Kenny Chesney Returns 5 a.m. CDT July 12 with “Tip of My Tongue”

First Blue Chair/Warner Music Nashville Single Turns Up The Heat Early

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After the decidedly introspective Songs for the Saints, Kenny Chesney gears up for his first true Blue Chair/Warner Music Nashville project with the release of “Tip of My Tongue,” a decidedly grown up song from the man who Variety called “country music’s only long-term stadium act.” With its sweeping groove and an almost humid melody lift, “Tip of My Tongue” merges desire and connection over a figure of speech in a classic songwriting technique.

Having spent the first half of the year taking the music to the people, focusing on the markets that have not been part of his massive stadium tours, his Songs for the Saints Tour reconnected him to a whole other segment of his audience. With a short break to recalibrate his focus, the man hailed by The New York Times for music that “gives him heroic, wide-open spaces” and USA Today has cited “its whirl of dizzy romance, of love in its intoxicating inception” is at work with longtime co-producer Buddy Cannon recording what will be his first real album for his new home.

“It’s funny how a figure of speech can lead you to all kinds of places,” Chesney marvels. “You start talking, and words fall out, and anything can happen. When you go in and write on any given day, the chemistry is what it is. When the idea fell out, we all just laughed and went, ‘Well, what can we do with that?’

“I’ve written so much with Ross (Copperman), that’s always easy. He brought Ed (Sheeran) in, and he is such a great writer… The way creativity works in creative people is so different, but it’s always exciting. As a co-write with a new writer, it’s one of the most fun sessions I’ve done in a long time. I get why people love working with him.”

For Chesney, signed to a publishing deal with Acuff Rose before Phil Walden put him on the relaunched Capricorn, songs have always been his strongest currency. Whether “The Tin Man,” an early hit from his very first album, the surging “Beer In Mexico,” “Out Last Night” and “Keg In The Closet” which musically time-stamps moments of pure joy, the explosive protest “Noise,” reflective “I Go Back” or Rascal Flatt’s No. 1 “Take Me There,” as well as the female-empowering “Wild Child,” his writing maintains a standard and presses what a country song can be.

“With all the great songs that have been written in this town, I think you always want to do something a little different,” Chesney explains. “I think there’s this moment when you look at someone and you know they contain everything. You want to know everything, consume everything about them. It’s why we say ‘It’s a long way down,’ because you want to know it all. And the best part: we got a melody that feels like what’s going on lyrically. The music matches the words, and you can just drift in it.”

From a quiet, almost watery open, “Tip of My Tongue” builds to a full-bodied chorus with layered vocals, muted bass, keyboards and a rhythm track that balances the tension of the quiet vocal-forward verses. Like tides rising and falling, a consuming back and forth to the track, which turns on the tumbling profession “It’s a long way down,” before finding the contrasting attraction of “I love you salt and sugar…”

“Tip of My Tongue” arrives July 12, 5 a.m. CDT. For a man who’s broken ground with “American Kids,” “Setting The World On Fire,” “Noise,” “Save It For A Rainy Day” and “Get Along,” look for a whole new dimension from the man with a record-setting 30 Billboard Country No. 1s.

DIERKS BENTLEY AND LIVE NATION’S SEVEN PEAKS MUSIC FESTIVAL PLANS ECLECTIC SECOND STAGE LINEUP SHOWCASING THE BEST IN EMERGING TALENT IN COUNTRY, BLUEGRASS AND AMERICANA MUSIC

Nashville, TN – June 27, 2019 – Multi-PLATINUM entertainer Dierks Bentley and the world’s leading live entertainment company Live Nation revealed the Whiskey Row Stage lineup today, offering a stacked list of hand-curated artists ahead of the second-annual Seven Peaks Music Festival. The stage, which has already grown a reputation for providing “an eclectic mix of contemporary country artists and Bentley’s bluegrass heroes,” (Rolling Stone) will host artists Clare Dunn, HARDY, Lauren Jenkins, Larkin Poe, Kendell Marvel, Rapidgrass, Teddy Robb, Seaforth, Chris Shiflett and Rita Wilson.

Recently spotlighted by Esquire as one of ten “Can’t-Miss” all-genre festivals, Seven Peaks Music Festival “does it all: offers a stunning location for shows, pairs it with a killer lineup… and slathers on the extracurriculars” with passes for the Labor Day weekend event (Aug 30-Sep 1) taking place in Buena Vista, CO on sale now at sevenpeaksfestival.com.

In addition to the Whiskey Row stage, the previously announced main stage lineup is made up of some of country music’s hottest and most diverse, including Bentley, Luke Bryan, Maren Morris, Jon Pardi and Mitchell Tenpenny, along with Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Ryan Hurd, Steep Canyon Rangers, The War and Treaty, Tenille Townes and Caylee Hammack. Additionally, last year’s highlight, Friday’s HOT COUNTRY NIGHT, is set to return this year with Travis Tritt, Tracy Lawrence, Diamond Rio and Deana Carter, and will feature a special performance by Bentley’s own Hot Country Knights.

Fans can also expect multiple fringe activities across the weekend including the return of the Somewhere On A Beach Party and Late Night At Whiskey Row, with AYDAMN spinning all the fan-favorites. ATV Tours, inflatable kayaking, whitewater rafting and more will also be available.

About Dierks Bentley:
Pegged as “one of Country music’s most enviable brands, equal parts affability and authenticity” (Forbes), Bentley continues to be a dominant voice for the genre with over 8.6 billion overall digital streams. The “ultra-personal material” (Rolling Stone) behind his current single “Living” follows Bentley’s 18th career No. One and ACM award-winning hit “Burning Man,” as he continues to reveal ambitious, complex sounds with lyrics inspired by his own personal journey through the writing and the recording of THE MOUNTAIN. Reaching a new creative high while “making music designed to challenge” (New York Times), Bentley co-wrote 10 of 13 tracks on THE MOUNTAIN, which earned him the highest debut sales of his career and became his seventh chart-topping album. Known to deliver “the most thoughtful, complete collections in Country music” (USA Today), Bentley has amassed countless nominations from the ACMs, CMAs, Billboard Music Awards and more while also earning 14 GRAMMY  nominations. “Fans get an all-night sing-along party” (Fresno Bee) on Bentley’s current 2019 BURNING MAN TOUR featuring special guests Jon Pardi, Tenille Townes and the Hot Country Knights. For more information visit www.dierks.com.

About Seven Peaks Music Festival:
Seven Peaks Music Festival is the latest addition to Live Nation’s family of country festivals spread across the country including Watershed in George, WA; Faster Horses in Brooklyn, MI; Country LakeShake in Chicago, IL and Tortuga Music Festival in Ft. Lauderdale. FL. Launched in 2018, the three-day, two-stage camping experience festival offers an eclectic and comradery-filled lineup with fans enjoying the unexpected with late-night jams and surprise guests, as well as activity-filled excursions during the day. PEOPLE heralded the festival’s “authenticity in every component” with Rolling Stone praising the “community-first, play-every-set take on a country festival.” The natural beauty of the site’s sprawling grounds provides the perfect homegrown vibe for a Labor Day weekend camp out under the stars, where festival-goers will have multiple camping options from tents to full-sized RV accommodations. For more information visit sevenpeaksfestival.com.

“MISS ME MORE” MARKS FIFTH CAREER COUNTRY RADIO NO. 1
FOR KELSEA BALLERINI

First Female Artist in Country Music to Have a Chart-Topping Single in 15 Months
Host of ABC’s CMA Fest for the Third ConsecutiveYear with Thomas Rhett

Single Art Courtesy of Black River Entertainment

NASHVILLE, TENN. (June 10, 2019) — Black River Entertainment recording artist KELSEA BALLERINI rules the Country Aircheck/Mediabase chart this week with her fifth career No. 1, “Miss Me More.” Notching the first chart-topping single for a female artist in Country music in 15 months, Ballerini was also the last woman in the genre to hit No. 1 with “Legends” in February 2018.

“Whether it’s a partner, friend, colleague, situation, or chapter of life, sometimes we lose a piece of ourselves to someone,” shares Ballerini. This song is all about choosing to spend our energy in a way that lets us be the best version of ourselves for the right people – when they come along. I’m so proud that this song and message got the megaphone of Country radio. Thank you so much for this No. 1!”

Additionally, Ballerini is the only female artist in Country music, including female duos and groups, to achieve No. 1 with her first three consecutive singles – PLATINUM-certified “Love Me Like You Mean It,” “Dibs,” “Peter Pan” – from a debut album [GOLD-certified THE FIRST TIME].

Black River’s SVP of Radio Promotion Mike Wilson finds this No. 1 song especially sweet, “Special thanks to Country Radio for all of the support on Kelsea. You have been big supporters of this song since you first heard it, and now, this is the icing on the cake.”

As seen on Billboard’s This Week’s 5 Must-Hear Songs and with more than 1.5 billion career global streams, “Miss Me More” is Ballerini’s eighth career GOLD-certified single.  Penning the bold anthem with David Hodges and Brett McLaughlin, the smash hit recently inspired her widely-successful first headline arena tour – THE MISS ME MORE TOUR – with BRETT YOUNG (plus special guest BRANDON RATCLIFF).

Spotlighting her “powerful voice and magnetic energy” (Entertainment Tonight), her “bold and brazen performance” (Entertainment Tonight) of “Miss Me More” at last week’s 2019 CMT Music Awards was noted among several “Best Performance” lists including The Washington Post and Redbook. The knockout nominated music video has earned more than 11 million streams on YouTube. Watch “Miss Me More” here. Following the award show with a Thursday (6/6) slot during this year’s CMA Fest, “Kelsea Ballerini wows the crowd on day one,” hailed People, as she played a handful of hits including a surprise onstage collaboration of her “arena-ready anthem” (Billboard), “This Feeling,” with THE CHAINSMOKERS. Making Billboard’s “Best Collaborations” list, CMT also applauded Ballerini and her special guests when they “turned the stadium into a club.” 

Fresh off hosting her third consecutive year of ABC’s CMA Fest with THOMAS RHETT, the three-hour primetime concert airs at 8/7c p.m. on August 4 from Nissan Stadium in Nashville, TN. Ballerini is next slated to appear as a celebrity guest artist in an upcoming episode of Songland, NBC’s brand-new songwriting competition, airing Tuesdays at 10/9c p.m.

For more information on upcoming festival dates, please visit KelseaBallerini.com and follow Kelsea on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

ABOUT KELSEA BALLERINI:
With more than 1 billion global streams, two-time GRAMMY nominee Kelsea Ballerini’s sophomore album, UNAPOLOGETICALLY, features the #1 hits “Legends” and “Miss Me More,” as a part of the original 12-track compilation all written or co-written by the acclaimed singer-songwriter. UNAPOLOGETICALLY (Deluxe Edition) includes four additional tracks like her collaboration with The Chainsmokers, “This Feeling.” Since her 2015 breakout, the Black River Entertainment recording artist has been honored by ACM, Billboard, and CMT, among several others, and was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry this year as the newest and youngest current member.

LIL NAS X, BILLY RAY CYRUS AND KEITH URBAN
BRING SURPRISE PERFORMANCE OF “OLD TOWN ROAD”
TO CMA FEST ON DAY THREE
CMA FEST DAY THREE VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

NASHVILLE – The surprises continued on day three of CMA Fest, as Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus and reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Keith Urban took the Nissan Stadium stage to perform the No. 1 song in the country, “Old Town Road.” The packed stadium erupted with excitement, bringing the audience to their feet, dancing and singing along to every word.

Tim McGraw headlined Nissan Stadium, including a surprise appearance by Luke Combs to perform “Real Good Man.”  Miranda Lambert performed her new song “Locomotive,” while Dierks Bentley welcomed Tenille Townes to the stage, celebrating women in Country with cover performances of Trisha Yearwood’s “She’s in Love with a Boy” and Deana Carter’s “Strawberry Wine.” Current CMA KixStart Artist Scholarship recipients Kassi Ashton, Travis Denning and Jameson Rogers made their debut performances at Nissan Stadium during CMA Fest, while Runaway June performed the National Anthem.

Metro Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson presented Cyrus with a 2019 MNPD coin backstage at Nissan Stadium. The coin, which commemorates Metro Nashville’s new headquarters building and remembers the sacrifices made by their officers, bears Cyrus’ song “All Gave Some, Some Gave All.”

The Firestone Country Roads Stage at Ascend Amphitheater once again sold out last night, with performances presented by Warner Music Nashville. During his co-headlining set, Cody Johnson recognized military and law enforcement in the audience, asking them to stand while thanking them for their service. Chris Young was featured as the Artist of the Day on the CMA Close Up Stage yesterday, participating in a discussion with Country Countdown USA host Lon Helton about his music as well as the CMA Foundation, followed by the audience singing him an early “Happy Birthday.” Kelsea Balleriniwas participating in a surprise meet-and-greet at Xfinity Fan Fair X when she received word her single “Miss Me More” just hit No. 1 at Country radio.

Chrissy Metz participated in a Q&A panel “Meet the Stars Behind the ‘Breakthrough’ Movie Soundtrack” at the CMA Close Up Stage at Xfinity Fan Fair X with guests DeVon Franklin, Mickey Guyton and Diane Warren, while Kiefer Sutherland played to a packed crowd at the Budweiser Forever Country Stage. The Nashville Acoustic Corner Stage hit capacity during The Wandering Hearts, while Blanco Brown jumped into the crowd at the Radio Disney Country Stage and had fans on their feet dancing before bringing his niece on stage for a remixed version of the National Anthem.

CMA Fest is the longest-running Country Music festival in the world with a portion of ticket proceeds directly benefiting high-quality music education initiatives across the United States through the CMA Foundation, thanks to all the artists performing at CMA Fest donating their time.