Taylor Swift -- Shake It Off

If you're reading this, you're probably thinking "I thought this was a blog about country music?" And you're right-- it is. Taylor Swift hasn't released a true country song in years. Heck, she flat out said in yesterday's Yahoo Live Stream that her new record "1989" is her first documented pop album. Because of this I won't feature her often. But Taylor's music holds a special place in my heart, so this is going to be one of those rare times you'll see her here.

I have been a huge Taylor fan since "Tim McGraw" was released in 2006. My copy of her debut album is probably covered in more scratches than any other one I own.  That record, along with "Fearless" and "Speak Now" are the soundtracks of my high school years, with most tracks having specific memories associated with them. I credit Taylor for introducing me to the world of country music and for being the reason why I love the genre so much. I'm sad to see her leave, but know more excellent music is on the way, as evident by the premiere of her new single "Shake It Off."

In case you missed the live stream event, here is a summary of what we learned yesterday:

• Taylor's new album is titled "1989," with the first single being "Shake It Off"
• The album title refers to the year she was born and the year of pop music she was most inspired by
• "1989" will be out on October 27 and is already available for pre-order
• There is a deluxe edition of the new album, which features 3 additional tracks plus 3 voice memos from Taylor's phone
• The physical copies of the album will include one-of-five different packages of polaroids of Taylor
• This album is Taylor's favorite record she has ever recorded

"Shake It Off" is a fun, high energy dance track about not letting what people say about you get to you. As Taylor said during the event, when people talk about you, you can choose to let it bother you or you can just shake it off. The music video showcases several types of dancing-- including everything from ballet to twerking-- with Taylor at the center of it all.

If this track alone is any indication of what the rest of "1989" will sound like, then it looks like Taylor has another hit album on her hands.

www.taylorswift.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TaylorSwift

Twitter: @taylorswift13

Buy Shake It Off on iTunes here!

How do you feel about Taylor's transition from country to pure pop? Will you still buy her new music? We want your feedback! Comment below or tweet us @GRHblog-- we'd love to hear from you!

RaeLynn -- God Made Girls

Back in 2012, a then-17-year-old girl named Racheal Woodward, known professionally as RaeLynn, auditioned for season 2 of NBC's "The Voice" with a strong and sassy rendition of Pistol Annies' "Hell on Heels." Her electrifying performance easily won her a spot on Team Blake Shelton. Although she only made it halfway through the competition, she still came out a winner, as she has since landed a record deal within the Big Machine Label Group.

What makes RaeLynn, now age 20, standout as an artist is her ability to infuse music with her sparkling personality: from soft and sweet to fiery and feisty, she expertly conveys emotion in the delivery of the lyrics she sings.

RaeLynn has just released "God Made Girls," the sweet and sentimental first single off her debut album, to country radio. With clever lyrics written by Lori McKenna, Liz Rose, and (my personal favorite songwriter) Nicolle Galyon, RaeLynn sings about all the reasons as to why God did indeed make girls: "He needed something soft and loud and sweet and proud, but tough enough to break a heart/ Something beautiful and breakable that lights up in the dark."

"It didn't take that long to write it... We [she and the writers] started talking about all the things boys couldn't do without girls and what makes girls so amazing. Like the fact that we get dressed up for boys and they want to clean their truck for us - all the things boys couldn't do if they didn't have a girl. After that conversation, we wrote the song," RaeLynn told All Access Music Group.

After "The Voice," the first song RaeLynn released was "Boyfriend," a track that couldn't be any more lyrically different from "God Made Girls." In this twangy tune, she confidently lets a girl know that: "I want your boyfriend, I'm not gonna lie/ I'll be his girl when he tells you goodbye/ Don't worry, I won't take him cause I ain't that low/ I want your boyfriend, just thought you should know."

www.raelynnofficial.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/RaeLynnOfficial

Twitter: @RaeLynnOfficial

Buy God Made Girls on iTunes here!

Are you a fan of "God Made Girls"? We want to know what you think! Tweet us @GRHblog or comment below!

Lindsay Ell -- Shut Me Up

Country music has long been in need of a girl who can rock out and play guitar as hard as the boys-- and it is 25-year-old Lindsay Ell who fits this description to a T. Lindsay, a Canadian native, learned to play guitar at a very early age, and now plays anything and everything, as evidenced by her visits to The Bobby Bones Show. However, while this trait is something that sets her apart from her peers, this isn't the only thing she wants listeners to focus on. "There aren't a lot of girls who play electric lead guitar, and it can be a defining thing. First and foremost, I want people to hear me and understand my voice as a country music recording artist. When they come see me, I'd love it if they were impressed at my guitar and piano playing. But by that point, hopefully they understand the artist behind it all has a lot of different sides to her music," she says on her website.

Lindsay's new single "Shut Me Up" doesn't hit radio until next month, but I'm already obsessed. Sonically, this song has a more pop-rock than country feel, but that doesn't take away from its quality. With this track, Lindsay delivers an anthem for girls who have been cheated on by vowing that she will tell everybody what her ex did: "Can't shut me up, can't hush my mouth/I'll bang a drum, I'll be so loud/ You can't cover up the truth with duct tape/ Boy it's gonna hit you like an earthquake."

Late last year Lindsay released "Trippin' On Us" to radio. This cheery track tells a simple story about all of the good feelings that accompany meeting someone new and falling in love: "I had a good day, sun shining on me/ I met somebody, got me trippin' on us, trippin' on us."

And, even though I don't normally post a third video, this is too good not to post. Last week Lindsay joined Keith Urban on stage for an electrifying duet of "We Were Us," where she more than held her own against his extraordinary guitar skills. 

www.lindsayell.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/officiallindsayell

Twitter: @lindsayell

Shut Me Up will be on iTunes August 11!

Loving Lindsay's music? Let us know what you think on Twitter (@GRHblog) or in the comments!

Lucy Hale -- Lie a Little Better

To most people, Lucy Hale is known as Aria Montgomery on ABC Family's "Pretty Little Liars." But what many don't know is that her first love is actually music. Back in 2003 Lucy competed in and won the reality show "American Juniors," an "American Idol"-like competition that was created for young artists. When post-winning success didn't follow, she began auditioning for acting roles and guest-starred on many popular programs until "Pretty Little Liars" came along and made her a star. With the success of the show, Lucy was given a second chance with music and spent two years putting together her debut album "Road Between," which was released last month.

"Road Between" is a country-pop record filled with catchy songs that cover a variety of topics girls can connect with. From growing up and finding yourself (the title track "Road Between") and learning that it's perfectly fine to not be ok ("Nervous Girls") to struggling to get over someone ("Just Another Song") and getting revenge on an ex-boyfriend ("Goodbye Gone"), Lucy sings about it all. Her strong vocals and the honest lyrics of her songs make for an excellent first album and shows her fans that she is in this for long haul.

Following her first single "You Sound Good to Me," Lucy is releasing "Lie a Little Better" to radio next. This fun track is about trying (but failing) not to let someone you're interested in know how you feel about them.

I had a hard time choosing a second song to feature here because the album is that good, but I decided to go with "That's What I Call Crazy." This song is co-written by Kacey Musgraves and tells the story of a girl and a breakup and how while the way she's handling it might sound crazy, what's actually crazy is all the things her ex put her through during the relationship.

www. lucyhale.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/lucyhale

Twitter: @lucyhale

Buy Lie a Little Better on iTunes here!

Are you loving this Pretty Little Liar's music? What are your favorite tracks from the album? Take it to Twitter (@GRHblog) or the comments!

Maddie & Tae -- Girl In a Country Song

"Bro-country" has a prominent place on country radio these days. Most songs seem to thematically center around trucks, dirt roads, tailgates, and, of course, girls. Never before have we heard a song take on the perspective of those girls and how they feel being that girl in a country song. Until now.

Maddie & Tae, a duo comprised of 18-year-olds Maddie Marlow and Tae Dye, are taking country music on by storm with their first single "Girl In a Country Song." This catchy, upbeat, and, above all, extremely clever song takes aim against several popular bro-country tunes with its honest and sassy lyrics: for example, "tell me one more time you gotta get you some of that, sure I'll slide on over-- but you're gonna get slapped."

How exactly did this song come about? "Maddie and I were in a songwriting session on St Patrick's Day, and we were talking about all the songs and laughing because the lyrics share a common theme. We wanted to go at it from a girl's perspective, and we wanted to put ourselves in the shoes of this girl. You know, how does she feel wearing these cut-off shorts, sitting on the tailgate?" Taylor shared with Rolling Stone. Added Maddie, "You get to hear the story from the guy all the time, but you don't get to hear how this girl feels about having to live up to these expectations."

These girls and this track are a breath of fresh air at a time when most country music has taken on a similar formula and has essentially put out the same song time and time again. In the absence of acts like the Dixie Chicks and The Wreckers, Maddie & Tae are seamlessly filling that long-empty void of female duos/groups in country. With their sharp songwriting skills and sweet vocals, they may just prove to be the future of country music.

The girls have been performing some of their new songs on a radio tour across the United States this month. While "Girl In a Country Song" demonstrates their songwriting ability, "Smoke," a track about wanting what you can't have, highlights their beautiful harmonies. Listen to it here:

www.maddieandtae.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/maddieandtae

Twitter: @MaddieandTae

Buy Girl In a Country Song on iTunes here!

Think this is what country music has been missing? Tweet us (@GRHblog) or comment below!

Jana Kramer -- Love

Following her 2012 self-titled debut album that featured the singles "Why Ya Wanna," "Whiskey," and "I Hope It Rains," Jana Kramer is back with the first single from her new album, which is expected to come out this fall.

"Love" may be one of the most promising songs currently out on country radio. While it seems that on the topic of love many artists choose to sing about loss and heartbreak, Jana instead heads in the direction of wistful and hopeful, remaining optimistic and choosing to still believe in love despite the hurt that she has experienced.

The song's applicability to more than love in romantic relationships makes it stand out. "This song for me is about paying it forward and giving back and believing that love is out there in more ways than just a romantic way," Jana told Glamaholic Magazine.

Featuring smooth, beautiful vocals with a slight country twang, Jana has delivered the perfect anthem for listeners of all ages.

Another song from her new record worth checking out is "I Got the Boy," a sweet ballad that reminisces about one's first love.

www.janakramer.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/janakramermusic

Twitter: @kramergirl
Buy Love on iTunes here!

Do you love "Love"? Tell us your thoughts on Twitter (@GRHblog) or in the comments!

Kelsea Ballerini -- Love Me Like You Mean It

About a year and a half ago now, I spent a spring break touring the magnificent city that is Nashville. I had been watching Nashville on ABC, so going to The Bluebird Cafe was an absolute must for my trip. I knew visiting the cafe would be a cool experience, but my visit there completely blew away all expectations I had of it and it was a night I will never forget.

The night I went, a handful of songwriters were on hand to sing round after round of songs they had written. I was mesmerized. It's one thing to hear the songs you love on the radio, but another to hear them from the people who actually wrote them-- you can feel the music.

One of the songwriters in particular stood out to me that night, a girl by the name of Kelsea Ballerini. With the voice of an angel, she sang several songs that were not only outstanding, but beyond that, extremely relatable. Listening to her music made me feel and understand her lyrics in a way that I hadn't since Taylor Swift's earlier work. From then on, I  followed her music and devoured every new song she posted.

Fast forward to now, a year and a half later, and Kelsea has a more than well-deserved record deal with Black River Entertainment. Her first single "Love Me Like You Mean It" was released on iTunes this week and will be hitting the radio in September. This upbeat, sassy track is one with a message I'm sure most of us girls can appreciate. Check it out here:

And, while you're at it, take a few minutes to listen to "The First Time" as well. I think we can all relate to finding out that sometimes some people just aren't worth giving second chances to.

www.kelseaballerini.com

Facebook: facebook.com/kelseaballerini

Twitter: @KelseaBallerini

Buy Love Me Like You Mean It on iTunes here!

So, what do you think? Share your thoughts on Twitter (@GRHblog) or in the comments below!

Welcome!

Welcome to Girls Round Here, a new blog focused on the female artists of country! :)

My name is Melissa and I have a bit of an obsession with anything and everything related to country music. Lately it seems as if artists like Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, and Florida Georgia Line are constantly dominating the charts, and, while I love all these boys and their music, it just doesn't seem fair that the girls of the genre are not finding the same success. This brings me to the point of this entire thing.

Besides Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert (and occasionally Taylor Swift... but including her in this doesn't seem quite fair), how many females do we hear on country radio? The answer: not enough. But that doesn't mean that the talent isn't out there, because it definitely is. The purpose of this blog is to introduce y'all to artists you may not be familiar with and to help you discover new music by those you are already fans of!

One last thing-- I do not want this blog to simply be me posting about artists I personally like. If you have an artist in mind that you would like to see featured on here (or if you are an artist!), please don't hesitate to send a message to girlsroundhereblog@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for visiting; I cannot wait to get started introducing you to some of the "girls round here!" :)