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. In the 2010s, country pop metamorphosized again with the addition of hip-hop beats and rap-style phrasing.
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.
"Church Bells" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Carrie Underwood from her fifth studio album, Storyteller. The song was written by Zach Crowell, Brett James, and Hillary Lindsey, with production from Mark Bright, and was released as the third single from the album in the United States, being shipped to radio on April 3, 2016, and had an official impact date of April 11, 2016.
Maren Larae Morris is an American singer and songwriter. Rooted in the country genre, her music also blends elements of pop, R&B, and hip hop. Morris has won multiple accolades including a Grammy Award, an American Music Award, five Country Music Association Awards, and five Academy of Country Music Awards.
Ripcord is the ninth studio album by New Zealand-born Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It was released on 6 May 2016 via Hit Red and Capitol Records Nashville. The album produced the singles "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16"; "Break on Me", "Wasted Time", "Blue Ain't Your Color", and "The Fighter". It also features musical artists Nile Rodgers, Pitbull, and Carrie Underwood. Just like his previous album Fuse (2013), Urban co-worked with multiple producers on this one.
Hero is the major-label debut album and fourth studio album by American country music singer Maren Morris, released on June 3, 2016, through Columbia Nashville. It marks Morris' first release on a major label and her fourth overall. The album debuted and peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 chart and was nominated for Best Country Album at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.
"H.O.L.Y." is a song recorded by American country music duo Florida Georgia Line. It is the lead single from the duo's third studio album, Dig Your Roots, which was released on August 26, 2016. The song was written by busbee, Nate Cyphert, and William Wiik Larsen. "H.O.L.Y." was first released on April 29, 2016 by Republic Nashville.
American singer-songwriter Maren Morris has released six studio albums, four extended plays (EPs), 21 singles, eight charting songs, 13 music videos and has appeared on four albums. Her first three studio offerings were issued on independent labels, beginning with 2005's Walk On. It was followed by If That's All It Takes (2007) and Live Wire (2011).
"80s Mercedes" is a song recorded by American country music singer Maren Morris. It was released in June 2016 as her second single. She co-wrote and co-produced the song with busbee during a session where they traded ideas about its title and the numerous influences from that era. "80s Mercedes" peaked at numbers 11 and 12 on both the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts respectively. Also, it reached number 74 on the Hot 100. The song was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and has sold 236,000 units in the United States as of January 2017. It also charted in Canada, peaking at number 17 on the Canada Country chart. It received a Gold certification from Music Canada, denoting sales of 40,000 units in that country. The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Alon Isocianu.
"The Fighter" is a song by New Zealand Australian country music singer Keith Urban featuring American country music singer Carrie Underwood. It was released on 6 February 2017 as the fifth and final single from Urban's 2016 album, Ripcord. Urban co-wrote and co-produced this song with busbee. The song has entered the record charts of Australia, Canada, the United States, Belgium, and Scotland, where it became Urban's first song to enter the Scottish and Belgian charts.
"You Look Good" is a song recorded by American country music group Lady Antebellum and serves as the first single from the group's seventh studio album, Heart Break (2017), and it features lead vocals from both Scott and Kelley. It was released on January 19, 2017 through Capitol Records Nashville and impacted American country radio on January 23. The song was written by Hillary Lindsey, Ryan Hurd, and its producer, busbee.
"I Could Use a Love Song" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Maren Morris for her debut studio album, Hero (2016). Morris wrote the song with Jimmy Robbins and Laura Veltz, and co-produced the track with busbee. It was released to North American country radio on March 27, 2017 through Columbia Nashville as the album's third single. A song about heartbreak and finding redemption through love, it garnered positive reviews from critics. "I Could Use a Love Song" reached number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, giving Morris her second number-one single, and her first as a solo artist. It also peaked at numbers seven and 56 on both the Hot Country Songs and Hot 100 charts respectively. The song was certified Platinum, and has sold 206,000 copies as of December 2017. It achieved similar chart success in Canada, reaching number 14 on the Country chart and garnering a Platinum certification from Music Canada, denoting sales of over 80,000 units in that country.
"Craving You" is a song recorded by American country music singer Thomas Rhett featuring Maren Morris. It was released to country radio on April 3, 2017 via Valory Music Group as the lead single from Rhett's third studio album, Life Changes, which was released on September 8, 2017. The song was written by Dave Barnes and Julian Bunetta. The song is notable for its cinematic music video.
Ryan James Hurd is an American country music singer and songwriter. In addition to writing number one singles for Blake Shelton, Lady A, and Luke Bryan, Hurd has recorded for RCA Records Nashville.
"The Middle" is a song by Russian-German record producer Zedd, American country singer Maren Morris, and American musical duo Grey. It was written by Zedd & Grey alongside The Monsters and the Strangerz & Sarah Aarons with production handled by the former three. The song was released commercially for digital download and streaming on 23 January 2018 by Interscope Records. It reached the top ten of the charts in the US, the UK and several other countries. It was nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.
"Rich" is a song recorded by American country music singer Maren Morris for her major-label debut album, Hero (2016). Morris co-wrote the song with Jessie Jo Dillon and Laura Veltz, and co-produced the track with busbee. It was released to American country radio on February 12, 2018, through Columbia Nashville as the album's fourth and final single.
"Girl" is a song recorded by American country music singer Maren Morris for her second studio album of the same name. Morris co-wrote the song with Sarah Aarons and its producer Greg Kurstin. It was released to American country radio on January 18, 2019 through Columbia Nashville as the album's first single. The song has been certified platinum in the United States and Canada.
Girl is the second studio album by American country music singer Maren Morris, released on March 8, 2019 through Columbia Nashville. It was preceded by the single "Girl". The promotional single "Common", featuring Brandi Carlile, was released alongside the album pre-order on February 8. The track was later nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, while the album's second single "The Bones" was nominated for Best Country Song at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. Morris embarked on the Girl: The World Tour in support of the album.
"The Bones" is a song by American country music singer Maren Morris from her second studio album, Girl (2019). Morris co-wrote the song with Jimmy Robbins and Laura Veltz, and it was produced by Greg Kurstin. "The Bones" was released digitally as a promotional single on February 22, 2019, and was later serviced to hot adult contemporary radio on May 20, 2019, as the album's second single. The song became a sleeper hit, peaking at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2020. The song ended up being the second-biggest country song of 2020 in the US. It is certified four-times platinum in the US and seven-times platinum in Canada.
"Circles Around This Town" is a song by American country music artist Maren Morris. It was written by Morris, along with her husband Ryan Hurd, Julia Michaels and Jimmy Robbins. It was released on January 7, 2022, as the lead single from Morris' third studio album Humble Quest. The song received positive reviews from critics, earning two nominations at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance.
