Month: August 2022

Taylor Swift is being honored as the Songwriter-Artist of the Decade at the Nashville Songwriter Awards.

The country-turned-pop superstar is being awarded for her consistent songwriting success between 2010 and 2019 for Nashville-associated songs that appeared on a variety of Billboard charts, including Country Airplay and Pop Songs. The Songwriter-Artist award requires that the songwriter is also the artist who recorded the songs. 

“She's constantly mining, digging, untethered, uncovering new forms of artistic expression and going at it in such a way that I'm not sure if she's fearless, or just able to compartmentalize fear,” Keith Urbanshares in a statement. “Answering your calling is not for the faint of heart, but when you do you forge new frontiers and inspire others to do the same. Congrats Taylor. Lead on!” 

The “Love Story” singer follows in the footsteps of previous recipients Toby Keith and Vince Gill. 

Additionally, Ashley Gorley has been named the Songwriter of the Decade for writing 62 #1 hits, including “Marry Me” by Thomas Rhett and Jon Pardi‘s “Dirt on My Boots.” 

Luke Combs, Jordan Davis and Parmalee have been added to the list of performers who will pay tribute to their favorite songwriters, alongside previously announced performers Thomas, Walker Hayes, Hardy and more. Garth Brooks has also been tapped to receive the Kris KristoffersonLifetime Achievement Award. 

The fifth annual event will be hosted at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on September 20. 

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Russell Dickerson is jetting off on his second headlining tour of the year with the She Likes It Tour. 

Named after his current hit single, the trek visits 10 cities across the U.S. in November and December. The tour kicks off on November 17 in Indianapolis and concludes on December 10 in Denver, with stops in San Diego, Portland and Salt Lake City in between. Drew Green joins as the opening act.  

“Couldn't end the year without hitting the road one more time! Catch us out on the #SheLikesItTour with my boy @drewgreen!” Russell writes on Instagram. 

It follows his previous headlining All Yours All Night Tour, which traversed the country at the top of the year and included his sold-out debut at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Since February, he’s served as the opening act on Tim McGraw‘s The McGraw Tour.

“She Likes It” featuring pop artist Jake Scott is currently in the top 30 on country radio.  

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. local time. 

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Luke Combs is a bona fide country star, but he notes that his new single, “The Kind of Love We Make,” is a call back to the ’90s music he grew up listening to. 

Though known for his extensive list of #1 country hits, Luke reveals he spent much of his childhood listening to pop acts like Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys and NSYNC. That pop influence shines through on “The Kind of Love We Make,” which he quickly picked up on when co-writers Jamie Davis, Dan Isbell and Randy Isbell played him the melody of the song for the first time. 

“They had come out to write with me and they said, ‘Here’s this thing that Jamie came up with and what do you think about it?’ And I was like, ‘I think this is fantastic,'” Luke recalls. “I loved listening to Boyz II Men and Backstreet Boys and NSYNC and all that stuff. I was right in that age demo when all that stuff was absolutely crushing.” 

Luke says that he learned to sing while listening to those hit ’90s acts and that the melody of “Love” is “reminiscent” of the era. But he did want to find a way to put his own stamp on it. 

“How do we do this thing and and really still make it sound like a country song? I don’t want it to sound like an R&B song, and I want to be open and honest about where … those kind of melodies and things come from,” he explains. “But I also wanted it to still sound like something that you would come to expect from me.” 

“The Kind of Love We Make” is the second single of Luke’s current album, Growin’ Up. 

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Tickets for Chris Stapleton‘s show at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta are on sale now. Miranda Lambert, Dwight Yoakam and Katie Pruitt are also performing. 

Walker Hayes received new RIAA certifications for his hits “Fancy Like” (certified four times Platinum), “AA” (certified Platinum) and Country Stuff the Album (certified Gold).  

Amy Grant has postponed tour dates in September and October as she continues to recover from the injuries sustained during a bicycle accident in July. She’ll resume touring in November for her Christmas tour with Michael W. Smith, along with her Christmas at the Ryman residency with husband Vince Gill.   

Thomas Rhett is teaming up with pop singer-songwriter Nicky Youre on one of the remixed versions of his hit song “Sunroof,” featured on Nicky’s newly released Sunroof Remixes EP. 

Rachel Wammack returns with her new song, “Like Me.” It’s the first time she’s released music in over a year.

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Shay Mooney and his wife, Hannah, are expecting another child. 

On Friday, the Dan + Shay member took to Instagram to share that his wife is pregnant with their third child, another boy.

Hannah posted a video showing the positive pregnancy test, in addition to telling their other two sons, 5-year-old Asher and 2-year-old Ames, the big news. 

“Do you think you’re going to have a baby brother or a baby sister?” Hannah asks Asher. “I wanted a baby sister, so it’s a baby sister,” the tot responds. When she informs him that he has another brother on the way, Asher reiterates, “I wanted a sister.” 

Like his older brother, Ames also thought that a baby girl was on the way. “Do you remember when mommy told you I was going to have a baby?” Hannah asks Ames, who responds “baby sister” while sitting on his mom’s lap. He leans over to say hello to her growing baby bump. 

Shay and Hannah welcomed Asher in January 2017 and Ames in February 2020. 

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Jordan Davis dropped his new song, “Next Thing You Know,” that follows a couple’s relationship from the day they met at a bar to getting married and having their first child. It will be featured on Jordan’s upcoming album, along with his current single, “What My World Spins Around,” and previous hit “Buy Dirt.” 

Parmalee has readied their new single for country radio, “Girl in Mine.” It follows back-to-back #1 hits “Just the Way” and “Take My Name.” 

Frank Ray‘s debut EP, Getcha Some, is out now. It’s named after a phrase Frank frequently used for motivation while in the police academy. The six-song EP includes his current hit single, “Country’d Look Good on You.” 

Little Big Town has shared “Better Love,” another track off their upcoming album, Mr. Sun. 

Morgan Wade has released her new EP, Acoustic Sessions, featuring stripped down versions of “Last Cigarette,” “Wilder Days” and others. 

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