Koe Wetzel’s “High Road (feat. Jessie Murph)” Makes History With 5th Week at No. 1

Koe Wetzel continues his meteoric rise into 2025 as “High Road” featuring Jessie Murph, both artists’ first single at Country radio, remains atop the Billboard Country Airplay chart for a fifth consecutive week. “High Road” is only the sixth debut single to achieve this feat since the chart’s inception in 1990 and marks the first song by two acts each charting for the first time to ever earn that distinction.
 
“The way ‘High Road’ has connected has been unreal, and to wrap my head around the fact that it’s stayed at No. 1 for over a month now is honestly hard to do,” marvels Wetzel. “It’s a hell of a way to start 2025.”
 
“Getting to No. 1 is difficult; staying there for five weeks is very difficult and only happens if the song is a true bonafide smash hit record,” RECORDS Nashville EVP Josh Easler shared with Billboard as he earned Executive of the Week honors in recognition of the milestone achievement.
 
“High Road” is the lead single off Wetzel’s fifth studio album and fourth Billboard Top 10, 9 Lives (Columbia), which has proven to be a defining album for the Texan renegade, earning recognition on multiple year-end best-of lists, including Rolling Stone, Billboard, the Tennessean, Holler and more, with the Los Angeles Times naming “High Road” specifically as the No. 8 best song of 2024 across all genres.
 
Written by Wetzel alongside Murph, Amy Allen, Carrie Karpinen, Laura Veltz, Josh Serrato and producer Gabe Simon, the single has amassed more than 330 million global streams en route to becoming Wetzel’s fastest RIAA Platinum certification to date.
 
As Wetzel dominates the airwaves, he’s also gearing up for another high-throttle year on the road, with upcoming headlining shows at the San Antonio Rodeo, Windy City Smokeout, Tailgates N’ Tallboys and more, plus prominent sets at Stagecoach and CMC Rocks (Australia) and more exciting tour news coming soon.
 
For more information, visit KoeWetzelMusic.com and follow on Instagram and Facebook @KoeWetzelMusic, TikTok @Koe_Wetzel and Twitter/X @KoeWetzel. 

About Koe Wetzel
Koe Wetzel never met a genre wall he couldn’t tear down. The Texas singer-songwriter has earned a rabid audience for his songs that mix country, rock, hip-hop, and even Nineties grunge. With his defining fifth studio album, 9 Lives, released in 2025 via Columbia Records, Wetzel earned recognition on several major year-end best-of lists, including Rolling Stone, Billboard, the Tennessean and more, with the Los Angeles Times naming lead single “High Road” (feat. Jessie Murph) as the No. 8 best song of 2024 across all genres. The single not only marked Wetzel’s debut at Country radio, it also held the No. 1 spot for five weeks and became his fastest song to reach the RIAA Platinum milestone to date. Previously, his 2016 album Noise Complaint endeared him to fans with its no-holds-barred lyrics about drunken nights, broken hearts and stints in jail, and included the Gold-certified hits “Love” (feat. Parker McCollum), “Something to Talk About” plus the infamous “February 28, 2016.” Wetzel’s 2020 major label debut, Sellout, only furthered his legend with the Platinum-certified “Drunk Driving” and “Good Die Young” plus the Gold-certified “Kuntry & Wistern.” The 2022 follow-up, Hell Paso, hit No. 3 on Billboard’s Country Albums and spawned hits on both the country and rock charts, including the Gold-certified “Creeps” and “Cabo.” To date, Wetzel has amassed 3.7 billion total streams and has created a genuine experience with his live concerts, which he describes as “total chaos.” In 2023 alone, he sold more than 275,000 tickets, appearing for a third time on POLLSTAR’s Top Worldwide Tours. Wetzel again performed for well over 200,000 fans across the U.S. in Europe in 2024, with over 96% of all headline tickets sold, in addition to playing prominent festival sets and opening for Morgan Wallen on the superstar’s One Night at a Time Stadium Tour.

Kenny Celebrates KNOWING YOU No. 1 with BMI, Kat Higgins, Adam James & Brett James @ Historic Sutler

HEARTFELT NO. 1 PARTY FOR “KNOWING YOU”
KENNY CHESNEY’S 34TH NO. 1 BRINGS NASHVILLE OUT TO HONOR

When Kenny Chesney recorded “Knowing You,” people thought he was crazy. Everyone knew it was a brilliant classic country ballad, but what do you with that? If you’re Kenny Chesney, you let your first full-on Blue Chair Records/Warner Music Nashville release Here And Now get a head of steam – and send the song to country radio.

What some folks would think is crazy, Kenny Chesney, Warner Promotion’s Kristen Williams, Shari Roth and team took to the top of the charts. It wasn’t a rocket fueled 18-week ride like many of Chesney’s multiple-week No. 1s, but the slow and steady rise matched the song’s tempo and reminded people just how good real country music feels. That No. 1 was cause for the songwriting and publishing communities to come together at Nashville’s historic Sutler Saloon to do something equally unthinkable in recent times: to celebrate a No. 1 together as a community.

“When I met you, I asked you what your dream first cut was,” Adam James – whose entire family, from grandmother who tracked the song’s progress week-to-week on the country countdown shows to his darling toddlers, were in attendance – told those assembled, “and you said, ‘George Strait.’ Well, Kenny, that’s how I – and a lot of us – feel about you.”

For Adam James and Kat Higgins, “Knowing You” was their first No. 1. Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer Brett James acknowledged the thrill of that first No. 1, adding, “The first time I met these two writers, it was writing this song.” For Brett James, who’s written a fistful of Chesney smashes including “When the Sun Goes Down,” “Reality” and “Out Last Night,” he told those assembled that his first cut was in 1997, when Kenny recorded “Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me” on Everywhere We Go. Brett James ended up back in college, but returning to the record business, he and Chesney fell into the multiple-week No. 1 “When the Sun Goes Down,” and his future was set.

For Higgins, who spoke of publisher Pat Higdon’s faith in a young female writer, she embodied the joy that comes with topping the chart. But even more she cherished the idea that Kenny’s version of their song existed. “Writing with these guys, then having Kenny Chesney record this song the way that he did, it’s what you hope for, what you dream.”

Chesney, always quiet, took the stage after the executives spoke, telling the writers how proud he was to have been able to record a song like this. With a smile, he said, “I remember my first No. 1 – and I know that feeling. There’s nothing like it...

“And when I heard this song, I knew: I have a few people like that. Some have passed, some aren’t in my life anymore, but this song... It leaves it wide open, so the person can be anyone who’s gone. That’s what’s so beautiful about this, and I’m so glad I got to be the one to sing this.”

Ever the welcoming host, BMI’s Clay Bradley kept the presentations coming, reminding people how good it felt to be together, how it reflects the spirit of the people who write those songs that come from the heart. Beyond reminding people to vote for the song on the ACM’s second-round ballot, he stood as a representative of a Nashville built on creators, where songs are king and the best song wins.

Like Warner Nashville Chairman and CEO John Esposito, who ran through accolades, stats and the power of really special songs to carry the moment, the executives were as moved by the music as the other 200 people in attendance. As Chesney said later, “This is the kind of vibe Nashville was built on. Everyone knew everyone, rooted for great songs and created an all-for-one spirit. I love that ‘Knowing You’ could bring us all together like that as we start what I think is going to be a very good year.”

Michael Ray Earns First Multi-Week No. 1 with "Whiskey And Rain"

Lead Single from Higher Education Hits No. 1
Two Consecutive Weeks on Country Aircheck Chart
While Arriving at the Top of the Billboard Country Airplay Chart

“Whiskey And Rain” Marks Hitmaker’s Fourth No. 1 Single

On the heels of earning his fourth No. 1 single, hitmaker Michael Ray reaches another milestone with his first multi-week chart topper “Whiskey And Rain,” the lead single from his seven-song collection Higher Education. Last week, the track peaked at No. 1 on the Country Aircheck chart, remaining at the top this week while arriving at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.

“This is incredible,” shares Ray. “I knew this song was something special, but I never dreamed it would be this impactful. I’m so thankful to my team who kept pushing to get this song to No. 1, now for two weeks in a row, and I’m grateful for the fans who found ‘Whiskey And Rain’ just as special as I do. Your support means everything, and I can’t wait to keep bringing you compelling Country music.”

Upon the news of the track reaching No. 1 last week, Ray shared, “Back when we were recording this song, I would think about all the things I always loved about Gary Allan and the way his music spoke to me and my life growing up in Eustis. I hope this song has been there for you on lonely nights when you’ve needed it, just like Gary always has been for me.

“One of my favorites of his goes, ‘Life ain’t always beautiful, but it’s a beautiful ride,’” he continued. “Thank y’all for this beautiful ride! Thank y’all for loving this song!”

A shining example of camaraderie in the format, Allan took to social media to congratulate the Florida-native, sharing “Shout out to my friend Michael Ray! You just got another No. 1. They don’t come easy, friend. I’m so stoked for you, and I hope you get 100 more.”

Written by Josh Thompson and Jesse Frasure, “Whiskey And Rain” quickly garnered attention from critics, with Rolling Stone dubbing the track as “equal parts Ronnie Milsap and Gary Allan” while Billboard called it “a throwback to brooding songs from the ‘80s and ‘90s” with “solid production by Ross Copperman highlighting Ray’s vulnerable delivery.”

The track also caught the ear of critic Grady Smith, who shared “Whiskey And Rain” as his No. 2 pick in “The 10 Best Hit Country Songs of 2021,” noting that the “fresh, radio-friendly, modern but still a little bit traditional country production” made him “take a second look at Ray and think maybe there’s more to what this guy wants to say musically.”

On Higher Education, “Ray found a refuge in the mere act of making music that tells his imperfect story, a story that so many people in this world can certainly relate to during these crazy days,” PEOPLE observes, while American Songwriter emphasizes “Higher Education is shaped by the muse of the man Ray hopes to be, and the lessons he’s learned along the way… inviting his listeners into his world, pulling back the curtain on who he is off the stage.”

Ray celebrates the song’s success with the release of “Whiskey And Rain (Acoustic).” Listen to the song HERE.

The Florida-native has garnered over 1 billion global streams, over 650,000 album equivalents and over 100 million YouTube views. Along with his four No. 1 singles, Ray has a total of five RIAA certifications: Platinum-certified “Think A Little Less,” and Gold-certified songs “Her World or Mine,” “One That Got Away,” “Get To You” and “Kiss You in the Morning.”

About Michael Ray
For Michael Ray, music is his grandfather singing and sweating on a rural Florida stage. It’s the childhood refuge he found during the pain of his parents’ divorce. It’s family and stories, history and hope. Ray says music saved him, but it did even more: Music made him. In five short years, Ray has built an impressive foundation: four No. 1 songs – RIAA Platinum-certified “Think a Little Less,” RIAA Gold-certified “Kiss You in the Morning,” RIAA Gold-certified “One That Got Away” and “Whiskey And Rain” – plus “Get to You” and “Her World or Mine,” brings his tally to four Gold-certified singles. The poignant “Her World or Mine” from his sophomore album Amos also produced a video that has captured more than 27 million YouTube views since its debut. Now, two hit albums into that all-too-rare blend of critically acclaimed and commercially successful career, Ray has released Higher Education, a seven-song collection produced by GRAMMY-nominated producer Ross Copperman. Proof that heartbroken wallowing can feel good if it swings, “Whiskey And Rain” has garnered over 104 million streams, cementing Ray as the ideal bridge between vintage country cool and modern country’s best sounds. Learn more about Ray at MichaelRayMusic.com or follow him on Instagram and Twitter @MichaelRayMusic and Facebook.com/MusicMichaelRay.