Rising country star Jimmie Allen is doubling down on his recent collaborative EP, upping the ante with an expanded, deluxe edition, which features even more big names than its predecessor.
Out June 25, his Bettie James Gold Edition will include 16 star-studded tracks in all, with a guest list fit for the Grammy Awards.
For background, Allen released his Bettie James EP back in 2020, a project that featured with seven collaborations with everyone from Charley Pride to Tim McGraw and Noah Cyrus, and the Bettie James Gold Edition takes that idea and goes even further. Adding nine more collabs to the mix, Allen is now joined by Babyface, BRELAND, Keith Urban, LANCO, Lathan Warlick, Lindsay Ell, Little Big Town, LOCASH, Monica, Neon Union, Pitbull, teamwork. and Vikina. And he predicts a musical mix that totally ignores genre labels.
“When it comes to music I love, I don’t really get wrapped up in boundaries or genres. I thought we were gonna stop with the collaborations with Bettie James, and then I was like man, there’s so much music out there that I love, so many artists that I love, and I just wasn’t done,” he explains. “There’s some Pop, there’s some Rock, there’s some Country, there’s some R&B. I got a chance to work with legends! When I was writing some of the songs, I was trying to picture each moment. I went to each artist to work with them so they could be who they are on the song and bring their greatness to the song – I feel like that’s what makes the songs better. I’m super proud of the body of work of this album and can’t wait for people to hear it.”
In addition to the new album, Jimmie Allen also recently announced the inaugural Bettie James Fest — a music festival of his own making that takes place August 7 in his hometown of Milton, Deleware. The lineup features Allen headlining and special guests DJ Jazzy Jeff, Neon Union, Hero the Band, Chuck Wicks and Chase Martin.
Allen’s current single “Freedom Was A Highway” (featuring Brad Paisley) is out now and inside the Top 30 at Country radio, and after appearing on this year’s ACM Awards, he next perform on the Juneteenth: Together We Triumph – A ‘Soul of a Nation’ Special Event on June 18 on ABC.
Bettie James Gold Edition Track List: