Leading into this week’s GMA Dove Awards, Forrest Frank is one of the frontrunners with nods for new artist of the year and pop/contemporary recorded song of the year (“Good Day”). He’s also set to perform during Christian music’s biggest night, when the GMA Dove Awards are held Wednesday (Oct. 2) at Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena. The show will air on TBN and TBN+ on Oct. 4.

In August, “Good Day” rose to No. 2 on Billboard’s streaming, airplay and sales-based Hot Christian Songs chart, after previously rising into the upper echelon of Spotify’s U.S. Viral 50 chart.

However, the Houston native never intended to release “Good Day” after he wrote it in early 2024. He recalls to Billboard that he sent the song to a close music friend, who offered up some discouraging feedback.

“He was like, ‘I don’t know about this song,’ so I had put it on the back burner because of that,” Frank recalls. “I thought maybe it was a little too on the nose, too happy.”

But then, Frank’s fans took the song from the dust bin to viral hit. While most artists tease out songs early on social media, Frank offers up early versions of songs in the 6,000-member Grouped app community that he’s named The Tree House. When Frank let the community vote on five unreleased songs, “Good Day” was the clear choice.

“I kept seeing the comments rolling in, like, ‘”Good Day” is my favorite,’ ‘Good Day,’ ‘Good Day’…so I put the song out, not thinking it was special at all, and then it just completely blew up.”

“Good Day” is Frank’s highest-ranking song on the Hot Christian Songs chart, but it’s not his first. In 2023, Frank’s collaboration “Up!” with Connor Price reached No. 8 on the chart. In April, his four-song EP God Is Good, which featured “Up!” and “Good Day,” debuted in the top 5 on the same chart.

In August, Frank saw his biggest chart hit yet. His album Child of God (which includes the four songs from the God Is Good EP) debuted at No. 1 on the Top Christian Albums chart and has held that spot for the past nine weeks. To date, he’s earned 5.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

“Just on a macro level, Forrest is speaking to an enormous community of people in a way that they really haven’t been spoken to,” says Tony Talamo, who serves as Frank’s manager, but was also recently named general manager at Atlantic Music Group.

“I think it’s just the way that he’s able to communicate and expose his music to this community has really registered with people, and just how genuine he is about the whole thing,” Talamo continues. “I think it just shines through in the music and that’s what people really kind of gravitate towards.”

Frank, 28, grew up listening to music ranging from CCM to jazz and first began creating music as a high school student, using the compact Maschine Mikro production and beats-making machine to produce his own musical creations.

Shortly after graduating from Baylor University with a degree in business, he teamed with fellow musician Colin Padalecki in 2017, joining the group Surfaces (they released the album Surf that year). At the time, Frank was working a corporate gig in Seattle, doing sales for the Fortune 500 company Abbott, while continuing with his obsession with making music. Simultaneously with his work as part of Surfaces, he was also already releasing solo music, issuing his first solo project, Warm, in 2018.

In 2019, Surfaces released “Sunday Best.” The following year, Frank married — and he and his wife, Grace, moved to Waco, Texas. Around that time, “Sunday Best” gained traction, rising to the top 20 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and ultimately earning 980 million plays on Spotify. The song was certified 3x multi-platinum by the RIAA. Surfaces followed with songs including “Wave of You” and even collaborated with Elton John on the song “Learn to Fly” from John’s The Lockdown Sessions.

But as Frank began getting his first taste of success with Surfaces, Frank was “wrestling with the feeling of ‘I don’t want to be famous,’” he says. “Ultimately, my goal is to lead people to Jesus, and I hope I’m doing that through pop music. I remember I would pray salvation prayers at a low decibel beneath these pop songs.”

The success of “Sunday Best” came at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when concerts and tours of all sizes were paused. After turning down performance opportunities for over a year, Frank says he “felt like eventually I was pretty much retired from pop music. I was like, ‘I’ll write songs for Surfaces, but I feel like we are supposed to be at home. And if God wants me to go back to [work in a] corporate [setting], I’m fine with that.’”

At the same time, he was writing and singing worship songs. He kept returning to one of the songs he’d crafted during his personal time, “No Longer Bound,” eventually recording and releasing the song in January 2023. The song went viral (it’s earned over 64 million Spotify streams to date), and he soon followed with the Connor Price collaboration “Up!,” “Lift My Hands,” and ultimately, “Good Day.”

“Things just snowballed from there,” Frank says.

Frank is one of a crop of newcomers making waves in Contemporary Christian Music, alongside fellow GMA Dove Awards new artist of the year nominees Charity Gayle, Josiah Queen, Seph Schlueter and Terian. Newcomers to the genre are seeing gains in streaming, social media and touring, as CCM music rose in the first half of the year as one of the top fastest-rising musical genres in the U.S.

“There’s this new level, where people are coming forward with their own personal sound because of the availability of technology and the lack of hoops to jump through,” Frank says. “And I think that even the Christian industry probably hasn’t had much friction or competition for a lot of years. But now you’ve got all these kids, like you’ve got an 18-year-old who knows more than the 40-year-old about production because they went direct to the source and learned on YouTube versus going to a college. And so these young, talented, hungry kids are rising forward and they’re making great songs.”

Frank’s connection with fans extends beyond the U.S. market: According to Chartmetric, while the United States remains Frank’s top market, 13.3% of his listenership comes from Brazil (he has leaned into that market by incorporating Portuguese-language content on his social media).

“We just went and shot a live version of his [sold out] show at the Shrine in [Los Angeles],” Talamo says. “We employ all our digital content team when he needs it, but he really leads the way with it. It’s giving him all the things he needs to do things the way he wants to. Forrest is such a machine in the way that he operates from writing and producing the music, shooting the content, performing, and thinking about all the creative elements that come together. He’s so in tune with his business and his projects.”

That business-focused mindset extends beyond music, as does Frank’s future goals.

‘I do have an entrepreneurial mind and I’m always thinking about different things,” he says. “For example, I bought a space in Waco, and I’m turning it into this physical retail space where people can come in and buy albums and merch — but it’s also going to be a grocery store and a coffee shop that serves the community, and I’m going to source it to local farms. Honestly, I could predict that in the next five to 10 years, something will emerge that has nothing to do with music. That could even become my main thing.”

Not anytime soon, however — considering that his new single “Never Get Used to This,” featuring JVKE, just debuted at No. 39 on Billboard’s Christian Airplay chart, while he has seven songs peppering the Hot Christian Songs chart, including “Good Day,” “Never Get Used to This,” and “Life is Good.”

As with “Good Day,” Frank says he’ll continue to bring all his music to his most devoted fans first.

“When I’m thinking about my next release, before taking it to Instagram or TikTok I’ll probably throw three or four snippets in [the Treehouse group] to get the feedback,” Frank says. “For me, it helps as an artist — not every song’s going to be a hit, but at least I can be a little more refined in my moves so when I bring a song to socials it’s like, ‘Okay, this is the one that’s already been proven in this smaller focus group.’”

With his Child of God tour having recently wrapped, the UTA-aligned Frank has an even larger tour slated for 2025. He says touring as a CCM artist has been markedly different from some of his past performance experiences.

“I’ve never viewed myself as a performer,” he says. “I just wanted to make music and be a producer. I’ve done maybe hundreds of shows with Surfaces that were in the name of entertainment, and looking back, I can now recognize fully that it always felt like a disconnect. And on this past tour, it just felt so right. It felt like every cell of my body was being used for God and his glory, and every show was a 10 out of 10 because of that. It changed my perspective of being onstage to where now I’m excited because I get to be a conductor of bringing people to the Lord, versus just connecting with fans per se, which I do love as well.

“This whole journey just has felt like a gift from God, and he’s just continued to bless me with new songs and new ideas,” Frank adds. “I can’t take any credit for it. Anytime anything good happens, it’s just like, ‘Okay, God for whatever reason has selected me as a vessel for Him.’”

Leslie Fram, CMT’s highly respected senior vp of music strategy and talent, is among the staffers who have left the Nashville-based country music and lifestyle programming network as part of the broad staff cuts taking place at Paramount Global.

Fram, Billboard‘s 2021 Country Power Players executive of the year, oversaw all musical integration within the brand, including original programming, CMT.com and music video airplay across all CMT platforms. Her last day was Monday (Sept. 30).

In a letter released exclusively to Billboard, Fram looks back with understandable pride at the multiple milestones she and her team, many of whom have also departed the company, achieved over her 13 years at the company, including the CMT Music Awards debuting on CBS, resurrecting franchises such as CMT Giants and Storytellers, and creating or continuing specials like CMT Campfire Sessions and its signature CMT Crossroads.

Fram, who was an ardent supporter of all country artists — but especially burgeoning acts and women — was an outspoken advocate for diversity and inclusion and continuously strove to create ways to highlight women artists and artists of color on CMT in a genre dominated by white male acts.  

“Among my proudest achievements has been our decade+ support of women with CMT’s ‘Next Women of Country,’ a program that has helped promote and elevate over 100 female artists on all platforms, and our efforts to move the format forward in areas of inclusion and diversity,” she writes.

“Over the years, the team worked tirelessly to grow these types of opportunities when in 2015, we created an all-female ‘Next Women of Country’ tour to give these artists a stage to play on – introducing newcomers like Kelsea Ballerini and supporting headlining acts like Martina McBride, Sara Evans & Jennifer Nettles.”

Fram, who will host the Save the Music event in Nashville on Oct. 15, ends the missive on a positive note: “Cheering on those who remain and those who have left — only great things ahead. With the ever-changing media landscape let’s remember to take care of each other!”

Read the full letter below:   

To My Dear CMT Family, Friends, Colleagues,

Thirteen years ago this month, I had the extraordinary opportunity to become SVP/Music & Talent at CMT and work with my longtime friend and mentor Brian Philips (President of CMT at the time). The transition from rock radio to country music television turned out to be a pivotal moment in my career, allowing me and the brand’s resident experts to build CMT’s next great chapter. We went on to create an even bigger music brand, continuing to amplify the format’s superstars and legends while giving voice to the next generation.

Over the years, we’ve accomplished so many milestones as a team. From celebrating the ‘CMT Music Awards’ debut on CBS, bringing back historic franchises like ‘CMT Giants’ where we honored such legends as Kenny Rogers, Vince Gill and Alabama, and resurrecting the iconic ‘Storytellers’ format to creating new music programming and specials like ‘CMT Campfire Sessions,’ ‘CMT Summer Camp’ and ‘CMT Smashing Glass’ honoring Tanya Tucker & Patti LaBelle, these are once-in-a-lifetime experiences I will always treasure! 

And it wouldn’t be CMT without a deep bow to the award-winning series, ‘CMT Crossroads.’ My first experience with the franchise was with Vince Gill & Sting at NYC’s Hammerstein Ballroom, and I immediately was overwhelmed by the musical magnitude of these shows. We went on to bring together such extraordinary pairings as Stevie Nicks & Lady A, Katy Perry & Kacey Musgraves, Alicia Keys & Maren Morris, Halsey & Kelsea Ballerini, Shawn Mendes & Zac Brown, Nickelback & Hardy, and so many more. I am eternally grateful for the expertise and genius of my colleagues, Executive Producers Margaret Comeaux and John Hamlin, without whom ‘Crossroads’ and so much more, would not be possible.

Among my proudest achievements has been our decade+ support of women with CMT’s ‘Next Women of Country,’ a program that has helped promote and elevate over 100 female artists on all platforms, and our efforts to move the format forward in areas of inclusion and diversity.

Over the years, the team worked tirelessly to grow these types of opportunities when in 2015, we created an all-female ‘Next Women of Country’ tour to give these artists a stage to play on – introducing newcomers like Kelsea Ballerini and supporting headlining acts like Martina McBride, Sara Evans & Jennifer Nettles.

All along, we would constantly ask ourselves, ‘how can we do even better?’

We soon founded an initiative called CMT ‘Equal Play’ – 50/50, male/female parity across all CMT video hours. With this momentum, we strongly encouraged the industry to play, sign and support more women and to make equally bold moves to help cement a format-wide commitment to women and equality. This concept ultimately grew to become the ‘CMT Equal Play Award,’ in recognition of artists who advocate for diverse and underrepresented voices in the industry, bestowed upon such luminaries as Jennifer Nettles, Linda Martell and Shania Twain.

We also partnered with Cameo Carlson, President & CEO at mtheory to create CMT ‘Equal Access’ to better support artists from underrepresented communities. I’m proud to say that this effort closely mirrors the visionary leadership of Marva Smalls, EVP of Public Affairs/Global Inclusion at Paramount, our partners in ‘Equal Access.’ This program has allowed us to work with both artists and management professionals, helping us diversify the talent pipeline in country music.

Looking back over my career at CMT, I have so much gratitude for amazing leaders like Van Toffler, Bob Bakish & Bruce Gillmer to name a few. Thank you for your vision and support. 

To my incredible team, Donna Duncan, Stacey Cato, Jordan Walker, Katrina Cooper, Jordan Hatton, Abbi Roth, Bryana Cielo and my brilliant counterpart, Margaret Comeaux, John Hamlin, Heather Graffagnino, Jackie Barba, Jim Craig, Cynthia Mangrum, Jodi Carmichael, Melissa Goldberg, Ali Marszalkowski, Quinn Brown, Cody Alan, Shanna Strassberg, Andy Luther (and the IT Team) and so many more, we will always be a family and team. Your friendship and support have been my guiding light. I will cherish all our collective challenges and wins. 

To my Paramount and MTV colleagues past and present, it’s been my complete honor to work and learn from you.  

To the OG CMT’ers – the late great Chet Flippo, Suzanne Norman, Martin Clayton, Anthony Barton, Lisa Chader, Lucia Folk, Cindy McLean Finke, Jim Raley, Jackie Jones, Lewis Bogach, John-Miller Monzon, Shane Caldwell, Tessa Jordan, Jennifer Danielson, Jen Hoogerhyde (Morrison), Alina Thompson and so many more – in the words of Dolly ‘I will always love you!’

And finally, to this magical Nashville community and its brilliant artists, you have given and shared so much. I will always be grateful for your friendship and support, and I know that you will continue to collaborate with this undeniable brand for years to come. 

Cheering on those who remain and those who have left-only great things ahead. With the ever-changing media landscape let’s remember to take care of each other!  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Leslie Fram

lesliefram@me.com

Merlin, which negotiates digital licenses for a coalition of more than 30,000 independent labels around the world, told its members in a letter on Friday (Sept. 27) that TikTok “walked away” from talks to renew their TikTok license “before negotiations even began.”

“[TikTok] informed us that they do not want to renew our deal,” the letter, obtained by Billboard, states. “They informed us that… they intend to license some of our members directly.” The current Merlin-TikTok license is set to expire on Oct. 31.

“Their approach [to pursue direct deals with Merlin members] suggests that [TikTok] believe[s] their objectives can be better served by fragmenting the Merlin membership, in order, we believe, to minimize their pay out,” states the letter. “As you know, Merlin was founded to stand up for and champion its members. We will not support an approach that devalues our community.”

A TikTok spokesperson says that “TikTok would like to offer all of the world’s music to our users. We are committed to working with the independent sector as well as the major labels and publishers. We know that our community of over a billion music fans value the diversity and richness that independent music brings to our platform. We are committed to entering into direct deals with Merlin members in order to keep their music on TikTok.”

Founded in 2008, Merlin represents 15% of the global recorded music market, and it uses that collective market power to negotiate with digital partners on behalf of its members on a similar footing as the bigger major labels. The end of its license with TikTok would mean that top songs from artists like Coolio, Diplo, Faye Webster, J Dilla, The Lumineers, Mac Demarco, Madlib, Mitski, Nirvana, Phoebe Bridgers, Thundercat, Wet Leg and more will leave the platform after Halloween, unless their respective labels are able to reach agreements with TikTok. Each label individually would have to agree to terms with the platform, negotiating with a much smaller market footprint than they would have collectively.

Merlin is the third music organization this year, after Universal Music Group and National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), to express challenges in renewing music licenses with TikTok. In February, UMG’s failure to reach a deal with TikTok led to the removal of its entire catalog of hits from TikTok for about three months. In April, after publicly supporting UMG’s position against TikTok, the NMPA allowed its TikTok license, which was used by a number of indie publishers, to lapse as well. It has not been renewed.

“We believe the most likely reason that TikTok did this is that TikTok does not want to pay a fair rate for the music that powers their platform,” Merlin’s letter to members continues. “If this is right, then TikTok does not value independent music, the independent labels and distributors who support that music, nor the diverse artists who create it. They are unlike every other partner that Merlin works with.”

Along with negotiating digital deals for indie labels on TikTok, Merlin also licenses members’ catalogs to 40 services around the world, including platforms like YouTube, Meta, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, SoundCloud, Deezer and more.

Separately, Billboard obtained an email TikTok sent out to some Merlin members, stating that the short-form video app “decided not to renew [its] license agreements with Merlin” and that TikTok “may be able to do direct deals” with the labels, provided that they agree to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). “The purpose of the NDA is to enable us to discuss direct licensing agreements with you.” The deadline to sign and return the NDA is Oct. 4. A source familiar with TikTok said, however, that any Merlin label that wishes to stay on TikTok after Oct. 31 can review and sign the TikTok and CapCut agreements anytime before Oct. 25.

Merlin told its members that it is doing “all [it] can to re-engage with TikTok… we have already made it clear to them that we are ready to hold an actual negotiation and address any concerns they may have.”

While Merlin believes TikTok’s move is an attempt to keep the price tag for indie music lower than it would like, the organization’s letter to members also says that TikTok has “suggested” they are walking away “because of concerns about ‘fraud.’” “As we have told them on numerous occasions, we are incredibly proactive on this issue,” the letter states.

“TikTok’s refusal to negotiate a deal with Merlin isn’t just a setback — it’s a threat to the whole music ecosystem,” Dr. Richard Burgess, president of the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), says of the situation. “This isn’t just about Merlin; it’s about properly recognizing the value of artists and their music.”

Merlin declined Billboard’s request for comment. In an interview with Billboard published last week, Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota discussed his approach to renewing partnerships with platforms such as Meta and YouTube, with which Merlin has struck new deals of late. “We don’t think of it as, ‘Let’s come back and kick the tires every few years,’” Sirota said. “We want to help shape their thinking about music and their understanding of what independents need at an operational level. We want to do the same thing with our partners to create this continual feedback loop and conversation.”

Merlin’s membership includes, but is not limited to, independent labels like 4AD, Brain Feeder, Captured Tracks, Domino, Dualtone, Empire, Higher Ground, Matador, Ninja Tune, Secretly Group, Stones Throw, Subpop, Tommy Boy, XL and thousands more.

Read Merlin’s letter to members below in full:

Dear Merlin Member,

On August 5th, we informed you that we expected a difficult negotiation with TikTok.

This past Wednesday, with no warning, TikTok walked away before negotiations even began. They informed us that (1) they do not want to renew our deal, which expires on October 31st, and (2) they intend to license some of our members directly. To be even more clear, unfortunately, as of now, there will not be a Merlin-TikTok deal after October 31st.

We believe the most likely reason that TikTok did this is that TikTok does not want to pay a fair rate for the music that powers their platform. If this is right, then TikTok does not value independent music, the independent labels and distributors who support that music, nor the diverse artists who create it. They are unlike every other partner that Merlin works with.

TikTok pays substantially less for your music than other services, apparently relying on the perception that artists cannot afford to have their music unavailable on the platform. We made a good faith proposal to narrow this gap, but rather than negotiate, TikTok chose to simply walk away.

Given that TikTok refused to negotiate with us, our view is that they must see the obligation to pay fair royalties as a nuisance. They must view Merlin – with its mission to protect and maximize the value of our members’ music – as too strong a negotiating partner for their liking. Their approach suggests that they believe their objectives can be better served by fragmenting the Merlin membership, in order, we believe, to minimize their pay out.

TikTok has asked us for an “orderly transition” to do direct deals with those members they deem worthy. As you know, Merlin was founded to stand up for and champion its members. We will not support an approach that devalues our community.

The Merlin team remains dedicated to forging meaningful relationships between our members and partners, as well as driving value into every partnership. This includes dedicated teams to answer member inquiries across every aspect of our partnerships, operational support, best practices guides, partner-led and Merlin-led webinars, consolidated pitch forms, and so much more.

We are doing all we can to re-engage with TikTok to secure a renewal agreement for our members. We have already made it clear to them that we are ready to hold an actual negotiation and address any concerns they may have. TikTok has also suggested that they are walking away because of concerns about “fraud,” but as we have told them on numerous occasions, we are incredibly pro-active on this issue.

We recognized early on, and communicated with TikTok, the concerning growth and impact of stream manipulation and fraudulent content both on TikTok and across the marketplace. We have worked productively and collaboratively with TikTok on this issue, and until now, no concerns have been raised about the approach Merlin is taking. We have implemented measures to address illegitimate activity and content; automated systems to detect suspicious activity; and a dedicated team to address issues and impose sanctions, including ultimately, termination of membership for bad actors.

Members must, as ever, make their own decisions on how to deal with TikTok. For our part, we will never stop fighting for the value that our members bring, regardless of how this situation resolves itself.

We will follow-up by separate email with whatever answers we might have on your operational questions.

Rascal Flatts are hitting the road in 2025, five years after announcing, and then cancelling, their final tour due to the pandemic.

The multi-platinum country trio’s 21-date Life is a Highway tour kicks off Feb. 13 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. Lauren Alaina and Chris Lane are the opening acts.

“In 2020, we announced the farewell tour after being on the road extensively for 20 years,” the band said in a statement. “To put it simply, we needed a break. Then COVID hit and our plans came to a screeching halt, like the rest of the world.  Since then, we’ve been able to revisit our unique and special experience as a band and we’re ready to get out on the road again.  It’s hard to believe that next year will be the 25th anniversary of Rascal Flatts, and that felt like the perfect time to get back in front of the fans who have given us so much.”

Rascal Flatts—vocalist Gary LeVox, multi-instrumentalist Jay DeMarcus and guitarist Joe Don Rooney—got fans buzzing Monday (Sept. 30) when they posted a video to their Instagram account featuring the three individually walking through stage doors as if headed to rehearsal with the message, “Life’s a road that you travel on.”

The group originally announced the Rascal Flatts Farewell: Life Is a Highway Tour during an appearance in January 2020 on CBS This Morning, saying it was the perfect way to celebrate their then 20^th anniversary.

“We make music and that’s what we do,” Jay DeMarcus told CBS This Morning in 2020. “We may do it again someday collectively. We’re not going to sign some pact that says we’re never going to tour again … we all still do love each other, but we do make music, and we will probably make some music individually, collectively.”

Founded in 2000, the band scored such hits as “Prayin’ for Daylight,” “Bless the Broken Road” and “What Hurts the Most,” landing 14 No. 1s on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. They won the CMA Awards’ vocal group of the year award six years in a row from 2003 to 2008.

No word on if the band plans to record new music or extend the tour beyond the initial 21 dates.

Tickets go on sale Friday (Oct. 4) at 10 AM local time.

LIFE IS A HIGHWAY TOUR Official Dates:

Feb. 13 Evansville, IN- Ford Center

Feb. 14 Charleston, WV- Charleston Coliseum

Feb. 15 Grand Rapids, MI- Van Andel Arena

Feb. 22 Durant, OK- Choctaw Grand Theater

Feb. 27 Sioux Falls, SD- Denny Sanford Premier Center

Feb. 28 Green Bay, WI- Resch Center

March 1 Moline, IL- Vibrant Arena

March 6 Columbus, OH- Nationwide Arena

March 7 Toledo, OH- Huntington Center

March 8 Youngstown, OH- Covelli Centre

March 13 Manchester, NH- SNHU Arena

March 14 Uncasville, CT- Mohegan Sun Arena

March 15 Allentown, PA- PPL Center

March 20 Huntsville, AL- Von Braun Center Propst Arena*

March 22 Savannah, GA- Enmarket Arena

March 27 Ft. Worth, TX- Dickies Arena

March 28 Lafayette, LA- CAJUNDOME

March 29 Little Rock, AR- Simmons Bank Arena

April 3 Estero, FL- Hertz Arena

April 4 Orlando, FL- Kia Center

April 5 Jacksonville, FL- Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena