Now Hear This Entertainment

<p>A producer, songwriter, artist, and engineer who has worked on GRAMMY-nominated and platinum projects with a long list of artists including Nick Jonas, Bella Poarch, Benson Boone, Gucci Mane, Salem Ilese, and several others. Based in Los Angeles, he has been written about in major music media such as Billboard and Rolling Stone. Last year there were more than 233 million streams on Spotify alone of songs that he wrote.<br> Send your questions or comments about this episode via <a href="https://featuredup.com/nhte">https://featuredup.com/nhte</a></p>

<p>A music director, producer, session drummer, composer, and mix engineer. He has worked with the likes of Scott Weiland, Bebe Rexha, Tori Kelly, Hailee Steinfeld, Nick Lachey, Disney, and many others. He has appeared on TV shows such as Good Morning America, The View, The Arsenio Hall Show, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and Last Call with Carson Daly. He has achieved multi-platinum success as a drummer and engineer as well as music directed multiple major label tours. And, he has composed, recorded and produced songs for feature films, movie trailers and TV shows.<br> Send your questions or comments about this episode via <a href="https://featuredup.com/nhte">https://featuredup.com/nhte</a></p>

<p>Nashville-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist whose latest single just came out two weeks ago, with an album coming in mid-August. To date, he has recorded five critically acclaimed albums. His 2022 album charted “Number 1 Added” on NACC Folk, as did his 12-song release at the end of last August. On the heels of THAT project, he amassed one hundred thousand monthly Spotify listeners and over two million cumulative views across Vevo and YouTube. In addition to being a poet, he also has had a career as an entrepreneur that he talks about here, including its impact on his music career.<br> Send your questions or comments about this episode via <a href="https://featuredup.com/nhte">https://featuredup.com/nhte</a></p>

<p>Singer, songwriter, recording artist, and actor as well as being a voting member of the Recording Academy, who on Instagram alone has almost 900 thousand followers. On the music side, he has charted in the Billboard Top 40, the iTunes Top 200 dance charts and Top 100 charts, and had three GRAMMY Considerations. He has one song that features Lil Wayne, and he did a pop dance record with a former member of Destiny’s Child, plus he has a new single coming out in July. He attended the GRAMMY Awards in Los Angeles in February and will be at CMA Fest in Nashville next month. On the acting side, he is a SAG-AFTRA member, and his acting résumé includes films such as Fate of the Furious, Pitch Perfect 3, and Wonder Woman 1984, and TV work such as The Vampire Diaries, NYPD Blue, and more.<br> Send your questions or comments about this episode via <a href="https://featuredup.com/nhte">https://featuredup.com/nhte</a></p>

<p>A composer, guitarist, and harp guitarist who is celebrating the release of her new CD and board game, just released last month. This follows previous innovative releases that were also not just audio only. Her new release is Top 3 on the folk charts and she has more than 27 thousand monthly listeners on Spotify, where her top five songs alone have a combined total of more than 3.1 million streams. She has equally amazing numbers on YouTube, where she has gotten a combined total of more than 2.2 million video views. She is performing extensively, including already being booked as far out as February of next year. This marks her third time on this show, having previously been on Episode 319 in March 2020 and Episode 211 in February 2018.<br> Send your questions or comments about this episode via <a href="https://featuredup.com/nhte">https://featuredup.com/nhte</a></p>

<p>A recording artist who has toured the world, sold hundreds of thousands of records, and written songs recorded by superstars. Just under two weeks ago he released a new album and the same day a new documentary premiered on Amazon Prime, exploring his life story. His top two songs on Spotify alone have a combined total of over 859 thousand streams and he has shows coming up in central Florida and in North Carolina. He has performed on “Good Morning America,” Fox News, CMT, and more than a dozen appearances on the Grand Ole Opry. He had risen to fame with his debut single "Lipstick," which dominated the Billboard Country Singles Chart for ten weeks.</p>

<p>An award-winning composer and performer who has had several albums in the Billboard Top 20, two PBS specials, and his top five songs on Spotify alone have a combined total of over a million streams. Based in Los Angeles, he is a Lifetime Member of the Recording Academy, and has authored a book that just came out last month titled, “Tuned In: Memoirs of a Piano Man,” which has hit Number 1 on Amazon in multiple categories and gotten over 40 endorsements from A-list celebrities, including the likes of David Foster, Barry Manilow, Diane Warren, Martin Short, Ray Romano, and Ed Begley, Jr., among others.</p>

<p>He wrote the R&B standard, “Some Kind of Wonderful,” and is still today singing, writing songs, and playing guitar. He earned a GRAMMY nomination for Male Vocalist of the Year, and, he received no fewer than five BMI lifetime achievement awards, was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame, is about to be inducted into the Rochester (New York) Music Hall of Fame, and received three Canadian Lifetime Achievement Awards. He has played with, written for, and performed alongside the likes of Nina Simone, James Brown, The Temptations, Wilson Pickett, Grand Funk Railroad, Huey Lewis & the News, Buddy Guy, Joss Stone, and more. In late January he released a 12-song album.</p>

<p>Professional touring multi-instrumentalist currently performing in Las Vegas as Trombonist/Keytarist with Cirque du Soleil’s Mad Apple. She has performed on the GRAMMY Awards, “Good Morning America,” and “The Voice,” and over her career in music has worked with a variety of artists ranging from Musiq Soulchild to CeeLo Green to Fantasia and even Oprah Winfrey! She has also served as Music Director for Melanie Fiona and Janelle Monáe, and, she is a Roland artist and Ultimate Ears brand ambassador.</p>

<p>Singer, songwriter, guitar player who has performed throughout the U.S. and Europe. Highlights of the original music he has released include international hits on the iTunes charts, a Spotify editorial playlist, and the Top 40 Roots Music Report and IndieWorld Report. In addition, videos from two of his songs have been nominated and selected for numerous film festivals. His top five songs on Spotify alone have gotten a combined 1.2 million streams and a single that he released last August won Favorite Mainstream Single in the 2023 Independent Music Network Awards.</p>

<p>Arkansas-based award-winning independent music duo who have toured internationally in over seven countries. They perform over two hundred shows per year, captivating audiences with their piano, fiddle, and guitar performances. They have a repertoire of over two thousand songs spanning multiple genres and just under two years ago opened for ZZ Top for an amphitheater show. Last October they released a twelve-song album that made it to No. 39 on the Apple US Country Album Chart. They also have co-founded a production company, an entertainers academy, and a music and arts festival.</p>

<p>Nashville-based singer, songwriter, guitar player who is signed with Sony Music Publishing Nashville and Droptine Music Publishing. He earned chart success with his first No. 1 single “My Boy” by Elvie Shane as well as with cuts by Drew Green. His latest hit “Whiskey On You” by Nate Smith has topped the Canadian charts and reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay. As a performer he has been on countless stages at a wide range of venues and events and will be performing later this year in Denmark.</p>

<p>New York City-based singer, songwriter, piano player who released her debut album just over three weeks ago and, fittingly, did an album release party at the popular music club called Pianos, there in The Big Apple. She has upcoming shows IN New York, March 28th and May 11th in the city and April 24th in Brooklyn. A music video for one of the songs from her new album was just released on February 23rd, and she currently has close to 66 thousand monthly listeners on Spotify, where her top track has over 1.2 million streams.</p>

<p>Nashville-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist who has had over 30 independent cuts. He was originally a drummer and toured the southeast before focusing his career on songwriting. He has performed all the way down in Key West, Florida, lots of shows here in Music City, out west in places like Arizona, and even overseas in Europe. He is also a business partner in Nashville Nights, which he talks about here. And his songs have been described as they, “will have you laughing then crying as he takes you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions.”</p>

<p>Nashville-based singer, songwriter, guitar player who is also the founder of Nashville Nights, which is discussed during this interview. He has written thousands of songs and had several publishing deals, and his story includes overcoming surgery on his vocal cords. He is a multiple GRAMMY-ACM-CMA-Golden Guitar and Dove-nominated songwriter and had 23 singles in the last year alone. During the month of May, he will be in Europe performing a number of shows in Denmark. He was previously a guest on this show back on Episode 434 almost two years ago, in June 2022.</p>

<p>A content creator and keynote speaker who was a Las Vegas nightclub promoter for more than eleven years and now coaches musicians on how to establish themselves and make a career, saying, “All musicians know how to be creative, but not all know business and marketing.” He is also a practitioner in Positive Psychology, which he says is done so his clients don’t end up joining the 27 Club. Over the years he has been a part of events that have included the likes of Tiesto and Steve Aoki, among other notable names in entertainment. He even attended the Billboard Awards and tells that story during this interview.</p>

<p>L.A.-based multi GRAMMY nominee and multi-talented platinum-selling producer, songwriter, composer/arranger, educator, and instrumentalist. He co-produced and wrote “Good Kisser” for RandB singing sensation Usher, which climbed to No. 1 on the US R&B/Hip Hop charts and garnered his first nomination for Best R&B song at the 2015 Grammy Awards. His songwriting and arranging were also featured on the 2020 Grammy nominated Album of The Year, “Thank U, Next,” by Ariana Grande, and he is a voting member of the Recording Academy. He is a Los Angeles College of Music Songwriting and Music Business faculty member who has also worked with Lizzo and with H.E.R.</p>

<p>Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, guitar and piano player who just last month released a new music video that already has more than 6,500 views on YouTube. Last year she released an EP in November after having put out an EP in October, both following a deluxe 18-song album that she’d released in September after having put out a 14-song version of it in August. Her releases have drawn acclaim from various publications, and she has amassed more than 1.5 million streams for her top five songs on Spotify alone, where she currently has 74 thousand monthly listeners. She also is putting up really big numbers on TikTok, and, she is working on more new music this year, as she discusses here.</p>

<p>Australia-based multi-award-winning singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist who has a new single coming out this Friday, February 9th. She achieved back-to-back number one iTunes charting singles and her singles have graced popular playlists like Spotify’s Fresh Country and Apple Music’s Today’s Country, to name just two. She has premiered on CMT and her success went global when country music star Thomas Rhett raised a glass celebrating the movement for one of her songs. She has over six thousand monthly listeners on Spotify, where her top five songs alone have a combined total of well over 800 thousand streams, and her official YouTube channel has a combined total of 2.1 million video views.</p>

<p>Ohio-based singer, songwriter, guitar player who, over the past four decades, has compiled a long list of country hits and chart-toppers on both domestic and international sales and radio airplay charts, including two Number 1 iTunes chart singles. He has been in Billboard magazine, on FOX TV, and has recorded popular duets with legendary artists like Ronnie McDowell and GRAMMY-winner Rhonda Vincent. He has been inducted into both the Indie Country Music Hall of Fame and the Ohio Country Music Hall of Fame. He is currently recording a new album, which he talks about during this interview.</p>

<p>Nashville-based recording artist who has a new single coming in just over two weeks, and last November put out her rendition of the classic holiday song, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” which followed the eight-song EP she’d released in August. On stage, she has opened for the likes of Morgan Wallen, Sara Evans, and Sam Hunt, among others, and she already has shows booked from February to July that will take her from Washington, DC, to Maryland to Florida to Virginia and New York. Between Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok alone she is closing in on a half-million followers, and she has gotten a combined total of over seven million video views on her official YouTube channel. She currently has 22 thousand monthly listeners on Spotify, where her top five songs alone have a combined 1.7 million-plus streams.</p>

<p>Music director and producer, recording and performing artist, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who has a new EP coming out this Friday, January 19th. She is also part of a duo act and the co-founder of Minx & Maestro Productions, which she talks about here. In addition, she has held the position of Specialist of Vocal Casting and Music Production with Royal Caribbean Entertainment after music and vocal directing for them for almost nine years. She is also the creator of The Journey: A New Indie Musical, and has been an active performer in bands, piano bar, and theater for over 20 years. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Performance from Berklee College of Music and a Master’s Degree in Music Production from Berklee Online, having graduated with a 4.0 GPA. She was the recipient of the award for Outstanding Graduate Student of the Class of 2022, as well as the iZotope Award, which honors innovation in music production.</p>

<p>Composer and an acclaimed jazz pianist, and the founder of Open Studio, which is the world’s leading jazz education platform. His newest album was just released on December 1 and features his brand-new quartet. His touring career has taken him to six continents numerous times, and he played in the White House by invitation from President Obama several times. He performed on and arranged Dianne Reeves’ GRAMMY-winning release, “A Little Moonlight,” and appeared in George Clooney’s 2005 film “Good Night, and Good Luck,” as well as being the featured pianist and an arranger on the GRAMMY-winning soundtrack. He has also performed, toured, and recorded with names like Wynton Marsalis and Chris Botti, as well as the Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic.</p>

<p>Athens, Greece-based singer, songwriter, guitar player, and composer who just released a remix single at the end of November. He is a working on a new album that he talks about here and has performed not only in his home country but in Turkey, France, Russia, Germany, Poland, and here in the U.S., including having at one point opened for Moby in Greece. He has also worked on soundtracks for TV spots and ads here in the U.S. as well as in Canada. He has gotten well over eleven million combined video views on his official YouTube channel and his Spotify numbers are most impressive as well. On that platform alone he has more than 52 thousand monthly listeners and his top song there has gotten more than 4.2 million streams.</p>

<p>Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist who has released three singles this year, the latest of which came out on September 1st. Plus, he has another new song coming out next week Friday, January 5th. By the age of 12 he had co-headlined international guitar festivals in Mexico and toured around the U.S. After college he moved to Nashville where he continued to tour for other artists at the professional level for years until setting his sights on his own project. His background even includes having recorded with George Clinton.</p>

<p>Singer, songwriter, guitar player who just released a full album of twelve songs at the end of September. In the lead-up to it she had released four singles after having put out six last year. She appeared on Season 14 of “The Voice,” having gotten chair turns from both Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson, and since then has shared the stage alongside notable artists including Jason Aldean, Thomas Rhett, Dierks Bentley, Wynonna Judd, and countless others. Plus, she gives an exclusive here about a collab that she has done. Earlier this year she signed a record deal with ONErpm Music Label/Verge Records. Between October 9th and November 20th she released three official music videos that have a combined total of over 260 thousand views on her official YouTube channel, which itself has a combined total of over 1.5 million video views. And, her Spotify Wrapped numbers for 2023 included an amazing 2.2 million streams.</p>

<p>Recorded on-location in Nashville with a singer, songwriter, guitar player who just released a duet of “O Holy Night” with Jay Allen. She had also released two singles earlier in 2023 and her Spotify Wrapped numbers for this year show well over 900 thousand streams of her music on that platform alone. Just announced is that she will be part of country superstar Lee Brice’s tour in February and March. Early 2024 will also mark the release of a duet with another A-lister that she reveals during this interview. She has earned numerous accolades including being named Artist to Watch by People Country Magazine, New Artist to Watch 2023 by Holler Magazine, and Nashville Music Guide’s Artists to Watch 2023, among numerous others.</p>

<p>The founder of and guitarist for the alternative rock group Kickstand Jenny. In June the band released a ten-song album featuring some notable contributors, with one of the songs already having well over a hundred thousand streams on Spotify, where they have more than twenty thousand monthly listeners. On the live performance front, the band has shared the stage with notable headliners such as Slaughter, Living Colour, Sebastian Bach, and L.A. Guns. Last year the band signed with Spectra Music Group, and the videos on their official YouTube channel have a combined total of almost 1.7 million views.</p>

<p>Sacramento, California-based songwriter and guitar player, one half of the duo act The Cracker Brothers, and the CEO of Outer Marker Records. He is also Head of Marketing, Artist Relations and Sales for D.W. Fearn / Hazelrigg Industries, and in the past was Director of Marketing for TEAC America, which includes TASCAM. Listen as he talks about always being around music and having his eye on the next thing as well as the way he used the relationships he built over the years – creating music and working in the industry – to get the many opportunities discussed during this episode.</p>

<p>A musician, producer, composer, arranger, and pianist who just released a 16-song Christmas album at the end of October. From that project alone, one song has over a million streams on Spotify, another has more than 1.6 million streams, and yet a third has 2.6 million. He has collaborated with artists ranging from Chicago to Spyro Gyra to Tower of Power. He also spent a number of years in radio – both on and off the air – as well as an online streaming platform, reaching a worldwide audience of six million listeners in a single year. He is the owner of record label Studio 55 and says that he makes music to inspire and unite.</p>

<p>Miami-based entertainment executive who is the mastermind behind some of music’s biggest producers, including the multi-platinum Monsters & Strangerz and Latin GRAMMY Award-winning and GRAMMY Award-nominated Tainy, with whom he – four years ago – co-founded NEON16, a media and entertainment company that was voted the number one Most Innovative Music Company in 2021 by Fast Company. My guest has been included in Billboard magazine’s “Latin Power Players” list this year and their “40 Under 40” in 2020. His first documentary series was the most-watched, non-scripted show in Latin America on Disney-plus and one of the four most-streamed series in the United States.</p>

<p>Australia-based songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and internationally acclaimed, award-winning, Platinum and Gold selling artist who just released a new single at the end of September and is now releasing a music video for it. She has toured the UK and Europe including having had a residency in London. She has performed with Lionel Richie, among other notable names in music, and she won “Australian Idol” in 2007, was signed by Sony BMG Australia, plus she even made an appearance on “The Voice Australia.” She is also an author, a vocal coach, and the founder of “A Call to Wisdom,” a charity that helps people who have broken parts that require healing from sexual abuse, trauma, and domestic violence.</p>

<p>New York-based singer, songwriter, and the guitarist for the indie rock band, King Falcon. This past Friday they released an eleven-song, self-titled album, with mixing by a 12-time GRAMMY nominee. (A white vinyl version of the album will be released on December 1st.) On August 30th they’d released a music video for one of the songs from it, with that video already having gotten over 60 thousand views on YouTube. The band is currently touring, and in March and May of this year they’d released singles that are also off their new King Falcon album, with one of the songs peaking at number 5 on the Submodern Singles Chart. This guest has built a truly impressive collection of one-of-a-kind guitars, each with its own story, which he talks about here.</p>

<p>California-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, dancer, and actress who just released her newest single last month. She does reveal during this interview, however, that there are four more new songs coming. She has performed at the GRAMMY Teen Concert, The Fashion Life Tour, and iHeartRadio 102.7 KISS-FM Concert at IPOP, plus she talks here about having performed at the NAMM Show this past April. Aside from her music career, she is also involved in voiceover acting and on-camera acting, being most well known for being the voice of MC Swag on “LOL House of Surprises” and for her role in “Love XO.” She currently has 146 THOUSAND followers on Instagram and is closing in on a half-million combined video views on her official YouTube channel.</p>

<p>New York City-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and fashion model who in June put out a 13-song collection of remixes, one week after having released a music video for one of her singles from last year. She has worked with some of the leading DJs, remixers, and producers in the world, and she is a member of ISINA, Inc., a music talent search and mentoring program involving some very notable names in music. She is originally from Latvia but moved to and started performing in the UK as a teenager before moving in 2016 to the U.S., and has built up a tremendous following, as evidenced by a combined total of more than two million video views on her official YouTube channel and more than a million streams on her top song on Spotify.</p>

<p>Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, video director, and record label owner whose newest album was just released early last month. Previous successes include breaking into Billboard’s Top 40 with her debut release, and then hitting Number 1 on the Billboard Blues chart with her sophomore album. She even had one of her song’s featured in Pixar’s feature film “Cars 3.” All throughout this and next month she is on a tour that will see her do 14 shows throughout eight states. She has over 372 thousand monthly listeners on Spotify, where her top five songs have a combined total of more than 40 million streams. And, she has a combined total of more than 55 million video views on her official YouTube channel.</p>

<p>Los Angeles-based recording artist who has scored over 30 films and had over 100 songs placed in film and TV shows. A singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist, among her film scoring projects is “Maxine,” a just released Disney-plus film starring Margaret Cho. She is a voting member of the Recording Academy and a four-time Hollywood Music in Media Award Nominee. This past year, two of her film scores were presented at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Museum. She has her own recording studio, and her latest solo album is a nine-song release that came out on August 11th and is up for GRAMMY consideration for Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album.</p>

<p>They are currently working together as artist and producer on an upcoming new album and are up for consideration for the GRAMMYs next February. She has done everything from sing for popes to appearing on “American Idol” to founding her own production company. She has trained in Rome, lived in London and New York, and, of course, released her own original music, all in addition to being an activist. He was a guest on this show more than a year-and-a-half ago on Episode 422 and since then has continued working as a vocal coach with Kenny Loggins, Richard Marx, and more, and recently sang at a David Crosby tribute alongside some key members of the music world. His background ranges from work with household names ranging from Elton John to Michael Jackson to pop supergroup Ambrosia.</p>

<p>The biggest episode ever. Clearly the guests have only gotten better and better as evidenced by how many from the last hundred episodes are featured in this look back at a good number of "Now Hear This Entertainment" episodes since NHTE 401 Best Of Volume 4. On this edition you'll hear everything from befriending actor John Malkovich to thinking a call from Kenny Loggins was a prank to meeting Kris Kristofferson in a back alley to meeting Michael Jackson to getting hired to play in Taylor Swift's band to performing in Las Vegas the night of a sibling's passing, and much, much (much) more. In total, there are 27 past guests you'll hear from, plus two more who are represented by way of their music being played.</p>

<p>A renowned guitarist and vocalist who has sold millions of albums. From 1995 on, he took seven singles into the Top 10, and holds the record for the longest-running album on the Billboard Blues Charts. He has been nominated for five GRAMMY Awards and has received two Billboard Music Awards, two Blues Music Awards, and two Orville H. Gibson Awards. In September 2008, Fender Musical Instruments Corp. released a Signature Series Stratocaster that he designed exclusively. In 2013 he, along with Stephen Stills and Barry Goldberg formed a band called The Rides. Throughout his career he has opened up for the likes of The Rolling Stones, Van Halen, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Aerosmith, Bob Dylan, and The Eagles. From television performances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to The Late Show with David Letterman to Jimmy Kimmel Live and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to features in Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Maxim Magazine, Blender, Spin, USA Today and more, his musical career has been nothing short of phenomenal. He has a new album coming in November, with a new song coming each month between now and then.</p>

<p>Singer, songwriter, actress, and influencer who just put out a six-song EP in late June. The title track from that release reached number 11 on the iTunes charts and she has gotten airplay on iHeartRadio. She lives in Los Angeles and is known for her roles as Olive on Disney Channel’s “Sydney to the Max” and as Ava on Disney’s Emmy-nominated “Girl Meets World.” She has also appeared in multiple major feature films. She is a Sony Electronics audio ambassador and has amassed a tremendous following, including 4.3 million followers on TikTok, one million followers on Instagram, and a combined total of more than 4.2 million video views on her official YouTube channel.</p>

<p>Singer, songwriter, guitar player who has a new album coming out next week Friday, September 8th, which follows four singles that he has already released this year. Earlier this year he appeared on “American Idol,” and he has been hailed by Us Weekly as “One of the hottest young rising stars to watch in music right now.” Originally from South Africa, he recently became the youngest artist in the history of that country to have a number 1 hit. He has a combined total of more than 14 million video views on his official YouTube channel and between Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok alone he has a combined following of well over half a million.</p>

<p>Award-winning singer, songwriter, guitar player who just last month put out a seven-song EP. She is also beginning work on a new album as well as a separate EP, both of which she talks about here. She regularly travels back and forth to Nashville and was named “One to Watch” by Nashville Songwriters Association International in Spring 2021 and Spring 2022. Earlier this month she took home the silver for “USA Entertainer of the Year” at the 2023 International Singer-Songwriters Association awards. Her top five songs on Spotify alone have a combined total of almost 440 thousand streams and she has more than 13 thousand monthly listeners on that platform.</p>

<p>Singer, songwriter, guitar player whose newest single was just released five days ago. In April he was signed by ONErpm, which operates one of the world’s largest music distribution platforms and YouTube multi-channel networks. He has drawn praise from the New York Times, and his debut album back in 2016 opened in the Top 5 on Billboard’s Country Albums Chart and landed him on countless year-end best album lists, including Rolling Stone and iTunes. He had signed a major label deal at the age of just 19 and landed at Number 1 on Mediabase with the Gold certified, “I Met a Girl.” He was at CMA Fest this past June and has performed more than 50 times on the Grand Ole Opry, plus he was featured by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum as a highlighted artist in the 2017 American Currents exhibit. That same year he joined Maren Morris and three others in being named New Faces of Country Music in conjunction with the annual Country Radio Seminar.</p>

<p>Award-winning, Nashville-based singer, songwriter, guitar player, and producer who co-wrote Jason Aldean’s hit, “She’s Country,” which was the most played song on country radio across the U.S. in 2009 and held the number 1 position on the chart for two consecutive weeks and has had 181 million streams on Spotify alone. Her song “Loud” was selected as the official theme song for ACC football’s 2010 season. She has also had cuts with Randy Houser and George Clinton, among others, and, of course, as a recording artist, has released her own original music along the way as well. Meanwhile, she is vice president of SoNash Publishing and also serves on the board of The Charley Foundation, which she also talks about here.</p>

<p>Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist who has a new single coming out this Friday, August 4th to begin a single each month through and including December for a total of five singles, which will culminate in an EP. She was invited to do one of the coveted performance slots at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California, in April, and has partnerships with multiple companies in that space. As a mental health advocate, she is also the host of a weekly podcast, called, “You’re Not Alone.” And, she is also active as a speaker. She was previously a guest on this show approximately a year-and-a-half ago on Episode 417 in February 2022.</p>

<p>New York-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist who is one of the founders of the eight-piece roots rock band, American Nomads. He has toured internationally as well as written and recorded multiple film soundtracks, plus he had a song chosen for a movie trailer and played on a French film. Early in his career he had founded another band, and, present day, American Nomads has a new single that was just released last month, plus they’ll be releasing a new album in September and another in January. The band’s music has received national radio play, reached number 6 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and passed the first round of GRAMMY nominations for one of their songs.</p>

<p>A two-time GRAMMY-nominated classically trained musician and composer. Also a singer, songwriter, and producer, he has had two hit songs on the Adult Contemporary charts and a hit on the Billboard Indicator Chart. He has done work for brands ranging from NBC to MTV to the History Channel, the NBA, CBS, Nike, Pepsi, the Discovery Channel, and more. He has also worked with William Shatner, John Malkovich, David Lynch, and others. Plus, he has collaborated with and created content for the likes of Depeche Mode, Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon, Duran Duran, and many more. He is even a music industry contributor to Recording Magazine.</p>

<p>Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist with over 65 million airplays of his songs. He has gotten three GRAMMY nominations as a writer and as a musician and earned a Golden Globe nomination as well. He has been inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, is a two-time BMI Songwriter of the Year, and a three-time NSAI Songwriter of the Year. He was one of Billboard magazine’s top five writers eight years in a row. At one point he had over 500 songs cut in an eight-year period, by over 100 artists, with 95 singles released, off more than 75 gold and platinum records, with over 50 million records sold.</p>

<p>Nashville-based singer, songwriter, guitar player who is releasing a new album just two days from now. Last year she was the Artist of the Year in the annual Josie Awards, and a few months ago made her Grand Ole Opry debut, plus last month she performed at CMA Fest. In 2021 she won awards for Songwriter of the Year and Vocalist of the Year. She has a whopping twelve nominations for the 2023 Josie Awards that will take place in October. She tours extensively and her upcoming shows calendar will see her perform in the likes of Minnesota, Missouri, Florida, and the 3rd Lake Martin Songwriters Festival late this month in Alabama. She is originally from Ireland and before coming to America was part of an all-female Swedish quintet. She released two albums and was signed to Warner Music Sweden.</p>