Sam Hunt is set to headline the inaugural Country Night Lights Festival this September in Athens, Ohio. The breakout country star has been blowing up the country charts, and he’s even started to crossover to pop radio with his latest hit, “Take Your Time.”
Check out the flyer for the Country Night Lights Festival below!
Tickets for the festival are only $25 and go on sale Friday, April 24th.
Country Night Lights Festival Ft. Sam Hunt
Saturday, September, 26th, 2015
The Venue of Athens
Athens, OH Buy Tickets
Sam is nominated for an ACM Award for Best New Artist, so be sure to vote and tune in this Sunday, April 19th!
Sam Hunt is certainly not one to follow the beaten path when it comes to his music, and his new video for “Take Your Time” is no exception. While we were expecting a video that mirrored the songs’ lyrics (i.e. Sam goes into a bar, meets a girl, sings to her, every girls’ dream, etc), Sam took an unexpected route with a video that takes on domestic violence. Watch the video, directed by Tim Mattia, below.
“Take Your Time” is Sam’s 2nd single off his debut album, “Montevallo,” and his 2nd straight go to to #1. Pickup a copy ofthe album on iTunes now! Sam will be joining Hunter Hayes and Lady Antebellum on the Wheels Up Tour all Summer long, after wrapping up his first headlining tour in April. Check out all of his upcoming tour dates here!
Sam Hunt brought his first headlining tour, The Lipstick Graffiti Tour, to NYC last night. The show, which took place at Irving Plaza, sold out within minutes of going on sale. And who said New Yorkers don’t like country? It’s been a whirlwind 8 months for Sam since he signed with MCA Nashville and released “Leave The Night On” last summer. He gathered support by working as a songwriter in Nashville, writing tracks for Keith Urban, Billy Currington and more, before releasing his “Behind The Pines” mixtape for free online last year.
His set included tracks from that mixtape and his debut album, “Montvallo,” as well as the songs he penned for other artists. Do “Cop Car” or “We Are Tonight” ring any bells? We love going to country shows because they are usually one big singalong – the audience knows every word, and last night was no exception! You could see how much it meant to Sam to have so many people singing along to the songs he wrote – he seemed genuinely touched. It’s one thing to be a good songwriter, but Sam is also a talented performer. You can tell how passionate he is about music, and how much he loves being on stage. It’s just not a good concert unless you get chills at some point, and despite the hot venue we had chills over and over again. Throughout the set he interacted with the crowd, even coming down to the floor to have a “House Party” with the lucky fans in the front row! And we’re pretty sure the girls he sang “Take Your Time” to are still recovering from their fangirl coma.
There is a lot of talk about what country music is now, and if Sam should even be considered a country artist. But fans aren’t so concerned with what genre an artist is – they just want good music! And he introduces new fans to the country genre, is this such a bad thing? We’ve all grown up listening to a variety of artists, Sam included, and you can hear the range of influences in his music. Between each song he played, he sampled tracks from everyone from R Kelly to Jay Z to Miley Cyrus, yet this all worked together. An acoustic medley of 90s songs was also a highlight of his set. The band led a singalong of hits by Reba, Mariah Carey, Destiny’s Child and Deana Carter.
Opening act Native Run got the crowed pumped up with an energetic set, including a cover of TLC’s “Waterfalls.” We were majorly impressed by Rachel Beauregard totally crushing Lisa’s rap. TLC, if you need some help on the Main Event Tour this summer, give Rachel a call! If you’re heading to a Lipstick Graffiti Tour stop, make sure you get there early to check them out.
Lipstick Graffiti Tour Setlist
Intro: Speakers/Breakup In A Small Town
Ex To See
Leave The Night On
Raised On It
Saturday Night
Cop Car
Single For The Summer
Take Your Time
We Are Tonight
Acoustic 90s Medley
Speakers
House Party
Make You Miss Me
Breakup In A Small Town
The Lipstick Graffiti Tour continues through April (and is mostly sold out), but you can catch Sam alongside Hunter Hayes and Lady Antebellum on the Wheels Up Tour this summer. Can you say dream tour lineup? If you have a chance to see Sam on tour, GO! He’ll be headlining much bigger venues, very soon.
Taylor Swift wrote an outstanding piece in the Wall Street Journal over the summer about the future of music, where she wrote that “people are only buying [albums] that hit them like an arrow through the heart or have made them feel strong or allowed them to feel like they really aren’t alone in feeling so alone.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Here are the albums in 2014 that hit us like an arrow through the heart.
1. Dan + Shay – “Where It All Began”
It’s rare and special to find an album where you listen to each and every song, and can sing along to from start to finish. This album was by far our most played of the year, and the soundtrack to our 2014. We’ll be able to look back at this year as “where it all began” for Dan + Shay, who have a very, very bright future ahead of them. We can’t wait to see what’s next for the talented duo, starting with their 2nd major headlining tour in 2015.
2. Sam Hunt – “Montevallo”
We were lucky to have downloaded a copy of the “Behind The Pines” mixtape before Sam exploded over the summer with the release of his hit single “Leave The Night On.” He released his full length debut, “Montevallo,” in October, opening at the top of the country charts, and third overall. Sam’s unique style makes us excited about music. His blend of a 90s R&B sound with country storytelling blends perfectly with Sam’s southern drawl, deep voice, and spoken lyrics. He’ll be selling out arenas one day.
3. Hunter Hayes – “Storyline”
A sophomore album is always tricky, especially when your debut was nominated for a Grammy and countless other awards. But Hunter managed to knock it out of the park. The album is a more collaborative effort than his first, on which he played every single instrument. Hunter’s music grabs you from the first listen. We love how Hunter brings this album to life on tour, with unique arrangements for each song. He’s the rare musician who makes his live show a full experience that stays with you long after the show.
4. The Strypes – “Snapshot”
“Snapshot” is another debut album that immediately got our attention and made us wonder where The Strypes had been all our lives. Evidently they’d been honing their skills at pubs across their native Ireland, where they learned to play loud, fast aggressive, and just damn good old fashioned rhythm and blues. And they’re all still in their teens. There are no filler songs on the album – it’s solid from start to finish. If you ever have the opportunity to see The Strypes live, don’t miss it. Seeing the album come to life on stage was one of our favorite moments of the year.
5. Austin Mahone – “Secret”
Technically this is an EP, but at 8 tracks, it’s *almost* an album. We fell for Austin’s sound with tracks like “What About Love” and “Banga Banga,” but this EP, with it’s 90s pop influences, cemented Austin’s status as the one man boyband. We’re obsessed with the Britney and *NSYNC-esque slow breakdown in the title track, “Secret,” and couldn’t stop listening to “Next To You” on repeat for days. Austin’s working on his much awaited full length debut with the legendary Max Martin (who wrote basically every great 90s pop song you can think of), and we can’t wait for more!
6. Jesse McCartney – “In Technicolor”
Possibly the most underrated album on this list. His newest single, “Punch Drunk Recreation,” is a pop masterpiece. Armed with a Justin Timberlake sound, and retro look, JMAC outdid himself with this album. “In Technicolor” is one of those albums that will always be in style.
7. Nick & Knight – “Nick & Knight”
We admit that we’ll probably love anything that involves our favorite boybands – especially when two of our favorite members team up. But Nick Carter and Jordan Knight’s album is a fun R&B/pop album worth checking out.
8. 5SOS – “5SOS”
It’s a safe bet that 5SOS are going to be extremely monumental in bringing pop punk back to a radio station near you! We’ve had the band’s debut album on heavy rotation, and we don’t think we’ll stop playing it any time soon. Also, can people please stop referring to them as a “boyband?” These guys have the heart, drive, and sound to be restore Warped Tour to the glory days of 2006.
9. The Vamps – “Meet The Vamps” While we had to wait for this album to be officially released in the United States, it was worth the wait! The Vamps have an acoustic pop sound that makes you want to dance around your living room singing at the top of your lungs.
10. Walk The Moon – “Talking Is Hard”
With it’s December release, Walk The Moon’s sophomore album “Talking Is Hard” barely made our list. The Ohio band celebrated by live tweeting with fans the first listen of the album, divulging secrets like “there’s a mess up in this part of the song” to “the weird lyrics are from this member!” Walk The Moon are taking the album on a full headlining tour in the spring. It’s not too late to hop on the dance jam bandwagon.
Following the success of his first platinum single, “Leave The Night On,” Sam Hunt revealed that his next single to hit country radio this week will be “Take Your Time.” The track is off of Sam’s debut album, “Montevallo,” which went straight to the top of the charts when it was released in October. Sam officially debuted the single on “Late Night with David Letterman” last night. Watch his performance below!
We love the play on words and the mix of influences you can hear in “Take Your Time.” Sam’s music is a blend of country with some 90s R&B. Pickup a copy of “Montevallo” on iTunes now!
The Lipstick Graffiti Tour, Sam’s first headlining tour, sold out in just minutes in venues around the country. If you missed out on getting tickets, stay tuned for more dates!
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