March 2019

As part of our chat with cover star – and C2C 2019 headliner – Keith Urban, we asked him a few quick fire questions about several different things. 2018 was a sensational year for you with ‘Graffiti U’ being released to critical acclaim and then winning Entertainer of the Year at the CMA Awards – how have you coped with all the adulation sent your way? I mean, firstly that whole CMA moment was quite surreal – and as you can clearly see in the playback, I was completely stunned when Lionel Richie called my name. On the album front, the response from people all over has been way beyond what I could’ve hoped for…and now getting to come to the U.K and play live feels exhilarating. It had been 13 years since you last won Entertainer of the Year and you joined an elite category of musicians who had won it twice – just how important is that award for you? You know, all I ever had my sights set on was making my own music and hoping they’d play it on the radio and hoping people would wanna come to hear those songs live, but some shiny hardware given to ya feels bloody damn nice too! I love playing and touring. That fire and passion is just as strong in me now as it’s ever been. It seemed likely that you’d have a release with Post Malone out in mid-January – what happened to that? Post and I played together for an Elvis special marking the anniversary of his 1968 television show (aired on Feb 17). I first heard Post on his Stoney album and all I can say is that it spoke to me. I really wanted to do something with him and the Elvis thing was it. We met for the first time that day, said hi, grabbed our guitars and started running the song right there on the set with the band. It was crazy how it clicked immediately. Post has such a  musical depth – I knew that’s what was speaking to me right from the beginning. Country, hip-hop, R&B, soul…it’s all in there and so much more. I f****** love that dude. You’ve only got a handful of tour dates after C2C before your 2019 is finished, what’re your plans for when you come off tour? Ha, I got so many plates spinning in the air this year, I reckon I could get a gig with Cirqe De Soleil! A full feature with Keith Urban is available in the latest issue of Maverick (March/April 2019)

Ashley McBryde has revealed that she will be heading on her biggest UKand Ireland  headline tour to date at the end of September and start of October. The American ‘Girl Going Nowhere’ star will be playing four dates on a brief visit this side of the Atlantic, which have been announced ahead of her Main Stage appearance at C2C 2019 this weekend. McBryde’s last trip to the UK was hugely successful as her headline gig had to be upgraded to Islington Assembly Hall due to demand, while she also supported recent CMA New Artist of the Year winner Luke Combs on his UK tour. Tickets go on sale at 9am on March 8 and can be purchased here. Ashley McBryde will be playing: September 27 – O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London, England September 29 – Manchester Academy 2, Manchester, England September 30 – Queen Margaret Union, Glasgow, Scotland October 1 – Dublin Academy, Dublin, Republic of Ireland

Seven-time Grammy Award winner Carrie Underwood will be returning to the UK for a five-date arena tour at the back end of June and start of July. Underwood’s last UK appearances were when she headlined C2C 2016, though the 2005 ‘American Idol’ winner was last pencilled in to headline The Long Road Festival last September, but had to cancel due to illness. The five dates will make up part of Underwood’s ‘Cry Pretty Tour’ and she will be supported by UK act The Shires throughout the duration of the brief tour. One thing Underwood has done is ensure that £1 of every ticket sold goes to the Danita’s Children charity, which provide a safe haven for abandoned and vulnerable children in Haiti. Tickets go on sale at 9am UK time on March 7. Carrie Underwood will be playing: June 28 – Birmingham Resorts World Arena, Birmingham, England June 30 – Cardiff Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, Wales July 2 – The SSE Hydro Arena, Glasgow, Scotland July 3 – Manchester Arena, Manchester, England July 4 – The SSE Wembley Arena, London, England

Breakthrough artist Tenille Townes has unveiled a new song, ‘White Horse’, which is the latest single to be released from her upcoming debut album. You can listen to the song here. The album is due for release later this year on Columbia Nashville and has been produced by Jay Joyce. The song itself – written by Townes, Daniel Tashian and Jeremy Spillman – debuted on ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris’ Country Show on BBC Radio 2 on February 28. Speaking about the song, Townes explained that it is about how love can be viewed in a different light than what we were perhaps expecting it to be. “‘White Horse’ is a song about how love can look a little bit differently than we might expect it to,” she said. “I think we grow up in our society completely surrounded by that fairy tale idea of what love should be, but maybe love is even bigger than that. “I think it’s important to be open hearted and to push the boundaries of what society might build up in our expectations. I love that this song stands strongly in the idea that love isn’t always about the ivory towers and the roses.” The Canada born artist, who resides in Nashville, is currently on the road supporting Dierks Bentley as part of his ‘Burning Man Tour.’ The tour, which kicked off in Ontario in January, features performances across Canada and America.

It’ll be a month shy of 12 years since Keith Urban was last on tour in the UK when he performs at Kentish Town and this is how he’s kept himself busy 2007– Seven months after what would prove to be his last UK gig for a very long time at the then named Carling Academy in Birmingham, Urban released a best of compilation in ‘Greatest Hits: 18 Kids’ 2008 – Urban embarked on the ‘Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy Carnival Ride World Tour’ with Carrie Underwood in January and also recorded a new version of You Look Good in My Shirt. Also in 2008, Urban became a dad as Sunday Rose Kidman Urban was brought into the world by the singer’s wife – Nicole Kidman–  and he also won a Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance (Stupid Boy). 2009 – In March, Urban released ‘Defying Gravity’ – his seventh studio album – and this became his first album to peak at No. 1 in the US Album Charts. Urban went on the ‘Escape Together Tour’ and brought the likes of Sugarland, Taylor Swift and Jason Aldean with him, while he also won a CMA Award for Musical Event of the Year (Start a Band w/Brad Paisley). 2010 – It wasn’t long until Urban was back in the studio and 2010 saw the release of his eighth studio album, Get Closer. From that album, Without You, Long Hot Summer andYou Gonna Fly all went to No. 1 on the US Hot Country Chart. Urban also picked up his third Grammy, this one again for Best Male Country Vocal Performance (Sweet Thing) and had a second daughter as Faith Margaret Kidman Urban was born. 2011 –Urban picked up his third Grammy in four years for Best Male Country Vocal Performance (‘Til Summer Comes Around) and embarked on the ‘Get Closer World Tour’, which covered America, Australia and Canada. Urban was announced as a judge on the Australian version of The Voice, but was there for just the one series. 2012 – In 2012, Urban was invited to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry by Vince Gill and was subsequently inducted into it in April. 2013 – Urban’s ninth studio album, ‘Fuse’, was released into the world in September and peaked at No. 1 in the Album Charts in both Australia and America. From that album, Raise ‘Em Up ft. Eric Church and We Were Us ft. Miranda Lambert both peaked at No. 1 in the US Country Airplay Chart. Also in 2013, Urban released his signature guitar line. 2014 – The awards kept coming and in 2014, Urban won three ACM Awards for Music Video of the Year (Highway Don’t Care), Vocal Event of the Year as Producer (We Were Us ft. Miranda Lambert) and Music Video of the Year Duet (We Were Us ft. Miranda Lambert). 2015 – The songs John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16 and Break on Me were both released ahead of Urban’s next album, while he also celebrated the 10th anniversary of his third album, ‘Golden Road’, going triple platinum – meaning it sold over three million copies. 2016 – ‘Ripcord’, Urban’s 10th studio album, is released, while Urban was also cherry picked as one of 30 artists to perform on Forever Country – which was a medley of On the Road Again, I Will Always Love You and Take Me Home, Country Roads to celebrate 50 years of the CMA Awards. 2017 – Female, a song partially inspired by the Harvey Weinstein scandal, is released as the first single of Urban’s 11th studio album, which features Kidman on backing vocals. 2018 – ‘Graffiti U’ is released on April 27 with a world tour and at the CMA Awards in November, Urban took home Entertainer of the Year for the second time in his career

Prior to her performance at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium (February 27), the Country Music Association (CMA) awarded Kacey Musgraves the International Artist Achievement Award for 2019. The recent Album of the Year winner at the 2019 Grammy Awards was surprised backstage by the CMA, who gave Musgraves the award that “recognises outstanding achievement by a United States-based artist who has demonstrated the most significant creative growth, development and promotion of the Country Music industry outside of the United States during the eligibility period.” In 2018, Musgraves headlined C2C 2018 in the UK and Ireland – six years after playing in the UK for the first time – while also becoming the first country music artist to perform at Fuji Rock Festival in Japan. On Musgraves’ most recent tour, she performed a sold out headline gig at Wembley Arena and also played in Oslo for the first time. This is the second time that Musgraves has won the award – 2016 being the first – and expressed her gratitude for receiving the accolade. “Thank you so much to the CMA for honouring me with the International Artist Achievement Award,” Musgraves said. “I absolutely love experiencing new cultures and playing overseas.” In a surprising twist, Musgraves duetted with Paramore lead singer Hayley Williams at the subsequent show, with the two singing Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun in front of a packed Nashville crowd.