Second-annual CMA Songwriters Series Tour In U.K. And Europe Wraps With Final Show In London

The Country Music Association’s critically acclaimed CMA Songwriters Series wrapped the second-annual U.K. and European tours with a final show in London, England. Stops on the European tour included Stockholm, Oslo, Hamburg and Amsterdam before heading to the U.K. for shows in Glasgow, Liverpool, Gateshead, Manchester and London. Featured artists on the tour, that ran from Oct. 8 – 22, included Kassi Ashton, Ashley Campbell, Chris DeStefano, Tenille Townes, Drake White and Charlie Worsham.

Chase Rice made a surprise appearance at the final show in London at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, followed by the exclusive announcement of the lineup for the three-day 2019 C2C: Country to Country Festival, Europe’s biggest country music festival that started in 2013.

Ashton made her U.K. debut during the tour, serving up some great comedy moments as she talked about how her songs, “Taxidermy” and “California, Missouri,” were written before captivating the audience with her performance. Ashton was also recently announced as one of the recipients of the first-ever CMA KixStart Artist Scholarship. View footage of Ashton’s CMA Songwriters Series experience here.

Campbell joined the full tour, in both the U.K. and Europe, marking her fourth trip overseas this year. Each night, she performed her song “Remembering,” an emotional tribute she wrote to honor her father, the late Glen Campbell, providing an intimate moment with the audience. View footage of Campbell’s CMA Songwriters Series experience here.

Songwriter DeStefano also joined the entire leg of the tour debuting his own song “Wide Open,” which he released on digital platforms during the CMA Songwriters Series tour.

Townes made her U.K. debut during the tour, delivering powerful performances with emotional backstories of “Somebody’s Daughter” and “Jersey on the Wall (I’m Just Asking).”  Following the CMA Songwriters Series U.K. tour, Townes joined White’s London show. View footage of Townes CMA Songwriters Series experience here.

White joined the European leg of the tour (excluding Stockholm) before connecting with his band – The Big Fire – for his first-ever U.K. headlining tour. During the CMA Songwriters Series shows, he performed his song “Living the Dream” and included a freestyle verse each night, highlighting some of his experiences of the tour. View footage of White’s CMA Songwriters Series experience here.

Worsham, who has toured the U.K. and Europe several times, joined the European leg of the tour. Each night, he managed to bring a piece of his native Mississippi to the show during his performances. View footage of Worsham’s CMA Songwriters Series experience here.

Local artists also joined the lineup at each leg of the European tour. Swedish artist Jill Johnson joined the tour for shows in Stockholm on Oct. 8 and Oslo on Oct. 9 (view footage of her experience here); German-based artist Martin Kelly opened in Hamburg on Oct. 11; and Dutch artist Joe Buck opened the show in Amsterdam on Oct. 12.

Special guests Catherine McGrath and The Wandering Hearts joined two of the CMA Songwriters Series shows, with Gary Quinn opening at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) in Manchester on Oct. 20.