Do you follow us on instagram?! You should! If not, here’s a peek of Country Heartbeat‘s 9 most liked photos of 2016! I can’t wait to see what concerts and experiences 2017 brings!
ACM Week
New Music Monday – Runaway June “Lipstick”
Impacting TODAY 5/23/16!
These girls stole my heart in Vegas at the BBR Music Group brunch (during ACM week), when they were introduced and performed 3 of their songs. Watch the video below of “Lipstick” and let me know what you think about these ladies! I’m trying so hard to get them here this summer! This song is catchy and sure to fly up the country music charts, and with female artists on the rise, these ladies are going in the right direction. Country is taking a slight turn from “bro-country” and starting to focus on the ladies!
If you’re gonna love somebody / Yeah you better love somebody/ Who ruins your lipstick, not your mascara / So if you’re gonna love somebody / Yeah you better love somebody / That keeps those pretty blue eyes as dry as the Sahara / If you’re gonna love somebody / Yeah you better love somebody / Who ruins your lipstick, not your mascara ❤
If you want to check out more about Runaway June and their music, check out their website and follow them on twitter!
ACM Week – Day 3 – Women Of Country
Friday 4/1/16
Total girl confession first off; I totally loved my outfit for Friday and wanted to have a mini photo shoot by the pool where we were staying with Jencita’s family. So we did.
First on our agenda for Friday was a meet and greet with Thomas Rhett at the BMLG Music Has Value pop-up store at the MGM Grand at 1:30pm. One hundred people received wristbands to meet Thomas by purchasing some Music Has Value merchandise from the shop and then there was an “if he has time” line. Since I didn’t have a physical copy of his recent album Tangled Up (I know, shame on me!), I purchased that for him to sign. One thing I learned that day? I probably shouldn’t wear white/ivory. My shirt had a lipstick stain on it within 5 minutes of arriving at MGM. So typical of me!
Party For a Cause festival gates opened at 3pm on Friday, so Jencita and I drove down to the other end of the strip, to the new MGM Grand Festival Grounds, across from the SLS Hotel. Part of my goal during this years ACM week was to keep my radio station and all of it’s listeners, WPOR 101.9, informed with an inside look!
ACM Week Recap – Day 2 – Cali to Vegas
Part 1: ROAD TRIP!
Jencita and I left in the morning (after a quick photoshoot with Madison!) for a 3.5 hour road trip from California to Las Vegas, which ended up actually being a lot of fun! We finished getting ready in the bathroom at MGM Grand and our first stop of the trip was at Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club in the “Underground” section of MGM Grand.
We were a couple of the very few people who were present at a special taping of ACM Sessions with Brandy Clark, which included a question and answer session with Lisa Lee, the SVP of Creative & Content Production for the Academy of Country Music. You can watch the entire Q&A session below!
Vegas Bound for “The Week Vegas Goes Country”!
I’m a strong believer in chasing dreams, and I know that you must do whatever it takes to make your dreams happen! Blood, sweat & tears! I spent the entire month of March picking up extra jobs and extra hours from various places, hustling, and busting my butt to be able to afford to go to Vegas for ACM week this year. I’ve worked HARD, and I’ve earned it! I wasn’t willing to accept not being there this year, especially with this being the last ACM week before the big Nashville move! There are a lot of connections to make, tons of networking opportunities, and some amazing performances that I hope to catch! I’m also extremely excited about escaping the cold and the upcoming snow predictions!
I will be sharing my adventures LIVE on snapchat! You can add me manually at @country_hrtbeat or scan my snap code below! I can guarantee that my “stories” will be filled with some exclusive behind-the-scenes stuff! You definitely don’t want to miss out!
I will also be posting photos to an album on my facebook page, so go LIKE my page and follow along for updates throughout the course of the week! It will almost be like you’re right there with me! Feel free to live vicariously through me!
New Country Themed Bar Opens at MGM Grand
This discovery had me jumping out of my chair this morning. GUESS WHAT MGM GRAND NOW HAS JUST IN TIME FOR ACM WEEK?!?!?! LOSERS Bar & Grill! Straight from Nashville! This is going to be a SUPER popular place for those staying at MGM Grand during the epic “Week Vegas Goes Country”! Opened in late 2015, this place took the place of Rouge in “The District” section of MGM Grand. Maybe there will be some live entertainment over the weekend! Keep checking in with Country Heartbeat as the dates get closer! (Most up-to-date information can always be found on our Twitter!)
For those of you who aren’t familiar, Losers is a bar in Midtown (Nashville) that is popular spot among tourists and country fans visiting the area. Full of dive-bar charm, Losers hosts live bands and cheap drinks and is usually packed. Ironically, it’s also next door to a bar called Winners. It’s definitely a must-visit place if you ever take a trip to Music City!
Are you going to be in Vegas for ACM Week? Let me know in the comments below what you are most excited for! If you don’t have plans to go this year, make sure to add it to your bucket list if you’re a huge country fan! I’ve been hooked since 2011 when I first won the “Dream Trip of a Lifetime”!
ACM Party For A Cause Survival Guide!
I’m so exited to share with y’all that I’ve officially written my first guest post for the website, Stage Right Secrets!
As all of you may already know, my passion for the ACM Awards and “The Week Vegas Goes Country” runs deep. My first trip in 2011 changed my life! All of my dreams of finding a soulmate and starting a family did a complete circle and I realized that I wanted to be a part of the country music scene that I fell so deeply in love with that weekend in Vegas. It became a goal to find a way to get there every year afterward! Since then, I’ve gone in 2011, 2013 and 2014. (I had no interest in going last year when it was in Dallas, TX.)
Are you planning on attending the 3 day festival this year? If so, take a look at these tips and tricks from a seasoned veteran, so that you’re fully prepared!
ACM Party For A Cause Survival Guide
Reflections & What I Want In 2016
Lately I’ve been finding myself comparing my twitter/instagram/facebook page to others in this world of country fan sites/blogs. I’m noticing how many followers they have in comparison with me, and I know this is partially due to the fact that they are on top of the latest news stories that fans want to hear. I swore in the beginning that I would not be one of those sites/blogs, whose purpose is to relay the latest gossip in the country music industry or keep fans with the most up to date information. Nothing against them, because clearly they have hundreds of thousands more followers than I do… but I want my blog, my brand, Country Heartbeat to be a bit more personal. To tell a story. MY story. I want to introduce you to this life that I lead, that yeah, happens to be immersed in country music. It’s the thing I’m most passionate about, and much to my boyfriend’s dismay, comes first above everything. I want to inspire people to chase their dreams, to step out of their comfort zone, to grab hold of something that they love and take a leap of faith, to do things they never thought they could do.
I had a talk with a close friend recently that helped me realize that out of our group of friends, or even out of the people in this local area… heck, even in all of Maine… don’t love the industry in the same way that I do. One of my best friends since early childhood, God love her, once commented on my new profile picture with Lee Brice on his tour bus and asked, “Is that your new man?”. Oh, sweet Jesus. These people around here just don’t get it.
That’s why I’ve got to get to Nashville, and soon. That’s why I love every minute of “The Week Vegas Goes Country” aka ACM week, where I can surround myself with those friends who are as passionate about country music as I am. I’ve got friends from California, South Dakota, Minnesota, Florida, Ohio… all these people come together in Vegas and are as crazy about it as I am.
Country Heartbeat 