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31 Days of Women: Kalie Shorr

kalie shorr

Kalie Shorr will make her Opry debut on Saturday (March 31). The singer-songwriter learned the exciting news last month and shared a tearful video reveal with her mom.

“Mom, what are you doing March 31?” she asks in a minute-long clip shared on Twitter. She can barely choke the words out before she tears up, and Mom can be heard getting emotional, too.

I’ve covered Shorr several times for Taste of Country, who named the singer a RISER artist in 2017. Shorr has been an outspoken champion for female country artists who are coming up with her. She recently teamed up with more than 20 female singers to release “Time’s Up,” a song and video track she co-wrote which addresses the mistreatment of women in society.

Additionally, Shorr is an original member of Song Suffragettes, a weekly all-female singer-songwriter round at the Listening Room in Nashville. There couldn’t be a better female artist selected to perform on the Opry stage on the final day of Women’s History Month. Listen to two of my favorite songs from Shorr in the videos below.

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31 Days of Women: Cassadee Pope

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Cassadee Pope is set to release her new single “Take You Home” on Friday (March 30) and the song marks the singer’s return following a label departure. I chatted with Pope for Billboard and she says “Take You Home” was the perfect reintroduction to her solo career following the success of her 2016 duet “Think of You” with Chris Young.

“I’ve always gravitated towards catchy melodic songs. I love the melody in that song and I love how the first verse dips down and makes you pay attention,” she explains. “Something that I thought about too was, ‘What do I want people to hear first after a few years of being off the grid?’ I had ‘Think of You,’ which I’m so grateful for, but as in my own music I haven’t had anything in a while. This is what I want to reintroduce myself as. It’s confident, it’s sexy. I feel like I am in that place and I feel like that’s what people are going to get from that song.”

The song blends pop and rock elements with hand-clapped rhythms, slick production and soaring guitar parts that support Pope’s memorable vocals. It’s the descriptive lyrics, though, that Pope says feel distinctly country. “Take You Home” was written by Ben Hayslip, Emily Weisband, and Paul DiGiovanni, and Pope knew upon first hearing it that she wanted the song for herself.

“Being single for the first time in eight years, I definitely felt those feelings when you meet somebody for the first time and you’re like, ‘I want to show you where I come from and I want to take you home but not in that fleeting way. I want to take you to my hometown and show you what shaped me,'” she says.

For more of my interview with Pope, visit Billboard. Listen to a snippet of “Take You Home” below.

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31 Days of Women: RaeLynn

“Queens Don’t” 2018 Single

RaeLynn recently released her new single “Queens Don’t” to country radio. Penned by the singer with Corey Crowder and J Hart, the empowering anthem was inspired by her mother’s hard work to raise five kids as a single mom with no formal education. At a single release event at Nashville’s Suzy Wong’s House of Yum, RaeLynn discussed the evolution of the song and how she hopes to build people up with her music.

“She got promotion on top of promotion because she knew who she was and never apologized for it,” RaeLynn shared of her mother’s climb up the corporate ladder. “I found through watching my mom, you can’t build up and tear down at the same time. You have to choose. I choose to build up and encourage everyone to reach their God given queen and king potential. This song is about everyone living out their God given destiny. I’m so honored to be able to release this song.”

Following RaeLynn’s song introduction, she was joined by three drag queens dressed as some of country music’s biggest stars — Shania Twain, Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire — while the final queen played the role of RaeLynn’s twin as she sang her new single to the room of industry professionals.

“Queens don’t hate, queens don’t fight / Queens don’t stay unless their king treats her right / Every jewel on my crown you better believe I earned it / Won’t keep people around that don’t believe I deserve it / No, queens ain’t fake / A queen’s gonna rule just the way she was made,” RaeLynn sings on the chorus.

Watch her music video for “Queens Don’t” below and catch RaeLynn debut the song on the Opry Friday night (March 30).

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31 Days of Women: Ashley McBryde

Ashley McBryde will release her major label debut, Girl Going Nowhere, on Friday and it’s an album that begs to be heard. The singer has already been getting rave reviews from Garth Brooks, Eric Church, and Miranda Lambert. Upon hearing the title track to her album, Brooks called McBryde “a songwriter’s dream” while Church invited McBryde on stage and on tour with him, raving, “she’s a whiskey drinking badass.”

I reviewed the album recently for Sounds Like Nashville and it’s a release that I find myself still listening to after turning in my article, which is always a good sign! Opening track “Girl Goin’ Nowhere” has become an anthem for both the singer and country fans, and it’s easy to see why. Inspired by an algebra teacher who told the Arkansas native she should have a backup plan when she shared her dream of moving to Nashville to write songs, “Girl Goin’ Nowhere” is a powerful and heartfelt ballad that has McBryde proving her naysayers wrong.

Throughout McBryde’s Girl Going Nowhere, her honest songwriting strikes a chord and puts the listener in the song on tracks like current single “A Little Dive Bar In Dahlonega” and the unique love song “American Scandal,” where she pleads for someone to “love me like Kennedy and Monroe.”

For more of my review, visit Sounds Like Nashville. Pick up a copy of McBryde’s Girl Going Nowhere, available everywhere on Friday.

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31 Days of Women: Lauren Alaina

photo credit Jake Matthews

Congratulations is in order for Lauren Alaina, who was revealed as an ACM Awards winner today. The singer received a phone call from Reba McEntire, who let Alaina know that she has been named the 2018 New Female Vocalist of the Year.

The career-defining moment had the “Doin’ Fine” singer in tears and speechless. She even got McEntire teary eyed! Watch the sweet moment below.

“This award is for so much more than just me,” Alaina says in a press release. “This award is for all the people who want to give up- Don’t. This award is proof that you can achieve what you want to achieve and get where you want to go. Today, all of my dreams have come true.”

This is Alaina’s first-ever ACM Award. She is also nominated for Vocal Event of the Year for “What Ifs,” a collaboration with Kane Brown. The 53rd Annual ACM Awards air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 15 at 8pm ET on CBS.

The singer released her sophomore album, Road Less Traveled, last year and it became the top-streamed female country release of 2017. Songs like powerful anthem “Road Less Traveled,” which also became her first No. 1 hit, showcase the singer’s memorable vocals and her skills as a songwriter.

Meanwhile, her latest single, “Doin’ Fine,” has Alaina revealing her vulnerabilities to listeners. As a result, the poignant song strikes a chord. Alaina is set to perform on the ACM Awards on April 15, allowing viewers to get to hear the New Female Vocalist of the Year live from Sin City.

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31 Days of Women: Brandy Clark

Brandy Clark

Credit: David McClister

I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing Brandy Clark several times over the years and have always appreciated her honesty when talking about songwriting and her career.

“Traditionally, country music is a truth-telling, adult format. I want to be a truth-teller. I always want my music to be truthful and a dark comedy. Happy and sad. High and low,” she told me in 2014.

The first time I sat down with the singer-songwriter, it was following the release of her excellent debut album 12 Stories, which she admits she almost never released.

Clark had already penned hits for The Band Perry (“Better Dig Two)”, Miranda Lambert (“Mama’s Broken Heart”) and Kacey Musgraves (“Follow Your Arrow”), and she was content with her career as a songwriter. But that soon all changed when Emilie Marchbanks from management company Fitzgerald Hartley convinced her otherwise and set the ball in motion. Her debut album 12 Stories went on to be nominated for a 2015 GRAMMY Award for Best Country Album.

“It’s been crazy the response it’s getting,” Clark said with a big smile. “There were times in that process of getting passed on and it not working out with labels where I would think, ‘Maybe I’m in a bubble…maybe we’re the only ones that love this. We’re the only ones that “Hold My Hand” moves like that.’ For it to come out and see what [people] say on Twitter and Facebook, and then when I play shows, it’s just so gratifying. And just a testament to not give up on something that moves you. I really think that if it moves you, it will move other people.”

For more of my interview with Brandy Clark and the stories behind “Follow Your Arrow” and “Stripes,” watch the video below and visit Radio.com.

 

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31 Days of Women: Lucie Silvas

I first met Lucie Silvas in 2016 when Brothers Osborne were performing at Ryman Auditorium as openers for Tedeschi Trucks Band. Her welcoming presence made me instantly feel like I’ve known her for years and one listen to her music and this same quality translates.

Silvas’ 2015 release Letters to Ghosts strikes a chord with heartfelt songwriting and her mesmerizing vocals. The sweet and sentimental “Unbreakable Us” has Silvas singing of how she is stronger with her man by her side. “Everywhere I go the only thing I know / We can weather whatever comes around,” she sings alongside soaring musical accompaniment.

I caught Silvas’ powerful live show twice in 2017 at two very different events — Nashville’s Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival and Luke Bryan’s Crash My Playa Festival. During her set in Mexico in front of thousands at Bryan’s beachfront festival, she captivated the rowdy audience. In a review of the festival, I wrote how her performance showcased “her ethereal singing style. Songs like the soulful ‘How to Lose It All’ and the funky ‘Two Birds One Stone’ impressed while her Elvis Presley cover of ‘That’s All Right (Mama)’ left a lasting mark with memorable guitar shredding and powerful vocals.”

Silvas can be frequently found sharing the stage and harmonies with husband John Osborne of Brothers Osborne. She’ll be performing as part of 2018 Tin Pan South on April 6 at 9:30 p.m. at The Local in Nashville. With the promise of new music in 2018, Lucie Silvas is one singer to keep on your radar.

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31 Days of Women: Danielle Bradbery

DB Press Image 1_Credit-Cameron Powell

Credit: Cameron Powell

One of my favorite albums released in 2017 was Danielle Bradbery’s I Don’t Believe We’ve Met. The singer penned seven of the project’s 10 tracks for a vulnerable and honest release.

I chatted with Bradbery for Billboard last November and she filled me in on overcoming her shyness in the writing room and shared some of the stories behind the songs on the album. One of the LP’s standout tracks is “Worth It,” which Bradbery said reflected her insecurities about her career within the music industry. She co-wrote the song with Jeff Pardo and Molly Reed and during their writing session she was venting to them.

“I wasn’t playing many shows and I was just in Nashville writing. I would get anxious in those moments because you’re so used to being on a tour and in a routine,” she explains. “I would get frustrated and I’d feel like that’s a natural feeling when you’re not sure how the next album is going to be or if it’s going to go smoothly. I was like, ‘It’s been so long. I’m afraid of the fans not holding on long enough.’ Or, ‘I’m going to put out something and it’s not going to do well.’ There was a lot going on in my head and sometimes I didn’t feel worth it and that’s where it led to. They said, ‘Let’s put a little bit in this and make it sound like a relationship, make it sound like it could be anything.'”

 

 

Another striking song is “Potential,” which Bradbery said helped her shape the album. A raw and emotional track showcasing real feelings, she shares that she wanted the remaining nine tracks to paint a similar picture of vulnerability as heard throughout “Potential.” The idea for the song came from co-writer Emily Weisband, who threw out the concept of being in love with somebody’s potential. As Johan Lindbrandt started playing the piano, the song quickly formed.

 

 

Learn more about the concept behind Danielle Bradbery’s latest album on Billboard.

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31 Days of Women: Maggie Rose

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I’ve witnessed Maggie Rose live several times since moving to Nashville in 2015 and her set never disappoints. Her smoky and soulful vocals strike a chord while her honest and memorable songwriting always has me going home and researching more of her music.

In September, I caught two of Rose’s performances at Island Hopper Fest in Florida. During one set, she shared her struggles and successes in the music industry. Prefacing her soulful song “Too Many Love Songs” off her latest EP Dreams > Dollars, Rose admitted to writing the song from a place where she was brokenhearted. “I figured, even the love songs are daggers to the heart. They’re supposed to be happy but from a perspective it can be a bummer to hear a love song so I wrote this,” she told the audience at a rooftop restaurant.

 

 

Another song of Rose’s I can’t stop listening to lately is her bluesy “Pull You Through,” released in October along with the vulnerable “Just Getting By.” Take a listen to both below and visit her website for additional tour dates.

 

 

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31 Days of Women: Abby Anderson

I had the pleasure of hearing new music from Abby Anderson a few weeks ago in Nashville and she is an artist to keep on your radar. With a personality that lights up a room, Anderson’s positive energy is contagious. After talking with her for just five minutes, she makes a person feel like they’ve known her their entire lifetime.

A singer-songwriter, 21-year-old Anderson was recently signed to Black River Entertainment with the release of her debut single expected in the coming months. Her short set over a breakfast for Nashville media included a poignant song called “Make Him Wait” that didn’t leave a dry eye in the room. Telling the room about the confidence and self respect she learned as a young girl thanks to the support of her father, Anderson’s powerful storytelling was showcased throughout her emotional lyrics.

Another song called “Naked Truth” was inspired in part by her mother, who the Texas native describes as a “spitfire.” Country fans will get to know Anderson soon as the singer recently began a whirlwind radio tour that has her traveling to Los Angeles and New York, among other cities, to introduce herself to the country community.

Listen to her latest song, “This Feeling,” which showcases her smoky and soulful vocals below. Follow Anderson on social media including Twitter and Instagram to get familiar with the up-and-coming singer. You can catch her performing at CMA Fest in Nashville this June.