STATE OF THE STATE: MONUMENT

Monument has stayed focused on developing new acts and super-serving fans. Breakout Walker Hayes piled success upon success, Caitlyn Smith made big gains and Tigirlily Gold is set to blossom. The house of Owen, McAnally and McCartney has already enjoyed three Opry debuts in 2023: Tigirlily Gold, Pillbox Patti and Brandon Ratcliff.

Hayes crossed the 2 billion career streams mark after finishing 2022 with two of the year’s biggest country hits, the quadruple-platinum “Fancy Like” and the platinum “AA,” and sat at or the near the top of multiple country rankings including top artists, streaming and digital song sales. His Country Stuff: The Album (gold) was the only country album to earn an RIAA certification in 2022. He’s currently on his second headlining tour in as many years, which includes a sold-out stop at Red Rocks.

Caitlyn Smith earned critical acclaim for her third Monument album, High & Low, headlined a solo tour and opened for no less than George Strait and Little Big Town and, in partnership with the Recording Academy, spearheaded an event for the RIAA on International Women’s Day.

Tigirlily Gold is impacting Country radio now with “Shoot Tequila” after the song earned north of 60m views on social media. Their 20-city tour just wrapped and the sibling duo partnered with brands like Nasty Gal and Lee Jeans.

Look for new music from Hayes this summer, a fresh Alex Hall release, Side Effects of the Heart, on 9/15 and a new Tigirlily Gold set either late this year or early in 2024.