Carly Pearce is unafraid to raise tough questions about faith, marriage, and success in country music. In a startling candid episode of Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now podcast, the Kentucky singer-songwriter addresses the polarizing response to her new song “Church Girl,” opens up about the sacrifices she’s had to make for her career, and wonders if you can ever really “move on” from a broken relationship. “Those parts of your story, they’re never gone,” Pearce says. Also, we run down the week’s news, including word of a new Highwomen album, and give you our five Hear Nows, the songs in country music you just have to hear this week.

Country is Here…Nashville is Now.

Check out our ⁠Hear Now⁠ playlist on Spotify, updated weekly.

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As the singer of Rival Sons, Jay Buchanan has one of the most powerful voices in all of music, but on his new solo album, Weapons of Beauty, he dials back the volume in favor of a rootsy, Americana approach. The results are stunning. In a special episode of Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now, taped in front of a live audience, Buchanan talks about writing the album off the grid in the Mojave desert, where he slept with a pistol beneath his pillow. He also goes deep on his role in the Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere, and shares how Springsteen’s Nebraska inspired his new chapter. If you don’t know Jay Buchanan, you will now. 

Country is Here…Nashville is Now.

Check out our Hear Now playlist on Spotify, updated weekly.

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The story of the Band Perry remains one of the most fascinating in all of music. The sibling trio restored faith in real country music with songs like “If I Die Young” and dynamic live shows, but left fans confused when they exited their Nashville label to make pop music. Now lead singer Kimberly Perry is back with a revamped Band Perry lineup, new songs that continue to touch on her favorite subject (death!), and a long-awaited answer for those who ask what the hell happened. We welcome Kimberly into the Nashville Now cabin for one of our most revealing chats yet.

Country is Here…Nashville is Now.

Check out our Hear Now playlist on Spotify, updated weekly.

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Justin Townes Earle may have traveled the world as an Americana troubadour, but the story of the singer-songwriter’s life can be told in just a few square miles in his native Nashville. In this special episode of Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now, Jonathan Bernstein, author of the new authorized biography of Earle, What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome, gives us an intimate walking tour of Earle’s Nashville, from the park where he found solace to the dive bar where he honed his craft. We also talk about the legacy of Earle, who died in 2020, and why his songs will continue to play on.

Country is Here…Nashville is Now.

Check out our Hear Now playlist on Spotify, updated weekly.

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Laura Veltz, the songwriter behind hits for Dan + Shay, Jessie Murph, and more, shares the secrets of the Nashville writing room in this week's episode of Nashville Now. Veltz  opens up about how she collaborates intimately with someone who may not share her own beliefs. We also preview Nashville's upcoming 615 Indie Live festival, where we'll host a live-audience podcast, and assess the health of Nashville's independent music venues with local champion Jamie Kent.

Country is Here…Nashville is Now.

Check out our Hear Now playlist on Spotify, updated weekly.

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The deadliest mass shooting in modern American history happened at a country music concert. Journalist Mark Gray was at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas for Rolling Stone when the gunfire started during Jason Aldean’s performance, and he recounts his harrowing experience on the Nashville Now podcast. He also talks about the relationships he and other survivors forged in the aftermath, which is the focus of Gray’s new book, The Las Vegas Massacre Connections. Join us in the Nashville Now cabin for one of our most personal and important episodes yet.

Country is Here…Nashville is Now.

Check out our ⁠Hear Now⁠ playlist on Spotify, updated weekly.

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Langhorne Slim made his bones as an acoustic singer-songwriter, but on his new album The Dreamin’ Kind he teams up with Greta Van Fleet’s Sam Kiszka and Danny Wagner to make a bona fide Americana rock & roll album. We go deep into how the Nashville troubadour bonded with the rock stars, and also ask Slim about what drove him to get sober. It’s a fascinating interview with an artist who isn’t afraid to decare, “We’re living in f-cked up times.” We also preview the country albums we’re excited to hear in 2026 and share what we’re listening to this week in our Hear Now segment.

Country is Here…Nashville is Now.

Check out our Hear Now playlist on Spotify, updated weekly.

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Jim Croce, the singer-songwriter behind indelible songs like “Operator,” “Time in a Bottle,” and “Bad Bad Leroy Brown,” would have turned 83 this on January 10. In a special bonus episode of Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now, we sit down with Croce’s son A.J. Croce at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium to discuss his dad’s legacy and influence on country music and Americana.

Country is Here…Nashville is Now.

Check out our Hear Now playlist on Spotify, updated weekly.

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Welcome back to Nashville Now! If you’re online, you’ve seen Bryan Andrews all over your feed. The Missouri country singer has made a name for himself by singing traditional-leaning country music and unapologetically sharing his political beliefs in a series of viral posts. In doing so, he’s smashed the stereotypes of what it means to be both a country singer and an American. This week we welcome Bryan to the cabin to talk about what drives him and ask him one particular question: Is he a country singer or a content creator? 

Country is Here…Nashville is Now.

Check out our Hear Now playlist on Spotify, updated weekly.

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It’s our final official episode of the year and we run through our list of the best country albums of 2025 with Rolling Stone contributors Marissa R. Moss and Josh Crutchmer. We also talk about albums we loved that didn’t make the list and look ahead to what we’d most like to see in country in 2026. Plus, we have a very special interview with the artist behind Nashville Now host Joseph Hudak’s favorite all-genre album of the year –  singer, songwriter, and guitar hero Brian Dunne.

Country is Here…Nashville is Now.

Check out our ⁠Hear Now⁠ playlist on Spotify, updated weekly.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices