Exclusives

Ingrid Andress has released a deluxe version of her debut album ‘Lady Like’, which features five new additions and a completely different tracklist to the original. You can listen to the new version here. Andress has included a re-imagined version of The Stranger, her solo take on the Charli XCX hit Boys (which Andress wrote), Feeling Things, Waste of Lime and a collaboration with Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild and Kimberley Schlapman in More Hearts Than Mine.  Speaking about the decision to shake things up and release a deluxe edition, Andress explained how the new tracklisting is designed to take listeners on her path that consists of pushing pain away, trying to love again and falling over again, all while including new songs. “My love life and emotions are always all over the place,” explains Andress. “And with the new songs as a part of the deluxe, I felt like this special tracklisting was a perfect way to let fans inside my head a little bit more.” Since the release of the initial version of ‘Lady Like’ – and well before then, too – Ingrid Andress has seen her profile rise significantly, to the point where she has been nominated at the upcoming CMA Awards for New Artist of the Year.

Megan O’Neill has released a new song in the shape of Head Under Water, which will also be featuring on her upcoming, as of yet untitled, album. You can listen to the song here. The song was written by O’Neill while she was working on her next project in the UK along with The Dunwells and follows in the footsteps of Fire With Fire, which was released in July. The album itself will be the second full-length release from the Irish star, with her debut record ‘Ghost of You’ being released back in June 2018. Speaking about the song, O’Neill said that it was a track that was very easy to write and while initially she didn’t plan on it being a song that would make the album, she was convinced to change her mind. “Sometimes songs just need to be written and they pour out of you,” O’Neill said. “Head Under Water was one of those songs for me. Although I didn’t actually plan on putting it on the album, I just needed to get it out on that particular day. “But when I played it in the studio, Joe and Dave [Dunwell] loved it and so here we are!” Megan O’Neill will also be venturing around the UK and Ireland in a touring capacity in 2021, with some dates pencilled in already. There are as follows: April 22 – Whelan’s, Dublin, Republic of Ireland April 23 – Voodoo, Belfast, Northern Ireland April 27 – The Lexington, London, England Tickets are available here.

Lee Brice has secured his eighth career Number One – and his third in a row – with One of Them Girls, with the song taking top spot on both the US Billboard and Mediabase country airplay charts. You can watch the video below. [wpdevart_youtube]CpkZfkxdj2c[/wpdevart_youtube] The song, which is his fastest rising single to date, will feature on Brice’s upcoming album ‘Hey World’ along with his previous release – a collaboration with Carly Pearce – I Hope You’re Happy Now , which also went to Number One. Speaking about the news, Brice said that he felt he was onto a winner early doors and as soon as he saw the song get taken in with open arms by both the media and the fans, he knew it would have a chance of flying. “This song was embraced by both fans and radio from the get-go… it has flown,” Brice said. “We felt there was something special about it on the night we wrote it and to see how it has resonated is such a blessing and humbling. We are over the moon!” Next year, Lee Brice will be venturing over to the UK to complete his rescheduled summer 2020 tour. Brice will be playing four dates in the UK, before venturing off to Germany. The UK dates are as follows: June 22 – Old Fruit Market, Glasgow, Scotland June 24 – O2 Ritz, Manchester, England June 25 – O2 Institute, Birmingham, England June 26 – O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London, England

Cassadee Pope has unveiled a performance video of her latest single Let Me Go, which will be the first in a series of content in this mould to be taken from her new acoustic record ‘Rise and Shine’. You can watch the video below. [wpdevart_youtube]Erw_Oe7W2RA[/wpdevart_youtube] Platinum-certified artist Pope co-produced the album with Todd Lombardo, with the record showcasing a very different and hugely intriguing side to her usual sound. In addition to co-producing, Pope co-wrote every song, including the Sam Palladio feature California Dreaming. Speaking about the video, Pope said that she really wanted it to properly bottle the feel of the track, given that there is so much heartfelt meaning behind it for her personally. “I wanted the video for Let Me Go to really capture the essence of the song,” Pope said. “It’s emotional and raw and came from a place of wanting freedom.” While 2021 is still very much up in the air for many, Cassadee Pope will be venturing into the UK as she is one of the first artists that have been announced for The Long Road Festival, which takes place between 10-12 September. Pope was part of the first wave announcement, which also features  Brandy Clark, Dale Watson, Sunny Sweeney, Sarah Darling, Gretchen Peters and Kyle Daniel, amongst others.

Haley & Michaels have celebrated the birth of their new baby daughter by releasing a song titled Born Yesterday in her honour. You can watch an audio video below. [wpdevart_youtube]arUZuyYPAJE[/wpdevart_youtube] The song is the first piece of new music that the duo – made up of Shannon Haley and Ryan Michaels – have shared since the release of their debut album ‘Hail Mary’, which dropped in 2019. Speaking to People magazine, the pair said that they are so excited and happy to be have the baby in their lives now and said that the song is very much written for her, with the hope that it can bring happiness to others as well. “We are over the moon excited to welcome our little Keira Harmony to our family,” they said. “We could not be more in love with her. We wrote the song Born Yesterday for her and we hope that it will do for others exactly what she’s done for us; bring love and joy to our world.” Ever since they shot onto the scene, Haley & Michaels have risen drastically in profile and their ascension doesn’t look like stopping anytime soon. As well as their debut album release, the pair have performed at the Levi’s Stadium in support of the NFL team, the San Francisco 49ers, while they also had their album title track appear in the Netflix feature ‘Walk. Ride. Rodeo.’

Olivia Lane has sent out a strong message on her latest single Fight For Us, with the rising star calling for unity and common ground in today’s world. You can listen to the track here. Lane, an independent artist who operates her own record label and publishing company, brought in the talents of David DeVaul for the song, which is very much a rallying cry. Speaking about the song, Lane spoke of her dismay at how the world is in its current form and wanted to do something about it through song form, with the hope that people can club together and make a better tomorrow possible. “With all of the divisiveness in the world today and all of the quarrels and online hate, I wanted to encourage people — whether it’s in a relationship or politics — to come together for a better society and world,” Lane said. “We can find common ground. I hope this song reminds people of what’s important.” Olivia Lane continues to rise within the country music world, with the singer now sitting on a staggering 15 million streams on Spotify, while her 2019 release, ‘The One’ continuing to fare well among both her fans and the general listening public.

Tenille Arts has been recognised by the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) in a notable way, with the talented artist winning the ‘Rising Star Award’ at the 2020 CCMA Awards. Arts, who originally hails from Weyburn, Saskatchewan in Canada, has had a tremendous 18 months or so, with her recent album ‘Love, Heartbreak & Everything In-Between’ winning many plaudits and gaining critical acclaim, while appearances on the US show ‘The Bachelor’ have also boosted her popularity. Speaking about the award, Arts said that it was an incredible honour to win the award as the CCMAs have always been something of great importance to her, while she is very keen to see where the next step in her career takes her. “It is such an honour to take home the Rising Star Award,” Arts said. “The CCMAs have been a part of my life and my career for many years now and it feels incredible to be recognised in this way. “I’m so grateful to all of the CCMA members who voted for me. It’s just the beginning and I’m so excited.” Prior to lockdown, Tenille Arts was scheduled to play C2C 2020, but it is testament to her song Somebody Like That – which she was riding the wave of ahead of C2C – that it is still doing remarkably well in the charts.

Scotty McCreery has shared a news song in the form of You Time, which will be the lead single from his upcoming fourth album. You can listen to the track here. McCreery premiered the song in spectacular fashion as he performed it at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on September 4, as the first artist at the first gig at the venue that had fans back in, with capacity being limited to 150. It marked a full circle moment for McCreery of sorts, as he was the last artist to perform in the venue (a sold out show) prior to lockdown. Speaking about the song, McCreery stated his delight that he was able to have new music out in the world and also opened up on the meaning behind the song, which came from him wanting to spend more time with his partner. ”I am so excited to have new music out,” said McCreery. “I wrote this with Frank [Rogers] and Aaron [Eshuis] at a time when I was on the road more than I’d ever been before and I’d get home just in time to see Gabi heading out to start her shift as a nurse. I was craving some You Time with her and that inspired this song. Of course, now during the pandemic, we’re having a lot of You Time, which I love.” Scotty McCreery will also be venturing to the UK and Ireland next year to play his rescheduled dates, which had to be moved as a result of the pandemic. The dates are as follows: May 4 – O2 Ritz, Manchester, England May 5 – Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow, Scotland May 7 – O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London, England May 9 – Ireland Academy, Dublin, Republic of Ireland May 11 – The Limelight, Belfast, Northern Ireland* *denotes sold out show

Rob Mayes is continuing to appease his fans in 2020 by releasing another new song, this time in the shape of Length of a Song. You can listen to the song here. Mayes has been very busy in 2020, with Length of a Song being his 10th single release since January, following in the footsteps of Building Us, Addicted to the Chase, Didn’t Do This on My Own, Damage I Done, Don’t Give Up on Me, Avalon, Marshalls Sticker, What I Remember Most and The Way That It Was It’s a tactic that is very much working for Mayes, as his streaming figures since he started mass releasing have shot up. Mayes is now at a stage where he is bordering on 200k monthly listeners, while he is on the cusp of passing the 500k total stream mark. There is more to come, too – Avalon, Marshalls Sticker and The Way That It Was are all part of a soon to be four-track EP titled ‘Songs From the Sofa: A Quarantine Project’ and the fourth instalment is set to drop at some stage in October. Rob Mayes is also well known for his acting talents, with the US artist starring in the film ‘John Dies at the End’ and in TV series’ ‘Mistresses’ and ‘The Client List’.