November 2020

Emma & Jolie have released their second single as a duo in the shape of Cry For You, which shows a different side to the pair. You can listen to the song here. The pair – made up of Emma Walker and Jolie Harvey – achieved significant success with their debut single I Don’t Need A Man, peaking at Number One on the UK Country iTunes Chart and will be hoping that Cry For You can replicate that. Speaking about the song, the pair explained in a statement just how meaningful the song is to them and where it comes from, while also explaining exactly what the song’s meaning is. “Everything we write about has always stemmed from personal situations we’ve both been in,” Emma & Jolie said. “This song comes from a place of pain we have both experienced. The two of us, and a lot of people we know have felt this way after breaking up with somebody, and so we just want to say that if this is you we see you and you’re not alone, you can’t always shut it off because it’s so difficult. “There’s also an element of frustration in the song, when you see your ex seemingly moving on no problem but you’re still finding it difficult to keep going. Sometimes you have to remind yourself that things can take a bit longer when you have a big heart and you love deeply. It’s okay to still cry for them.” It’s been a very positive last few months for the pair, with the duo recently appearing and wowing as part of the Song Suffragettes segment of Country Music Week.

Tim McGraw will be launching his brand new project ‘Beyond the Influence Radio’ at 10pm tonight (November 12) on Apple Music Country. Over the course of the radio series, McGraw will be speaking to the likes to Dolly Parton, Bruce Springsteen, Keith Urban, Joe Walsh, Lori McKenna and many more other artists as he tries to delve deeper into their musical thinking. Speaking about the project, McGraw said that as an artist, he has faced questions regarding influence for many years now and while he loves the question and enjoys expanding on it, he is planning on discovering more. “For years, I’ve been the one answering all the questions,” McGraw said. “Every time I’m talking to someone they always ask, ‘what was the influence behind that song?’ or ‘what influenced you to take on that role?’ While I do love that question, it always makes me feel like there’s so much more beyond that. “When I decided to do this show for Apple Music Country, I knew that I wanted to take those simple answers and dive deeper, go beyond the influence and see what we can uncover on the other side.” For episode one, Tim McGraw will be sharing his own influences, while also recounting personal experiences and stories that made his music possible.

Eric Church finally took home Entertainer of the Year at the 54th edition of the CMA Awards, while Maren Morris also took home three awards herself. For a very different version of country music’s biggest night, Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker hosted proceedings live from Nashville Music City Center, but that certainly doesn’t diminish the nature of the prizes on offer. Morris, who won Album of the Year at the 2019 edition, took home Female Vocalist of the Year, while her song The Bones won both Single of the Year and Song of the Year on a very successful night for the Texas born artist. It was a good night as well for Luke Combs, who retained his Male Vocalist of the Year award in addition to also taking home Album of the Year for ‘What You See Is What You Get’. Elsewhere, Old Dominion won Vocal Group of the Year for the third time in a row, while Dan + Shay made it back to back wins in the Vocal Duo of the Year. Meanwhile, it was a huge night for Morgan Wallen, who in addition to having the chance to perform More Than My Hometown, also took home the New Artist of the Year award. Prior to the show going live, it was revealed that Jenee Fleanor – who made history last year by becoming the first female to win Musician of the Year – had made it two out of two, while Carly Pearce and Lee Brice both won for Musical Event of the Year, with their duet I Hope You’re Happy Now taking that prize. Finally, one of the shocks of the night was that despite being nominated for no less than seven CMA Awards, Miranda Lambert took home just the one for Music Video of the Year – for which Bluebird won. All of the performances on the night can be found on the CMA’s Facebook page, which you can find here.

Morgan Wallen has released a rather different music video than normal for his latest release 7 Summers, with it clocking in at eight minutes. You can see the video below. [wpdevart_youtube]pH8mu6-FvE0[/wpdevart_youtube] The normal length for the song is 3:30, but Wallen – along with director Justin Clough – has found a way to make the song into a short film of sorts, which also gives Wallen his acting debut. The song itself is about looking back at life from seven summers ago, as the name suggests, while the short film itself tries to replicate that as best as possible – with Wallen playing baseball and juggling that with having a relationship. Many fans have also tried to find hints in the video for a potential album date for next year, which remains very much in the pipeline for 2021. Morgan Wallen will also be playing at the CMA Awards tonight (November 11), with the artist set to perform More Than My Hometown while also vying for the New Artist of the Year Award, which he is contention with alongside Ingrid Andress, Carly Pearce, Jimmie Allen and Gabby Barrett. Wallen is also set to venture over to the UK next year after having to reschedule his 2020 tour due to the pandemic.

Jessica Lynn is very much getting into the festive spirit and will release a new single titled It’s Not Just Christmas on November 20 to highlight that. For the single, Lynn has joined forces with Steve Marks from UK country duo Gasoline and Matches, with a video also to drop on November 20. Speaking about the track, Lynn explained that while Christmas is very much a happy and positive time, it can also be a time of sadness and reflection, especially when someone is no longer there. “Christmas time can be hard when you are missing someone around the holidays,”Lynn said. “Things never quite feel the same once they are gone. “I wanted to keep the production on this song very simple to tell that story in a pure and honest way.  This is very special release for me and it means a lot to share it with everyone.” Christmas is traditionally a notable time of the year for Jessica Lynn, who has made a name for herself on the back of some of her Christmas outings. Lynn has sold out the Paramount Theater for the past four years at Christmas and despite the circumstances, she is planning to return there again this year and have the gig streamed.

A number of Nashville’s rising country music stars will be appearing at ‘Friendsgiving’ – an event that will be held at the Ryman Auditorium in Music City. Tickets for the event on November 18 are available here. The likes of Riley Green, Matt Stell, Laine Hardy, Laci Kaye Booth, Dillon James and Grace Leer will be performing at the event, which will have a limited number of physical attendees as well as being broadcast to the world digitally. Speaking about the event, Gary Levy, Ryman Auditorium General Manager, said that both he and those involved with the Ryman are ecstatic to be a part of Friendsgiving and are very much looking forward to the event. “We are thrilled to present another unique live music experience with Friendsgiving and all of the talented artists involved,” said Levy. “We look forward to continue providing fans from across the country and around the world a way to experience live music from home, while also safely and responsibly welcoming back a limited number of guests to the world famous Ryman Auditorium.” The meaning behind ‘Friendsgiving’ is to invite country fans to get behind the upcoming musical talent in Nashville and to also give them a huge and iconic platform to experience.

Jessica Lynn has very much included her fans on her video for Love Me That Way, as the whole video has been unknowingly shot by them. You can see the video below. [wpdevart_youtube]7GVoYTzzXHo[/wpdevart_youtube] The song features on Lynn’s new television concert special on Amazon Prime, titled ‘Live at Dramatic Hall’, but the video is very much a thank you to Lynn’s fans. Speaking about the video, Lynn explained that she wanted her fans to relive their best memories of watching her live and hunted the internet for footage, which has been found from all over the world. “Throughout this pandemic, my fans have given me such incredible and loving support so I wanted to do something special for the music video for Love Me That Way,” Lynn said. “Since no-one is able to travel or experience live music at this time, I wanted to create a music video filled with wonderful memories of adventure and the road: performing this song all over the world on my last international tour.  “We searched the internet for footage, so everything you see in the video was taken by fans or crew at the concerts in New York, Lithuania, France, England, Scotland, Poland and Germany. A video for the fans — by the fans. Thank you all for being there with me through this crazy and wonderful ride!” Jessica Lynn will be touring the UK next year on ‘The Lone Rider Tour’. Tickets are available here.

Lee Brice has shared a music video for his most recent single release in Memory I Don’t Mess With, which is taken from his upcoming album ‘Hey World’. You can watch the video below. [wpdevart_youtube]YQhJm3QkXq0[/wpdevart_youtube] Brice will be hoping that the single follows in the footsteps of One of Them Girls, which is also on his upcoming record, as it has just spent three weeks as US Number One in the US airplay charts. The album itself is out on November 20 and can be pre-ordered here. Speaking about the song, Brice said that it is very much a case of what it says on the tin – a memory that you don’t tamper with, but one that also has the ability to really pull you in. “It’s about exactly what it says,” Brice said. “It’s one of those memories, it’s one of those things that you can’t let yourself get too close to because it just pulls you in too deep. “The memory’s always there. The pictures are always there in your head. But that’s the one you’ve gotta let alone and let just be a memory.” With awards season around the corner, Lee Brice has a chance to add to his solitary CMA Award on November 11, as his duet with Carly Pearce – I Hope You’re Happy Now – has been nominated for Song of the Year, Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year.

Sunny Bones, a new duo, have just released a single titled Be Cool, which marks their first foray into the Americana scene and also their first ever release. You can see the video for the song below. [wpdevart_youtube]D2BcBi24ON8[/wpdevart_youtube] The duo, made up of Helen Anderson and Ben Asker, met through their previous band ‘Box of Light’ and subsequently made the decision to go it as a pair, having performed at notable festivals such as Latitude and Secret Garden Party with their old group. Speaking about the song, Anderson said that it is written from the experience of a close friend who had something of an identity crisis on a number of different fronts, when in reality all that they had to do just be themselves. “Be Cool is about a time in my life where someone close to me had a constant battle of being themselves, changing in front of others to fit social situations and desperately trying to please,” Anderson said. “The resolution would have been for them to know that’s what they never needed to do.” It remains to be seen what kind of project Sunny Bones will be embarking on next, whether it be in the form of an EP or an album, but it certainly seems as if something is coming soon.

Matt Stell has added his name to the history books after his recent single Everywhere But On become his second consecutive US Country No. 1. You can watch the video below. [wpdevart_youtube]FK7hjMprBbk[/wpdevart_youtube] With Everywhere But On following in the footsteps of Prayed For You, Stell has become just the seventh artist in the last five years to secure back to back Number One hits on the US Country Aircheck/Mediabase and Billboard Country Airplay charts. Speaking about the success, Stell said that he was genuinely lost for words when he discovered the news and said that this particular Number One had extra meaning given that he put so much of himself into the track. “It is tough for me to be at a loss for words, but I am,” Stell said. “As a songwriter, to experience this twice in a row is just the best feeling.  There is a lot of me in this song and that makes this extra special. I am so grateful to country radio and all of the hard-working people on my team!” On October 16, Matt Stell released the ‘Better Than That’ EP, which features Everywhere But On and the artist also recently took part in UK Country Music Week: Digital.