Kelsea Ballerini Archives - Nashville Music Line

Your Inside Track on Music Row, November 2024

Hot new Country singles and albums tour updates and more

By Preshias Harris

QUOTE OF THE MONTH: “Undeniably, I’m a country singer; I’m a country songwriter. But I feel like I make country music for people who like country music and for people who don’t.” – Kasey Musgraves

BIBLE VERSE OF THE MONTH: My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. – Psalms 57:7

Can it be November already? With Thanksgiving fast approaching and Christmas just around the corner?! SO much to get to in this edition of ‘Inside Track on Music Row,’ the longest continuously-running monthly country music column in the USA. Scroll down to check out a whole bunch of new albums and singles to listen to, plus tour updates, Opry news, songwriter pub deals, Christmas music and a lot more. As always, my heartfelt thanks to the artists and songwriters and their reps who keep me in the loop about what’s new with you! So let’s kick off with a roundup of some albums you need to know about…

ALBUM NEWS

KELSEA BALLERINI: When you write songs from your own life, it takes a lot of living to come up with something special. Thankfully, for multiple Grammy nominee and Country Music Association award winner Kelsea Ballerini, a 30-something who never stops, inspiration is never hard to come by. Having created a deep dialogue with her fans, a lot has happened since the Grammy-nominated Rolling Up The Welcome Matand Rolling Up The Welcome Mat (For Good).

Teaming with producer and longtime collaborator Alysa Vanderheym, Ballerini opted for an all-girl approach to PATTERNS. Crystalizing after a songwriting retreat with Vanderheym, Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Hillary Lindsey, GRAMMY Songwriter of the Year nominee Jessie Jo Dillon and Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild, the honey blond superstar decided to create an album that focused on female friendship, being vulnerable and honest, owning one’s jagged spaces and the way relationships really are, not the way they look on Instagram.

“There was an unpresumed feeling of knowingness that happened on that retreat,” Ballerini reports. “I felt safe, so then I was able to feel honest, and then more so, creative. We were all, as songwriters, in tandem but more so as women just in a real heart flow of it all. Having these heroes and friends champion the process and the guts of it all has been one of the joys of my career.” Pre-order exclusive PATTERNS on vinyl and CD here via Black River Entertainment. Listen/download the single “First Rodeo” here, and watch the evocative music video here. #KelseaBallerini

MEGAN MORONEY: The much-anticipated release of Am I Okay? (I’ll Be Fine) — the deluxe edition of Sony Music Nashville/Columbia Records singer/songwriter Megan Moroney’s widely acclaimed sophomore album – dropped in early October. Featuring three brand-new tracks, the newly expanded version of Am I Okay? arrives just months after Moroney scored the year’s third-biggest Billboard 200 debut from a female Country artist. Listen to Am I Okay? (I’ll Be Fine) here.

Am I Okay? (I’ll Be Fine) includes a selection of songs she’s recently teased during her must-see live show and on social media. Both written by Moroney, David “Messy” Mescon, Rob Hatch, and Ben Williams, “Break It Right Back” and “I’ll Be Fine” offer the latest evidence of her enormous talent for penning truly unforgettable heartbreak ballads. To that end, “Break It Right Back” takes the form of a piano-laced stunner about the shattered hopes of falling for someone too good to be true (inspiring over 22k creates after Moroney teased it on TikTok), while “I’ll Be Fine” serves as a heavy-hearted response to the album’s wildly hopeful and Country radio-dominating title track.

Moroney will soon release Am I Okay? (I’ll Be Fine) on vinyl on December 13. Pre-order the vinyl here. Tour/ticket updates at Megan’s website and more on social media. #MeganMoroney

GEORGE JONES: Fans of George Jones are in for a treat with the announcement of the new album, George Jones: The Lost Nashville Sessions set to release on November 15 on Country Rewind Records. Preorder / stream the album here. Originally recorded for radio airplay in the 1970s, these tracks have been enhanced, capturing Jones’ signature sound by bringing the audio quality up to twenty-first-century standards. This was achieved by subtly adding instrumentation and background vocals beneath Jones’ voice where needed.

Billy Ray Cyrus, Lil Nas X, take “Old Town Road” to CMA Fest with Keith Urban

Kelsey Ballerini gets surprise No. 1 news during Day Three

Day Three of the 2019 CMA Fest saw a trio of stars that had never before taken the festival stage together. Fans were surprised and delighted to see Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus and reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Keith Urban take the Nissan Stadium stage to perform the No. 1 song in the country, “Old Town Road.”

Billy Ray Cyrus, Lil Nas X, Keith Urban at CMA Fest. Photo CMA

The surprised crowd roared as Cyrus, Nas X and Urban played the hit song, standing, dancing and singing along with the stars.

Backstage at Nissan Stadium, Metro Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson presented Cyrus with a 2019 MNPD coin commemorating Metro Nashville’s new headquarters building and acknowledging the sacrifices made by their officers. The coin bears Cyrus’ song “All Gave Some, Some Gave All.”

Luke Combs joins “Real Good Man” McGraw

Continue reading “Billy Ray Cyrus, Lil Nas X, take “Old Town Road” to CMA Fest with Keith Urban”

Aldean, Ballerini top MusicRow Awards

CountryBreakout winners hailed for radio spins

The MusicRow CountryBreakout Awards were once again the unofficial kickoff to the Country Radio Seminar (CRS). Air personalities, program directors, radio execs, recording artists and record label folks gathered at the Listening Room in Nashville, Wednesday, February 12 for the 17^th annual MusicRow CountryBreakout Award show.

(L to R): Alex Kobrick MusicRow Chart Director, Kelsea Ballerini, Sherod Robertson, MusicRow Publisher. Photo: Preshias Harris

Each year, MusicRow magazine recognizes the artists and songwriters who have made the greatest impact on the secondary-market radio stations whose airplay reports provide the statistics for MusicRow’s weekly charts.

Attendees were treated to performances from CJ Solar, who opened the proceedings with an energetic and rockin’ full-band set, and Chase McKinney who closed the show with a cool acoustic set. In between, MusicRow owner and publisher Sherod Robertson announced the winners for 2018 and presented the awards.

CJ Solar

CJ Solar was called back to the stage to receive the Independent Artist of the Year Award. CJ’s two singles, “Airplane” and “American Girls,” together totaled 38,689 spins. Both singles entered the MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart, and appear on his five-song EP, Get Away With It (Sea Gayle Records). An accomplished songwriter, CJ scored his first No. 1 as a writer in 2018 with “Up Down,” recorded by Morgan Wallen featuring Florida Georgia Line. Continue reading “Aldean, Ballerini top MusicRow Awards”

Ashley Gorley named Songwriter of the Year

Blake, Kelsea, FGL also win top awards

(L-R): MusicRow Publisher/Owner Sherod Robertson, Ashley Gorley and MusicRow Chart Director Alex Kobrick. Photo: Preshias Harris

Ashley Gorley has received yet another honor. At the MusicRow Magazine’s 16th annual Country Breakout Awards, Gorley received the Songwriter of the Year Award. The award goes annually to the songwriter with “the most songs that commanded country radio in … secondary markets,” according to MusicRow Publisher and Owner, Sherod Robertson. It was Gorley’s second consecutive win.

The Awards ceremony was part of MusicRow’s annual ‘Country Radio Meet & Greet’ held at the Listening Room Café in Nashville. As before, it was held during the first day of the Country Radio Seminar (CRS). Although it is not part of the official CRS program, the event always attracts large numbers of radio air personalities and program directors, as well as members of Nashville’s music community.

Seven Number Ones in 2017

Gorley was honored for the remarkable achievement of co-writing seven Number Ones on the 2017 MusicRow charts. Among those songs: Blake Shelton’s “A Guy With a Girl” that was Gorley’s 30^th Number One as a writer.

Gorley’s other MusicRow Number Ones for 2017: Thomas Rhett’s “Unforgettable,” Jon Pardi’s “Dirt On My Boots,” Dierks Bentley’s “Black,” Chris Janson’s “Fix A Drink,” Brad Paisley’s “Today” and Billy Currington’s “Do I Make You Wanna.” Gorley is also the only songwriter to have received the ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Award five times, a record that he set in 2017.

A native of Danville, Kentucky, in 2011 Gorley partnered with Combustion Music and Warner/Chappell Music to start up Tape Room Music, his own music publishing company.

Blake, Kelsea Artists of the Year

At the Country Breakout Awards, Blake Shelton earned the Male Artist of the Year Award for more spins than any other male artist on the MusicRow Country Breakout Chart, achieving 83,208 spins reported by stations on MusicRow’s panel. His spin total included three No. 1 hits on the Country Breakout chart: “I’ll Name The Dogs,” “A Guy With A Girl” and “Every Time I Hear That Song.”

Kelsea Ballerini. Photo: Sara Barlow/MusicRow

Kelsea Ballerini was recognized as Female Artist of the Year with 80,928 reported spins. Kelsea had two No. 1s on the MusicRow Country Breakout chart with “Legends” and “Yeah Boy.” This was Kelsea’s second consecutive win in this category.

FGL nab 4th win; Combs, Owens honored

The Group/Duo of the Year Award went to Florida Georgia Line for the fourth consecutive year with 76,938 spins in 2017. FGL’s Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard topped MusicRow’s chart with “Smooth” and also with “God, Your Mama and Me,” a collaboration with Backstreet Boys.

Luke Combs received the Breakout Artist of the Year Award. Combs’ songs, including the Platinum-certified hit “Hurricane,” racked up 78,978 spins on reporting stations. His debut album, ‘This One’s For You,’ has already been certified Gold by RIAA.

Shane Owens took home the Independent Artist of the Year Award, gaining more spins than any other indie artist in 2017 with a total of 33,428 spins. Owens’ songs, including “19” helped him lead the pack of independent artists.

Capitol Records Nashville locked in an unassailable 14^th win as MusicRow’s Label of the Year. The UMG imprint scored 457,962 spins in 2017 with airplay from artists such as Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood.

The annual MusicRow Country Breakout Awards go to artists, songwriters and labels that have achieved the most spins as reported by secondary market radio stations that report to the MusicRow Country Breakout chart.

Full details and more can be found in the February/March issue of MusicRow magazine and online at musicrow.com.