“Ain’t that some shit? I found a few hits / Cause country’s cool again.”
Grammy-winning Country music superstar Lainey Wilson gets straight to the point on her new song, Country’s Cool Again (Broken Bow Records).
Released on February 16, the lyrics appear to offer Wilson’s take on the popularity of the country genre in 2024.
As reported by Luminate on Tuesday (April 16), Country Music listenership is growing, driven by Gen Z listeners and superstar artists like Beyoncé (see Cowboy Carter’s chart success), Jelly Roll and Post Malone that “straddle the line between Country, R&B, Pop and Hip-Hop”.
Country’s mainstream appeal can even be seen over 4,000 miles away from Nashville, in London, England – where Morgan Wallen is scheduled to headline one of the biggest dates on the UK festival calendar this coming July, British Summertime Hyde Park.
For country superstar Lainey Wilson, her album Bell Bottom Country (Broken Bow Records), released in October 2022, has amassed over 750 million streams to date and won the 2024 Grammy Award for Best Country Album.
Wilson and BBR Music Group label mate and fellow country star Jelly Roll (signed via BBR Music Group’s Stoney Creek Records) are also both nominated for multiple awards at the upcoming Academy of Country Music Awards on May 17.
Wilson is up for five awards, including Entertainer of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, Song of the Year (for Heart Like a Truck), as well as being nominated as the artist and as a writer on this song, plus Music Event of the Year – for Save Me by Jelly Roll with Lainey Wilson
Jelly Roll, meanwhile, is up for four awards, including Entertainer of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Single of the Year (for Need a Favor) and Music Event Event of the Year for Save Me, by Jelly Roll with Lainey Wilson.
Lainey and Jelly’s label home, BBR Music Group, is a prominent Nashville-headquartered music company, which has been a part of BMG Nashville following its acquisition by BMG in 2017.
BBR Music Group is also home to country superstars like Jason Aldean and breakout rock artist Tim Montana.
Commenting on how Lainey Wilson and Jelly Roll fit into BBR Music Group’s objectives creatively, JoJamie Hahr, EVP of Recorded Music at BMG Nashville, tells us: “We look to sign artists with heart and work ethic, along with a high caliber of talent and artistry.
“Both Jelly and Lainey exude these qualities and have proven to cut through to the consumers for their authenticity and care for their fans.”
“Both Jelly and Lainey exude these qualities and have proven to cut through to the consumers for their authenticity and care for their fans.”
JoJamie Hahr, BMG Nashville
Evidence of Jelly and Lainey’s ability to cut through to listeners of both country music and beyond can be seen in their recent chart successes and industry accolades.
Jelly’s album Whitsitt Chapel, released last June, scored the biggest first-week album sales in the US from a debut country artist since 2017. The album’s lead single, Need a Favor, also reached No.1 on multiple Country and Rock radio stations in the US, Australia, Canada, and Germany.
Plus, he recently earned a CMA Triple Play award when his hit Save Me with Lainey Wilson went to No.1 in December 2023. Save Me has crossed formats, and is currently inside the Top 20 at Top 40 and 15 at Hot AC, while racking up over 824 million on-demand streams to date. The CMA Triple Play Award is presented to songwriters who write three No.1 songs within a 12-month period based on the Country Aircheck, Billboard Country Airplay and Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.
Lainey Wilson’s mainstream appeal, meanwhile, has been galvanized by appearances on the likes of The Kelly Clarkson Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The TODAY Show, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Christmas at Graceland, and American Idol.
Plus, following her recent Grammy win, Wilson is set to tour throughout Europe and Australia in 2024.
Commenting on Country’s continued crossover appeal, driven by a new generation of artists like Lainey Wilson and Jelly Roll, BMG Nashville’s JoJamie Hahr predicts that “Country music will continue to expand and diversify”.
Added Hahr: “With the continual growth of streaming, we see consumers listening to all kinds of music, not necessarily genre-specific.
“Popular playlists offer a wide variety of several formats that span multiple types of listeners, for example Chayce Beckham’s 23 landed on Hot Hits USA (Spotify), All Hits (Amazon Music) and The Hit List (YouTube Music). People just want great music, plain and simple”.
In the meantime, we caught up with JoJamie Hahr to talk about Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, BBR Music Group’s positioning in the market, and the state of Country music today.
How is BBR Music Group positioned in the music business today?
BBR Music Group, as part of BMG Nashville, continues to be a market leader in the country format, as well as showing its exceptional dip into other formats with artists like Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, and Tim Montana crossing into Top 40, Hot AC, and Rock.
BBR sets itself apart for our relationships with radio and partners, as well as its firm stance on an artist-first approach that is true to the BMG positioning statement.
Could you share the story about how you first met, came to work with, and sign a deal with Jelly Roll?
When Adrian Michaels, VP of Innovation, Radio & Streaming, Stoney Creek Records, brought Jelly Roll to our attention, Jon [Loba, now President of Frontline Recordings, North America at BMG] spent countless hours getting to know Jelly and his heart, along with his needs and desires from a label partner.
Ultimately, Jelly wanted to sign somewhere he could be himself and be accepted for what he does.
With Jon’s belief and leadership, the rest of the team fell in love with Jelly Roll and his team, and vowed it to be our mission to align our radio, partner and press relationships with Jelly’s vision.
Last year, he scored the biggest first-week album sales from a debut Country Artist Since 2017 – tell us about the significance of this achievement for Jelly?
Jelly Roll built a life selling CDs out of the back of his car to provide for his family.
“Jelly Roll built a life selling CDs out of the back of his car to provide for his family.”
Hard to speak for his heart, but we can imagine that going from that humble existence in an effort to be a better human being for his daughter, to changing and saving lives with his music with these kinds of significant numbers has to be an unexplainable feeling.
He has had a lot of other chart success with, for example, Need A Favor and Son of a Sinner. Why do you think his music resonates so much with audiences?
Jelly Roll speaks to the underdogs with his music, to the ones who are struggling, to the ones who think they will never amount to anything in their lives. His music touches a place in society not many have had the courage to talk about with their art.
How is Jelly Roll positioned as an artist in the country music scene and in the wider pop music business today?
Jelly Roll is finding lanes across multiple genres. In the country format, he earned the coveted CMA Triple Play Award, penning three songs that went No.1 in 2023. We’ve also seen Jelly’s music reach the top of the charts in the rock format and also gain Top 10 in Hot AC and Top 25 on Top 40.
“Jelly Roll is finding lanes across multiple genres.”
Most recently, his multi-genre impact was solidified at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards where he was awarded Best New Artist (Country) and Best New Artist (Pop).
Additionally, Jelly has proven to become a genre bending artist that touches every generation with his words and his music.
What are your long-term ambitions for Jelly Roll as an artist in terms of milestones, achievements etc?
Jelly is nominated for Entertainer of the Year, as well as Male Artist of the Year, Single of the Year for Need a Favor and Music Event of the Year for Save Me (with Lainey Wilson) at the ACM Awards this year for the short-term achievements.
Beyond that, a Grammy win is always a dream of any artist (he was nominated this year for Best New Artist and Best Country Duo/Group Performance – Save Me Jelly Roll with Lainey Wilson).
Growing touring and continued success at multiple formats in both streaming and radio, as well as an international presence is always at the top of the list.
Could you share the story about how BBR first met, and came to work with Lainey?
We heard and loved the song Middle Finger that Lainey had released independently, and when we met her in person, we knew her authenticity and genuine artistry as well as her songwriting ability was unique and exciting.
Perhaps more importantly, her heart and work ethic has always set her apart.
When we look to sign an artist, we are looking as much into their heart and what they say, as we are their talent and star power.
How is Lainey positioned as an artist in the country music scene today?
Lainey Wilson is arguably the biggest female country music artist in our format. She is a cultural icon, an artist that speaks for women around the world with her down to earth lifestyle and passion for her roots and her family.
“Lainey Wilson is arguably the biggest female country music artist in our format.”
She is an electrifying performer who excites and draws fans to her shows in masses. Lainey has solidified her place in country music with a vulnerability and likeability that has all the signs of longevity.
What are your long-term ambitions for Lainey as an artist in terms of milestones, achievements etc?
Lainey enters the 2024 ACM Award with five nominations — Entertainer of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, Song of the Year for Heart Like a Truck where she is nominated both as a songwriter and as the performing artist and Music Event of the Year for Save Me by Jelly Roll with Lainey Wilson.
She reached a new pinnacle in her career when she earned her first Grammy for Best Country Album for Bell Bottom Country, an album that also took home the Album of the Year awards at the 2023 ACMs and CMAs.
We hope to continue to expand the Lainey Wilson footprint around the globe and grow her touring to stadium levels, along with multiple Grammy wins in the future.
Lainey has seen significant success with Bell Bottom Country, which has racked up over 750m streams to date and won the Best Country Album Grammy. Tell us about the significance of the continued chart success and Grammy success for Lainey as an artist and for BBR?
Chart success is crucial for consumer reach. The higher we are on the radio charts, the more massive amounts of audience we gain, which turns into touring, brand deals, future acting roles, etc.
Grammy success is something all artists and labels dream of, it’s that acceptance and feeling of immense accomplishment from your peers.
Lainey has appeared on multiple prominent shows including Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon. Tell us about the impact that Lainey is having on popular culture in the United States at present?
Lainey Wilson has made “Country Cool Again.” Her cool country style of bell bottoms and big hats is crossing genres and truly making the format the hot place for style and lifestyle.
“Her cool country style of bell bottoms and big hats is crossing genres and truly making the format the hot place for style and lifestyle.”
At her shows, and other format shows alike, you see people mimicking her style. Her music also brings people together and inspires them to go back to their roots, and value what is really important.
