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Kelsea Ballerini

Kelsea Ballerini

Photo: John Shearer/WireImage.com

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Inside The State Of Country Music kelsea-ballerini-florida-georgia-line-kane-brown-more-surveying-country-landscape

Kelsea Ballerini, Florida Georgia Line, Kane Brown & More: Surveying The Country Landscape

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From genre-crossing mavericks to authentic songwriters and trendsetting artists, the current diversity within country music is paving the genre's way forward
Sarah Skates
GRAMMYs
Apr 26, 2018 - 8:01 am

Music lovers venturing to this weekend's 2018 Stagecoach Festival in Indio, Calif., will experience first-hand the diversity in sound and style of today's country music. With 50-plus artists set to perform on three stages, the event is a microcosm of the country landscape at large.

Headliners include the genre-crossing duo Florida Georgia Line, GRAMMY-winning guitar slinger Keith Urban and neo-traditional icon Garth Brooks with wife Trisha Yearwood. For the performers, the lineup's variety is not only welcome but refreshing.

"It's a cool time to be creating and it's a cool time to be country," says Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line, who are featured on Bebe Rexha's recent pop mega-hit "Meant To Be." "The whole weekend at Stagecoach is about bringing the country community together — all the different avenues and subgenres. People come to country music with so many different influences, and then end up with their own style, and that's to be celebrated."

Breakout star Kelsea Ballerini joined her idol Shania Twain to perform a song at last year's Stagecoach, and she is returning Friday night to play her own set on the main stage. According to the Tennessee native, the festival reflects the current sounds coming out of country airwaves.

For The Record: 'From A Room: Volume 1'

"You can turn on the radio and hear Chris Stapleton, who's really soul country, or Little Big Town, which is very folk country, or someone like me or Sam Hunt who is very pop country, as well as the greats who will always be on the radio and hold it down," says Ballerini, a former Best New Artist GRAMMY nominee. "If anything, having more influences in country music draws more ears to it, and maybe people who didn't think they liked it will hear a Chris Stapleton or Sam Hunt song, and fall in love with country music because they didn’t know exactly what it was.

"Having a festival like Stagecoach that highlights every bit of it is really important, because that's truly where country music is right now. There's something for everyone, you just have to show up and listen."

Ballerini is one of four women scheduled to perform on the festival's main stage, along with several others playing the two smaller stages. While she has notched five No. 1 country singles in recent years, other women have struggled at country radio — and it isn't due to lack of talent.

 

"There is a disconnect between the women receiving radio airplay and the women receiving awards and critical praise," says Beverly Keel, chair of the department of recording industry at Middle Tennessee State University and co-founder of Change The Conversation, an organization founded to support women in music. "Miranda Lambert won five Academy of Country Music Album of the Year awards in the last decade. Her last album (The Weight Of These Wings) went platinum without a Top 10 hit. Kacey Musgraves has won GRAMMYs and all sorts of awards and doesn't get a lot of radio airplay."

Adding further proof, Keel cites Billboard's 2017 year-end Hot Country Songs list, which included no solo females in the Top 10, only one in the Top 20 (newcomer Carly Pearce, also a Stagecoach performer), and seven in the Top 100.

Ken Robold, executive VP/COO of Sony Music Nashville, says trendsetting women such as Lambert and Maren Morris are "vital" to not only his company but to country's current scene.

"They are both brilliant writers," says Robold, who serves on the Recording Academy Nashville Chapter Board. "They write different kinds of songs, but both have a really meaningful impact on the genre. Miranda made this amazing record, The Weight Of These Wings, which is so pure country. She's a traditionalist but at the same time can rock.

Maren Morris Wins Best Country Solo Performance

"Maren, along with Kelsea Ballerini, is the most influential female since Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert. When we first heard Maren's music we were blown away, it was so different than anything else out there. It was so commercially accessible in terms of different genre
influences. You have a song like 'My Church,' that's straight-up country. Then you have her current song with Zedd, 'The Middle,' which is No. 1 for the third week in a row at Top 40. It has opened her up to a whole new audience. She will remain rooted in country but wants to have flexibility."

Just as Lambert and Morris bring their own brands of country, so does their labelmate Kane Brown, a newcomer who will perform at Stagecoach on Sunday.

"There are a lot of influences that made their way onto his record, but he's truly a country artist," says Robold. "Country music has been his passion since he was a kid. His career growth has been amazing to watch. Once he got that first success at country radio with 'What Ifs' it exploded, and now we're looking at maybe crossing current single 'Heaven' over to other genres."

"There's something for everyone, you just have to show up and listen." — Kelsea Ballerini

Multi-GRAMMY-nominated producer/engineer Jeff Balding, who has been watching trends in country music for decades, sees today's country music as bringing "something new with a different twist to the surface."

"I see a lot of pop, R&B and even some '90s influences in today's country," says Balding, a Nashville Chapter Trustee. "I'm fascinated with what comes in and how it comes in. With Nashville growing as a music community in the past several years, people who moved here have brought some pop influences to the way songs are written. Those influences on the ground floor are the reason things change and other genres get blended within country. Everybody feeds off really great music, we digest it and it inspires us."

"Today's consumers just like to be entertained with great music, great songs, great lyrics," he continues. "They don't have to compartmentalize it. I think we are going to continue to see more of the genre-crossing, thanks to the openness of the listener."

While country radio is still the driving factor in launching careers in country music, streaming services continue to rise in prominence, providing an ever-growing outlet. Stagecoach artists and multi-GRAMMY winners Jason Isbell and Stapleton initially connected with fans outside of terrestrial radio, a trend that will likely continue.

"Jason Isbell fits in with the truth-telling social-commenting songwriters of the '70s," says Keel, also a Recording Academy Nashville Chapter Board member. "He's doing what our songwriters should be doing. Only the industry uses the specific categories; to the listener, it's American roots music. It's got a country feel to it. That's a good thing about the world now — we're not just defined by industry gatekeepers. Where 10 years ago someone like Jason Isbell would have been left out [of Stagecoach], today they are included because their music is exposed to the masses via other means.

"Chris Stapleton was not embraced by radio early on, yet his talent was so immense it couldn’t be denied. There was this groundswell and radio was forced to get on the bandwagon after he swept the Country Music Association Awards and made the best album of the year. I'm glad to see this music festival showcasing the different styles coming out of Nashville, because that is some of the best music being made."

Despite the diversity in talent, new methods of discovery and ample genre-hopping, there's one consistent core element that will continue to bind country music's future.

"We're songwriters at heart, and we're artists," says Kelley. "We love spending the day in the writers' room or a studio because you never know what can happen and what seeds can be planted. ... It's a special time in country, because you feel like you can push the boundaries but good songs are always going to win."

Catching Up On Music News Powered By The Recording Academy Just Got Easier. Have A Google Home Device? "Talk To GRAMMYs"

(Sarah Skates lives in Nashville, Tenn., and has been writing about country music for 14 years. Her career started at MusicRow magazine, where she remains a regular contributor, as well as writing for ACM Tempo and GRAMMY.com.)

Pistol Annies

Pistol Annies

Photo: Frederick Breedon IV/WireImage

News
Dan + Shay, Pistol Annies In 2019 CMA Fest Lineup dan-shay-pistol-annies-and-more-2019-cma-fest-lineup

Dan + Shay, Pistol Annies And More In 2019 CMA Fest Lineup

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GRAMMY winners include Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Tim McGraw, Maren Morris, Carrie Underwood, and Keith Urban
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Mar 5, 2019 - 12:34 pm

61st GRAMMY Awards winners Dan + Shay and Pistol Annies are among the artists heading for Nashville on June 6–9 for 2019 CMA Fest. The array of emerging talent on the Budweiser Forever Country stage and Chevy Riverfront Stage demonstrate country's vitality. Nissan Stadium hosts better-known acts including GRAMMY winners Miranda Lambert (also in Pistol Annies), Little Big Town, Tim McGraw, Maren Morris, Carrie Underwood, and Keith Urban.

Previously nominated artists coming to Nissan Stadium include Ashley Monroe, who performs in Pistol Annies with Lambert and Angaleena Presley, as well as Kelsea Ballerini, Brothers Osborne, Dierks Bentley, Luke Combs, Florida Georgia Line, Rascal Flatts, and Thomas Rhett. Also appearing are Kane Brown, Luke Bryan and Old Dominion.

https://twitter.com/CountryMusic/status/1102732815802748928

The first #CMAfest lineups are HERE! 🎵 ALL of these amazing artists are donating their time to perform at CMA Fest in support of the @CMAFoundation and their mission to shape the next generation through high quality music education! https://t.co/BoTaUsTCrU pic.twitter.com/RAxARM1IQh

— CMA Country Music (@CountryMusic) March 5, 2019

The Country Music Association's CMA Foundation and its supported music programs benefit from ticket sales, available at the CMA Fest website. Some four-day passes to Nissan Stadium are still available.

Country Radio Plays Soar For Kacey Musgraves After GRAMMY Wins

Dan And Shay photographed in 2018

Dan + Shay

Poll
What's Your Favorite 2018 Country Song (So Far)? dan-shay-kenny-chesney-carrie-underwood-favorite-new-country-song-2018

Dan + Shay, Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood: Favorite New Country Song Of 2018?

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2018 has also seen new tunes from Keith Urban, Kacey Musgraves, Sugarland, and Jason Aldean — which is your favorite?
Tim McPhate
GRAMMYs
Apr 27, 2018 - 2:41 pm

What's hot in country music? Well, for starters, the 2018 Stagecoach Festival, which will hit Indio, Calif., this weekend and feature more than 50 performers from Kelsea Ballerini and Carly Pearce to Florida Georgia Line and Keith Urban.

Polls

What's your favorite new country single released so far in 2018?

Speaking of Urban, he's one of the country artists who has dropped some hot new tuneage in 2018. Featured on his new album, Graffiti U, his latest single is a collaboration with "Issues" singer/songwriter Julia Michaels, "Coming Home," which meshes a modern country-pop sound with a revamp of Merle Haggard's classic "Mama Tried" guitar riff.

Meanwhile, Carrie Underwood, Urban's "The Fighter" duet partner, returned to the fold with "Cry Pretty," an uplifting confessional that is all about "when emotions take over and you just can't hold them back." Who's also returning? Sugarland are set to release Bigger, their first album in eight years, which has been preceded by their sweet single with Taylor Swift, "Babe."

Jason Aldean sings it simple and true on "You Make It Easy," a single from his forthcoming Rearview Town LP. Fresh face Abby Anderson dropped her debut single, "Make Him Wait," a song based on dating advice the native Texan received from her father. Brothers Osborne could have used some of that advice — their latest 2018 hit, the six-minute-plus "Shoot Me Straight," is a cocktail mixing a "hard hangover and one hell of a heartache."

A tribute to his wife, Dierks Bentley described "Woman, Amen" as one of the "more personal" songs of his successful career. On the other side of love, the hazy memory of a relationship gone wrong is the theme behind Dan + Shay's bittersweet "Tequila." Maddie & Tae's power ballad "Friends Don't" offers the first taste of their sophomore album and the latest proof of the duo's positive chemistry.

"Get Along" finds Kenny Chesney in a peaceful, optimistic frame of mind as he prepares for his upcoming Trip Around The Sun tour. Proving she's still a believer in the notion of "Follow Your Arrow," Kacey Musgraves has ridden in her Golden Hour album with "High Horse," a song unapologetically fusing country twang with disco flourishes.

Of course, this highlighted playlist is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg as far as new country songs. But we want to know: Which of these new country singles released so far this year is your favorite? Cast your vote!

Catching Up On Music News Powered By The Recording Academy Just Got Easier. Have A Google Home Device? "Talk To GRAMMYs"

Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban perform at the 59th GRAMMY Awards

Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban

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Watch GRAMMY Country Performances On Apple Music apple-music-watch-classic-grammy-country-performances

Apple Music: Watch Classic GRAMMY Country Performances

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From Shania Twain, Faith Hill and the Dixie Chicks to Charlie Daniels Band, Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood, kick the tires on Apple Music's video collection of GRAMMY country performances
Tim McPhate
GRAMMYs
Jan 5, 2018 - 10:34 am

The heartbeat of country music at the GRAMMYs can be traced back to the beginning when the inaugural Best Country & Western Performance category was awarded to the Kingston Trio for "Tom Dooley" at the 1st GRAMMY Awards.

In the years to follow, legends such as Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, and Hank Williams Sr., among others, would earn the coveted GRAMMY. Meanwhile, Music's Biggest Night would go on to host some of the most electrifying country performances in live television history, a journey you can now trace as part of the Recording Academy and Apple Music's exclusive commemorative video collection in celebration of the GRAMMY Awards' 60th anniversary.

Charlie Daniels Band turn in a fiery performance of "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" at the 22nd GRAMMY Awards. Mary Chapin Carpenter two-steps with BeauSoleil on "Down At The Twist & Shout" at the 34th GRAMMYs. Tim McGraw goes deep with "Live Like You Were Dying" at the 47th GRAMMYs. And Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood stand toe-to-toe for "The Fighter" at the 59th GRAMMYs.

Additionally, watch two top-shelf performances by top GRAMMY winner Vince Gill: "Pocket Full Of Gold" at the 34th GRAMMYs and "Pretty Little Adriana" at the 40th GRAMMY Awards.

There's also a trio of performances from arguably the most successful female trio in country music history: the Dixie Chicks. See Natalie Maines, Marty Maguire and Emily Robison harmonize on "Landslide" and "Goodbye Earl" at the 42nd telecast and then watch them thumb their collective noses at the establishment during "Not Ready To Make Nice" at the 49th GRAMMYs.

Finally, the country collection features Shania Twain's stage-commanding run-through of "Man I Feel Like A Woman" at the 41st GRAMMYs; Faith Hill's sultry "Breathe" at the 43rd GRAMMYs, Miranda Lambert's moving "The House That Built Me" at the 53rd GRAMMY Awards, Underwood's cautionary tale,  "Before He Cheats," at the 50th GRAMMYs, and the Civil Wars' lone GRAMMY performance, "Barton Hollow," at the 54th telecast.

All of these performances and more are available now, only on Apple Music. Watch now at Applemusic.com/GRAMMYs.

The 60th GRAMMY Awards will take place at New York City's Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018. The telecast will be broadcast live on CBS at 7:30–11 p.m. ET/4:30–8 p.m. PT. 

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60th GRAMMY Awards Country Field Nominees

(l-r) Brothers Osborne, Alison Krauss, Zac Brown, Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Chris Stapleton

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7 Facts About The 2018 GRAMMY Country Nominees 2018-grammys-7-facts-about-country-field-nominees

2018 GRAMMYs: 7 Facts About The Country Field Nominees

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From Alison Krauss to Zac Brown, learn more about the Country Field nominees for the 60th GRAMMY Awards
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Dec 6, 2017 - 1:30 pm

The country genre and Music's Biggest Night go all the way back to the 1st GRAMMY Awards, when the Kingston Trio won Best Country & Western Performance for "Tom Dooley."

Best Country Album Nominees | 60th GRAMMY Awards

At the 7th GRAMMY Awards, the Country Field expanded category into six categories, including Best Country Album and Best Country Song, which continue to this day, along with Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Duo/Group Performance.

With a history including GRAMMY winners such as Glen Campbell, Rodney Crowell, Larry Gatlin, Vince Gill, Alan Jackson, Naomi Judd, Kris Kristofferson, Kacey Musgraves, Willie Nelson, K.T. Oslin, Dolly Parton, Marty Robbins, Taylor Swift, and Shania Twain, among others, the Country Field has carried an esteemed legacy as long as the genre itself, which continues with the 60th GRAMMY Awards.

Learn more about this year's Country Field with seven interesting touchpoints about the nominees.

1. Chris Stapleton, Kenny Chesney Come Full Circle

The trajectory of this year's triple nominee Chris Stapleton proceeded from Kentucky coal roots to Nashville's Music Row where he shot a song up the charts in 2007 as a co-writer on Kenny Chesney's "Never Wanted Nothing More."

Flash forward 10 years, and the duo have each earned their own GRAMMY nomination in the same category. Both Stapleton and Chesney are up for Best Country Album — Stapleton for his From A Room: Volume 1 and Chesney for Cosmic Hallelujah.

2. Double Nominations For Songwriters Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne

The theme is "two" when it comes to Midland's "Drinkin' Problem" and Sam Hunt's "Body Like A Back Road." Both have Best Country Song nominations.

Behind the scenes, "two" singer/songwriter masters of country are among the co-writers for each hit tune: Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, both with previous GRAMMY wins. As a result, they'll be competing head-to-head against themselves in the category.

3. Taylor Swift, Little Big Town And An Email

Little Big Town are nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for their hit "Better Man," and the album it sprang from, The Breaker, is up for Best Country Album. "Better Man" is in the running for Best Country Song as well, which notches a Country Field nomination for its songwriter, Taylor Swift.

The band told Billboard that as they were finishing their album in the studio, an email from Swift arrived with "Better Man" attached and the message: "I love this song. It means a lot to me. What do you think?" The rest is history.

Polls

Who will GRAMMY voters choose for Best Country Solo Performance for the 60th GRAMMYs?

4. How Kenny Chesney Inspired Miranda Lambert

"This song sort of wrote itself," Miranda Lambert told The Tennessean about her song "Tin Man." "I felt the same emotion I feel when I hear that song … and the other two co-writers were feeling it as well."

Miranda Lambert Wins Best Country Album

"That song" would be fellow Country Field nominee Kenny Chesney's "The Tin Man" from his 1994 album, In My Wildest Dreams, which Lambert said was her favorite of his many hits. Along with co-writers Jack Ingram and Jon Randall, Lambert put her own spin on her tune, which earned a nomination for Best Country Song for "Tin Man." Lambert is also nominated for "Tin Man" for Best Country Solo Performance.

5. Alison Krauss: Closer To GRAMMY History?

Listeners appreciate why recordings featuring Alison Krauss singing and playing violin have won 27 GRAMMY Awards.

A top GRAMMY winner of all time, Krauss and Quincy Jones (tied with her at 27) are topped only by classical music conductor Georg Solti with 31 GRAMMYs.

Krauss' "Losing You" is nominated for Best Country Solo Performance this year, giving her a chance to move up the list of top GRAMMY winners. (She is also nominated for Best American Roots Performance.)

6. Thomas Rhett, Maren Morris Team  For "Craving You"

Thomas Rhett's Life Changes is nominated for Best Country Album and features Maren Morris on its first track, "Craving You." The video is a vigilante featurette with the pair blasting and punching their way through what Rolling Stone thought was essentially a version of the game "Grand Theft Auto."

Maren Morris Wins Best Country Solo Performance

The GRAMMY Camp alumni Morris is also up for Best Country Solo Performance for "I Could Use A Love Song." A win would mark her second consecutive in the category.

7. Brothers Osborne's Third Pawn Shop Nomination

Brothers Osborne —  T.J. and John Osborne — have been riding their gritty brand of country crossover into a trio of Best Country Duo/Group Performance GRAMMY nominations.

Brothers Osborne's first nomination was for "Stay A Little Longer," which preceded their 2016 album, Pawn Shop, as a single. The following year, at the 59th GRAMMY Awards, the single "21 Summer" was nominated.

This year, the last track on the album was released as a single and received a 60th GRAMMY nomination, marking their third in a row in the category.

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These 15 Artists Are First-Time GRAMMY Nominees

Khalid
Khalid
Photo: Justin Lloyd/Newspix/Getty Images

Uber Partners With Best New Artist Nominees

Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus
Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
MusiCares

Performers Added To 2018 Person Of The Year Show

Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl performs at the 54th GRAMMYs
Dave Grohl
Photo: John Shearer/WireImage.com

Watch GRAMMY Rock Performances On Apple Music

Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Photo: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Meet The GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Class Of 2018

Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Photo: Bill Marino/Sygma

Class Of 2018 Special Merit Awards Recipients

Kendrick Lamar performs at the 58th GRAMMY Awards
Kendrick Lamar
Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Watch GRAMMY Rap Performances On Apple Music

John Legend
John Legend

Watch GRAMMY R&B Performances On Apple Music

Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Photo: Thierry Orban/Sygma/Getty Images

Watch GRAMMY Jazz Performances On Apple Music

Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban perform at the 59th GRAMMY Awards
Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban

Watch GRAMMY Country Performances On Apple Music

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Mary Lambert, Madonna, Queen Latifah
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Mary Lambert, Madonna, and Queen Latifah perform at the 56th GRAMMY Awards

Watch GRAMMY Pop Performances On Apple Music

Whitney Houston performs at the 29th GRAMMYs
Whitney Houston, 29th GRAMMY Awards

GRAMMY Performances Available Via Apple Music

'2018 GRAMMY Nominees' album

'2018 GRAMMY Nominees' Album: Buy Your Copy

The 60th GRAMMY Awards will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York on Jan. 28, 2018, airing live on CBS from 7:30–11 p.m. ET/4:30–8 p.m. PT.

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Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy lies with the story's original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy.