On Wednesday (June 7), Billboard hosted a day of intimate conversations and panels with country legends and rising stars like Garth Brooks, Jelly Roll and more. Titled Billboard Country Live in Conversation, the one-day ticketed conference for fans and industry insiders took over Marathon Music Works in Nashville.
The sessions — which touched on the hottest issues in country music and also included Carly Pearce, Bailey Zimmerman, Brian Kelley, Lauren Alaina, Megan Moroney and Lady A’s Hillary Scott — were part of Billboard’s two-day gathering.
The night prior, on June 6, country music executives and artists celebrated Billboard‘s recently published 2023 Country Power Players list. Ernest presented cover star Jelly Roll with the Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award, Hardy presented the Rookie of the Year award to Bailey Zimmerman, Terri Clark presented her friend Ashley McBryde with the Groundbreaker Award and lastly, Melinda Newman, Billboard’s executive editor, West Coast and Nashville, presented the Executive of the Year Award to Rusty Gaston of Sony Music Publishing Nashville.
Following the honors, Jelly Roll delivered a rocking headlining set (also at Marathon Music Works), for which Nate Smith was the opening act.
As Newman previously said, “We’re thrilled to launch the first year of Billboard Country Live with acts that have something to say and sing about. From Jelly Roll performing in a small setting to discussions with some of the biggest names in country including Garth Brooks, it’s our privilege to highlight the tremendous talent that thrives in Nashville with premier programming we hope will bring people back for years to come.”
Below are the best moments Billboard Country Live in Conversation, from Brooks’ energetic and honest opening conversation to Jelly’s intimate and humor-filled finale.
