MULTI-PLATINUM SUPERSTARS BIG & RICH SLATED TO KICK OFF SEASON FOUR OF NASHVILLE STAR

Season Four of Nashville Star premieres Tuesday, March 14 at 10:00PM ET/PT

NASHVILLE STAR, the nation's top-rated country music series, has partnered with Nashville's notorious MuzikMafia to bring the hottest new talent to season four including an electrifying opening performance from Big & Rich in episode one, it was announced today by Libby Hansen, USA's vice president, alternative series and specials.

"Big & Rich is one of the hottest acts in country music right now, and we are thrilled to have them join the already exciting line-up of season four," explained Hansen. "By building off the ratings success of last year and by joining forces with both the RCA Label Group and now the MuzikMafia, we have unparalleled momentum for the first episode. It's a homerun for NASHVILLE STAR."

Episode one will open with a high-energy performance by the Grammy-nominated duo before they retire to the judges' table to advise contestants alongside show veterans Phil Vassar and Anastasia Brown. Mafia member and "hick-hop" artist Cowboy Troy will co-host season four with five-time Grammy Award-winning superstar Wynonna Judd (Curb Records). Additional celebrity judges and performers will be announced in the coming weeks.

Also coming on board the team as producers for the upcoming season is Big & Rich and Cowboy Troy manager Marc Oswald along with Kerry Hansen, Wynonna's manager. They will join the NASHVILLE STAR production team to help elevate the creative and musical elements of each episode including the opening and closing performances. In addition, they have set out to create a dynamic and powerful way to further incorporate the unique talents of the hosts in a way that has not been done.

"One of the long-time goals of the Mafia is to bring country music to people in a newer, broader, more unfiltered way," explained Oswald. "NASHVILLE STAR reaches millions of Americans each week with some of the nation's most promising new voices, so this makes perfect sense."

As previously announced, the winner of NASHVILLE STAR will receive a recording contract from the RCA Label Group, home to multi-platinum superstars Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney, Martina McBride, Brooks & Dunn, Brad Paisley and Sara Evans, among others.

Meet the contestants of Nashville Star season 4, click here!

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