It’s always interesting to see how an artist goes viral these days. Our latest artist to watch, Chris Janson, shot to the top of the charts after his single “Buy Me A Boat” was played on the Bobby Bones Show. He spun this track to rave reviews (twice in an hour once which on radio is almost unheard of) and soon enough the track climbed the iTunes charts, kicking Sam Hunt and Little Big Town out of the top spots on the country chart, while also reaching #7 on the overall chart. Pretty impressive for any artist, let alone an unsigned one! Head to Rolling Stone for more of Chris’ remarkable story.
Of course, social media played a part as well, as more and more people shared the track on Twitter. We have to thank Dan Smyers (of Dan+Shay) for introducing us to this one. And we’ve had it on repeat ever since! Take a listen below, and you’ll see what we mean.
The song’s popularity hasn’t gone unnoticed by the industry. Last week, CMT announced plans to produce a music video for the song, a first in the network’s history. We wouldn’t be surprised to see it shoot to #1 on the CMT Hot 20 Countdown, too! And Chris Janson is an independent artist no longer – he just inked a deal with Warner Nashville, and shared this perfect photo to make the announcement.
It’s official! The second single off of Hunter Hayes’ new album “Storyline” is “Tattoo!” Hunter performed the song on the CMT Awards this week. This is one of our favorite tracks off the album, and is sure to be one of the biggest songs of the summer!
As if we weren’t excited enough about one Hunter performance at the CMT Awards, he also teamed up with John Legend and Jennifer Nettles for a special arrangement of “All of Me,” done by the man himself. We’d be totally okay if Hunter arranged more songs on the radio. And we love how into the performance he is, as always! Watch Hunter’s rehearsal session for the performance below.
Are you ready for AJR? The band, comprised of brothers Adam, Jack and Ryan Met, has quickly gained momentum since their single “I’m Ready” was released last fall. The video recently passed 1 million views on Youtube! The song has since entered radio rotation around the country, and doesn’t look like it’s slowing down any time soon. It’s impossible to hear this song and not clap along!
The brothers stopped by Saturday Night Online over the weekend to officially premiere the single and to answer a few fan questions. When we heard “I’m Ready” on the radio for the first time last week, we had a total That Thing You Do moment! (Shout out to 106.1 BLI for the AJR love!)
AJR will be playing the 106.1 BLI Summer Jam with artists like Austin Mahone, Jason Derulo, and Cody Simpson on June 1st at Nikon Jones Beach Theatre, as well as a few other radio shows around the country. You can also see AJR opening for Lindsey Stirling on her summer tour! Check out all the dates below!
AJR Summer 2014 Tour Dates
May 17th: Rixton – The Basement in Columbus, OH – Buy Tickets May 18th: 103.7 The Q’s Just Show Up Show – The Tin Roof in Birmingham, AL – More Info May 20th: K945 I’m Ready for Crazy Stupid Killer Summer Kickoff – Red River District in Shreveport, LA – More Info May 24th – Lake Palestine Palooza – Flint, TX – More Info June 1st: 106.1 BLI Summer Jamat Nikon Jones Beach Theatre in Wantagh, NY – Buy Tickets June 3rd: 98PXY Summer Jam at Frontier Field in Rochester, NY – Buy Tickets June 5th – Hot 107.9 Presents AJR – Destiny USA – Syracuse, NY – More Info June 6th: KIIS 98.5 Buffalo Kiss The Summer Hello – Canalside in Buffalo, NY – Buy Tickets June 7th: Fly 92.3 Summer Jam at the Saratoga springs Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, NY – Buy Tickets June 8th: K104.7 K Fest at the Dutchess Stadium in Poughkeepsie, NY – Buy Tickets
With Lindsey Stirling
June 16th – Metropolis – Montreal, QC –Buy Tickets June 17th – House Of Blues – Boston, MA – Buy Tickets June 18th – Terminal 5 – New York, NY – Buy Tickets June 20th – Starland Ballroom – Sayreville, NJ – Buy Tickets June 21st – The Space at Westbury – Westbury, NY – Buy Tickets June 23rd – Electric Factory – Philadelphia, PA – Buy Tickets June 24th – Echo Stage – Washington, DC – Buy Tickets June 26th – The NorVa – Norfolk, VA – Buy Tickets June 27th – The Fillmore – Charlotte, NC – Buy Tickets June 28th – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN – Buy Tickets June 30th – Track 29 – Chattanooga, TN – Buy Tickets July 1st – Masquerade Music Park – Atlanta, GA – Buy Tickets July 2nd – Jannus Live – St. Petersburg, FL – Buy Tickets July 3rd – Hard Rock Live – Orlando, FL – Buy Tickets July 5th – Sunset Cove Amphitheatre – Boca Raton, FL – Buy Tickets July 7th – Iron City – Birmingham, AL – Buy Tickets July 8th – House Of Blues – New Orleans, LA – Buy Tickets July 10th – Bayou Music Center – Houston, TX – Buy Tickets July 11th – Stubb’s BBQ – Austin, TX – Buy Tickets July 12th – South Side Ballroom – Dallas, TX – Buy Tickets
September 6th-7th – LouFest – Forest Park – St Louis, MO – Buy Tickets
Can’t wait for summer? You can see AJR in Philadelphia this Saturday, April 19th, at World Cafe Live, and in Los Angeles on Tuesday, April 22nd. Get your tickets now!
Be sure to follow AJR & Secret Fangirls on Twitter for more updates! Pickup a copy of the “I’m Ready” EP on iTunes or Amazon!
NYC-based indie pop band AJR took to social media to share a letter with their fans announcing that their self-made label, AJR Productions, has entered into a partnership with Warner Brothers Records. The unique arrangement will allow for the band to retain full creative control over their music, photos, videos, merchandise, etc, but ultimately allow for greater distribution. Read the full letter below:
We’re looking forward to see what this year has in store for AJR! Brothers Adam, Jack and Ryan Met have done an incredible job thus far of gaining support on their own, and this new partnership will definitely take the band to the next level. One of the things we admire about AJR is that their music has only been touched by their hands: from songwriting to producing and recording. We love that they promise to still write and record from their living room, and can’t wait to hear even more of their “folky-electronic-doowop-indie-pop music.”
Their single, “I’m Ready,” has been gaining a lot of radio play nationwide, and the video recently hit 1 Million views on Youtube! Check it out below! (It’s a serious case of life imitating art).
AJR will be playing several radio festivals this summer, joining artists like Austin Mahone, Jason Derulo, Cody Simpson and Karmin. Check out the dates below!
AJR Summer Radio Tour Dates:
June 1st: BLI Summer Jam at Nikon Jones Beach Theatre in Wantagh, NY – Buy Tickets
June 3rd: 98PXY Summer Jam at Frontier Field in Rochester, NY – Buy Tickets
June 6th: KISS 98.5 Buffalo Kiss the Summer Hello – Canalside in Buffalo, NY – Buy Tickets
June 7th: Fly 92.3 Summer Jam at the Saratoga Springs Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, NY – Buy Tickets
June 8th: K104.7 K Fest at the Dutchess Stadium in Poughkeepsie, NY – Buy Tickets
AJR will also be opening for Lindsey Stirling this summer, check out the dates below!
June 16th – Metropolis – Montreal, QC – Buy Tickets
June 17th – House Of Blues – Boston, MA – Buy Tickets June 18th – Terminal 5 – New York, NY – Buy Tickets June 20th – Starland Ballroom – Sayreville, NJ – Buy Tickets June 21st – The Space at Westbury – Westbury, NY – Buy Tickets June 23rd – Electric Factory – Philadelphia, PA – Buy Tickets June 24th – Echo Stage – Washington, DC – Buy Tickets June 26th – The NorVa – Norfolk, VA – Buy Tickets June 27th – The Fillmore – Charlotte, NC – Buy Tickets Jun 28th – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN – Buy Tickets June 30th – Track 29 – Chattanooga, TN – Buy Tickets July 1st – Masquerade Music Park – Atlanta, GA – Buy Tickets July 2nd – Jannus Live – St. Petersburg, FL – Buy Tickets July 3rd – Hard Rock Live – Orlando, FL – Buy Tickets July 5th – Sunset Cove Amphitheatre – Boca Raton, FL – Buy Tickets July 7th – Iron City – Birmingham, AL – Buy Tickets July 8th – House Of Blues – New Orleans, LA – Buy Tickets July 10th – Bayou Music Center – Houston, TX – Buy Tickets July 11th – Stubb’s BBQ – Austin, TX – Buy Tickets July 12th – South Side Ballroom – Dallas, TX – Buy Tickets
