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50TH CMA FESTIVAL
IT’S A WRAP!
By Elizabeth Shane
CMA Fest celebrated 50 years in June 2023. The annual four-day country festival, held in downtown Nashville, boasted six official stages, plenty of popups, and over 100 artists playing from the riverfront to Music City Center. The skies were almost perfect for more than 90,000 fans each day who enjoyed the concerts and soaked it all in at Fan Fair X in the Music City. Due to inclement weather and rain, Sunday afternoon organizers closed the outdoor stages, however, that didn’t stop the finale at Nissan Stadium, with capacity crowds over the four days, from taking place Sunday evening shining the spotlight on the dynamic event.
This year the festival started June 8 with the TSU Aristocrat of Bands playing at the Chevy Riverfront Stage followed by Lainey Wilson playing to a capacity crowd at the riverfront venue. On Sunday evening, Josh Turner opened the festivities followed by notable artists Ashley McBryde, Dierks Bentley, and Tim McGraw. At midnight, Luke Bryan stepped on stage and brought down a packed house at Nissan Stadium concluding this year’s CMA Fest.
Fan Fair X events were held in Music City Center with performance stages along Broadway all the way to the Chevy Riverfront and Ascend Amphitheater on 1st Avenue South. Country music fans from 51 countries and 50 states, had four glorious days listening to music from the up-and-comers to country music superstars like Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban, and Reba McEntire to name a few. Walking down Broadway country music enthusiasts found interactive experiences to partake in and the Honky Tonks were rocking, simply put fans were having a marvelous time immersing themselves in everything music.
Always popular are the meet-and-greets with artists, panel discussions at Fan Fair X, fan club parties, and takeovers. This year featured the first-ever LOCASH & Friends
Celebrity Pickleball Tournament presented by DINK and LOCASH. Spectators even had a photo op with Yeti and E.J., the two DINK Volley Llama mascots, as fans cheered the players on during the spirited competitive tournament at Fan Fair X. There’s absolutely something for everyone as CMA Fest is an amazing place to see your favorite artists up close and personally, take a selfie, get an autograph, even kiss a llama, and of course, buy some merch!
Again this year, fans also had the chance to experience Fitness at FEST presented by Celsius at the Maui Jim Reverb Stage. The two-day fest was kicked off by TRUMAV fitness trainer Wirth Campbell, accompanied by former Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe. Country artists Ashley Cooke and Madeline Edwards along with celebrity trainer Erin Oprea helped festival-goers feel the burn at the Fest.
CMA Fest has partnered with the CMA Foundation since 2006 and has invested more than $27 million into the enrichment of music education programs across the United States. The Country Music artists involved in the fest donate their time and talent each year so a portion of the ticket proceeds can help the CMA Foundation fund music education and provide educators with the needed resources to musically make a difference in children’s lives. This year $2.5 million was raised for music education.
Later this summer on July 5, CMA will debut CMA Fest: 50 Years of Fan Fair. This original documentary celebrates the humble beginnings in 1972 to what CMA Fest has grown to today and can be viewed on Hulu. Two weeks later on July 19, CMA Fest will be back in action on ABC with three hours of country music hosted by Dierks Bentley, Elle King, and Lainey Wilson and features performances by Country Music’s hottest stars.
It's a wrap for the longest-running Country Music Festival in the world but save the date for the CMA Fest next year beginning June 13, 2024. Visit cmafest.com for additional information or to buy tickets.
Check out these amazing artists! Grace Leer and Jillian Cardarelli, and the band, Century Drive. These artists joined in the CMA festivities and have been making a name for themselves. Their music is available to download on all streaming platforms so enjoy.
Emerging artist Grace Leer made her appearance at CMA Fest performing at the Spotlight Stage in a stunning silver sparkling dress. Leer’s new music, “My Mind’s Made Up,” written by Leer, Nick Wayne, and Dan Agee, is a magnificently told story sung in a way that nearly everyone can relate to. There’s nothing harder to do than admitting being wrong about a partner and the hardest person to admit that to is yourself, yet Leer details it so eloquently. Leer’s storytelling is impeccable and “My Mind’s Made Up” is yet another stellar effort in a growing litany of superstar efforts by a woman unquestionably destined for stardom.
“The reason I chose music as a little girl is the way I was able to connect with people through it, and the reason I chose country music is because of the stories it tells and this song does all of that and more,” says Leer. “I’m so honored to have created this song with Dan Agee and Nick Wayne. I am just blown away by the feedback.”
“It’s pretty amazing when the fans pick the music,” adds Leer. “I never thought when I posted a clip of the “My Mind’s Made Up” demo that it would relate to so many. It’s so cool to see that song has made people feel less alone when healing from falling in love with the idea of someone instead of the actual person they were/are. I am proud of all the music I have released but so far I am the most proud of this one.”
Leer is a California native that began singing at the age of six but after high school decided to follow her athletic passion by playing D1 soccer at the University of California, Berkeley. Leer made the move to Nashville four years ago and appeared in the Top 10 on Season 18 of ABC’s American Idol. Since then, Leer has secured a record deal via 19 Recordings, Inc. and has spent the last year writing and recording music for her self-titled debut EP, which is now available. Leer recently performed the National Anthem at the SheBelieves Cup 2023 in Nashville at Geodis Park, was CMT’s Next Up Now artist for November, and named Country Now’s Country Next. Leer has also been included in iHeart Women of Country a couple of times.
For more information, visit graceleer.com and @graceleermusic on Instagram and TikTok.
Jillian Cardarelli
Country artist/songwriter Jillian Cardarelli also performed on the CMA Fest Spotlight Stage performing her new single “Could’ve Been Boy,” which was written by Cardarelli and hit songwriters Liz Hengber and Matt Wynn. The song is about reflecting over the years on a relationship that ended and wondering what might have been. As Cardarelli explained, “When an impactful relationship ends, we’ve all probably looked back and wondered what could have been. So we wrote this song to acknowledge the ones that got away. Heartache is a universal storyline, and we know so many people will be able to relate to this song.”
This is Cardarelli’s second single release this year and with over a half million streams across all digital platforms, this Massachusetts native is blazing her own path with stunning vocals, captivating songwriting, and girl-next-door qualities. Her last single “Country Side,” debuted in February with her previous singles “What’s It Gonna Take,” “Dropped.” And “If You Had a Heart,” from her 2021 EP garnered support from Apple Music, Spotify, and Pandora. Her inspirational single “Strong” featuring Charles Esten was named one of 2020’s Most Powerful Songs by American Songwriter. “I Never Do This” was named Best Country Song by Rolling Stone in 2019.
In addition to writing and performing, Cardarelli is passionate about being involved in charitable organizations like Stand Up 2 Cancer, Band Against Cancer, Musicians on Call, PEDIGREE Foundation, and St. Jude Children’s Hospital. She often performs for charitable events and is an avid golfer, playing in various charity golf tournaments around the country.
For more information visit jilliancardarelli.com and follow her on social media at @jilliancardarelli
Century Drive
If you didn’t get a chance to Meet & Greet Century Drive at Fan Fair X or see them perform at the Nash House during CMA Fest, then you definitely need to check out this four-piece country-rock band made up of two sets of brothers hailing from the beautiful mountains of Oregon. Corey and Casey Parnell and Chad and Lonnie Chapin are all sons of preachers who are using their ingrained devotion and conviction to write, record, and release their own lane of Pacific Northwest, pavement-pounding country and Americana rock.
Their new single, “Wild Hearts, Wild Highways,” was penned and produced by Century Drive. Corey Parnell stated, “[It] is a song about love, second chances, and starting over. We all know what it’s like to have our hearts broken and to want to run away from it all. This song is about choosing to run away from it all together. It's about gaining a new perspective and finding forgiveness.”
The band was named after the scenic Cascade Lakes Highway in Oregon, a.k.a. Century Drive. Their storytelling and brotherly harmonies are celebrated among some of Nashville's hottest songwriters, including 17-time number-one writer Brian White who said, "The first time I stepped in the room to write with Century Drive I knew something special was happening. The energy and vibe were simply contagious. Unbelievable musicians, great singers, and songs set the bar high. I'm a huge fan.”
The Parnells approached the Chapins to write songs in the early days of the pandemic, and their all-nighters have resulted in a catalog of songs that punch through as they blaze their own trail on the scene. After teasing their audience with a string of singles, the group debuted their sound on an EP in 2022 titled Staring at Stars That project landed a spotlight on CMT and The Country Network in addition to profiles in other music publications. The title track was also featured on the official Academy of Country Music's New Music Friday Playlist alongside artists such as Jason Aldean, Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, and Keith Urban to name a few.
Before banding together for this group, they garnered success across a variety of genres and built a brotherhood friendship spanning more than two decades. Lonnie is the band's Grammy and Dove award-winning bassist and Gospel Music Hall Of Fame alum as a member of Petra. He also co-wrote the #1 hit song “If I Had To Die For Someone” for Christian rock band Petra before becoming a founding member of the Grammy-nominated band Tait with his brother Chad. Chad is a Grammy-nominated drummer, Dove award winner, twelve-time BMI Music award winner, and recipient of the legendary BMI Song Of The Year award for his song “To Ever Live Without Me.” Lead vocalist and songwriter Corey Parnell has shared stages with noteworthy artists Kris Kristofferson, Trace Adkins, and Lindsay Ell, and has co-written songs for Steve Fee and Shannon Bex of Danity Kane. His brother and lead guitarist Casey has recorded, written, and produced for Shannon Bex of MTV’s supergroup Danity Kane and Thunderstorm Artis of NBC’s The Voice
Follow them on social media at @centurydriveband to keep up with the guys and visit centurydriveband.com for additional information about the band.
