STATE OF THE STATE: BIG MACHINE

House Borchetta’s well-rounded roster and canny partnerships have produced a fleet of hits, breakthroughs in new territory and high-profile new looks from iconic stars.

Singer Carly Pearce had a spectacular year, scoring two #1s, “What He Didn’t Do” and “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” f/Ashley McBryde; the latter scored a Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. Pearce’s latest single, “We Don’t Fight Anymore” f/Chris Stapleton, dropped last month.

Thomas Rhett celebrated his 20th #1 with “Half of Me” f/Riley Green; a special vinyl drop made an excellent party favor. Other chart-toppers came from Jackson Dean (“Don’t Come Lookin’”) and Justin Moore (“With a Woman You Love”).

The label group’s forward-looking partnership with Blac Noize! yielded a huge streaming smash with the hip-hop giant “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” by GloRilla and Hitkidd, demonstrating Team Borchetta’s ability to score in genres well outside Nashville’s traditional purview. The now-platinum hit notched a Grammy nom for Best Rap Performance and was a BET Awards nominee for Song of the Year.

Look for American treasure (and this issue’s cover model) Dolly Parton to release her superstar-studded Rockstar album on 11/17 in the wake of her Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. A fresh set from another country great, Tim McGraw, is also in the offing. Look for more new music from Riley Green, Brett Young and The Struts.

BMLG’s keen A&R team snapped up rising talents like troubadour Chase McDaniel, hit songwriter Greylan James and (with new JV The Hard Working Record Company) indie-pop breakout Dylan Matthew, not to mention veteran noisemaker Chris Daughtry. Expect more new inking announcements in the near future. Meanwhile, publishing arm Big Machine Music—on the occasion of its 11th anniversary—announced the re-upping of Jessie Jo Dillon, Laura Veltz and Maddie & Tae.

All in all, a company with a purring engine. Speaking of which, the Big Machine Grand Prix will be held on 8/4-6.