Carrie Underwood will release her highly-anticipated album, Denim & Rhinestones, on June 10th, 2022. She co-wrote 11 of the 12 tracks on Denim & Rhinestones with many of her frequent collaborators such as David Garcia, Hillary Lindsey, Josh Miller, Ashley Gorley, Josh Kear, and Chris DeStefano, who have written many of her biggest hits. She also welcomes more recent co-writers on the album, including Michael Hardy and Lydia Vaughan, the latter of whom co-wrote “If I Didn’t Love You,” Carrie’s multi-week #1 smash hit duet with Jason Aldean.

Denim & Rhinestones is the latest project between Carrie and David Garcia, having co-produced her critically-acclaimed 2018 release, Cry Pretty, which marked the first time she produced her own album.  Garcia and Carrie also co-produced her 2021 GRAMMY® Award-winning album of gospel hymns, My Savior.

Here is a Brown Bag/Open-Ended Interview with Carrie for your use.

CUT 1: Carrie Underwood (hi, how are you) :03: HI Carrie! How are you doing?

CU ANSWER: “HI! Good, how are you?”

CUT 2: Carrie Underwood (title of Denim & Rhinestones) OC: …for this album. :42
QUESTION: So, your new project is called Denim & Rhinestones. How did you come up with the title for your new project?

CU ANSWER:
“I love the song ‘Denim & Rhinestones,’ first and foremost, but I thought there was just something so cool about the title of it that is very me, that I wanted to name my album Denim & Rhinestones. When you think of Denim & Rhinestones, you think of the staples in your closet, the things that are reliable, the things that are comfortable, that you always feel good in them. Then you think of rhinestones and it’s all the things that sparkle on top, and I feel like that kind of just sums up me. It sums up this album. It’s a little vintage. It’s a little shiny, and it just makes you feel good. So, I felt like that was the perfect title for this album.”

CUT 3: Carrie Underwood (past projects) OC: …about it. 1:36
QUESTION: Your last studio album was 2018’s Cry Pretty, but you also released a pair of passion projects – My Gift and My Savior – in between the two albums. How did those projects help shape or influence Denim & Rhinestones? What kind of growth did you have?

CU ANSWER: “My last full studio album was in 2018 with Cry Pretty. I was very much lucky to get to work on some passion projects in-between Cry Pretty and Denim & Rhinestones, and I think that kind of gave me a little bit of a break from trying to be creative in a big sense, in putting this massive project together. I already knew a lot of the standard Christmas songs that I wanted to do for My Gift and then the hymns I did for My Savior. It was more about choosing things, for the most part, that were already available. We wrote a little bit for the Christmas album, but it wasn’t that much of an undertaking. These were just kind of heart projects, and we didn’t have to focus too hard on starting from scratch and having this big undertaking of making an entire album from nothing. So, I feel it kind of gave me a little bit of a break from that and also filling my heart cup and my singing cup up. It was a really good space for me to be in when the world was pretty unsure, so I’m so thankful that I had those two projects to work on. But I feel like it really made me ready to get creative, and it seemed more like a joy to get to start something from scratch. So, I feel like it was a really kind of needed ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ kind of thing for making a new album. By the time we were ready, it was like we were raring to go, and I was really excited about it.”

CUT 4: Carrie Underwood (making a new album during the pandemic) OC: …right now. 1:37
QUESTION: Even though you released two passion projects during the pandemic, your new record Denim & Rhinestones was written and recorded during the height of the global pandemic when artists weren’t able to tour, meet with fans, get that instant feedback from their audiences. How much did that play in the making of this record? Fun is reflected in the music, the lyrics, etc. …and I feel like people are so ready to celebrate and rejoice.

CU ANSWER:
“Making an album in the middle of the past couple years, it definitely had its challenges, like I was writing on ZOOM a couple of times with a few different writers. It was a little trickier to figure out little things like that, scheduling and logistics and everybody was dealing with something all the time, BUT the fact that I was in one place a bit longer than usual. I feel like we definitely took advantage of that, and I was able to really focus in on making this album with fewer distractions than normal. I wasn’t leaving town constantly to go do things, and it was just nice to be able to have large chunks of time where I really got to focus on this album. I do feel like after the past couple of years, people are ready to get out. I mean we see it in the festivals and the things like that I have been doing, the one off shows here and there and our Vegas residency, people are ready to reenter the world and get together and celebrate things, and music brings people  together like nothing else. So, I certainly feel like that. I’m ready to get out there and go on tour and stuff like that with this album and I feel like people are really ready for it too. And it definitely made me just want to make music that is, for the most part, just positive and happy and fun, because I feel like that’s kind of a gap that we all have in our lives right now.”

CUT 5: Carrie Underwood (kept radio & live show in mind) OC: … Denim & Rhinestones. :53

QUESTION: Were you also looking ahead at playing songs live when making the album? How does that factor in when writing and producing?

CU ANSWER: “It’s important to have all of the things in mind when making an album of where you’re going to be playing this album, what you’re going to do with it, what your hopes are. So, we definitely tried to think of how these songs were going to sound and feel on the radio, playing them on TV shows or whatever, but also of course factoring in the live aspect of it. We definitely had kind of this overarching tone that we wanted to make sure everything was going to sound really good in an arena. So, yeah, it’s one of those things that you always kind of have in the back of your head. You don’t want to make an album of songs that you really love but kind of fall flat when you get in front of people. So, I feel like I’ve learned that over the years, for sure, and it was definitely in our minds when we were making Denim & Rhinestones.”

CUT 6: Carrie Underwood (hopes for fans) OC: …time with it. 1:00

QUESTION: What do you hope fans get from listening to Denim & Rhinestones? What will they learn? What do you want them to feel?

CU ANSWER:
“I hope when fans listen to the album, Denim & Rhinestones, that they just feel happy. When we set out to make this entire project, I walked in the writing room with my co-producer David (Garcia), and he’s like, ‘Well, what are we doing? What do you want to do?’ And I said, I just want to have fun. I feel like over the past couple of years, everybody’s been a little cooped up and just need some fun in their lives. You know, thinking about taking all of these songs on the road, I just wanted to think about as we were writing and as I was choosing songs, which ones would be great live. I love this album so much. It makes me happy. I hope they learn a little bit more about my musical influences and things that I like, because I feel like a lot of those just worked their way into this album. But, most of all, I just want them to feel happy, I want them to dance, I want them to sing and just have a good time with it.”

CUT 7: Carrie Underwood (writing for D&R) OC: …that one. :38

QUESTION: You wrote 11 of the 12 songs on your new album – where did you find the time to write with EVERYTHING else you’ve had going on?

CU ANSWER:
“Oh, we always find time to write. You know, sometimes it’s in bigger chunks where I’m writing several days a week. I’m not the kind of person that can go in five days a week and write anyway, so it’s nice a little bit to get to break it up and do like three days a week, maybe four days a week if somebody’s in town or something that I just really have to write with. It kind of just depends on what else is going on, but we always make time for it obviously. I was lucky enough to write 11 of the 12. I guess I could’ve kicked out the 12^th, but it was ‘Ghost Story,’ and I really like that song, so I really don’t care too much that I didn’t write that one.”

CUT 8: Carrie Underwood (Ghost Story) 1 OC: …writing one day. :56

QUESTION: The first single from the new album is “Ghost Story,” and it’s the only one you didn’t write for Denim & Rhinestones. What drew you to the song?

CU ANSWER:
“’Ghost Story’ was written for me by David Garcia, Hilary Lindsey and Josh Kear, and I feel like they just nailed it when they got together to write. I’ve worked with all those incredibly talented writers a couple of which, I’ve worked with since pretty much the very beginning. I feel like they just know me so well. The song is hauntingly beautiful, has a really wide range and amazing melody and just tells this really cool, cinematic story of how this guy is never going to be able to let go of the girl he let go of because she’s just always going to be haunting him. He’s going to see her everywhere. He’s gonna want her back but she’s moved on – sorry man. (laughs) I loved this song, I loved recording it. It’s challenging vocally, but I like that. I feel like it’s just a really awesome song and I’m glad they got together to think of me while they were writing one day.”

CUT 9: Carrie Underwood (Reflection to tour) OC: …gonna be good. :53
QUESTION: How has your Las Vegas residency Reflection influenced the production, set list, and more for your new tour, which will kick off October 15th?

CU ANSWER:
“I think everything that I do I learn from along the way and get to add certain things to my, you know, my bank. You learn what works in different areas and what doesn’t work in other areas. And I feel like our Las Vegas residency reflection has definitely taught me a lot. I feel like it helped a lot in the confidence department, in my confidence department, because we got to put together just this incredible show. You know it wasn’t necessarily just a concert, it was a show and I love that. I feel like there’s so many elements of that that I’m gonna take with me as we plan and ultimately take the Denim and Rhinestones tour out on the road. So, I’m excited to see what we do with everything that we’ve learned, and I think it only makes me a better performer and artist. So, it’s gonna be good.”

CUT 10: Carrie Underwood (thanks)
INTERVIEWER: Thank you so much for joining us to talk about your new project, Denim & Rhinestones, and your upcoming tour. It was a pleasure talking to you.

CU RESPONSE: “Awwww, Thank you so much. Thanks for having me and for chatting. I’m in love with this project, and definitely hope that people just feel, just feel something.”

Nearly 15 years after first visiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® where he was immediately inspired to pledge his support, three-time GRAMMY Award winner Darius Rucker continues to give back, surpassing the $3 million mark in his fundraising efforts with this year’s 13th annual “Darius & Friends” benefit concert on Monday night, June 6th, which was followed by his corresponding golf tournament and silent auction on Tuesday, June 7th. This year’s event alone raised an all-time high of $516,000, bringing together a sold-out audience at the historic Ryman Auditorium with at-home fans watching via live stream.

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – JUNE 06: Darius Rucker performs onstage for 2022 Darius and Friends Concert benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at Ryman Auditorium on June 06, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Essential Broadcast Media)

Reflecting on his first visit to the hospital in 2008, Rucker explained to the sold-out crowd, “I’m talking to one administrator and she said, ‘when you bring your kid to St. Jude, we fly you in, we put you up, we feed you and we never send you a bill.’ I started talking to people there and it’s true. That day I said, I want to do something to help. I’m doing this for St. Jude – thank you guys for coming out!”

Now, more than a decade later, that effort has become an annual tradition. The benefit concert, which serves as an unofficial kickoff to CMA Fest as fans descend on Music City each summer, is famous for its surprise lineup of stars and this year was no different. “Tonight is ladies’ night!” Rucker declared when kicking off the evening, setting the stage for a night full of 30 hit songs and beloved covers by Rucker and his friends: Sheryl Crow, Lindsay Ell, Sara Evans, Caylee Hammack and Rachel Wammack.

After a live auction and donation round which added thousands to the fundraising tally, the evening’s true purpose was on display as Addie, a St. Jude cancer survivor who was diagnosed with leukemia when she was 15 years old and has been in remission for five years, earned a standing ovation with her acapella rendition of “Never Be Enough” from “The Greatest Showman.”

Rucker kicked off the main event with a trio of hits – his Platinum-certified No. 1s “This” and “For the First Time” followed by his latest release, the timely “Same Beer Different Problem”  – before introducing the first friend of the evening as ACM and CMA Award-winner Sara Evans took the stage to perform her enduring chart-topping hits “Suds in the Bucket” and “A Little Bit Stronger” before rounding out her set with a cover of Yvonne Ellman’s “If I Can’t Have You.”

Rucker then returned to the stage, thrilling the crowd with his Double Platinum-certified No. 1 “Alright” and Platinum-certified chart topper “Come Back Song” before introducing rising star and Muscle Shoals native Rachel Wammack, who performed her own “Bless Your Little Heart” and “Like Me” before thrilling the at-capacity crowd with a rousing rendition of Miranda Lambert’s Gold-certified “Little Red Wagon.”

The evening’s host continued the show with his hits “Homegrown Honey” and “If I Told You” as well as Hootie & the Blowfish classic “Hold My Hand” before introducing his recent Darius Rucker Live theater tourmate Caylee Hammack, who performed her debut single “Family Tree” and recent release “Forged in the Fire” before bringing the crowd to their feet with her rocking version of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” Rucker then returned to the stage, joining Hammack for a duet of his unreleased song “Never Been Over,” written with Brothers Osborne’s John Osborne and previewing what’s to come on his forthcoming album currently in the works.

Rucker kept the Hootie & the Blowfish nostalgia coming as he performed “Let Her Cry” accompanied by the chorus of a sold out Mother Church audience, before continuing the singalong with his latest No. 1 hit, “Beers And Sunshine.”

The Ryman audience then erupted with joy as Sheryl Crow took the stage, performing her Platinum-certified chart topper “If It Makes You Happy” and “Everyday Is A Winding Road” as well as being joined by Rucker for a poignant duet of “The First Cut is the Deepest,” with Rucker calling the “Darius & Friends” veteran “a true legend.”

Donning a white tuxedo jacket, he then performed a jazz section featuring Frank Sinatra’s “Summer Wind” and “Fly Away” backed by a brass quartet and his all-star band. He then introduced the final guest of the evening, with ACM and CMA nominated songstress Lindsay Ell bringing the crowd to their feet for an extended guitar solo during her performance of her latest single “Right On Time” plus “I Don’t Love You” as well as a remarkable cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.”

Rucker closed out the memorable evening with a rousing cover of Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie” as the show then ended according to tradition, with Rucker joined by the sold-out Ryman crowd for a “Wagon Wheel” singalong, the feel-good energy throughout the auditorium symbolic of the night as a whole.

This year’s milestone fundraising event adds yet another successful page to the decade-plus history of “Darius & Friends.” Prior guests have included Lauren Alaina, Jason Aldean, Brooks & Dunn, Brothers Osborne, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, John Daly, Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum, Ashley McBryde, A.J. McLean of the Backstreet Boys, Brad Paisley, Kenny Rogers and Tommy Thayer of KISS, among many others.

The annual fundraising event, made possible with support from generous sponsors AMD, Hendrix Enterprises, CDW, Intel, Fanatics, Hewlett-Packard, CAA and Arrow Electronics, helps ensure families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – so they can focus on helping their child live.

For more information, visit www.DariusRucker.com and follow on social media @DariusRucker. Fans can also continue to donate to St. Jude in honor of “Darius & Friends” HERE and photos from the event are available HERE.

Full 13th Annual “Darius & Friends” Set List:
Darius Rucker: “This,” “For the First Time,” “Same Beer Different Problem”
Sara Evans: “Suds in the Bucket,” “A Little Bit Stronger,” “If I Can’t Have You”
Darius Rucker: “Alright,” “Come Back Song”
Rachel Wammack: “Bless Your Little Heart,” “Like Me,” “Little Red Wagon”
Darius Rucker: “Homegrown Honey,” “If I Told You,” “Hold My Hand”
Caylee Hammack: “Family Tree,” “Forged in the Fire,” “Folsom Prison Blues”
Darius Rucker: “Never Been Over” (with Caylee Hammack), “Let Her Cry,” “Beers And Sunshine”
Sheryl Crow: “If It Makes You Happy,” “The First Cut is the Deepest” (with Darius Rucker), “Every Day Is A Winding Road”
Darius Rucker: “Summer Wind,” “Come Fly with Me”
Lindsay Ell: “Right On Time,” “I Don’t Love You,” “Superstition”
Encore – Darius Rucker: “Valerie,” “Wagon Wheel”

Carrie Underwood is set to release her new, highly-anticipated album, Denim & Rhinestones, on Friday (June 10th). Many of her loyal fans started guessing at potential Easter eggs and looking at possible clues over her recent awards show performances and her denim and sparkly outfits prior to the announcement of the new album. While Carrie didn’t consciously think about it in the beginning, denim and rhinestones started popping up everywhere.

“I had the title, Denim & Rhinestones, for this album for a while, and I knew that was going to be the title,” says Carrie. “Obviously, it being something that’s very easy to represent aesthetically, we started looking for denim and rhinestones things everywhere, and it’s kind of one of those things where you don’t notice how much is out there until you notice it, and right now it seems to be a really amazing time for denim and bling fashion. So, I just wanted to take advantage of that. I’ve been wearing denim and rhinestones (laughs) for a while. I think a few people kind of noticed – man, she sure is wearing denim dresses, denim jackets, lots of denim. So, we’ve been doing that for a while. I guess I was throwing out little easter eggs, but really I was just doing it because I think it’s fun.” (laughs)

• Carrie Underwood: LIVE, a global, one-night-only live performance, will livestream June 9 from The Historic Bell Tower in Downtown Nashville, sponsored by Coca-Cola’s new digital platform, Coke Studio. Fans will be able to tune in at 8:00 PM CT on June 9 via the Amazon Music channel on Twitch, the Amazon Music mobile app via Twitch, and on Prime Video globally.
• The Denim & Rhinestones Experience – A fun-filled, pop-up exhibition with interactive photo installations, wardrobe displays, and a retail boutique celebrating the music of Denim & Rhinestones.  The Denim & Rhinestones Experience will be open to the public June 10-12 at The Historic Bell Tower in Downtown Nashville. For hours and additional information, go to www.carrieunderwoodofficial.com.
• Broadcast TV appearances and performances will include ABC’s Good Morning America and GMA3 on June 10th, and NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on June 14.  She will also make multiple appearances on Canadian and Australian television, including interviews on Sunrise, The Today Show, The Project, and others.
•  On Saturday, June 11th, Carrie takes the Nissan Stadium stage once again to headline the 49^th annual CMA Fest, which will be broadcast on ABC on August 3.

The lead single from Denim & Rhinestones, “Ghost Story,” is currently climbing the charts and has garnered over 45.2 million global streams. The song’s cinematic music video was directed by acclaimed director and photographer Randee St. Nicholas (check it out below).

Amazon Music will present Carrie Underwood: LIVE, an exciting, one-night-only live performance by 8-time GRAMMY Award winner Carrie Underwood from The Historic Bell Tower in Downtown Nashville sponsored by Coca-Cola’s new digital platform, Coke Studio on the eve of the release of her new album, Denim & Rhinestones. Fans will be able to tune in at 8pm CT on Thursday (June 9th) via the Amazon Music channel on Twitch, the Amazon Music mobile app, and on Prime Video globally.

“I’m so excited to celebrate the launch of my new album, Denim & Rhinestones, with this special live event,” says Underwood.  “This album is so much fun and I’ve been looking forward to playing these songs live and I love that we’ll get to do it with a global audience from such a cool setting.”

Co-produced by Underwood and David Garcia, Denim & Rhinestones can be downloaded and streamed on Amazon Music beginning June 10.

Underwood recently announced her new U.S. arena tour, THE DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR, with dates in Fall 2022 and Spring 2023.  In May, she completed her 2022 dates for her ongoing REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency at the Resorts World Theatre, which will resume in 2023 following the new tour.

About Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood is a true multi-format, multi-media superstar, spanning achievements in music, television, film, and as a New York Times bestselling author and successful entrepreneur.  She has sold more than 66 million records worldwide, recorded 28 #1 singles (14 of which she co-wrote), and has seven albums that are certified Platinum or Multi-Platinum by the RIAA, all while continuing to sell out arena tours across North America and the UK.  All nine of her consecutive album releases (two of which she co-produced) from the beginning of her career debuted #1 on the Billboard Country Chart, making her the only artist to accomplish that feat.  She has won over 100 major awards including 8 GRAMMY® Awards, 16 ACM Awards including three for Entertainer of the Year (the first female in history to win twice and the only female ever to win three times), 25 CMT Music Awards (holding the record for the most award wins ever for the show), 7 CMA Awards, and 17 American Music Awards. She has also built a successful business portfolio inspired by her passion for health and wellness.  She founded and created the fitness and lifestyle brand, CALIA by Carrie Underwood, and her first book, FIND YOUR PATH was an instant New York Times bestseller.  She launched her fitness app, fit52, in 2020, and expanded her lifestyle portfolio with an equity partnership with BODYARMOR Sports Drink in 2021. She was the first artist to perform at the new Resorts World Theatre, where her ongoing REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency, began with sold-out runs in December 2021 and throughout Spring 2022, and will continue in 2023.  She will release her highly-anticipated album, Denim & Rhinestones, on June 10, 2022, which she co-produced with David Garcia, and the first single from the album, “Ghost Story” is climbing the charts.  Carrie recently announced her new U.S. arena tour, THE DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR, with dates throughout Fall 2022 and Spring 2023.

EMI Records Nashville singer/songwriter Kylie Morgan will release her upcoming EP, P.S., on July 1. The project will feature her recent tracks including fan favorite “Independent With You” and good-time anthem “Love Like We’re Drunk,” plus her forthcoming debut single “If He Wanted To He Would,” shipping to country radio on the EP’s release day.

P.S. is the follow-up to Kylie’s 2021 EP Love, Kylie, praised by American Songwriter for its “infectious arrangements, irresistibly clever lyrics and a vibrant, empowering energy.” Helping “solidify her place as one to watch” (Billboard), the debut scored Kylie a spot as one of CMT’s Next Women of Country and VEVO’s 2021 DSCVR Artists to Watch, while also being selected for CMA’s coveted KixStart program.

“With my debut EP, Love, Kylie, I finally got to tell the world over a decade’s worth of stories I had only told my guitar, in six songs,” shares Kylie. “But that was just the first few chapters. I am so excited to finish sharing this book of love letters from me to my fans with my new EP, P.S.”

Set to share her instantly catchy songs on CMA Fest’s biggest stage, Kylie will perform this Sunday night (6/12) at Nissan Stadium, after taking the Dr Pepper Amp Stage that afternoon at 2:45 p.m. For more information on additional upcoming tour dates, visit kyliemorgan.com/tour.

“I’ve been so blessed to have a lot of answered prayers and pinch me moments in my career, but getting to play my first stadium this weekend – and debut my next single off this project – in my current home of Nashville will be hard to beat,” Kylie adds. “I’ve been coming to CMA Fest as a fan since I was 15, and now I’m playing the stage I waited in line for and sat in the nose bleeds so I could see my favorite artists. God is so dang good.”

About Kylie Morgan:
An Oklahoma native, Kylie Morgan started writing songs at the age of 12, gaining national attention from music producers and television executives after releasing her music independently. This early success led to her making regular trips to Nashville, crafting her voice, and polishing her songwriting. At 19, she made the decision to officially call Music City home. Recognizing Kylie’s unique talent, the SMACKSongs team signed her to their roster under the guidance of GRAMMY Award-winning songwriters, Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne.

Kylie just released new tracks “Love Like We’re Drunk” and “Independent With You,” featured on her upcoming EP P.S., due out July 1. Her debut EP Love, Kylie dropped in June 2021, for which she co-wrote each of its six songs (produced by McAnally and Ben Johnson). Stacking acclaim, she was named as one of VEVO’s 2021 DSCVR Artists to Watch. The only country artist to make the list, the program highlights 19 of the world’s top emerging artists poised to break out over the next year. Selected as one of three artists for the coveted CMA KixStart program, Kylie has been named to several Artists to Watch lists including CMT, SiriusXM On The Horizon, Taste of Country and Pandora. She recently hit the road with Niko Moon for the GOOD TIME TOUR, after previously opening for artists including Dan + Shay, Little Big Town, Maren Morris, Kip Moore, Gavin DeGraw, Brett Eldredge and Billy Currington.

Eric Church has released his new single, “Doing Life With Me,” to country radio, going for adds on June 13th. The song, which Eric co-wrote with Casey Beathard and Jeffrey Steele, is from his fan album, & — the second of the three releases (Heart & Soul) —  which was available as a vinyl exclusive to members of Church’s official fan group, the Church Choir. & will be released to digital and streaming platforms on August 19th, 2022.

For the three albums, he wrote and recorded the majority of the songs for the project during a 28-day trip to the mountains of North Carolina where he and the songwriters would write a song that morning and they’d go into the studio with Eric’s band that afternoon/evening and record the song. For “Doing Life With Me,” Jeffrey Steele (What Hurts The Most, Gone, My Town, The Cowboy In Me, Raise ‘Em Up) “had this little – that little riff on ‘Life With Me’ just up and down my neck. And he goes ‘I don’t know what this is.’ And then Casey Beathard walks in and he goes ‘Man, I had this lady I was just talking to and talking about her husband and she goes I guess that’s what he gets for doing life with me.’ And I thought that’s interesting. And all the sudden (sings) it just turned into a thing, but it was over Jeffrey’s thing. So, that night in the studio as opposed to having a session guy, Jeffrey Steele played that part and Jeffrey Steele sang harmony on that part and so did Casey.”

Doing Life With Me
Produced by Jay Joyce

It ain’t easy puttin’ up with

A road dog with a cup with a little Jack in it

You talk about the back seat

I don’t know don’t ask me

How she sat in it

She carried my burdens and paid my bail

Put a Tennessee breeze in my Carolina sail

And set me free

I don’t pray much anymore

For this old troubadour’s

Happiness, wishes, wants and needs

End of my ropes, hopes and dreams

Spend my livin’ giving thanks

For the ships I never sank

Every big every little in the everyday things

The notes and the words and the songs I sing

To the ones doing life with me

Coulda easily said goodbye to

This runaway train you’re tied to

You know I don’t get it

Baby how you roll with it

The fists and the fights and the scars of the battle

The ups and the downs of the judge’s gavel

How’d you wind up in my unravel

I don’t pray much anymore

For this old troubadour’s

Happiness, wishes, wants and needs

End of my ropes, hopes and dreams

Spend my livin’ giving thanks

For the ships I never sank

Every big every little in the everyday things

The notes and the words and the songs I sing

To the ones doing life with me

You’re my faith in the grace

Every sunrise brings

Set me free

I don’t pray much anymore

For this old troubadour’s

Happiness, wishes, wants and needs

End of my ropes, hopes and dream

Spend my livin’ giving thanks

For the ships I never sank

You’re my faith in the grace every sunshine brings

Every big every little in the everyday things

The notes and the words and the songs I sing

To the ones doing life with me

Eric is set to hit the stage at U.S. Bank Stadium on Saturday (June 11th), followed by a handful of festival dates later this summer.

Little Big Town released the official music video for their latest single, “Hell Yeah,” on Monday (June 6th) in a Facebook exclusive.

Multi-platinum, 8-time GRAMMY® Award winner Carrie Underwood celebrates the June 10^th release of her highly-anticipated brand-new album, Denim & Rhinestones, with a launch week packed with activities.  Highlights include:

• Carrie kicks off the week welcoming fans from all over the world to her Official Fan Club Party and will perform two shows at the Grand Ole Opry on Tuesday, June 7th.
• Carrie Underwood: LIVE, a global, one-night-only live performance, will livestream June 9 from The Historic Bell Tower in Downtown Nashville, sponsored by Coca-Cola’s new digital platform, Coke Studio. Fans will be able to tune in at 8:00 PM CT on June 9th via the Amazon Music channel on Twitch, the Amazon Music mobile app via Twitch, and on Prime Video globally.
• The Denim & Rhinestones Experience – A fun-filled, pop-up exhibition with interactive photo installations, wardrobe displays, and a retail boutique celebrating the music of Denim & Rhinestones.  The Denim & Rhinestones Experience will be open to the public June 10-12 at The Historic Bell Tower in Downtown Nashville. For hours and additional information, go to www.carrieunderwoodofficial.com.
• Broadcast TV appearances and performances will include ABC’s Good Morning America and GMA3 on June 10, and NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on June 14.  She will also make multiple appearances on Canadian and Australian television, including interviews on Sunrise, The Today Show, The Project, and others.
•  On Saturday, June 11th, Carrie takes the Nissan Stadium stage once again to headline the 49^th annual CMA Fest, which will be broadcast on ABC on August 3rd.

Denim & Rhinestones is Underwood’s latest collaboration with David Garcia.  Garcia and Underwood co-produced her critically-acclaimed 2018 release, Cry Pretty, as well as Underwood’s 2021 GRAMMY® Award-winning album of gospel hymns, My Savior.

Denim & Rhinestones Signed CD Box Sets and Signed Vinyl Box Sets are available now, which includes an exclusive t-shirt, rhinestone pack, denim tote bag, and album slip mat in limited quantities here. Fans can order from physical retailers here. The vinyl edition will be available July 8 and a cassette version on August 5. A Superfan CD, including an exclusive poster, is also available here.

The lead single from Denim & Rhinestones, “Ghost Story,” is currently climbing the charts and has garnered over 45.2 million global streams. The song’s cinematic music video, directed by acclaimed director and photographer Randee St. Nicholas, is available now (Watch Here).

Underwood recently announced her new U.S. arena tour, THE DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR, with dates in Fall 2022 and Spring 2023.  The new tour will kick off in October, making stops in 43 U.S. cities including New York’s Madison Square Garden, Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, and L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena before concluding in March 2023.  Underwood will be joined on THE DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR by special guest Jimmie Allen on all dates.  Additionally, $1 from each ticket sold for the tour will be contributed to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation (t2t.org).

• On April 30th, she took the iconic Stagecoach Festival stage for the fourth time, having made her Stagecoach debut in 2008, followed by performances in 2011 and 2016.  A showstopping surprise performance with Guns N’ Roses front man Axl Rose made headlines around the world.
• She performed the television debut of “Ghost Story” at the 2022 GRAMMY® Awards, where she won her 8^th GRAMMY Award for Best Roots Gospel Album for My Savior. She and Jason Aldean were also nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for their smash hit #1 duet, “If I Didn’t Love You.”
• Underwood and Jason Aldean also won two 2022 CMT Music Awards for “If I Didn’t Love You” – Collaborative Video of the Year and Video of the Year.  Carrie continues to reign as the most-awarded artist in CMT history with 25 total wins.
• In March, Carrie won her 16th ACM Award – for Single of the Year for “If I Didn’t Love You” with Jason Aldean.  Carrie’s previous ACM wins include three for Entertainer of the Year, the first female in history to win twice and the only female ever to win three times.  “If I Didn’t Love You” also won the 2022 iHeart Radio Music Award for Country Song of the Year.
• The multi-week #1 “If I Didn’t Love You” has spent a record-setting 26 weeks in the Top 10 of Billboard Country Airplay so far, with nearly 400 million global streams RTD.

About Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood is a true multi-format, multi-media superstar, spanning achievements in music, television, film, and as a New York Times bestselling author and successful entrepreneur.  She has sold more than 66 million records worldwide, recorded 28 #1 singles (14 of which she co-wrote), and has seven albums that are certified Platinum or Multi-Platinum by the RIAA, all while continuing to sell out arena tours across North America and the UK.  All nine of her consecutive album releases releases (two of which she co-produced) from the beginning of her career debuted #1 on the Billboard Country Chart, making her the only artist to accomplish that feat.  She has won over 100 major awards including 8 GRAMMY® Awards, 16 ACM Awards including three for Entertainer of the Year (the first female in history to win twice and the only female ever to win three times), 25 CMT Music Awards (holding the record for the most award wins ever for the show), 7 CMA Awards, and 17 American Music Awards. She has also built a successful business portfolio inspired by her passion for health and wellness.  She founded and created the fitness and lifestyle brand, CALIA by Carrie Underwood, and her first book, FIND YOUR PATH was an instant New York Times bestseller.  She launched her fitness app, fit52, in 2020, and expanded her lifestyle portfolio with an equity partnership with BODYARMOR Sports Drink in 2021. She was the first artist to perform at the new Resorts World Theatre, where her ongoing REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency, began with sold-out runs in December 2021 and throughout Spring 2022, and will continue in 2023.  She will release her highly-anticipated album, Denim & Rhinestones, on June 10, 2022, which she co-produced with David Garcia, and the first single from the album, “Ghost Story” is climbing the charts.  Carrie recently announced her new U.S. arena tour, THE DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR, with dates throughout Fall 2022 and Spring 2023.

We have compiled an array of content — a variety of liners and soundbites – from CARRIE UNDERWOOD to equip you with everything you might need to put together your own album radio special; roll-out tracks leading up to –and following — the release of her record, Denim & Rhinestones, on Friday, June 10th to use in news feeds and much more. Check out all of details below (including audio liners and soundbites, as well as transcriptions) to create your own content surrounding Carrie’s new album release.
 

Click HERE to download the Denim & Rhinestones Album Audio Toolkit.

MCA Nashville and Interscope Records artist Kassi Ashton releases new song “I Don’t Go Back,” today. Written by Ashton with Luke Laird and Hillary Lindsey, “I Don’t Go Back” is a slow, introspective track shows off Kassi’s soulful voice as the lyrics allow her to reminisce over good parts of that past while being exactly where she wants to be in the present, “I’m a moving on, straight ahead. Eyes on the road always does me best.  I’m out with the old, in with the new.  Yeah, I don’t go back but if I did, it’d be to you,” and “I don’t miss who I was, I’m exactly where I wanna be now.  These ain’t tears, this ain’t no flood.  It’s just a song that I can’t turn down.”

“My favorite part of songwriting is giving someone a real piece of myself from a certain time in my life,” shares Kassi. “It’s more than sharing a picture and it’s more than sharing a story; it’s sharing a feeling. When I wrote this song in 2017 with Luke and Hillary, we all put a piece of ourselves in it. I hope you listen and feel and find a piece of yourself too.”

Listen to “I Don’t Go Back” HERE

Along with the new song, Kassi brings two live performance videos to light today from a recent trip to VEVO Studio in Brooklyn, N.Y.  Watch “I Don’t Go Back” HERE and “Dates In Pickup Trucks” HERE.

Kassi’s debut radio single, “Dates In Pickup Trucks,” is playing now on country radio. She also makes several appearances at next week’s CMA Fest in Nashville including a performance on the Chevy Vibes Stage on Saturday, June 11.

“I Don’t Go Back” Lyrics:

I don’t cry

But if I did, there’d be an Eric Church song playing

In my car

Driving past the blue school doors that are faded

I’m not sad

But if I was, there’d be a ’97 F-250

Driving away

In my head while I’m in Nashville feeling guilty

I’m a moving on, straight ahead

Eyes on the road always does me best

I’m out with the old, in with the new

Yeah, I don’t go back but if I did, it’d be to you, you, you

I don’t go reminiscing

But when I do, it’s usually when I’ve been drinking

Like tonight

Start thinking about you playing pool in your mama’s basement

I don’t wanna be 17 again

I don’t go chasing around could-have-been’s

And I don’t regret

That ain’t me but if I did I know where I’d be ‘cause

I’m a moving on, straight ahead

Eyes on the road always does me best

I’m out with the old, in with the new

Yeah, I don’t go back but if I did, it’d be to you, you, you

I don’t miss who I was, I’m exactly where I wanna be now

These ain’t tears, this ain’t no flood

It’s just a song that I can’t turn down’

I don’t cry

But if I did there’d be an Eric Church song playing, playing

I’m a moving on, straight ahead

Eyes on the road always does me best

I’m out with the old, in with the new

Yeah, I don’t go back but if I did, it’d be to you, you, you

It’d be to you, you, you

About Kassi Ashton
With a little bit of rock, a hell of a lot of soul, and a throwback R&B groove, Kassi Ashton has crash landed on country radio with her latest song and radio debut, “Dates In Pickup Trucks.”

“Kassi Ashton is in line for Nashville domination, and she’ll do it her way – unapologetically,” proclaims PEOPLE Magazine. Kassi brings a whole new attitude to country music. The California, Missouri singer/songwriter touched down with a string of critically acclaimed tracks released by UMG Nashville in conjunction with Interscope Records. Her introductory release “California, Missouri” stirred widespread critical acclaim from Taste of Country, CMT, The Boot, and many more. Named “Who to Watch” by Huffington Post, The Tennessean, and radio personality Bobby Bones. Rolling Stone lauds her as “a devilish songwriter who isn’t afraid to flip convention on its head,” while Refinery29 claims, “she blends pop aesthetics with a presence doused in no-fucks-left-to-give authenticity,” PAPER Magazine calls her “the next big country superstar,” and American Songwriter notes, “Ashton brings powerful storytelling and a sense of poetry in every release.”

Kassi defies convention and defines her signature style with confessional, catchy storytelling and dynamic delivery on songs including “Dates In Pickup Trucks,” on country radio now, and critically acclaimed releases “Heavyweight,” “California, Missouri,” “Hopeless,” “Violins,” and more.