Whitney Miller always starts her day with a brisk walk and a cup of coffee.
“And then I’m off to the races,” Miller, 33, tells PEOPLE. “It’s been like that since I was a kid. I was just always wanting to try new things and experience new things and just challenge myself constantly. I’m not going to lie, it gets tiring sometimes!” She laughs. “But at the end of the day, I really just like chasing fun and happiness.”
It’s this go-getter attitude that has taken the tough Texan far throughout her life, from being crowned Miss USA in 2012 to becoming a kickboxing commentator and MMA fighter, to most recently serving as a popular podcast host. But now, Miller says she is ready to start working on making her country music dreams come true with the release of her new single “15 Minutes of Fame,” premiering exclusively on PEOPLE.
“This is my freedom song,” she says of the song she wrote alongside Kelly Sidel, Hailey VerHaalen, and Chelsey Satterlee. “It spurred from one of my biggest heartbreaks that I went through a couple years ago that was extremely abrupt and out of nowhere. Instead of going through my emotions in a healthy way, I just pretended everything was OK. And now, two and a half years later, I still have some of that pain. But now, I get out that anger through my lyrics.”
However, there was a time that Miller fell silent.
“When I was 10 years old, someone really close to me told me that I couldn’t sing,” remembers Miller, who released her first single “Diamond Country” last year. “I took that to heart, so much so that it actually became like a phobia. I could not sing. So basically, I wouldn’t sing in front of people at all. It was my biggest fear.”
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In fact, Miller says she once believed that the off-handed remark would forever keep her from working up the courage to pursue her ultimate dream of a country music career.
“I always thought to myself, ‘Whitney, you didn’t do the one thing that you wanted to do,'” Miller remembers. “I thought maybe singing would go away, but it never did. It finally got to this point where it was too excruciating to hold it in. I finally just went for it.”
In 2020, Miller walked into the Orb Recording Studio in Austin, Texas and finally allowed her voice to be heard. And when that very voice was heard by the owner of the studio, he encouraged her to follow her dream.
“And now I just keep saying ‘yes’ to it,” says Miller, who listens to the likes of fellow country music firecrackers Elle King and Gretchen Wilson not only for inspiration, but also guidance. “It’s been wild to watch how everything has been unfolding, but I could not be happier, honestly.”
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The former beauty queen says she is especially happy to have the chance to record her own distinctive brand of country music.
“I just have country music running through my veins,” she says with a laugh. “I’d probably be kicked out of my family if I was doing anything else!”
Country music also serves as the genre that, Miller reveals, allows her to say many of the things she wouldn’t dare say out loud.
“Music has let me say the things that I was too afraid to say,” she concludes. “When I see other musicians putting their heart and soul into something, I think it really gives me permission to say, you know what, let’s go for it. Don’t hold yourself back. Put your real truth in that song and see what happens.”
She laughs, then adds: “I feel like I spent far too much time giving a s—.”
First Country is a compilation of the best new country songs, videos & albums that dropped this week.
HARDY, The Mockingbird & The Crow
HARDY, the reigning ACM songwriter of the year, has earned a reputation as one of Nashville’s top songsmiths, writing hits for everyone from Florida Georgia Line to Morgan Wallen, and leading the radio charts on songs like “One Beer.” His latest album, a half country/half rock project, out via Big Loud/Big Loud Rock, is a norm-busting, unbridled 17-track set that finds HARDY in full, centered possession of his musical range. His considerable country songcraft on tracks like “Happy” and “Wait in the Truck” crashes into the unrestrained grunge of “Sold Out” and “I Ain’t in the Country No More.” There’s no mistaking the artistic defiance in “Radio Song,” featuring Jeremy McKinnon, which punches back at industry restrictions (“Do this, do that/ That shirt, this hat/ Don’t forget to smile/Kiss the ring once in a while…Well f**k that and f**k you”). He wraps the album with the anthemic “The Redneck Song,” a country melody espousing trucks covered in mud, dip spit on a collar and Earnhardt shirts from Walmart, intertwined with a surging, arena-ready chorus.
Dolly Parton, “Don’t Make Me Have to Come Down There”
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A danceable melody pairs with Parton’s effervescent-yet-motherly vocals on the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s latest. The song details a dream Parton had, of seeing a higher power looking down on the world in despair, and seeking greater reconciliation, love and peace (“Why can’t you learn to listen and learn to love and share?”), even as the world rages with wars, pandemics, politics and hate. The song ends with a quirky chorus that builds Parton’s airy, angelic voice into its own circle of harmonies.
Jordan Davis, “No Time Soon”
Davis’ “Buy Dirt” (featuring Luke Bryan) won song of the year at the 2022 CMA Awards, and Davis sits atop Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart this week with “What My World Spins Around.” He turns up the heat on his latest, a sensuous song shot through with romantic fervor, as Davis’ voice builds with anticipation on lines like “My heart’s like a matchbook and your kiss is a fuse.” Davis’s upcoming album, Bluebird Days, will be released Feb. 17.
Mandi Sagal, “One Less Broken Heart”
“If you would’ve faced your demons in the dark/ This world would have one less broken heart,” Sagal states here, her tenderly bruised vocal soaring over acoustic guitar as she details the pills, smoke and whiskey her ex turned to instead of doing the hard work of healing. Instead, she’s the one spilling to strangers seated across from her and working through the relationship’s emotionally tattered aftermath, as she deadpans, “Guess I’m doing all the work you wouldn’t do.”
Chapel Hart, “Glory Days”
On the familial trio’s latest, “Glory Days” — written by the group’s sisters Danica and Devynn Hart and cousin Trea Swindle (along with songwriter Jim Beavers) — they return to the positivity and sass found on some of their earlier releases, along with their signature earthy, smooth harmonies. The new track chronicles the countless miles, concerts, rejections and breakthroughs they’ve faced on their journey to this point and showcases the spirited determination and gratitude for music that has taken them to stages including America’s Got Talent and the Grand Ole Opry.
Meghan Patrick, “She’s No Good for Me”
This swirling, peppy track bubbles with youthful energy, but draws listeners into Patrick’s space of self-examination and emotional evolution. Here, she looks back on the girl she used to be, grateful that her reality is no longer one of repeated heartbreaks and endless nights fueled by “Smoking Marlboro Lights, running up my tab again,” only to end up “passed out, makeup on, stained my pillow case.” Another strong outing from this Canada native, who has taken home multiple Canadian Country Music Association awards.
Caitlyn Smith, “Lately”
This lush piano ballad showcases Smith’s beguiling, peerless vocals, as she conveys the myriad ways she attempts to distract herself from thoughts of her absent lover. The song’s cozy, unhurried production only elevates the feelings of longing and loneliness the lyrics encapsulate. Smith is well-known as a top-shelf song crafter and engaging performer, and this song is yet another testament to her ineluctable talents. Smith’s High & Low album is due April 14.
Willie Nelson, “Busted”
On his upcoming album, I Don’t Know a Thing About Love, the legendary singer-songwriter honors another gifted writer, Harlan Howard, with performances of 10 Howard compositions — including this tale of a poor farmer fretting over various financial hardships, while still retaining hope. Written by Howard in 1962, the song has previously been recorded by Johnny Cash with the Carter Family, Ray Charles and John Conlee. Nelson himself has history with this song, having previously performed a live rendition of it with Charles, which was included on the 2005 duets project Genius & Friends. Here, on this solo rendition, his voice is spright and weathered at all the right moments, and right at home among this sparse, honky-tonk amalgam of guitars, harmonica and bluesy rhythms.
The lineup for the GoldenSky Country Music Festival, one of Sacramento’s newest — and already buzzing — music festivals, is out and organizers are already energized for the October event.
The event debuted last October, bringing roughly 50,000 people to Discovery Park for two days of music, organizers said.
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“We’re looking forward to building on the experiences that we introduced last year,” said Chamie McCurry of Danny Wimmer Presents.
The festival’s organizers are behind the longstanding Aftershock festival. After a decade of success, they introduced GoldenSky in 2022, which saw a crowd similar to what Aftershock brings out.
“We’re really seeing that Sacramento is becoming a destination festival market,” McCurry said.
The 2023 lineup includes Eric Church, Maren Morris, and Jon Pardi of Dixon. Passes are on sale and roughly 75% of VIP passes had already been purchased as of Thursday, McCurry said.
“There’s a lot to do once you’re inside the gates that are unlike any concert experience you’ll be going to in Sacramento,” McCurry said.
For Mike Testa of Visit Sacramento, the return of GoldenSky is a win for the city. He said event organizers underestimated how well the festival would be received in its inaugural year.
Testa said the event brought in more revenue, too, estimating about $12 million in economic impact for the 2022 festival.
“Music festivals, sporting events, big events in general, they matter whether you attend them or not,” Testa said. “The tourism isn’t about the tourists: It’s about bringing in outside dollars to benefit the people that live here and we certainly see that through this festival.”
GoldenSky will take place Oct. 14 and 15 at Discovery Park.
Weekend and Single Day General Admission and VIP passes for GoldenSky Country Music Festival are on sale now. You can find tickets here.
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There’s a wide array of folks who carefully examine country music, whether in print journalism, broadcasting or both. Many have published or are publishing books; some are also musicians. We’ve invited a handful to share their take on the present and future of country. Read a sampling of their responses on topics from artists who deserve more recognition to the biggest challenges facing the industry in the year to come.
Respondents:
Jessica Blankenship: owner and founder, Kentucky Country Music; Nashville News Roundup correspondent, WFKY-FM; executive director, Kentucky Music Hall of Fame & Museum
David Cantwell:Rolling Stone Country
Rachel Cholst:No Depression; Rainbow Rodeo; Adobe & Teardrops; Nashville Scene
Sunny Sweeney, “Easy as Hello”; Zach Bryan, American Heartbreak—Jessica Blankenship
Paisley Fields’ “Jesus Loving American Guy” is a delightful kick in the ass. I wish Jamie McDell’s self-titled debut received more love. She’s an accomplished lyricist and explores feminism (and femininity) in really beautiful ways. —Rachel Cholst
“Middle of a Heart” by Adeem the Artist unpacks the toll of PTSD and American gun culture within the structure of a classic country ballad. Absolutely brilliant, empathetic songcraft from a queer artist out of East Tennessee doing the work of humanizing the right-wing, flag-waving crowd that’s working to dehumanize the LGBTQ+ community. —Hunter Kelly
Nothing else is even close to Tami Neilson’s Kingmaker. The most original, invigorating voice in country music, in both her vocal delivery and songwriting, in a very long time. —Amos Perrine
Kane Brown’s “Whiskey Sour” showcases his emotive phrasing alongside 2022’s best fiddle work. Tami Neilson’s Kingmaker is a tour de force feminist statement that fearlessly diagnoses country music’s ailment while embodying a cure. —Kevin Coyne
Tanya Tucker’s “Ready as I’ll Never Be” has been on repeat. Orville Peck’s Bronco is a really fun record full of songs and fuckin’ and fightin’. —Amanda Haggard
Does Amanda Shires still count as country? Everyone seems to think so — though I have my doubts — so I’ll go with “Hawk for the Dove” and Take It Like a Man. —Justin Cober-Lake
“Thank God” by Kane Brown and Katelyn Brown is a beautiful duet expressing praise, joy and thanks that could only be from two people sharing their love and devotion to each other. Miko Marks’ Feel Like Going Home is a definitive personal statement that reveals her tremendous vocal ability and mastery at storytelling and is a testament to perseverance from someone who is finally enjoying the adulation she’s always deserved. —Ron Wynn
In an extremely strong year for country albums, my favorite was Molly Tuttle’s popgrass Crooked Tree. Tied with the title track, my favorite song was Tuttle’s pluralist anthem “Big Backyard” — full of sing-along fun and political potential. —David Cantwell
No song hit me harder or more consistently than Molly Tuttle’s “Crooked Tree,” a loving tribute to difference that manages to avoid easy clichés of either inspiration or pathos. I hope it becomes the standard that it already feels like. Jake Blount’s The New Faith is the kind of album that remakes the world. Blount confronts the genocidal American past and our climate-catastrophic future by drawing from the linked traditions of Black spirituals/freedom songs, work songs and blues to see what musical, political and survival strategies might be gleaned from them. The songs envision the future by reckoning with and then remixing the past, which is perhaps the core mission of country music. —Charles L. Hughes
What song or album was the biggest disappointment of 2022?
I applaud how Tyler Childers approached the gospel set Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven? through a multiplicity of sounds and arrangements. But the only disc I’ve returned to is the third — the “Joyful Noise” versions — where Childers deconstructs the songs into unexpected components, adding samples, noise and a welcome dose of strangeness. While the first two discs seem like a missed opportunity, I have a feeling the third will be in my rotation for a while, and we all know that hitting one-third of the time will still get you in the Hall of Fame. —Charles L. Hughes
It’s more a lack of imagination from the mainstream when it comes to saying anything in the music. Male artists lazily rehash tired trends from the 2010s while their wives parrot retreaded, tired lies about the queer community from Anita Bryant’s 1970s. —Hunter Kelly
Aside from the obvious horrible stuff, country radio not seizing the more “traditional” songs from women like Maren Morris (“I Can’t Love You Anymore”) and Kelsea Ballerini (“You’re Drunk, Go Home”). —Marissa R. Moss
Zach Bryan is a good writer, and his chasing the algorithm makes total sense, but it means that a half-dozen worthwhile tracks are buried under dross. —Steacy Easton
Orville Peck’s Bronco. —Amos Perrine
Maren Morris’ Humble Quest wasn’t bad — it just didn’t quite get there for me. She’s still awesome. —Chris Parton
Carrie Underwood’s Denim & Rhinestones, where she threw all of the nuanced vocal technique from My Savior out the window and went full ’80s hair band. —Kevin Coyne
I wanted to love Kane Brown’s “Like I Love Country Music” and just couldn’t. On both general principle and the album’s merits, Jason Aldean’s Georgia is trash. —Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom
It’s hard for me to say anything negative about Willie Nelson, a favorite since Red Headed Stranger. I wanted so much to love A Beautiful Time, and I applaud the fact he’s still making new music at 89 — and that the audience is willing to listen. But I cannot honestly say this ranks with his classic releases. —Ron Wynn
Justin Hiltner
Photo: Eric England
Who was your favorite country artist who flew under the radar in 2022?
Sunny War —Kelly McCartney
Autumn Nicholas —Marissa R. Moss
Teddy and the Rough Riders —Justin Cober-Lake
Valerie June deserves the same attention given to performers like Mickey Guyton. —Ron Wynn
Country gospel tends not to be thought about. Brent Cobb’s And Now, Let’s Turn to Page … is very good. Justin Hiltner’s A Place at the Table is both a brilliant gospel album and also a genius example of the queer unsettling of the form. —Steacy Easton
Mariel Buckley’s look at small-town life from a queer perspective on Everywhere I Used to Be merges the joy and alienation so many of us in the queer community feel every day trying to find a space in country. —Hunter Kelly
Morgan Wade and Ian Noe’s real songs about life never go out of style, and both have unique voices. —Jessica Blankenship
Melissa Carper’s Ramblin’ Soul is perhaps her best in a string of delightful records. —Charles L. Hughes
The Reklaws had a Canadian No. 1 with “11 Beers.” It didn’t get American radio play — a shoulda-been summertime hit. —Chris Parton
I wish everyone would spin Maddie Zahm’s You Might Not Like Her at least once. —Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom
A Canadian living in New Zealand, Tami Neilson makes few U.S. appearances — only two in 2022, one at AmericanaFest. Having released four great albums in a row with no airplay here, it’s as though she’s in the Mariana Trench. —Amos Perrine
Breland’s fusion of ’90s country with contemporary pop and hip-hop on Cross Country deserves to break through. —Kevin Coyne
Gabe Lee has been one of my favorites since his 2020 release Honky Tonk Hell, and in 2022, the Nashville native put out The Hometown Kid, a great ode to Music City. —Kristin Hall
I felt like S.G. Goodman was under the radar and then suddenly was everywhere all the time. —Amanda Haggard
Jessye DeSilva’s Landscapes is a gorgeous illustration of folk-rock’s staying power. Their lyrics are almost as lush as their vocals. They also do so much to support the LGBTQ+ country community and led The Black Opry Revue’s band at AmericanaFest. —Rachel Cholst
Denitia
Photo: Noelle Fries
Who do you hope will make waves in 2023?
H.C. McEntire —Kelly McCartney
Denitia —Rissi Palmer
Hailey Whitters —Chris Parton
Martha Spencer —Amos Perrine
Tami Neilson —Justin Cober-Lake
Roberta Lea, Jordyn Shellhart, Bella White, Jake Blount, Miko Marks —Marissa R. Moss
It’s time for Mya Byrne to take center stage with her Aaron Lee Tasjan-produced Rhinestone Tomboy. Country has become ground zero for transgender backlash, and I can’t wait for Mya to continue to defy it. —Hunter Kelly
We have the strongest female performers since maybe the 1990s — and though they do well on awards, they appear on the radio less, and I think are written about less. As much as I loved Palomino, it would be nice if non-country critics wrote like there were more women making country music than Miranda Lambert. —Steacy Easton
The Black Opry Revue made a huge splash in 2022, and I’m excited to see all of the triumphs coming their way in 2023. —Rachel Cholst
After Patty Loveless brought the house down at the CMAs, I want to see her long-overdue induction into the Hall of Fame and for her to get back on the radio with one of those Stapleton duets. —Kevin Coyne
Roberta Lea, set to release her debut full-length, has the potential to not only be a crucial voice in the ongoing Black country renaissance, but also to score hits with her catchy, textured and beautifully sung originals. Lea is one of the many artists in the Black Opry community who sound equally at home in both mainstream and Americana formats, and demonstrate the slippery and incomplete distinctions between them. —Charles L. Hughes
I see Lainey Wilson and The Steel Woods continuing from the momentum of 2022. Kentucky’s singer-songwriter scene continues to grow with Nicholas Jamerson, Grayson Jenkins, Cole Chaney, Brit Taylor, Angaleena Presley and more. —Jessica Blankenship
I am always here for Joy Oladakun’s takeover. —Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom
Brittney Spencer is going to blow the roof off 2023, I guarantee it. —Kristin Hall
Jake Blount and Jessy Wilson are striking artists whose music has country roots, but also is steeped in blues sensibility and soulful edge. Sadly, their sound may be too country for Black radio and too Black for country radio. —Ron Wynn
What was the country music industry’s biggest mistake of 2022?
So many things in country music that appear to be a mistake are actually intentional and engineered — the way things always are and always have been. The biggest hurdle in the way of a better future is for all of us to acknowledge that fact. —Marissa R. Moss
Framing the social media exchange between Brittany Aldean, Maren Morris and Cassadee Pope as interpersonal beef or a harmless catfight. This is about people’s lives. Rather than making this a moment for educating about why trans rights are important, the media focused on the personalities. Most egregiously, nobody centered trans voices — particularly those of trans country artists. —Rachel Cholst
The continued attempt to play dumb and uninformed about politics to avoid backlash when you’ve shared the stage with Ron DeSantis or other anti-LGBTQ zealots is wearing especially thin. It’s even more pronounced when the leaders of the anti-LGBTQ movement, namely Matt Walsh, are leading the threats against programs for LGBTQ youth at Vanderbilt University, literally a few blocks from Music Row. —Hunter Kelly
Big Country thinks it can be a big-tent genre by being homogenous. It makes money but it kills the music. It cannot go on forever. Ask rock music. —Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom
Not making the whole year about Loretta Lynn. —Chris Parton
Not giving Naomi Judd her flowers when she was still here to receive them. —Kristin Hall
Country’s re-embrace of Morgan Wallen — and the way that plays into larger narratives of white redemption that have been central to U.S. racial politics in music and elsewhere — was a predictable yet massive failure. The rise of the “uncancelable” rhetoric surrounding Jason Aldean and others signaled that mainstream country is yet unwilling to commit to fundamental change. Violent attacks on LGBTQ+ people are being supported by some of country music’s biggest stars, while those who speak out against bigotry, like Maren Morris, are attacked as outsiders. In contrast with the astonishing number and variety of powerful records by queer country artists this year, this retrenchment of power players around reactionary politics is both predictable and deeply disappointing. —Charles L. Hughes
Every country critic has a list of queer, women, gender-nonconforming and BIPOC country artists who are making the best music of their lives right now. They don’t show up on the radio, and aren’t considered as part of the Opry discourse. That seems doctrinaire, among certain kinds of leftists, but it has reached a crisis pitch for me — especially considering the rise of anti-trans and anti-queer sentiment and legislation. Also, put Freddy Fender in the fucking Hall of Fame already. —Steacy Easton
What is the biggest issue facing country music in 2023?
Whether the commendable steps taken to broaden country music continue in 2023 — or begin to fade. A backlash seems to always set in whenever progress is made, and no doubt there are those in the country audience tired of hearing about diversity and inclusion. Those people fail to understand that by embracing those issues, you have a chance to hear a much wider, more intriguing menu of music. —Ron Wynn
Black artists still really have to tiptoe around in country music. —Amanda Haggard
Saying nothing about country’s unbearable whiteness merely encourages extremists (and the people they mobilize) to lay claim to a tradition that belongs to everyone. When mainstream country orgs only make halfhearted gestures at diversity, historically marginalized artists only become more alienated. —Rachel Cholst
Monopolistic control over venues and touring is not just a problem in country music, but the genre has a lot to lose if fans distrust the ticketing process or are priced out of live shows. —Kristin Hall
Look at critics’ lists of best albums for 2022 or the main categories at the Grammys, and you’ll see mainstream country is largely left out. Lack of musical innovation and an insistence to never challenge far-right fans’ views is rendering commercial country music irrelevant to the rest of the world. —Hunter Kelly
The continuing need to broaden who and what is considered “country” and to recognize that the best music comes from artists who are putting one foot in the past and one foot in the future. This is about making an actual effort to expand the field of who benefits from mainstream resources as well as avoiding the poisonous language of musical purism. —Charles L. Hughes
The fracturing of the genre into two halves — one of which I am worried is a little too self-serious, and one of which I feel is complicit in murderous violence against queer and trans folks. When casual racism and homophobia are rewarded, that tightens and narrows what the genre might support in the next few years — while some of the best music created in decades gets pushed to the outer edges. —Steacy Easton
What is the biggest hurdle to making important changes in the industry in 2023?
For the past two years, the focus has been inclusion and diversity, and then this year, it felt as if everyone said, “Whew, glad we solved that!” I hope the industry as a whole (not just the usual suspects who do a lot of the work) takes a real, unflinching look at itself and figures out how to be truly diverse and inclusive. Changing hiring and promotion practices as well as decisions on who really gets a seat at the table is key, because who’s making the calls is more important than who’s singing the songs. Also, making sure that diverse hires aren’t going to just uphold the status quo is extremely important. A yes man is a yes man. —Rissi Palmer
Not making changes and not having hard conversations led to Morgan Wallen’s runaway success. The bottom line is booming, so no one in power actually checks Jason Aldean’s fascist wife for fear of alienating a core artist. They’ll keep trying to pretend everything is fine to keep the money rolling in. —Hunter Kelly
The notion that authenticity means narrowing scope. By acting as though it were the ’40s or the ’50s, country always risks acting like the rigid, narrow, restrictive music its detractors claim it is, instead of the varied, compelling sound that it’s always been at its best. —Ron Wynn
At this point, I’m pretty sure people are scared to put their money where their mouth is. They are also afraid to admit when they are not the right people to make these changes. I hope industry leaders understand this about themselves and empower people with the skills and know-how to take leadership roles — if not the outright leadership role — in their organizations. —Rachel Cholst
Can’t decide if it’s those music bizzers and fans who want country to stay de facto Jim Crow. Or if it’s those good folks who believe country must change but lack any real sense of, you know, urgency about it. Flip a coin. It’ll come up white people either way. —David Cantwell
We talk with Chapel Hart, discuss the intersection of trans rights and roots music, take a deep dive into data and more
After an incredible inaugural year that welcomed 50,000 fans, GoldenSky Country Music Festival is headed back to Sacramento in 2023 with a massive lineup led by Eric Church, Sacramento’s own Jon Pardi, Maren Morris and Parker McCollum.
The second annual event, produced by Danny Wimmer Presents in partnership with Visit Sacramento, will return to its home at Discovery Park in Sacramento, CA over the weekend of October 14 & 15. The packed entertainment lineup also includes Jordan Davis, Country Music Hall of Fame member Wynonna Judd, Lainey Wilson, Elle King, Eli Young Band, Niko Moon, Ingrid Andress, Nate Smith, Adam Doleac, Frank Ray, Tenille Arts, Drake Milligan, Megan Moroney, Kidd G, Willie Jones, Lakeview and Avery Anna.
Weekend and Single Day General Admission and VIP passes for GoldenSky Country Music Festival are on sale now at www.GoldenSkyFestival.com.
”We’re thrilled to partner with DWP to bring the West Coast’s premier country music experience back to Sacramento,” said Visit Sacramento President & CEO Mike Testa. “This year’s incredible lineup, coupled with unique local activations and Sacramento as the backdrop will make for an unforgettable weekend. We can’t wait to welcome music fans from across the country back to our city.”
“The overwhelming response from the fans and the music industry alike leaves no doubt that last year’s GoldenSky officially put Sacramento on the map as a destination for festivals,” says Danny Hayes, CEO of Danny Wimmer Presents. “We are honored to be able to showcase all the amazing things the city and county have to offer and look forward to cementing GoldenSky as a must-attend country festival for the region.”
The daily music lineup for GoldenSky Country Music Festival is as follows:
Saturday, October 14: Jon Pardi, Maren Morris, Wynonna Judd, Jordan Davis, Niko Moon, Ingrid Andress, Adam Doleac, Kidd G, Frank Ray, Lakeview
Sunday, October 15: Eric Church, Parker McCollum, Lainey Wilson, Elle King, Eli Young Band, Nate Smith, Tenille Arts, Megan Moroney, Drake Milligan, Willie Jones, Avery Anna
In addition to nearly two dozen music artists over two days, GoldenSky Country Music Festival will also feature an array of on-site experiences, including:
GoldenSky Beer Festival: The “festival within the festival” will showcase the best local, regional and national tastes with over 150 different selections of beer, hard seltzer and ciders each day. Open daily from 11:45 AM – 2:45 PM to patrons 21+. The GoldenSky Beer Festival is complimentary with all first 48-hour purchases, while supplies last. Starting January 20, GoldenSky Beer Festival passes can be added to festival pass purchases for as low as $15.00 + fees.
The Farmhouse: The Farmhouse, presented by California Bountiful promises to deliver a local food experience that will leave taste buds craving more! Attendees can take a load off and pick their pleasure amongst some of Sacramento’s finest dining establishments, and taste what makes Sacramento the Farm-To-Fork Capital of America.
El Dorado Market: Festival attendees can visit the El Dorado Market to shop the best of the Central Valley. Featuring unique finds rooted in Sacramento businesses, it offers the chance to shop small and support local retailers.
River City Saloon & Dance Hall: Music fans can boot-scoot into the River City Saloon & Dance Hall for a little dancin’, a little drinkin’ and a whole lotta fun! Daily activities include line dancing, partner two-stepping and lessons. There will also be a house DJ to freestyle with when the sun goes down, as well as Billy, the house bull that’s sure to be a buckin’ and broncin’ all weekend long.
Wines Of Sacramento: Sacramento is home to some of the best wineries in the world. With pours from the best in the heart of Wine Country, GoldenSky fans get a taste of what makes California wine a step above the rest.
Loud Lounge: Attendees can go beyond the music and experience the cannabis community in the festival’s very own Loud Lounge. Believing in the power of cannabis to enhance the communal and artistic experience, this is a gathering place for friends to network and celebrate. The lounge will offer everything from live music to live art and live performers all weekend long while educating patrons about cannabis culture. Must be 21+ to enter.
Sidelines Sports Bar: GoldenSky guests can watch their favorite NCAA, NFL and MLB playoff games at Sidelines Sports Bar, featuring the top can’t miss games of the weekend. Fans can grab a drink and pony up to the bar to stay up-to-date on all the action.
In addition, GoldenSky has partnered up with Goldfield Trading Post in Midtown Sacramento to find the best local country act to play the big stage at GoldenSky 2023. More details on how to apply will be announced in the Spring, with showcases live from Goldfield Trading Post happening this Summer.
For a full description of GoldenSky Country Music Festival weekend and single day VIP and GA passes and pricing, visit www.GoldenSkyFestival.com. Prices start as low as $69.99 + fees. In January and February, passes can be purchased starting as low as $10.00 down, with layaway payments amortized evenly through August. Hotel packages are also available.
GoldenSky Country Music Festival debuted in 2022 with 50,000 people in attendance for two full days of music, craft beer, farm-to-fork food and more. GoldenSky 2022 featured a spectacular lineup of top country music artists performing on three stages, including headliners Tim McGraw (Saturday) and Sam Hunt (Sunday) as well as Brothers Osborne, Midland, Carly Pearce, Parmalee, Michael Ray, Diamond Rio, Brian Kelley, Lindsay Ell and many more. The festival received rave reviews from patrons and the media and had a substantial economic impact on the Sacramento community.
ABC10 Sacramento said of GoldenSky 2022, “GoldenSky music festival helps boost Sacramento’s economy…enthusiastic country fans from all over the country made their way to Discovery Park for the GoldenSky country music festival.” Elsewhere, Sacramento Magazine noted, “Country music fans get their due at the inaugural GoldenSky, a two-day music fest in Discovery Park boasting some of country’s biggest names…” And Melodic Magazine raved, “From the last warm rays of summer during the days to the crisp fall evenings, the energy that radiated throughout the 2-day festival was electric. Attendees truly experienced a weekend to remember…Sacramento has definitely struck gold with this new tradition!”
GoldenSky 2023 is proud to host premier partners Jack Daniel’s, California Bountiful and Visit Sacramento, with more partners and experiences to be announced closer to the show. Greg Luehrs, Director of Partnerships for Jack Daniel’s, Brown-Forman Corporation said, “It’s been said that ‘somewhere between Nashville, the home of country music, and Memphis, the home of Rock ‘n’ Roll, lies Lynchburg, Tennessee, the home of Jack Daniel’s whiskey – the undisputed spirit of both musical traditions.’ To keep those deep connections alive and to continue supporting new generations of musical artists, Jack Daniel’s is proud to partner with GoldenSky, and year two will be bigger and better!”
For more information on GoldenSky Country Music Festival, please visit:
Bailey Zimmerman has always had raw talent as a singer, but he changed one big thing about the way his voice sounded before he truly began to pursue country music stardom.
The up-and-comer shares that story with Kelleigh Bannen during a new installment of Today’s Country Radio on Apple Music. Zimmerman was recently named an Apple Music Up Next artist, and that’s just the latest accolade for the rising star, whose debut single, “Fall in Love,” rose to the No. 1 spot on the country charts in 2022.
But back in 2020, he was playing a show in Illinois when he had an encounter that changed the course of his career.
“I was singing for, like, three people and this dude that is also an artist named Dylan Wolfe from my hometown, he was like, ‘Dude, have you ever tried to be — like, actually sing?'” Zimmerman remembers, in a preview clip of the interview premiered by People.
“I was like, ‘No, man,'” he continues. “He was like, ‘Well, you need to take your braces off, because it’s giving you a lisp when you sing, but if you do that I think you can be an artist.'”
Zimmerman heeded that advice. It just so happened that he had an orthodontist appointment scheduled for the next day, and when he went into the doctor’s office, he said he wanted his braces to come off — even though the procedure would be expensive, and his teeth might not be as straight as they would have been if the braces stayed on.
“I was like, ‘Don’t care, take them off, I’m done,'” he recounts. “And a week later, I wrote my first song.”
Whether or not the braces — or lack thereof — had anything to do with it, Zimmerman’s career is undoubtedly on the rise in 2023. Starting in March, he’ll hit the road with Morgan Wallen as an opening act for the One Night at a Time Tour.
2023 Country Music Festivals Guide
Enjoy an updated list of country music’s best festivals, across America, Canada, Great Britain and more. This list of 2023 country fests will be updated to reflect postponements, cancelations or lineup adjustments.
One of Country music’s biggest names is bringing his new cross-Canada tour to Calgary this summer.
Grammy-nominated artist Lee Brice announced that Beer Drinking Opportunity Tour will be part of the huge Badlands Music Festival on Monday, July 10.
The multi-platinum-selling star is also stopping in Edmonton, Lethbridge, Ottawa, and other Canadian cities. Tickets go on sale through Badlands on Friday, January 20 at 10 am.
Brice joins a stacked festival lineup that includes Skrillex, Loud Luxury, and more to be announced. Fans will be able to hear his hits like, “A Woman Like You,” “Hard to Love,” “Rumor,” “Memory I Don’t Mess With,” and more.
The South Carolina-born artist is a Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music award winner and has had his music streamed over three billion times. He also has a Number 1 hit and 10 Top-10 songs on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.
Brice has performed on NBC’s Today show, ABC’s The Bachelor, NBC’s The Voice, and FOX’s Miss USA. He also performed during the 2020 celebration of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song honouring Garth Brooks.
Lee Brice at Badlands Music Festival
When: July 10, 2023 Where: Badlands Music Festival Cost: Various prices. Tickets go on sale on Friday, January 20 at 10 am
(L-R) Cameron-Passley, Napoleone, Proulx, & Rambeau Smith
The CANADIAN COUNTRY MUSIC ASSOCIATION (CCMA) has announced the incoming Board of Directors for 2022-2023. These are leaders from the Canadian music, entertainment and arts community who are dedicated to the organization’s mission to elevate and celebrate talent found within CANADA. This year’s four incoming board members are:
MELISSA CAMERON-PASSLEY – Dir., Creative & Operations at KILOMETRE MUSIC GROUP, co-chair of MUSIC PUBLISHERS CANADA’s NXTGEN committee, and an appointed member of the CCMA Board of Directors.
MADELAINE NAPOLEONE – WARNER MUSIC CANADA VP/Marketing
JOELLE PROULX – Pres. and co-owner of AGENCE RANCH, where she oversees the management of BRITTANY KENNELL, day-to-day management, publicity and tour coordination for MATT LANG and publicity for artists and Country events including FIVE ROSES, LASSO MONTREAL and QUEBEC COUNTRY GALA.
JULIA RAMBEAU SMITH – Currently oversees all communications for The MRG GROUP, which consists of more than 20 business entities including venue operations, live promotions, hospitality and travel. At MRG, she is actively working on a program to support local and emerging acts to play at the only Country-themed bars in TORONTO (CCMA AWARD-winning, ROCK ‘N’ HORSE SALOON) and VANCOUVER (YALE SALOON).
CCMA Pres. AMY JENINGA said, “We are pleased to be adding new and inspiring voices to our Board of Directors, and I look forward to working with them to elevate, evolve and create new opportunities for our association in the years ahead. Together, they will help us accomplish our goal of celebrating Canadian Country music both here in CANADA as well as globally. This dedicated group of industry veterans are eager to help our members stay connected and engaged throughout the year, and we are excited to have them join us.”
