Heartland Connects Country Music Fans with Stars at CMA Fest 2025

The Heartland Network celebrated a successful second annual activation at CMA Fest’s Fan Fair X, reinforcing its position as “The Heart of Country.” 

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Country superstar RaeLynn held a special kids-only reading of “Raisin’ Me a Country Girl.”

As an official partner of CMA Fest Sponsored by SoFi, Heartland provided a unique and intimate experience for country music fans from around the world at its TV Studio Booth inside Music City Center. Throughout the festival, fans were invited to be part of a live studio audience as Heartland Backstage Host Nan Kelley conducted interviews with a star-studded lineup. Following the tapings, attendees had the memorable opportunity to meet the artists.

This year, Heartland expanded its offerings with its first-ever children’s event. On Sunday morning, country superstar RaeLynn held a special, limited-seating reading of her book, “Raisin’ Me a Country Girl.” Each child in attendance received a personally signed copy. The network also hosted a casting call for kids, giving them a chance to be featured in upcoming network promotions.

High Dollar Hill’s Keith Stegall takes over the Close Up Stage to film an episode with Jamie O’Neal and Clay Walker.

Adding to the excitement, CMA, ACM, and GRAMMY-winning producer and songwriter Keith Stegall, host of Heartland’s hit series High Dollar Hill, recorded a special CMA Fest episode at the Close-Up Stage, featuring conversations with hitmakers Clay Walker and Jamie O’Neal. The network's new venture, Ranger Media Collective, was also on-site, with its members conducting media room interviews and engaging with artists and fans on the street.

To bring the CMA Fest experience to viewers at home, three special episodes of Heartland Backstage were filmed. Hosted by country music icon Nan Kelley, these episodes will feature a collection of interviews from the booth and footage captured by the Ranger team. The specials will air every Friday at 8 p.m. E|P, beginning July 11, and include chats with artists like Pam Tillis, Mason Ramsey, Chuck Wicks, Sam Williams, Edwin McCain, Jamie O’Neal, and Shenandoah, along with rising stars Elizabeth Nichols and John Morgan.

The special CMA Fest episode of High Dollar Hill is also scheduled to air in July.