Drew Baldridge Selects W.O. Smith Music School for June WERD of the Month

Cold River Records’ Drew Baldridge and his philanthropic mission to use his music platform for the greater good just hit a high note.  Announced earlier this week, the country music up-and-comer has chosen W.O Smith Music School as the WERD of the Month.  All proceeds from the WERD t-shirts sold in the month of June will benefit Nashville’s longstanding music school. Visit www.drewbaldridgemusic.com/werd for more information.

Inspired from his addition to the all-star line-up for the Eight Annual “Music City Gives Back” concert on June 4 that will benefit the W.O. Smith Music School,  Baldridge decided to “give back” all month long.  He explains, “I truly believe in the power of music and for children, the lessons they learn from creating music can be life-changing.  The mission of the W.O. Smith Music School is not just important for our community, but also for developing our youth.  I am excited to raise some funds and give back to the kids here in Nashville.”

“We are very thankful for Drew’s support and to be the recipient of the Werd of the Month donations,” says Jonah Rabinowitz, Executive Director, W.O. Smith Music School. “For the students at W.O. Smith, weekly lessons provide more than music instruction.  The consistent dedication from teachers, families, and staff create community.  Drew’s generosity will help W.O. Smith with essential resources to provide a place where our community can come together to make music.” 

Founded in 1984, W.O. Smith Music School makes affordable, quality music instruction available to children from low-income families.  The school serves over 650 children annually in the Metropolitan Nashville area. Students are provided with an instrument of their choosing, a volunteer teaching artist, and any necessary musical materials for their studies.  For more information on the school, visit http://www.wosmith.org/.

Later this week, fans can catch Baldridge perform on the Chevy Breakout Stage at the Walk of Fame Park on Thursday, June 7 at 11:50am, with an autograph signing to follow, as well as at 2:00pm signing inside Fan Fair X.  The Patoka, IL., native will then travel north for the Taste of Country 2018 music festival in downtown Lansing, MI.

For up-to-date touring info, visit www.DrewBaldridgeMusic.com.

Dan + Shay Unveil New Music From Forthcoming Self-Titled Studio Album

CMT Music Award nominees and performers Dan + Shay (Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney) shared the brand new song “Alone Together” (LISTEN HERE) as their current and fastest-rising country radio single “Tequila” arrives inside the Top 10 with over 100 million on-demand streams. “Alone Together” is the fourth new track released from their upcoming self-titled LP due June 22 via Warner Bros. Records/Warner Music Nashville (PRE-ORDER HERE).

This comes as the music video for “Speechless,” another recently released new song and a favorite by fellow artist Demi Lovato, surpasses 2.5 million YouTube views and approaches 3 million on-demand streams in just under two weeks. Currently featured on The Knot (READ HERE), “Speechless” was inspired by both Smyers and Mooney’s recent weddings, using actual footage for the accompanying music video.

Praised by Billboard, as “ambitious” and “multi-layered,” “Tequila” is currently nominated for Video of the Year and Duo Video of the Year at the 2018 CMT Music Awards and has tallied 20 million video views. Performing the song at both the 53rdACM Awards (WATCH) and ELLEN earlier this year (WATCH), the global hit continues to gain momentum, earning coveted slots on multiple playlists including Spotify’s Global Viral 50.

All four tracks from their forthcoming album – “Tequila,” “All to Myself,” “Speechless” and “Alone Together” – have earned a spot on Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist upon release.

With their self-titled third studio album due out in less than one month, Dan + Shay are treating fans to an exclusive preview party during CMA Music Fest. The duo will host a select number of fans at their Warner Music Nashville label home on Thursday, June 7 to listen to never-before-heard songs, hear behind-the-music stories and hang with the guys before they perform at Nissan Stadium later that evening. Tickets to the event are available on their website (PURCHASE HERE). The Platinum-selling duo, performing on TODAY’s Summer Concert Series June 25, will be out on the road with Rascal Flatts for their “Back To Us” Tour through the summer.

DAN + SHAY TRACK LIST:
1.       “Alone Together” (Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Jesse Frasure, Hillary Lindsey)
2.       “Tequila” (Dan Smyers, Jordan Reynolds, Nicolle Galyon)
3.       “What Keeps You Up At Night” (Jordan Reynolds, Jordan Minton, Chase Foster)
4.       “All To Myself” (Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Jordan Reynolds, Nicolle Galyon)
5.       “Keeping Score” feat. Kelly Clarkson (Dan Smyers, Jordan Reynolds, Laura Veltz)
6.       “Make or Break” (Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Emily Weisband, Jordan Reynolds)
7.       “Speechless” (Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Jordan Reynolds, Laura Veltz)
8.       “Stupid Love” (Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Jgon Nite, David Hodges)
9.       “No Such Thing” (Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Matt Dragstrem, David Lee Murphy)
10.   “My Side of the Fence” (Shay Mooney, Benjy Davis)
11.   “Island Time” (Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Andy Albert, Jimmy Robbins)

Florida Georgia Line Delivers New “Simple” Single

Global superstar duo FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE return with a steady and sincere new single, unveiling the tender roots-infused anthem “Simple” as they head into a huge week of festival and award show appearances.

Mixing Western undertones with electro-pop energy and a beating-hearts rhythm, “Simple” leads the duo’s upcoming, hotly anticipated fourth album, as Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley carve out a spot for easy love in a complicated world. Florida Georgia Line’s “Simple” is available here.

“Excited to share the next chapter of FGL that we’ve been working so hard on,” shares Kelley. “‘Simple’ is as simple as it gets – 4 chords and a lotta heart!”

Hubbard agrees, “We are always wanting to push our sound forward and never make the same record twice. We feel like we’ve upped our game on this project as well.”

Written by Hubbard and Kelley along with Michael Hardy and Mark Holman about the euphoric comfort of finding one’s soul mate, the enlightened new single features whistling hooks and rolling banjos, plus an open-range melody produced by longtime studio collaborator Joey Moi.

With more details coming soon, FGL’s next album project will follow in the PLATINUM-certified success of the duo’s 2016 release, DIG YOUR ROOTS (BMLG Records). That game-changing album delivered three consecutive #1 hits: the 4X PLATINUM-certified “H.O.L.Y.” and PLATINUM-certified hits “May We All” (ft. Tim McGraw) and “God, Your Mama, And Me” (ft. Backstreet Boys).

Along with headlining the stadium-filling THE SMOOTH TOUR 2017 with Nelly and Backstreet Boys last summer, Hubbard and Kelley were featured as special guests on high-profile tracks by The Chainsmokers (“Last Day Alive”), Hailee Steinfeld and Alesso ft. watt (“Let Me Go”) and rising Country star Morgan Wallen (“Up Down”), plus “Meant to Be” – FGL’s 3X PLATINUM, #1 collaboration with breakout Pop star Bebe Rexha. The crossover smash remains red-hot, surpassing the 1 BILLION global streams mark and notching 26 weeks on top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

Coming up next, FGL will be prominently featured at the CMT Music Awards broadcast live from Nashville on June 6 at 8/7c. The duo is up for a field-leading four nominations – including the night’s top award, Video of the Year (for “Meant to Be”) – and will take the stage for a can’t-miss performance. Fans can vote online now here. Hubbard and Kelley will then help close out this year’s massive CMA Fest for a sold-out Nissan Stadium headline set on June 10.

For more information about Florida Georgia Line and upcoming tour dates, please visit floridageorgialine.com and reach out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Backstreet Boys Member AJ McLean Releases Solo Country Single “Back Porch Bottle Service”

AJ McLean and Billboard have partnered to premiere the first listen of his incredible new country focus track, “Back Porch Bottle Service.” Hard at work in Nashville with acclaimed songwriters like Clint Lagerberg (Keith Urban/Blake Shelton/Rascal Flatts) and Brett Tyler (Maren Morris/Chris Young/Joe Nichols), AJ has been immersing himself in the sound he loves and the genre that is allowing him to finally tell his own story, his way. Listen to “Back Porch Bottle Service” on Billboard now, available digitally everywhere now.

No stranger to the country world, 2017 saw AJ and the Backstreet Boys teaming up with multi-platinum selling Florida Georgia Line for the hit single “God, Your Mama, and Me,” off their Dig Your Roots album. The much buzzed about collaboration included a performance of the #1 single (as well as the Backstreet Boys’ “Everybody”) at the 2017 ACM Awards and a joint CMT Crossroads showcasing both of the groups biggest songs, as well as a stadium tour that saw them performing to sold out crowds across the country.

There’s the AJ McLean you think you know: the member of one of the most successful groups of all time, the multi-platinum selling Backstreet Boys. A group that has become the best selling boy band in history, having sold over 140 million records, and have earned themselves a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Then there’s the real AJ McLean, the ultimate trendsetter and a raw singer/songwriter, an artist dripping with soul and bare emotion. A legend of the 90s boyband era, AJ has always been a cultural vanguard. You’ve seen him in the front row at New York Fashion Week, you’ve seen him on stage, on the small screen and even on the big screen and now you’re going to see him at his best… 

“I’m kind of a chameleon,” he states. It’s true: AJ has his hand in everything from fashion to acting, but it’s making his solo music that really sets him apart, and “Back Porch Bottle Service” is a perfect first foray into this exciting new body of work.

 

Six Breakthrough Country Artists Set To Perform on the RAM Trucks Side Stage at the CMT Music Awards

CMT announced that country music’s hottest breakthrough artists Carly Pearce, Devin Dawson, LANCO, Lindsay Ell, Russell Dickerson and Walker Hayes will perform on the Ram Trucks Side Stage at the “2018 CMT Music Awards,” airing LIVE from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, June 6th at 8:00 pm ET/PT.

From the group of fresh talent, first-time nominees Carly Pearce, Devin Dawson, LANCO, Russell Dickerson and Walker Hayes will all be vying for the title of “Breakthrough Video of the Year.” Platinum-selling band LANCO will also be up for “Group Video of the Year” and Carly Pearce will battle it out for the coveted title of “Female Video of the Year” with her No. 1 hit “Every Little Thing.” 

They join the growing list of previously announced performers including Blake Shelton; Carrie Underwood; Chris Stapleton; Dan + Shay; Darius Rucker; featuring Charles Kelley, Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan; Dierks Bentley featuring Brothers Osborne; Florida Georgia Line; Jason Aldean; Kelly Clarkson; Kelsea Ballerini; Little Big Town; Luke Bryan and Sam Hunt.

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