# 2018 in country music

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 2018.

## Events

* January – The critically acclaimed ABC/CMT series Nashville announces it will stop production after its sixth season which premiered on January 4, 2018. The show's last episode aired on July 26, 2018.
* January 17 – Kenny Chesney announces that he has left Sony Music Nashville after 23 years and has subsequently signed with Warner Bros. Records Nashville.
* February 2 – Montgomery Gentry release their final album together, Here's to You, following the death of Troy Gentry in September 2017.
* April 14 – Weeks after his impromptu performance of the Hank Williams Sr. hit song "Lovesick Blues" at his local Wal-Mart in southern Illinois had made him a viral country phenomenon, 11 year old Mason Ramsey realizes his dream of performing at the Grand Ole Opry. Five years later, a teenaged Ramsey would return to the Opry, performing the song again on the 75th anniversary of the country standard.
* April 15 – The Academy of Country Music awards return to Las Vegas for the first time since the October 2017 Las Vegas shooting, with Reba McEntire returning as host; Carrie Underwood makes her comeback performance after months out of the public eye while recovering from injuries she suffered in a fall at home.
* April 30 – USA Network announces Real Country, a reality competition show designed to find the next big country star and featuring Travis Tritt, Jake Owen and Shania Twain as judges.
* June 8 – Sugarland returns with the release of their first album together since 2010, Bigger.
* June 25 – Fox announces it will air "iHeartCountry Festival", featuring headliners Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, and more in August.
* June 26 – Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and Faith Hill are announced to receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2019.
* July 25 – Reba McEntire is announced as one of the recipients of the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors.
* August 8 – Carrie Underwood announces her pregnancy with her second child.
* September 20 – Carrie Underwood receives her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
* November 20 – Jimmie Allen reaches number one on Country Airplay with "Best Shot", making him the first African American to send a debut single to the top of that chart.

## Top hits of the year

The following songs placed within the Top 20 on the Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay, or Canada Country charts in 2018:

### Singles released by American and Australian artists

| Songs | Airplay | Canada | Single | Artist |
| 21 | 11 | 22 | "All Day Long" | Garth Brooks |
| 6 | 2 | 2 | "All on Me" | Devin Dawson |
| 8 | 17 | 16 | "Babe" | Sugarland featuring Taylor Swift |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | "Best Shot" | Jimmie Allen |
| 5 | 1 | 2 | "Blue Tacoma" | Russell Dickerson |
| 19 | 18 | 26 | "Born to Love You" | LANCO |
| 14 | 16 | 50 | "Boy" | Lee Brice |
| 4 | 2 | 34 | "Break Up in the End" | Cole Swindell |
| 5 | 1 | 3 | "Broken Halos" | Chris Stapleton |
| 11 | 3 | 1 | "Coming Home" | Keith Urban featuring Julia Michaels |
| 5 | 9 | 8 | "Cry Pretty" | Carrie Underwood |
| 8 | 13 | 4 | "Desperate Man" | Eric Church |
| 14 | 15 | 22 | "Downtown's Dead" | Sam Hunt |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | "Drowns the Whiskey" | Jason Aldean featuring Miranda Lambert |
| 12 | 7 | 25 | "Drunk Girl" | Chris Janson |
| 6 | 2 | 2 | "Drunk Me" | Mitchell Tenpenny |
| 9 | 1 | 16 | "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" | David Lee Murphy & Kenny Chesney |
| 4 | — | — | "Famous" | Mason Ramsey |
| 11 | 12 | 3 | "Female" | Keith Urban |
| 4 | 1 | 2 | "Five More Minutes" | Scotty McCreery |
| 7 | 1 | 6 | "For the First Time" | Darius Rucker |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | "Get Along" | Kenny Chesney |
| 17 | 15 | 43 | "Get to You" | Michael Ray |
| 15 | 6 | 10 | "A Girl Like You" | Easton Corbin |
| 8 | 2 | 4 | "Hangin' On" | Chris Young |
| 18 | 13 | 32 | "Happens Like That" | Granger Smith |
| 22 | 15 | 33 | "Heart Break" | Lady Antebellum |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | "Heaven" | Kane Brown |
| 21 | 13 | 13 | "Hide the Wine" | Carly Pearce |
| 6 | 2 | 14 | "Hooked" | Dylan Scott |
| 5 | 1 | 2 | "Hotel Key" | Old Dominion |
| 7 | 1 | 14 | "I Could Use a Love Song" | Maren Morris |
| 8 | 3 | 3 | "I Lived It" | Blake Shelton |
| 7 | 1 | 1 | "I Was Jack (You Were Diane)" | Jake Owen |
| 28 | 17 | 43 | "Kinda Don't Care" | Justin Moore |
| 11 | 3 | 20 | "Kiss Somebody" | Morgan Evans |
| 12 | 6 | 23 | "Last Shot" | Kip Moore |
| 10 | 1 | 3 | "Legends" | Kelsea Ballerini |
| 6 | 1 | 1 | "Life Changes" | Thomas Rhett |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | "Like I Loved You" | Brett Young |
| 7 | 3 | 7 | "The Long Way" | Brett Eldredge |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | "Lose It" | Kane Brown |
| 7 | 1 | 2 | "Losing Sleep" | Chris Young |
| 23 | 15 | 12 | "Make a Little" | Midland |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | "Marry Me" | Thomas Rhett |
| 1 | 1 | 7 | "Meant to Be" | Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line |
| 2 | 1 | 8 | "Mercy" | Brett Young |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | "Most People Are Good" | Luke Bryan |
| 14 | — | — | "Must've Never Met You" | Luke Combs |
| 24 | 20 | 35 | "Neon Church" | Tim McGraw |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | "One Number Away" | Luke Combs |
| 22 | 15 | 38 | "The Ones That Like Me" | Brantley Gilbert |
| 18 | 25 | 48 | "The Rest of Our Life" | Tim McGraw and Faith Hill |
| 8 | 4 | 2 | "Rich" | Maren Morris |
| 7 | 2 | 8 | "Round Here Buzz" | Eric Church |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | "She Got the Best of Me" | Luke Combs |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | "Simple" | Florida Georgia Line |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | "Singles You Up" | Jordan Davis |
| 1 | 1 | 2 | "Speechless" | Dan + Shay |
| 4 | 1 | 2 | "Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset" | Luke Bryan |
| 12 | 8 | 3 | "Take Back Home Girl" | Chris Lane featuring Tori Kelly |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | "Tequila" | Dan + Shay |
| 14 | 10 | 20 | "Turnin' Me On" | Blake Shelton |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | "Up Down" | Morgan Wallen featuring Florida Georgia Line |
| 7 | 1 | 1 | "Woman, Amen" | Dierks Bentley |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | "Written in the Sand" | Old Dominion |
| 9 | 10 | 17 | "You Broke Up with Me" | Walker Hayes |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | "You Make It Easy" | Jason Aldean |
| 3 | 1 | 2 | "Yours" | Russell Dickerson |

### Singles released by Canadian artists

| Songs | Airplay | Canada | Single | Artist |
| — | — | 1 | "8th Day" | Dean Brody |
| — | — | 15 | "18 Ends" | Petric |
| — | — | 9 | "All About Her" | Paul Brandt |
| — | — | 8 | "Anthem" | Brett Kissel |
| — | — | 12 | "The Bad Guy" | Meghan Patrick |
| — | — | 16 | "Bittersweet" | Paul Brandt featuring Lindsay Ell |
| — | — | 19 | "Blame It on the Neon" | Leaving Thomas |
| — | — | 9 | "Born and Raised" | Hunter Brothers |
| — | — | 7 | "Camouflage" | Jess Moskaluke |
| — | — | 5 | "Country Music Made Me Do It" | Meghan Patrick |
| 28 | 19 | 1 | "Criminal" | Lindsay Ell |
| — | — | 3 | "Dear Drunk Me" | Chad Brownlee |
| — | — | 5 | "Denim on Denim" | Tebey |
| — | — | 1 | "Dive Bar" | Gord Bamford |
| — | — | 8 | "Do It with You" | Andrew Hyatt |
| — | — | 13 | "Downtown Kids" | David James |
| — | — | 11 | "Feel Like That" | Washboard Union |
| — | — | 10 | "Forever Rebels" | Tim Hicks |
| — | — | 18 | "Get Me There" | Shawn Austin |
| — | — | 6 | "Good Goodbye" | Dean Brody |
| — | — | 6 | "Good Together" | James Barker Band |
| — | — | 6 | "Got Your Name on It" | Jade Eagleson |
| — | — | 8 | "Guitars and Gasoline" | Brett Kissel |
| — | — | 12 | "Habit" | Andrew Hyatt |
| — | — | 16 | "Little Girl" | Kira Isabella |
| — | — | 6 | "Long Live the Night" | The Reklaws |
| — | — | 4 | "Loud" | Tim Hicks |
| — | — | 1 | "Make 'Em Like You" | Dallas Smith |
| — | — | 9 | "Miss Me Yet" | Aaron Goodvin |
| — | — | 13 | "Money" | Cold Creek County |
| — | — | 11 | "Neon Love" | Madeline Merlo |
| — | — | 10 | "Neon Smoke" | Gord Bamford |
| — | — | 3 | "One Drink Ago" | Dallas Smith & Terri Clark |
| — | — | 6 | "The Road" | Emerson Drive |
| 11 | 7 | — | "She's with Me" (U.S. release) | High Valley |
| — | — | 1 | "Sleepin' Around" | Dallas Smith |
| — | — | 16 | "Sun Set on It" | David James |
| — | — | 9 | "Those Were the Nights" | Hunter Brothers |
| — | — | 1 | "Walls Come Down" | Meghan Patrick |
| — | — | 15 | "What We're Made Of" | Washboard Union |
| — | — | 1 | "Who's Gonna Love You" | Tebey |
| — | — | 17 | "The Worst Kind" | Tim Hicks & Lindsay Ell |
| — | — | 6 | "Worth a Shot" | Aaron Pritchett |
| — | — | 10 | "Young Forever" | High Valley |