 “Stages” Cassadee Pope
“GIRL” Maren Morris “Tides” Gone West “Enough” Rachel Wammack “Beginnings” Cross Atlantic “West” Amy Wilcox “Midwestern Girl” Lauren Duski “Restless Minds” Ward Thomas “For The Record” Montana Modderman “High on the Radio” Honey County
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 The 2019 Billboard Music Awards nominees have been announced, leaving us wondering if they’ve learned anything from the year before.
Announced by Kelly Clarkson and Dan and Shay on the Today Show, the nominees include the top played artists in 2018. However, the nominees strongly reflect the lack of diversity within the music industry. Of the country music nominees, all nominees for Top Country Artist are male, two of which were nominated in the previous year. Additionally, the nominees for Top Country Duo and Top Country Song are all male too. Carrie Underwood broke up the boys club in the category for Top Country Album and Shania Twain for Top Country Tour, with the remaining spots given to male artists. See the country music nominees here: Top Country Artist Jason Aldean Kane Brown Luke Combs Dan + Shay Florida Georgia Line Top Country Male Artist Jason Aldean Kane Brown Luke Combs Top Country Female Artist Maren Morris Kacey Musgraves Carrie Underwood Top Country Duo/Group Dan + Shay Florida Georgia Line Old Dominion Top Country Tour Luke Bryan Kenny Chesney Shania Twain Top Country Album Jason Aldean, Rearview Town Kane Brown, Kane Brown Luke Combs, This One’s For You Dan + Shan, Dan + Shay Carrie Underwood, Cry Pretty Top Country Song Kane Brown “Heaven” Luke Combs “She Got the Best of Me” Dan + Shay “Speechless” Dan + Shay “Tequila” Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line “Meant to Be”  Dressed to the nines, the members of Farewell Angelina look as sharp as ever in their new music video for “Ghosts.” Premiered by CMT, the video showcases the women in ritzy dresses as they sing their reflective song “Ghosts” from their recently released Women & Wine EP. Watch the “Ghosts” music video here and stream the song here.
Andrea Young, Ashley Gearing, Lisa Torres and Nicole Witt look as timeless as ever as they perform the song, penned by Young and Witt with Logan Brill. Inspiration to write the song came after Andrea played the Grand Ole Opry one night. She posted a picture of the historic stage to her instagram saying “Even The Ghosts Are Singing Tonight.” One of her personal heroes and mentors was George McCorkle of the Marshall Tucker Band who wrote the sampled, “Fire On The Mountain,” in fact, she played his last show with him at the Gillioz Theater in Springfield, Mo. “It feels amazing to release ‘Ghosts’ for the world to see. We wanted to honor all of our musical heroes who came before us and the rich tradition of Nashville songwriting. Thanks to our friends at CMT for sharing the premiere!” said Farewell Angelina. “It’s a time-honored tradition in country music to honor your heroes and the ladies of Farewell Angelina have outdone themselves with their new single and video.” Sam Stephens, CMT News  Growing up to the sounds and stories of James Taylor and Shania Twain, Avalon Kali had country music on her mind. Originally from a farm town in Northern California, Avalon wants to bring country music west. A storyteller, Avalon has been writing music since the age of twelve. While attending Belmont University Avalon participated in co-writes, finding her own life experiences were similar to others. Appreciating music’s ability to act as a universal music, Avalon wanted to honor it in her song “Country Song.” A song about love for country music’s ties to family and tradition.
Recently, Avalon released “Looking Back On You,” after a breakup. Rather than a sad song, “Looking Back On You” reflects memories of the good times together and a relationship that wasn’t meant to be. The music video has a nostalgic feel, with polaroids featured throughout. In the future, Avalon wants to play venues across the nation and continue to co-write. Listen to Avalon’s music on streaming platforms everywhere and on her website at avalonkali.com.  There was never a moment without music for Moriah Domby. Learning to play the piano at a young age, music became a passion of hers. Moriah writes her own music, songs with reflect her own experiences. Moving to Tennessee to major in music business, Moriah set out as an independent artist understanding how to juggle both the artist and manager aspects of the industry.
Able to perform across the country, Moriah plays to the feel of the room. Expressing emotion in her music, Moriah hopes to connect with her audiences. In fact, Moriah prefers to perform in intimate settings. Recently, Moriah was invited to perform at the Bluebird Café. There she performed her single “Could’ve Tried.” About meeting face-to-face with an ex and being pulled back in to their charms, “Could’ve Tried” is relatable to many. Booking a tour for the summer with the mission to grow her fan base, you’ll want to keep an eye out for Moriah Domby. Find Moriah’s music on streaming platforms everywhere and on social media at @ MoriahDomby.  Singer-songwriter Kaylee Rose has released a dynamic new song, titled “Stuff” to radio and digital retailers. The powerful new track talks about the emotional attachment one feels to the things that are left behind following a loss or breakup; conveyed in the lyrics of the song“Not ready to say goodbye. When it’s love, it’s not just stuff.”
Rose, who is already gaining attention among industry insiders, commented about the song, saying,“Letting go of someone’s ‘stuff’ can feel like you are letting go of that person and the memories you made with them. For many, it can be an uneasy scenario and something that everyone has been through, or will at one point or another.” Co-written by Kaylee Rose, Jess Soccorsi, and Blane Mitchell, “Stuff” is the artist's first release of multiple singles set to be released throughout 2019. Recorded at Soundstage Studios and produced by Blane Mitchell, the track will be available worldwide through streaming and digital retailers. Rose adds, “Compared to my other releases, this song shows a completely different side of me. I generally write upbeat music, so this was a different type of song I’m used to writing. I feel that so many people that can relate to the lyrics of this song, myself included. I loved how it turned out, and I’m excited about the new dimension it gives to my style of music.” Kaylee Rose is a fearless 23-year-old singer-songwriter from St. Augustine, Florida, who has a unique style that blends many sounds across the musical spectrum. Originally hailing from Miami, she grew up submerged in a menagerie of musical influences and cultures which undoubtedly swayed her unique brand of country music. A childhood hip-hop dancer with aspirations of performing professionally,Rose’s father was the one who first saw music in her. “My dad bought me my first guitar when I was 11, and we moved from Miami to St. Augustine,” says Rose. "St. Augustine is a small town, and I had a hard time making friends at first, so I started pouring my thoughts into lyrics, and after taking a few lessons, I began teaching myself to play guitar.” At only 14, Rose began marketing herself and booking gigs all over St. Augustine after school and on weekends. She never said “no” to an opportunity while still managing to juggle her schoolwork and her positions as Dance Team Captain and Class President. After high school, Rose played four to eight-hour gigs every day to save enough money to move to Nashville. One year later, in 2015, she hit the road for Music City where she had two shows booked for the day she arrived. Rose made ends meet playing weekly at Rock Bottom Brewery and The Row while also working in the gift shop at the Johnny Cash Museum. Rose counts both museum owner Bill Miller and also Bart Herbison, the Executive Director of the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), as pivotal mentors in her budding career. She has since been actively involved in Nashville’s music community and joined NSAI along with hit songwriters in Washington D.C. to promote the Music Modernization Act. For more information on Kaylee Rose, please visit www.KayleeRose.com and follow her on Facebook,Twitter, and Instagram.  On Monday, Nashville’s all-female, singer-songwriter collective, Song Suffragettes, celebrated their milestone fifth anniversary with two rounds featuring 11 women singer-songwriters and a special presentation to Grammy, CMA and ACM award winning songwriter and publishing icon, Liz Rose. Rose accepted the inaugural “Yellow Rose of Inspiration Award” for her contributions to the songwriting community including writing and publishing many of the songs that have inspired the over 200 women who have performed on the Song Suffragettes stage through the years. 11 of those women were featured Monday, in front of a sold-out crowd at The Listening Room, including Kalie Shorr, Candi Carpenter, Tiera, Sarah DeFors, Kasey Tyndall, Savannah Keyes, Livy Jeanne, Michelle Pereira, Stevie Woodward, Caroline Watkins and 14-year-old prodigy Mia Morris on cajon.
In addition to the rounds and award presentation, NPR’s Jewly Hight moderated a Q and A with Liz Rose, diving into her storied career and journey through publishing and into songwriting. The evening capped off one of the biggest years of the critically-acclaimed collective. Last year, they released the original song and music video for “Time’s Up”, a musical nod to the female empowerment movement. The song went on to receive major media coverage, critical accolades and ultimately raised $10,000 for the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund through single sales and streaming. Song Suffragettes remains at the forefront of the disparity and discrimination debate surrounding females in the country music genre. ELLE Magazine prominently featured Song Suffragettes in their November 2018 issue with a story titled “The Women of Nashville's Music Scene Are Calling Time’s Up.” In December, National Public Radio (NPR) touted Song Suffragettes nationally in a Morning Edition piece called “Female Country Music Singers In Nashville Navigate Gender Bias To Be Heard.” LYRX Won't Conform To Nashville's Standards of What It Means To Be A Woman In Country Music3/10/2019  LYRX won’t conform to Nashville’s standards of what it means to be a woman in country music. Often being compared to her brother Shay, of the duo Dan + Shay, LYRX reminds us that she has her own style in her debut single “Take The Money.” An upbeat song to tell the boys that girls can have fun on their own, “Take The Money” will have you dancing along. In fact, LYRX introduced a challenge on social media asking fans to recreate the dance featured in the official video for the chance to win a $1000.
Now recording with Grammy nominated producer Mark Needham, LYRX is ready to share her story. Understanding that songs are written from real-time experiences, LYRX writes songs on her own to reflect her personal views and emotions. Always looking for ways to connect with her audience, LYRX will be hitting the road this summer on a radio tour. Preferring to interact with her audience, the tour will include meet and greets where fans have the opportunity to have a conversation with LYRX in addition to hearing her play. Already with a radio single in the works and plans to release an EP in the coming year, you’ll want to follow LYRX on social media at @LYRXOfficial and on her website at www.lyrxofficial.com. Plus listen to “Take The Money” on all digital platforms here.  There’s much on the horizon for Chicago native, Brina Kay. Given her great-grandfather’s violin at a young age, Brina has always been attracted to music. Making the move to Nashville after college, Brina put all else on hold to pursue a career in music. With Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves and The Dixie Chicks as her idols, Brina isn’t afraid to break away from the traditional country stereotypes.
Brina’s songs paint a picture, often helping her listeners deal with the ups and downs of life. Planning to release a series of singles, including “Horizon” which was released on today, Brina is excited to introduce who she is as an artist. Wanting to grow her fanbase, Brina also has her sights set on performing. For more listen to “Horizon” on streaming platforms everywhere and follow Brina Kay on social media at @BrinaKayMusic. Celebrate International Women's Day with the Highly Anticipated Album from Maren Morris - GIRL3/7/2019  This International Women’s Day Maren Morris releases her highly anticipated sophomore album, GIRL. The album which Morris describes as “a one-woman rally cry of reassurance,” leads with her single GIRL. Coming from an honest place, Morris reflects on her own struggles being a female voice in a male-dominated industry. Addiotionally, the song is a reminder to herself and others to stand up against the haters and the programmers who refuse to play women on the radio.
Following the success of her pop collaboration “The Middle,” skeptics wonder if Morris will continue to dip her toe into the pop genre. However, Morris reassures us that GIRL is every bit as much a country album as her last. GIRL includes fourteen tracks, including collaborations with Grammy winner Brandi Carlile and The Brothers Osborne. The album which shows a new side of Morris, plays to her flirty side. “The Feels” takes you back to the disco era, while “Good Women” portrays Morris as a bold and sexy wife to husband Ryan Hurd. In theme with the album’s title track, “Flavor” is the girl power anthem we were all promised. Including lyrics such as “I make my dough,” “won’t play the victim,” and “shut up and sing, well hell no I won’t,” Morris is the head chef ready to stir the pot. To promote the album’s release, Morris is on tour with fellow women in country artists Cassadee Pope and RaeLynn. Selling out the majority of venues, before the album’s release we’re hopeful GIRL will prompt the attention women need in the music industry. Listen to GIRL here. |
FOLLOW USABOUT MEI am currently a student at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles as a marketing major. Upon realizing that I wanted to change the way people perceive country music and to help women have a voice, I began The Women of Country in 2015 promoting new female artists and sharing their stories with the world. You can find me via Instagram @nicolemmarchesi or contact me via email at nextwomenofcountry@gmail.com ARCHIVES
April 2019
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