The Country Music Association has announced its new international artist-focused touring series, aptly titled Introducing Nashville, which launches in March of 2019 in Australia and New Zealand featuring Brandy Clark, Devin Dawson, Lindsay Ell and Tenille Townes (Australia leg only) followed by an industry event in Tokyo, Japan including Frankie Ballard. Tickets for Australia and New Zealand are on sale here.
As part of CMA’s mission to support the expansion of Country Music around the globe, Introducing Nashville will
provide a platform to introduce exciting current artists to
international audiences for the first time. Each tour stop will
replicate a Nashville writer’s round, with artists appearing on stage
together in an acoustic lineup, introducing their songs and talking
about their careers and personal stories.
As
international touring opportunities and global streaming continues to
grow for Country artists, CMA will continue to use strategic research
and tactics in an effort to bring Country artists to fans in foreign
territories eager to discover and learn more about the Country genre. Introducing Nashville
builds on the remarkable response CMA has seen with artists presented
alongside hit songwriters during international tours of the CMA
Songwriters Series. Since 2012, CMA has invited more than 40 songwriters
and artists overseas to familiarize audiences with the breadth and rich
heritage of the Country genre. The CMA Songwriters Series will continue
to present songwriters to international fans with a focus on the
importance of the craft of songwriting.
“We
are excited to invest in artists who are building international careers
and to help place them in front of fans in multiple cities who seldom
experience Nashville artists live,” said Milly Olykan, CMA Vice President, International Relations and Development. “Launching the first Introducing Nashville
tour with these distinct artists, each of which occupy such different
lanes musically, illustrates the broad range of sounds coming out of
Nashville and the Country genre.”
Introducing Nashville 2019:
March 18 – Lismore, Australia – Lismore City Hall
March 19 – Brisbane, Australia – The Old Museum
March 21 – Sydney, Australia – The Factory Theatre
March 22 – Canberra, Australia – The Abbey
March 23 – Melbourne, Australia – Athenaeum Theatre
March 26 – Auckland, New Zealand – Tuning Fork
Brandy Clark
The Nashville, Tennessee based Brandy Clark received her first of an
impressive six career Grammy nominations in 2013 in the Best Country
Song category for co-writing the Miranda Lambert No. 1 hit “Mama’s
Broken Heart.” Her talent as a storyteller has quickly propelled her
into critical acclaim as one of Nashville’s best tunesmiths,
subsequently writing songs for Sheryl Crow, Billy Currington, Reba
McEntire, Kacey Musgraves, LeAnn Rimes, Darius Rucker and The Band
Perry, to name a few. In 2013, Clark independently released her debut
album, 12 Stories, which was embraced by music lovers and critics
alike and garnered two Grammy nominations including Best New Artist and
Best Country Album. 12 Stories went on to be named Best Album of 2013 by The Boston Globe, New York Magazine, NPR, New York Post
and more. In 2014, Clark won the CMA Award for Song of the Year
(“Follow Your Arrow”), which she co-wrote with Shane McAnally and
Musgraves, in addition to being nominated for New Artist of the Year.
Her sophomore album, Big Day In A Small Town, was released in
2016 and garnered two Grammy nominations for Best Country Album and Best
Country Solo Performance (“Love Can Go To Hell”) and once again topped
critics’ “Best Of” lists including NPR, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly and Billboard,
among others, cementing Clark as one of Country Music’s most talented
artists, beloved by fans, critics and fellow entertainers alike. Famed
music critic and author, Ann Powers, calls Clark “a storyteller of the
highest caliber.” This past year, Clark has been honing her craft on the
road playing with the likes of Brandi Carlile, Willie Nelson, Sugarland
and Dwight Yoakam. Read more at BrandyClarkmusic.com.
Devin Dawson
Atlantic Records/Warner Music Nashville breakout Devin Dawson co-wrote every track on his debut album Dark Horse, which scored high marks on the charts this year, landing Top 5 on Billboard’s
Top Country Albums chart. Produced by CMA Awards winner Jay Joyce, the
album features Dawson’s current single “Asking For A Friend,” which he’s
performed on both “TODAY” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” alongside
the Gold-certified hit “All On Me.” Dawson was recently presented with
MusicRow’s Breakthrough Artist-Writer award, having already been
recognized with multiple nominations this year including ACM’s New Male
Artist, CMT’s Breakthrough Video of the Year and Radio Disney’s Best New
Country Artist, among others. The California native has made additional
TV appearances on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and “ELLEN”
and has received critical praise from outlets such as Billboard, Huffington Post, Entertainment Weekly, People, ELLE, The Tennessean, AXS, HITS
and more. Dawson recently toured with Tim McGraw & Faith Hill and
just wrapped the second leg of The Long Way Tour with labelmate Brett
Eldredge. His first headlining run, the Stray Off Course Tour, began in
November and continues into 2019. Read more at DevinDawsonmusic.com.
Lindsay Ell
Lauded as “one of the most exciting and talented young artists in country music” (Forbes),
Lindsay Ell is a triple threat: accomplished musician, unique vocalist
and songwriter. The Calgary native learned to play guitar while
traveling with her father to Country/Bluegrass camps as a young girl.
Ell honed her craft as a musical stylist and songwriter after being
discovered at the age of 13 by BTO and The Guess Who’s Randy Bachman
(“American Woman,” “Taking Care of Business”). The multi-instrumentalist
has toured alongside the likes of Luke Bryan, Buddy Guy, The Band Perry
and Keith Urban, as well as impressing audiences as Carrie Underwood’s
guitar player live on “The 50th Annual CMA Awards” and holding her own
alongside icon Melissa Etheridge on “Skyville Live.” This year alone,
Ell exhilarated audiences as part of Brad Paisley’s Weekend Warrior
World Tour, Sugarland’s Still The Same Tour and select dates of Keith Urban’s Graffiti U World Tour. Ell’s first full-length album The Project debuted at No. 1 on the Nielsen Soundscan Country Albums Chart and was named Billboard’s
Best Country Album of 2017. Her single “Criminal” was the most added
song at U.S. Country radio upon impact and became her first-ever Top 20
hit in the U.S., in addition to becoming her first No. 1 single on the
Canadian Country radio charts. Read more at LindsayEll.com.
Tenille Townes
While Canadian-born Tenille Townes has the lyrical fortitude of Griffin
or Lori McKenna, the soulful nature of Chris Stapleton or even Adele,
she is paving ground all her own. Working on her debut LP with Jay
Joyce, Townes started her journey to becoming one of Country’s most
promising new artists back in rural Canada, in the backseat of a car.
Once settled in Nashville, Townes spent her days songwriting and her
nights at guitar pulls or at the Bluebird Café, studying everything she
could. Eventually, she scored a publishing deal with Big Yellow Dog and
headed into the studio with Joyce. Together, they tapped into her
organic nature and her sheer ability to tell a story and emote it
through the visceral range of her vocals – tender, bluesy, wise and full
of wonder but never naive. Read more at TenilleTownes.com.