CMA Presents First-Ever Showcase At The Great Escape Festival In The U.K. In May

CMA will present a new music showcase of Nashville’s rising artists—for the first time in the U.K. at The Great Escape, Europe’s leading new-music festival.

Partnering with Live Nation U.K., the showcase, Next From Nashville, will take place on Thursday, May 14 with a lineup of emerging Nashville talent including Danielle Bradbery, Blanco Brown and The Sisterhood Band. With the continuing increase of Country artists touring abroad, CMA is excited to play a role in bringing some of Country’s hottest up-and-coming talent to new audiences at this multi-genre music festival, which features a diverse lineup of artists from around the world.

“We are excited about the growth and development of the Country market we’ve seen in the U.K. over the past few years,” says Milly Olykan, CMA Vice President, International Relations & Development. “With the ongoing support of the BBC, an increased Country radio presence in the U.K. and a solid touring and festival market, it‘s a great time for us to showcase the genre at The Great Escape and engage with fans and industry who have not yet discovered Country Music.”

“The Great Escape is the perfect platform for Next From Nashville to present the most exciting acts emerging from the city’s scene,” says Anna-Sophie Mertens, Live Nation Concerts U.K. Vice President, Touring. “Nashville has been responsible for an array of prolific artists, songwriters and musicians. We look forward to showcasing some of this talent at The Great Escape and on its nationwide tour for the first-ever U.K. edition of Next From Nashville.”

Danielle Bradbery
Multi-faceted artist Bradbery was recently featured on the “Charlie’s Angels” soundtrack alongside Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, Normani, Kim Petras and more. She re-introduced herself two years ago with sophomore album ​I Don’t Believe We’ve Met​, having taken some time to hone her songwriting craft and establish a blend of her R&B, soul and Country influences. Bradbery has been fine-tuning her unique sound since getting her start winning Season 4 of NBC’s “The Voice” and achieved multiple ACM nominations as well as CMT ​Breakthrough Video of the Year ​and CMT ​Performance of the Year​. Read more at DanielleBradbery.com.

Blanco Brown
Blurring the lines between Country and hip-hop music, ​Brown makes a southern sound that he proudly calls “TrailerTrap.” It’s a boundary-breaking, genre of his very own, which draws upon the rawness and storytelling abilities of his two biggest musical influences, Johnny Cash and Outkast. ​Influenced equally by rap and Country Music, his ​ability to combine the two brought him immediate success in his debut Country-trap viral hit “The Git Up​,” released last summer. The song is also served with an interactive choreographed dance clip, which averaged nearly one million views in its initial three days of posting. Read more at BlancoBrown.com.

The Sisterhood Band
The Sisterhood Band is an organic blend of the open melodies of classic West Coast folk and the magnetic swagger of timeless rock ‘n’ roll, powered by Alyssa Bonagura and Ruby Stewart’s soaring richly textured harmonies and effortless chemistry. Both artists have strong musical DNA: Alyssa is the daughter of Kathie Baillie and Michael Bonagura (the core of Country band Baillie & The Boys) and Ruby’s father is rock icon Rod Stewart. Having met while both working on solo careers, they bonded over a mutual love of Joni Mitchell and established a sound and style of their own. With a debut album due this year, 2020 looks bright for ​The Sisterhood Band​. Read more at TheSisterhoodBand.com.