International country artists to perform at 2014 CMA Music Festival

Each June, country music connoisseurs from all over the world travel to Nashville for CMA Music Festival, but fans aren’t the only ones crossing borders to attend Country Music’s largest event. International Country artists from all over the globe make the pilgrimage to Music City each year to perform at CMA World GlobaLive!, a free showcase featuring international Country Music artists on Monday, June 2 in downtown Nashville. The CMA World GlobaLive! concert will be held on an outdoor stage on Broadway and First Avenue in downtown Nashville. The concert is open to the public and will feature performances by Country artists from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, and the U.K. “Each of these acts has already achieved a high degree of momentum and success abroad,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “They are performers that we think are capable of attracting industry attention.” CMA World GlobaLive!, which began in 2004 as the global artist party, serves as a showcase for overseas talent during the festival. Each year, the concert attracted standing-room-only crowds of enthusiastic fans, which prompted CMA to move the event from a club setting to a larger outdoor stage. The concert will now have the capacity to house its largest crowd yet with an audience of fans and press from around the world. 2014 CMA Music Festival is now a sold-out event with attendees traveling from across the U.S. as well as 21 foreign countries. More than 150 artists were submitted for consideration to perform on the CMA World GlobaLive! stage, according to Jeff Walker, CMA Board member and Executive Producer of CMA World GlobaLive! “When evaluating artists to perform at the event, we look at several factors, including radio airplay, social awareness, touring schedules and media acceptance within their local territories,” said Walker. “We are excited about this year’s lineup and the surging popularity of Country Music overseas. By presenting shows like GlobaLive!, participating in events like C2C in the U.K., and the ongoing outreach to other international Country Music organisations, we are creating an environment to escalate the expansion of the Country Music brand internationally.” Artists performing during CMA World GlobaLive! include Jaida Dreyer,who was nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year in Canada and is signed to U.S. label Streamsound Records; Canadian super group Emerson Drive, who has had a successful U.S. career since the late ‘90s; Kira Isabella, the reigning Canadian Female Vocalist of the Year; Kaylens Rain, who was recently named CRA winner by radio station professionals throughout Australia; Wes Mack, the Canadian Country Music Association’s Discovery Winner; One More Girl, the rising Canadian duo comprised of sisters Britt and Carly McKillip, who have an impressive past and present touring schedule; Australian duo, O’Shea, who are routinely found in the Australian Top 5 and also host an Australian television show on the CRC; David Park, rising star in his native Sweden who has also earned the nickname of “Banjo Man”; Jared Porter, the reigning winner of the nationwide Star Maker talent search in Australia; Cameron Scott, the New Zealand Horizon Award winner; Dallas Smith, previous frontman of rock group Default, who was already a huge star in Canada before he made the transition from rock to Country; and Tamara Stewart, the recent winner of a CMAA Golden Guitar for her composition entitled “Women in Song.” www.cmafest.com