Chelsea Gill Welcomes Summer with Her New 'Tennessee Heat' Music Video

After working in concert lighting design and shining the spotlight on

acts such as Sara Evans and Lee Ann Womack, up-and- coming country artist Chelsea Gill is stepping

into the spotlight of her own with her new “Tennessee Heat” music video. The video, directed by Joshua

Lockhart, captures the idea of an uncomplicated summer romance - one that you look back on and smile.

Watch Full Video Here

Wanting to start her career by giving back to others, Gill has decided to donate $1 for every 10 views (up

to 10,000) to the Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund. The organization provides college grants and

financial assistance to surviving children and spouses of U.S. military service members who have lost

their lives as a result of their service in the Iraq or Afghanistan wars.

“On Memorial Day, I felt I had an opportunity to honor those who gave their lives

for my freedom,” said Gill. “I don’t have much to give yet, but this is a way I can give something. I hope it inspires others to give and focus on those who are in need around us.”

The Michigan native recently released her debut self-titled EP as a country singer-songwriter and can be found via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, and more.

Ten New Songs To Listen To This Week

Dirt Road -Chelsea Gill

You Make Me Beautiful -Donica Knight

I'm Making Mine -Erica Nicole

Boat Friend -Jordyn Mallory 

The Way You Look At Me -Carrie Cunningham

Read My Lipstick -Jada Vance

Runaways -Alex Stern

I Think Of You -Rachel Holder

How Could I Want More -Jamie Lynn Spears 

High Time -Kacey Musgraves

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Maddie and Tae Play To All Ages

Madison Marlow and Taylor Dye have accomplished some big things. The accomplishments include winning the CMA Video of the Year award and a number-one single on the Billboard Country Music charts, as well as nominations at the ACMs and the Disney Music Awards. It's not a bad resume for Marlow and Dye, who accomplished all of this before turning 21, which they both will do later this year.

Marlow and Dye are the popular millennial country duo Maddie and Tae, who will perform songs from their debut album "Start Here" on Sunday at the IP Casino Resort. The show is an all-ages show.

"We're so excited about doing a headlining show in Biloxi, and it's our first time to play down there," Dye said. "I hope everyone comes and hangs out -- that will be cool."

Not girls in a country song

The singer-songwriters are responsible for writing and performing the number-one hit "Girl in a Country Song," a response to the sometimes sexist nature of "bro country," the male-dominated country scene where the songs are often about beer, trucks and the objectification of women, particularly in the videos to the songs.

"When we wrote that, it was a whole three months of Tae and I, not necessarily complaining, but we would turn on the radio and there would be a line in a song objectifying women so badly that we thought, 'What is going on with how women are projected in country music these days?'" Marlow said. "We kept (talking) about it and we would (write) another song and we would love the artist but the song would be so weird to women."

Marlow said they wrote the songs on St. Patrick's Day in 2014.

"When we first came out, everyone said it was a feminist anthem and we were kind of scared of the word feminist because we weren't familiar with it," Marlow said. "But a feminist is just someone who believes in equal rights for women, and we are totally down with that, and we're very proud of the song -- and we're so humbled by all of the people that tell us that they could relate to it."

Support from Lambert

Dye said the song was a big hit among their friends in the industry.

"We have a lot of female friends in the industry and a lot of them said they loved it," Dye said. "Miranda (Lambert) said she loved it and Carrie (Underwood) said she loved it -- just to hear that from those women who have been doing this for a long time was really inspiring to us. It's really exciting for us to be in an industry where women lift each other up instead of tearing one another down."

Marlow said they are big fans of Lambert.

"We have every record Miranda Lambert made and we recently shared a dressing room with her and she came up and said, 'I just love what y'all are doing.' I was like, 'Oh my gosh. One of my favorite singers is talking to me as a friend and that's insane."

The next step

Maddie and Tae are currently writing the follow-up to "Start Here."

"Our main focus right now is the second album," Dye said. "We really trying to hone it in and we're pretty confident we have about half of it written -- it's a really cool record."

Dye said the new songs are about life in their early 20s.

"It's all about figuring out who you are and what you are about," she said. "It's a cool theme that goes throughout the album because that's the theme of our lives right now."

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/entertainment/article80009092.html#storylink=cpy

Sleepover With Jamie Lynn Spears

Following her previous hit ‘How Could I Want More,’ Jamie Lynn Spears is at it again having recently announced the release of her new single ‘Sleepover.’

The mid-tempo song tells of a traditional relationship and covers what it’s like to “take it slow.” Written by a variety of songwriters from Liz Rose to Tina Coral, Corey Crowder, and Jamie herself, the song reflects the experiences of many.

This relatable tune is available to all listeners by mid June and is being released during CMA Fest via a fan sleepover party at the Listening Room on June 9th from 3-5pm. There wear your favorite pajamas, listen to music, and hear stories about how the songs came together!

For more info check out www.jamielynnspears.com/

Girl Crush Songwriters Reflect On Women in Country

Considering the fact they are pushing the boundaries of country songwriting, the songwriting trio the Love Junkies came into formation rather conventionally.

The respective publishers for Hillary Lindsey, Liz Rose and Lori McKenna arranged for the three songwriters to get together for three days of good old-fashioned co-writes. Pairs within the threesome had written together before, but the Love Junkies, as they are now called, had never collaborated as a trio.

The Love Junkies discussed their writing process and how they churned out international smash hit “Girl Crush” in a panel about women creators at the Music Business conference in Nashville on Monday. They were joined by Mary Wilson, a founding member of the Supremes.

McKenna said the spark of an idea came from the song title. She said Lindsey walked into the room and, upon hearing the name of the song, rather quickly sang what became the first four lines. When members of Little Big Town came over later in the day and also fell in love with the song, the Love Junkies knew they were onto something.

“That was one of those moments where we didn’t really have a lot of say in where that song was going to go from there,” McKenna said. “Out of her face came these first four lines, and we weren’t in charge of how that song was going to get played because it was so beautiful and so perfect and this genius came right through her. We were going to chase it and we were going to follow it.”

But McKenna said they didn’t know the song would be controversial. Advocates for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights have used the song as a sort of anthem. McKenna said the song is actually about a woman who wants a guy who’s with another woman.

“We knew it was a song about jealousy,” McKenna said.

The Love Junkies also take a conventional approach to their songwriting, with designated appointments and writing sessions that span about three days, during which time visitors are not allowed.

Lindsey, Rose, McKenna and Wilson were guests for a panel entitled “How to earn respect as a female creator.” It was the third of three panels on Monday about women in the music industry.

Though their panel did not go deep into the issue of women in the music business, Wilson’s description of her career painted the picture of an industry evolving to become more welcoming of women.

Asked for what advice she might give women in the audience, Rose said, “I’m a songwriter, I’m a publisher, I’m a mother, I’m a wife, I’m a friend. I never thought, ‘Oh, I can’t do this because I’m a female.'

“I never thought about it,” Rose continued. “I just knew I had to support a family, so I just went to work. If I sat around and thought about that and whined about that, I can’t imagine the things I wouldn’t have done.”

But Wilson said things were different when she was rising through the ranks with the Supremes in the 1960s.

“When we started singing in 1959 and started traveling in 1961, there were very few women,” Wilson said. “There were no women who were CEOs. When we traveled the world, the only thing women were doing was bringing the tea if we were in Europe, or the coffee here.

“It has changed a lot because women were at home and we took care of the home. Whereas now we have great women CEOs all over America and all over the world, which is wonderful. And most of those women do juggle doing the business and having children.”

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The CMT Award Nominees Have Been Announced

The CMT Awards present the biggest artists of the year with honors for their music, videos, and film presence. The annual awards show is broadcasted across the nation and held live in Nashville Tennessee. The show hosts a variety of artists from Dan + Shay to Jana Kramer and Maren Morris. This year awards are being presented for Video of the Year, Female Video of the Year, Male Video of the year, Duo Video of the Year, Breakthrough Video of The Year, and CMT Performance of the year, therefore representing each artist group for their efforts. The list of nominees can be found below and fans can vote for their favorite videos of the year up until June 6th via cmt.com  

Video of the Year

Blake Shelton - "Sangria"

Cam - "Burning House"

Carrie Underwood - "Smoke Break"

Chris Stapleton - "Fire Away"

Florida Georgia Line - "Sippin' on Fire"

Jason Aldean - "Tonight Looks Good on You"

Keith Urban - "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3: 16"

Little Big Town - "Girl Crush"

Luke Bryan - "Strip It Down"

Sam Hunt - "Break Up in a Small Town"

Thomas Rhett - "Die a Happy Man"

Tim McGraw - "Humble and Kind"

Male Video of the Year

Blake Shelton - "Sangria"

Eric Church - "Like a Wrecking Ball"

Keith Urban - "John Cougar, John Deer, John 3:16"

Luke Bryan - "Kick the Dust Up"

Sam Hunt - "Break Up in a Small Town"

Thomas Rhett - "Die a Happy Man"

Female Video of the Year

Jana Kramer - "I Got the Boy"

Kacey Musgraves - "Biscuits"

Cam - "Burning House"

Carrie Underwood - "Smoke Break"

Kelsea Ballerini - "Dibs"

Maren Morris - "My Church"

Group/Duo Video of the Year

Brothers Osborne - "Stay a Little Longer"

Dan and Shay - "Nothin' Like You"

Florida Georgia Line - "Sippin' on Fire"

Little Big Town - "Girl Crush"

Old Dominion - "Break Up with Him"

Zac Brown Band - "Loving You Easy"

Breakthrough Video of the Year

Brothers Osborne - "Stay a Little Longer"

Cam - "Burning House"

Chris Janson - "Buy Me a Boat"

Chris Stapleton - "Fire Away"

Maren Morris - "My Church"

Old Dominion - "Break Up With Him"

CMT Performance of the Year

Carrie Underwood - "Smoke Break"

Adam Lambert and Leona Lewis - "Girl Crush"

Brantley Gilbert and Lynyrd Skynyrd - "What's Your Name"

Jennifer Nettles and Cheap Trick - "I Want You to Want Me"

Chris Stapleton - "Nobody to Blame"

Darius Rucker - "Alright"

The CMT Awards are held on June 8th in Nashville Tennessee and can be viewed via CMT at 8/7c

10 New Songs To Check Out This Week

Half Hearted -Post Monroe

Your Smile -Ashley Gearing

Ready To Roll -Ruthie Collins

Runnin' Outta Lipstick -Sara Beth

Travel In Twos -Molly Brown

Fall Like Rain -Courtney Cole

I am Invincible -Cassadee Pope

Summer Girl -Leighton Meester

Play Like Ken -Ashley Taylor

Somebody Else Will -Mickey Guyton

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ATTENTION! West Coast Performing Opportunity

It’s that time of the year again -- time to plan for this summer’s concert series and for all of you looking for more exposure or for those who happen to be on the west coast this summer I have a proposal for you. 

This summer at the Oregon Coast, the town of Manzanita is hosting their first ever music festival and are looking for new artists who are willing to perform over the weekend of July 22nd to the 25th. The festival is hoping to feature a variety of artists and attract over 500 hundred people from the both the Oregon Coast and the city of Portland.

The town of Manzanita includes over 7 miles of beach, shopping perfect for the whole family, and a community of people welcoming to all. So if you’re interested in helping to bring the love of country music to the west coast please comment your email below or email me at nextwomenofcountry@gmail.com. 

Hope to see you all there!

Olivia Lane's Sunshine Can Inspire Us All

Artistic, sweet, and lively as ever Olivia Lane's music has inspired many to live life to the fullest.

Growing up in Houston to parents that adored country music, Olivia has been following her dreams ever since she was a young child. From dancing along to Britney Spears to learning how to play the piano and starring in musicals, Olivia has always known she was destined to be an artist. Much of Olivia’s early inspiration came from her mother, a Texan country singer, who often played young Olivia songs by country music greats including Dolly Parton and Patsy Cline. Noticing Olivia had a connection to music and enjoyed singing quite loudly, Olivia's mother enrolled her into musical theatre. Olivia’s first production was the always popular Grease and was the beginning of what she thought was the rest of her life. Olivia attended University of Southern California majoring in theatre, where she quickly realized her passion for songwriting. Throughout college Olivia took internships in Nashville and made the move soon after her graduation. Growing up surrounded by the sounds of country music and the hustle of rodeos, Olivia found comfort in Nashville. 

Currently an independent artist Olivia has been making a name for herself, but can be found collaborating with Russian band member of Bering Strait, Ilya Toshinskiy, and working alongside songwriter, Aaron Scherz, who’s known for the creation of Maddie and Tae’s ‘Girl in a Country Song.’ As a songwriter herself, Olivia takes pride in her own music. Her songs are anthems of her own personal experiences and emotions. With each lyric Olivia showcases her bubbly and fun personality and writes in anticipation of others finding a connection to her songs as she does. 

In December Olivia released her new single ‘Make My Own Sunshine,’ an optimistic song that Olivia states “connects to how I try to live my life positively.” This upbeat song is an easy one to relate to and reminds those of us who are having a bad day that we have the power to change how our day is going. In the future Olivia hopes for her music to go far and inspire many. 

Whether performing in coffee shops or around the globe Olivia loves what she does and plans to continue writing and performing for many more years to come. She believes in being “yourself, because everyone is taken” and advises new artists to “find who you are, find your message, then let em’ hear it.” A relentless women pushing her way into the country music scene, Olivia Lane is surely ready for the big leagues. 

Olivia’s music can be found via Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, and at www.olivialane.com. Want to hear more of Olivia on the radio like I do? Make sure to request Olivia Lane and her song ‘Make My Own Sunshine’ to Siriusxm The Highway and watch the full music video here.

10 Songs To Check Out This Week

Southern Belle -Jordyn Mallory

Heck of a Story -Maggie Baugh

Lucky Me -Tegan Marie

Company You Keep -Maren Morris

Sierra -Maddie and Tae

Road Less Traveled -Lauren Alaina

Firestarters -South Haven

Hands of Time -Margo Price

Break the Breakup -Kalie Shorr

Used to Love These Boots -Brooke Ansley

Listen Here

Mother's Day Baby

Brooke Kelly Photography

This year has been the year of new moms. From Jana Kramer to Carrie Underwood and Jessie James, country music fans are in for a mother’s day celebration. These superstar moms have been featured on the covers of Fit Pregnancy and Working Mother, showcasing their ability to balance the task of motherhood along with a music career. Actually it’s quite impressive considering that Kramer and Underwood have both just recently released new albums and are currently performing all across the country. Underwood explains how being a mom is harder than having to perform saying “you feel guilty about every single thing, every decision you make, everything you do.” While Kramer, surprising herself, exclaims that “being a mom is the most incredible feeling in the world,” despite the stressful moments.

So Happy Mother’s Day to all the new moms and old for all that you do and make sure to check out more baby pics via Instagram @janakramerstar @carrieunderwood and more..

Ten New Songs to Check Out This Week

Long Way Home -Alex Masters

We've All Got a Song -Megan Fowler

Just Like Fire -Maddie Wilson

Hearts Will Break -Heather Cole

Underage -Kelsea Ballerini

We Won't Go Home -Morgan Myles

You Part 2 -Olivia Lane

Tougher -Lainey Wilson 

Want It All -Cam

Country Queen -Kendal Conrad

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