Carrie Marie Underwood is an American singer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of American Idol in 2005. Underwood's single "Inside Your Heaven" made her the only country artist to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the only solo country artist in the 2000s to have a number-one song on the Hot 100. Her debut album, Some Hearts (2005), was bolstered by the successful crossover singles "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and "Before He Cheats", becoming the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history. She won three Grammy Awards for the album, including Best New Artist. The next studio album, Carnival Ride (2007) had one of the biggest opening weeks of all time by a female artist and won two Grammy Awards. Her third studio album, Play On (2009), produced the single "Cowboy Casanova", which had one of the biggest single-week upward movements on the Hot 100.
Country pop is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends genres like rock, pop, and country, continuing similar efforts that began in the late 1950s, known originally as the Nashville sound and later on as Countrypolitan. By the mid-1970s, many country artists were transitioning to the pop-country sound, which led to some records charting high on the mainstream top 40 and the Billboard country chart. In turn, many pop and easy listening artists crossed over to country charts during this time. After declining in popularity during the neotraditional movement of the 1980s, country pop had a comeback in the 1990s with a sound that drew more heavily on pop rock and adult contemporary.
"Jesus, Take the Wheel" is a song written by Brett James, Hillary Lindsey and Gordie Sampson, and recorded by American country music artist Carrie Underwood. It was released on October 18, 2005 as the first single from Underwood's debut album Some Hearts (2005). The ballad tells of a woman seeking help from Jesus in an emergency and surrendering control to a higher power.
Brett Ryan Eldredge is an American country music singer, songwriter and record producer, signed to Warner Music Group Nashville. Eldredge has had five No. 1 singles on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, three of which came from his debut album, Bring You Back: "Don't Ya", "Beat of the Music", and "Mean to Me".
Kacey Lee Musgraves is an American country singer. She has won six Grammy Awards, seven Country Music Association Awards, and three Academy of Country Music Awards. Musgraves self-released three solo albums and one as Texas Two Bits, before appearing on the fifth season of the USA Network's singing competition Nashville Star in 2007, where she placed seventh. Musgraves also released a Christmas-themed album, A Very Kacey Christmas, in 2016.
"Merry Go 'Round" is the debut single by American country music artist Kacey Musgraves. It was released in September 2012 as the lead single from her debut album Same Trailer Different Park. Musgraves co-wrote and co-produced the song with Shane McAnally, with additional writing from Josh Osborne and production assistance from Luke Laird.
"Mama's Broken Heart" is a song recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released on January 14, 2013 as the fourth single from Lambert's album, Four the Record (2011). "Mama's Broken Heart" was written by Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally and Kacey Musgraves, and is about a woman losing control after a break-up and ignoring her mother's advice on dealing with such a situation.
Brandy Lynn Clark is an American country music singer-songwriter. Her songs have been recorded by Sheryl Crow, Miranda Lambert, the Band Perry, Reba McEntire, LeAnn Rimes, Billy Currington, Darius Rucker, and Kacey Musgraves. She debuted as an artist in her own right in 2013 with her album 12 Stories and has released four additional studio albums. Clark is a seven-time Grammy Award nominee, including the 2015 Best New Artist award, and won the Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year as a co-writer on "Follow Your Arrow". In 2023, Clark and frequent collaborator Shane McAnally wrote the music and lyrics for the musical Shucked, earning a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Original Score.
"Easy" is a song by American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow recorded for her ninth studio album, Feels Like Home (2013). The song, announced as the lead single, made its airplay debut on February 21, 2013, and was released on March 12. The song combines elements of rock and roll and country music and also is her first release through Warner Music Nashville.
Same Trailer Different Park is the debut studio album by American country music artist Kacey Musgraves, released on March 19, 2013, through Mercury Nashville. Musgraves co-wrote all 12 tracks and co-produced the album with Luke Laird and Shane McAnally. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.
"Blowin' Smoke" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Kacey Musgraves, featured on her major label debut album, Same Trailer Different Park. It was released April 1, 2013, as the album's second single. It was written by Musgraves, Luke Laird, and Shane McAnally. As of July 10, 2013, the single has sold 135,000 copies in the United States.
Up All Night is a song recorded by American country music artist Jon Pardi. It was released in March 2013 as Pardi's second single. It is included on his album Write You a Song, which was released on January 14, 2014. The song was written by Pardi, Bart Butler and Brett Beavers.
"Drink a Beer" is a song written by Jim Beavers and Chris Stapleton and recorded by American country music artist Luke Bryan. It was released in November 2013 as the third single from his fourth studio album, Crash My Party (2013), and became his seventh number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart in February 2014. Bryan has described "Drink a Beer" as "the coolest sad song ever" and notes he connects with the story after having lost both of his siblings.
"Girl Crush" is a song written by Lori McKenna, Hillary Lindsey and Liz Rose, and performed by American country music group Little Big Town. It was released on December 15, 2014 as the second single from their sixth studio album, Pain Killer. The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics, won five music awards, including two Grammys, reached number one on US country radio, ended up being the second-most played song of 2015 on the format, and is certified Quintuple Platinum in the US.
Kelsea Nicole Ballerini is an American country pop singer and songwriter. She began songwriting as a child and signed a contract with Black River Entertainment in 2014, releasing her debut studio album the following year, The First Time. Her second studio album, Unapologetically, followed in 2017.
"Biscuits" is a song recorded by American country music artist Kacey Musgraves that serves as the lead single from her second major label studio album, Pageant Material. It was released to country radio on March 16, 2015, through Mercury Nashville and was released to digital retailers the following day. The song was written and produced by Musgraves and Shane McAnally, with additional songwriting by Brandy Clark and additional production by Luke Laird. In December 2015, Billboard ranked "Biscuits" number one on its "10 Best Country Songs of 2015" list and number 16 on its list of the 25 best songs of 2015 across all genres.
American singer Kacey Musgraves has released five studio albums, one soundtrack, four demo albums, four extended plays, and 21 singles, six promotional singles, and 15 music videos. The earliest of Musgraves's material was released in the early 2000s with the issuing of demo albums, beginning with children duo effort Texas Two Bits with fellow student Alina Tatum, which self-released Little Bit of Texas in 2000. This was followed by her first solo album Movin' On (2002). She signed to Mercury Nashville in 2012. In early 2013, Musgraves released her debut full-length album Same Trailer Different Park. Critically acclaimed, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number two on the Billboard 200. Its preceding lead single "Merry Go 'Round" peaked within the top 20 of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The album would also spawn the top 40 singles "Blowin' Smoke" and "Follow Your Arrow". Same Trailer Different Park has since been certified platinum by the RIAA.
"Broken Halos" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton. Written by Stapleton and Mike Henderson, it was released on April 14, 2017 as a promotional single from his second studio album From A Room: Volume 1. The lead track on Volume 1, it was serviced to country radio on July 17 as the album's second single. It won the awards for Best Country Song at the 60th Grammy Awards, and Single of the Year and Song of the Year and the 52nd Country Music Association Awards. Additionally, it received a nomination for Single Record of the Year at the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards,
Golden Hour is the fourth studio album by American country music singer and songwriter Kacey Musgraves, released on March 30, 2018, through MCA Nashville. Musgraves co-wrote all 13 tracks and co-produced the album with Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk. A country pop record, Golden Hour also contains elements of disco, electropop, electronica, and yacht rock.
"Rainbow" is a song recorded by American country music artist Kacey Musgraves. It was released as the fifth and final single from Musgraves' third studio album, Golden Hour (2018) in February 2019. Musgraves co-wrote the song with Shane McAnally and Natalie Hemby. Its release coincided with her performance at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.
