21 February 2020

Kenny Chesney has released a new song in the shape of Here and Now, which came hot on the heels of a huge personal accolade for the artist. You can listen to the song here. During the 2020 Country Radio Seminar at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Chesney became the recipient of the Country Radio Broadcasters’ Humanitarian of the Year Award and the release of this track came hot on the heels of that. Speaking about the single, which is due to be own his upcoming record that will drop in spring, Chesney said that he is only limited in what he can do in regards to how the world works, but he is doing his bit tot ry and give his fans some relief and to help them leave their worries at the door for a few hours. “There is so much in the world we can’t change and you can get so caught up in that, you miss your life,” Chesney said.  “I can’t save the world, but I can make music that makes people happy, play shows that let them forget their problems for an evening – and occasionally cut a song that maybe reminds all of us what we ought to be embracing.” The song was created during a writing retreat that Chesney staged in Malibu and was written with David Lee Murphy, Craig Wiseman and David Garcia. Kenny Chesney is due to embark on a stadium tour across the US as of April, which will conclude at the end of August. There is a date at the Nissan Stadium in Nashville pencilled in, which takes place on June 27. 

Iconic country music star Reba McEntire has returned to Universal Music Group Nashville after an 11-year stint away from the label. McEntire‘s hugely successful first 32 years as an artist were on UMG Nashville labels Mercury and then MCA Records, where she experienced 33 Number One singles and sold over 56 million albums. In 2009, McEntire left for Valory Records, which is an offshoot of Big Machine Records – who ironically distribute through Universal – but surprised everyone at the industry only audience at the Ryman Auditorium for the UMG Nashville Luncheon at Country Radio Seminar when she took to the stage to perform, subsequently announcing the news. Speaking about re-signing for UMG Nashville, McEntire said that she is delighted to be back and that she cannot wait to get stuck into her older songs, which suggests that a possible remaster collection could be on the horizon. “It’s a wonderful feeling to be back with the family where I started,” Reba said. “I am thrilled because my catalogue is here at Universal and I’m really excited to revisit all the songs that I recorded many years ago. We’re going to have a lot of fun.” In March, McEntire will embark on her first arena headline tour in nine years and will be taking Caylee Hammack as her support act, while she is also still continuing her residency stay in Las Vegas with Brooks & Dunn.

Upcoming Nashville based artist Kate Kelly has released her latest track Quiet as a Mouse, which sees her venture down a different musical path. You can watch the video below. [wpdevart_youtube]TnMJAR9odkE[/wpdevart_youtube] Kelly, whose previous releases in the ‘New Heartbeat EP’ and her debut album ‘The Wonder of it All’ were very much influenced by soul and jazz, has gone for a more ambient, country based sound with her new music. Speaking about the song, Kelly said that it was written in the aftermath of a relationship split and how she felt at the time, while also stating that writing the song helped her in many ways. “I wrote Quiet as a Mouse several years ago as I explored feelings of abandonment after a breakup,” Kelly explains. “It was an all-consuming emotion, one that I felt in my body and in the passing of time. “This song became important to write as I learned how much of myself could be regained through being left alone. It is an exploration of being left, leaving and saying goodbye. There is strength in our endings if we honour the pain” Originally from the Gulf coast of Alabama, Kate Kelly moved to Nashville initially to study musical therapy at Belmont University, before deciding that she wanted to pursue a career as a musician.