NOMINATED FOR VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR AT THE 60TH ANNUAL CMA AWARDS
ALBUM COLLABORATORS INCLUDE ILLUSTRIOUS PENS: NATALIE HEMBY, HILLARY LINDSEY, LORI MCKENNA, JOSH OSBORNE AND MORE
“AN ACCIDENTAL, ONLY-IN-NASHVILLE ANOMALY” – GRAMMY.COM
NASHVILLE, TENN. – Characterized as “an accidental, only-in-Nashville anomaly” (Grammy.com), today award-winning duo Thelma & James announce their highly-anticipated debut album Whiplash, arriving January 29. Their first full-length offering is a testament to creative instinct and intrinsic talent – both have propelled the married pair from an impromptu first-in-a-decade co-write (“Happy Ever After You”) to earning seven award nominations and performing in football stadiums in under two years.
“Two years ago, this Christmas, we ended up writing a song that changed everything,” shares Thelma & James. “It had been almost a decade since we’d written together. We weren’t trying to start a band, we were just writing a song, just kind of doing what we love. The coolest part has been watching these songs find their way to listeners and getting to do this with the person you already share your entire life with has been very special.”
The album includes breakout smash “Happy Ever After You” and devastatingly aching songs like “If You Ain’t In Love By Now” and “The Way That It Wasn’t.” New songs like “About Time” and “Let Me Remind You” establish their undeniable partnership as songbirds with sharp pens. The married duo co-wrote each of the songs, outside of a brilliantly reimagined Grease cover “You’re The One That I Want,” and welcomed an illustrious list of collaborators like Natalie Hemby, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Josh Osborne and more on the album.
Thelma & James are nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year at next week’s 60th Annual CMA Awards. In September, they were 5x nominated at the CCMA Awards where they won Alternative Country Album of the Year for their EP Starting Over and Video of the Year for “Parking Lot Prayers.” Watch their stunning live show performance of “Alternate Ending” at the CCMAs here. They earned their first award nomination earlier this year for Duo of the Year at the ACM Awards.
Marking a significant milestone in a year of celebrated firsts, Thelma & James logged their first-ever tour run as a duo supporting Luke Combs‘ stadium My Kinda Saturday Night Tour. Born from the quiet moments in their home studio, they took their prolific catalog of deeply honest songs on the road to roaring football stadiums. Together, Thelma & James set their sights on what’s ahead with the unveiling of Whiplash, and much more to come. For more information, please visit thelmaandjames.com.
Whiplash Tracklist
Produced by Lonas
ABOUT THELMA & JAMES
Thelma & James have quickly turned an unexpected musical partnership into one of country music’s most talked-about new acts. Formed by married Nashville-based singer-songwriters MacKenzie Porter and Jake Etheridge, the duo just announced their highly anticipated debut album Whiplash (out January 29). The album includes breakout smash “Happy Ever After You” and devastatingly aching songs like “If You Ain’t In Love By Now” and “The Way That It Wasn’t,” as well as new songs that establish their undeniable partnership as songbirds with sharp pens. Whiplash features heavyweight songwriting collaborators like Natalie Hemby, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Josh Osborne and more. They recently won Alternative Country Album of the Year for their EP Starting Over and Video of the Year for “Parking Lot Prayers” at the 2026 CCMA Awards. This year they earned their first ACM and CMA Award nominations and wrapped their first stadium tour with Luke Combs. The pair signed to Big Loud Records in 2025 are doubling down on their fortuitous musical chapter with the unveiling of their debut album and much more to come.
CONNECT WITH THELMA & JAMES
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | YOUTUBE
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Media Contacts
Corey Brewer + Rachel Heatherly | Big Loud
corey@bigloud.com, rachel@
