Blog Archives

Cole Swindell Performs “Love You Too Late” on Jimmy Kimmel

December 11, 2018/in Blog /by Erica Zisman

Photo Via Jimmy Kimmel on YouTube

Country superstar Cole Swindell has had quite the year with the release of his third studio album, All of It. New Yorkers got to catch some of the new songs off the record, including breakout single, “Break Up in the End,” in September at a special concert at BMHMC Amphitheater at Bald Hill. Now, the singer-songwriter is adding another late-night television gig to his resume, as a performer on Jimmy Kimmel LIVE! concert series sponsored by Mercedes-Benz

Last night, host, Jimmy Kimmel introduced Swindell to a crowd of fans lined up outside on Hollywood Boulevard, gearing up for the double performance. Record in hand, Kimmel introduced the entertainer, “His album is called ‘All of It. Here with the song, “Love You Too Late,” Cole Swindell.” The singer, quickly engaged the crowd, “How Y’all doing L.A.?!,” just before singing the opening lyrics to the mid-tempo song.

Backed by a five-piece band and donning a ball-cap and bomber jacket, the country star gave an impressive performance of the catchy tune. Fans were invested in the song and the performance from the start. Check out the clip below here.

As usual, during the concert series, the recording artist played another song for concert-goers that was not aired on television. Swindell performed his Grammy-nominated song “Breakup in the End”. The slow jam showcases the singer-songwriter’s smooth vocals and country twang perfectly. Humbly ending the performance, with a big smile on his face, Swindell showed his gratitude for the audience and country music fans, who have supported him, “Thank Y’all for making that my 8th number one song!.” Check out the performance below.

The platinum recording artist will conclude his headlining gig on his tour, ‘Reason to Drink… Another Tour,’ with Dustin Lynch and Lauren Alaina this week. We will keep you posted for any shows that may come to the New York area in the future. Fans can also catch Swindell on the festival scene at Stagecoach, County USA or Country Fest this Spring or Summer. Head to coleswindell.com for more information.

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Brett Young Performs Two Songs on TODAY

December 11, 2018/in Blog /by Danielle Tornatore

Photo credit: @todayshow on Instagram

Just two days after selling out PlayStation Theater as part of the ‘CMT Here Tonight Tour’, Academy of Country Music New Male Vocalist of the Year, Brett Young visited the Today Show studios right here in New York City to perform two tracks from his brand new sophomore record, Ticket To L.A.

The singer-songwriter assisted in collecting toys for donation outside on Rockefeller Plaza before joining co-anchor Hoda Kotb inside studio 1A for his first performance, his current single “Here Tonight.” Kotb spoke briefly with Young regarding his incredible year of success in his career, as well as his personal life with his brand new bride. Young referred to the past few years of his life as a “collection of pinch-me moments.” With visuals of beaches lighting up the jumbo screen behind Young and his four-piece band, the New Male Vocalist of the Year manifested his title. Watch the full performance here.

Young returned to the stage during the 10 a.m. hour with Kotb and co-anchor Kathie Lee Gifford to perform the album’s title track, “Ticket to L.A.” Gifford and Kotb congratulated him on all of his success before questioning the meaning behind the title of the album and song. Young responded, “We just wanted to write a song about something different. A guy meeting a girl in an airport, instead of the bar or the coffee shop or what we’ve all heard and then I realized when we were naming the album, we were going through the normal process and we realized that that’s something that I do all the time now being from Southern California and living in Nashville. I’m holding a ticket to L.A. all the time.” Watch the full performance here.

Young will also be performing live from the Jack Daniel’s Music City Midnight: New Year’s Eve in Nashville event during NBC’s New Year’s Eve celebration, which will air Monday, December 31st on NBC from 10 p.m. – 11 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.

Ticket To L.A. is now available everywhere you stream or buy music.

Reba Hosts Star-Studded Country Christmas on ABC

December 11, 2018/in Blog /by Erica Zisman

Photo via abc.go.com

It’s officially the holiday season, and what better way to get into the Christmas spirit than with some awesome Christmas music?! Last night, country musicians, as well as, some special guests, took the stage at Belmont University in Tennessee for ABC’s annual CMA Country Christmas special. Country music legend, Reba McEntire hosted as well as performed during the TV special.

The show featured some wonderful country artists, including the Christmas crooner himself, Brett Eldredge, Old Dominion, Dan + Shay, Brett Young, Martina McBride, Dustin Lynch, Brad Paisley, and more. Additionally, jazz musicians Tony Bennett, and Diana Krall took the stage, during an epic duet.

McEntire opened the show with a witty and heartfelt monologue, as the stage was fully transformed into a ‘Winter Wonderland.’ She gave the audience the first performance of the night singing, “The Man With The Bag,” as little kids dressed in elves, energetically danced around the stage. This set the tone for the rest of the night of memorable performances.

Photo via abc.go.com

One of the highlights of the night was super-duo Dan + Shay’s rendition of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” The boys gave the audience a jazz-inspired, but still country cover of the classic Christmas song. On lead vocals, Shay’s voice truly shined, and the duo could easily cut the song as their own. The vocals, the violinists, and Dan’s guitar skills mesmerized the audience, as well as the viewers watching at home. Check out the full performance here.

Photo via abc.go.com

Brett Young gave fans at Belmont University another great and unique cover, with “Mary, Did You Know.” Introduced by McEntire as “ Another young star in the making,” the singer-songwriter aced his performance. His always smooth-vocals translated effortlessly into the lyrics and vibe of this Christmas song. The beautiful, snowy backdrop was a perfect addition to the performance. Watch the performance here.

Of course, it would not be a country special, if we did mention Brett Eldredge’s rendition of “Silver Bells,” which he recorded on his Christmas Album Glow. Donning a blue velvet suit, Eldredge showed why fans like to refer to him as the ‘King of Christmas.’ The singer gave a bluesy twist to the Christmas classic. Fans can watch here. Eldredge made his way back to the stage to perform “Holly Jolly Christmas” later in the segment.

Although many of the artists infused some hints of other genres into their performances, Dustin Lynch with “Deck the Halls” and Brad Paisley with “Away in a Manger,” gave fans the full-on classic countrified Christmas songs with their performances.

Nearing the end of the special, McEntire came back on stage to engage with the audience once again, “We’ve all had such a wonderful time tonight. Thanks so much for making CMA Country Christmas your new favorite holiday tradition. Before we go, I have one more treat for you.”

Following the sentiment, Dan + Shay, Brett Eldredge, Lindsay Sterling, Dustin Lynch, and other performers of the night came back to the stage for a group performance of one of the most classic wintery songs, “Let It Snow.” It truly was an amazing ending to an awesome night of Christmas music. Merry Christmas Everyone!

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Florida Georgia Line Announce New Album + Tease 2019 Tour

December 11, 2018/in Blog /by Stephanie Wagner

Florida Georgia Line, Can't Say We Ain't Country

Photo via @FloridaGeorgiaLine on Instagram

In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Tonight, Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line revealed that their brand new album Can’t Say We Ain’t Country is slated for release as early as February 15th, 2019.

Along with the announcement, the duo teased that a headlining tour of the same name will kick off in May. For all of the details, visit etonline.com.

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Thank You for supporting Country Music in NYC & Beyond!

Subscribe to our Weekly Round-Up here
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and all things country music in the New York metro area and beyond!

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Chris Young, Dan + Shay, & Morgan Evans at Nash 94.7 Holiday Bash

December 10, 2018/in Blog, Concert Reviews /by Danielle Tornatore

Friday night (Dec. 7), Nash FM 94.7 took over Chris Young’s ‘Losing Sleep Tour’ with special guests Dan + Shay and Morgan Evans and transformed the talented lineup into the country radio station’s first ever Nash Holiday Bash. New York country music fans filled up the arena at Nassau Coliseum, anxiously awaiting the show to begin.

Nash FM 94.7 DJs Katie Neal and Jesse Addy took the stage to welcome the crowd and to introduce Evans’ opening set. The rising country star entered the stage with nothing but his acoustic guitar and loop pedal. This is not out of the ordinary for Evans, as this is the way he always performs live to truly showcase his undeniable musical talents. Opening his set with his latest single “Day Drunk,” the playful upbeat jam began to warm the crowd up. Evans continued to play “American” from his debut album, Things That We Drink To, then explained that he wrote hundreds of songs for his the album but only 11 could make the cut. He told the crowd that he was so proud when another artist recorded one of his songs and he proceeded to play his own rendition of Dylan Scott’s current radio hit “Hooked.” With the crowd on their feet, Evans began to play his final song of his set which was his first ever number one single “Kiss Somebody.” Fans screamed the lyrics back to the singer-songwriter, until Evans took a moment before the last chorus to speak to the crowd, letting them know that every person who purchased a copy of Things That We Drink To at the merchandise tables, would be meeting him after the show so he could thank each and every one of them personally.

Neal and Addy returned to the stage a few moments after Evans exited, to introduce super-duo Dan + Shay. The arena erupted into cheers and screams as Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney began their set with their debut single “19 You + Me.” The duo continued performing their hit singles, “Nothin’ Like You,” “From The Ground Up” and “How Not To.” Along with a few songs from their newest self-titled album including “All To Myself,” “Alone Together,” “Make or Break” and their fastest growing single “Speechless.” Asking the crowd if there were any Rascal Flatts fans in the audience, the two sang “I Like The Sound Of That,” which Mooney co-wrote. Smyers took a moment to speak to the crowd, “Before we get out of here, we gotta play the song that has changed our lives this year. Just this morning, we woke up in the parking lot and found out the damn song was nominated for two Grammy awards, thank you for that. This is our first time performing the song being nominated for a Grammy in our entire career and it would mean the world to us if we make this the loudest sing-along we’ve ever heard.” Fans did exactly that. Every person inside of the arena screamed the lyrics right back to Mooney and Smyers. Click here to watch the moment from on our Instagram. The crowd and the duo continuously fed off of each other’s energy, making their set a sincere highlight of the entire night.

The Nash Holiday Bash wouldn’t be complete without a headliner, country superstar Chris Young took the stage to perform his biggest hits. Young who has had success with 11 singles hitting the number one spot on the charts chose to highlight songs from his of his albums, kicking the night off with “Losing Sleep” then throwing it back to some of his first singles, “Gettin’ You Home (The Black Dress Song)” and “Voices”.

Being that this was a holiday celebration, Young took the time to explain that he had learned requests when he was playing a Mexican restaurant in Nashville before getting his record deal and he learned this next song. “This is sort of an unknown Christmas song but it’s definitely a country Christmas song on Alan Jackson’s record that I listened to as a kid and I asked him to be a part of my record and sing it with me, and he did.” He then played “New Kid In Town” which is on his holiday album, It Must Be Christmas.

Young recalled the last time he was in the venue, eight years ago, he was opening for Luke Bryan who was opening for Rascal Flatts. “That shows you how long this has been, this has been my journey, and I was not kidding when I said I was going to say ‘Thank you’ a lot, I’ve got the microphone, you can’t stop me…” he laughed. “Thank you for an incredible year.” In between songs, the crowd gathered in a giant U.S.A chant, and overwhelmed with gratitude for our great country and his fans, the singer-songwriter stood at the microphone silent, allowing the chant to continue until it erupted into cheers. Closing out the night with an encore of “Man I Want to Be” and “I’m Comin’ Over” the audience sang along to every single word of Young’s entire set, making it one hell of a Friday night.

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Tyler Rich and Brett Young Warm Up a Cold Times Square Crowd

December 10, 2018/in Blog /by Christina Bosch

While most people were having the Sunday scaries last night, New York country music fans fled to the heart of Times Square to catch CMT On Tour featuring Rachel Wammack, Tyler Rich, and headliner Brett Young at PlayStation Theater. The line of freezing fans wrapped around the corner all waiting to get inside, check their coats at the door and dance and sing along to some great country music for the evening.

Rachel Wammack, one of Sony Music Nashville’s newest artists kicked things off, proving her incredible vocal ability to a new set of fans in the Big Apple. She sang songs from her self-titled debut EP including the powerful, heartwrenching ballads “Closure” and her current debut radio single “Damage”. “This is my very first tour and NYC, Y’all are freakin’ sweet,” she said to the packed floor. She also put her own spin on 5 Seconds of Summer’s “Youngblood” which had the crowd dancing along.

Next up was Tyler Rich, the proud California native took “warming up the crowd” to a new level, playing a bunch of upbeat songs and infusing his own signature style of country music into the set. He sang all four songs from his self-titled EP including “Adrenaline” and “Take It Or Leave It”, as well as covering a country-rock version of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” which had every single audience member jumping up and down in unison. “We’ve been counting down the days until we got to play NYC and Y’all just sold this shit out and you didn’t just sell it out but you sold it out on a Sunday, that is quite the accomplishment,” Rich laughed. He took time out of his set to thank the first responders that were present in the crowd as well as send a shout out to all of those who helped fight the recent wildfires in his home state of California. He explained that fellow California born artists, Brett Young, Jon Pardi, Devin Dawson, Gary Allen and himself teamed up to create a shirt where the funds would go directly to aiding in relief from those devastating fires. You can find your Cali Love shirt and donate here. Rich closed out his set with his two radio singles “11:11” and the song that he says got it all started for him, “The Difference”.

The Sunday night crowd was good and ready when Brett Young took the stage just after 9 PM. Although most of his radio singles are mid-slow tempo ballads, Young captivated the crowd with his genuine nature and compelling storytelling. He kicked off the night with the first single from his sophomore album, “Here Tonight” and continued throughout the evening to play songs from Ticket to L.A as well as some of the biggest hits from his debut self-titled album. Closing out his album release week for Ticket to L.A. He thanked CMT for sponsoring this tour as well as country radio for the success he has seen over the past few years.

“I thought forever, if I could just get a song on country radio, that’ll do it, I didn’t understand what that meant or how hard that was…” Young explained. “All that to say, country radio took a chance on me anyway and I’ll never be able to say thank you enough,” he said humbly before singing his second number one single “In Case You Didn’t Know”.

Two highlights from the night included Young stopping to give credit to his band who also just happen to be incredible singers. After revealing that his very first concert was BoyzIIMen and Mariah Carey, he allowed his band members to each sing a verse of their soulful hit “Water Runs Dry”. He also welcomed back to the stage Rachel Wammack and Tyler Rich to sit on either side of him to perform Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”.

Young closed out the night by singing a cover of Gavin DeGraw’s “Not Over You”, as well as leading the audience in a sing-along to his very first number one hit “Sleep Without You”. Head to NYCountry Swag’s Instagram for exclusive videos from last night’s incredible line up.

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Rascal Flatts Surprise Fans with EP ‘Jukebox’

December 10, 2018/in Blog /by Nicole Piering

Rascal Flatts fans were in for a surprise last Friday (December 7) when, without warning, the trio dropped a special EP (Big Machine Records). Entitled Jukebox, the four-song collection contains a quartet of classic songs, re-imagined by Gary LeVox, Joe Don Rooney, and Jay Demarcus.

The surprise EP was inspired by a highlight of Rascal Flatts’ live shows, where they perform a medley of some of their all-time favorite songs. Jukebox features Foreigner’s 1977 hit “Feels Like the First Time,” the Hall & Oates’ classic “You Make My Dreams,” and Kenny Loggins’ “Heart to Heart.” Additionally, their version of “Do You Believe in Love” by Huey Lewis and the News is available exclusively for Amazon Music Unlimited Subscribers. It can be downloaded here.

“We always enjoy songs that resonate with each of us individually, ones that we can all connect to,” said Gary LeVox in a recent press release. “These four tracks are just that, the handpicked, personal favorites and the ones we love collectively with our own fingerprint on them.”

JUKEBOX Official Track List:
1. Feels Like The First Time
2. Do You Believe In Love**
3. You Make My Dreams
4. Heart To Heart
**Amazon Music Exclusive Track

In addition to Jukebox, Rascal Flatts recently released the single, “Back to Live,” which is well on its way to becoming a huge hit at country radio. To stream or download Jukebox, click here.

Rascal Flatts will next hit the stage at the Grand Ole Opry on January 9. They’ll also be a part of the Taste of Country Music Festival on June 8 in Hunter Mountain, NY. For tickets to the festival, head to www.tasteofcountryfestival.com/

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Thank You for supporting Country Music in NYC & Beyond!

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NYCS Swag Spotlight: Ana Cristina Cash

December 10, 2018/in Blog, Swag Spotlight /by Christina Bosch

Born and raised in Miami, our Swag Spotlight this week, Ana Cristina Cash grew up listening to music in English and Spanish which shaped her artistry from a very young age. Her parents moved to Florida from Cuba in the 1960s and were avid music lovers. She tells New York Country Swag in a recent interview that her first concert was Gloria Estefan and she loved watching her perform live.

Her influences throughout her childhood included Barbara Streisand, The Carpenters, and even Madonna. She recalls her sisters having friends over and watching them make up dances to Michael Jackson songs, all the while curating a love for all kinds of music being instilled in her. “As I started growing into my own, I was heavily influenced by Jazz singers and country music singers,” Cash explains. “Etta James, Patsy Cline, Leann Rimes, Faith Hill, and Shania Twain, their voices and their stories were huge influences on me.”

Cash was fluent in Spanish and English as a child and now she always goes back to her roots when making decisions about her musical career. As a child, she performed on the longest running variety show, “Sábado Gigante”, which she explains was like The Mickey Mouse Club but in Spanish. That experience gave her the chance to work with professionals in the business very early on. “I began singing demos of popular songs and dabbled in writing when I was 13, 14, 15 years old. My demos were brought to an A&R person at Sony Music Latin who’s offices were in Miami and they offered me a job as an artist,” Cash tells us. She learned as a teenager the ins and outs of the industry, setting her up for a long career as a bilingual singer.

She met her husband John Carter Cash, the son of June Carter and Johnny Cash in a hotel in LA, they quickly became friends and it took John nine months to ask her out on a date. “We were drawn to each other and our mutual interests. We are a lot alike even though we come from two totally different worlds, me being from Miami and him being a Tennessee boy, we are so much alike, you would think we were cut from the same cloth,” she lovingly says. She admits that growing up in Miami without the ability to stream music on the internet, she had never really heard any of his father’s classic hits but now has a great appreciation for not only the way his father shaped country music but his mother as well. “It is great to be a part of a musical family, to have the inspiration. Now, I have nieces and nephews that sing and play instruments,” she tells us. John is a product of both parents being in the music industry, now their child, a 13-month-old baby girl is a product of both parents being in the music industry as well. “She’s very musical, I was 9 months pregnant and still performing.”

She prides herself on creating a country fusion sound mixed with blues and most recently fulfilled a lifelong dream of recording a Christmas album. “I always admired classic traditional Christmas songs and it is something I thought about doing for a long long time and I’m so blessed to be able to have done it,” Cash says. She worked with her husband over the course of several years, recording My Christmas Collection at the Cash Cabin Studios. The album features her versions of the classic holiday songs including “O Holy Night”, “Santa Baby” and of course “The Christmas Song”. She and her husband perform a duet of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” as well as an original song that they penned together, “Santa Claus is Real”. “I love Christmas songs, I listen the entire year, not just during the season. I love the warmth that those songs inspire and how they make you feel and remind you of family and a joyful time in your life, I wanted something that sparked that joy,” she says of the album. She even sings one verse of “Silent Night” in Spanish, speaking to her bilingual fans and resonating with her culture. The entire project has a very old-timey sound, channeling the greats of the past who have put their mark on the Christmas season by recording the classic holiday hits. Take a listen to My Christmas Collection below.

Looking ahead to the new year, she plans on releasing a full-length album of original songs which was produced by her husband John. For all upcoming announcements and news follow Ana Cristina on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Country Music Well Represented in 2019 Grammy Nominations

December 10, 2018/in Blog /by Olivia Reese

Logo Courtesy of Grammy.com

The 2019 Grammy Nominations were announced Friday, December 5th for the awards show that will take place on February 10th, 2019. It should be no surprise to any country fan that the genre asserted its presence in the music industry after the incredible year country music has had. Many country artists were nominated, most of which are newer artists, which was a surprise to some. Needless to say, country music is well represented in the nominations and we can’t wait to see who the winners are.

In the General Field the following nominations were given:

Record Of The Year

LIKE IT

Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin

Invincible, JWhiteDidIt, Craig Kallman & Tainy, producers; Leslie Brathwaite & Evan LaRay, engineers/mixers; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer

THE JOKE
Brandi Carlile
Dave Cobb & Shooter Jennings, producers; Tom Elmhirst & Eddie Spear, engineers/mixers; Pete Lyman, mastering engineer

THIS IS AMERICA
Childish Gambino
Donald Glover & Ludwig Goransson, producers; Derek “MixedByAli” Ali & Riley Mackin, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer

GOD’S PLAN
Drake
Boi-1Da, Cardo & Young Exclusive, producers; Noel Cadastre, Noel “Gadget” Campbell & Noah Shebib, engineers/mixers; Chris Athens, mastering engineer

SHALLOW
Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
Lady Gaga & Benjamin Rice, producers; Tom Elmhirst, engineer/mixer; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

ALL THE STARS
Kendrick Lamar & SZA
Al Shux & Sounwave, producers; Sam Ricci & Matt Schaeffer, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer

ROCKSTAR
Post Malone Featuring 21 Savage
Louis Bell & Tank God, producers; Louis Bell & Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer

THE MIDDLE
Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey
Grey, Monsters & Strangerz & Zedd, producers; Grey, Tom Morris, Ryan Shanahan & Zedd, engineers/mixers; Mike Marsh, mastering engineer

Album of the year

INVASION OF PRIVACY
Cardi B
Leslie Brathwaite & Evan LaRay, engineers/mixers; Belcalis Almanzar & Jorden Thorpe, songwriters; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer

BY THE WAY, I FORGIVE YOU
Brandi Carlile
Dave Cobb & Shooter Jennings, producers; Dave Cobb & Eddie Spear, engineers/mixers; Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters; Pete Lyman, mastering engineer

SCORPION
Drake
Noel Cadastre, Noel “Gadget” Campbell & Noah Shebib, engineers/mixers; Aubrey Graham & Noah Shebib, songwriters; Chris Athens, mastering engineer

H.E.R.
H.E.R.
Darhyl “Hey DJ” Camper Jr, H.E.R. & Jeff Robinson, producers; Miki Tsutsumi, engineer/mixer; Darhyl Camper Jr & H.E.R., songwriters; Dave Kutch, mastering engineer

BEERBONGS & BENTLEYS
Post Malone
Louis Bell & Post Malone, producers; Louis Bell & Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers; Louis Bell & Austin Post, songwriters; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer

DIRTY COMPUTER
Janelle Monáe
Chuck Lightning & Janelle Monáe Robinson & Nate “Rocket” Wonder, producers; Mick Guzauski, Janelle Monáe Robinson & Nate “Rocket” Wonder, engineers/mixers; Nathaniel Irvin III, Charles Joseph II, Taylor Parks & Janelle Monáe Robinson, songwriters; Dave Kutch, mastering engineer

GOLDEN HOUR
Kacey Musgraves
Ian Fitchuk, Kacey Musgraves & Daniel Tashian, producers; Craig Alvin & Shawn Everett, engineers/mixers; Ian Fitchuk, Kacey Musgraves & Daniel Tashian, songwriters; Greg Calbi & Steve Fallone, mastering engineers

BLACK PANTHER: THE ALBUM, MUSIC FROM AND INSPIRED BY
(Various Artists)
Kendrick Lamar, featured artist; Kendrick Duckworth & Sounwave, producers; Matt Schaeffer, engineer/mixer; Kendrick Duckworth & Mark Spears, songwriters; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer

Song of the Year

ALL THE STARS
Kendrick Duckworth, Solána Rowe, Al Shuckburgh, Mark Spears & Anthony Tiffith, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar & SZA)

BOO’D UP
Larrance Dopson, Joelle James, Ella Mai & Dijon McFarlane, songwriters (Ella Mai)

GOD’S PLAN
Aubrey Graham, Daveon Jackson, Brock Korsan, Ron LaTour, Matthew Samuels & Noah Shebib, songwriters (Drake)

IN MY BLOOD
Teddy Geiger, Scott Harris, Shawn Mendes & Geoffrey Warburton, songwriters (Shawn Mendes)

THE JOKE
Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile)

THE MIDDLE
Sarah Aarons, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Marcus Lomax, Kyle Trewartha, Michael Trewartha & Anton Zaslavski, songwriters (Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey)

SHALLOW
Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando & Andrew Wyatt, songwriters (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper)

THIS IS AMERICA
Donald Glover & Ludwig Goransson, songwriters (Childish Gambino)

Best New Artist

CHLOE X HALLE

LUKE COMBS

GRETA VAN FLEET

H.E.R.

DUA LIPA

MARGO PRICE

BEBE REXHA

JORJA SMITH

The Nominations in the country categories are:

Best Country Solo Performance

WOULDN’T IT BE GREAT?
Loretta Lynn

MONA LISAS AND MAD HATTERS
Maren Morris

BUTTERFLIES
Kacey Musgraves

MILLIONAIRE
Chris Stapleton

PARALLEL LINE
Keith Urban

Best Country Duo/Group Performance

SHOOT ME STRAIGHT
Brothers Osborne

TEQUILA
Dan + Shay

WHEN SOMEONE STOPS LOVING YOU
Little Big Town

DEAR HATE
Maren Morris Featuring Vince Gill

MEANT TO BE
Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line

Best Country Song

BREAK UP IN THE END
Jessie Jo Dillon, Chase McGill & Jon Nite, songwriters (Cole Swindell)

DEAR HATE
Tom Douglas, David Hodges & Maren Morris, songwriters (Maren Morris Featuring Vince Gill)

I LIVED IT
Rhett Akins, Ross Copperman, Ashley Gorley & Ben Hayslip, songwriters (Blake Shelton)

SPACE COWBOY
Luke Laird, Shane McAnally & Kacey Musgraves, songwriters (Kacey Musgraves)

TEQUILA
Nicolle Galyon, Jordan Reynolds & Dan Smyers, songwriters (Dan + Shay)

WHEN SOMEONE STOPS LOVING YOU
Hillary Lindsey, Chase McGill & Lori McKenna, songwriters (Little Big Town)

Best Country Album

UNAPOLOGETICALLY
Kelsea Ballerini

PORT SAINT JOE
Brothers Osborne

GIRL GOING NOWHERE
Ashley McBryde

GOLDEN HOUR
Kacey Musgraves

FROM A ROOM: VOLUME 2
Chris Stapleton

Some country names received nominations in the American Roots Music categories:

Best American Roots Performance

KICK ROCKS
Sean Ardoin

SAINT JAMES INFIRMARY BLUES
Jon Batiste

THE JOKE
Brandi Carlile

ALL ON MY MIND
Anderson East

LAST MAN STANDING
Willie Nelson

Best American Roots Song

ALL THE TROUBLE
Waylon Payne, Lee Ann Womack & Adam Wright, songwriters (Lee Ann Womack)

BUILD A BRIDGE
Jeff Tweedy, songwriter (Mavis Staples)

THE JOKE
Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile)

KNOCKIN’ ON YOUR SCREEN DOOR
Pat McLaughlin & John Prine, songwriters (John Prine)

SUMMER’S END
Pat McLaughlin & John Prine, songwriters (John Prine)

Best Americana Album

BY THE WAY, I FORGIVE YOU
Brandi Carlile

THINGS HAVE CHANGED
Bettye LaVette

THE TREE OF FORGIVENESS
John Prine

THE LONELY, THE LONESOME & THE GONE
Lee Ann Womack

ONE DROP OF TRUTH
The Wood Brothers

Are you surprised about who was nominated? Be sure to watch out for our Grammy recap in February and in the meantime check out our playlists which includes Grammy-nominated artists here and here.

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Shania Twain Chats ‘Real Country’ on LIVE with Kelly and Ryan

December 10, 2018/in Blog /by Shanna Vitaliano

Five-time Grammy winner and top-selling female country artist of all time Shania Twain joined Live with Kelly & Ryan this morning to talk about her tour, stage fright, and being a judge on “Real Country.”

Ryan Seacrest a showed a picture of Twain performing high in the air soaring over her fans with her guitar, and asked: “Do you ever get nervous or stage fright before you go out and do a show?” Twain is currently on a world tour and admits that she gets nervous before each show and does, in fact, have stage fright. The best way she manages it is by spending the day preparing for it and is methodical throughout her day, even down to what she eats and drinks. However, when she hears fans cheering from backstage the anxiety morphs into adrenaline and excitement and she channels it into her performance.

Kelly Ripa asked Twain, Do you ever forget the words to your songs? Ironically enough, Twain does admit to forgetting words to her songs and says it happens often. Laughing along with the audience Twain said, “When I am watching other people sing along with me if I make eye contact with somebody and they mess up where they are in the song- that’s it I am off. “

Secreast asked Twain about her new role as a judge on ‘Real Country’, “When you are searching for a superstar how are you trying to find them?” she stated she is simply finding talent through good old fashion scouting, even from watching people perform in her hotel lobby. She tells Kelly & Ryan, “I think a lot of people are intimidated by entering into the country music genre because there is a stereotype that I think a lot of people believe country music is.” She believes everyone belongs in country music no matter where you are from.

Twain wants everyone to feel welcomed into the genre, and it doesn’t matter if you drive a pickup truck or not, it is much deeper than that. In fact, she believes what matters most is being able to write music on appreciating the simplicity of everyday living and putting it into a song, and there is a special art to that.

“Real Country” with host Shania Twain airs Tuesday nights on USA Network.

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Thank You for supporting Country Music in NYC & Beyond!

Subscribe to our Weekly Round-Up here
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