December 1, 2025

CMA to kick off C2C London with Songwriters Series

The Country Music Association will return to London with the CMA Songwriters Series featuring a dynamic mix of artists and songwriters. With Country Music leading the charge as the fastest growing genre in the U.K. year over year, CMA remains deeply committed to championing that momentum and supporting Country Music’s community in the U.K. and around the globe. Serving as the official kickoff of C2C London, the week begins with a CMA Songwriters Series at indigo at the O2 on Thursday 12 March, featuring an all-star lineup of performers including Keith Urban, Aaron Raitiere, Ashley Cooke, Kristian Bush and Meg McRee. A cornerstone event for C2C attendees, the CMA Songwriters Series continues to be one of the festival’s most anticipated events, underscoring the appetite U.K. fans have for Nashville’s most celebrated storytellers. “What makes this work so meaningful is seeing how Country Music continues to connect with audiences far beyond the U.S.,” says Meredith Goucher, CMA Director, International Relations & Development. “As the trade association for our industry, CMA is committed to supporting the creators, businesses, and professionals who bring this genre to life. Every year, C2C and our Songwriters Series remind us that this genre resonates universally, its stories, its craft, its heart. We’re grateful for our partners at C2C and the fans who attend from across the U.K., Europe, and beyond who champion Country Music and help us build an even more vibrant global community.” Ticket pre-sale begins Wednesday 3 December at 10am GMT for O2 Priority members, followed by the C2C past-bookers pre-sale on Thursday 4 December at 10am GMT. General on-sale opens Friday 5 December at 10am GMT. To purchase tickets, visit https://www.theo2.co.uk/events/venue/indigo-at-the-o2. Since 2005, CMA Songwriters Series has presented more than 100 shows in cities including Austin, Belfast, Chicago, Dublin, London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Toronto and Washington, D.C. at the renowned Library of Congress and John F. Kennedy Center. Artists and songwriters who have participated in the series internationally include Cam, Shy Carter, Luke Combs, Ross Copperman, Luke Dick, Russell Dickerson, Dalton Dover, Charles Esten, Wyatt Flores, Nicole Galyon, Natalie Hemby, Randy Houser, Ashley Gorley, Mickey Guyton, Levi Hummon, Marcus Hummon, Brett James, Mac McAnally, Shane McAnally, Martina McBride, Lori McKenna, Ashley Monroe, Kip Moore, Maren Morris, Liz Rose, Darius Rucker, Caitlyn Smith, Nate Smith, Laura Veltz, Tucker Wetmore, Drake White, Lainey Wilson and Chris Young.

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Paper Kites Announce New Album for January Release

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Alternative folk favourites The Paper Kites have confirmed details of their seventh studio album If You Go There, I Hope You Find It, due for release on 23 January through Nettwerk Music Group. To mark the announcement, the band have shared a new single titled “Every Town”, a tender, wistful piece built on soft melodies and gentle lyricism. The track arrives with an official video, offering a first glimpse of the record’s tone — warm, melancholic, and quietly affecting. If You Go There, I Hope You Find It follows the same reflective spirit, featuring recent single “When The Lavender Blooms”, recorded at Melbourne’s Sing Sing Studios and mixed by multi-Grammy winner Jon Low. Early notes on the album describe it as intimate and healing-minded, shaped by themes of nature, hope and simplicity, with each song unfolding like a conversation rather than a performance. There is a sense of return threaded through it — of leaving, searching, and coming home changed. The band are currently back on the road in the United States, including their own headline dates alongside support slots for The Teskey Brothers. They are also scheduled to appear at Bourbon & Beyond in Louisville before heading to Richmond for Iron Blossom Music Festival later this month. Fans in the UK and Europe will have a longer wait — but not by much. The Paper Kites have announced an extensive 2026 headline tour across the region, with tickets on sale now. London is set for a show at the Roundhouse, following previous sold-out runs at Koko, Kentish Town Forum and a major summer performance at Somerset House. Additional stops include the O2 Ritz in Manchester and 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin. The Paper Kites now count more than two billion streams worldwide, their soft-spoken sound resonating far beyond folk circles. Their breakout track Bloom has gone multi-Platinum internationally and remains one of the most recognisable modern indie-folk singles of the past decade. It has since been covered on The Kelly Clarkson Show, while the band’s music continues to soundtrack television staples such as Grey’s Anatomy, This Is Us and Virgin River. Though their influence has grown, the group remain rooted in restraint and nuance — collaborators rather than chasers, working quietly alongside artists such as Lucy Rose, Nadia Reid and Rosie Carney. Their rise has been gradual, steady and built less on spectacle than on craft. It is that patience, along with harmony-rich songwriting, that has carried them to this seventh chapter. And if the new single is any indication, If You Go There, I Hope You Find It doesn’t mark a reinvention so much as a deepening — another page in a story written gently, thoroughly, and always in service of feeling.

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Big Valley Jamboree-Maverick-Country.com

Big Valley Jamboree Reveals 2026 Headliners

News / Editor

Big Valley Jamboree is gearing up for its 34th edition, returning to Camrose from 30 July to 2 August, and organisers have confirmed a powerhouse 2026 Chevrolet Main Stage line-up to match. This year’s festival places three major names at the top of the bill: eight-time ACM Group of the Year Old Dominion, multi-platinum hitmaker Riley Green, and four-time GRAMMY winner Keith Urban. ACM New Artist of the Year Nate Smith will open the weekend during Thursday’s Kickoff Party inside the Coors Original Saloon. “As we celebrate the incredible history of Big Valley Jamboree, this line-up feels like the perfect way to honour where we’ve been and where we’re headed,” said Troy Vollhoffer, CEO of Country Thunder. “Keith Urban, Old Dominion and Riley Green each bring something unique to the stage, and together they capture the spirit of what BVJ is all about: great music, great community and memories that last long after the weekend ends.” Urban, returning to BVJ after years away, brings more than two decades of chart success to the Alberta stage. The three-time Entertainer of the Year holds 20 number-one singles – including “Somebody Like You,” “Blue Ain’t Your Colour,” and “Long Hot Summer” – and remains one of the most recognisable live performers in modern country music. Old Dominion step into their headlining slot as one of the most decorated groups in the genre, with eight ACM Awards and seven CMA wins to their name. Their catalogue of fan favourites – “Break Up with Him,” “Written in the Sand,” “Make It Sweet” – has helped position them amongst country music’s most in-demand live acts. Riley Green will headline Big Valley Jamboree for the first time following his well-received Kickoff Party appearance in 2024. Known for hits like “There Was This Girl,” “I Wish Grandpa’s Never Died,” and “Worst Way,” Green arrives off the back of multiple ACM and CMA wins and continues to build momentum. More names join the 2026 roster, including Cameron Whitcomb, Noeline Hoffman, viral breakout Gavin Adcock and Chase Rice. The programme also features Robyn Ottolini, Sacha, Josh Stumpf, Morgan Klaiber, Travis Dolter, Sully Burrows, The Dead South, Mark Chesnutt, Billy Dean & Collin Raye and Logan Layman. Festival-goers can also expect two signature events: Thursday’s Kickoff Party led by Nate Smith, and the official BVJ After Party, complete with late-night surprise guests throughout the weekend. Further updates are expected in the months ahead. Tickets and camping packages are already on sale, with a new payment plan allowing visitors to secure their place for £20 down, followed by equal monthly instalments. A landmark summer for country fans is already on the horizon – and Big Valley Jamboree looks set to make 2026 one to remember.

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1 December 2025

CMA to kick off C2C London with Songwriters Series

Paper Kites Announce New Album for January Release

Big Valley Jamboree Reveals 2026 Headliners