 Sit back and listen to Cloverdayle’s self-titled album released this Friday June 29th. Reflecting their laid back style and country roots, this 16 song album feels like a baby to the duo. Having began the writing process three years ago their new album includes a variety of stories and emotions.
The track I’ll Remember was written in honor of two close friends who lost the fight to cancer. Wanting to remember them at their best, Cloverdayle kept the track upbeat with a nostalgic feeling. Meanwhile Love Changes Everything speaks about today’s political climate, preaching love above hate. For classic country fans, State of My Heart plays with the traditional sound of a steel guitar. Additionally Cloverdayle choose to include their rendition of Strawberry Wine, the first song they learned to play together. Now touring in the Northwest, Cloverdayle can’t wait to share their story with the world. So listen to their music on iTunes, Spotify, and Amazon Music and see their full list of tour dates on their website at cloverdayle.com.
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 Don’t miss your chance to listen to Moriah Domby as she releases her new single Could’ve Tried. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, country music wasn’t Moriah’s first love. In fact Moriah attended college as a business major, later making the move to Nashville where she felt most at home.
Having learned how to play the guitar and piano as a child, Moriah quickly found her sound and style as an artist. With a country pop base and Carole King as her idol, Moriah pursued songwriting. Her latest single Could've Tried reflects on a relationship with someone in her past which didn’t fully develop. Following the success of Could’ve Tried, Moriah plans to release another single and EP this fall. For now you can find Moriah performing in and around Nashville and listen to her music on Spotify here.  Country singer Hailey Verhaalen’s new EP, The Real Stuff is now available for digital pre-order here. It includes 6 tracks featuring her single Rerun, which you can get instantly by pre-ordering. The EP will be available on all digital outlets July 13.
The EP was produced by the accomplished multi-genre producer, Jason Snell. “The Real Stuff” contains a beautiful and honest collection of songs, straight from the heart. Regarding the title track, Verhaalen says, “we live in a society that pressures us to spend our hard earned money to keep up with all of the latest trends so that we can be looked at as “cool.” I wanted to remind people that they don’t need to follow all of the latest bank breaking trends to be “cool.” The Real Stuff was recorded at Nashville’s most legendary recording studio, Sound Emporium Studios, where some of the biggest artists to date have recorded. Verhaalen has a social media following of 20k and has opened for acts such as Love and Theft, James Otto, Craig Wayne Boyd and more. You can catch her on her tour, “The Real Stuff Tour,” this summer and can get tickets here. “Hailey is a force to be reckoned with; a powerful voice with solid songs,” says award-winning audio engineer, Brian Scheuble. Scheuble worked on Verhaalen’s record and has worked on albums for countless artists such as LeAnn Rimes, Zac Brown Band, Backstreet Boys, The Eagles and more. While this EP holds a wide variety of themes, Verhaalen captures every emotion all while staying true to who she is. Maybe April
Lucky to have enrolled in Grammy Camp in the same year, the members of Maybe April -- Kristen Castro, Katy DuBois (Bishop), and Alaina Stacey have been singing together ever since. Writing their first track Loving You Still, reflecting on bad breakups, the group discovered they harmonized well together. Their latest release Paper Heart was written by Kristen, who was reflecting upon her first love passing love notes between desks in school when she wrote the track. Check out their EP available on iTunes and Spotify as well as their official music video for Last Time via CMT here. Runaway June Runaway June is an American country music group consisting of vocalists Naomi Cooke, Hannah Mulholland, and Jennifer Wayne. Rooted in country music, the trio conveys a story in each song. Runaway June’s debut single Lipstick talks of a breakup, while expressing a positive outlook on the situation. Complementing each other's strengths, it’s no wonder why the trio was quick to find success. Now promoting their latest single Wild West, you can listen to the trio on iTunes and Spotify here. Temecula Road Growing up in Temecula, CA the trio Temecula Road want to share their stories with the world. Comprised of sisters Maddie and Emma Salute as well as friend Dawson Anderson, Temecula Road has become known for their trademark harmonies and covers which have put them on the map in the past few years. Upon the release of their first two singles What If I Kissed You and Hoping, the trio’s fan base grew significantly. This past year Temecula Road made their debut appearance at C2C’s Country Music Festival, Stagecoach, and on the Radio Disney Country Stage during CMA Fest following the release of Everything Without You. Listen to Temecula Road on Radio Disney Country and on Spotify here. Delta Rae The six-piece band Delta Rae has been making their way through the festival circuit growing their fan base ever since 2009. Having received national attention from NPR and the Washington Post, Delta Rae was picked up by Big Machine Records. Having added to their collection of songs, Delta Rae’s new single No Peace in Quiet can be heard on country music radio across the nation. Take a listen to Delta Rae’s music on Spotify here. Auburn Road Teen trio Auburn Road is sure to mesmerize you with their collaborative harmonies. Comprised of lifelong friends Alicia Paulson, Paxton Martin and Kristen Brown, the trio isn’t afraid to express their true selves and beliefs in their music. In fact Auburn Road often pushed the boundaries of the modern genre. Releasing their debut album Fancy in 2016, Auburn Road is taking control of what’s to come next by booking shows whenever and wherever they can. Listen to their debut album here.  June 22, 2018 -- Take a chance on Lauren Davidson as she releases her new single Pouring Rain today. Written alongside her father, Pouring Rain speaks of a breakup consuming someone’s every move. About getting lost in the what ifs, Lauren uses the image of pouring rain to convey the idea of washing away the past and seeking a fresh start.
With a country pop sound, this ballad reveals another layer of who Lauren is as an artist. Listen to the full single on iTunes and Spotify here.  Make room for Savvy and Mandy as they embark on a journey to empower the world through music. The ultimate sister duo, Savvy and Mandy compliment each other in the best of ways. As a child Mandy was outgoing often putting on performances for the entire family. Meanwhile Savvy’s talent remained a secret until her family caught her singing in the shower one afternoon. Once a duo, Savvy and Mandy auditioned to become members of an all-female band. The project director not only loved their audition, but decided to recreate the project around Savvy and Mandy as a duo.
Later making the move to Nashville, Savvy and Mandy released their first single Comin Back as a Cowboy. The song which tells of how country music came to them, Comin Back as a Cowboy allowed the duo to discover their vocal style and sound. After performing and writing in Nashville for eight years now, Savvy and Mandy released Wildfire this year. Inspired by a Pinterest post which revealed a woman posing in front of a flame, the duo was inspired to write an empowering track reminding women that it’s okay to live independently. To promote Wildfire’s release the duo has been performing in the Nashville and Los Angeles area. Partnering with Radio Disney Country, Savvy and Mandy took on another challenge this year hosting a radio show of their own. Thanks to the continuous airplay of Wildfire on Radio Disney Country and their performance at this year's CMA Fest, Savvy and Mandy have grown their fan base significantly. Encouraged to continue writing new music, Savvy and Mandy plan to release their debut EP within the year. For now you can find Savvy and Mandy’s music on iTunes, Spotify, and Amazon Music or on their website at www.savvyandmandy.com. Plus follow the duo on their socials @SavvyandMandy to stay updated on what’s to come.  Finding college kept her from pursuing a career in music, artist Sierra Annie made the move to Nashville and hasn’t looked back since. Raised in a small town in Iowa, it was clear to Sierra that country music was in her roots. With Reba McEntire and Paramore’s Hayley Williams as her inspiration, Sierra’s music blends traditional and contemporary country sounds.
As a songwriter Sierra plays with your emotions. Having struggled with depression as a teen, Sierra found music comforted her in the toughest of times and wants to relay that feeling on to her listeners. Sierra’s latest single Roses reflects upon a breakup, while acting as a healing song. Speaking to any situation, Roses has the ability to relate to any listener. To further her exposure in country music Sierra and her band will be performing at the Big Country Bash in Des Moines on June 23rd opening for Dan + Shay, Brett Eldredge, and others. Sierra will also be chatting with radio stations this summer. So listen to the Sierra Annie Band’s new single Roses on Spotify here and follow Sierra on Instagram at @SierraAnnieBand.  Music is diverse however its artists are not and female artists are under represented in all genres of music. Although male artists have proven to make ratings on the radio, artists should not be discouraged from entering the music industry based on their gender; therefore, songs which portray women as sexual objects must be eliminated and radio stations should be required to equally represent female and male artists. A song’s popularity is determined by the broadcasting companies who choose which songs to play across their radio stations each week. Often radio stations play music by artists who have previously proven to make ratings, providing a challenge for new artists entering the music industry. However female artists face the greatest challenge when pursuing a career in music. Though dismissed by the majority of listeners, the ratio of male to female artists on the radio greatly favors men. In 2017 the top 10 artists played on the radio were male, according to Billboard’s Year End Charts. Additionally in rap and country music, male artists represent over 90% of the top 50 songs played on the radio in 2017 (Billboard). In a study taken by Music Victoria, a non profit organization which promotes up-and-coming artists, they discovered that female musicians felt overlooked because of society's perception that a woman was unable to perform on stage as well as a man. The media also plays a role in the creation of this perception of women in the industry as the media often refers to women as female musicians rather than simply musicians (Music Victoria). Furthermore, Forbes found that the five highest paid rap artists are male and of the seven most paid country music artists only one female is represented, Reba McEntire (Forbes). "Male artists represent over 90% of the top 50 songs played on the radio in 2017" Every year award shows recognize music’s most listened to artists. The Grammy Awards, music’s biggest night, continue to recognize the same artists each year. In a study by People Magazine they found that “between 2013 and 2018 a total of 90.7% of nominees were male, meaning just 9.3% were women” (People). Award shows argue that female nominees are being recognized; however only two female artists won an award at the Grammys in 2017, one of which won for Female Artist of the Year. Upon their research, People Magazine found that the issue of gender inequality at award shows is a result of the male dominated higher ups who choose the winners each year. At the Grammys in 2017 “two heads of the Recording Academy were honored. Both male. The show is produced by a man. The chairman of the board, vice chair, and president are men” (People). Unfortunately gender inequality at award shows spans beyond the Grammy Awards. In April of 2018, Billboard announced the nominees for this year’s Billboard Music Awards. The nominees for Top Artist of the Year include one female artist, Taylor Swift, while the Top Rap and Top Country Artist of the Year nominees are all male and at the iHeartRadio Awards no female artists were nominated for Top Artist of the Year across all genres of music (Billboard). Recently artist Kelsea Ballerini in response to a poll by our campaign Next Women of Country, which asked fans to vote on which artist they were most looking forward to seeing perform at the American Country Music Awards, stated “I just don’t want the new females in country music to be misrepresented to the fans or the media as the popular girls in high school that pose for pictures like we’re bffs but secretly despise that one that dates the quarterback... This isn’t Mean Girls, this is country music” (Instagram), commenting on how award shows pit artists against each other. Though the poll was harmless it opened up a conversation about artists supporting one another, revealing that just because the top female artists are given recognition at award shows doesn’t mean that all females are receiving the same respect. “Between 2013 and 2018 a total of 90.7% of nominees were male, meaning just 9.3% were women” Radio stations cannot enforce what people listen to, however they should not discriminate against artists on the basis of gender. Radio stations assume that listeners prefer one genre over another because of song lyrics; whereas a genre defines “a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style” according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Female artists recognize this and as a result are changing the way people perceive rap and country music by writing songs which tell a story. A study we created, found that despite 54% of poll takers commenting that they disliked country music, 95.5% of poll takers admitted that they enjoyed songs which tell a story demonstrating how male artists have created negative stereotypes surrounding country music. In 2015 radio consultant Keith Hill in an interview with Country Aircheck said “if you want to make ratings in country music, take females out,” later addressing the women in country music as tomatoes in a salad and the males as lettuce, claiming that female artists were an unnecessary addition to the genre (Dries). Upon hearing Keith Hill’s comment, the Tomatogate moment accelerated bringing forth what people knew but no one was talking about. To expose how female artists are breaking down the barriers of country music, the Song Suffragettes, a group of female singer-songwriters lead by artist Kalie Shorr and Todd Cassetty, have been performing in a showcase at The Listening Room in Nashville every Monday since 2015. In the wake of the Why We Wear Black campaign at the 2018 Golden Globe Awards, twenty-three Song Suffragette artists banned together to produce the song Times Up. The women of Song Suffragettes utilized their talent to add their voices to the current conversation on gender inequality and sexual harassment prevalent throughout America and on a local level within the country music industry. In an interview, Candi Carpenter who played a role in the song’s creation posed that, “if we want to see more women at the top of the charts, we have to support, love, and champion one another without jealousy. Let’s celebrate our differences, and what makes our music unique. Armies can accomplish a lot more than one lone warrior. We are an army of girls with guitars.” Knowing this we created our campaign to encourage songs which convey women as sexual objects to be eliminated and the equal representation of female and male artists on the radio, at award shows, and on music festival stages. However the main thing a fan can do is legally download music from the artists they like, which sends a message to the labels and radio stations that supporting those artists will make ratings. Rather than complain about how there’s nothing on the radio listeners should become engaged, get involved, and call their local radio station and ask for what they want. AuthorNicole Marchesi  With music as an escape from the real world, artist Calah Delaney quickly found comfort in being on stage able to express who she really is. Realizing at a young age that music was more than a hobby to Calah, she followed her idols Carrie Underwood and Reba McEntire to Nashville where she’ll be attending Belmont University.
Not only a singer, but also a songwriter Calah coveys a story in her music. Sharing about personal experiences and not afraid to express emotion in her music, Calah hopes listeners are able to see themselves in her stories. Her latest project was releasing her EP titled Take a Chance on Me. Released on June 8th, the EP includes six tracks written by Calah herself. The EP’s title track Take a Chance on Me tells of a boy in Calah’s life while also asking listeners to take a chance on her music. However Calah’s favorite track on the album is called Somebody’s Sunshine. The song which reminisces about her childhood growing up beside her sister, Calah wants to remind others that growing up doesn’t mean growing apart from those you love. So listen to Calah’s full EP Take a Chance on Me on iTunes and Spotify here or on her website at www.calahdelaney.com.  Keep newcomer Kailey Nicole on your radar this summer as she works on the next chapter in her story. Growing up influenced by her grandma’s taste in music, Kailey become fond of traditional country artists Johnny Cash and Connie Nelson. In fact her grandma was a singer herself, who in times of need would perform as if she were Connie Nelson at local venues around Vegas.
Now branching off on her own, Kailey writes her own music. Often starting off as journal entries, Kailey’s songs tell of personal experiences. With writing as a form of therapy, Kailey is set to release another EP this fall. For now Kailey plans to perform at the San Antonio Rodeo and you can find her music on iTunes and Spotify here and on her website at www.kaileynicole.com. |
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
May 2019
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