Author: Brennen Kelly

Hailing from the Chicagoland area, Brennen graduated from Valparaiso University with a BA in Communication and a minor in Cinema and Media Studies. After covering Arts & Entertainment at his university's newspaper, he began writing for Country Chord in March of 2023. Known for his love of independent country and authentic songwriters, Brennen has a long-history of championing the likes of Zach Bryan, Jason Isbell, Tyler Childers and many others.

After releasing one of the most successful debut albums in the streaming age with Religiously back in 2023 and continuing his success throughout 2024 with his fourth consecutive #1 hit, Where It Ends, there’s no denying that Bailey Zimmerman is one of the hottest stars in pop country at the moment. With his current single, “Holy Smokes,” continuing to climb the charts, Zimmerman just announced that he’s hitting the road this summer on his brand new New To Country tour, named after his single released back in June. In the Instagram post announcing the tour, the “Rock and a Hard…

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Slow news day. As of late, it seems as if Zach Top can do no wrong. Whether it’s bringing back the classic ’90s sound that everyone has been craving, ripping cigarettes on stage or pouring beer in his Cheerios, Zach Top has quickly become a star in the genre. Even out of the studio, it seems like Top is gaining fans by the second, appearing with the likes of Riley Green and Post Malone in concert and providing some hilarious interview clips wherever he goes. Yesterday, Nick & Kristen, a married radio duo based in Portland, Oregon, took to TikTok…

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Need it ASAP. Coming off a breakout year in 2024 which included a Billboard Music Award nomination for Best Country Duo/Group, over 500 million streams on Spotify alone and a plethora of different festival appearances including Lalapalooza, it’s safe to say Treaty Oak Revival is one of the hottest bands in the genre. Keeping the momentum into the new year, Treaty Oak just took to X to announce that they are officially in the studio recording their brand-new album with the post reading, “So it begins 👀 #album3.” The new project will mark the third entry in the Texas band’s…

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A return to form in 2025? There’s no denying that Parker McCollum has reached star status at this point. With three #1 hits under his belt, four certified platinum tracks and a headlining appearance at nearly every country festival over the past year, the “Hell of a Year” singer has undoubtedly made an impact in the mainstream after years of being a Texas country darling. The major success hasn’t come without its share of criticism, however. Despite not changing his sound dramatically, much in the vein of many artists currently occupying country radio’s Top 10 list, many have accused McCollum…

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Need this on streaming services ASAP. On a star-studded night featuring the likes of Chris Stapleton, Zach Top, Megan Moroney and many more during CBS’s New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville, Eric Church may have single-handedly stolen the show with a killer medley of “Take Me To The River” and his 2009 hit, “Smoke A Little Smoke” live from his Nashville bar, Chiefs. If you’re a fan of Church, you’ll know that the “Springsteen” singer is no stranger to covers. Whether it’s his knockout covers of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “The Ballad of Curtis Loew,” Willie Nelson’s “Me and Paul” or Guess Who’s…

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Let’s put our tinfoil hats on for this one. As everyone knows by now, Morgan Wallen surprise dropped his fourth and final single of the year, “Smile” last night just in time for New Year’s. Though the song had been teased since August, the “Last Night” singer dropped the track completely out of the blue with zero promotion ahead of time. Along with the brand new song, Wallen also dropped a music video to go with it, featuring none other than Barstool podcaster and comedian, Caleb Pressley, who recently collaborated with Wallen on a Ryl Tea ad back in August. Directed…

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