This week, the Iowa-born, Nashville-based rising country star Hailey Whitters made her debut at country radio. Her breakout single “Everything She Ain't,” which was just named one of Rolling Stone's “Best Songs of 2022 So Far,” debuted as the 5th most-added song on 32 stations on the country radio charts.
“I've dreamt about being on country radio since I was a little girl growing up in the middle of nowhere Iowa,” Whitters reflects on this career milestone. “This year marks 15 years in a 'ten year town' for me and I'm feelin' very lucky to get to see this dream become a reality.” “Everything She Ain't” is the first single from Whitters' critically-acclaimed third studio album RAISED that was released earlier this year via Pigasus Records/Songs & Daughters/Big Loud Records. Billboard praised the track upon its release and said, "Whitters has proven herself a stellar songwriter and artist in equal measure… handclaps and sweet fiddle lines boost Whitters' charming vocal and razor-sharp wordplay.” Yesterday, Billboard Country Update's Tom Roland published an interview with Whitters and the song's co-writers Bryan Simpson and Ryan Tyndell about the origins of the song in their “Makin' Tracks” column. Earlier this month, The New Yorker published an extensive feature with Whitters, chronicling the final two sold out performances of her debut headline Heartland Tour at her hometown honky tonk DanceMor Ballroom in Swisher, Iowa. Critic Kelefa Sanneh described RAISED as “...a charming, playful, mischievous album about loving and leaving your home town” and called Whitters “...one of the most appealing country singers and songwriters working today.” Following her debut headline tour and performances at Tortuga Music Festival and Stagecoach earlier this year, Whitters will hit the road this summer with Jon Pardi and Lainey Wilson on his Ain't Always The Cowboy Tour. Find a full list of tour dates below or visit HaileyWhitters.com.
0 Comments
Country rocker Kasey Tyndall brings her latest single “Babies” to life through an explosive new music video out everywhere today. The “hard-rock country badass” (Rolling Stone) lives up to her name as she lights a fire to society’s timeline in this honest track about following a different timeline to settle down. Tyndall uses a dollhouse to show the different visions of her life, one with a husband and kids and the other as an artist. By the end of the video, she’s burned the dollhouse to the ground and the guilt she carried in choosing her own independent path.
“I wanted to find a way to showcase all of the ‘expectations’ of someone my age,” Tyndall shares. “So we came up with the dollhouse, which was inspired by ‘13 Going On 30.’ Each room showcased a different expectation and Emma Golden brought it to life in the magical way that she does… and of course I had to set it on fire!” Directed by Golden, this video stays true to Tyndall’s “rock forward style” (Country Now) and her “bold approach to Country music” (Country Central) which stands out in the emotionally charged video. Produced by Derek Wells and written by Tyndall, Smith Ahnquist and Gary Garris, “Babies” marks her second single and music video release of 2022 following “Jesus and Joan Jett.” Tyndall wrapped up the spring leg of Drake White’s Optimystic Tour, which concluded on May 20, in Nashville, Tenn. at a sold-out Brooklyn Bowl show. Following her CMA Fest Spotlight Stage debut, the Greenville, N.C. native has a summer filled with festival performances. For upcoming dates, click here and keep up with her on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. London-based country singer-songwriter Simeon Hammond Dallas shares her latest single ‘Make It Romantic’, out everywhere on 16 June. The track is taken from her upcoming EP of the same name, set for release this August.
Epically cinematic in its sound, ‘Make It Romantic’ wouldn’t be out of place as a soundtrack to the scene in a rom-com in which the two love interests leave each other for the last time. Simeon says, “They’re standing on a bridge, it’s raining, they walk in opposite directions, he turns to watch her leave one final time. Inspired by the last time I saw a man I dated briefly - I knew I would never see him again and as he walked right and I walked left I remember thinking to myself, “don’t turn around but he’s 100% looking back at you now as you go. The song explores the nuances of my femininity and the vulnerability of sharing that maybe you’re not completely all put together, and maybe if you were staying we could accept each other as our full selves but if we’re never going to see eachother again then please paint me as the most wonderful person you’ve ever met, and don’t you dare tell anyone that sometimes I feel like I’ve lost my mind.” A singer-songwriter from London’s Camden Town, Simeon names Joni Mitchell, Alanis Morisette, and Ella Fitzgerald as her biggest inspirations, drawing from her combined influences to create her distinctively folky, bluesy, country-soul amalgamation. An enemy of dichotomy, her music is soft and vulnerable while packing a punch at the same time. Growing up in a house full of actors and music lovers, Simeon’s colourfully loud upbringing fuelled her passion for music. Simeon says that she likes to live her life as if she is the main character in a rom-com movie, this shines through on the track where she uses her lyrics as a script and her voice as the cast, making you feel as if you are watching a movie play out throughout the song. January 2019 saw the release of her debut self released single, Wild Woman. A country-rock feminist anthem and predecessor of the debut EP ‘Manic Pixie Dreams’, which crosses genres from folk, country, blues, and soul, tied together with a strong acoustic guitar and a powerhouse of a voice. Last month, Simeon released yet another feminst anthem ‘A Hundred Lovers’ which will also feature on her upcoming new EP ‘Make It Romantic’, out later this year. Nashville, TN June 7, 2022 -- The Women Of Country announced today the launch of “Women of Country Presents: Carolyn Miller & Friends”, a new monthly female showcase in Nashville, Tenn. in partnership with country singer-songwriter Carolyn Miller. The kickoff of the series will take place in conjunction with CMA Fest, 11am on Sunday, June 12th at Live Oak. The all-star female lineup will feature intimate acoustic performances from Miller, joined by Maggie Baugh, Lauren Mascitti, Lauren Hungate, and Caroline Watkins. Miller will follow the round with a full acoustic set at 12:15pm. Admission to the show is FREE.
“Since moving to Nashville, I’ve met so many talented and hard working female artists who I’m lucky to call my friends. I’m so excited to partner with one of those friends, Carolyn Miller, to host monthly showcases that give The Women Of Country community a platform to be seen and collaborate with one another,” said Nicole Marchesi, founder of The Women of Country. “I hope we can continue to grow our community and catch the eyes (and ears) of music executives and fans alike.” “During the past three years of traveling back and forth between my home in New York and Nashville, I’ve had the pleasure of forging friendships with many powerful rising women in country music,” said Carolyn Miller. “I’ve always wanted to provide a larger platform to boast the incredible female talent in Music City (both artists and songwriters) and there’s no other organization whose vision aligned more perfectly for this than The Women of Country. I’m thrilled about this partnership and can’t wait to celebrate with all my friends each month in Nashville!” Following Sunday’s show, The Women of Country and Carolyn Miller will continue to host monthly showcases in Nashville, empowering female artists and songwriters within The Women of Country community. For all booking inquiries, reach Nicole Marchesi here. Canadian country artist Nicole Sumerlyn put out her song “Hostage” a few months ago, and we caught up with her as she reflected on the release. “It has been a journey to get here. “The song was written back in 2017, and during that time, I was just starting out in the whole dating world. I had been seeing someone who simply wasn’t putting in the kind of effort that I was wanting. He was wanting something casual, and I wanted more. I didn’t want to lose him altogether, so I lied and said I was okay with what we were doing, when really, it was really hurting me”. Sumerlyn wrote the song alongside Chard Morrison. Nicole sat down for a writing session and ended up talking about her relationship before they started writing for the day. “I kept talking and talking, and eventually I clued in that he was typing the whole time. He had been writing down little things I was ranting about and putting them into song ideas. 10 minutes later, we had the bones for “Hostage”. The song came naturally for both of us in the best way”.
Hostage was written back in 2017, and it was no easy process to get the song where it is today, as It was revised three times! Nicole started adding the song to her show setlist, then came a revised demo, and then in 2021, it landed in the country rock side of life at Armoury Studios in Vancouver, a studio Sumerlyn had been dreaming of recording in. “My sound continues to develop each season of my life. I’ve branded myself to be an edgier, raw, country rock style. I have a voice rooted in blues with notes of jazz. However, I find it very important to keep the traditional country sound alive”. This song is Nicole’s first official radio release as an artist! While this is her first song at radio, getting to this point has been a journey. NicoleI grew up in Abbotsford, British Columbia which is a little town just about an hour outside of Vancouver, where she was raised by a very supportive and loving family. “I was always a creative kid; and my parents definitely nurtured that. Before I was in music, I did competitive dance, as well as attended an arts school. So I was always able to surround my life with my passions, which was awesome as I was growing up”. Her aunt and uncle are both successful jazz musicians in Toronto, and another uncle is a producer. The music does not stop their! Her parents and grandfather all played guitar and piano. “We didn’t have a family band or anything like that, but it’s really cool being able to do the same thing and stay inspired”. There was never really a time where Sumerlyn thought “hmm, I want to be a country singer”,It all happened very naturally. She had been in piano lessons since the age of 6. Then started writing songs when she was about 10 with friends for fun, and then it became an everyday thing to just to share her thoughts and feelings. Eventually, it just was a part of she I was. There was never a decisive moment on whether she chose music or not. It’s just who she is. When Nicole isn't writing music, she is performing! “The energy from performing for either 3 people or to a huge crowd is the same for me. I love entertaining and showing off what I love to do. It’s fun performing as a musician now, as I still get that same feeling that I had with dance back in the day, but this time I get to share my art, my voice and song”. Additionally, one of her favorite all-time shows she has played would have to be Sunfest, in 2019, where she played as a Main Stage artist opening the night headlined by Kip Moore! Sumerlyn wants aspiring artists to know that “everyone has their own path. Just because it worked for someone else does not mean that same pattern will work for you. Take the time to figure out who you are first and own it. Be original and always remember to keep your focus on the love for music first”. Stay up to date with Nicole on Instagram at @nicolesumerlyn and check out her website for all other information here. |
NewsletterARCHIVES
September 2024
|