Tag Archive for: Maren Morris

Miranda, Maren, Tenille, & More Cover “Fooled Around and Fell In Love”

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In honor of kicking off the Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars tour, Miranda Lambert and her girl gang that will be joining her on the road released a cover of Elvin Bishop’s “Fooled Around & Fell In Love”. The new version of the 1975 classic song features Maren Morris, Elle King, Ashley McBryde, Tenille Townes, and Caylee Hammack – all of whom will open for Lambert on select dates.

This talented group of women trade off verses, all harmonizing on the chorus and tell the story of a bachelor who fell for one special girl.  The video below shows the recording session when all of the ladies got together to create this magic. We love seeing female artists prove that even though each is hustling their way through the industry, just trying to be heard, they continue to support and love one another.

“The girls on the Roadside Bars and Pink Guitars Tour can sing their asses off,” said Lambert in a press release. “There’s something crazy about seeing these artists with a new fire in their eyes. It reignites your own flame. I’m so excited to watch them every night on tour.”

One of our favorite parts of country concerts is when the headliner graciously lends a part of their setlist to welcome back the openers and direct support, giving a chance for the entire venue to witness their talent. We can only hope that this collaboration will support that on the Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars tour this fall which launches tonight with back-to-back shows at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.

For tickets and more information head to https://www.mirandalambert.com/

To keep up with the Roadside Bars and Pink Guitars Tour follow Miranda Lambert on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

“Fooled Around and Fell In Love” is now available you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released music here on our “New Country Music” playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

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Maren Morris’ GIRL The World Tour Sells Out The Iconic Radio City Music Hall

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What do the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and Radio City Music Hall all have in common? They are iconic New York City landmarks and on Friday night, three women who all hail from different cities in the country stood on the stage at the latter, sang their hearts out and inspired a sold-out crowd. Maren Morris’ GIRL: The World Tour made its way back to the tristate area this past weekend, a few months after playing smaller venues around the city including Brooklyn Bowl and Terminal 5. 

The sheer fact that her fans are so dedicated that they sold out another venue, this time a room filled with six thousand seats, is remarkable, but, what is even more outstanding is these country music fans all came to see three women. In a time where Morris and Kelsea Ballerini are the only two females who have made it to the top of the charts in the past year and a half, the amount of love and support for these three female artists displayed throughout the night was palpable.

 

The night of girl power kicked off with Hailey Whitters, a smalltown Iowa native who has been grinding away in Nashville, writing music and performing around town for 12 years, all while waiting tables to pay the bills. Feeling like a human disco ball, she laughed, Whitters took the stage covered in sparkles from her romper to her shoes and even specks of sparkles in her tights. She delicately delivered songs that are soon to be released this Friday, on her EP The Days including “All The Cool Girls”,  “Dream Girl”, “Heartland” and the title track.

Her cool, folky rhythm and honest songwriting captivated the fans who arrived early.  “To anyone out there tonight hanging on to the tail end of a dream, and wondering if you should just give it up…don’t,” Whitters humbly emotes to the crowd before playing the song that truly ‘turned it all around’ “10 Year Town”. She thanked Morris who she said, “changed the whole damn game” for her by inviting her out on this tour, allowing her to showcase her talent to a sea of new fans each and every night.

 

 

Next up, was one of our 2019 Artists to Watch, Kassi Ashton, who absolutely brought the heat and the energy to the famed stage. Ashton who is as unique as they come, kicked her set off with “Taxidermy”, a tongue in cheek revenge track that was released last year. This powerhouse danced in front of white flames, singing not only her previously released tracks, “Violins”, “California, Missouri” and “Pretty Shiny Things” but she performed an epic cover of Eric Church’s “Chattanooga Lucy” as well as Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts”, which was met with screams from the sold-out audience.

Ashton has the ability to make you fall in love with her charismatic personality while watching her perform, enticing you to get up and dance but also carefully listen to her well-crafted lyrics. After seeing her set, we are certainly proud to have named her one of our Artists to Watch this year and we just know she will be garnering throngs of new fans on this tour run.

The most nominated artist in the upcoming CMA Awards was up next, headliner, Maren Morris. She opened her set with her latest number one single “GIRL”, and Morris, who may be small in stature, commanded the attention of the sold-out venue standing behind a mic stand, holding an acoustic guitar and strumming those familiar first chords. Throughout the night, Morris performed songs from both of her albums, HERO and GIRL.  “Thank you so much, this is honestly such a friggin bucket list dream of mine to play this venue and the fact that you sold it out, it’s Friday night, it just means the world to me,” she gratefully expressed.

The true songwriter was also on display throughout her set as she took time to chat with the audience about moments in her life that have ultimately led her to stand under that legendary velvet curtain. It was apparent to all in the room how important music is to the songstress, especially before she performed “A Song For Everything”. “In this weird ass world that can sometimes feel really fucked up and dark, music is kind of the most magical form of time travel, and for me, it’s the strongest sense tied to memories,” she stated “You feel that song, when you hear a lyric or hear a chord and it just immediately transports you back to the first time you were on the way to kindergarten in your mom’s car, and there was a song on in the background, also your first kiss and the first time someone just completely destroyed your heart, there are those songs that became the soundtrack of those periods in your life.”

Of course, she performed her biggest hits including her collaboration with Zedd and Gray, “The Middle”, her first number one hit “I Could Use A Love Song” and “80’s Mercedes”. She even took a few moments out of her show to pay homage to her brand new band, The Highwomen which were celebrating their album release day. Morris along with Amanda Shires, Natalie Hemby, and Brandi Carlile make up the supergroup and she stood alone on the stage to perform “Crowded Table” from their debut, self-titled album. “This song was really born out of wanting to say, you know through all of the polarizing shit, please, come and sit with us at our table and let’s have a conversation….” she continued. “There is a lot of love in this world and I feel so much of it when we sing this song, this is our song “Crowded Table”.

She then welcomed back to the stage her direct support, Kassi Ashton and Hailey Whitters to perform together one for “the 90’s babies” a cover of The Cardigans “Love Fool”. The ladies even channeled their best inner Rockettes and closed out the song by linking arms for a sweet little kick line dance. The energy and the fun could be felt throughout Radio City to the very top of the venue.

No backup singers were needed at Radio City Music Hall on Friday night, the audience sang along like a well-versed choir to even the deep cuts including “Second Wind”, “Gold Love” and “Once”. Closing out the evening with the song that got it all started for her, “My Church”, it was the perfect ending to the most flawless night. As the confetti rained down, whether you have been a fan since before her superstardom, or you were seeing Morris perform for the very first time, there was no doubt that she deserved every single moment of applause and appreciation that New York City willingly gave.

For all of the additional GIRL: The World Tour dates head to marenmorris.com.

To keep up with Maren Morris follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

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NYCS First Impression: The Highwomen Self Titled Debut Album

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The Highwomen

On paper, The Highwomen might not seem to make much sense. You have pop-country’s reigning “It Girl,” a superstar songwriter, an Americana queen, and a Grammy winner who’s always deserved more attention than she’s received. Yet, somehow, the diverse foursome of Maren Morris, Natalie Hemby, Amanda Shires, and Brandi Carlile is one of the best things to happen to country music this decade.

Today (September 6), the powerhouse quartet released their debut album, The Highwomen, produced by Dave Cobb.

The project was the brainchild of Shires in response to the lack of females on country radio. Carlile was the first member enlisted, and so began the movement of The Highwomen. “Music was happening in the room, and you could almost touch it,” Shires tell the New York Times of the recording process. “It hadn’t happened for me in a long time. We would sing sometimes, and I would get so excited I would almost feel like being a ding-dong and crying.”

The album opens with “Highwomen,” a new female take on “Highwayman,” released in 1985 by the male super-group of Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson. It sets the tone for the album, imbued with unique stories and powerful harmonies. Originally written by Jimmy Webb, the Highwomen enlisted him to make the lyrical swaps on their new version, which features each taking on the role of a different persecuted woman. “We rewrote it with fates that befell women,” Carlile told Rolling Stone. “A doctor convicted of witchcraft; an immigrant who died trying to get over the border but got the kids over safe and sound; a preacher; and a freedom rider who gets shot.”

The album’s first single, “Redesigning Women,” continues the story being told here, as they sing of modern women who do it all. “Redesigning women/ Running the world while we’re cleaning up the kitchen/ Making bank, shaking hands, driving 80/ Tryna get home just to feed the baby/ Skipping the bread for the butter/ Changing our minds like we change our hair color/ Yeah, ever since the beginning/ We’ve been redesigning women”

While the foursome may be “Redesigning Women,” there’s also no place in their lives for no-good men. This theme carries through “Loose Change” and “Don’t Call Me.” Morris leads the charge on the former, which she co-wrote, proclaiming, “Loose change/ I ain’t worth a thing to you/ Loose change/ You don’t see my value/ I’m gonna be somebody’s/ Lucky penny someday/ Instead of rolling around your pocket like loose change.”

The album continues with a diverse assortment of songs, covering various topics and tempos. The album’s most country song is “My Name Can’t Be Mama,” which easily could’ve been released by the likes of Reba or Dolly Parton thirty years ago. It’s a toe-tapping ode to the perils of motherhood. “I’m not a fan of mornings, and I love my Chardonnay,” they admit. “My name can’t be Mama today.” There’s also the clever “If She Ever Leaves Me,” a nod to Carlile’s sexuality, as she sings of a man attempting to pick up her wife. “If she ever leaves me,” She muses here. “It won’t be for you.”

The album also features heartbreak on “Cocktail and a Song,” written in tribute to Shires’ late father. There’s also the up-tempo “Heaven is a Honkytonk,” which celebrates the fact that all of our heroes are bound to end up in Heaven. “Jesus, He loves his sinners,” They remind us on the track co-written by Ray LaMontagne, “And heaven is a honkytonk.”

Perhaps the album’s most important track is the pre-released, “Crowded Table,” co-written by Hemby, Carlile, and Lori McKenna. Here, they sing of an inclusivity that’s a common thread through the entire album.“I want a house with a crowded table/ And a place by the fire for everyone.” The message here is simple, but necessary, conveyed in a way that feels sincere and poignant without being preachy.

Following the theme of inclusivity, the album features touches from a wide range of Nashville and music industry heavy-hitters, including Sheryl Crow, Yola, and Jason Isbell, as well as co-writes by Rodney Clawson, Lori McKenna, Miranda Lambert, and Ray LaMontagne.  “Anyone can be a Highwoman,” Carlile says in a statement. “It’s about banding together, abandoning as much ego as humanly possible, holding one another up and amplifying other women every chance we get. Shoulder to shoulder. One push, one love.”

To keep up with The Highwomen find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

The Highwomen is now available you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released music here on our “New Country Music” playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

The Highwomen Track List

1. Highwomen (written by Brandi Carlile, Amanda Shires, Jimmy Webb)
2. Redesigning Women (written by Natalie Hemby, Rodney Clawson)
3. Loose Change (written by Maren Morris, Maggie Chapman, Daniel Layus)
4. Crowded Table (written by Natalie Hemby, Lori McKenna, Brandi Carlile)
5. My Name Can’t Be Mama (written by Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris, Amanda Shires)
6. If She Ever Leaves Me (written by Amanda Shires, Jason Isbell, Chris Thompkins)
7. Old Soul (written by Maren Morris, Luke Dick, Laura Veltz)
8. Don’t Call Me (written by Amanda Shires, Peter Levin)
9. My Only Child (written by Natalie Hemby, Amanda Shires, Miranda Lambert)
10. Heaven Is A Honky Tonk (written by Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Ray LaMontagne)
11. Cocktail And A Song (written by Amanda Shires)
12. Wheels Of Laredo (written by Tim Hanseroth, Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth)

 

 

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Maren Morris Performs “The Bones” & Chats on Late Night with Seth Meyers

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Last night Maren Morris was not on the musical guest but took time to chat with Seth Meyers about her Grammy win as well as the poetic justice that comes along with hearing her songs performed on the same television singing competitions that turned her down.

Meyers congratulated Morris on being the most nominated artist at this year’s CMA Awards, which will air in November. “I wasn’t really expecting that, I think like the big one for me this year, because I put a record out, was Album of the Year but, yeah, I didn’t expect to walk away with so that was very cool,” Morris shared about her nominations. “It’s voted on by my peers in Nashville so, I feel like the cool kid.” She also discussed how she got her start, not at county fairs but standing on a bale of hay in the middle of a parking lot, something Meyers laughed at but she says is true.

She laughed looking back at her American Idol audition where after singing her heart out for 8 seconds, her entire group got cut. “Sorry, you have to take the walk of shame, yeah I just remember being 17 and I had to like walk through the ‘walk of shame’ out to the parking lot and find my mom’s car and just cry on the way home with her, but I mean it all worked out,” she explains.

After her chat, Morris changed out of her multi-colored dress into a sleek, turquoise pantsuit to perform her current single “The Bones”. The love song about a strong relationship follows her number one single, the title track to her album “GIRL”.

Morris is bringing her GIRL: The World Tour to the iconic Radio City Music Hall this Friday night with Kassi Ashton and Hailey Whitters. Follow NYCountry Swag on Instagram for exclusive clips from the show.

To keep up with Maren Morris follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

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Miranda Lambert & Maren Morris Are Just “Way Too Pretty For Prison”

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Maren Morris Miranda Lambert Way Too Pretty For Prison

For fans of prison shows like Orange Is The New Black or Wentworth, you are well aware that life behind bars for women is anything but glamorous. Miranda Lambert teamed up with Maren Morris on her latest release, “Way Too Pretty For Prison” highlighting all of the things they would have to do without, should their revenge plot against a cheater came to fruition. The latest track from her forthcoming album, Wildcard due out November 1st was written with The Love Junkies (Liz Rose, Hillary Lindsey, and our Swag Spotlight last week, Lori McKenna).

Singing about avoiding lockup and revenge killing is not a new notion for female country artists, Brandy Clark sang “Is I hate stripes and orange ain’t my color / And if I squeeze that trigger tonight / I’ll be wearin’ one or the other / There’s no crime of passion worth a crime of fashion / The only thing savin’ your life / Is that I don’t look good in orange and I hate stripes” and in the Dixie Chicks classic “Goodbye Earl” they rid the world of a man by feeding him poisoned black-eyed peas. Lambert and Morris chime in here with an updated version for 2019, by exhibiting the lack of eyelash extensions, Chardonnay, and essential body waxing while incarcerated.

“The bars there ain’t got boys to buy us drinks / We stick out like two bottle blonde / I must admit it doesn’t sound fun for 15 girls to have to share one sink /  He cheated, he’s a villain and you know I’d help ya kill him but / We’re way too pretty for prison / Hard time ain’t our kind of living and I don’t wanna talk about the way those jumpsuits wash us out /We’re way too pretty for prison.”

“Karen Fairchild and I were having a wine night to talk about The Bandwagon Tour, and I always tell my friends, ‘Don’t leave if you’ve been drinking, because you’re way too pretty for prison,’ ” said Lambert in a recent press release. “She got a ride home at the end of the night, and the next day I had a write with The Love Junkies (Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose). I was telling them about our night, and that conversation and they said, ‘Well that’s what we’re writing today.’ I’m so glad Maren joined me on singing this song. She sang her ass off and it was so fun to have her in the studio.”

Last month, Lambert released not one but two tracks in anticipation of her new project, her latest radio single “All Comes Out In The Wash” and “Locomotive” which fans have heard, and loved, in her recent live sets.

To keep up with Miranda Lambert, follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

“Way Too Pretty For Prison” is now available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more recently released music here on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

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Maren Morris Shares Romantic Vacation Clips in “The Bones” Music Video

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Maren Morris The Bones Video

Country music powerhouse Maren Morris has been paving a road for females in the genre since her first single “My Church”. Not long after “GIRL” took the top spot on the charts, the singer-songwriter is back with another single to add to her resume of chart-topping hits.

“The Bones,” the second single off of Morris’ sophomore album GIRL, metaphorically compares the structure of a hearty building to the makings of a stable, successful relationship. Within stability, the importance of a robust foundation is substantial. Morris sings: “When the bones are good, the rest don’t matter // Yeah, the paint could peel, the glass could shatter // Let it rain ‘cause you and I remain the same // When there ain’t a crack in the foundation // Baby, I know any storm we’re facing // Will blow right over while we stay put // The house don’t fall when the bones are good.”

Written by Morris, Jimmy Robbins and Laura Veltz, “The Bones’” video documents Morris and her country music singer-songwriter husband Ryan Hurd vacationing including intimate mockumentary-style footage in Hawaii from climbing waterfalls to reclining in the sun to visiting the infamous Road to Hana in Maui. The video instills a retro, vintage ambiance which makes you want to third wheel even more.

Morris wrote on Instagram, “The Road to Hana is beautiful but a hell of a trek… kind of like the most meaningful and lasting human relationships we get to have. This is our journey on film for “The Bones” directed by our friend Maui aficionado @AlexMFerrari,” with a shortened montage teasing the video.

To keep up with Maren Morris follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

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NYCS Woman of the Month Jessica Valiyi, Digital Strategy for Sony Music Nashville

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We’re bringing you stories from women who are chasing their dreams and building a life that they love with New York Country Swag’s, “Woman of the Month.”

Each month, we highlight a different female pursuing her passions. Introducing you to women who are taking risks, working relentlessly and turning their dreams into reality. These are empowering women who serve as role models and should be celebrated.

Jess Valiyi

 

For this month we celebrate Jessica Valiyi, Associate Director, Digital Strategy for Sony Music Nashville. Growing up in Carmel, Indiana, she recalls all of her extracurricular activities outside of school revolved around music. She learned to play the drums when she was 10 years old and said she was a music fanatic in high school, although, she wasn’t a huge fan of country music until college. “I’m the oldest child, I didn’t have a big sibling or anyone to talk to but I felt like music was always there for me,” she says. While attending college at Indiana University in Bloomington, Valiyi’s friends she met on her dorm room floor freshman year introduced her to modern country and she instantly fell in love with the lyrics and storytelling. Some of her first favorite artists were Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift, and the Dixie Chicks.  “I remember listening to the lyrics, and that is what drew me in, they have substance and meaning compared to anyone else I was listening to at the time,” she recalls. After college, she took a job in biotech and medical device company and worked part-time at the local country radio station doing promotions and marketing and helped with their social media. “I feel like there are two types of people in this world, you are either motivated by money or you are motivated by passion and I am the passionate one,” she states. Finding herself looking forward more and more to her side gig at the radio station, she happened to meet Alex Valentine who at the time worked the Northeast promotions for Big Machine Label Group. After talking to him about how she could ‘do what he does’ in the industry, she took that information and chance meeting to heart and a year later made the move to Nashville. Valentine gave her words of advice that she carries with her today, “You have to be present to win”.

Jessica Valiyi Woman of the Month

Mitchell Tenpenny at Wal Mart on the night of his debut album release

Just two months after moving, she took her dream job, a part-time gig with Big Machine Label Group, home to Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts, the two artists that helped to cultivate her love for the genre. One of her mains jobs was to help the digital team and assist in keeping Swift’s music off the internet and mainly off of YouTube. She laughs talking about all of the tweets she saved from fans who would try to find her music and couldn’t without buying the actual album, something that proved she was successful in that task.

In December of 2017, she made the move over to Sony Music Nashville and during our conversation, recalls a moment that really has come full circle since moving over to her new position. “The first week I lived in Nashville I went Belcourt Taps. It was Heather Morgan, Jimmy Robbins, Laura Veltz, and Maren Morris and it was my first writers round and I remember thinking ‘Why isn’t this girl an artist?’ I went up to her after and told her how incredible her voice and songs were. Most off her EP and one other song called ‘Loose Change’” Valiyi recalls “I was following Maren’s career when I was at Big Machine and I remember being so bummed that she went to Sony but now it’s just full circle.” The moment becomes even more poignant this week that the Sony Music Nashville team gets to celebrate Morris’ second number one song, “GIRL”.

Jessica Valiyi

Maren Morris and Sony Music Nashville Team

Her day to day jobs as the Associate Director of Digital Strategy for Sony Music Nashville include helping her artists on fan engagement, email marketing, websites, digital advertising, coming up with creative content, collaborating with digital partners and essentially anything directly related to helping grow the fan base. Her clients at Sony include Maren Morris, Miranda Lambert, Luke Combs, Old Dominion, Mitchell Tenpenny, Pistol Annies, Tenille Townes, Jameson Rodgers, The Sisterhood Band, and Ryan Hurd. “One thing that drew me to digital is the space is constantly changing. You really have to be one step ahead of everyone, finding out what the newest, coolest, greatest thing is,” Valiyi says. “You don’t just use specific things because everyone uses it, it has to make sense for your individual clients. It’s trying to keep up with the trends and how to incorporate them with our artists.”

Jessica Valiyi

Team Sony Music Nashville at Luke Combs’ Grand Ole Opry Induction

She passionately talks about the fans and how there would be no country music industry without them and how she loves that the digital space is the department that is closest to the fan. One artist she highlights in our interview is Luke Combs. “Luke Combs is so dialed in, everything he does is for the fans, he says ‘They are the ones who are providing me this life and this career’, that’s why I love working for him. Yes, my job is social media, yes my job is in the digital space and content but it’s also listening to fans.” An example of how Combs continues to give the fans exactly what they want by uploading unedited videos of unreleased songs.

When we talk about what advice she would give to young people in the industry she says, “Our industry is so small, networking is huge. The more you are around and people can see you and see what you do, I feel like that goes a long way, every opportunity I’ve gotten in Nashville has come from someone I’ve networked with.” She also highlights the importance of accepting that you won’t know everything and not being afraid to ask questions or to learn from others around you. She quotes Steve Jobs saying “I don’t care about being right. I care about success and doing the right thing.” as something she refers to often. She hopes to empower the people who work with her but when she is in a leadership role, she is the first one to also listen and learn from them as well.

We are so grateful for all of the women who not only take time out of their busy schedules to chat with us but also teach us their stories and share advice with us. We want to thank Jess Valiyi for her guidance and friendship to NYCountry Swag over the past few years and we look forward to continue to champion her and her incredible artists.

 

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Why Maren Morris’ “GIRL” Hitting The Number One Spot This Week Is So Important

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Maren Morris Girl Number One

Justin Aharoni (@jaharoni) for NYCountry Swag

Many country fans who listen to the radio or stream their favorite songs may not understand how a song goes number one on the charts and their involvement in that process.  For example, in order for a song to hit the top of the charts, it has to be played across streaming and radio, A LOT. If you are listening to a song on the radio and don’t change the channel, that helps a song move up on the charts.  This week, Maren Morris has claimed the top spot on the country chart with the title track to her latest album, “GIRL”. This is only the second female artist this year to take the top spot on the charts, the last being Kelsea Ballerini with “Miss Me More” back in June. Prior to that, Ballerini topped the charts but back in February of 2018 with “Legends”. Three songs in a year and a half. “I don’t know what to say except thank you. I won’t even wipe my tears because I’m proud of them and what this song has done. @thehighwomen made their debut and GIRL is the number 1 song in the country. We did it.”

 

 

Songs like “Miss Me More” and “GIRL” being the two tracks to break through the macho-made glass ceiling says something about what women listening to country music want to hear. We are over listening to songs about girls getting ready for a date with their dream man or looking to get violent revenge on their cheating ex. With lyrics like “I forgot I had dreams, I forgot I had wings / Forgot who I was before I ever kissed you / Yeah, I thought I’d miss you, but I miss me more” and “Draw your comparisons, tryin’ to find who’s lesser than / I don’t wanna wear your crown, there’s enough to go around” Ballerini and Morris who were both co-writers on these smash hits are singing about loving themselves enough to introspectively stand up for themselves and other women. Morris opens her video for “GIRL” by saying “Um, I think it just comes down to, we don’t want more than anyone else, we want the same as everyone else”.

So why this piece now, when there is a number one song each week, why are we highlighting this week in particular? Well, besides showcasing the scarcity of females on the charts, we wanted to celebrate the fact that this past week, acclaimed and Grammy-nominated songwriter, Nicolle Galyon, announced a huge partnership with Big Loud Records to head an all-female label named Songs & Daughters. Galyon herself has hit the top spots on the charts with songs like “Tequila” for Dan + Shay and “Automatic” for Miranda Lambert.

Another incredible newsworthy item for females in this genre is The Highwomen making their debut. As if Morris didn’t have enough going on, she chose to join a band with Brandi Carlile, Amanda Shires, and Natalie Hemby, record an entire album and release two of the songs this week and last. The supergroup’s name is a play on The Highwaymen which featured Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings. Their first two releases, “Redesigning Women” and “Crowded Table” are both anthems for women today, emphasizing inclusiveness and just how badass women are with lyrics like “A critical reason there’s a population / Raising our brows at a new generation / Rosie the Riveter with renovations / And always gets better with wine” and “I want a house with a crowded table / And a place by the fire for everyone / Let us take on the world while we’re young and able / And bring us back together when the day is done”. 

 

GIRL Ryan Hurd

 

If we can learn anything from “GIRL”, and the ladies in this music industry: There’s enough to go around and to continue to lift each other up, praise each other’s successes and hope that these little victories for women actually help to turn the tides in the right direction. Congratulations to Maren Morris on her number one!

For 6 rising female artists that we are loving and championing, click here.

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NYCS First Impression: Ryan Hurd Panorama EP

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Ryan Hurd Panorama

For those who have been fans of Ryan Hurd for years, the Panorama EP is an old-friend they first met years ago. For those of us who are newer fans of Hurd, the EP is a welcomed new release from one of Nashville’s most talented and prominent singer-songwriters.

Originally written and recorded in 2015 when the Michigan native was just starting to make a name for himself, the four-track collection is a celebration of Hurd as both a writer and artist. Each of the EP’s four tracks were co-written by Hurd with a variety of other Nashville heavy-hitters, including Laura Veltz, Jessie Jo Dillon, Maren Morris, and the late Andrew Dorff.

He took to Twitter just prior to the release, writing, “Two more things. Even before we were anything romantic, singing with Maren has felt like magic. This was the first thing we ever together that wasn’t demos, and to still get to do it today makes my heart very happy.” He then continued, “The second thing: I grew up with
@aaroneshuis. We started making music together when we were 14. He’s made every recording you’ve ever heard from me and this one is still our favorite.”

Although the EP was initially released four years ago, today marks it’s first wide release. It’s a four-track collection that shows the different sides of Hurd, from the wistful title track to the brooding “Mississippi to Me” and the hopeful “Good As You Think I am” to the darker “I’ll Be the Moon.”

The EP’s titular track is a simple message that everyone needs to hear once in awhile, as he reflects on a moment of tranquility with the person he loves and enjoying the moment. “Laying back on a blanket/ Looking at a blanket way up high/ Between the darkness in the distance/ And the way the whole thing shines,” Hurd sings. “Makes you feel like you see God/ Makes you feel like you’re alive/ For the first time/ Like you were my first time.”

“Mississippi to Me” is a darker cut about loss and a relationship ending, as the singer-songwriter grapples with a breaker. “You don’t want to hurt me/ But you ain’t in love with me.” He reveals on the heartbreaking track. “You’re talking reasons/ but you lost me back at I’m leaving.”

There’s the introspective “Good As You Think I Am,” which was co-written by Dorff and Morris, and reflects on a man trying to live up to what the woman in his life believes he can be. Speaking to Sounds Like Nashville, Hurd revealed, “I think when you see yourself through the lens of someone else’s love it changes you. This song hits me because the melody lives up to the sentiment in the lyrics. As a love song, it’s such an overwhelming realization, trying to become the person that she sees, wanting to live up to the love you’ve been given.”

The EP concludes with the brooding “I’ll Be the Moon,” a song previously released by Dierks Bentley on his 2016 Black album that featured none other than Morris. Hurd’s version here is less produced and more stripped, fully putting the powerfully painful lyrics on full display. Here, he’s a man so in love that he’s willing to settle for being the other man. He’ll take her where can, however, conceding, “I don’t want to be your secret/ But I will if you want me to/ You can leave me in the dark/ If that’s all I get from you/ He can be the sun/ I’ll be the moon.”

In advance of the release, the Michigan native expressed his gratitude to his fans, writing, “I don’t have a much to say tonight except that sometimes life is all about timing. If you’ve been here since the beginning or if it’s brand new to you, thank you for listening to Panorama tonight.”

Earlier this year, Hurd sold out New York City’s Bowery Ballroom, and he spoke to NYCountry Swag a few weeks ago at the Taste of Country Festival at Hunter Mountain. While no local shows are currently announced, Hurd will be joining Old Dominion’s Make It Sweet Tour for much of the rest of 2019.

To see tour dates and more, visit his official website or follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Panorama EP is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released music here on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

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Maren Morris Releases Three Reimagined Tracks On Apple Music

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Maren Morris Apple Music

Grammy, CMA, ACM and Billboard award winner Maren Morris has established herself as an incredible artist, performer and vocalist over the course of her career thus far. She is now taking it one step further and reimagining three of her newest tracks in one-take, no track, stripped-down acoustic versions.

Exclusively featured on Apple Music, the EP consists of “GIRL,” “The Bones” and “The Middle.” Accompanying the EP is a special short film, taking fans behind the scenes in the studio as the songstress breaks down her creative process and the stories behind her original lyrics in “GIRL” and “The Bones,” as well as her choice to take on “The Middle” with hit-making DJ and producer, Zedd.

Morris collaborated with Nashville producer Dave Cobb on the entire project. By watching the short film, viewers will perceive the authenticity of their combined musical talents. “I just feel like Dave is such a creative entity in the room,” shares Morris in a press release, “Dave you know, his production is so–rootsy and very soulful and Americana and he just understands that sound so intensely. I love the way it turned out.”  Morris’ passion for storytelling was made evident throughout the length of the short film. Fans can take a sneak peek of the film here.

“GIRL” was sparked by a conversation the songstress had with a friend but later realizing she was writing the song to herself. “We all live in this really bizarre but connected in this Instagram social media culture where all we’re doing is just looking at other people’s lives’ highlight reels that are not reality and comparing what we are doing to someone else’s day in the life [..] and so I think a song kind of addressing that mental state felt really cathartic and then by the end of GIRL, it’s talking about everything’s gonna be alright.”

Speaking about her family and friend’s most favorite track from her sophomore record, Morris shared, “The Bones is about the structure of a relationship remaining steadfast, even through the worst fight or worst tragedy [..] the house don’t fall if the bones are good.”

Discussing her decision to take on the lead vocalist role for the award-winning smash hit collaboration “The Middle,” “When I first heard The Middle, I was really struck by the bareness of the song itself, there was not a ton of track or music happening [..] I kinda took it as this is about a really passionate, tumultuous, contentious relationship where there’s this desperation to see eye to eye with someone else,” Morris shares, “I think that the legs that that song stands on are the vocals and I miss that about pop music, where it’s not all just tracks and overproduction, it’s just who’s singing their ass off right now.” The raw route Morris embarked on for this project accentuates her incredible vocals and undeniable pure talent.

GIRL is still the #1 day one and week one female country album worldwide on Apple Music and holds the record for the top pre-added country album globally by a female artist to date on Apple Music.

Morris’ list of accolades will potentially expand next week as she is currently nominated for three CMT Awards; Video of the Year, Female Video of the Year and CMT Performance of the Year. The powerhouse vocalist will also be a performer on what is sure to be an incredible night of country music. Be sure to tune into the CMT Awards this Wednesday, June 5th airing live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville at 8/7c.

To watch the full length behind the scenes video, click here. Subscribe to Apple Music to hear the three reimagined tracks.

To keep up with Morris, follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Subscribe to our Weekly Round-Up here 
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