Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini and also known by its former official name Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its north, west, south, and southeast. At no more than 200 km (120 mi) north to south and 130 km (81 mi) east to west, Eswatini is one of the smallest countries in Africa; despite this, its climate and topography are diverse, ranging from a cool and mountainous highveld to a hot and dry lowveld.
The Country Music Association (CMA) was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre. The objectives of the organization are to guide and enhance the development of Country Music throughout the world; to demonstrate it as a viable medium to advertisers, consumers, and media; and to provide an unity of purpose for the Country Music industry. However the CMA may be best known to most country music fans for its annual Country Music Association Awards broadcast live on network television each fall.
Wynonna Ellen Judd, known simply as Wynonna, is an American country music singer. She is one of the most widely recognized and awarded female country musicians in history. In all, she has had 19 No. 1 singles, including those with The Judds. Her solo albums and singles are all credited to—and performed under—the singular stage name, Wynonna. She first rose to fame in the 1980s alongside her mother, Naomi, in their mother-daughter country music duo, The Judds. They released seven albums on Curb Records, in addition to 26 singles, of which 14 were No. 1 hits. In 2023 Wynonna was named the best country music artist picking up the "country champion" award at the "People's Choice Country Awards".
Keith Lionel Urban is an Australian and American singer, guitarist, and songwriter known for his work in country music. Recognized with four Grammy Awards, Urban also received fifteen Academy of Country Music Awards, including the Jim Reeves International Award, thirteen CMA Awards, and six ARIA Music Awards. Urban wrote and performed the song "For You" from the film Act of Valor, which earned him nominations at both the 70th Golden Globe Awards and at the 18th Critics' Choice Awards in the respective Best Original Song categories.
The Judds were an American country music duo composed of lead vocalist Wynonna Judd and her mother, Naomi Judd. The duo signed to RCA Records in 1983 and released six studio albums between then and 1991. The Judds were one of the most successful acts in country music history, winning five Grammy Awards for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and nine Country Music Association awards. They also charted more than twenty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including fourteen that went to number one. After eight years as a duo, the Judds disbanded in 1991 after Naomi was diagnosed with Hepatitis C. Wynonna began a solo career soon after, although she and her mother reunited on multiple occasions.
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is a song written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson in 1966 for the Tamla label, a division of Motown. The composition was first successful as a 1967 hit single recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and became a hit again in 1970 when recorded by former Supremes frontwoman Diana Ross. The song became Ross's first solo number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
Joshua Otis Turner is an American country and gospel singer and songwriter. In 2003, he signed to MCA Nashville Records. That same year, his debut album's title track, "Long Black Train", was his breakthrough single release. His second album, Your Man (2006) accounted for his first two No. 1 hits, "Your Man" and "Would You Go with Me", while 2007's Everything Is Fine included a No. 2 hit, "Firecracker". Haywire, released in 2010, produced his biggest hit, the four-week No. 1 hit "Why Don't We Just Dance" and another No. 1 song, "All Over Me". It was followed by Punching Bag (2012), whose lead-off single, "Time Is Love", was the biggest country hit of 2012 according to Billboard Year-End.
Kristian Merrill Bush is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Bush is one half of the country music duo Sugarland with Jennifer Nettles, and was a member of the folk rock duo Billy Pilgrim with Andrew Hyra. In addition to his work in these two groups, Bush released one solo album, Southern Gravity, via Streamsound Records in 2015, and four solo albums via Big Machine Records, 52 ATL x BNA, 52 | In The Key Of Summer, 52 | New Blue, and 52 | This Year in 2022 and 2023. In 2023 Bush also released an EP titled Drink Happy Thoughts on his own label Songs Of The Architect. In 2015, he was also featured in the game My Singing Monsters.
Lady A is an American country music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006. The group is composed of Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood. Scott is the daughter of country music singer Linda Davis, and Kelley is the brother of pop singer Josh Kelley. The band abbreviated the name to "Lady A" in June 2020 during the George Floyd protests in an attempt to blunt the name's associations with slavery and the Antebellum South, inadvertently causing a dispute with black blues and gospel singer Anita White, who had been using the name Lady A for more than 20 years.
Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors is an Americana band from Memphis and East Nashville in Tennessee, United States. The band was formed in 2005 by Drew Holcomb. The other band members are Nathan Dugger and Rich Brinsfield (bass). Holcomb's wife, Ellie Holcomb, who had been a member of the band since 2005, eventually stopped touring with the band to take care of their first child EmmyLou in 2012 and then later began pursuing a solo artist career.
Lauren Alaina Kristine Suddeth is an American singer and songwriter from Rossville, Georgia. She was the runner-up on the tenth season of American Idol. Her debut studio album, Wildflower, was released on October 11, 2011. Her second album, Road Less Traveled, was released January 27, 2017. Alaina later achieved her first number one on the Country Airplay chart with the album's title track. Her second number one came later that year when she simultaneously topped five Billboard charts with her friend and former classmate Kane Brown on their duet "What Ifs". She was on the twenty-eighth season of Dancing with the Stars and placed fourth with her partner Gleb Savchenko. Alaina's third studio album, Sitting Pretty on Top of the World, was released on September 3, 2021. Alaina was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on February 12, 2022.
The Record Company is a Grammy-nominated American rock band from Los Angeles. The members are Chris Vos, Alex Stiff, and Marc Cazorla. Their music is influenced by blues musicians like John Lee Hooker, early punk bands like The Stooges, and rock bands like The Rolling Stones.
Rhiannon Giddens is an American musician known for her eclectic folk music. She is a founding member of the country, blues, and old-time music band the Carolina Chocolate Drops, where she was the lead singer, fiddle player, and banjo player.
Winfield's Locket is an American country pop duo from Denham Springs, Louisiana. The duo is composed of sisters, Brooke Martin and Leslie Martin.
Brothers Osborne is an American country music duo consisting of brothers T.J. Osborne and John Osborne. Born in Deale, Maryland, the duo signed a recording contract with EMI Records Nashville in 2012 and began releasing music the following year. Their 2015 song "Stay a Little Longer" became a top five hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, and their success led to the release of their debut studio album titled Pawn Shop the same year. Since then, Brothers Osborne have released the albums Port Saint Joe (2018) and Skeletons (2020).
Dan + Shay is an American country pop music duo composed of vocalists and songwriters Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney. They are signed to Warner Records Nashville and have released five albums, Where It All Began, Obsessed, Dan + Shay, Good Things and Bigger Houses. Of their nine singles, five have topped the Country Airplay chart and two have topped the Hot Country Songs chart. The duo have collaborated with Justin Bieber, Charlie Puth, Rascal Flatts, Lindsey Stirling, RaeLynn, and Kelly Clarkson. From 2019 to 2021, the duo won three consecutive Grammy Awards for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for the songs "Tequila", "Speechless", and "10,000 Hours".
Maddie & Tae are an American female country music duo composed of Maddie Font and Tae Kerr, both of whom are singers, songwriters, and guitarists. The duo was signed to the revived Dot Records in 2014. Their debut album, Start Here, was released on August 28, 2015, and includes the singles "Girl in a Country Song", "Fly", "Shut Up and Fish", and "Sierra". Following the closure of Dot, they signed to Mercury Nashville in 2018. They released their second studio album The Way It Feels for this label in April 2020, and the first part of their third studio album, Through The Madness in 2022.
Swaziland competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. The country's participation in Rio de Janeiro marked its tenth appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut in 1972. The delegation included two track and field athletes: Sibusiso Matsenjwa in the men's 200 metres and Phumlile Ndzinisa in the women's 100 metres. Both athletes participated at the Games through wildcard places since they did not meet the required standards to qualify. Neither athletes progressed past their heats, although Matsenjwa set a new national record.
Tatenda Mandaza, known professionally as Tendaness, is a Swazi-born record producer, DJ and songwriter.
Nothando Hlophe is a Swazi gospel singer and royal. She was a member of the gospel and worship musical group Women in Praise until she broke out as a solo artist, releasing her debut solo album in 2016. In 2019, Hlophe won Female Artist of the Year, Best Gospel Artist, and Song of the Year at the 3rd Annual MTN SWAMA Awards. From 2019 to 2022, she took a hiatus from her music career. During her hiatus, she married Prince Majahonkhe Dlamini, a son of Mswati III, becoming a member of the Swazi royal family with the title Inkhosikati LaHlophe. Hlophe returned to performing in 2022 with the launch of a live album and a performance at The Great Revival in Mbabane.
