R&B artist, Ne-Yo, will soon release his first country music project. He’s one of many artists that have decided to try their hand at the country genre in recent years. Post Malone came over from pop and hip-hop and was welcomed with open arms when he released F-1 Trillion in 2024. And one could say that Beyoncé paved the way for Ne-Yo to make the move from R&B to country with her Cowboy Carter album, which won Album of the Year at the 2025 Grammys. Ne-Yo’s aspirations for his venture into country music might not be that high, but he’s still doing everything he can to do it right. (He’s actually been working and performing in Nashville, which is a step up from what Beyoncé did). He talked about his experience in Nashville in a recent interview with Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now podcast, and first discussed all of the warnings he got from others before he made the trek to Music City: “Before I came out here, I had planned to do this and had told a few people I planned to do this, and it came with all of these warnings and all of this fear that people were trying to put on me. Like, ‘Oh man, they’re not real accepting of anything outside of what they do over there in Nashville. It’s really cliquey. If you don’t know this person, or if you haven’t done this, or if it’s not this, they’re not going to (go with it).'” Not exactly what you want to hear before you head to Nashville. Fortunately for Ne-Yo, when he got to town and started working with songwriters and producers in Nashville, he found no real barrier of entry. The gate keeping he had been warned about was nonexistent, and the “Closer” singer said that he felt very welcomed in the creative space: “So I came out here kind of expecting something like that. And I’ve got to say, my experience has been the exact opposite. Every single person that I’ve worked with out here has embraced what I’m trying to do with open arms. Everybody is interested and intrigued about how I’m going to take what I do and what country music is and fuse them together, and what that could sound like. Everybody has been really receptive. I’m waiting to meet whoever the hell it is that was going to just be the bane of my Nashville existence. This person has not reared their head yet. I’ve walked Broadway a few times at late, late hours and have yet to meet the drunk, racist guy. He hasn’t shown up yet.” View this post on Instagram And his time in Nashville ended up being very productive. He’s got a forthcoming country music album on the way (likely sometime this year), and he’s already released two singles this year–”Up Out & Gone” and “Simple Things.” Admittedly, it leans more pop-country, but what else would you really expect from an artist like Ne-Yo? You can hear him talk more about his country music, and his experience in Nashville, in the interview below: Oh, and here are those singles I just mentioned, in case you want to check them out: “Simple Things” by Ne-Yo “Up Out & Gone” by Ne-Yo The post R&B Artist Ne-Yo Says The Warnings He Got About Coming To Nashville To Try Country Music Have “Not Reared Their Head Yet” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Many fans don't realize he had a pop career before switching to country. Continue reading…

Keith Urban has officially teased his “Yacht Rock Era.” If you did a double take, I don’t blame you. I did the same when I first heard that the prolific guitarist and country music artist was changing things up after his divorce from actress Nicole Kidman. He’s taking his talents to the underrated, under-appreciated genre of yacht rock (at least for a little while). If you’ve never heard of the style of music before, it originated and became popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s… and dads everywhere absolutely love it. There wasn’t really a legitimate name for the sub-genre of rock until someone associated it with “the type of music you listen to while boating.” Considering one of the biggest hits of yacht rock is “Sailing” by Christopher Cross, that makes sense. And if you’ve never listened to yacht rock while on a boat… you should try it. Admittedly, there’s something spiritual about yacht rocking while the yacht (or in my case, a pontoon boat) is rocking in the water. Keith Urban has evidently felt that connection, and recently shared with the world that he’s going all in on yacht rock with his next album. While speaking at the Country Radio Seminar in Nashville, the 58-year-old artist shocked a lot of people – and made them think he was joking – when he broke the news that he’s putting out an album of yacht rock covers: “It’s the first time I’ve done an album of covers. There is one original on the record. It’s a thematic record… yacht rock songs. You think I’m kidding? I’m not kidding.” Just to make sure people knew he wasn’t joking, Urban immediately transitioned into a yacht rock classic from 1977. Those in attendance were serenaded by Keith Urban with a piece of a new original, as well as two cover snippets of Stephen Bishop’s “On and On,” which peaked as high as 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 at its height, and Robbie Dupree’s top 10 hit, “Steal Away.” I’ve got to say… I wasn’t so sure about Keith Urban doing yacht rock, but after watching this video, I believe: @whiskeyriff @Keith Urban #whiskeyriff ♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff It’ll certainly be interesting to see Keith Urban tackle the smooth, winding, jazz-influenced genre. I’ll give the “Blue Ain’t Your Color” singer some credit. While all the other pop and hip-hop artists out there are dipping their toes in country music, he’s leaving the country music genre – albeit just for a small, side project – and choosing to test out the yacht rock waters. And the waters of yacht rock are always calm, soulful, and full of relaxation. That might be exactly what the doctor ordered for Keith Urban right about now. Urban gets divorced and then immediately shows an increased, public interest in yacht rock? That checks out… and to be clear, that video above was from about a month ago. Fast forward to today, and we’ve got Keith Urban first official teaser for his yacht rock venture. It appears that fans won’t have to wait much longer for his cover album. If we can trust this post, the yacht rock album – or at least a part of it – could be here as soon as next week: “Next week we all set sail. Don’t be late to the dock. Oh, and by the way, something extra smooth is coming to Nashville one week from today. Clear your calendars. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” You heard the man… clear your calendars (and mark them as well). Some yacht rock covers from Keith Urban are on the way, and judging by the audio attached to that clip, “Summer Breeze” by Seals & Crofts will be one of the songs featured in the project.The post Keith Urban Officially Teases His Upcoming Yacht Rock Covers Project: “Next Week We All Set Sail” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.