CMA Fest is a country music lover’s dream—four days of music at various venues around downtown Nashville that create a unique experience centered around country music. Not only are there opportunities to see amazing artists perform at Nissan Stadium or the Riverfront Stage, there are also moments where fans could actually meet their favorite artists. This all took place at various booths around Fan Fair X, featuring the Close Up Stage which hosted Dolly Parton, Jake Owen, Gretchen Wilson, and more.
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Here at American Songwriter, we take every opportunity to feature both established and emerging artists in our magazine and news coverage. At CMA Fest, our booth was host to artists like Stephanie Quayle, Brian Kelley, and Carter Faith, among many others throughout the four-day extravaganza.
This author headed to Music City Center in the mid-afternoon, which was doubly fruitful on that hot June Thursday—the building was full of great artists who would make interesting stories, and it was completely and utterly freezing in there.
On the Close Up Stage, Jake Owen played a few songs for the crowd, then launched into why he was really there—supporting the CMA Foundation and sharing his story of moving to Nashville to pursue music. He spoke about the magic of Nashville, and how important it is for emerging musicians to have a support system.
American Songwriter Supported Many Artists During Meet and Greets at CMA Fest
Wandering through the maze of Fan Fair X, this author passed vendors and booths from Nashville boutiques to exhibits like Carly’s Closet, which is a showcase of Carly Pearce’s various outfits from her shows. At the American Songwriter booth, the line was already winding around the side, with fans waiting for Charles Esten.
Meanwhile, Carter Faith, who recently signed to Universal Music Group Nashville, was signing autographs and meeting with fans. She greeted people warmly, wearing red and white gingham shorts and red cowboy boots, taking photos against the American Songwriter backdrop.
Tigirlily Gold also stopped by to meet fans. This was the duo’s first CMA Fest, which they posted about on social media. Their newest album, Blonde, is coming out on July 26, so appearing at the booth was a great way to discuss the album and get fans interested. After debuting at the Grand Ole Opry almost a year ago, what better way to celebrate than to debut at CMA Fest?
For country music fans, meet and greets are a way to support their favorite artists and show that they’re listening. For artists, it’s a reminder that there’s a reason to do all this, that there are people out there cheering them on during their music journey.
If you missed any of the action at CMA Fest, the TV Special will air on Tuesday, June 25, at 8 p.m. Eastern on ABC. Additionally, it will be available to stream on Hulu the next day. Relive the feature performances from CMA Fest as well as never-before-seen content and star-studded collaborations.
Featured image by Lauren Boisvert
