February 16, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

Arista NashvilleRyan Hurd‘s already written number-one songs for the likes of Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton and Lady A, but now, the Michigan native is marking another career milestone: his first duet with his wife, Maren Morris. 

While “Chasing After You” is the rare song that wasn’t written by either Ryan or Maren, the two have typically not shied away from sharing their romance and their lives with their fans. 

“I love getting to share stuff about her,” Ryan tells ABC Audio. “It’s kind of like — I say that if I was married to an accountant, I’d want to post about them, too.”

“So we’re really a normal couple who have really awesome jobs,” he adds. “So that’s kind of how we look at it.”

The reigning CMA and ACM Female Vocalist of the Year also isn’t shy about voicing her opinion about social issues — just one more thing Ryan loves about the mother of his son, Hayes, who’ll celebrate his first birthday in March.

“I’m really proud of the way that she uses her platform,” Ryan explains, “just because when you’re sort of at the top of your genre, you have a lot to lose.”

“And I’m really proud of the way that she always tells the truth,” he continues, “and she always speaks the truth and uses her platform to help other people.”  

You can check out the new music video for “Chasing After You” on YouTube now.

By Stephen Hubbard
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

February 12, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image Group LAMaren Morris and her husband, fellow singer-songwriter Ryan Hurd, released their new duet, “Chasing After You,” on Friday.

The song, written by Brinley Addington and Jerry Flowers, is the couple’s first duet together. Morris and Hurd married in 2018 and have one child together, Hayes Andrew Hurd, whom they welcomed in March 2020.

The lyrics to their new single, which was co-produced by Teddy Reimer and Aaron Eshuis, describe an up-and-down relationship with two people who are always drawn back to one another.  The chorus includes: “Every time, every time you say we’re done/ You come back to the love you were running from/ Don’t know why, don’t know why I let you but I do/ Guess I love chasing after you.”

Although this is their first official duet, Maren and Ryan have collaborated with each other many times before.

“Maren and I met writing songs and we’ve sung on each other’s records and written together, but this is the first time we’ve gotten to do an actual duet together,” Hurd said in a statement. “It feels like the timing is really perfect and it’s a full circle moment to get to make music together in this way.”

“Chasing After You” follows Hurd’s 2020 EP EOM and Morris’ last release, her duet with singer-songwriter JP Saxe, “Line by Line,” which dropped last month.

By Hayley FitzPatrick and Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

February 12, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

Warner Music NashvilleSince Ashley McBryde released her sophomore album in April 2020, she’s been unable to tour the songs on the project due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the singer’s giving fans a taste of what the album sounds like live on her new Never Will: Live from a Distance EP, which she cut live with her band without an audience. The track list features her current single, the villainous “Martha Divine,” along with five other fan-favorite tracks off of Never Will.

“We released Never Will on April 3 of last year, so we went straight from rehearsals for a tour to not seeing each other in person for months,” Ashley details. “Getting together to rehearse and record these live versions safely was our way of giving the fans a taste of what they would have seen had the world not changed so much.”

Ashley’s live EP is due to drop on May 28, but you can pre-add and pre-save it now. Additionally, she shared the first track off the project, “First Thing I Reach For,” along with a performance video. 

“Man did it feel good to strap on the guitar and see my guys and just play,” Ashley adds. “But we cannot wait to do it again with our incredible fans in person soon.”

Other tracks included on the live EP are “Shut Up Sheila,” “Velvet Red,” “Voodoo Doll” and “Sparrow.”

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

February 12, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABCLess than a week after Miranda Lambert announced three socially-distanced, limited capacity shows in her home state of Texas, tickets for all three dates have sold out.

In response, Miranda announced on social media this week that she’s adding two more shows, which will take place on May 1 and May 2. All five shows will take place at Billy Bob’s, a famous honky tonk in Fort Worth.

“I cannot wait to get home. I cannot wait to get back on that stage. I have missed y’all terribly,” Miranda gushed in a video message to her fans.

Tickets for the newly announced shows go on sale March 5, though Miranda’s fan club members will have access to a special pre-sale beginning March 3.

The string of shows will mark the first time Miranda is getting back onstage for an in-person concert in over a year. When she first announced the concerts, the singer emphasized that that each show will follow “strict” COVID-19 protocols in order to keep fans safe.

Miranda launched her Wildcard Tour in January of 2020, but like many other artists, she had to wipe her show calendar clean when pandemic shutdowns began.

Back in the saddle y’all! #honkytonk @billybobstexas
New show info: https://t.co/V6MfYUcoRI pic.twitter.com/adGXrMLxgU

— Miranda Lambert (@mirandalambert) February 12, 2021

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

February 12, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

Warner Music NashvilleBlake Shelton throws it back to the pre-pandemic days of live music in the just-released video for his new single, “Minimum Wage,” a clip that was filmed at his Ole Red bar and eatery in Tishomingo, Oklahoma.

“‘Minimum Wage’ has such great tempo, and I can’t wait to be able to get back out on the road and play it for fans,” the singer told CMT, who premiered the clip. “So I felt really strongly that the music video needed to be a live performance with the crowd having fun!”

However, filming such a video posed unique challenges and required extensive safety protocols, due to the continuing threat of the virus.

“Of course everyone had to be pre-tested and re-tested and temperature checks and social distancing,” Blake continues. “And every time the camera stopped rolling someone would yell, ‘Masks up!’ There’s a lot of camera magic happening, too, because it looks like the place was packed.”

The video was directed by Todd Stefani, brother of Blake’s fiancée, pop legend Gwen Stefani. Although manipulated camera angles made just a small group of people looked like a packed club, Blake says he hopes that the “Minimum Wage” video reminds fans of what it’s like to be at a live show.

“That sense of fun and community we have out there on the road,”adds Blake. “I’m ready to play shows, I’m ready to go see shows, and I know music fans everywhere are, too.”

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.