Month: July 2023

Carly Pearce will perform the National Anthem at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix NTT INDYCAR Series race on Sunday, August 6. Pearce will perform her rendition of the National Anthem LIVE at 11:11am CST prior to the race, which starts at 11:30am CST and airing on NBC.

The announcement comes shortly after Pearce recently released her new single “We Don’t Fight Anymore” featuring Chris Stapleton, and written by Pearce alongside frequent collaborator Shane McAnally and Pete Good. Said Pearce of the song: “This song embodies a place that I think, if we are honest with ourselves, we’ve all felt at some point in a relationship. The distance that feels heartbreaking, yet you’re also indifferent. I’ve always been a writer who never wanted to shy away from the ‘uncomfortable’ moments in all of our lives, and this song feels too important not to share. Having Chris Stapleton join me on this song was a dream come true and he unlocked an element to the story that I didn’t even know it needed.” “We Don’t Fight Anymore” is also Pearce’s first new music since her third studio album 29: Written In Stone. 

The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix is a three-day motorsports festival weekend taking place from August 4-6. All single-day tickets include free admission to the concert on the coinciding day which include performances by Brian Kelley, Chris Janson, Vince Neil, Gavin DeGraw on Friday night, Flo Rida on Saturday, and Jay DeMarcus, Jason Crabb and others on Sunday.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Chris Stapleton has announced his fifth solo album, “Higher,” set for release on Nov. 10, 2023. In addition, Stapleton has dropped “White Horse,” the debut single from the album written by Stapleton and Dan Wilson.

Higher is comprised of 14-tracks and follows Stapleton’s Grammy-winning and country chart-topping 2020 LP “Starting Over,” which included two No. 1 singles — the title track, and “You Should Probably Leave.” The album features Stapleton working with star producer Dave Cobb and his wife Morgane, along with J.T. Cure (bass), Paul Franklin (pedal steel), Derek Mixon (drums) and Lee Pardini (organ, piano).

Stapleton has a few more shows on the road serving as opening act for George Strait’s stadium tour, including two back-to-back concerts in Nashville. Stapleton said of touring with Strait: “I love doing these shows with George about as much as I like doing anything. There’s nothing to compare it to. So many of his songs are in the ethos of what country music is. Playing these shows together is a great experience all the way around.”

Take a listen to ‘White Horse’ via YouTube – here.
To pre-order/pre-save ‘Higher’, head here.

For more information on Stapleton’s forthcoming album and his touring schedule, visit www.chrisstapleton.com.

Chris Stapleton Releases “White Horse,” The Lead Single From Forthcoming ‘Higher’ Album

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

Alana Springsteen has teamed up with Chris Stapleton for the track “ghost in my guitar,” featured on the second installment of Springsteen’s three-part debut album TWENTY SOMETHING: Figuring It Out. Stapleton is featured on guitar in Springsteen’s newest single.

Alana said in an Instagram post: “this song is about the things that haunt us… people who’s memory we can’t seem to shake no matter how hard we try. this duet needed to allude to the person who once was, which is why it couldn’t be a vocal. i had this insanely specific tone in my head for it and ended up seeing chris play his fender jazzmaster live for the first time right around the time i was cutting this song. i knew immediately that it had to be him. there was never a back up plan if he said no. thankfully chris is the kind of artist and musician who believes in the integrity of a song over anything else and i’m forever grateful that he liked this one enough to lend his iconic talent to it. …he asked what i had in mind and all i said was ‘think about what you would do with your voice and do it with your guitar instead’. he did.. and then some.”

Springsteen added: “One of the highlights of Figuring It Out is my collaboration with Chris Stapleton. This song is intentionally not a traditional vocal duet. I wanted it to be a duet between me and a lead guitar, so the guitar feature was crucial to this song. It represents the lingering presence of something (in my case, someone) who’s gone but also very much not. Every time I think I’ve written my way past the hurt, I’m reminded that I have a long way to go. The guitar had to be just as emotionally charged as a vocal would have been to hint at those lingering feelings and memories that just won’t let me be, and Chris’ signature guitar tone was the only one I ever heard on it in my head. I’m so grateful to him for liking this song enough to lend his insane talent to it. I’m honored to have him on this project.”

Check out the video for “ghost in my guitar” – here.
To stream Part One/Part Two of Alana’s debut album ‘TWENTY SOMETHING: Figuring It Out,‘ head here.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Kelsea Ballerini announced that she’s hosting three nights of screenings and intimate conversations about her short film, Under the Welcome Mat, based on the EP of the same name. In the wake of her split from ex-husband Morgan Evans, Ballerini released Under the Welcome Mat on Valentine’s Day in 2023, along with the accompanying short film.

Ballerini will make stops in Los Angeles, Nashville and New York this August, where fans can watch a screening of the film, followed by a conversation with the singer. She’ll appear in Los Angeles on August 1, followed by stops in Nashville on August 8 and New York on August 10.

Ballerini says in a press release: “Sometimes I write songs to figure out where I am, how I feel. I write to honor my feelings and get them out because that’s the purest way I know how. The purpose of this EP and short film was to release those very naked, honest feelings in hopes anyone feeling similar highs and lows would have a few songs to feel not alone to … Every step of this Rolling Up The Welcome Mat chapter has been a new experience, which you helped make feel not scary by being alongside me every step. Now, I need to move on now – and maybe you do, too – but before we do, these three events are all about being in one space, together, sharing all of it. I want to bring you deeper into how it all came to be and why you’re such an important piece of all of this. I want to say ‘thank you’ so, if you’re in Los Angeles, New York, or Nashville, please come join me.”

Tickets for the three events, titled “Under The Welcome Mat: Exclusive Rolling Up The Welcome Mat Short Film Screening & Conversation with Kelsea Ballerini,” are available at kelseaballerini.com.

Editorial credit: Ron Adar / Shutterstock.com