Hi, Honky Tonk Hansson here. Welcome to another busy week in the world of country music!

Looking at this week’s BUZZ LIST, which I’ve compiled to help you navigate the winding roads of contemporary country, it’s clear that the heavy hitters are still holding their ground. However, in my spare time, I love digging through the internet to find the best up-and-coming talent.

There are three NEW NAMES you absolutely need to check out this week: Keli Belles, Joseph David-Jones, and our very own local-turned-international star, Ilse DeLange from the Netherlands. They are generating a massive amount of hype right now, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them on the BIG LIST very soon. Go give them a listen after you browse through this week's rankings below!

DROPPED OFF THIS WEEK: Shaboozey (#16), Justin Moore (#18), HARDY (#20)
NEW ENTRIES: Jason Aldean (#8), Kenny Chesney (#13), Gavin Adcock (#16)

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📈 A Historic Triple Crown: Ella Langley Leads the Hot 100, Billboard 200, and Artist 100 in the Same Week With Dandelion confirmed at #1 on the Billboard 200 with 169,000 first-week units, the biggest opening for a country album by a woman in two years, "Choosin' Texas" at #1 on the Hot 100 for a seventh nonconsecutive week, and a debut at #1 on the Artist 100, Ella Langley this week became only the sixth woman in chart history to simultaneously lead all three. Fifteen songs from Dandelion chart on the Hot 100 at once, including "Be Her" climbing to a new high of #4. On Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, she and Morgan Wallen debuted "I Can't Love You Anymore" before a stadium crowd and announced it drops April 24. No country artist in the modern streaming era has generated this density of simultaneous chart events in a single tracking week.

🎬 Netflix Goes Country the Same Week Its Subject Headlines Stagecoach Lainey Wilson's Netflix documentary "Keepin' Country Cool" (directed by Amy Scott) drops globally April 22, tracing her 14-year ascent from Baskin, Louisiana to Grammy winner and three-time ACM Entertainer of the Year. 

🤠 Eric Church extended his summer story by selling out three Red Rocks dates (July 6-8, 20-year anniversary run, different setlists each night) within minutes for the second consecutive year, with Church Choir fan club members clearing their ticket allotment before a general on-sale could breathe.

🎧 Nashville's Album Pipeline Enters Its Most Competitive Release Window: Three Major Projects in Seven Days Jason Aldean's Songs About Us (April 24, 20 tracks, BBRMG/Sony Nashville) arrives alongside a 22-city summer tour announcement and an April 25 homecoming show at Sanford Stadium, Georgia, with Luke Bryan. Kacey Musgraves' Middle of Nowhere (May 1, Lost Highway) is a week away, with three songs debuted at Coachella Weekend 2 this week. Cody Johnson's Banks of the Trinity (June 26) was announced with lead single "I Want You" and a Billboard exclusive. The ACM Awards on May 17 give all three campaigns a shared promotional platform in the genre's most-watched awards window of the spring.

Kacey Musgraves is charging up the Buzz List (sitting at #3 now, could she hit #1 next week?) and we’re all counting down the days until her new album, Middle of Nowhere, drops on May 1st. In the meantime, I’ve put together a collection of my personal favorite collaborations Kacey has done over the last few years.

Enjoy! Listen here!

Week of April 16 – April 22 2026 (generated: April 22)

Buzz Score: 99/100
Why She's Hot: The week belongs to her in a way that has no recent precedent in country music. Dandelion (April 10, SAWGOD/Columbia) confirms #1 on the Billboard 200 with 169,000 first-week units, the largest opening for a country album by a woman in two years. "Choosin' Texas" stays at #1 on the Hot 100 (seventh nonconsecutive week) and #1 on Hot Country Songs (21st week). "Be Her" climbs to #4 on the Hot 100, a new peak. She tops the Artist 100 for the first time, becoming only the sixth woman to simultaneously lead the Hot 100, Billboard 200, and Artist 100, joining Taylor Swift, Adele, Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, and Olivia Rodrigo.

Buzz Score: 95/100
Why He's Hot: The Still the Problem Tour reaches Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa (April 18, the venue's first concert in 30-plus years), where he and Ella Langley premiere "I Can't Love You Anymore" before the crowd and announce the April 24 release.

Buzz Score: 82/100
Why She's Hot: A surprise set at Coachella Weekend 2 on April 18, unannounced until days prior, delivers her most high-profile mainstream moment in years. She opens with the newly released title track "Middle of Nowhere" and debuts "Back on the Wagon" and "Uncertain, TX" live, with coverage landing in Variety, Consequence, Pitchfork, Stereogum, and Billboard. Middle of Nowhere (May 1, Lost Highway Records, 13 tracks) features Miranda Lambert on "Horses and Divorces," Willie Nelson on "Uncertain, TX," Billy Strings, and Gregory Alan Isakov, drawing on Western swing, bluegrass, and Texas dancehall.

Buzz Score: 80/100
Why She's Hot: Netflix documentary "Keepin' Country Cool" (directed by Amy Scott, produced by Teton Ridge Entertainment) drops globally today, April 22, tracing her 14-year journey from Baskin, Louisiana to Grammy winner and three-time ACM Entertainer of the Year. The April 15 premiere drove a full week of feature coverage from Billboard, Entertainment Focus, Cowboys and Indians Magazine, and the Nashville Tennessean.

Buzz Score: 78/100
Why He's Hot: The Cowboy As It Gets Tour opens with three consecutive sold-out arenas: Southaven, Louisville, and Nashville's Bridgestone Arena (April 18), where surprise guests Carly Pearce (their new duet "If I Don't Leave I'm Gonna Stay") and Jamey Johnson ("In Color," "Where Corn Don't Grow") delivered two of the night's biggest moments.t.

Buzz Score: 74/100
Why He's Hot: Banks of the Trinity (June 26, COJO Music/Warner Nashville) is announced this week with a Billboard exclusive interview, lead single "I Want You," and a 16-track album featuring Luke Combs on "Shoot the Bull" and Brothers Osborne on "Fool Proof." The project draws from his Trinity River childhood in Sebastopol, Texas, and blends traditional country with Motown, rock, and bluegrass textures, his most sonically ambitious release yet.

Buzz Score: 70/100
Why She's Hot: She appears as surprise guest at Kenny Chesney's intimate 10-year No Shoes Radio anniversary show at Flora-Bama (April 18), performing "All the Pretty Girls" and "You Had to Be There" to a packed house and a SiriusXM broadcast audience.

Buzz Score: 65/100
Why He's Hot: Songs About Us (April 24, BBRMG/Sony Nashville, 20 tracks) drops, his 12th studio album, with a duet featuring wife Brittany Aldean and a collaboration with Luke Bryan.

Buzz Score: 62/100
Why He's Hot: Three Red Rocks Amphitheatre dates (July 6-8, celebrating 20 years of his catalog, a different setlist each night) sell out within minutes of going on sale on April 17, the second consecutive year Church Choir members cleared the venue before a general public on-sale could begin.

Buzz Score: 58/100
Why She's Hot: Her co-executive producer credit on Dandelion keeps her name woven into the week's dominant album story. The "Horses and Divorces" duet with Kacey Musgraves on Middle of Nowhere (May 1) resurfaces in pre-release coverage driven by the Coachella set, pairing her name with the week's biggest mainstream crossover moment.

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, Feedspot) plus secondary editorial sources (Billboard, Rolling Stone, Variety, Consequence, American Songwriter, Pitchfork, Wikipedia 2026 country events). Gmail COUNTRY-labeled newsletters read, including MusicRow Weekly (April 17) and ACM consideration campaigns for Riley Green, Gavin Adcock, Hudson Westbrook, Dan + Shay, and Dasha. Supplementary streaming and social signals from Viberate (7-day Spotify streams, monthly listener growth, YouTube views, TikTok likes, Instagram engagement, radio spins/stations, SoundCloud, Shazam), with week-over-week movement tracked against the April 15 Viberate export.
Buzz score formula: news volume 40%, streaming/chart position 20%, news quality/prominence 15%, social media engagement 15%, recency 10%.