Charles Kelley was immediately drawn to “Love You Back”: “It just sounded like a Lady A song”

Courtesy of BMLG Records

Lady A has released their long-awaited new song, “Love You Back.”

Although the trio’s Hillary ScottCharles Kelley and Dave Haywood didn’t pen it, Charles recalls sharing a strong affinity with the track as soon as he heard it.

“It’s funny, we had written a ton for this record, as we usually do, and it always seems to work this way that sometime around the 11th hour there, a song just comes in,” says Charles. “I thought the hook [of ‘Love You Back’] was just so simply well done. I was like, ‘Gosh, how did I not come up with that,’ you know? ‘You can love a memory, but a memory can’t love you back.'”

“I get sent a lot of songs. We all do,” he notes. “[This] was just one I kept listening to over and over again.”

With half a mind to record “Love You Back,” Charles approached Emily Weisband, who co-wrote the track with James McNair and Lindsay Rimes, to do a little test run.

“I texted [one of the song’s co-writers] Emily Weisband and I said, ‘Hey, I have an idea. Lyrically, this would be great for a duet. Before I send it to the guys, can I come over and sing with you? You play Hillary,'” Charles recounts of his text exchange. “We changed the key and we did that.”

“Once she put her vocal on it and it had mine in there together, I was like, it just sounded like a Lady A song,” he recalls. “So the minute I sent it to the guys and our team, they were flipping out over it.”

“Love You Back” is the first preview of Lady A’s forthcoming as-yet-untitled new album.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Nashville notes: Toby Keith’s ‘100% Songwriter’ + Matt Schuster joins Warner Music Nashville

Toby Keith is set to release a new album titled 100% Songwriter. Due out November 3, the 13-track collection — which features various hits solely penned by Toby — is available for preorder now.

Warner Music Nashville has added emerging country singer/songwriter Matt Schuster to its roster. The Charleston, Illinois, native’s major label debut song, “Tell Me Tennessee,” drops Friday, September 22, and is available for presave now.

Up-and-comer Delaney Ramsdell has dropped a new song titled “Any Good Wife.” The slow-burning ballad was penned by Delaney and Autumn Buysse.

Riley Green is kicking off duck season with brand new merch bundles, which include a T-shirt, hat, duck call and more. Check it out at Riley’s merch store.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Dollywood’s Harvest Festival is here

Katherine Bomboy/NBC

Dollywood’s annual Harvest Festival is back.

Open now, the family event features the award-winning Great Pumpkin LumiNights with glowing pumpkin sculptures; fall-ready food and drink items such as Pumpkin Pie Funnel Cake, Harvest Pulled Pork Sandwich and Pumpkin Pie Punch Cocktail; pumpkin carving activities and more.

Visitors can also experience the crisp fall air up in the Smoky Mountains on various Dollywood theme park rides, including the newly opened Big Bear Mountain. 

For more information on Dollywood’s Harvest Festival and to purchase tickets, visit dollywood.com.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Get ready for a new Jelly Roll collab

ABC/Larry McCormack

Jelly Roll fans, a new duet might be dropping soon.

Warner Music Nashville artist Chris Ryan, formerly one-half of now-defunct duo BEXAR, recently teased a collaboration with Jelly on a song called “Scared To Go To Church.”

The Instagram reel features red-tinted footage of Chris and Jelly singing the song together in a recording studio.

“I can’t slow down/ Lord I’m trying/ Guess I’m just stuck in my ways/ And I know my lifestyle/ Don’t look like the prayers that I prayed/ That’s why I’m scared to go to church,” the pair sing in the powerful chorus.

A release date for the track has yet to be shared.

While you wait, you can listen to a preview of “Scared To Go To Church” on Chris’ Instagram and presave it now.

Jelly is currently in the top 30 on the country charts with the Lainey Wilson-assisted “Save Me.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Kane Brown unveils Phil Collins-inspired new single, “I Can Feel It”

Courtesy of Sony Music Nashville

Kane Brown‘s highly anticipated new single, “I Can Feel It,” has arrived.

The high-energy track was penned by Kane alongside Jaxson Free and Gabe Foust and features an interpolation of Phil Collins‘ iconic “In The Air Tonight.” Phil is also listed as a song contributor.

“I can feel it in the air, feel it in the whiskey in my hand/ In your hips, your body tells me when you start to dance/ Maybe this is turning to a ‘We should probably get up out of here’/ Oh, baby, I swear/ I can feel it in the air,” Kane sings over thumping drumbeats and electrifying guitar lines.

“I Can Feel It” follows Kane’s latest chart-topper, “Bury Me In Georgia.” The song is the first preview of his upcoming collection of new music.

Kane’s also featured on Mickey Guyton‘s current single, “Nothing Compares To You,” which is now at country radio.

Tickets to Kane’s newly announced 2024 In The Air Tour go on sale Thursday, September 28, at 10 a.m. local time. For more information, visit tour.kanebrownmusic.com.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Megan Moroney to drop three new songs on Friday

David McClister/Courtesy of Sony Music Nashville

Megan Moroney is set to release three new songs on Friday, September 22.

The three tracks are: “Fix You Too” featuring Kameron Marlowe, “Nothin’ Crazy” featuring MacKenzie Porter and “Reasons To Stay.”

Megan shared the surprise announcement on Instagram alongside news about her upcoming Lucky vinyl.

“3 new songs are coming this friday on all streaming platforms & the lucky vinyl is now available for pre-order!” Megan captions her Instagram carousel, which features photos of the Lucky LP. 

She adds, “i wanted to include these extra songs as a thank you for embracing my debut album and loving it as much as you have over these past few months – y’all have completely made this the best year yet already [crying emoji] i appreciate y’all more than you know & can’t wait to see y’all on the road soon!”

Megan’s debut album, Lucky, arrived in May and includes the #1 hit “Tennessee Orange” and its follow-up single, “I’m Not Pretty.”

Signed copies of Megan’s Lucky vinyl are available for preorder now at her merch store.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Dustin Lynch announces 2024 Killed The Cowboy Tour

John Medina/Getty Images

Dustin Lynch is hitting the road in 2024 for his Killed The Cowboy Tour.

Named after his upcoming album, the trek kicks off April 2 in Nashville and will make stops in Charlotte, Raleigh, Indianapolis, Boston, Cedar Rapids and more before concluding May 11 in Council Bluffs. 

Genre-blending singer/songwriter Skeez will serve as the opening act.

Tickets go on sale Friday, September 29, at 10 a.m. local time via Dustin’s website. Members of Dustin’s Stay Country Club will get presale access beginning Friday, September 22, at 10 a.m. To join the club, visit staycountryclub.com

Dustin’s new album, Killed The Cowboy, arrives September 29 and is available for preorder now.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Reba brings her “Blues” to ‘America’s Got Talent’

Trae Patton/NBC

Reba McEntire and America’s Got Talent season 11 alum Sofie Dossi reunited on the show Wednesday, September 20.

The country icon took the stage to sing her 1982 hit “Can’t Even Get The Blues” while Sofie simultaneously showcased her contortion and acrobatic moves.

This collaboration is a full-circle moment for Reba and Sofie.

Reba, who was a guest judge on AGT‘s 11th season, gave Sofie her coveted Golden Buzzer. Since then, the 22-year-old contortionist, who finished in the top 10 that season, has also become a singer, actress and social media influencer.

Coming up, Reba will join Gwen StefaniJohn Legend and Niall Horan as a coach for season 24 of The Voice. The fresh season kicks off Monday, September 25, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Additionally, Reba’s new book, Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating, and Dusting Off Your Boots, and its companion album, Not That Fancy, will be released October 10 and October 6, respectively. You can preorder a copy now at NotThatFancy.com.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Thomas Rhett reflects on his hit singles, talks “next batch” of music

ABC

As Thomas Rhett readies for his commemorative 20 NUMBER ONES vinyl to be released, he’s reflecting on how his hits continue to resonate with fans and the enduring power they have.

“I don’t know if this is the same way for every artist, but I do feel like my songs take on more of a life after they’re hits than when they are hits on the radio,” shares Thomas.

“I don’t know if it’s a time thing of, you know, if a song goes into recurrent on the radio, it just starts to embed in people’s heads a little bit more, or even people that maybe even heard it when it wasn’t on the radio and randomly discovered it and it hit them at a certain time in their life,” he says before noting 2019’s “Remember You Young” and 2020’s “Be A Light” as some of those songs.

Armed with 21 chart-toppers now, with the most recent hit “Angels (Don’t Always Have Wings),” Thomas is eager to see how his next collection of songs takes shape.

“I’m excited to see what the next batch is going to look like,” shares the country hitmaker. “I’m just so in the weeds with my kids right now, and I’m exhausted every single day of my life. So maybe the music is not exhausting, but maybe it’s inspired by some parenthood lessons I’ve learned, and also just being able to be fully on the road now and [have] a good time again.”

“I think the next bit of music is going to be very fun,” he adds.

Thomas’ 20 NUMBER ONES LP arrives September 29 and is available for preorder now.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Nashville notes: Charlie Worsham + Kip Moore’s video, Sam Williams covers Hank

Charlie Worsham and Kip Moore have dropped a music video for their new song, “Kiss Like You Dance.” “I’ve never had more fun making a music video than I did with my buddy Kip Moore for ‘Kiss Like You Dance.’ It’s even cooler to me that we shot the whole thing in East Nashville,” shares Charlie. The track is off Charlie’s Compadres EP, due out October 13.

Up-and-comer Sam Williams has released a cover of his grandfather Hank Williams‘ song “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.” “This song is special to me in many ways. I have always been hesitant to touch recording my grandfather’s songs, as there’s a sacredness to them. I wouldn’t want to do them injustice. ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry’ has always been one of my favorites of his catalog,” shares Sam. His rendition arrives in celebration of Hank’s 100th birthday.

Reba McEntire is set to perform on America’s Got Talent on Wednesday, September 20, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.