Another week, another Buzz List, what’s the country music world buzzing about right now? Check out the full list below.

Carter Faith has entered the Buzz list this week (on #13, see below). And she is WELCOME!

I had the opportunity to meet up with Carter in Stockholm, Sweden this week, to conduct and interview for my weekly radio show P4 Country, on Swedish National Radio.

Just six months after the release of her phenomenal debut album, "Cherry Valley", she has snagged a prestigious ACM Award nomination for "Album of the Year. Not since Chris Stapleton’s "Traveller" (a decade ago) has a debut album been nominated in that category. It’s truly unbelievable.

To meet Carter Faith is to witness a new power player in country music. She doesn’t just write great songs; she’s also a champion for the community. Back home in Nashville, Carter is a driving force behind @songsuffragettes , an initiative where female songwriters support one another. It remains the only all-female country music singer-songwriter showcase, held every Monday night at The Listening Room Cafe.

Carter Faith has put in the work to find the perfect home for her artistry and voice. Her sound sits somewhere in the sweet spot between Loretta Lynn and Lana Del Rey, yet she exists in a completely unique universe of her own. Go check her out @carterfaith

One peculiar story din’t make the radio show, and it is this:

During our chat, I offered Carter a Swedish pastry called a "dammsugare" (often called a "vacuum cleaner") along with some coffee. A dreamy look crossed her face:

"Oh, this taste reminds me of my grandma and her baking," she said. "We’re actually Swedish originally."

When I asked what she meant, she smiled.

"My great-grandmother’s name is Liselott, isn't that Swedish?"

Well, I don't think you’ll find that name much anywhere else!

"I may have a Swedish soul," Carter joked, "but this is the first time I've actually been here and eaten a 'vacuum cleaner.' Thanks, P4 Country!"

(See the full “vacuum cleaner” evidence proof picture below at #13.)

And: Listen to my full interview on P4 Country, Swedish National Radio, Saturday April 18th at 10.05PM.

Thanks for subscribing! It truly means the world to me. If you’re enjoying the newsletter, please spread the word! Remember: we’re all in this country music journey together.

Your friend,

From this week this newsletter will not only give you the (most) talked about names on the Buzz List (below) but also always present the most interesting new up and coming names, the artists that aim to be on The Buzz List in the (near?) future. Today I want to turn the spotlight on the Scottish fast–riser Cammy Barnes @iamcammybarnes Check out his national super hit “Whiskey Roll” and you will understand why you are grateful for opening this newsletter every week. I have some more incredible New Names for you, coming up. 

Cammy Barnes is his name. Remember where you heard about him first. ;-)

See and hear Cammy Barnes here!

📀 A Sophomore Statement: Dandelion Targets an Album Chart Moment Without Precedent in New Country: With "Choosin' Texas" running at Hot Country Songs #1 in its 20th consecutive week, Ella Langley's Dandelion (April 10, 18 tracks, SAWGOD/Columbia) arrives projected to debut at 155-165K units in its first week via Hits Daily Double, which would give her a first career #1 on the Billboard 200. No country artist in the modern era has managed a still-running #1 single and a potential debut album chart-topper in the same release window. 

🎟️ Two Sold-Out Stadiums, Night After Night: Country's Live Economy Opens at Full Volume: Morgan Wallen fills U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis for two consecutive sold-out nights (April 10-11, 70,000 capacity per show) to open the Still the Problem Tour, country's largest live operation of 2026. 

🏅 The ACM Slate Is a Statement: Women Lock Out the Top Four Nomination Spots: When the Academy of Country Music revealed the 61st ACM Awards nominations on April 9, the top four most-nominated artists were all women, the first time in the show's history that women occupied every position in the top four. Megan Moroney (9), Miranda Lambert (8), Ella Langley (7), and Lainey Wilson (7) locked out male artists from the upper tier of the standings. 

🎬 Nashville Goes to Hollywood and the C-Suite Opens a New Door: Riley Green makes his acting debut on Marshals, the CBS Yellowstone spin-off starring Luke Grimes, with his character Garrett, a former Navy SEAL coping with PTSD, performing a campfire ballad that becomes his new single "My Way," releasing April 18 ahead of Episode 8's April 19 premiere. The role came through Green's friendship with Grimes, who wrote the character for him, with CBS requiring a formal audition in Utah before casting.

The Chief himself, Eric Church, is in and out of the Buzz List. This week he is back (on #17). And here is a short (but intense!) playlist of The best Eric Church songs according to Honky Tonk Hansson.

Enjoy! Listen here!

Week of April 9 – April 15 2026 (generated: April 15)

Buzz Score: 97/100
Why She's Hot: Dandelion (April 10, 18 tracks, SAWGOD/Columbia) is the defining release event of the week. Period.
Personally I’m a little bit disappointed about the lack of more countryish songs on the album but a lot of great songs it is, you can tell.

Buzz Score: 95/100
Why He's Hot: The Still the Problem Tour launches with two consecutive sold-out nights at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis (April 10-11, 70,000 capacity per night), country's highest-profile live opening weekend of 2026. Billboard's full review covered Night 1 as a production engineered for intimacy at stadium scale, with a Theo Von pre-show video, NFL Hall of Famer Jared Allen walkout, synchronized light-up wristbands, and live collaborations with both support lineups.

Buzz Score: 84/100
Why She's Hot: Moroney leads all artists at the 61st ACM Awards with nine nominations, announced April 9, the most of any artist this year.

Buzz Score: 79/100
Why He's Hot: The busiest single week of Riley Green's career. Green is confirmed as an ACM performer for May 17, and the Cowboy As It Gets Tour with Justin Moore opened April 16 in Southaven, Mississippi

Buzz Score: 74/100
Why She's Hot: Eight ACM nominations announced April 9, the most Lambert has received in a single year since 2017 and the highest total in ACM Awards history for any individual artist.

Buzz Score: 70/100
Why He's Hot: "Ain't A Bad Life" (feat. Jordan Davis, Blue Highway Records) reaches #1 on the Mediabase Country Aircheck chart on April 13, Thomas Rhett's 25th career radio #1 and third consecutive chart-topper from About a Woman (Deluxe).

Buzz Score: 68/100
Why She's Hot: Seven ACM nominations (April 9) including her third consecutive Entertainer of the Year nod, a category she has won every year she's been nominated. A third consecutive win would make her the first woman and the first artist since Jason Aldean (2016-2018) to win three years running. She's also nominated for Female Artist, Song of the Year ("Somewhere Over Laredo"), Single of the Year, Visual Media, and Music Event ("Trailblazer"). Netflix documentary "Lainey Wilson: Keepin' Country Cool" premieres April 22.

Buzz Score: 66/100
Why He's Hot: Seven ACM nominations for the seventh consecutive year in both Entertainer of the Year and Male Artist of the Year. A win in the Entertainer category would complete the ACM Triple Crown, the only top prize Combs has not yet won. He also earns a third consecutive Artist-Songwriter of the Year nomination.

Buzz Score: 60/100
Why She's Hot: Confirmed ACM performer for May 17, where she'll debut a song from Middle of Nowhere (May 1, now 16 days away), marking her first-ever ACM stage appearance despite seven career wins. The "Horses and Divorces" duet with Miranda Lambert resurfaces in press as the performer announcement drives renewed feature attention across Billboard, Rolling Stone, and country outlets.

Buzz Score: 55/100
Why He's Hot: Five ACM nominations revealed April 9, the most of any male artist in this cycle, including his first-ever Male Artist of the Year nod, alongside Album of the Year (Ain't In It For My Health), Song of the Year ("I Never Lie"), Single of the Year ("I Never Lie"), and Artist-Songwriter of the Year. Top's Grammy win earlier this year for Best Traditional Country Album, the first time that category was awarded, was the prior industry milestone; the ACM slate confirms his standing as the fastest-rising male traditionalist in the genre.

DROPPED OUT: Charley Crockett (#6), Tim McGraw (#11), ERNEST (#15), Kane Brown (#16), Jackson Dean (#18
NEW ENTRIES: Thomas Rhett (#6), Zach Top (#10), Carter Faith (#13), Eric Church (#17), Bailey Zimmerman (#19)

Methodology: Rankings based on aggregated signals from primary country news sources (MusicRow, Saving Country Music, Taste of Country, Holler, Maverick Country, Country Standard Time, Country Beat Magazine, Lone Star Music Magazine, Texas Country Music Magazine, Roots Music Magazine) plus secondary editorial sources (Billboard, Rolling Stone, Variety, American Songwriter, Consequence, Wikipedia 2026 country events). Gmail COUNTRY-labeled newsletters read, including MusicRow Weekly (April 10). Supplementary streaming and social signals from Viberate (7-day Spotify streams, monthly listener growth, YouTube views, TikTok likes/views, Instagram engagement, Facebook, Shazam, radio spins/stations, SoundCloud, Deezer), Mediabase/Billboard Country Airplay data, and social media engagement over the past 7 days.
Buzz score formula: news volume 40%, streaming/chart position 20%, news quality 15%, social media engagement 15%, recency 10%.