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2021 Golden Guitar winner Kirsty Lee Akers has written about many different themes over her career, but never about herself, until now. The new single ‘Wild One’ shares the story of Akers’ drive, commitment and unending passion for music as a career. From the dive bars to the big stage, it’s been quite a journey so far.

“When I write songs they are normally about friends or family or completely made up stories but wild one is the first song I’ve ever written about myself. This one tells the story of my journey being obsessed with music from the day I was born, and chasing that dream till I can’t chase any more.” Stated Akers

The track was written with two of Kirsty’s favourite collaborators in Nashville, Phil Barton and Bruce Wallace. It is a fun, driven song, that Akers gave a real 90’s country vibe when she took the producer’s chair and went into the studio.

The track is the 3rd single lifted from Akers’ 6th studio album, entitled ‘WILD’ that is released on April 15, 2022.

About The Album – WILD – Out April 15

WILD is the exciting new album from Kirsty Lee Akers. The 2021 Golden Guitar-winner, Star maker winner and star of Channel 9’s ‘The Block’ is back with a vengeance, after battling her way through the global pandemic.

Written and recorded during various stages of the 2020-21 lockdown, the album echoes sentiments experienced by many during that time. From imagining overseas adventures long since cancelled, to freedoms previously taken for granted before COVID-19, and love that kept many homes together. The project delves into many facets of life that humanity dealt with together during this unique time in history.

Following up from her most successful album to date, this 6th studio album brings together some of Akers’ most trusted co-writers in Phil Barton, Trey Bruce, and Bruce Wallace, as well as new colleagues connected with virtually around the world. Akers again took the producers’ seat, making her one of the few female, First Nations producers on the country music landscape. In addition to her lead direction, she added long-term band members and skilled musicians in their own right, Dan Ebbels, Paul Bain, and Isaac Kennedy to the mix.

The result is an eclectic, passionate, and heartfelt mix of Kirsty Lee Akers. From her signature modern Country Music stylings, infused with the heritage and roots of Americana, held together by lashings of classic Pop indulgence.

The album will be the first released through Kirsty’s own independent label, Rider Records.

“Words can be so hurtful, faceless lies are painful. Don’t fool yourself into think that it’s nothing when it might mean something to someone else…”

The need for real human connection and to break away from the divisive influence of social media is the inspiration behind Lyn Bowtell’s latest single, ‘Woman To Woman’.

Hook-ridden and with a driving beat, ‘Woman To Woman’ sees the multi-award-winning singer-songwriter at her thoughtful best with the John Mayer infused, adult contemporary feel filling this track with radio-friendly vibes.

After two years of watching people being hurtful to each other on social media, and being separated from family and friends by travel and border restrictions, Bowtell reminds us it’s time to get together and look each other in the eyes once again.

“I hope listeners to ‘Woman To Woman’ might be a little less influenced by social media in their everyday life and consider going to the source of information before they cast judgment on people,” the singer-songwriter said.

“It’s great to be able to reach out across boundaries and borders to talk to people, but social media does come with negative effects as well and we are understanding that more and more now”.

“I’ve never had anything particularly damaging said to me on social media, although there were a few moments after The Voice, but I’m lucky in that respect. Country music people are usually friendly, supportive and good-natured.”

Through ‘Woman To Woman’, Bowtell and co-writer Kevin Bennett send the timely message that how we speak to each other is important, and not to dismiss how easily we can make people feel distress and hurt with what we casually and carelessly type on a keyboard.

“Don’t think that writing something horrid online doesn’t mean something to someone else, of course it does – it’s hurtful and degrading,” Bowtell said.

“I have missed my friends and the simple pleasure of talking and connecting with people, I think we are all excited to get back to the face-to-face conversations and real-life experiences that we have sacrificed in the last few years.”

The accompanying video, shot by Duncan Toombs of The Filmery, stars Bowtell, a 1970 Jaguar XJ6 and Lyn’s friends and backing singers on this track, Jen Mize, Kim McCartin and Kelly Brouhaha.

Multiple ARIA and GRAMMY Award winner Keith Urban unveils his first single of 2022, ‘Nightfalls’, a euphoric moonlit anthem co-written with Greg Kurstin (Adele, Beck, Paul McCartney) and Mozella (Madonna, Rhianna). Bound to be a crowd favourite at Keith’s forthcoming ‘THE SPEED OF NOW WORLD TOUR’ shows, the infectious track marks a similar return of Urban’s high-energy, in-the-moment spirit and all-round divergent musicality.

Keith says, “Writing “Nightfalls” with Greg Kurstin and Mozella was pure joy. Two summers have gone by with no way to tour and the desire to have that feeling again inspired every part of this song and recording. In a world so full of real struggles and fractures, I wanna try and bring something to help us exhale and be in the moment – if only for 3 mins and 41 seconds.”

‘Nightfalls’ follows on from ‘Wild Hearts’ and Urban’s global smash, his duet with P!nk, ‘One Too Many’, which to date has amassed 340 million worldwide streams. The song has become Urban’s 43rd Top 10 single in the U.S. and his 27th #1 in Canada. It was certified double platinum in Australia, reached #1 on the Australian Artist singles chart and has spent 44 weeks in the Top 50 UK Airplay Chart. Urban’s latest album, THE SPEED OF NOW Part 1, marks the fourth in an historic streak of simultaneous #1 album debuts in the United States, Canada and Australia.

THE SPEED OF NOW WORLD TOUR gets underway in April at the O2 Academy in the UK before ending up in Australia in December with Birds of Tokyo as the special guest.

Grammy-nominee Jason Aldean starts off the new year with the announcement of his next single “Trouble With A Heartbreak,” available alongside its haunting music video now. The reminiscent track is featured on the second installment of his 10th studio album MACON, GEORGIA (Macon Music/Broken Bow Records), which is available April 22nd, as its aching video is set in Las Vegas during National Finals Rodeo where a cowboy finds himself navigating a broken heart. The track is now available with the pre-order of the collection’s second installment GEORGIA here , while MACON is fully available here .

“The cool thing about putting out two parts of this record is having fans hear all the different influences I grew up on,” Aldean said. “This song hit me right when I heard it and reminded me of those bitter R&B breakup songs that take me back to riding through the backroads of Georgia.”

Written by Kurt Allison, Brett Beavers, Tully Kennedy and John Morgan, “Trouble With A Heartbreak” follows Aldean’s 26th career chart topper and multi-week No. One “If I Didn’t Love You” featuring Carrie Underwood. Directed by long-time collaborator Shaun Silva, its video was shot in December during Aldean’s sold-out, three-night run at The Park Theatre.

Fans can now watch the video here: https://youtu.be/TAtWP5Mct5I

The three-time ACM “Entertainer of the Year” has bolstered 26 No. One hits, 15 billion streams and more than 20 million albums sold while “MACON exhibits Aldean’s dynamic approach to Country music,” (American Songwriter). Notably, seven of Aldean’s previous studio albums have been certified PLATINUM or more and he has the most Top 10 song on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, more than any other artists, since making his chart debut in 2005. Aldean just wrapped the “explosive run” (Tulsa World) behind his BACK IN THE SADDLE TOUR 2021, as he continues be one of a card-carrying member of Country’s elite headliners whose incendiary tours are nearing legendary status. The multi-Platinum singer has launched Wolf Moon Bourbon, an 80-proof bourbon that has been distilled from Midwestern grains and aged for four years offering a finish of caramel, oak, and spice. For more information, visit www.JasonAldean.com.

Smooth soul vocalist Natalie Nicole Gilbert teams up with singer/songwriter Chris Sloan for this power packed duet version of Adele’s Easy On Me. The song just went live on SoundCloud 3/26 and already amassed over 16,000 streams.

The simmering mezzo voice of Gilbert with the tenor vibrato of Sloan melds into a perfect union that brings plenty of romance to this track about a relationship hitting hard times. Sloan’s natural sound leans rock, while Gilbert has a passion for power ballads and acoustic originals. Their harmonizing rings as true as if they’d been performing together for years.

Natalie Nicole Gilbert is based in Los Angeles, with Chris Sloan in Seattle. The two have never met in person or even Zoomed or hopped on a phone call, but the way their voices melt together brings to mind the Civil Wars.

Impacting radio now, available on all major digital music outlets April 15, 2022.

Following up his Texas (TRRR ) #1 hit “Stealing Home,” James Robert Webb’s brand new single, “Lovesick Drifting Cowboy” is a Hank Willliams-inspired country standout with grit. The song benchmarks the first of a series of self-produced singles for the 2022 Music Row Independent Artist of the Year, who accepted the honor at the Music Row Magazine’s 20th Annual Country Breakout Awards in February (more here ).

Co-written with Shelby Lee Lowe and Victoria Powell, the inspiration for the single’s title came from Hank Williams’ band The Drifting Cowboys and his song “Love Sick Blues.” With dynamic vocals and textured instrumentation, “Lovesick Drifting Cowboy” is destined to echo the success of Webb’s prior releases.

About the song, Webb says:

“We wrote this song pre-pandemic, back in 2017. It was inspired by country icon and legendary songwriter, Hank Williams, Sr.. The title of the song itself is a nod to both Hank’s band and his famous cover of Love Sick Blues. It was one of his most enduring songs even though his team didn’t want him to record it.

Everyone has an opinion on Hank, but I consider him the original outlaw country artist. He was also just a massive superstar and a big component of his music was pop and blues.

For me, [Lovesick Drifting Cowboy] is a more visceral song. I wanted the record to update that Hank Sr. country roots sound by way of the blues. That’s certainly what Hank was and I wanted to pay homage to that. When I listen, I can see Hank’s band travelling down that dusty Lost Highway. There’s also an edge that reflects my influences–it’s definitely a preview of what’s to come for me as an artist.

It appears that 2022 is shaping up to be a banner year for the independent artist, whose previous single not only gave him his first, #1, it became his 9th MusicRow top 40, peaking at #25–and his fourth consecutive Billboard Indicator top 40. The Oklahoma-native will also be releasing a 100-proof white-aged whiskey later this summer, in honor of the 2021 chart-topping hit, “Okfuskee Whiskey.”

Early Praise From Radio

” James Robert Webb has taken himself to the next level. Little Waylon vibe Charlie Daniel’s too, Country through and through!” – Doris Day, KXIA, Marshalltown, Iowa

“If you want to know why JRW is the Music Row Independent Artist of the Year just listen….’nuff said!” – Mike Thomas, PD/MD, KFAV, Warrenton, MO

Get ready for a little rockier sound from singer-songwriter Felicity Dowd with her new single, ‘Handle It’.

Born out of an attraction to a close friend, ‘Handle It’ deals with everything that comes with keeping emotions to yourself, even if you have strong feelings for someone.

“It’s about not wanting to damage your friendship, which you hear a lot of in films, but It wasn’t until I started writing the song that it took on a different meaning,” Felicity said. “It took on a mature way of explaining how a young person like me may deal with this situation.”

Felicity is an artist who won’t be constrained by genre, but instead allows the song to lead the way when she is writing.

“I write to what the song’s feeling and I’ve written in a lot of different genres and this one kept growing as producer Rod Motbey and I put the song together,” she said. “It started off as a very acoustic version, but as we went through the process, it became almost rocky and alternative country and it even uses some influences from Fleetwood Mac to get that oomph and feeling behind it.”

The NSW South Coast/Illawarra singer said she wanted to keep her listeners open to new sounds in her music.

“‘Handle It’ is a very current song, thematically and musically, and I hope that if listeners relate to the song, it’ll be a bit of a safe haven to feel those emotions, but they can also simply dance and sing along with the song,” Felicity said.

Fresh off the back of achieving a Top 40 Finalist spot in the Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition, Courtney Keil returns with her bubbly new single, ‘The One’.

The 90s inspired country bop reflects on the magic of true love – “It’s somethin’ you can’t know until that first time when time stands still”. The track radiates Keil’s signature positive vibes, with its sizzling guitar hooks and playful vocals. You’ll have a hard time resisting the urge to dance along with its infectious groove, “inspired by Faith Hill’s iconic, This Kiss”.

“I once again had the joy of writing this with my songwriting family Rod McCormack (who also produced the track), Sam Gay and Templeton Thompson”, chirps Keil. The same creative powerhouse has crafted every one of her singles to date – including the Vanda & Young finalist, ‘I Just Wanna Hold You’. That explosive debut was also a finalist in the 2020 International Songwriting Competition and peaked at #15 on the CountryTown Hot 50 airplay chart. Along with two of her other previous singles, ‘Hummingbird’ and ‘Where Does All The Love Go’, it also reached the #1 spot on the iTunes Country Singles chart.

It appears country music is not only in the heart of the Melbourne native, but also in her blood. Her paternal grandmother was a country singer in Adelaide during the ’50s. “She would sing on local radio with her two sisters,” reminisces Keil.

It’s no surprise then that Keil is no stranger to the stage. With a packed tour schedule for 2022, she’s appearing alongside Gina Jeffreys and Tania Kernaghan on their Girls Night Out tour – which includes a show at the Tamworth Country Music Festival – and opening for Andrew Swift during his VIC leg in April. She’s also played the role of June Carter Cash alongside Daniel Thompson in Johnny Cash: The Concert Tour throughout 2021 and will continue in 2022.

“So many reasons to fall in love / But you just need the one”, sings Keil on the infectious new single. It’s yet another superb track from a young artist who is blazing a trail through the Australian country music scene. Her endless optimism and vivacity are sure to captivate audiences along her road to stardom. If you’ve been waiting for a reason to fall in love with Courtney Keil then this might be the one.

The upbeat new tune “Shotgun” from Nashville newcomer Christian Parker is the first single off the upcoming debut album called “Debutante” due out in September 2022. Shotgun perfectly captures that excitement of throwing caution to the wind and chasing your dreams with reckless abandon, a sentiment he can definitely identify with as he launches his debut single. Like its name suggests, “Shotgun” is a blast of energy from an artist brimming with passion and eagerness, ready to make his mark on the country scene. The budding young talent infused the track with plenty of inspiration and can-do gumption for all the dreamers out there yearning to give it a proper shot, and comes roaring out of the gate with this winning tune about giving it your all and never looking back. Shotgun is produced by Grammy nominated producer Sal Oliveri. Entertainment Focus says of the artist “This is one rising star you want to get on you radar”. Remember his name, with a full promo, PR and marketing team behind him, you’re surely be hearing a lot about Christian Parker.

Dave Herrera has a way of writing thought-provoking material, as demonstrated in this NEW Single “Shades,” a tale about a woman who catches a man’s eye with her dark sunglasses that aren’t used to block the sun, but as a barrier to the outside world. But once she pulls up the shades, one realizes there’s something deeper.

Herrera said “it’s not easy to meet people, more specifically a significant other, as OPENING UP is not an easy thing to do” as Herrera wrote in his lyrics “hiding your eyes won’t hide ya; cause only the sun shines brighter; fix a broken heart; if you look my way; let down your guard pull up those shades”.

Herrera wrote the track with the help of Cory Coppin and Kale Coppin co-writers and produced the track with co-producer Jeff Balding. “Shades” was recorded at WestRoc Studios.