Maren Morris GIRL the World Tour UK dates with special guest Raelynn

Maren Morris has announced she will perform five UK shows in May as part of her GIRL World Tour.

The American country singer's forthcoming album will be supported with the live dates and marks her first UK tour since 2017.

Tickets are now available on GENERAL SALE (from 10am on Fri 25 Jan.)

Maren Morris will kick off her UK tour on Sat 25 May at the O2 Academy in Leeds.
The singer will move on to Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham before a final show, on Fri 31 May, at the Royal Albert Hall in London.!

Support comes from RaeLynn.

Maren Morris + Raelynn UK Dates 2019

Fri 24 May 2019 - The Academy, Dublin

Sat 25 May 2019, - O2 Academy Leeds, Leeds (55 Cookridge Street, Leeds, LS2 3AW)

Sun 26 May 2019 - O2 Academy Glasgow, Glasgow (121 Eglington Street, Glasgow, G5 9NT)

Mon 27 May 2019 - Albert Hall, Manchester (27 Peter Street, Manchester, M2 5QR) AXS.com

Wed 29 May 2019 - O2 Academy Bristol, Bristol (Frogmore Street, Bristol, BS1 5NA)

Thu 30 May 2019 - O2 Institute, Birmingham (78 Digbeth High Street, Birmingham, B5 6DY)

Fri 31 May 2019 - Royal Albert Hall, London 

Tickets available from Ticketmaster UK

THE ‘GIRL TALK’ MEET & GREET EXPERIENCE

VIP TICKETS: Meet Maren Morris, get access to an intimate Q&A, and take home a signed poster with The Girl Talk Meet & Greet Experience. VIP TICKETS

One (1) general admission ticket with early venue entry*

Meet Maren Morris! Say hello and snap a photo with Maren before the show

Invitation to the ‘All Of My Favorite People’ pre-show experience and interactive Q&A session with Maren Morris

One (1) limited edition tour poster, signed by Maren Morris

One (1) commemorative VIP laminate

Merchandise shopping opportunity before general doors

On-site experience host

* London shows include premium ticket in the first (5) rows.

The singer put out two albums ahead of her 2016 major-label debut, Hero. The record achieved the top spot of the Billboard Top Country Albums chart as was supported with a world tour.

Morris's latest single, 'GIRL', dropped Thursday Jan 17 and is to be the lead single of her forthcoming album of the same name. A release date for the new record is yet to be confirmed.

The single debuted at #2 on UK Country iTunes and climbed to No1. In America it made a bow at #1 on US Country iTunes Singles Chart (#10 US iTunes all-genres).

Release Date: 17 Jan. 2019

Label: Columbia Nashville

Total Length: 4:10

Genres: Country

Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com

Debut #2 UK Country iTunes Singles Chart (#99 UK iTunes all-genres), then #1 (#63 all-genres) | Tues Jan 22 #8 (#763 all-genres)

Debut #1 US Country iTunes Singles Chart (#10 US iTunes all-genres)

Maren Morris knew the importance of selecting the first single she released from her much-anticipated second record, but as soon as she heard the demo of “GIRL,” she knew this was the song she wanted to lead off the album.

“It felt like such a timely song for now,” said the 28-year-old Morris of the song she’s releasing Thursday that touches on overcoming self-doubt and the pressure of comparison in a world of impossible standards.

Morris wrote the song with Grammy-winning producer Greg Kurstin (Adele, Sia, Kelly Clarkson) and Sarah Aarons, who co-wrote the Top 5 hit “The Middle” featuring Morris, Zedd and Grey. “The Middle” is nominated for record of the year and song of the year, which goes to songwriters, at this year’s Grammy Awards on Feb. 10, and Morris was also nominated for best pop duo/group collaboration.

The single received its first worldwide radio airplay at 10pm (UK Time) on Thursday, the day of its release, and Mr. Chris Stevens (CMA International Broadcaster of the Year 2018) founder of Chris Country Radio joined in fun with an exclusive first UK spin and a repeat play on the Breakfast Show. Listen here:   

“It’s a great song, reminds me of Halo, very talented young lady” – Keith Greentree BBC Radio Norfolk

Maren Morris - GIRL (Lyric Video)

Morris said inspiration for the song came from a letter she was trying to write to a female friend after they were struggling to keep their friendship on track.

“The day that we wrote ‘GIRL,’ I was starting to write this letter to her,” Morris said. “Why are we competing against one another? Is it ourselves? Is it this industry? Is it the world?”

After an hour of trying to compose her thoughts, she realized something. “I don’t think I am writing this to her,” Morris said. “I am writing this to myself.”

The song is also the title of her new headlining world tour kicking off March 9 in Chicago with an all-female lineup including openers Cassadee Pope (US dates only) and RaeLynn. After a run through the United States, the tour will hit cities in Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

“Essentially it’s an excuse for me to hang out with them all the time,” Morris said.

The new song comes almost three years since she released her breakthrough single and Grammy-winning song “My Church,” from her 2016 debut album, “Hero,” and caps a huge year for the Texas-born singer-songwriter.

Last year, she married fellow singer Ryan Hurd, toured the globe opening for Niall Horan and spent 33 weeks on the top of Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic songs chart with “The Middle." "To be in major categories is a huge win,” Morris said of the recognition for “The Middle." "I think it broke so many genre barriers and put my name and voice out to an audience that hadn’t heard it yet.

Maren Morris Is Most-Added With 'Girl'

Congratulations to COLUMBIA NASHVILLE's MAREN MORRIS, who earned 67 MEDIABASE adds this week with her new single, "Girl," making it most-added at Country radio!

CONNECT with Maren Morris:

Ryan Hurd: New EP, 'Love In A Bar' video and UK tour dates with Maren Morris

EMERGING SINGER/SONGWRITER RYAN HURD

RELEASES SELF-TITLED EP

Breakthrough Nashville singer/songwriter Ryan Hurd has released his self-titled EP, a 4-track collection which has now amassed almost 50 million streams. As one of Nashville’s most-celebrated young writing talents with songs cut by Blake Shelton, Brothers Osborne, Dierks Bentley and Lady Antebellum, Ryan captured the country format with his artistry by releasing the EP consisting of 4 tracks, each of which is accompanied by its own music video. Billboard praised Hurd’s unique release strategy saying, “…Hurd has been impressively attracting a variety of listeners, solidifying himself as an emerging artist-to-watch with each track he releases.”

Lead single “Love In A Bar”, co-written by Hurd and singer/songwriter Joey Hyde showcases Ryan’s celebrated lyricism as a writer and soulful, gravelly vocals. The electric, autobiographical, anthemic track from the Grammy-nominated songwriter has notched more than 17 million streams since its initial release last year.

Watch the video for “Love In A Bar” (First published on Oct 7, 2016; 369K views) which has aired on Keep It Country TV (Sky TV 389, FreeSat 516 and FreeView Channel 87).

Following the release of the EP, Ryan landed on over 10 watch lists for 2017 including Pandora, Rolling Stone, Huffington Post, CMTand more. He kicked off the year joining his fiancée, Grammy winner Maren Morris on her sold-out HERO tour, followed by supporting Thomas Rhett on his US tour dates, alongside Kelsea Ballerini and Russell Dickerson, then heading out with Chase Rice and Florida Georgia Line.

In November, Ryan is making his first trip to the UK, supporting Maren Morris on her tour on this side of the pond:

Maren Morris THE HERO TOUR 2017 with Ryan Hurd

The Grammy Award winning musician will arrive in Dublin on the 12th November to start the first of seven dates across the UK, concluding at Sheffield’s Leadmill on the 21st November. The tour will call at London’s Shepherds Bush Empire on the 15th November. Support on all dates comes from Ryan Hurd (her fiancé).

Sun 12 November 2017 - The Academy, Dublin (57 Middle Abbey Street, Dublin, 1, IE) €20.00

Mon 13 November 2017 - O2 ABC, Glasgow (300 Sauchiehall Street, G2 3JT) £21.50 (£18.50 Ticket + £3.00 Fees)

Wed, 15 November 2017 - O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, London (Shepherds Bush Green, W12 8TT) www.axs.com

Fri 17 November 2017 - O2 Institute Birmingham, Birmingham (78 Digbeth High Street, B5 6DY) £21.50 (£18.50 Ticket + £3.00 Fees)

Sat 18 November 2017 - Anson Rooms, Bristol (Bristol University, Queens Road, BS8 1LN) £20.35 (£18.50 Ticket + £1.85 Fees)

Mon November 2017 - Whitworth St W, Manchester M1 5NQ

Tue 21 November 2017 - Leadmill, Sheffield (6 Leadmill Road, S1 4SE) £20.35 (£18.50 Ticket + £1.85 Fees)

Tickets available from Ticketmaster UK

RYAN HURD – EP Tracklisting

1. We Do Us (Ryan Hurd/Mikey Reaves/Laura Veltz)

2. Love in a Bar (Ryan Hurd/Joey Hyde)

3. City Girl (Ryan Hurd/Gordie Sampson/Troy Verges)

4. Hold You Back (Ryan Hurd/Nicolle Galyon/Will Weatherly)

Release Date: 7 April 2017

Label: RCA Records Label Nashville)

4 Tracks/ Time: 14:04

Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com

💓💞💔💖💗

🐎🐎🐎

A post shared by Ryan Hurd (@ryanhurd) on May 5, 2017 at 9:44pm PDT

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Maren Morris & Jana Kramer put Country’s gender disparity back on the scrutiny map

Comments by Jana Kramer and Maren Morris cause Tomatogate to sprout again

Jana Kramer got people talking with an apparently well-meaning (if factually faulty) April 19 tweet in which she wrote:

Love Triangle by @RaeLynn sold more than the last 2 songs that went #1 but yet struggled on charts. Why? Wait let me guess #girl #whattheFK

— Jana Kramer (@kramergirl) 19 April 2017

A subsequent article on NASHCountryDaily.com disputed her facts, pointing out that one of the two most recent No.1s prior to Kramer’s post was actually from another woman, Lauren Alaina.

RaeLynn’s “Love Triangle,” which dropped in August 2016, peaked at No. 26 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart before being removed from the chart last month. The song was currently still on the Mediabase chart at No.28. According to Nielsen Music, “Love Triangle” has sold 153,088 units as of April 19.

On both the Billboard Country Airplay and Mediabase charts, the past two No.1 songs were Lauren Alaina’s “Road Less Traveled” and Jason Aldean’s “Any Ol’ Barstool.”

According to Nielsen, “Any Ol’ Barstool”—released in December 2016—had sold 147,892 units as of April 19, which is 5,196 units less than “Love Triangle.” Jana was correct in this instance.

However, “Lauren Alaina’s “Road Less Traveled”—released in July 2016—has sold 203,524 units as of April 19, which is 50,436 units more than “Love Triangle.” Jana was incorrect in this instance.

“Road Less Traveled” (Lauren Alaina): 203,524 units sold

“Love Triangle” (RaeLynn): 153,088 units sold

“Any Ol’ Barstool” (Jason Aldean): 147,892 units sold

Sam Hunt’s “Body Like a Back Road,” which has been No.1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart for the last 10 weeks. According to Nielsen, “Body Like a Back Road” has sold 730,723 units as of April 19, which is 577,635 more units than “Love Triangle.”

A week later, actress Lena Dunham’s LennyLetter site posted an article penned by Maren Morris, who targeted what she views as limitations of the subject matter female country artists can cover in songs they hope will become hits, saying they have to be “down the middle and noncontroversial.”

Jana Kramer’s Billboard Country Airplay peak positions include:

Jana Kramer Single "Love" #32 Billboard Airplay Peak

2012: "Why Ya Wanna" #3

2012: "Whiskey" #25     

2015: "I Got the Boy" #6 Platinum
2016: "Circles" #55 peak

Janas management announced all of her shows for May and June have been cancelled, no reason given and that Jana is believed to have parted ways with Warner Music Nashville.

Maren Morris’s Billboard Country single peak positions include:

2016: "My Church" (released January 19, 2016) #5 Hot Country Songs, #9 Country Airplay RIAA: Platinum US Sales: 943,000 (at April 17, 2017)

The song won the award for Best Country Solo Performance and was nominated for Best Country Song at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards

2016: "80s Mercedes" (released June 27, 2016) #11 Hot Country Songs, #12 Country Airplay; RIAA: Gold US Sales: 236,000 (at Jan 23, 2017)

2017: "I Could Use a Love Song" (released March 27, 2017) #33 Hot Country Songs, #35 Country Airplay; US Sales 28,000 (at April 17, 2017)          

Maren’s "My Church" has become something of an anthem in the UK and was the featured songs at the Country To Country 2016 Festival in London.

One wonders why the Airplay monitored radio programmers did not add and play the track enough to at least make her last two singles top 5 if not take it to the top.

Compare Maren's singles to these #1 Billboard Country Airplay Singles in 2016.
Were they really so much better?!!:

Backroad Song - Granger Smith

Break On Me - Keith Urban

We Went - Randy Houser

I Like The Sound Of That - Rascal Flatts

Confession - Florida Georgia Line

Came Here To Forget - Blake Shelton

T-Shirt - Thomas Rhett

Huntin', Fishin' & Lovin' Every Day - Luke Bryan

Wasted Time - Keith Urban

Lights Came On - Jason Aldean

Record Year - Eric Church

Fix - Chris Lane

Head Over Boots - Jon Pardi

From The Ground Up - Dan + Shay

Make You Miss Me - Sam Hunt

American Country Love Song - Jake Owen

You Look Like I Need A Drink - Justin Moore

It Don't Hurt Like It Used To - Billy Currington

I Know Somebody - LoCash

Move - Luke Bryan

Middle Of A Memory - Cole Swindell

A Little More Summertime - Jason Aldean

Kelsea Ballerini and Carrie Underwood were the only Female Solo artists to land a #1 on Billboard Country Airplay Singles during 2016

March 05, 2016: Dibs - Kelsea Ballerini (Black River) 34 week climb to #1

March 26, 2016: Heartbeat - Carrie Underwood (Arista) 16 weeks climb to #1

July 30, 2016: Church Bells - Carrie Underwood (Arista) 16 weeks climb to #1

September 24, 2016: Peter Pan - Kelsea Ballerini (Black River) 26 weeks climb to #1

So far in 2017 just one female solo artist, Lauren Alaina, has landed a No.1

2017 #1s

April 22, 2017: Road Less Traveled - Lauren Alaina (Mercury) 34 weeks climb to #1

Solo Female #1s in 2017 include: “Wanna Be That Song” (Brett Eldredge), “Blue Ain't Your Color” (Keith Urban), “A Guy With A Girl” (Blake Shelton) , “Star Of The Show” (Thomas Rhett), “Seein' Red” (Dustin Lynch), “Dirt On My Boots” (Jon Pardi), “Fast” (Luke Bryan), “Any Ol' Barstool” (Jason Aldean) and “Body Like A Back Road” (Sam Hunt).

Sheryl Crow who has just released a new ROCK album titled Be Myself told Rollingstone in January 2017:  "I want to have an experience detached from anything in commerce," singer-songwriter says of moving away from country sound”  - taking her career in a radically different direction following the release of her debut country LP, Feels Like Home. Despite a relentless touring schedule and promotional campaign, the album didn't make much of an impression with country fans and no single placed higher than Number 72 on the Hot 100. "It was still a great experience and I learned a lot," said Crow. In April she told USA Today: “The country market is a lot different than I thought it would be,” she admitted. “This is not to slag country but their songs now are totally sexist. I’d fooled myself into thinking that my roots and my knowledge of country music were why I should be at country radio. And I was wrong.”

WIDE OPEN COUNTRY: Maren Morris’ Thought-Provoking Essay Takes on Double Standards Female Country Artists Face

This past year was one of the most exhilarating and surprising of my life. My debut album went number one, I won my first Country Music Award, I played SNL, and I won a Grammy (OK, I'll stop sounding like a braggy douche now), all while being in a landscape where the girls in my format were referred to as "the tomatoes of a salad," meaning just an "accessory" and "don't overdo it by playing too many of them at your station." 

In 2017. Hard to believe, right?..I write about sex and the self-inflicting pain of being the asshole at the end of a long relationship, being young and drunk with your girlfriends, or just having a meaningless but fun (and sometimes necessary) fling. Things that don't always make me look like a puritan saint, but they're unflinchingly honest, and I couldn't write it down on paper or sing it unless I went through it personally.

Life. Life is what I write about at the end of it all. The frustration I've had with the perspective of women in country music (who, until recently, were severely lacking in numbers) is that you either have to sing about being scorned by a lover or sing about thinking a boy is cute and wanting him to notice you. That's about as edgy as you can get.

Maren Morris at the Grammys 2017

On top having to make songs that are down the middle and noncontroversial, there are the aesthetic pressures for a woman to be pretty and sexy but not sexual or have desires beyond winning a guy's affections. Don't be mistaken, I really do love where I am 99 percent of the time, but the other percent is me hitting a wall in certain interviews where the interviewer just wants to talk about some outfit I wore or my haircut.

I'm about to start writing for my sophomore album, which is exciting and extremely daunting because there's the looming aspect of the proverbial "sophomore slump." How can I build off the success of my last album but also reinvent my sound enough to keep myself intrigued creatively, along with keeping my fans, and, well, reinvigorating my genre? I've grown into the woman I am even more after stacking a decade's worth of bucket-list moments into one year. From a number one album and a sold-out tour to watching my first two singles die in the top ten, those experiences will all come out in the wash. I know that whatever songs do fall out in the writing room (and I just hope they're f**cking good), they will be the purest reflection of myself. A banjo or fiddle doesn't make a country song, it's the core-cutting truth that does, and I intend to explore it one day or beer at a time.

Despite those initiatives, the top 30 on the current Billboard Country Airplay chart (dated May 13, 2017) includes just five females:

one solo (Kelsea Ballerini) and three in duets with men (Maren Morris #18 "Craving You" with Thomas Rhett; Carrie Underwood #13 The Fighter with Keith Urban and Faith Hill #23 Speak To A Girl with Tim McGraw) and Lady Antebellum (a trio with one female member Hilliary Scott #17 You Look Good).

When the Academy of Country Music Awards nominees were announced in February, the industry was able to scrape together only four qualifying nominees in the New Female category on the second-round ballot.

By contrast, there were 13 qualifying New Male Vocalists vying for five spots.

10% of the Billboard Country Airplay Chart (dated May 13, 2017) are FEMALE SOLO singles

#3 YEAH BOY (Black River) Kelsea Ballerini

#35 I COULD USE A LOVE SONG (Columbia Nashville) Maren Morris

#38 TIN MAN (Vanner/RCA Nashville) Miranda Lambert

#40 EVERY LITTLE THING (Big Machine) Carly Pearce

#41 BACK TO GOD (Rockin’ R/Nash Icon/Valory) Reba McEntire & Lauren Daigle

Song Suffragettes founder Todd Cassetty, owner of Cassetty Entertainment, provided Billboard Country Update with a list of 20 female artist-songwriters that have scored publishing deals and six that have landed recording contracts since first performing on Song Suffragettes.

Still, says Cassetty, “From a macro perspective, things aren’t getting better” for women artists. “The dangerous part is there’s a false belief that it is because Maren and Kelsea got nominated for Grammys for best new artist. Everybody in town seems to be quick to pat themselves on the back because of Maren’s and Kelsea’s newish success, but the reality is when you look at the weekly radio chart, female-only music is only yielding 8 percent to 12% of the chart [on average]. I get frustrated because I hear a lot of people saying it’s getting better, but the numbers are still tragic.”

Some radio programmers are also frustrated by the gender imbalance. With fewer female artists coming their way from labels, they say radio simply has fewer opportunities to program women. Yet labels have seen female artist after female artist struggle at radio, so they’re signing and promoting accordingly.

“For every 10 male artists that show up for a radio tour, there is one woman,” says Sue Wilson, VP operations for Rubber City Radio Group.

NOTHING HAS CHANGED!

Thomas Rhett releases addictive new single “Craving You” featuring Maren Morris

THOMAS RHETT RELEASES ADDICTIVE NEW SINGLE “CRAVING YOU”

FEAT. MAREN MORRIS AS LEAD SINGLE 
FROM UPCOMING THIRD STUDIO ALBUM

Multi ACM-Nominees Set To Make Television Debut of New Single

 Sunday April 2nd at the 52nd ACM Awards

 GQ Shares First Listen Of “Craving You"

NASHVILLE, TN - Mar. 31, 2017 - To break the rules, you have to first master the guidebook – and few in Country music are both simultaneously paving new ground while paying tribute to the past like mutli-PLATINUM artist Thomas Rhett.

He has shaped his own unique corner of the genre that is as fearless as it is furiously fun, and now the ACM-nominee has partnered up with GRAMMY award-winner Maren Morris for his dynamic new single, "Craving You" (co-written by One Direction producer Julian Bunetta). The lead track from his upcoming third studio album that dips into the eighties with an infectious groove and twangy backbone that proves Thomas Rhett doesn't see boundaries – and if he does, he just dances right over them. “Craving You” premieres today on GQ , impacts Country radio and is now available for purchase.

Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com

What Do You Think to Thomas Rhett's new single “Craving You” featuring Maren Morris?

POLL ENDS April 30, 2017

What Do You Think to Thomas Rhett's new single “Craving You” featuring Maren Morris?

Excellent, I Love It

Good

It's OK

Fair

Disappointing

Poll Maker

"I'm so incredibly proud of 'Craving You.' It transports me right back to the eighties," says Thomas Rhett. "There's that Phil Collins-sounding drum, the stuttered bass notes. I'm a huge lover of the music from that genre and I think this song taps right into that vibe. And my fans know that I thrive on being unpredictable."

On the day "Craving You" was composed, Thomas Rhett was scheduled to be at the co-writing session with “Craving You” co-writers Julian Bunetta and Dave Barnes – but he ended up sick and unable to attend. Somehow, the song created that afternoon perfectly captured the sonic palate he was looking for, so much so that it almost felt like kismet. "Craving You" is sensual and a little dangerous – it's about wanting to be right back in the arms of a lover, even if you've only been apart for a minute.  To capture that chemistry, he recruited the electric Morris, with thrilling and pristine results. Thomas Rhett and Morris both bend the genre of country music in unique, groundbreaking ways, and their combination is undeniable. 

  

"Every song is written for a reason, but it felt like this one was meant for me.” Added Thomas Rhett. "I remember texting Maren and asking if she would sing on the song. She came over and just blew me away. I was amazed at how much her voice fit the song. Having a woman on the song made it twice as craving – a guy and a girl, obsessed with each other. I think that's relatable."

"Craving You" follows Thomas Rhett's PLATINUM certified sophomore album TANGLED UP DELUXE (The Valory Music Co.), which includes his recent seventh career No. One and fastest rising single of his career, “Star Of The Show,” along with the 3X PLATINUM six-week chart-topping smash “Die A Happy Man.” While surprising fans with a taste of new music throughout sold-out stops on his 2017 HOME TEAM TOUR, he continues to usher in capacity crowds with “one of the best Country concerts of the year" (Peoria Journal Star).

For more information about new music and for a full list of upcoming tour dates

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