Month: June 2023

Maren Morris has joined pop artist Jessie Murph on her new song, “Texas.”

Of the midtempo breakup duet, Maren says on Instagram, “I don’t do many features (also I’m in the middle of making my fourth album) but when I heard @jessiemurphhh’s music, I knew she had it and couldn't wait to jump on. So excited to see where her journey leads.”

Maren’s latest album is 2022’s Humble Quest, which spawned the singles “Circles Around This Town” and “I Can’t Love You Anymore.”

Though no word has been shared on the forthcoming record, Maren’s documented parts of the album-making process on Instagram, with photos showing her in New York with hit producer and singer/songwriter Jack Antonoff. 

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Kimberly Perry‘s debut solo EP, BLOOM, has finally arrived.

The five-track set was co-written entirely by Kimberly and features her new single, “If I Die Young Pt. 2.”

“I was having such a profound creative experience here in Nashville while collaborating with these incredible songwriters, and at the same time, some of the most important and intrinsic relationships in my life were changing,” shares the former The Band Perry lead singer, who now resides in Nashville.

“Having those events coincide with each other, combined with the emotions and wisdom that I was collecting from life itself, made me realize that it was the perfect time to release BLOOM. It’s a project I’ve dreamed of making since I was a little girl, and I just knew in my soul it was time,” adds Kimberly.

BLOOM is available now wherever you listen to music.

Here’s the BLOOM track list:
“If I Die Young Pt. 2”
“Burn The House Down”
“Cry At Your Funeral”
“Ghosts”
“Smoke ‘Em Too”

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Michael Ray‘s giving fans a preview of his Dive Bars & Broken Hearts EP with its title track.

Out now, the song was penned by Jesse Frasure and Josh Thomson and arrived with a video by Cypress Hill/Good Charlotte director Spidey Smith.

“I really wanted to pull the reality and the music together,” Michael says of the video. “I want people to understand where I come from, how I got there, why I love watching country music come to life from all those bandstands I was on growing up… And I wanted people to realize all those things I sing about aren't just things on a checklist, but stuff I have grown up around.”

Michael’s fans also got to hear him perform his upcoming six-song EP live at his CMA Fest fan club party on June 8.

“CMA Fest brings country music fans together from not just across North America, but all over the world. So many of my fans come every year, this seemed like the perfect way to debut all this music as a whole collected work without playing favorites and picking a city,” shares Michael.

The Dive Bars & Broken Hearts EP releases June 23 and can be preordered now. 

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Burgeoning country star Bailey Zimmerman has announced his 2024 RELIGIOUSLY. THE TOUR. 

The international trek kicks off stateside on February 1 in Los Angeles, with stops in cities such as Indianapolis, Salt Lake City, New York and Houston. Following his U.S. dates, Bailey will head across the pond for shows in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Belfast. The tour will wrap in Dublin on May 20. 

Presale for Bailey’s community begins Wednesday, June 14, at 10 a.m. local time. If you’re not part of it yet, sign up before Tuesday, June 13, at 11:59 p.m. or text (618) 228-3400 for the presale code.

Bailey’s debut album, Religiously. The Album., arrived in May. The expansive 16-song record includes the number-one hit singles “Fall in Love” and “Rock and a Hard Place,” as well as the title track, which serves as Bailey’s latest single.

For the full schedule of Bailey’s upcoming RELIGIOUSLY. THE TOUR., visit his website.

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The 50th anniversary of the festival formerly known as Fan Fair came to a close Sunday night in Nashville, after four nights of concerts starring the biggest names in country music. 

Even before he took the stage, Keith Urban was already feeling the vibe.

“You KNOW people are out there that have never been to Nashville, never been to CMA Fest from all over the world… It’s an invigorating energy,” he told reporters backstage. “So for me, even having done it a lot of times, tonight will feel unlike any other time we’ve done it.”

For five-time CMA Vocal Group of the Year Old Dominion, their CMA Fest set was a reminder of how far they’ve come.

“I remember the first time hearing a crowd of people, which was probably 40 people, sing something back to us,” Matthew Ramsey recalled. “And I remember that kind of like setting us back on our heels a little bit. And then, you know, there’s awards that we win that [make you] go like, ‘Oh, wow. We’re accepted.'”

For Cody Johnson, his Nissan Stadium invitation marked a career milestone as well.

“For me personally, I look back on all the years of working hard and never giving up and saying, ‘You know what? Someday I’m gonna be able to play my brand of country music that sounds more traditional… on a very large stage.’ So it’s an incredible thing,” the Texan reflected.

“We’re gonna try to burn this place to the ground tonight. No insurance is involved in that, by the way,” he joked.

You can experience it for yourself when ABC’s annual three-hour CMA Fest special airs Wednesday, July 19, hosted by Dierks Bentley, Lainey Wilson and Elle King. 

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