On Wednesday, November 14th Keith Urban was crowned 2018's CMA Entertainer of the Year.

Urban accepted the award as he wiped away tears and told the audience he was "shocked beyond shocked."

Natalie Hemby, known for penning No. 1 songs including “Downtown” (Lady Antebellum) and “Pontoon” (Little Big Town), has inked a global publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group.

The Nashville native has also written chart-topping songs including Little Big Town’s “Tornado,” Miranda Lambert’s “White Liar,” “Only Prettier,” “Baggage Claim” and “Automatic,” in addition to 10 tracks on Lambert’s double-album The Weight Of These Wings. Other hits in Hemby’s catalog include Kelly Clarkson’s “Don’t Rush” (ft. Vince Gill), Justin Moore’s “You Look Like I Need A Drink,” “A Little More Love,” with Jerrod Niemann and Lee Brice, and the Labrinth hit, “Jealous.”

NASHVILLE – July 23, 2018 – Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), a leading, global music publishing company, today announced that country music superstar Chris Young has been signed to a global publishing deal.
 
Boasting an outstanding track record, Young (RCA Records Nashville) is a Grammy and ACM-nominated vocalist with seventeen Gold, Platinum and Multi-Platinum-certified projects before the age of 33. He has recorded ten chart-topping singles including the co-written back-to-back No. 1s “Losing Sleep,” “Sober Saturday Night,” “Think Of You” and “I’m Comin’ Over.” In addition to penning his own hits, Young has also written songs recorded by Kane Brown, Jackie Lee and The Shires.

“Chris Young is a publisher’s dream. He’s a gifted songwriter, incredible vocalist and selling out arenas on his current headlining tour. We’re honored and thrilled that he has joined the UMPG family and look forward to an exciting future together,” said Kent Earls, Executive Vice President and General Manager, UMPG Nashville.

"Kent, Ron Stuve, Cyndi Forman, Evan Lamberg and everyone at Universal Music Publishing are passionate about my work as a songwriter and what can be accomplished together in the future. I can’t wait to see where we will go together as a team,” said Young.

UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING NASHVILLE SIGNS GREYLAN JAMES TO GLOBAL PUBLISHING DEAL

NASHVILLE, June 13, 2018 -- Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), a leading, global music publishing company, today announced singer-songwriter Greylan James has been signed to a global publishing deal.

Raised outside of Knoxville, James has been writing songs since age thirteen. At 18-years-old, he was signed to his first publishing deal by Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame inductee Bob DiPiero. James appeared on Season Four of NBC’s The Voice. He was also featured in Guitar Center Magazine’s Brotherhood of the Guitar Top 100, which ranks the top guitarists in the world under the age of 21.

“I am incredibly honored to be a part of UMPG’s roster of talented artists and songwriters.
The passion and excitement they show for the creative process lets me know I found my home.
I can’t wait to see what we can stir up together!” said James. “Special thanks to Kent, Ron, Travis and the rest of my Universal crew for welcoming me to the family.”


 

NASHVILLE – January 18, 2018 – Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), a leading global music publishing company, today announced that versatile Nashville songwriter Josh Hoge has signed a global publishing deal.

A Franklin, Tennessee native, Hoge is known for his versatile and cross-genre songwriting style. He has co-penned number one hit songs “Think of You” and “I’m Comin’ Over” for country musician Chris Young, as well as six songs on the artist’s latest LP, including title track and lead single “Losing Sleep.” Hoge also co-wrote Kane Brown’s certified gold song "Used to Love You Sober" and charted single “Thunder in the Rain.” In 2016, Hoge was named SESAC Songwriter of the year.  

Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) has signed an exclusive global publishing deal with country music songwriter Derrick Southerland.

“Universal has such an incredible team and I feel lucky to be a part of it. The artists and writers at UMPG are inspiring and humbling to be around, and the pluggers are the kind of champions every writer is searching for on Music Row,” said Southerland. “I’m so thankful that Kent and Missy made me a part of such a talented roster, and I’m looking forward to sharing success together!”

Kent Earls, UMPG Nashville Executive Vice President and General Manager, said, “An exciting addition to our UMPG Nashville roster, Derrick is a wonderfully gifted songwriter with a talent for collaborating with writers across genres to create hits. Between his work ethic and lyrical sensibilities, we are honored that he has joined us and look forward to his future success.”

Kane Brown is the first artist to reign at the top of all five Billboard main country charts at the same time. 

As of October 16th, Kane Brown’s “What Ifs” leads Billboard’s Top Country Albums, Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay, Country Streaming Songs, and Country Digital Song Sales. When “What Ifs” took over the number one spot on the Hot Country Songs chart it replaced Sam Hunt’s “Body Like a Back Road” which dominated the chart for a record breaking 34 weeks. Billboard’s Hot County Songs chart blends airplay, streaming, and sales data. 

Congratulations to UMPG writers Keith Urban and Sam Hunt on your CMA Nominations. 

Keith Urban leads the CMA nominees with a total of five nominations including Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Single of the Year, Song of the Year, and Music Video of the Year for “Blue Ain’t Your Color.” This is Urban’s 10th time being nominated for CMA’s highest honor, Entertainer of the Year. 

Sam Hunt’s record breaking 34 week #1 song, “Body Like a Back Road,” earned him nominations for Single of the Year and Song of the Year. 

The 51st Annual CMA Awards will broadcast live from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 8, at 8PM EST on ABC. 

 

In the wake of Paul DiGiovanni’s first number one country song, Dan + Shay’s “How Not To,” Billboard sat down with him to discuss his recent success.

Congratulations to UMPG Nashville writers Keith Urban, Kane Brown, and Luke Laird on there ACM Nominations. 

The incredible Keith Urban leads the ACM Awards with seven nominations including Album of the Year, Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Single Record of the Year, and Song of the Year. Kane Brown earns his first ACM nomination for New Male Vocalist of the Year. Lori McKenna's "Humble and Kind" scores a nomination for Song of the Year. And Luke Laird's unparalleled talents has earned him a nomination for Songwriter of the Year.