Jake Owen, multi-Number One artist and ACM Award winner, is unveiling his unforgettable new single, “I Was Jack (You Were Diane),” which reunites Owen with producer Joey Moi and marks his first release for Big Loud Records.
“It’s been revitalizing. Making music with Joey is all about recording songs that reflect who I am,” Jake says of his creative rebirth. “I’ve seen the negative side of life and the positive side – and I really like the positive side. I want my songs to put a smile on your face.”
With “I Was Jack (You Were Diane),” Jake evokes the most golden of memories: a warm-weather romance set to one of rock & roll’s essential songs, John Mellencamp’s “Jack & Diane.” Based around the 1982 hit’s iconic melody, Jake both pays homage to and boldly reinvents the classic-rock staple.
“I never release a song without the intention of stepping up to the plate and knocking it out of the park,” says Owen. “When I first heard ‘I Was Jack (You Were Diane),’ I thought, ‘How can I do this and re-create what is already a classic song?’ But the more I listened to it, the more I saw my own life growing up. The original ‘Jack & Diane’ was about ‘two American kids growing up in the heartland’ and that image is exactly what so many country songs are based on. Plus, the most important thing to me and my team is that we sent the song to Mellencamp and he digs the track. Getting his stamp of approval sealed the deal for me that this song should be our debut single.”
Along with “I Was Jack (You Were Diane),” Jake has recorded a breezy tune entitled “Something to Ride To” that is also being released to all digital music partners today. LISTEN HERE.
In addition, Owen just announced his 2018 “Life’s Whatcha Make It Tour” with special guest Chris Janson and rising star Jordan Davis. The majority of shows will take place at baseball stadiums across the country. Check it out HERE. Tickets will go on sale starting Friday, March 2nd at 10:00 a.m. local time.
Florida Georgia Line Team Up with NFL’s Tennessee Titans To Unveil New Uniforms During FREE Street Party Concert in Nashville
MULTI-PLATINUM superstar duo FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE are set to unleash their biggest hits on downtown Nashville April 4, headlining a massive street party and concert to help the NFL’s Tennessee Titans reveal their brand new 2018-2019 uniforms. Watch here.
Launching a new look that coincides with their 20th season as Titans, the FREE show kicks off at 7 p.m. (CT) at Music City’s neon-lined crossroads of Broadway and 1st Avenue, just blocks away from the duo’s three-story entertainment destination FGL HOUSE.
Tens of thousands of fans will score the first look at their favorite Titans players in the new uniforms before FGL takes the stage. Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley told The Tennessean they won’t be holding anything back from their electrifying live-show experience.
“We’re bringing all the bells and whistles,” Hubbard said.
“We were like, ‘If we’re going to play Nashville, we need to do it right. Let’s rock this thing,’” Kelley said, adding they also planned to bring their pyrotechnics. “We’re just jacked. Nashville is a bull’s-eye for everyone to come to right now. Anytime we can represent the city and the Titans, we’re stepping our game up. We’re just thankful.”
Following a year which saw FGL rise to the level of stadium-packing crossover icons with THE SMOOTH STADIUM TOUR 2017 (with Nelly, Backstreet Boys and more supporting guests), and continue their streak of chart success with their 13th #1 single, “God, Your Mama, And Me” (ft. Backstreet Boys), the pair have already doubled down on their reputation as genre-defying hitmakers to start 2018.
Bebe Rexha’s easy-riding hit “Meant to Be” (ft. Florida Georgia Line) continues to dominate with 13 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, which is comprised of airplay, sales and streaming data. Rexha, Hubbard, Josh Miller, and David Garcia co-penned the PLATINUM-certified track, which is still rising through the coveted Top 10 of the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart.
FGL is currently in the studio working on their upcoming follow-up to 2016’s PLATINUM-certified DIG YOUR ROOTS album (BMLG Records) while details of a new headlining tour are coming soon.
For more information about Florida Georgia Line, please visit floridageorgialine.com and reach out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
CMR Exclusive: Catching Up with Walker McGuire
We caught up with new country duo Walker McGuire during Country Radio Seminar in Nashville earlier this month. Jordan Walker and Johnny McGuire made a solid introduction throughout 2017 and are now gearing up for an exciting new year ahead.
Walker McGuire shared details with us about their self-titled debut EP, latest single “Lost” and much more! Check out our interview with them here, or watch below.
Pick up Walker McGuire’s self-titled EP on iTunes here, and be sure to request “Lost” at your local country radio station.
TUNE-IN: Dan + Shay Head To ELLEN on March 1 To Perform Latest Hit Single “Tequila”
With a sound Rolling Stone describes as a “nostalgic tale of heartbreak and regret,” Dan + Shay’s latest smash single “Tequila” has caught the attention of fans and critics alike. Now, the Platinum-selling, chart-topping duo will share a taste of the song on a national stage with their return performance on Ellen this Thursday, March 1.
In just six weeks “Tequila” has garnered over 18 million on-demand streams and has already dipped into the Top 40 at country radio, impressively hitting No. 2 in consumption per spin. The reflective single has also taken over on SiriusXM’s The Highway, where it has been the No. 1 most played song for five weeks in a row.
Billboard praised “Tequila” for adverting expectations with its “brooding piano chords” and “ethereal shimmering sounds,” declaring it “ambitious” and “multilayered.” Taste of Country applauded the “strong sense of melody and even stronger vocals,” calling the emotion conveyed within the song “vivid and full of color.”
Immediately upon the single’s release in January it ascended to No. 1 on the iTunes U.S. Country Singles chart and earned a spot as a multi-day Top 10 on the All-Genre chart. Within a month and a half, “Tequila” already boasts 70,000 tracks sold in the U.S. alone – and has quickly begun spilling into countries across the globe.
The contemplative tune hit No. 1 on the iTunes country charts in the U.K. and Ireland, and it reached No. 4 in Australia. “Tequila” is also currently featured on a number of international and local Spotify playlists including Nashville’s Worldwide Hot 50 and Hot Country, among others.
Dan + Shay are currently in the studio working on their highly-anticipated third studio album, expected for release later this year. Fans can catch the duo live this summer as they join Rascal Flatts on their Back To Us Tour.
Kenny Chesney Heads To Vegas For Two-Day Show Before Embarking His “Trip Around The Sun” Tour
After a year off to focus on music, personal projects and the unexpected work in the Virgin Islands, 8-time Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year, Kenny Chesney, wants to have a little fun before kicking the 2018 Trip Around the Sun Tour off at Tampa, Florida’s Raymond James Stadium on April 21.
Keeping with his tradition of something loose and fun, Chesney returns to the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas March 16-17 to play a bunch of hits, some unexpected covers and perhaps a surprise.
“Some years, we do the Keg in the Closet at a lot of the college bars in SEC towns,” says Chesney. “Some years, we do the Keg in the Keys. But this year, I thought we should do something different. Rather than the last-minute announce and scramble, go ahead and set the dates, and announce them early. We’ve had such a great relationship with The Joint, that room puts everybody right in the heart of the show — and there’s so much great rock & roll history at the Hard Rock, I thought it would be a great place to kick off the year.”
Chesney’s own history with the Hard Rock goes all the way back to The Joint’s opening weekend. Along with Paul McCartney and The Strokes, the songwriter/superstar from East Tennessee christened a room that would host The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, Lou Reed, Lyle Lovett, David Bowie and The Killers.
“A year without playing makes me want to get out there,” Chesney laughs, “and I’ve been thinking about the tour, what we’re going to do for months. But even more than what’s on the screens, or how we’re going to do the sound and lighting this year, the idea of getting to hear the No Shoes Nation sing these songs drives me to do all of this… and so rather than waiting for Tampa, we’re going to Vegas for a little party.”
As stadium teams are finalizing the materials for the 2018 Trip Around the Sun Tour, Chesney is ready to get back to what he does best: take his songs to the No Shoes Nation. It’s why The Wall Street Journal deemed him, “The King of the Road” and the Los Angeles Times named him “The People’s Superstar.”
“As a room, The Joint is so live — and so close, no matter where the people are sitting — you can’t help but feel the electricity in the crowd. No Shoes Nation is always loud, proud and sings their hearts out. In a place like The Joint, it’s just that much more intense. I can’t think of a better way to kick off this year’s Trip Around The Sun.”
For information on Chesney’s Trip Around the Sun Tour visit www.kennychesney.com.