Nashville-based duo Haley & Michaels (Shannon Haley and Ryan Michaels) have confirmed their first UK radio single as the fan favourite 'Drinking About You' from debut full-length album Hail Mary, released last year, and have just announced an additional C2C performance at the O2 Arena, an intimate acoustic set as part of the Country Hits Radio Sessions on Sunday 15th March.
Co-written by the duo with Jeff Cohen - known for his work with The Shires, Sugarland and more - and Zach Abend (Chris Lane, Filmore), the single has already been featured as a Country Champion by Baylen Leonard last month; and has gained over two million streams on Spotify, featured on major playlists such as New Music Friday, New Boots and Wild Country; with Rolling Stone pointing to the duo’s 'penchant for introspective lyrics and arena-rock-inspired production'.
In their own words, Haley & Michaels said: ''Drinking About You' really defines our sound and who we are as artists and songwriters. We really wanted to capture both perspectives in a relationship in a way that highlights the raw honesty of country songs and also incorporates all of our musical influences in Country, Pop and Rock N’ Roll. We’re really excited to have this song as our first release in the UK!'
Marcus King has shared an acoustic video performance of his song 'Wildflowers & Wine' via Billboard. The song features on his hit debut solo album, El Dorado, which has topped multiple US charts since its release in January.
Produced by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, the record was released via Snakefarm Records / Fantasy in the UK to widespread critical acclaim.
The 'Wildflowers & Wine' video was recorded in Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Studio in Nashville, and features a performance of the song showcasing King’s soulful vocals, backed by Auerbach plus studio legends who played with artists from Aretha Franklin to Elvis.
Discussing the video with Billboard, King stated, 'It's not the exact set-up we used, but all the instrumentation on that track was played live together as a cohesive unit and not overdubbed. That's what gives it that taste, that live feel'. He added, 'It was a lot of organic steps that all came together in a kismet way for the record to work. Having those cats work with you was a tremendous opportunity in itself… It's still playing and singing, but in a different kind of environment, and to have these cats to look up to.'
El Dorado, a contemporary exploration of southern R&B, country-soul, classic rock and blues, has established the 23-year-old phenom as one of the most soulful voices of his generation. King’s arresting vocals feature as the lead instrument, taking centre-stage alongside a genre-bending blend of subtle acoustics, bright pedal steel, raucous electric guitars and blistering solos.
The album debuted at #1 on both UK & US charts; in the UK, it topped the Americana Chart, whilst in the US the Americana Folk, Top New Artist, Current Rock, Blues Albums, as well as #12 on the US Top Current Albums chart. King also recently made his debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and was featured on NPR’s Weekend Edition and Fresh Air, alongside support from Rolling Stone, The Sun, Mojo, Uncut, NPR Music, Classic Rock, Planet Rock and more.
King is set to perform at the Love Rocks charity event at the Beacon theatre in New York on March 12th, alongside a stellar line-up including The Black Crowes, Dave Matthews and Jackson Browne. King will also open for Chris Stapleton on his All-American Road Show with US dates including Madison Square Garden in New York.
He is currently on his solo world tour with his band, The Marcus King Band. See remaining dates below.
Following the release of 'Telling All My Secrets' - the biggest US country debut release of 2018 - Nashville native Mitchell Tenpenny brings lead single 'Drunk Me' to the UK.
The track, which has amassed a staggering 350m+ streams since its release, was lauded by the New York Times as one of 'The 65 Best Songs of The Year', and was featured in multiple Amazon Music'Most Played' and 'Best Of' year-end lists.
'Everything about it—the production, the hook, the performance—it felt like how I wanted to present myself,' says Mitchell. 'We dug into that song and made it real cinematic and unusual. On the first playback, it felt like something Whitney Houston might do, and I thought, 'This is what we need to be doing, this feels right,' and it became the foundation of the record.'
Tenpenny is bringing his unique brand of music to international fans in the UK for the first time as part of Country To Country (C2C) Festival at the O2 Arena in London, March 13th-15th. The singer-songwriter is confirmed to perform on the Spotlight Stage in London on Friday March 13th before superstar Eric Church’s headline set; and will close the evening at the C2C Official Aftershow party at Indigo at the O2.
ABOUT MITCHELL TENPENNY
Mitchell Tenpenny is an industry insider/outlier. Someone who has a local’s appreciation for the origins of Nashville and keen focus on what happens outside of Music City.
The rugged individualist operates with complete confidence and comfort in the space between contradictory themes. He is a creative thinker with a keen business sense.
He is fiercely competitive, but is equally vocal proponent for his industry colleagues. He finds inspiration in music as diverse as Michael Jackson and the Oak Ridge Boys.
And none of that seems the least bit unusual or out of whack to the Nashville native with an industry pedigree (his grandmother was industry legend Donna Hilley who shaped the musical landscape of country music as CEO of Sony/ATV Music Publishing). He lives his life and his budding musical career on both ends of the spectrum. It’s authentic thanks in large part to Tenpenny’s fearless skill as a songwriter, which includes a Top 5 hit for Granger Smith, 'If the Boot Fits', and time spent opening for a variety of influential artists including Smith, Jake Owen, Brett Young, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Dustin Lynch, Gary Allan, Jon Langston, and others.
