NASHVILLE — The Country Music Association continues to help further Country Music’s international expansion, hosting an inaugural performance at Hamburg, Germany’s Reeperbahn Festival in September. CMA will be involved in multiple aspects of the festival including hosting a panel and networking reception, as well as a showcase concert. The showcase, titled “Neon Nashville,” will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at Thomas Read, displaying the diversity of some of Country’s rising artists. The showcase seeks to give an international audience a look into the current Nashville sound and will feature artists Ingrid Andress, Blanco Brown, Ilse DeLange (from the Netherlands) and Rachel Wammack. “Neon Nashville” is curated by CMA’s German task force, which is comprised of a group of senior music industry professionals across many sectors in Germany, who unite to help understand the market and develop the growth of Country Music in the territory.
In addition to the music festival, attendees can take part in Reeperbahn Festival Conference, which includes panels, presentations, workshops, networking events and other programming for professionals in the music and digital industries. The Reeperbahn Festival Conference will feature a panel titled “It Sounds Like Country,” which will explore the growing popularity of Country Music in the European market and the diversity of the genre. The panel includes industry professionals Milly Olykan (CMA Vice President of International Relations & Development, USA), Sarah Casey (United Talent Agency Agent, U.K.), Fred Casimir (BMG Executive Vice President, Global Repertoire & Marketing, Germany) and Oliver Hoppe (Wizard Promotions Managing Director, Germany).
“Thanks to CMA’s German Task Force we have the opportunity position Country Music in the heart of Europe’s showcasing festival and place current Nashville artists in front of their media and music industry,” says Olykan. “It’s our hope that this will open doors not only for the excellent line up of artists, but for Country Music in Germany as a whole.”
Bringing Country Music to Reeperbahn is a response to the increased interest in the genre across the German market. Earlier this year, CMA’s international artist touring series Introducing Nashville was featured on the first German edition of the Country to Country festival in Berlin. The touring series will return to Germany and for more shows in Europe and the U.K. on its upcoming tour in October. Through involvement in events like Reeperbahn, CMA and its multiple international task forces continue to find new opportunities to spread Country Music to audiences and markets worldwide. For more information visit ReeperbahnFestival.com.
Ingrid Andress
"A country-pop rookie who can write a chorus like Sia," (PAPER), Ingrid Andress recently became the most-added new artist at Country radio with her debut single “More Hearts Than Mine.” She recently shared a stripped-down, acoustic version of the “elegantly written song” (The New York Times), which HITS magazine praises for its “honesty and vulnerability virtually absent on Country radio.” Since the release of her major-label debut “Lady Like” in April, the Atlantic Records/Warner Music Nashville recording artist has already performed on NBC’s "TODAY" and "Late Night with Seth Meyers." With several co-writer credits to her name, including Charli XCX’s “Boys” and FLETCHER’s “About You,” Andress first honed her skills writing with heavy hitters in the music community such as Sam Hunt and Alicia Keys. The SiriusXM “Highway Find” artist has received additional critical acclaim from People, Rolling Stone, Billboard, Vulture and many more. Read more at IngridAndress.com
Blanco Brown
Blurring the lines between Country and hip-hop music, Blanco Brown makes a southern sound that he proudly calls "TrailerTrap." His debut EP, Blanco Brown, showcases the full range of its creator, who juggles multiple roles as the project's songwriter, producer, vocalist, visionary, and multi-instrumentalist. His viral hit “The Git Up” has taken the world by storm, claiming the top spot in charts across the globe and spawning more than 500 million views across social platforms. In addition to being named Billboard’s “7 Country Acts to Watch in 2019,” the Georgia native is a background singer, artist and Grammy-nominated engineer who has worked with big-name talent including Fergie, Childish Gambino, Kane Brown, and Chris Brown. Read more at BBRMusicGroup.com/BlancoBrown.
Ilse DeLange
Not only is she one of the most successful artists in the Netherlands, Ilse DeLange is one of the driving forces in the European Country scene. DeLange is also part of the band The Common Linnets and hosts the Country and Americana Festival Tuckerville in Enschede, Holland. On Sept. 6, her new album Gravel & Dust, produced by T-Bone Burnett in Nashville, will be released via Universal. Read more at IlseDeLange.com.
Rachel Wammack
Picked as the only Country artist on Entertainment Weekly’s “2019 Artists to Watch” list, Rachel Wammack has a deeply-rooted, classic sound influenced heavily by the rich musical history of her hometown of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Her songs showcase a gifted musician with a confident, soulful soprano earning her early recognition including being named to Rolling Stone’s “10 Best County EPs of 2018” as well as Amazon and NPR’s lists of “Best Music of 2018.” She received “2019 Artist to Watch” acclaim from multiple outlets including AOL, Pandora, Music Row, Pop Culture, Sounds Like Nashville and more. She was also selected for CMT’s “Next Women of Country” and Bobby Bones "Class of 2019.” Wammack recently released new music including “Enough” and “Something People Say.” Read more at RachelWammack.com.
About the Country Music Association
Founded in 1958, the Country Music Association is the first trade organization formed to promote a type of music. In 1961, CMA created the Country Music Hall of Fame to recognize artists and industry professionals with Country Music’s highest honor. More than 7,600 music industry professionals and companies from around the globe are members of CMA. The organization’s objectives are to serve as an educational and professional resource for the industry and advance the growth of Country Music around the world. This is accomplished through CMA’s core initiatives: the CMA Awards, which annually recognize outstanding achievement in the industry; CMA Fest, which benefits the CMA Foundation and music education and is taped for a network television special, “CMA Fest”; and “CMA Country Christmas.” All of CMA’s television properties air on the ABC Television Network.
Press Contacts:
Lisa Valentine, CMA
Coordinator, Communications
lvalentine@cmaworld.com