“Married Alone” releases January 27 with Childhood Friend and
CMT “Listen Up” 2023 Artist, Cody Belew

While many artists like Lee Brice have their own lanes – “nobody in Nashville writes better love songs right now than Brice” (USA Today) – it’s clear Hannah Blaylock is paving her own road as a master at songs of heartbreak. With tracks recorded by Reba McEntire (“Stronger than the Truth” was the title track to McEntire’s GRAMMY-nominated album), and “Married Alone,” cut by Sunny Sweeney and Vince Gill for Sweeney’s eponymous album (which rose to #2 on the Americana charts), Blaylock now takes the mic on her version of “Married Alone.”

On the song, co-written with Autumn McEntire and Josh Morningstar in 2019, Blaylock is joined by Cody Belew — one of CMT’s Listen Up Class of 2023, who Robert K. Oermann (MusicRow Magazine) calls “a for-real singer, for sure.”

“I tend to love writing good ol’ sad country songs and this is one of my recent favorites,” says Blaylock. “Cody and I recorded this over the pandemic lockdown in different locations, yet it’s one of the most intimate duets I’ve recorded, probably because Cody and I have known each other since 9th grade – he just gets me. Of all the voices I could have had on this song, I love that it’s his.”

“I owe a lot of credit to our producer Skylar Wilson who coordinated every instrument and masterminded all the puzzle pieces together,” she adds. “It’s one of those works that represents a time in history we will never forget and will be telling our children’s children about; when the world stopped.”

Belew says, “If you ever get the chance to sing with Hannah Blaylock, take it. She’s truly as good as it gets. Pair that with a song she wrote with one of Nashville’s finest songwriters, Autumn McEntire, and suddenly I’m pinching myself. Is this even real?! I don’t know Josh Morningstar, the third writer on ‘Married Alone,’ but what I do know is that he helped write a timeless country song. In my opinion, it’s one of the best examples of country music that I’ve heard in a long, long time.”

About Hannah Blaylock: 
Hannah Blaylock is an award-winning Country and Americana singer/songwriter. She released her first solo LP Bandit Queen, in Austin, TX with award-winning producer Martin Strayer and The Chicks in 2017. Her most recent release, The Fall EP, is the first half of an LP she will be putting out throughout 2023. She recorded the works with longtime friends and co-creators Autumn Mcentire and Jared Conrad. She has an extensive touring career making 20+ appearances on The Grand Ole Opry and has embarked on four major national country music tours, opening for artists including Little Big Town, Blake Shelton, Reba McEntire, Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley and Rascal Flatts, and has shared the stage with artists like Ricky Skaggs and Alison Krauss. As a songwriter, she has had cuts such as Reba McEntire and Sunny Sweeney, and a top 20 charted single “Amen,” which she sang and performed in her former band, Edens Edge.

About Cody Belew:
Born and raised in rural Arkansas, singer/songwriter Cody Belew spent his childhood fishing, building forts, riding horses, and catching lightning bugs in mason jars. His love of the South is in his blood, and his music reflects the gritty, soulful textures that separate him from the rest of the pack in today’s country landscape. While Cody reminisces about the smells of hot biscuits on his mama’s stove, the sounds of crickets and bullfrogs in the fields, and the rough textures of lumber he worked on with his dad in the family barn, the thing he says speaks to him most is the one-room church in his hometown of Beebe, Arkansas, where he learned to sing when he was just a toddler.

Pursuing a music degree, Cody eventually moved to Nashville, where he made ends meet working with fashion, furniture restoration, and music. It wasn’t long before his vocal and songwriting talents were recognized, earning him an appearance on NBC’s The Voice.

After finishing The Voice as a Top 8 finalist, Cody was asked to open for Delta Rae, Florida Georgia Line, Rascal Flatts, and more, and started writing with GRAMMY Award-winning Deana Carter and Mike Reid, ACM Award winner Tia Sellers, and ascending recording artists like Hailey Whitters, Rick Brantley, and Waylon Payne.

Assembling a mix of candid originals and well-loved classics by artists who inspired him, Cody released his debut EP (the self-titled Cody Belew via Visionary Media Group) on March 18, 2022, and has a new album in the works for 2023.

The Chief to Headline Amphitheaters This Summer With Curated Lineup of 18 Special Guests

 It’s a rite of passage for any music fan, seeing “The Chief” live in concert. Known for his marathon sets, the 2022 Billboard Music Awards’ Top Country Tour honoree Eric Church brings his critically acclaimed live show to new audiences in new ways this year, headlining outdoor venues throughout the summer with The Outsiders Revival Tour. Joining the man praised by POLLSTAR for “having already long established himself as one of the most successful touring country artists” across varying dates are Whiskey Myers, Cody Jinks, Jelly Roll, Ashley McBryde, Koe Wetzel, Lainey Wilson, Midland, Parker McCollum, Travis Tritt, Elle King and Paul Cauthen, plus Jackson Dean, Morgan Wade, Muscadine Bloodline, Shane Smith & The Saints, Hailey Whitters, Ray Wylie Hubbard and The Red Clay Strays.

“When I approach touring, I’m always inspired by a new experience, a new way to gather, to express ourselves sonically and visually. Whether it’s solo, in the round, double down; being able to bring a different perspective has always brought out our best creatively,” shared Church. “Well, we have never done an outdoor summer tour. Never headlined amphitheaters. Never brought a summer experience to your town that featured artists we want to share the summer with. Until now. See you in the season of sunshine with some fellow outsiders that shine brightest when the sun goes down.”

Kicking off June 22, the Live Nation produced tour takes the man celebrated by Forbes for “offering fans a unique experience each night while conjuring up the unpredictability that used to make concerts unforgettable” to 26 cities across the U.S. and Canada. Tickets to all dates go on sale next Friday, Jan. 20 at 10 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster.com, with presale access available to Church Choir members starting Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 10 a.m. local time.

First Album, ‘South Album’, Features New Single “Never Have I Ever” – Out Now!

Platinum-selling country artist Brett Kissel is about to unveil his biggest project to date: a four-part album project, titled The Compass Project. The first part, South Album, features 11 songs and will be released on January 27, with the remaining three being released throughout the year. South Album includes Kissel’s new single, “Never Have I Ever,” which is out now (listen to the single here and watch the lyric video here). Other songs include the fan-favorite track “Ain’t The Same,” featuring pop group 98°, and recent releases of Kissel’s, such as “Watch It” and “Our Home.” South Album is now available for pre-save here.

This week, Spotify kicked off its annual “Artist To Watch” campaign, using its various popular and influential playlist brands to highlight and amplify new artists, revealing its predictions for the next wave of music stars across various genres in 2023!

Yesterday, Most Necessary revealed its top hip-hop Artists to Watch list, and today, Hot Country, Spotify’s flagship country music playlist, is unveiling the roster of emerging stars who are primed to take the country music scene by storm and make their mark in the music industry this year.

Hot Country’s 2023 Artists To Watch, as announced on the Hot Country Instagram social handle include:

• Avery Anna, the Nashville singer-songwriter who has opened for acts like Josh Turner and Martina McBride is most known for her 2022 single “Narcissist,” featured on Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist.
• Dylan Marlowe popped on the scene with his viral remake of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Driver’s License” and lately has been making waves with his catchy breakup track “Goodbye Gets Around.”
• Ella Langley, the “Country Boy’s Dream Girl” singer is known for her unique blend of country and rock.
• ERNEST, the country artist known for his hit collaboration with Morgan Wallen, “Flower Shops,” got his start writing music for country artists including Florida Georgia Line, Sam Hunt, and Chris Lane. As a performer, he has also collaborated with Diplo.
• 49 Winchester is a Virginia-based country group known for its unique brand of tear-in-your-beer alt-country, sticky barroom floor rock-n-roll, and high-octane Appalachian folk.
• Jackson Dean, known for his old school, gritty, lyric-driven, outlaw style of Country his hit song “Don’t Come Lookin’’” was recently featured in Paramount Network’s hit series Yellowstone.
• Josh Ross, the Canadian singer-songwriter has topped the charts with his singles “First Taste of Gone” and “On a Different Night” and was nominated as a “Rising Star” at the 2022 Canadian Country Music Awards.
• Megan Moroney, known for her viral hit “Tenessee Orange,” recently released her debut EP Pistol Made of Roses.
• Restless Road is a Nashville-based country music band known for their song “Take Me Home,” a collaboration with Kane Brown inspired by John Denver’s iconic track “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” and their hit single “Growing Old With You” which they performed on Season 26 of ABC’s The Bachelor.
• Tanner Adell is bringing a fresh new vibe and sound to country music with her catchy and dance-worthy singles “Country Girl Commandments” and “Honky Tonky Heartbreak.”

Singer/songwriter Emily Ann Roberts recently sat down and opened up about her latest song, “The Building” for her fans. Released in November, “The Building” was written about Emily Ann’s home church in East Tennessee where her great-grandfather began pastoring in 1942. The video features footage from the church’s historic 100-year anniversary celebration his past October and showcases Emily Ann leading worship for its congregation along with special anecdotes from the country artist about the impact her church has played in her life.

“The first place I ever sang in front of anybody was my church. I look back on it and all of my upbringing was within those walls, but at the same time, some of the hardest days of my life were spent there too. I know that on my best days it’s there for me and on my very worst, it’s there for me too,” said Emily Ann Roberts.

Watch “The Building” official music video here: http://bit.ly/3UWm5zt Watch Behind “The Building” video here: https://youtu.be/k5CZ36ZCFjQ

About Emily Ann Roberts
They say the way to the biggest stage is practice, practice, practice. And that’s exactly what Emily Ann Roberts has done, paying her dues from tiny stages in Knoxville to the biggest stage of all, the Grand Ole Opry. Since launching her career, Roberts has now played the coveted Opry stage 16 times. Before that, she made a name for herself on Blake Shelton’s team on The Voice before she’d even graduated from high school. In a way, being named as a runner-up was the biggest win of all. Because now, with all of that performing, songwriting and recording experience, Roberts has already racked up more than 19 million streams and was recently named one of Rolling Stone magazine’s Best Acts of CMA Fest.  Growing up in East Tennessee, Roberts was raised on Smoky Mountain music, bluegrass players, and country artists from every era: from Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton to Miranda Lambert and Cody Johnson. And all of that has prepared her to bring the country back to country music. Working with producer Trent Willmon means she’s collaborating with some of Nashville’s most prolific songwriters. So now, Roberts finds herself surrounded by people who are like-minded about making country music that will make its mark in the studio and on the stage. “I am passionate about entertaining. I do love singing, and songwriting has become a means to an end for me. I write so that I can take those songs and perform them, not the other way around.” With that, it’s safe to say that country music is in good hands with Roberts.