Sony Music Nashville artist Corey Kent has spent more than 15 years cutting his own path through a tangled wilderness of stumbles and setbacks … and never once come close to waving a white flag. The result…he is about to release his sophomore album, Black Bandana, Sept. 6, 2024 and will kick off his headlining Black Bandana Tour on Sept. 21. The platinum-selling Kent has given fans another taste of the upcoming project today with the release of “Now or Never” featuring Lauren Alaina. Listen to “ Now or Never” Below and pre-save Black Bandana HERE.
"'Now or Never' is a song about drawing a line in the sand for yourself,” shared Kent. “It’s about loving somebody but refusing to let them continue to hurt you by taking a stand and asking your partner to make up their mind... 'You either love me or you don’t.’"
“I am so excited to be a part of this song with Corey,” said Alaina. “I think the message is super powerful. It’s okay to love someone and take a stand for yourself when needed. I am honored Corey asked me to be a part of it. I can’t wait to see where the song takes us.”
Written by Sam Ellis, Ryan Hurd and Geoff Warburton and produced by Chris Farren, “Now or Never” finds Kent channeling the ’80s-rock anthems that helped give his childhood a soundtrack turning it into an orchestral-rock power ballad... and a duet of epic emotional proportions. Featuring the crystalline vocal counterpoint of Lauren Alaina, a pair of lovers resolve to give their volatile connection a final ultimatum –make it work now, or break it off entirely.
A Bixby, Oklahoma native now based in Dallas, the proud husband and father has become a decorated artist on the rise, growing from humble heartland roots into a Platinum certified Number One hit maker with 940 million career streams, and a black bandana on his neck. But today, that Black Bandana is more than an accessory – and not just the name of his sophomore major-label album. It’s his rally cry.
“It started from riding motorcycles and wanting something over your face so you didn’t swallow a bug,” the singer-songwriter says. “But then it turned into a staple I wear on stage, and then a symbol of the path through my career, and life. Through all the ups and downs, the one constant thing was this relentless hope – this relentless pursuit of believing that if I don’t give up, I can get where I’m going.”
With a self-built story that has seen success and disaster, keeping that belief wasn’t always easy – but it’s been paying off. Rising from the vibrant Red Dirt country scene as the embodiment of authenticity, Kent set his sights on Nashville as a teen, bringing his self-penned catalog of country-rock anthems with him. But after the pandemic coincided with the loss of his first publishing deal, Kent was forced to move to Texas and get a job on a paving crew to pay the bills, yet he stubbornly refused to call music quits. Honky-tonks and dancehalls on both sides of the Red River became his stomping ground, and slowly but surely, the black bandana spirit grew.
Fast forward a few years and the hit single “Wild As Her” proved he was right all along. An untamed tribute to a free-spirited stunner, the track re-invigorated Kent’s career as a Platinum-certified No. 1 at country radio, and the lead single off his major label album debut, Blacktop. And while momentum kept building, with Kent hitting the road alongside Jason Aldean, Ashley McBryde, Parker McCollum and more, the mainstream moved to claim they knew it all along. Next-big-thing accolades came in from CMT, Opry Next Stage and more, but even as Kent became the most played new artist on country radio for all of 2023, he kept the underdog, who-cares-about-conventional-wisdom mentality. And so did his fans.
For Kent, the point was that his fans have the same independent spirit he does, and he took that lesson into his next chapter. Settled into his ranch in Texas and intent on being fully present as husband and father, while also achieving his dreams, his second album is all about finding balance, keeping clear eyes on what’s important – and waving that Black Bandana for all to see.
Co-writing six of Black Bandana’s 10 songs, what Kent ultimately wanted was to mix themes of integrity, resilience and family with a sonic setting befitting the mission. Finding the midway point between cinematic electric guitars and heart-pounding drums meet a warm, gravel-road rasp, as Kent brings classic rock into the present tense.
“We all face our own demons. We all face our own setbacks, and I hope this record serves as encouragement,” he says. “It would be really easy to lean on the past and go ‘Look at what I’ve done,’ but I’m still excited about the records I’ve yet to create. I’m excited about the shows I haven’t played yet. I’m excited about unlocking new levels of my craft, and writing more songs that people connect with deeply. …I still live for those moments.”
Kent is also connecting with friends on the road in his new podcast “Bus Call.” The podcast finds Kent chatting with everyone from country music star Bailey Zimmerman to 2023 Doak Walker Award winner, OSU Running Back Ollie Gordon. The Texas Troubadour and his guests share laughs, inspirational moments and talk through the ups and downs of both business and personal life. Listen to the first two episodes of season one now and stay tuned for a new episode each month.
The Oklahoma native will be joined by Braxton Keith, Kaitlin Butts, Max McNown, Karley Scott Collins and Lauren Watkins on select dates for his headlining, international Black Bandana Tour, which kick-offs in Paso Robles California on Sept. 21. The road warrior will trek across both the U.S. and U.K. with stops in New York, Boston, Atlanta, Dublin, London and more into early 2025. Tickets are on sale now. Purchase at coreykentofficial.com.
Black Bandana Tour Dates:
+9/21/24 Paso Robles, CA BarrelHouse Brewing Co. - Brewery and Beer Gardens
*9/22/24 Long Beach, CA Boots In The Park
^9/26/24 Reedley, CA The Wakehouse
^9/27/24 Bakersfield, CA Buck Owens Crystal Palace
*9/28/24 Tempe, AZ Boots In The Park
<10/3/24 Hays, KS Fox Theatre
10/4/24 Durant, OK Choctaw Grand Theater (with Pat Green)
*10/5/24 Burkburnett, TX Friendship Festival
#10/10/24 Little Rock, AR Little Rock Hall
*10/11/24 Bellville, TX Austin County Fair
#10/12/24 Terrell, TX Silver Saloon
-10/16/24 New York, NY Gramercy Theatre
-10/17/24 Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom
-10/18/24 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun – Wolf Den
-10/19/24 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
<10/24/24 Cincinnati, OH Bogart’s
<10/25/24 West Lafayette, IN Neon Cactus
<10/26/24 Rootstown, OH Dusty Armadillo
^11/1/24 Milwaukee, WI The Rave II
#11/8/24 Wichita, KS The Cotillion Ballroom
#11/9/24 Stillwater, OK Tumbleweed Dance Hall
-11/21/24 Atlanta, GA Buckhead Theatre
-11/22/24 Charlotte, NC Coyote Joe’s
-11/23/24 North Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues
International Dates
2/1/25 Dublin, IE The Academy (Green Room)
2/2/25 Belfast, NI The Limelight 1
2/4/25 Glasgow, UK SWG3 TV Studio
2/7/25 Manchester, UK Manchester Academy 2
2/8/25 Birmingham, UK O2 Academy 2
2/9/25 Bristol, UK The Trinity Centre
2/11/25 London, UK Electric Ballroom
*Previously Announce Fair and Festival Dates
^Braxton Keith
< Kaitlin Butts
-Max McNown
+Karley Scott Collins
#Lauren Watkins
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ABOUT LAUREN ALAINA
Grand Ole Opry member and Big Loud Records powerhouse Lauren Alaina is unlocking a new era with her debut EP on the label out now. The six-song set fittingly titled Unlocked reintroduces the multi-faceted star, stripping back every layer and allowing fans to know her more than ever before. Alaina has earned three chart-topping hits: RIAA Platinum-certified “Road Less Traveled,” 8x Platinum “What Ifs” with her childhood friend Kane Brown, and 3x Platinum “ONE BEER” with labelmate HARDY + Devin Dawson. The Georgia-born force, who American Songwriter notes is “on a seemingly limitless upward trajectory,” has shared the stage with Alan Jackson, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Martina McBride, and more. She’s headlined two raved-about tours, the sold-out That Girl Was Me Tour and bar-raising On Top Of The World Tour Presented by Maurices. The gold-medal vocalist has performed on some of the highest-profile stages in the world including PBS’ A Capitol Fourth, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, CBS’ Beyond The Edge, ABC’s The Bachelorette, TODAY, Good Morning America, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, ABC's CMA Fest specials, CMA and ACM Awards, Nickelodeon's All That, Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day halftime performance, MLB's World Series national anthem performance, a performance at the White House for President Obama, and more.