Brad Paisley has a new record label to call home, and a new single on the way. The Grand Ole Opry member announces that, after spending his entire career, spanning two decades, at Arista Records, he has moved to Universal Music Group. The label is already home to Carrie Underwood, George Strait, Reba McEntire, Keith Urban and more. Paisley made the move in large part because of the label’s chairman and CEO, Mike Dungan, as well as the label’s president, Cindy Mabe.

“There were two people that should get the credit that you even know my name – Mike Dungan and Cindy Mabe,” Paisley shares. “I ran into Mike at the fishing department at Walmart after having met with several labels and he talked me into signing my first deal with Arista. They assigned this woman named Cindy Mabe to me –– we graduated the same day at Belmont. I got to work with her on my first few albums and now I get to work with her at UMG,

“Cindy’s a genius and terrific human being,” he continues. “She heard what I was up to with the new music, and she pointed me further into the direction I was headed. I’ve never had this kind of enthusiasm and empowerment. She said, ‘Make music that matters.’ It’s an amazing thing to work with Mike and Cindy again. It’s great to know they believe in this music as much as I do.”

Paisley may be a huge fan of Mabe, but the respect and admiration certainly go both ways, with Mabe praising not just Paisley as a singer, but his musicianship, humor, generosity and more.

“Brad is a true creative,” Mabe boasts. “He has no boundaries to what he uses as his canvas. He has used his voice and his words as a gift to heal the world through his philanthropy, his songwriting, his guitar playing, his entertaining, his music videos, his sense of humor and his heart. He has been a part of the country music duo with Carrie Underwood that helped define country music to the world. And getting to reunite with my friend and collaborator in his next creative adventure is something I’ve wanted for a long time. I cannot wait for him to share the music he has created with the world.”

Paisley’s last studio album, Love and War, came out in 2017. He has since then released four singles that were not on an album, including the Top 30 hit, “No I in Beer.” His next single, “Same Here,” will be released on Friday, February 24. The song is from a forthcoming new album, expected to be released later this year. Keep track of music and tour updates at BradPaisley.com.