for just killing this song…in every good way. It is so weird to see your song somewhere near ‘Need You Now’ on a Wikipedia page. It is such an honor to have a song in your catalog.”

It was UK native Green’s first No. 1 party.

“As a band and as human beings, you are completely world class,” he told Lady Antebellum. “You crushed this song and Ryan, Sam and Laura, that was a great day, a good time. You guys are geniuses and getting to write with you guys as much as we have—and hopefully continue to do—is a real privilege.”

“My parents are here and they dropped me off in this town in 2005 to go to college and they thought I was going to be some hit superstar. I went and got a sociology degree and so this is probably a really cool moment for you,“ Hurd said. “I currently work with every person in this room I think. I want to thank everyone at ASCAP…I had been with ASCAP for a really long time and now I’m at BMI, but thank you to Robert Filhart who decided I might be good at this, and for introducing me to people like Kent Earls. I owe so much to you guys. BMI thank you for supporting me now and for this really cool guitar that can match Maren’s. The publishers in this room, all of you taught me how to do this and how to be a good songwriter. WE surround ourselves with people who make us feel good about our music and push us to be better. Then, I have another side of my career and there are managers and business managers that are amazing. The BMLG radio team is amazing. I work with a label and I know how much it takes to promote a song. Thank you for hustling so hard for us on this song. This song was the song where I had a couple of people say ‘You should record this,’ and I didn’t feel like I had that platform yet so thank you for using yours. You guys do not need our help to write your own songs and write your own hits and the fact that you decided you wanted to step out with on your new project, we are all so blessed by it.

You guys are going to be in the Country Music Hall of Fame one day.” Hurd summed.

He also thanked his wife Maren Morris, who was in attendance.

“I remember sitting and writing this song, and just imagining life without you is the most horrible inspiration, but having someone like you that would be so painful to lose is the reason this song is so special. I love you very much and I’m so proud of you and our little baby boy.”

The evening concluded with Hurd, Veltz, Green, and Ellis joining Lady Antebellum for a sincere, stirring performance of “What If I Never Get Over You,” with Haywood’s son Cash sitting behind him at the piano.

Performance with Lady A and the songwriters. Photo: Sean O’Halloran

Performers Announced For ‘MusicRow’ Magazine’s 18th Annual Country Radio Meet & Greet And CountryBreakout Awards

Pictured (L-R): Joe Hanson, Shane Owens.

MusicRow Magazine’s upcoming 18th Annual Meet & Greet and CountryBreakout Awards will feature performances from Shane Owens and Joe Hanson.

This private event, which is slated for Feb. 19, will be open to MusicRow Magazine members, including country radio broadcasters and industry affiliates ahead of the 2020 Country Radio Seminar. This year’s presenting sponsor is FirstBank.

“We are very excited to have both Joe Hanson and Shane Owens showcase their exceptional talents at this year’s Country Radio event,” adds MusicRow Publisher/Owner Sherod Robertson. “We look forward to hosting this annual event for our valued industry members in order to celebrate and honor those reaching the most spins on our MusicRow radio chart. MusicRow’s reporting panel of stations for the CountryBreakout Chart represent the best in secondary radio.”

Owens, who was previously named MusicRow’s Independent Artist of the Year in 2018, returns as a performer for this year’s event. The Alabama native makes traditional country music for the modern world. Timeless and timely, it’s a classic sound with a contemporary edge, driven forward by a mix of southern storytelling, Bible-belt twang, and Owens’ big, booming baritone.

Owens’ latest album, Thankful For Country Music, features his current single “Hard Luck Girl” which is currently receiving airplay nationally as well as 11 more tracks heavily influenced by the music and stylings of country music traditionalists ranging from Ray Price to Conway Twitty.

Longtime country music journalist Robert K. Oermann points to Owens’ traditional approach as his strongest weapon. “I like to think that there are cycles in [country] music,” Oermann explains. “Usually, the pendulum swings out and the pop-country people bring in a whole lot of new listeners, and then the new listeners discover real country music. Then there’s usually a swing back to more traditional styles. I hope we’re on the cusp of that… and if we are, Shane is perfectly positioned.”

He made his Grand Ole Opry debut in 2017 and has been invited back for additional appearances. Cracker Barrel has picked Owens’ music to appear in several of the store’s exclusive releases, while Netflix included his song “Country Never Goes Out of Style” in the popular series The Ranch.

Owens continues to move forward, but he also remains rooted in the sound that launched his career, breathing new life into a sound that’s at once fresh and familiar.

Also performing is Illinois native Joe Hanson who is best known for appearing on The Voice and has proven to stand out and stand up for country music. Hanson’s talent also took him directly in front of a distinguished panel consisting of Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan of American Idol. These prestigious opportunities speak volumes of Hanson’s talent in these early stages of his career and dedication to his craft.

Hanson adds, “These experiences helped guide me along my journey in music and helped me realize that every artist has a unique gift with their artistry and that although these are great opportunities to fast track the dream of ‘making it’ in music there’s no one way to get there.”

Hanson’s love for country music started with humble beginnings in the church located in his hometown of Naperville, Illinois where he developed his love for both God and music. Hanson subsequently moved to Nashville and has teamed up with chart-topping producers and writers to touch as many lives as possible with his positive message through music.

From the great emerging artist stage at Summerfest Festival in Milwaukee to Nashville’s music circuit, Hanson is an artist who continues to build momentum.

Last year, he released the single “Young Got Old,” a nostalgic anthem for youth and growing up which he co-wrote alongside Jason Duke and Travis Smith. He is currently working on a new EP to be released later this year.

This year’s Meet & Greet and CountryBreakout Awards will honor the 2020 CountryBreakout Awards winners, which are tallied from chart performance on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart in 2019. Categories include Male Artist of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, Group/Duo of the Year, Breakout Artist of the Year, Independent Artist of the Year, Label of the Year, and Songwriter of the Year (for writing the most No. 1 songs on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart over the previous year). The Reporter of the Year honor will be selected by MusicRow staff from its weekly reporting panel of over 80 country stations in the secondary radio market throughout the United States. The winners will be profiled in MusicRow Magazine’s 2020 Country Radio print issue.

Subscribed members will receive their copy of the MusicRow Country Radio issue by mail. To be added to the mailing list and to receive your invitation to the 2020 event, become a member of MusicRow Magazine at musicrow.com.

Little Big Town’s Carefully Woven ‘Nightfall’ Album Available Today

Little Big Town performs at Carnegie Hall on January 16, 2020. Photo: MusicRow.

Yesterday (Jan. 16), Little Big Town performed a cosmic track-by-track showcase in celebration of their ninth studio album, Nightfall, at New York City’s famed Carnegie Hall, with the album releasing to the public shortly after the show at midnight. The captivating performance winded through the 13 new tracks, and ended with some of the band’s fan favorites, including “Pontoon,” “Tornado,” “Boondocks,” and “Girl Crush” among others.

Little Big Town performs at Carnegie Hall on January 16, 2020. Photo: MusicRow.

The concert occurred just ahead of their two-night engagement, today (Jan. 17) and tomorrow (Jan. 18), at another of New York’s iconic venues, the Apollo Theatre, which officially kicks-off of their national Nightfall Tour.

The packed Carnegie Hall audience contained many familiar faces including some of the band’s family members and close friends, as well as a bevy of migrating Nashville industry peeps including the band’s management, Sandbox Entertainment head, Jason Owen, and the band’s label exec, UMG Nashville President, Cindy Mabe. Little Big Town’s support in the audience ran beyond that of their excited fans, with industry team members from all aspects of the band’s career making the voyage to New York to enjoy the highly anticipated launch of their new album.

The carefully woven project from Capitol Records Nashville is admittedly one of the band’s most intimate and powerful to date, with sophisticated messages interlaced throughout the project.

Co-writing nine of the album’s 13 tracks, the band has already garnered successful accolades with a 2020 Grammy nomination for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for the empowering song, “The Daughters.” The song serves as an inspirational and motivational call for young girls to pursue their passions and believe in themselves regardless of societal expectations of women.

The album’s current single, “Over Drinking,” is a pick-yourself-up and dust off the heartache anthem. The single’s music video stars Michelle Monaghan and takes inspiration from classic films like Urban Cowboy and Thelma & Louise—complete with Stetsons, fringe and a mechanical bull.

Another track from Nightfall, “Sugar Coat,” and its accompanying music video starring Kate Bosworth, tells the story of a forbearing wife and mother whose husband’s continuous philandering proves harder and harder to endure, but is pressured out of the responsibility to her family to keep smiling and wearing her ‘sugar coat.’

Little Big Town performs at Carnegie Hall on January 16, 2020. Photo: MusicRow.

Easily Little Big Town’s most nuanced project, they didn’t realize initially they were on the verge of producing their ninth studio album. But when Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook went into the studio to develop what was there, it wasn’t long before the fiercely musical foursome realized they’d found a new creative horizon—and they just kept going until Nightfall emerged from 34 songs, with a myriad of experiments and the inherent harmony singing that has defined the Grammy-winning group.

“From the first time we sat in the living room, it was amazing that we all gravitated to the harmonies we sing,” explains the sunny-voiced Schlapman. “In 20 years, we really have stayed with the harmonies we settle into organically. We’re all really strong and opinionated, and we’ve always been really involved, but over the years, we’ve become more comfortable with who each of us is.”

“It’s so easy to keep layering guitars on top of each other,” Westbrook says of the sonics. “Every sound is intentional on this record. We’d empty tracks out to create more space. Those spaces let the energy come through. The space allows you to absorb what we’re saying.”

“I’m a dreamer,” Sweet offers. “This music hopefully honors that as musicians in country music. If people can open their hearts and just connect with music in a way that feeds them, makes them feel what they need or want to, then we got it.”

Schlapman boils it down, “This was a journey, and still is. Whether you’re going to the mountains, or the beach, even sitting in your living room with a glass of wine, this record is an experience. It will take you through so many places in life, hopefully sink in, and take you where you need to go, or give you what you’re looking to find.”

Fairchild adds, “The sequence is deliberate to take you through the romance of Nightfall… the questions we have when we’re alone, the joy and the frolic of love and friendship, and the strength to overcome.”

Little Big Town performs at Carnegie Hall on January 16, 2020. Photo: MusicRow.

Listen to Nightfall here.https://strm.to/Nightfall

Nightfall Track Listing:
1. Next To You (Hillary Reynolds, Michael Jade, Trevor Jarvis)
2. Nightfall (Karen Fairchild, Daniel Tashian, Fancy Hagood)
3. Forever And A Night (Karen Fairchild, Jimi Westbrook, Phillip Sweet, Foy Vance)
4. Throw Your Love Away (Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Hillary Lindsey, Liz Rose, Lori McKenna)
5. Over Drinking (Carey Barlowe, Jesse Frasure, Ashley Gorley, Steph Jones, Hillary Lindsey)
6. Wine, Beer, Whiskey (Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook, Phillip Sweet, Sean McConnell, Tofer Brown)
7. Questions (Karen Fairchild, Jon Green, Sara Haze)
8. The Daughters (Karen Fairchild, Sean McConnell, Ashley Ray)
9. River Of Stars (Karen Fairchild, Daniel Tashian, Ian Fitchuk)
10. Sugar Coat (Josh Kerr, Jordyn Shellhart, Lori McKenna)
11. Problem Child (Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook, Phillip Sweet, Sean McConnell, Tofer Brown)
12. Bluebird (Karen Fairchild, Daniel Tashian, Ian Fitchuk)
13. Trouble With Forever (Jason Saenz, Marc Beeson, Sara Haze)