NASHVILLE, TN. / LONDON, UK. – (February 1st, 2021) – Platinum-selling singer/songwriter Jimmie Allen is back with his latest single “Freedom Was A Highway” with his friend – and Country music superstar – Brad Paisley (LISTEN HERE). The breezy, windows-down tune impacts US Country radio today, February 1st, and is already receiving international airplay including from Bob Harris on BBC Radio 2 (28/1), describing himself as “a massive fan of Jimmie Allen,” and Baylen Leonard on Country Hits Radio (31/1).
On “Freedom Was A Highway,” Allen and Paisley’s vocals pair to reminisce about the nostalgia and simplicity of more carefree, youthful days; the track also features a distinctive Paisley signature guitar solo. The song was co-written by Allen, Ash Bowers and Matt Rogers.
“When I was writing this song with my co-writers, I imagined myself driving down my favorite roads in Delaware. This song takes me back to simpler moments such as an innocent, childhood crush on the next-door neighbor or feeling freedom in the wind as you drive with the windows down. I’ve loved this song from the creation,” Allen says of the track. “I’m a huge admirer of Brad Paisley. I love what he brings to music and I had to have him bring that same magic to this song. I’m humbled to have him join me on this song – he brought the Freedom to the Highway.”
“I’m a fan of Jimmie, not only as a musician but also as a person, and I was honored when he asked me to join him on the song. It’s a magical combination – it doesn’t sound like a typical record for me at all and when I come in, I try my best not to ruin Jimmie’s song,” Paisley adds. “I use my guitar to make a record sort of sound like I’m on it even before you hear me sing, and I love this guitar solo. I’m really proud to be a part of ‘Freedom Was A Highway’ and I’m excited for people to hear it.”
“Freedom Was A Highway” was first featured on Allen’s star-studded record Bettie James, which has garnered more than 118 million streams and widespread critical acclaim since its July 2020 release via Stoney Creek Records/BBR Music Group/BMG. NPR calls the project “an announcement of [Allen’s] arrival” and a “huge step for Country” while Billboard hails it “a powerful statement from a developing voice.” Bettie James also landed on several “Best Of 2020” lists, including Rolling Stone, Billboard and Sounds Like Nashville.
Allen ushered in 2021 with a dynamic performance of the song on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest on ABC, reaching more than 8 million households across the USA. He has previously performed the song on NBC’s TODAY and the Tamron Hall Show. Jimmie Allen will host a forthcoming episode of Music Life featuring Mickey Guyton, Abby Anderson, and Twinnie, available as a podcast and on the BBC World Service from 6th February, 2021 - more details here.
ABOUT JIMMIE ALLEN:
Signed to BMG/BBR Music Group’s Stoney Creek Records, platinum-selling recording artist and songwriter Jimmie Allen has already made history as the first Black artist to launch a career with two consecutive No. 1 hits on Country radio – the first being his debut single “Best Shot” – which claimed the No. 1 spot for three weeks – and second being his latest single “Make Me Want To” off his debut album Mercury Lane, released fall 2018. Rolling Stone raved Allen’s debut “challenges the narrowly defined model of what constitutes a next big thing in Country music in 2018” and The New York Times dubbed it one of 2018’s strongest, calling it “a conventional Country album, filled with songs about the small details.”
His latest project Bettie James, released in July 2020, is a star-studded collaboration, named in tribute to his late grandmother and late father. Allen hand selected artists that had touched their respective lives through their music which include: Brad Paisley, Charley Pride, Darius Rucker, Mickey Guyton, Nelly, Noah Cyrus, The Oak Ridge Boys, Rita Wilson, Tauren Wells and Tim McGraw. The result is a musical composition of love, heartbreak, perseverance, hope and faith that has garnered 118+ million streams since release, along with critical acclaim for the music, the historic nature of various collaborations, and its subsequent place in Country music history. NPR calls the project an “announcement of [Allen’s] arrival” and a “huge step for Country” while Billboard hails it “a powerful statement from a developing voice.” Rolling Stone describes “Why Things Happen” – which brings together three generations of Black country artists in Allen, Darius Rucker and Charley Pride – as “part polemic, part proclamation, and part prayer… opening up space for the artists to bear witness.”
Allen, who hosts Apple Music’s Wildcard Radio each week, was most recently nominated for New Artist of the Year at the 54th Annual CMA Awards – his first ever CMA nomination. On July 13, 2021, Allen will publish his debut picture book, My Voice Is a Trumpet, a powerful story about speaking up for what you believe in, at any age.
For more information, visit www.jimmieallenmusic.com | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube
ABOUT BRAD PAISLEY:
Brad Paisley has earned his place in country music history as one of the genre’s most talented and decorated male solo artists. Over the past 20 years, his songwriting and unmatched showmanship have won him numerous awards, including three GRAMMYs, two American Music Awards, 14 Country Music Association Awards and 15 Academy of Country Music Awards, among many others. A member of the Grand Ole Opry since 2001, Paisley has written 21 of his 24 No. 1 hits, and in 2008 became the first artist to achieve 10 consecutive Billboard Country Airplay No. 1 singles. The 2010 CMA Entertainer of the Year’s past works have amassed over 3.9 billion on-demand streams. Paisley continues to collaborate with Peyton Manning in a multi-year ad campaign with Nationwide insurance. In 2015, the global superstar partnered with Boot Barn® to develop Moonshine Spirit by Brad Paisley, an exclusive line of jeans, hats, T-shirts, jewelry, belts and woven shirts.
A prolific entertainer, Paisley’s first prime-time special, Brad Paisley Thinks He’s Special, aired on ABC in December 2019 and has garnered over 18.1 million viewers to date. Paisley and his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, are co-founders of nonprofit organization The Store, a free-referral based grocery store, which aims to empower low-income individuals and families in the Nashville area.
For more information, visit www.thestore.org. BradPaisley.com | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube