Country Artist Shawna Russell Lands #1 Single in Europe
Accomplishment Comes as Artist is Recognized by Oklahoma Today Magazine in Their First-Ever Country Music Issue
NASHVILLE, TN (September 7, 2011) – Way Out West artist Shawna Russell has released her latest single “Everybody’s Got A Story-remix” to Europe and Australia via Hotdisc 153 and on New Christian Music NCM83.
“Everybody’s Got A Story-remix,” from Russell’s latest self-titled album, was released on September 1, and it has already landed at #1 on the New Christian Music Country Chart ahead of strong competition from recent singles by George Hamilton IV and Del McCoury and the Gaither Vocal Band.
“I feel so honored that ‘Everybody’s Got a Story’ is at the top of the NCM Country Chart,” Russell says. “It was written to inspire a positive outlook – not only in your own life, but in the lives of everyone you encounter. I am so happy to see that this theme translates to people all over the world.”
The song is her second single to be released outside the U.S. this year. “Sounds Like A Party,” her European debut, landed at #3 on the Hotdisc chart in May and received positive response from radio programmers from across the globe.
In other news, Russell is also included in the September/October special Country Music Issue of Oklahoma Today magazine, the premier publication of all-things-Oklahoman. The Okemah, Oklahoma native is highlighted in a photo essay entitled “Stand By Your Fans” and in the feature “Something In The Water,” a definitive exploration of the rich history of Oklahoma music written by Holly Bailey, senior political reporter for Yahoo! News. The feature focuses on the wealth of Oklahoma artists who have made a significant impact on the popular culture, including Bob Wills, Wanda Jackson, Roger Miller, Roy Clark, Reba, Garth, Toby Keith, Carrie Underwood and Blake Shelton, among others.
“It is truly an honor to be included in this special edition of Oklahoma Today,” states Russell. “To be mentioned in the same article along with the biggest and brightest artists that Oklahoma has produced is a very humbling experience.”
Stateside, Russell’s “Get Right Or Get Left” single continues to garner support at U.S. radio and video outlets including CMT.com, GACTV.com, YallWire and others.
*Photo credit: Melinda Norris
About Shawna Russell:
Shawna Russell released her self-titled sophomore album in June 2011. She is currently promoting the lead single and video “Get Right Or Get Left” in the US. A second release from the album “Sounds Like A Party” climbed to #3 on the European charts in late May of this year. Russell has just released “Everybody’s Got A Story-remix” as her follow-up European single.
Russell first came on to the national and international music scene with the release of her debut album, GODDESS (Way Out West Records), in 2008, for which she co-wrote 12 of the 13 songs. Critical acclaim followed: the CMA named her “Who New to Watch,” and top music critics weighed in with praise for her debut. Chris Neal of COUNTRY WEEKLY gave GODDESS a 3 ½ star review, MUSIC ROW’s Robert K. Oermann bestowed a “DISCovery Award,” his highest compliment to a new artist, and rave reviews followed from CMA CLOSE UP, MAVERICK (UK), NASHVILLE MUSIC GUIDE, DREAMWEST (France), THE OKLAHOMAN, MUSIC NEWS NASHVILLE, COUNTRY STARS ONLINE and others.
Three radio singles, “Goddess,” “Should’ve Been Born With Wheels” and “Fire In The Desert” cemented her status as a contender, with action on the Billboard “New and Active,’ Music Row and Texas Music Charts. Shawna toured radio stations across the country where her talent won coveted performance and interviews for her on KBEQ-Kansas City’s highly-rated morning show with Mike Kennedy; Atlanta’s powerhouse WUBL; and on Washington DC’s “Voice of America” – which broadcasts to an international audience. Shawna’s debut video “Should’ve Been Born With Wheels” reached the #1 position on the “Ya’llturnative” chart at Ya’ll Wire.com and stayed there for over a month and also attracted fans at CMT.com, AFN, GAC.com (debuted at #3 as a “Top Pick”) and on Pulse Network Television (“Top 20 Country Chart” for 3 months). For more information about Shawna Russell, go to: www.ShawnaRussell.com
About Oklahoma Today – Country Music Issue:
Oklahoma Today’s Country Music issue is the first comprehensive exploration of the genre in Oklahoma Today’s fifty-five-year history and the first time the magazine has printed six collectible covers.
“With our state’s incredible history and talent in every conceivable facet of country music, even we are a little surprised it took us fifty-five years to produce this issue,” says Steffie Corcoran, editor in chief of Oklahoma Today. “It includes a state-of-the-genre feature written by Holly Bailey, senior political reporter for Yahoo! News; a discography by Ryan LaCroix; and a history piece on Roger Miller by Randy Krehbiel. Thanks to a suggestion from our publisher, Joan Henderson, we made the decision to publish six covers.”
“The more we thought about it, the more we realized how impossible it was to convey Oklahoma’s country music legacy on just one cover,” says Henderson. “That’s why we decided to print six featuring the state’s current superstars: Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Toby Keith, Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, and Blake Shelton.”
Subscribers will receive one of the six, while Blake Shelton will be on the cover of all newsstand copies. The issue features an intimate profile of the Tishomingo resident and reigning CMA Male Vocalist of the Year. In “Team Blake,” by Dyrinda Tyson, Shelton discusses married life, finding his voice through NBC’s blockbuster reality show The Voice, and getting back to his Oklahoma roots. “Help Wanted” sheds light on the work that superstar Oklahoma artists like Carrie Underwood, Toby Keith, and Reba McEntire are doing for communities in and near their home state.
When it came to compiling a list of the top Oklahoma country albums, the magazine turned to contributing editor Ryan LaCroix. “The discography was a full-body dive into Oklahoma country music,” says LaCroix, founder and editor of OklahomaRock.com. LaCroix, who has been Oklahoma Today’s music writer since his discography in the 2009 Rock and Roll issue, had a difficult time narrowing down his list in “Pure Country.” “With our state’s rich country music history, the discography easily could have expanded to a hundred or more,” he says. The discography inspired LaCroix to conduct an Oklahoma country song countdown on OklahomaRock.com. The top ten songs were revealed on August 30 and 31; Roger Miller’s “King of the Road” was deemed Oklahoma’s number-one country music song.
In advance of the Country issue’s publication, Oklahoma Today posted teasers on each of the six covers on Twitter and Facebook. For more information about Oklahoma Today – The Country Music Issue, go to: www.oklahomatoday.com
