Country Update BILLBOARD.COM/NEWSLETTERS NOVEMBER 11, 2019 | PAGE 1 OF 21 INSIDE BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE [email protected] Lambert, Gilbert, Ell Boyfriend Country Brings Sensitivity Chart Party >page 4 To The Genre — And To The CMA Ballot Love Is In The Air At SESAC When Carrie Underwood, Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire and new artist nominee Cody Johnson (“Nothin’ on You”). >page 10 co-host the 53rd annual Country Music Association (CMA) Additionally, defending entertainer of the year Keith Urban Awards on Nov. 13, the ABC telecast is expected to open runs the boyfriend-country motif through a nostalgic filter in with a blast of 14 female artists, presumably reiterating the “We Were.” importance of women to the genre. “It’s just guys that are writing songs about what their life Adkins, LANCO, Female voices have been woefully underrepresented on is like,” says Combs, noting that the men behind those tunes McCreery Hit Field playlists since the dawn are usually married >page 12 of the bro-country era, or engaged. though they matter Still, it’s a profound as much as ever in the change from the old storylines of the male stereotype of country, Shelton Is artists who dominate when cheating, The People’s Choice the charts. The current heartbreak and drinking >page 12 Country Airplay list FLORIDA to quell broken hearts DAN + SHAY COMBS GEORGIA LINE is loaded with songs were the dominant by men extolling topics. “Times are Makin’ Tracks: the value of their wives or girlfriends, including Russell different,” observes Combs. “I don’t know if people were out Luke Bryan Flips Dickerson’s “Every Little Thing,” Matt Stell’s “Prayed for cheating more in the ’70s. It sounded like it.” The Script You,” Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber’s “10,000 Hours” and Kane A number of male acts, such as Randy Travis and John >page 16 Brown’s “Homesick.” Michael Montgomery, built careers in those earlier decades It’s a development that some music industry and radio with songs that put women on a pedestal, but the current level insiders have dubbed “boyfriend country,” and its impact of men affectionately singing about their partners is spiking is present on 2019’s CMAs ballot. Luke Combs’ song of the higher than usual. Women are widely viewed as country’s Country Coda: year contender, “Beautiful Crazy,” and two single of the year target audience, and while they are not hearing a large number Haggard’s ‘Okie’ entries — Chris Stapleton’s “Millionaire” and Dan + Shay’s of females in programmed playlists, they are receiving a steady Turns 50 “Speechless” — perfectly embody the boyfriend-country diet of appreciation from male artists that comes from a real place. >page 21 sentiment. Male sensitivity also informs the current singles by “Every time I sing [“Speechless”], I think back to those male vocalist finalist Thomas Rhett (“Remember You Young”), moments of how in awe we were of our wives,” says Dan + Shay vocal group nominee Old Dominion (“One Man Band”), lead vocalist Shay Mooney. “They’re such beautiful people vocal duo contenders Florida Georgia Line (“Blessings”) inside and out.” WRIGHT JIM COMBS: KLEIN. ROBBY LINE: GEORGIA FLORIDA POWELL. CATHERINE DAN+SHAY: BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE NOVEMBER 11, 2019 | PAGE 2 OF 21 Brown’s former No. 1 “Good As You” similarly casts his wife, Katelyn, in a superior light. “She wants everybody to feel special, like if you came over as our guest, she wants you to feel comfortable, she wants you to feel like you’re staying at a hotel,” says Brown. “She’s just the sweetest person on this planet.” That stance is different than the one put forth in the bro-country era, when picking up girls at drunken field parties became a cliché part of the genre’s lyrics. It started innocently enough with Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise,” but when the rest of the business began to emulate it, the collective objectification of women became an issue. “We had that run, and I think this is just the pendulum swinging to the other direction,” says producer Dann Huff, who recognized the change when he Carrie Underwood co-hosted the morning talk show Live With Kelly directed three major sensitive-guy singles in 2015 and 2016: Rhett’s “Die a and Ryan with Ryan Seacrest on Nov. 8 to draw attention to the 53rd Happy Man,” Urban’s “Blue Ain’t Your Color” and Brett Young’s “In Case annual Country Music Association Awards, airing Nov. 13 on ABC. You Didn’t Know.” “Culturally, politically,” adds Huff, “it’s in lock step with what’s going on.” Indeed, the rise of the MeToo# movement and the record-setting number of women running for president reflects a shift in female power. Plus, songs that encourage cooperation between the sexes help soothe some of the rancor that stems from the current sociopolitical environment. “Guys singing about their girls and their girlfriends — and they’re positive songs — that’s terrific; I don’t think that ever goes away,” says Hubbard/Seattle brand/content director Scott Mahalick. “It might be right now viewed a little more positively or even sought out deliberately because of the [nation’s] political climate.” The evolution of country’s perspective mirrors the transformation of Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley from single guys to married Ricky Skaggs and his wife, Sharon White (left), joined host Trisha fathers. “Cruise” introduced their sound while celebrating a long-legged, Yearwood for an episode of Trisha’s Southern Kitchen that debuted bikini-clad woman “poppin’ right out of the South Georgia water.” Their current Nov. 9 on the Food Network. single, “Blessings,” views their wives in spiritual terms, a tack that likewise worked in Brown’s “Heaven” and Stell’s “Prayed for You.” “There’s a lot of parallels between our relationship with our wives and our family and the people that we love and God as well,” says Hubbard. “When we’re writing, we’re always sort of keeping that in mind.” The results are particularly useful on the younger end of country’s target audience. Mahalick noticed that on the TikTok social app, strings of viewers use boyfriend-country songs as lip-sync content for messages of personal affection. Given the supportive tone in this era, it’s a good bet that if women should succeed in the mixed-genre categories at the CMAs — for example, Underwood takes entertainer of the year, or Maren Morris’ Girl grabs the album accolade — the men at the awards will cheer just as loudly as the women for the achievement. Jameson Rodgers drew Nashville media when he performed Nov. 4 at It’s also likely that the trend has long legs. The songs are, after all, uplifting and Ole Red Nashville. From left: Columbia Nashville senior vp promotion positive — ideal for programmers on every platform. It’s an easier development and artist development Shane Allen, Sony Music Nashville executive for the business to embrace than, say, a rise in murder ballads. vp promotions and artist development Steve Hodges, Rodgers and “If that ever becomes popular,” says Mahalick, “I just might have to hang it up.” iHeartCountry digital content director Zack Massey. RUSSELL M. DAVID UNDERWOOD: POIZNER. ALAN RODGERS: On your desk NOW IMPACTING DECEMBER 9TH SEE THE VIDEO HERE BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE NOVEMBER 11, 2019 | PAGE 4 OF 21 ON THE CHARTS JIM ASKER [email protected] Wildcard Deals Lambert Record-Tying No. 1 On Top Country Albums; Gilbert & Ell’s ‘Town’ Tops Country Airplay Miranda Lambert’s Wildcard (Vanner/RCA Nashville/Sony Music Nashville), GO, FISH Hootie & The Blowfish’s first country LP, Imperfect Circle (Capitol released on Nov. 1, enters Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart (dated Nov. 16) Nashville/Universal Music Group Nashville), marks the Darius Rucker-fronted at No. 1. It is her seventh total and consecutive leader on the list, encompassing act’s first appearance on Top Country Albums. It arrives at No. 3 with 17,000 her entire chart output. In its first week (ending Nov. 7), the set earned 53,000 units (15,000 in album sales). On the Billboard 200, the set starts at No. 26, the equivalent album units (44,000 in band’s highest rank since October album sales), according to Nielsen 1998 when its third entry, Musical Music. Chairs, reached No. 4. Before that, As Lambert lands her seventh the group led with Cracked Rear No. 1 album, all of which debuted in View (1995) and Fairweather Johnson the penthouse, she matches Carrie (1996). Underwood as the only artists in “Hold On,” Imperfect Circle ’s the list’s 55-year-history to reign with launch single, lifts 43-42 on Country seven career-opening appearances. Airplay (2.7 million, up 2%) and enters Underwood added her seventh out-of- Hot Country Songs at No. 43. the-gate No. 1 when Cry Pretty opened atop the tally dated Sept. 29, 2018. TALK OF THE ‘TOWN’ On Country Wildcard is Lambert’s first Airplay, Brantley Gilbert and studio set since The Weight of These Lindsay Ell’s “What Happens in a Wings, which bowed at the apex Small Town” (Stoney Creek/Valory) LAMBERT ELL (left) and GILBERT with 122,000 units in December ascends 3-1 in its 48th week (37.1 2016. Her run began with 2005’s million, up 12%). Gilbert adds his Kerosene, followed by Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2007), Revolution (2009), Four fifth No. 1 and first since “One Hell of an Amen” for a week in August 2015. the Record (2011) and Platinum (2014). The latter album brought her biggest Gilbert first ruled with his debut hit, “Country Must Be Country Wide,” for sales week to date, opening with 180,000 copies, and became her lone No.