Paulina Jayne is one of the most joyful artists I have ever met or interviewed. While I have featured her briefly while covering CRS, I have never done a full Spotlight article on her.
I knew she was working on new music, and when I learned the song “If I Knew Me Then” was about to be released, I knew it was the perfect time to feature the singer/songwriter.
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I featured Chase Rice in 2018 when he celebrated achieving number-one status with his blockbuster hit, “Eyes On You.” Early on, Chase Rice was a fixture in the bro-country scene with other megahits like “Ready Set Roll,” “Ride,” “Lonely If You Are,” and “Gonna Wanna Tonight,” to name a few.
But something shifted in the artist recently, who splits his time between Montana and Nashville when, in 2023, he released I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go to Hell. Even by the retro picture of his hero, his dad, Daniel (Danny) Rice, on the album cover, you knew this record would be different. For anyone anticipating the usual new country vibe, boy, were they in for a surprise. With unexpected songs like “Bench Seat” and “Key West & Colorado,” Billboard Magazine called it “one of 2023’s most unexpected artistic pivots” across all genres last year.
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I have wanted to interview country singer/songwriter Kassi Ashton for over six years. When I first heard her singing “California, Missouri” on Sirius XM in 2018, her music was so unique that it made her more memorable than most rising artists. Then, when I saw her open at the Budweiser Showcase and later open for Keith Urban, I knew Ashton was one to watch.
Ashton is from the tiny town of California, Missouri. By age five, she split her time performing and doing the pageant circuit with her mother while riding dirt bikes and shooting muzzleloaders with her father.
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Since country music isn’t about a place or demographic but about a mindset, I try to portray a wide range of what country music is and encompasses.
Someone who has been on my radar for a few years is a petite singer/songwriter with powerhouse vocals and an unstoppable attitude that combines to make the complete package known as Andrea Vasquez. The Cali native has blended her love of modern country and Latin-American roots to create a refreshing sound within the genre, with her newest song, “Solo,” out this week.
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While exceeding all viewing and monetary expectations, Dennis Quaid’s Reagan continues to outperform all competitors.
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At just 17 years old, the teen country sensation has released her second EP, Cowboys, a collection of three significant songs that cements her insightful music on the country music landscape. This follows her first EP, Teenage Heartbreak which was released at age 16.
I wanted to know how one so young got into singing and songwriting at such an early age. She said, “My parents bought me this old Casio keyboard at a garage sale when I was three or four, not the nicest thing, just something to get me into a hobby.”
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In the past, I have interviewed many veterans who got into music full-time after they left the service. But I have never featured an active-duty military member.
Meet Bree Jaxson, which is a stage name, currently deployed overseas as a Captain for Cyberspace Operations in the U.S. Air National Guard. She is also an accomplished country music singer and songwriter.
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One of the conundrums that singer/songwriters face is “Do you write songs for the radio or songs that are personal and meaningful?” It is often tricky to do both simultaneously, but Thomas Rhett Akins can do it, and he is one of the best in the business. He relies on anecdotes from his personal life and family to provide heart-pumping, danceable tunes that make him a favorite on country radio.
His main muse in songwriting is naturally his beautiful wife, Lauren, along with their four precious daughters. Songs like the massive number one “Die A Happy Man,” “Star of the Show,” “Unforgettable,” and “Look What God Gave Her” are just a fraction of the hits he has written about his wife.
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Music Spotlight and 2X Texas radio chart-topping artist Amanda Kate Ferris has released her sophomore album, Rope the Wind, and it is available now.
Produced by Jimmy Ritchey, the 10-track project features songs by numerous acclaimed writers and artists, including GRAMMY-winners Hillary Lindsey, Liz Rose, and Lori McKenna, as well as ACM and CMA Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson and others.
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Country music is part of Walker Montgomery’s DNA. Even though he is the son of John Michael Montgomery and the nephew of Montgomery Gentry’s Eddie Montgomery, he is often mistaken for Chris Young. However, the emerging star was raised away from the spotlight in Nicholasville, Kentucky, a small town outside Lexington.
He had a pretty ordinary childhood, except that his dad worked weekends instead of weekdays. When he would see his dad in concert, it was the equivalent of “Bring Your Kid to Work” day.
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