Fast rising duo O&O have released another new single in the shape of Dancing on the Floor, which has arrived a couple of months after their last release. You can listen to the track here. Dancing on the Floor arrives hot on the heels of the last song that the duo – made up of Obadiah Jones and Orian Peled – released, which was titled Here We Are. Speaking about the track, the duo said that Dancing on the Floor allows them to embrace a more rockier side of their sound and that when they recorded it in Liverpool, they had full license to let rip. “The track further explores our rockier side, which we have previously dabbled with on Truth Comes Out,” the pair said.  “For this song, we delved into the world of vices to question why we humans are often drawn to do exactly what we shouldn’t. “The opening guitar riff, which sprang to hand almost fully formed, was the inspiration and driving force of the track. Recorded at our favourite studio, The Cabin (Liverpool), we had free reign to crank up the distortion controls.” O&O are currently on a UK tour and have a special headline date in London locked in on April 24, which will see them perform at The Spice of Life with Demi Marriner and Robbie Cavanagh as their support acts. O&O will be playing: February 25 – The Bristol Fringe, Bristol, England February 27 – Barnoldswick Music & Arts Centre, Barnoldswick, England February 28 – Old School BBQ Bus, Manchester, England March 5 – The Bedford, London, England April 24 – The Spice of Life, London, England

Kenny Chesney has released a new song in the shape of Here and Now, which came hot on the heels of a huge personal accolade for the artist. You can listen to the song here. During the 2020 Country Radio Seminar at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Chesney became the recipient of the Country Radio Broadcasters’ Humanitarian of the Year Award and the release of this track came hot on the heels of that. Speaking about the single, which is due to be own his upcoming record that will drop in spring, Chesney said that he is only limited in what he can do in regards to how the world works, but he is doing his bit tot ry and give his fans some relief and to help them leave their worries at the door for a few hours. “There is so much in the world we can’t change and you can get so caught up in that, you miss your life,” Chesney said.  “I can’t save the world, but I can make music that makes people happy, play shows that let them forget their problems for an evening – and occasionally cut a song that maybe reminds all of us what we ought to be embracing.” The song was created during a writing retreat that Chesney staged in Malibu and was written with David Lee Murphy, Craig Wiseman and David Garcia. Kenny Chesney is due to embark on a stadium tour across the US as of April, which will conclude at the end of August. There is a date at the Nissan Stadium in Nashville pencilled in, which takes place on June 27. 

Iconic country music star Reba McEntire has returned to Universal Music Group Nashville after an 11-year stint away from the label. McEntire‘s hugely successful first 32 years as an artist were on UMG Nashville labels Mercury and then MCA Records, where she experienced 33 Number One singles and sold over 56 million albums. In 2009, McEntire left for Valory Records, which is an offshoot of Big Machine Records – who ironically distribute through Universal – but surprised everyone at the industry only audience at the Ryman Auditorium for the UMG Nashville Luncheon at Country Radio Seminar when she took to the stage to perform, subsequently announcing the news. Speaking about re-signing for UMG Nashville, McEntire said that she is delighted to be back and that she cannot wait to get stuck into her older songs, which suggests that a possible remaster collection could be on the horizon. “It’s a wonderful feeling to be back with the family where I started,” Reba said. “I am thrilled because my catalogue is here at Universal and I’m really excited to revisit all the songs that I recorded many years ago. We’re going to have a lot of fun.” In March, McEntire will embark on her first arena headline tour in nine years and will be taking Caylee Hammack as her support act, while she is also still continuing her residency stay in Las Vegas with Brooks & Dunn.

Upcoming Nashville based artist Kate Kelly has released her latest track Quiet as a Mouse, which sees her venture down a different musical path. You can watch the video below. [wpdevart_youtube]TnMJAR9odkE[/wpdevart_youtube] Kelly, whose previous releases in the ‘New Heartbeat EP’ and her debut album ‘The Wonder of it All’ were very much influenced by soul and jazz, has gone for a more ambient, country based sound with her new music. Speaking about the song, Kelly said that it was written in the aftermath of a relationship split and how she felt at the time, while also stating that writing the song helped her in many ways. “I wrote Quiet as a Mouse several years ago as I explored feelings of abandonment after a breakup,” Kelly explains. “It was an all-consuming emotion, one that I felt in my body and in the passing of time. “This song became important to write as I learned how much of myself could be regained through being left alone. It is an exploration of being left, leaving and saying goodbye. There is strength in our endings if we honour the pain” Originally from the Gulf coast of Alabama, Kate Kelly moved to Nashville initially to study musical therapy at Belmont University, before deciding that she wanted to pursue a career as a musician.

A freshly conducted study from CMT has proved that an overwhelming majority of country music fans want equal play for female artists on country radio. In conjunction with Coleman Insights Media Research, CMT surveyed 1000 listeners aged between 25 and 54 and specifically screened for listeners who either “love country radio and would listen all the time,” “like country radio a lot and would listen frequently,” or “like country radio and would listen occasionally.” The results showed that 88% of listeners believe that females play a huge part in the genre, 84% want equal play for female artists and about seven in 10 want more female artists involved with country music. In addition, 72% of fans have noticed that they listen to men more than women on country radio, but a small majority of fans (53%) don’t actually have a preference of gender. Finally, the study found that 44% of listeners would be more interested in a radio station that heavily features female artists, while 28% of listeners would listen to country radio more if more females were involved, compared to the 11% who said they would listen less with more female artists. The survey results further prove that people want to listen to female artists and it will be interesting to see what happens next. It has been no secret that country radio in America is very male dominant and the issue doesn’t look like going away anytime soon. 

Rising Nashville star Kalie Shorr has released the video for her most recent single Escape, which is tragically about her sister passing away. You can watch the video below. [wpdevart_youtube]-D2c_dpGKYo[/wpdevart_youtube] The track features on Shorr’s debut album, ‘Open Book’, which she self-released in September 2019 and the video intertwines Shorr singing along and family footage of her as a child with her sister Ashley, who died from a heroin overdose in January 2019. Speaking to The Boot, Shorr opened up on how the song came to fruition and some of the issues that have sadly been a prominent part of her life, while also elaborating on the message she wants listeners to take from it. “I’d been forced to confront a lot of issues head on around that time and my childhood was one of them,” Shorr explained. “They started with an idea titled ‘Break the Cycle,’ but as they wrote, the line “Everybody needs an escape and mine was leavin’” stuck out and became the song’s hook and title inspiration. “There’s so many different forms of addiction and self-harm – from drugs and alcohol to eating disorders and unhealthy relationships. Unfortunately, all of those things have played a part in my story. “I want people who listen to this song to know that just because you come from somewhere doesn’t mean it’s where you have to end up, both literally and metaphorically. You can still teach yourself to fly even if no one around you knows how.” Kalie Shorr will be in the UK this spring as she will be coming over as part of the all female Nashville collective Song Suffragettes, along with Candi Carpenter, Vic Allen and Bellah Mae. Song Suffragettes will be playing: April 26 – Oran Mor, Glasgow, Scotland April 27 – Glee Club, Nottingham, England April 28 – Glee Club, Birmingham, England April 29 – Band on the Wall, Manchester, England April 30 – Bush Hall, London, England

Brett Young will be crossing genres briefly as he is linking up with Norwegian pop star Astrid S for her latest track, I Do. You can pre-save the song here. Astrid S is one of the world’s biggest pop stars at this moment in time with over a billion streams to her name and I Do will be her first release of 2020. Speaking about collaborating with Astrid S, Young said that it was a genuine source of pride to be asked to feature on the track, while he’s very much looking forward to trying his hand at something different. “I was so honoured to be asked to collaborate on this track with Astrid,” Young said. “When I first heard I Do, I instantly connected to the lyrics and storytelling, so jumping onboard and digging into something a little bit different was a no-brainer for me. I can’t wait for the fans to hear this one.” Astrid S also added comment on the collaboration, stating that she is a huge fan of the country music genre and that it has influenced her a lot in her musical life, while she is delighted that Young wanted to work with her. “I’ve grown up with country music – it’s a genre I admire very much and it’s been a big influence and inspiration throughout the years in my songwriting,” she said. “I’m so happy Brett wanted to do this song with me. Hope you’ll love it as much as I do!” In a few weeks, Brett Young will be performing at C2C 2020 as a Main Stage act, with the California born artist sub-headlining the festival this year.

Rising UK country-pop artist Laura Oakes has released a new single in the shape of Better In Blue Jeans, which is set to be on her upcoming EP. You can listen to the song here. The Liverpool singer/songwriter has been busy working on new music over the last 12 months or so, with the singles Welcome to the Family and Learn to be Lonely Again preceding Better In Blue Jeans, as she ramps up anticipation ahead of her EP release, which is scheduled for spring. Speaking about the song, Oakes explained that it is a song that links back to your individual roots and how it’s important not to forget them, while also stating that when it comes to her live sets, it’s her number one. “Better In Blue Jeans is a song about not forgetting where you came from or the people that helped you get there,” Oakes said. “It’s my absolute favourite song to perform live.” 2020 is already shaping up to be very busy for the artist, with the artist pencilled in to appear at C2C 2020, where she will be performing on both the Icon Stage and in the Town Square. Oakes is also embarking on a UK tour in March, which incorporates the festival. Tickets are available here. Laura Oakes will be playing: March 6 – Friends Meeting House, Oxford, England March 7 – Phase One, Liverpool, England March 9 – Oporto, Leeds, England March 11 – Poetry Club, Glasgow, Scotland March 12 – Cuban Embassy, Birmingham, England March 15 – C2C 2020, London, England    

The weekend plans of Chase Rice have changed suddenly after he was asked by Garth Brooks to open for him at one of his stadium shows in the US. Brooks is currently embarking on ‘The Garth Brooks Stadium Tour’, which has seen him play some colossal shows out in the States to some mega crowds and his next stop is at the Ford Field Stadium in Detroit, Michigan. The 70,000 capacity venue sold out in under an hour and a half, but there will be a new addition at the home of the Detroit Lions in the shape of Rice, who will now kick off the show. The news rounds off quite the story from CMA Fest 2019, when Rice was on Entertainment Tonight and spoke about his dreams of playing in the Nissan Stadium in Nashville, before Brooks surprised him and said that he would let Rice open for him if he does a gig at the venue. It appears that while the location may have moved, the sentiment hasn’t and Rice will now open for one of his idols – something that he is very much looking forward to. “Growing up, Garth was it for me,” explains Rice. “He was the first concert I ever saw as a kid growing up in North Carolina, and like I told him when he surprised me on set – he’s the reason I play country music today. To open a show for him, let alone in a massive stadium like Ford Field, is an absolute dream come true.” It’s been a busy few weeks for Chase Rice, who not only wrapped up his ‘The Pint of Anything Tour’ across Europe – including a headline date at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire –  but also released ‘The Album Part 1 on January 24. Rice will also support Brantley Gilbert on his upcoming tour, as well as select dates on Rascal Flatts’ farewell run. Just before his set at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, we spoke to Rice about his new album and his hopes for it, which you can read here.