Universal Universal Music Group Nashville Pressroom

EMI Records Nashville’s Brandon Lay was named as one of Vevo’s 2019 DSCVR Artists to Watch. Brandon recorded two Vevo Originals of his songs “Miss and Tell” and “For My Money,” which were both released today. The program highlights 20 of the world’s top emerging artists poised to break out over the next year. Brandon is the only country artist selected for the program’s class of 2019. Vevo rolled out the complete list for their highly-anticipated ‘Vevo DSCVR Artists to Watch’ campaign throughout November and December. Past alumni of Vevo’s DSCVR series include Billie Eilish, Jack Garratt, Years & Years, Wolf Alice, Sam Smith, Jorja Smith, Maggie Rogers and Alessia Cara.

In addition to the two Vevo songs released today, the Tennessee native caps off his year releasing a live version of “Tennessee Christmas,” performing the song with his wife Nicole and new-born son Ryder Knox Lay. Watch HERE. Brandon’s current single “Yada Yada Yada” is climbing the country radio charts. For tour dates, music, and more information about Brandon visit brandonlay.com

2019 Vevo ‘Artists to Watch’

AJ Mitchell

Ama Lou

Amber Mark

Angèle

Astrid S

Brandon Lay

Easy Life

Elley Duhé

Flohio

Greeicy

Hex

Jade Bird

Kelvyn Colt

Lauren Sanderson

Matt Hunter

Nebu Kiniza

Robinson

Sam Fender

Slowthai

YBN Crew

Adam Hambrick just released an acoustic video of “Silent Night” to Youtube, and he says it’s probably his favorite Christmas song. “My favorite Christmas song is ‘Silent Night,’ because when we get together at Christmas, we all sing it together as a family like a fleet of Von Trapps (Sound of Music). So, that always reminds me of being at my grandmother and granddaddy’s house on Christmas.”

Luke Bryan usually has a house full of family at Christmas. The Georgia native and his wife will host several, including their sons, nephew, nieces, Luke’s mom, and others, and they will all take part in the Bryan tradition by having chili dogs on Christmas Eve.

Find audio below of him talking about the unique tradition, his most meaningful Christmas gift, his favorite Christmas movie and much more.

Luke is climbing the country chart with his latest, “What Makes You Country.”

Kacey Musgraves’ CMA Album of the Year, Golden Hour, has been named Apple Music’s Album of the Year, as well.

If you’re visiting downtown Nashville and stop by Luke Bryan’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink, Dierks Bentley’s “Whiskey Row,”  Alan Jackson’s AJ’s Goodtime Bar and Blake Shelton’s Ole Red, among others, you’ll be helping out the local Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. The country stars and other businesses are taking part in the Jingle All the Broadway initiative to help raise money and awareness for the hospital. It continues through Christmas Day.

Lauren Alaina will make her late-night TV debut with her latest song, “Ladies in the ‘90s,” on NBC’s Late Night With Seth Meyers on February 19th.

Jordan Davis started a Christmas tradition when he moved to Nashville a few years ago. He goes to the historic Belcourt Theatre to catch a viewing of the classic It’s a Wonderful Life. “They play it at a theater here in town, and it’s something that I really look forward to going and seeing that movie,” he says.

As a young man, he and his brother Jacob asked for a specific present together. “Me and my brother asked for go-karts together, and I was actually worried that we weren’t going to get ‘em, because I knew my mom probably thought we were going to kill ourselves,” says the Louisiana native. “We woke up Christmas morning and me and Jacob, we run into the living room and don’t see a go-kart. I remember being like sad opening presents, and then my dad tells me he thought he heard some reindeer in the backyard. So, we jet to the back of the house and there’s two blue-and-white go-karts in the backyard. So, that’s the one I always remember. That was a great present.”

Jordan says the music that signals the Christmas season is anything by Nat King Cole. “My favorite Christmas song is Nat King Cole’s ‘Buon Natale.’ I don’t know the record it’s on it, [but] we would just play that song over and over and over. So, that’s by far my favorite, but anything by Nat King Cole. I mean Nat King Cole is Christmas to me, always playing, always having some type of Christmas music on. I remember growing up, my mom, she would start on Thanksgiving. We would start listening to Christmas music and anytime you’d walk into the house if Mom was home, there was Christmas music playing.”

Jordan is closing in on the Top 15 with his latest hit, “Take It From Me.”

Brandon Lay and his wife Nicole covered the holiday song, “Tennessee Christmas,” and released it on Youtube. They included their infant son Ryder who made his video debut in the clip. The song has special meaning to Brandon who grew up in West Tennessee.

“‘Tennessee Christmas’ is one of my favorite Christmas songs just because I was born and raised in Tennessee, and it’s one we always sang around the piano this time of year,” says Brandon.

They haven’t thought about any new holiday traditions, but Brandon says it’s a different dynamic as a family of three and they’re going to savor every moment of son Ryder’s first Christmas.

Brandon is currently making his way up the country charts with “Yada Yada Yada.”

Christmas for Carrie Underwood hasn’t changed that much from when she was a young girl. She usually still gets together with her family, which includes her parents, two sisters, their husband and kids…as well as her own husband, Mike Fisher, and son Isaiah. However, this year, since she’s pregnant with her second child – a boy – their plans are to stay home.

This year we’re going to be able to relax a little more and we’re going to get to be home, because usually we travel a lot. That’s kind of our main Christmas tradition is traveling to Oklahoma or Canada or both to spend time with all of our family, but this year we’re going to kind of relax in one place and yeah, just be together.”

Carrie is currently making her way up the country charts with her latest song, “Love Wins.”

Travis Denning has been tapped to take part in the CMA Songwriters Series at The O2 in London during the C2C: Country to Country Festival next year. The event will kick off C2C March 7th and will also include Ross Copperman (Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, Brett Eldredge), Jimmie Allen, Cam and newcomer Laura Veltz. The performance follows October’s successful second annual CMA Songwriters Series tours in Europe and the U.K., while also marking the sixth London appearance and third consecutive sold-out CMA Songwriters Series during C2C. Tickets go on sale Friday (December 7th) at 9:00 AM/GMT at AXS.com and gigsandtours.com.

CMA Songwriters Series introduces new artists and songwriters through its intimate storytelling format. Audiences get to know the performers, their journey and the stories behind their songs throughout the two-hour seated show, as artists take turns performing their songs acoustically. Each CMA Songwriters Series is unique—the one-off performances are unrehearsed, uplifting and heartwarming, leaving audiences feeling closer to the artists and the music.

A native of Warner Robins, Georgia, Mercury Nashville’s Travis Denning vividly remembers the moment he realized he wanted to pursue music for a living. He was seven years old sitting in his Dad’s truck and heard AC/DC for the first time. From then on, he was hooked and devoured all types of music from Country, pop, rock and heavy metal. Denning started playing local bars at the age of 16 and built a solid following from his distinctive songs and raucous guitar licks. He moved to Nashville in 2014 and within a year signed a publishing deal with Jeremy Stover’s RED Creative Group. After securing outside cuts by Jason Aldean, Justin Moore, Michael Ray and Chase Rice he caught the attention of Universal Music Group where he eventually signed a record deal in 2017. Denning just released his debut single “David Ashley Parker From Powder Springs,” an upbeat coming-of-age song that paints a picture of a young man reminiscing on his carefree college memories. The singer/songwriter has previously opened shows for Alan Jackson, Moore, Rice and Cole Swindell and is currently on the road with LANCO on the Hallelujah Nights Tour. When he’s not touring, he is in the studio working on his debut album.

Travis was recently named one of three recipients of the first-ever CMA KixStart Artist Scholarship, which provides educational and professional support to rising artists throughout the course of a year.

NBC has it all on New Year’s Eve as Carson Daly and Chrissy Teigen host “NBC’s New Year’s Eve” live from Times Square in New York with Leslie Jones. The reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Keith Urban will perform live from Nashville and host the Jack Daniel’s Music City Midnight: New Year’s Eve from Nashville’s Bicentennial State Park. This incredible line up of talent will introduce the biggest musical acts of the year (to be announced) and join the crowd in saying goodbye to 2018.

The special will air Monday, Dec. 31 from 10-11 p.m. ET/PT, will break for local news and return for the final countdown from 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.

CARSON DALY 

Carson Daly serves as host and producer for the 15th season of the hit NBC series “The Voice.” The series has received seven consecutive Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Reality Competition Program and won in 2013, 2015-17. Additionally, “The Voice” received a Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Producer of Competition Television for the sixth year in a row. Daly joined NBC’s morning show “Today” in 2013 and is host of the Orange Room, its digital studio. Daly’s long-running late night NBC series, “Last Call with Carson Daly,” is currently entering its 18th season. “Last Call” has garnered acclaim for its documentary style, emphasis on exceptional storytelling and status as late-night TV’s unofficial music tastemaker. After getting his start in radio  as the host at the top-rated morning-drive radio program on 97.1 AMP-FM Los Angeles, Daly quickly landed one of the most coveted positions in the business — the early evening voice of L.A.’s influential and highly rated alternative rock station KROQ-FM. MTV soon recognized his talent and brought him to New York. As host and executive producer of MTV’s “Total Request Live (TRL),” Daly transformed an afternoon music video program into a must-stop on the publicity circuit for musicians, movie stars and entertainers. It was Daly’s guy-next-door charm that made him appealing as he entered living rooms daily to offer exactly what the audience desired.

CHRISSY TEIGEN

Chrissy Teigen is a bestselling cookbook author, model and television host. In 2016, she released her #1 New York Times best-selling cookbook, “Cravings: Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat.” Earlier this year she followed that publication up with her highly anticipated second cookbook, “Cravings: Hungry for More,” in addition to launching her kitchen and tabletop collection, “Cravings by Chrissy Teigen,” which is available exclusively at Target. Teigen can also be seen on Paramount Network’s smash hit competition show, “Lip Sync Battle.”

LESLIE JONES 

Leslie Jones is currently starring in her fifth season of “Saturday Night Live.” Her work on the longstanding sketch show has garnered her two Emmy Award nominations and inclusion on the Time 100 list. Jones covered the most recent Summer and Winter Olympics for NBC and was the host of the 2017 BET Awards. She is currently recording one of the lead roles in “Angry Birds 2” for Sony Pictures. Jones also starred in Paul Feig’s reboot of “Ghostbusters,” alongside Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon. Her other film credits include Chris Rock’s “Top Five,” Judd Apatow’s “Trainwreck” and the animated film “Sing.” Jones is from Memphis, Tenn.

KEITH URBAN

Keith Urban, 2018 CMA Entertainer of the Year and Grammy Award winner, recently released his new album, “Graffiti U,” in conjunction with his “Graffiti U World Tour 2018.” The album, which upon its debut on April 27, hit #1 on charts in the United States, Canada and Australia, is Urban’s ninth. He’s had an album atop the all-genre charts in the U.S., Canada and Australia twice and is the only male country artist to have achieved the mark even once. He now stands at #8 on Billboard’s All-Time Country Airplay Chart as the artist with the most consecutive top 10 songs on Billboard’s Country Airplay Chart (38) – a streak that started in 2000. Besides four Grammys, Urban has won 12 Country Music Association Awards, 11 Academy of Country Music Awards, four People’s Choice Awards and four American Music Awards. He is also a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He’s long supported numerous charities, including the CMA Foundation, for which he is the first Ambassador, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum©, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, for which he is an advisory board member, the Mr. Holland’s Opus Fund and the Grammy Foundation.

The 10th annual Nashville New Year’s Eve event will take place near the Tennessee State Capitol at Nashville’s Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. The music-filled evening caps off with a Music Note Drop and fireworks to ring in the New Year.

Universal Music Group Nashville has partnered with Lucchese Bootmaker and JW Marriott for a special record shop concept store. Located at the JW Marriott Hotel on the corner of 8^th Avenue and Clark Place in Nashville, this limited time only pop-up shop features handmade boots by Lucchese in addition to merchandise from UMG Nashville artists such as Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, George Strait, Keith Urban and more. The shop is open every Thursday – Sunday from 12-8pm and also includes an indoor stage featuring free live music as well as Shiner beer, brewed by Spoetzl.

Photo Credit: Katie Kauss

About Universal Music Group Nashville

Universal Music Group Nashville consists of Capitol Records Nashville, EMI Records Nashville, MCA Nashville and Mercury Nashville. Reading like a “who’s who” of Music Row, the combined rosters include Adam Hambrick, Alan Jackson, Billy Currington, Brandon Lay, Brothers Osborne, Carrie Underwood, Caylee Hammack, CB30, Chris Stapleton, Clare Dunn, Dan Tyminski, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Gary Allan, George Strait, Jon Langston, Jon Pardi, Jordan Davis, Josh Turner, Kacey Musgraves, Kassi Ashton, Keith Urban, Kip Moore, Lauren Alaina, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Maddie & Tae, Mickey Guyton, Sam Hunt, Shania Twain, Sugarland, Travis Denning and Vince Gill. For additional information, visit www.umgnashville.com

About Lucchese

Texas-based Lucchese is a legendary bootmaker and iconic brand of the American West. Applying the same craftsmanship principles and techniques since 1883, Lucchese artisans use only the finest leathers, preeminent materials and a proprietary twisted cone last to construct boots of unrivaled quality, fit, comfort and style.