Singer Maggie Baugh showcases country music’s grit with new album and world tour
Pop-country music keeps edging closer to pop. However, Nashville’s Maggie Baugh is heading in the opposite direction with her sophomore album, Entertainers Heart, which follows her successful debut, Dear Me. Set for release later this year, don’t expect another set of polished country radio hits. This new recording embodies a sound that fans are ready for, and for good reason.
Mainstream country music has shifted toward pop-influenced polish. The songs have gleaming vocals, synthetic beats, and heavy post-production. Does it have mass appeal? It does. But at what cost? Although these tunes are like candy for your ears, they often sacrifice the raw edge that once made the genre so visceral.
Like others, Baugh has taken notice of this trend. However, she’s one of the few doing something radical about it. Entertainers Heart and the launch of her first headlining world tour (hitting the UK Buckle & Boots Country Festival in May) bring back rawness, sincerity, and realness to country music.
Baugh’s latest work is a hands-on endeavor. The performer has taken the reins of her project by serving as its producer. She’s in the studio laying down tracks, mixing the tunes, and steering every note. The result? Songs that feel intimate, raw, and alive.
Her single, “Headstone“, teased the new album as a gritty, emotional, and fully analog track that rocketed to #1 on Amazon’s movers and shakers chart. There’s no digital patchwork here. Instead, you get Baugh’s voice, a live band, and a thought-provoking story. It’s a song that feels like it was recorded in one take, because it practically was.
“At the end of someone’s life, I never understood how you could wrap up all their years and memories into a few words on a headstone,” Baugh explains. “I decided to write my perspective – if it all ended tomorrow, what would I want someone to write on mine?”
Her most recent release, “Oklahoma on Saturdays,” follows suit, drawing from her personal life stories and bringing forth an authentic sound that reverberates throughout, promising a taste of the real Maggie Baugh in her upcoming album.
Performing across the pond
After starting off her tour in the U.S., Baugh is heading over to the U.K. to perform in Manchester as a headliner for the Buckle & Boots Country Festival. Held in Etherow Country Park, the festival runs from May 22 to 25 and includes live performances from country artists, food vendors, boutique shopping, camping, and over 100 beers on tap.
Following a hop back over to the States in June and July, Baugh will return in August for an additional seven shows across the U.K. However, The Entertainers Heart World Tour is more than a concert. Think of it as a bold statement that resonates with music lovers from dive bars to major venues. Baugh delivers shows where you hear what’s happening with no pre-recorded tracks. There’s no lip syncing, just her, a tight band, and songs that hit harder because they’re real.
Additionally, you’ll leave the show knowing what honest music feels like. You can get more info + tickets here.
A fresh sound in country
Baugh is a breath of fresh air in a genre drifting toward production-heavy perfection. She proves there’s still an appetite for music that’s a bit messy, a little risky, and fully human. The talented musician is shaking up the pop-country scene with guts, grit, and it’s working.
With Entertainers Heart, Baugh is doing more than releasing an album or headlining a tour. She’s reclaiming country music’s authenticity. Catch her on the road in the U.S. and U.K. and experience it for yourself.
In the meantime, follow her on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.
The editorial unit
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