Jennifer Nettles announces new record label, album, tour
BY MELISSA RUGGIERI
It’s a troika of new things for Jennifer Nettles.
She's signed to a new record label – Big Machine, home to that little-known artist Taylor Swift – as well as releasing a new single in October and embarking on a 20-city tour that will launch in her former hometown of Atlanta on Oct. 23.
Nettles’ live outing – dubbed “Playing with Fire” -- will play Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre and include Brandy Clark and Ryan Kinder on the bill. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. Sept. 4.
In January 2014, Nettles released her solo debut, "That Girl," which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart and sold about 165,000 copies, despite never really sparking at radio.
Her solo tour to support the record swung through Atlanta twice last year, with shows at the Fox Theatre and Chastain Park Amphitheatre.
In addition to her upcoming single, Nettles plans to release another solo album in early 2016. But she's also continuing to stretch her acting muscles after a stint on Broadway earlier this year (co-starring in "Chicago"). She's part of the cast of the Dolly Parton TV biopic, "Coat of Many Colors," which will air on NBC Dec. 10.
Big Machine Records president and CEO Scott Borchetta said in a statement that the pairing of Nettles and his label is “somewhat full-circle as I was at UMG Nashville as SVP/Promo when then-President Luke Lewis presented a disc of ‘this new band we’ve signed - pick a single.’ I was floored with Sugarland then and I’m floored with all things Jennifer now. She’s simply one of the best female voices to ever grace Country Music and I can’t wait for the world to hear her new music. Get. Ready.”
Nettles' Sugarland partner Kristian Bush also released a solo album this year, "Southern Gravity," and scored a hit at country radio with "Trailer Hitch." He's currently on a lengthy, national tour to support the release.
Follow the AJC Music Scene on Facebook and Twitter.
Here are Nettles' tour dates:
| Date | City | Venue | On Sale (local time) |
| October 23 | Atlanta, GA | Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre | September 4 @ 10 a.m. |
| October 24 | Clearwater, FL | Ruth Eckerd Hall | September 4 @ 10 a.m. |
| October 25 | Melbourne, FL | King Center for the Performing Arts | September 4 @ 10 a.m. |
| October 29 | Newark, OH | Midland Theatre | September 4 @ 10 a.m. |
| October 30 | Bethlehem, PA | Sands Bethlehem Event Center | September 4 @ 10 a.m. |
| October 31 | Mashantucket, CT | Foxwoods Resort Casino | September 4 @ 10 a.m. |
| November 13 | Red Wing, MN | Treasure Island Resort & Casino | September 4 @ 10 a.m. |
| November 14 | Elkhart, IN | Lerner Theatre | September 4 @ 10 a.m. |
| November 15 | Windsor, ON | The Colosseum at Caesars | September 5 @ 10 a.m. |
| November 20 | Silver Spring, MD | The Fillmore | September 4 @ 10 a.m. |
| November 21 | Hampton Beach, NH | Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom | September 4 @ 10 a.m. |
| November 22 | Westbury, NY | Theatre at Westbury | September 4 @ 10 a.m. |
| November 27 | Johnson City, NY | Magic City Music Hall | TBD |
| November 28 | Salamanca, NY | Seneca Allegany Casino | September 4 @ 10 a.m. |
| December 3 | Dallas, TX | House of Blues - Dallas | September 4 @ 10 a.m. |
| December 4 | Bossier City, LA | Horseshoe Bossier City | September 4 @ 10 a.m. |
| December 5 | San Antonio, TX | Majestic Theatre | September 4 @ 10 a.m. |
| December 11 | Reno, NV | Silver Legacy Resort and Casino | September 4 @ 10 a.m. |
| December 12 | Indio, CA | Fantasy Springs Special Events Center | September 4 @ 10 a.m. |
| December 13 | Temecula, CA | Penchaga Resort and Casino | September 4 @ 10 a.m. |
About the Author
Melissa Ruggieri has covered music and entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 2010 and created the Atlanta Music Scene blog. She's kept vampire hours for more than two decades and remembers when MTV was awesome.
