country routes news: Carrie Underwood announces dates for UK Leg of her ‘Cry Pretty Tour’

Multi-platinum superstar and seven-time GRAMMY® Award winner Carrie Underwood has announced a major UK arena tour for Summer 2019, The Cry Pretty Tour UK, following the release of her acclaimed sixth studio album CRY PRETTY.

The Country/Pop star will be calling at Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester & London.

The UK tour opens on Fri June 27 at Birmingham Resorts World Arena before calling at Cardiff Motorpoint Arena (June 30), Glasgow SSE Hydro (July 2), Manchester Arena (July 3) and London Wembley SSE Arena (July 4).

Tickets go on sale on Thursday March 7 at 9am from Ticketmaster UK or AXS .

£1 from each ticket sold for The Cry Pretty Tour UK will be donated to Danita's Children, which supports children and families in Haiti.

She will be joined on tour by UK country duo The Shires.

Carrie Underwood UK DATES

Support: The Shires

Friday, 28 June 2019 - Resorts World Arena, Birmingham (Pendigo Way B40 1PU) Ticketmaster UK | Gigs And Tours.com

Sun 30 June 2019 - Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff (Mary Ann Street, Cardiff, CF10 2EQ, Great Britain) Ticketmaster UK

Tues 2 July 2019 - The SSE Hydro, Glasgow (Exhibition Way, Glasgow, G3 8YW) Ticketmaster UK

Wed 3 July 2019 - Manchester Arena, Manchester (Victoria Station, Hunts Bank, Manchester, M3 1AR) Ticketmaster UK

Thursday 4 July 2019 - SSE Arena, Wembley. (Arena Square, Engineers Way, London HA9 0AA) Ticketmaster UK | AXS.com

Country 2 Country Presale: Tue 5 Mar 2019 @ 11:00 Until: Thu 7 Mar 2019 @ 8:25

GENERAL SALE: Thursday March 7 at 9am

Limited number of exclusive VIP Packages will be available at www.sjm-vip.com which include an amazing selection of tickets, Meet & Greet, autographed memorabilia, and custom merchandise.

Underwood made the announcement this morning on Instagram & Twitter in a personal video to her fans:

"Hey everybody, Carrie here. I just wanted to check in and say that life is good and we're all getting very excited that the Cry Pretty tour is going to be starting soon, in May. But I've got some news - we are coming to the UK, bringing the Cry Pretty tour overseas and we're just super excited. I can't wait to see you guys there."

Click or Tap to play:

We are bringing The Cry Pretty Tour to the UK!!! 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧 For more info: https://t.co/wQrbNoyBrS @theshiresuk #CryPrettyTourUK pic.twitter.com/KXXnIuEStk
— Carrie Underwood (@carrieunderwood) 4 March 2019

After finding fame as the winner of American Idol in 2005, Carrie has gone on to sell 64 million records worldwide and notch up 26 number one singles in the USA.

Over the course of her career she has made numerous visits to the UK, where she helped to establish the Country to Country Festival - the biggest celebration of country music outside North America, with headline performances during its first year in 2013, and again during its fourth year in 2016, which included a sold-out show at London’s O2 Arena.

Underwood’s first UK concert performance included a sold-out night at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall in 2012.

Carrie Underwood emerged from the promise of her 2005 American Idol win to become a true multi-format, multi-media superstar, spanning achievements in music, television, and film.

Carrie has amassed over 100 major honors, sold 64 million records worldwide, and recorded 26 #1 singles, 13 of which she co-wrote, with a catalog of songs that has been streamed nearly 3 billion times worldwide.

Carrie’s latest album Cry Pretty debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard 200 and Top Country Album Charts and was the biggest all-genre debut by a female in 2018.

The debut earned Underwood a place in music history as the only woman to land four country albums at the top of the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, as well as the first female country act to top the Billboard Artist 100 Chart.

Carrie Underwood Makes Country History on the Billboard 200 Chart As 'Cry Pretty' Bundled in at No. 1

Carrie Underwood made history as the first female country artist to score four Number One albums when the singer’s CRY PRETTY debuted atop the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart (Chart dated of Sept 29, 2018).

The set launched with the biggest week of 2018 for a woman, and the largest for a country album in more than three years.

It surpassed the previous high-water mark, set by Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy, which launched at No. 1 with 255,000 units (April 21 chart).

The set, which was released on Sept. 14 via Capitol Nashville, bowed with 266,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Sept. 20 according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 250,704 were in traditional album sales. The remainder was comprised of SEA units (11,000) and TEA units (4,000).

* NOTE * Cry Pretty’s sizable first-week was supported by sales generated from a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer, as well as sturdy sales via sellers like Target, Walmart, the iTunes Store and so forth.

CRY PRETTY is currently placed at No.11 on Billboard Top Country albums (#155-106 Billboard B200) in her 23rd week. It had logged 425,200 sales * (Chart issue week of Feb 23, 2019).

First Woman to Take Four Country Albums to No.1 on Billboard 200

Carrie is the first woman to hit the top of the Billboard 200 chart with four country albums: Cry Pretty, Blown Away (2012), Play On (2009) and Carnival Ride (2007). Previously, she was tied with Faith Hill, Linda Ronstadt and Taylor Swift with three leaders each. (Swift has had five No. 1s on the Billboard 200, but only three of them also charted on the Top Country Albums chart, as her two most recent leaders -- reputation and 1989 -- were pop efforts.).

“This album is so special to me for so many reasons and I couldn’t be more proud that people have embraced it the way they have,” Underwood told Billboard. “I feel so blessed to be able to do what I do, and I am incredibly grateful for the support of fans around the world that make it all possible.” She passed Miranda Lambert, who has posted six successive career-starting Top Country Albums No.1s (with all also debuting at the summit). Underwood ties Dolly Parton for the third-most Top Country Albums No.1s among women. Reba McEntire leads with 13, followed by Loretta Lynn (10). Underwood produced CRY PRETTY with David Garcia, who also co-wrote six of the tracks, and she co-penned 12 of the 13 songs on the set.

UK CHART SUCCESS

In the UK: Carrie is still to chart a top 75 single and breach the Top 10 on the UK Official Album Chart.

CRY PRETTY (2-week chart ron 16-81) became her third straight Top 20 album, debuting at No.16 (4,437 sales) and fell 16-89 in her second week with 1,000 estimated sales (2-week total 5,400 sales).

STORYTELLER made a debut at No.13 (6,852 sales; chart week Nov 5, 2015). It charted for 4 weeks (13-47-70-89 | 05.11.2015 - 26.11.2015)

BLOWN AWAY (Released May 1, 2012 Arista Nashville) debuted at #11 (9,595 sales chart dated June 24, 2012). It charted for 3 weeks (11-38-66 | 30.06.2012 - 14.07.2012)

PLAY ON (released Nov 3, 2009 Arista Nashville) In the UK it reached No.93 and as of Nov 2015 had sold 19,700 copies.

PODCAST: 10 Minute Country - Episode 10 - Why I'm Struggling with the New Carrie Underwood Album

September 18, 2018 James Daykin in association with Lyric Magazine

US CHART ALBUM HISTORY

STORYTELLER (released Oct 23, 2015 Arista Nashville/Sony Music Nashville) debut at No.2 on the Billboard 200 logging 177,000 equivalent-album units with 164,212 in pure album sales. By May 14, 2016 it had sold 573,200 copies and on Oct 24, 2016 it was certified Platinum (1 Million units *). It debuted at No.2 on both Top Album Sales and Digital Albums behind 5 Seconds of Summer. Arriving atop Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart (dated Nov. 14) she became the first artist in the survey’s 51-year history to post six consecutive career-opening No1s.

GREATEST HITS: Decade #1 (released Dec 9, 2014 Arista Nashville) debuted at No.4 Billboard 200; #1 Top Country Albums selling 93,714 copies. it was certified GOLD (0.5 million units) on Jan 16, 2015 and Platinum (1 Million units) on Jan 8, 2016.

BLOWN AWAY (Released May 1, 2012 Arista Nashville) debuted at No.1 Billboard 200; #1Top Country Albums selling 267,338 copies. At the time she became only the third woman to take three country albums to No.1 on the Billboard 200, Linda Ronstadt and Faith Hill were the others. It was certified 2x Multi-Platinum (2-million units) on October 24, 2016.

PLAY ON (released Nov 3, 2009 Arista Nashville) debuted at No.1 Billboard 200; #1 Top Country Albums selling 317,695 copies. It was certified 3x Multi-Platinum (3-million units) on October 24, 2016.

CARNIVAL RIDE (released Oct 23, 2007 Arista Nashville) debuted at No.1 Billboard 200; #1 Top Country Albums selling 527,000 copies. It was certified 4x Multi-Platinum (4-million units) on Oct 24, 2016

SOME HEARTS (released Nov 15, 2005 Arista Nashville) debuted at No.2 Billboard 200; #1 Top Country Albums selling 315,000 copies. It was certified 8x Multi-Platinum (8-million units) on October 24, 2016.

* Note: For ALBUM certifications the RIAA base their figures on the number of units SHIPPED together with, track sales and on demand audio/ video stream units and NOT based purely on traditional retail sales.

1,500 on-demand audio and/or video song streams = 10 track sales = 1 album sale.

150 on-demand streams = 1 track download

The album’s lead single and title track, “Cry Pretty” was released in April 2018 and debuted as the #1 song in the U.S. all-genres chart.

The song also topped download charts in 38 countries around the world and amassed over 3.5 billion social impressions across 66 countries during its first week.

BBC Radio 2 made Carrie’s single “Love Wins” Record Of The Week.

Carrie Underwood’s accolades are nothing short of incredible. She is the first female artist to be twice named the Academy of Country Music’s Entertainer of the Year. In addition to seven GRAMMY® awards, she has won seven CMA Awards, 18 CMT Music Awards, 13 American Music Awards and numerous other awards and honours. She also took home her 14^th career ACM Award for Vocal Event of the Year for “The Fighter,” her collaboration with Keith Urban.

Carrie Underwood was also recognized by Pollstar as the top female country touring artist for each of her headlining tours in 2008, 2010, 2012 and for 2016’s “The Storyteller Tour – Stories in the Round.” Carrie topped Billboard’s Top 25 Tours of 2016 as the leading female country artist and was the leading female artist on Country Aircheck’s top country radio performers list for her success in both 2015 and 2016. Her first five studio albums, Some Hearts, Carnival Ride, Play On, Blown Away and Storyteller – are certified Platinum or multi-Platinum, each winning an American Music Awardas Favorite Country Album and tallying an incredible 40 weeks at #1 onBillboard’s Top Country Albums chart.

Last Spring, Carrie celebrated her 10^th anniversary as a proud member of the Grand Ole Opry, and she returned in the Fall for her sixth season as the voice of primetime television’s #1 program, Sunday Night Football. In November 2018, Carrie and Brad Paisley co-hosted the CMA Awards for the 11^th consecutive year.

Carrie Underwood will be performing in arenas across the U.S. and Canada before heading to the UK this summer.

See you on the road! #CryPrettyTour360 https://t.co/5tKKad9GPc pic.twitter.com/RnpZVAGRp4
— Carrie Underwood (@carrieunderwood) 8 August 2018

Also beginning Thursday 7^th March, a limited number of exclusive VIP Packages will be available at www.sjm-vip.com which include an amazing selection of tickets, Meet & Greet, autographed memorabilia, and custom merchandise.

The biggest selling UK country act of all time, The Shires will join Underwood on her UK arena tour this Summer. The duo released their debut album Brave in March 2015, which became the first British country album ever to enter the UK top ten.