Best New Country Songs

We haven't even gone to bed yet and we're already back to work! After an action-packed evening at the 60th annual ACM Awards in Frisco, Texas, some of country's biggest stars are back at it, releasing new music while the night's still young. We've got new songs this week from Blake Shelton, Parker McCollum and Reba, Miranda and Lainey all rolling through to the morning.

That's right, folks, it's time for another of our weekly roundups of all the biggest and best new releases from the world of country and americana.

Listen along to our Holler Best New Country playlist on Spotify, YouTube, Amazon and Apple Music.

This week's Best New Country cover stars are Megan Moroney and Kenny Chesney. After the pair spent most of last year out on the road together on the Sun Goes Down Tour, their friendship blossomed, and they spent the months after it ended sharing sweet messages of praise and affection for each other.

When Megan shared an Instagram carousel from St. John - a place that has inspired much of Kenny's sun-soaked, beach ready hits - which included a clip of them both singing along to an unknown song, fans of the friendship went into meltdown hoping it was an unreleased collaboration.

Now the officially cutest friendship in country music has its very own 'You've Got a Friend in Me,' as Megan Moroney and Kenny Chesney release the heart-meltingly adorable 'You Had To Be There.'

"As y’all know, I write about things that are important to me," Megan Moroney wrote on her socials about the song. "The Sun Goes Down tour and becoming friends with Kenny Chesney last summer was undoubtedly a highlight of my career and my life. I wrote out the lyrics and gifted this song to him for Christmas and thankfully he loved it."

"It sounds like a Kenny Chesney song and it's just really authentic to the story of what happened," Megan shared about the song. "The first verse is me getting ready for the concert in 2018 - I was a sophomore in college when I went and saw him in Atlanta - and the second verse comes round and says, 'Seven years later got a different point of view,' because obviously seven years later I was on tour with Kenny Chesney."

"I had no idea if Kenny was gonna like the song," she adds, remembering the first time she played it to him on vacation with Kenny on New Years Day this year. "I was so nervous, cos I was like, how do you show Kenny Chesney, who has eight million hits, a song that you wrote. He ended up loving it and we listened to it eight thousand more times on that trip."

"I couldn't believe it," Kenny Chesney says about the song. "It was a true postcard of everything we experienced out on the road. The ups, the downs, the Miami trip, all of it."

Watch the official video for 'You Had To Be There' below

Megan and Kenny aren't the only ones playing Woody and Buzz this week. We've got duets from Thomas Rhett and Tucker Wetmore and Lauren Alaina and Chase Matthew partner up for 'All My Exes.' Fresh from being revealed as the man behind the Mad Scientist Monster on the Masked Singer, Brian Kelley pops up again to join his buddy Huntt Garrett on 'Meet Me At The Bar' and Shelby Means gives us another taste of her forthcoming self-titled album with Billy 'Suitcase Blues' featuring Billy Strings.

Fresh from the red carpet last night, we've got the blockbuster trio, Reba, Lainey and Miranda, with a heartfelt tribute to the pioneering women of country music who paved the way for future generations. Written by Lambert, Wilson and Brandy Clark 'Trailblazer' celebrates the strength, resilience, and individuality of female artists, blending vivid imagery and deep emotion to honor their legacy and express gratitude for the paths they forged.

Elsewhere in this week's Best New Country we've got new songs from Avery Anna, Chris Lane and Kashus Culpepper. Plus, Morgan Wallen gives us another early listen to one of the 37 songs from his new album, I'm The Problem, with the touching tribute to his 4-year-old son, Indigo Wilder, 'Superman.'

Wallen originally teased the up-tempo ballad, which he co-wrote alongside Ryan Vojtesak, John Byron, Blake Pendergrass and James Maddocks, on Instagram in February.

Wallen opened up about the song on Theo Von's This Past Weekend stating, “I've tried so many times to write a song like that for him, and it always fell flat. I also didn't want to write a song to him that was all sappy and slow, and just what you would expect a dad's son song to be. That song has been written plenty enough and I wanted it to keep a little bit of my sound and my swag and just to be honest. And I feel like we accomplished that when we wrote it.”

With Mother's Day just around the corner, country music's finest come out in honour of all the amazing, hardworking, hilarious, ever loving moms out there who tirelessly support us, love us and care for us all.

18-year-old singer, songwriter and one of country music's good eggs, Waylon Wyatt releases 'Sincerely, Your Son,' a song that captures his innocence by sharing his unwavering love and appreciation for his parents. The track is written as a letter to his parents from the road, specifically his mom who is the local town mail-lady and isn’t able to make it to many of his shows.

On the day of release, Waylon will also be playing Red Rocks for the first time – supporting Turnpike Troubadours, then back to Arkansas for his high school graduation on Monday.

We've got new Mother's Day songs Carrie Cunningham with 'Mama Strings' and Karissa Ella releases a video filmed at Patsy Cline’s home in Tennessee for her recent single 'Mama's Do,' a song that reflects the sacred bond between mother and her children through the lens of advice on a romantic heartbreak. While Naomi Johnson follows up 'Bricks Make Houses' from earlier in the year with 'Mama Ain't Jesus,' a raw reflection on new motherhood, born from Naomi’s own near-death experience during childbirth and a powerful statement on the strength, imperfection, and fierce love that defines what it means to be a mom - especially when you’re doing it without a blueprint.

All that plus new songs from Ole 60, Brooke Law, Thelma & James, Hayden Pedigo, Jesse Daniel, Cole Swindell, Dillon Carmichael, Marcus King Band, Next of Kin and Jackson Dean.

Watch the official lyric video for Waylon Wyatt's 'Sincerely, Your Son' below

We've got songs from new albums this week from Maren Morris, Tristan Roberson, Anne Harris, Lila Forde and Jack Van Cleaf's new JVC record and big new EPs from Simeon Hammond Dallas, Ben Gallaher, Chuckie Brown and Merrick Winter. Plus, after nearly four years since his last studio album, Blake Shelton is back with For Recreational Use Only, his highly anticipated debut for BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville, reaffirming his place as one of country music's absolute finest.

“It’s been a long time since we had a new album out, and I want to thank the songwriters and musicians who helped bring this record to life,” said Shelton. “Scott Hendricks and I have been working on this music for years, and I’m beyond excited to finally share it with the fans.”

Spanning 12 tracks, For Recreational Use Only captures life’s highs and lows with authentic storytelling, raw emotion, and unforgettable melodies. The album also features special guest appearances from superstar Gwen Stefani, country legend John Anderson, and longtime friend and tourmate Craig Morgan.

After kicking it all off with her back in February when we premiered 'Watchin' the World Pass Me By' and announced the album, Kristina Murray's Little Blue is finally out in the world. If any album released this week is going to end up in your end of year lists, it's going to be this one. It's an absolute country classic from start to finish, and the kind of record that gives country music back its good name.

Tipping his hat to the next generation of country music and introducing DeVille Records, ERNEST is joined by Chandler Walters, Cody Lohden, and Rhys Rutherford on this trailblazing compilation album, Cadillac Sessions, as they take us back to the lyrical and instrumental era of Merle Haggard and Alabama. Drenched in steel guitar and itching to be played on a jukebox, DeVille Records evokes the pillars of country music through Cadillac Sessions.

All-women trios are a rare and precious thing in country music. The Chicks, Pistol Annies, SHEdaisy, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris, and now Reba, Lainey and Miranda. They might not come along that often, but when they do, good lord, they are a force to be reckoned with.

This week we're shining our magical Holler spotlight onto the new EP from Next of Kin. A bit like when the Ghostbusters cross the streams of their proton beams, there’s something about the way Madison, Lili and Caelin harmonies fuse into each other that creates something explosive when they sing together.

The Austin, Texas-based, queer country trio release their debut five-song EP Homemaker today and we've got 'Cruel' from it in our playlist today.

Check out this week's new country and americana song releases and listen to the full playlist below:

1. 1.

   You Had To Be There (feat. Kenny Chesney)

   Megan Moroney

2. 2.

   Superman

   Morgan Wallen

3. 3.

   Hangin' On

   Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani

4. 4.

   Small Town Girls

   Thomas Rhett and Tucker Wetmore

5. 5.

   Trailblazer (with Lainey Wilson and Miranda Lambert)

   Reba McEntire

6. 6.

   what are friends for?

   Avery Anna

7. 7.

   Big Sky

   Parker McCollum

8. 8.

   Standing In The Sun

   Dierks Bentley

9. 9.

   Sincerely, Your Son

   Waylon Wyatt

10. 10.

    Cruel

    Next of Kin

11. 11.

    Did It Anyway

    ERNEST

12. 12.

    Get Down To It (feat. Logan Ledger)

    Kristina Murray

13. 13.

    Dirty Dancing

    Cole Swindell

14. 14.

    Mountain Home

    Jesse Daniel

15. 15.

    Suitcase Blues

    Shelby Means

16. 16.

    Nancy Avenue

    Ole 60

17. 17.

    Wisteria Bouquet

    Presley Haile

18. 18.

    Chainsmokin' Memories

    Thelma & James

19. 19.

    All My Exes (feat. Chase Matthew)

    Lauren Alaina

20. 20.

    Western Wind

    Kalsey Kulyk

21. 21.

    Be Your Man

    Jackson Dean

22. 22.

    Man Of His Word

    Kashus Culpepper

23. 23.

    Sacred

    Elijah Berlow

24. 24.

    Wild and Clear and Blue

    I'm With Her

25. 25.

    Household Name

    Copper Flats

26. 26.

    Mama Ain't Jesus

    Naomi Johnson

27. 27.

    Shade Tree

    Chris Lane

28. 28.

    Honky Tonk Hell

    The Marcus King Band

29. 29.

    Nice Girl

    Sacha

30. 30.

    Someday You Will

    Halle Kearns

31. 31.

    too good

    Maren Morris

32. 32.

    Seventeen

    Simeon Hammond Dallas

33. 33.

    Ten Year Town

    Joshua Quimby

34. 34.

    I'll Be Waving As You Drive Away

    Hayden Pedigo

35. 35.

    Pretty Eyes Lorraine

    Florry

36. 36.

    More Than a Friend

    Ava McCoy

37. 37.

    Sweet Iced Tea

    Stephen Day and Allen Stone

38. 38.

    Big World

    Brooke Law

39. 39.

    Cattywampus

    Braden Jamison

40. 40.

    Rock Song

    Pecos & The Rooftops

41. 41.

    Heaven Is A Honky Tonk

    RaeLynn

42. 42.

    Meet Me At The Bar

    Huntt Garrett and Brian Kelley

43. 43.

    Oklahoma on Saturdays

    Maggie Baugh

44. 44.

    Sick Of Being Sober

    Travis Denning

45. 45.

    Out Of The Blue

    Jordana Bryant and Joseph O'Brien

46. 46.

    Pieces I Kept

    Kelsey Lamb

47. 47.

    Love Me Anyway

    LECADE

48. 48.

    We're Back Baby

    The Reklaws

49. 49.

    Sober Truth

    Aaron Watson

50. 50.

    Raised Up Wrong

    Dillon Carmichael

51. 51.

    My Town Too

    Tyler Farr

52. 52.

    Livin' Missing You

    Hayden Blount

53. 53.

    Happy Never After

    Sterling Elza

54. 54.

    Going West

    Peech.

55. 55.

    Dogs Don't Die

    Tyler Rich

56. 56.

    Nobody Else

    Payton Smith

57. 57.

    All Out Of Me

    Callum Kerr

58. 58.

    Call Home

    Anslee Davidson

59. 59.

    I'm Fine

    Noah Brigden

60. 60.

    Strawberry Sweet

    Gray Robinson

61. 61.

    Lucy Dear

    Max Alan

62. 62.

    Bullet

    Ben Gallaher

63. 63.

    Damn Yankee

    Aidan Canfield

64. 64.

    Bipolar Heart

    Something Out West

65. 65.

    Better Than The Day

    Brandon Wisham

66. 66.

    Knee Deep In A River

    James Dupre

67. 67.

    Keep Me Up

    Hayden Haddock

68. 68.

    She Would've Loved This

    Brooke Lee

69. 69.

    Kid Again

    Edward Smith

70. 70.

    Watch Me

    Sicily Rose

71. 71.

    Hikkomori

    Jack Van Cleaf

72. 72.

    Looking Back

    Lord Huron

73. 73.

    Another Life

    Nate Good

74. 74.

    She Misses Being Mrs.

    Trey Calloway

75. 75.

    Star Stickers

    Julia Sanders

76. 76.

    Mama Strings

    Carrie Cunningham

77. 77.

    Growing Up And Growing Old

    Matthew West

78. 78.

    Means More Now

    Hannah Anders

79. 79.

    Highs & Lows

    Emma Grace Glover

80. 80.

    The Jones

    Chuckie Brown

81. 81.

    Alki Beach

    Merrick Winter

82. 82.

    Can't Find My Way

    Anne Harris

83. 83.

    Vessel

    Lila Forde

84. 84.

    Country Boy For That

    Will Carter Band

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For more of the finest country playlists from Holler, see below: