RLIVE EXPANDS MANAGEMENT ROSTER WITH SIGNING OF PLATINUM-SELLING, AWARD-WINNING COUNTRY STAR MADELINE MERLO
INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED, #1 SINGER-SONGWRITER MARKS MAJOR ADDITION TO RLIVE’S SELECT LINEUP OF ARTISTS
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Merlo Set To Host The 2026 BCCMA Awards On April 26
Toronto, ON (March 16, 2026) – Today, RLive–the management and artist development division of Republic Live–announces the signing of platinum-selling, internationally acclaimed, award-winning country artist Madeline Merlo. The addition of Merlo marks a significant milestone for the company, broadening its roster while reinforcing RLive’s reputation for fostering talent through artist-led strategies and a hands-on approach to career development.
Merlo is a 3x CCMA Award-winning artist whose emotionally rich, relatable songwriting continues to resonate with audiences. As American Songwriter notes, Merlo has “long made a career by telling big emotional stories in the span of 3-minute or so songs.” With more than 125 million global streams, six Top 10 singles, and a PLATINUM-certified #1 hit to her name, her career continues to reach new milestones, including her Grand Ole Opry debut in 2024 and recognition as part of CMT’s Next Women of Country. Most recently, Merlo earned 2025 CCMA Award nominations for Female Artist of the Year and Songwriter(s) of the Year presented by SOCAN, and took home the Musical Collaboration of the Year Award for the GOLD-certified Top 10 hit “Broken Heart Thing (feat. Dustin Lynch),” featured on her EP ONE HOUSE DOWN.
“After more than 15 years of supporting artists through our festival business at Republic Live, we’re proud to deepen our commitment to helping artists grow, develop, and build lasting careers,” says Eva Dunford, Boots and Hearts Music Festival Co-Founder.
Kate Howse, Artist Manager, RLive adds, “Madeline is an exceptional artist and songwriter whose confidence, creativity, and tenacity have made her one of the most compelling voices in country music today. Madeline fits seamlessly into the RLive roster of world-class talent, and we’re honoured to partner with her as she steps into the next exciting chapter of her career.”
Shares Merlo, "I cannot think of a more hardworking, creative and passionate team than RLive to partner with me on this next chapter!"
RLive’s roster is home to JUNO Award-nominated and CCMA Award-winning country artist Tyler Joe Miller; Zach McPhee, the 2024 SiriusXM Top of the Country winner and 2025 BCCMA Album of the Year winner; and emerging talent Sarah Vanderzon, winner of the 2024 Boots and Hearts Emerging Artist Showcase. With the addition of Merlo, RLive continues to advance its artist development approach, providing guidance, creative support, and opportunities for its artists to reach new audiences across North America.
About RLive
Founded in 2024, RLive is the Management and Artist Development arm of Republic Live, a privately-owned Canadian live entertainment and events company and producer of the award-winning Boots and Hearts Music Festival. A 2025 CCMA Award nominee for Management Company of the Year with offices in Toronto and Nashville, RLive works alongside its artists to shape creative direction, develop long-term career strategy, and connect them with best-in-class partners to help reach global audiences.
About Madeline Merlo
With a crystalline Country vocal and an international reputation for writing vivid, emotionally resonant songs, BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville recording artist Madeline Merlo blends an old soul with a new-school style. A Platinum-certified #1 songwriter, Merlo hails from the blueberry fields of British Columbia, growing up on family sing-alongs infused with classic soul, R&B, ‘90s country, and powerhouse vocal influences ranging from Aretha Franklin to Dolly Parton, Martin McBride, and Faith Hill. After attending a Shania Twain concert as her first show, she declared in a second-grade school project that she would become a singer - and began songwriting at an early age. Merlo started visiting Nashville on songwriting trips at 16, signed a record deal at 18, and found fast success at Canadian country radio, earning the CCMA Rising Star Award in 2015. Her label-debut EP Slide, earned critical acclaim from Billboard, E! News, PopCulture, Music Row, and more, and in 2020, she competed on Season 2 of NBC’s songwriting reality series Songland, penning the dressed-down anthem “Champagne Night,” which became a PLATINUM-certified three-week #1 hit for Lady A. In 2024, Merlo released her EP ONE HOUSE DOWN (from the girl next door), a six-song message of self-worth featuring the GOLD-certified Top 10 single “Broken Heart Thing (feat. Dustin Lynch),” which earned her the 2025 CCMA Award for Musical Collaboration of the Year. The EP showcases Merlo as a deep-feeler, offering a message of encouragement to her younger self – and to all those who feel “a little different” – and also set the stage for her Grand Ole Opry debut and inclusion in CMT’s Next Women of Country.
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