Evan Bartels Stands His Ground on “Go Down Swinging”

Previously featured on CBS’ hit drama Fire Country, the new song arrives September 18 via Joan of Arc Records

Evan Bartels | “Go Down Swinging” Song Art

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (September 8, 2026) – Acclaimed singer-songwriter Evan Bartels will release “Go Down Swinging” September 18 via Joan of Arc Records. Previously featured on CBS’ hit drama Fire Country, the song was written by Bartels and Randall Kent and finds the singer staring down adversity with equal parts defiance and resolve.

Opening in darkness with the feeling of being surrounded and pushed to the ground, “Go Down Swinging” then turns toward resistance and the determination to rise. Bartels’ commanding baritone carries that tension throughout, giving force to a song about being tested to your limits and finding the strength to get back on your feet.

“It’s a song for the underdogs,” says Bartels. “For the people who, when the world says you can’t, say, ‘Just watch.’”

Fans can pre-save “Go Down Swinging” HERE | Watch the Live Video HERE

Bartels is also featured as Facebook’s Artist of the Day (#FacebookArtistoftheDay) today, September 8. With recent release “Thunder” and now “Go Down Swinging,” he continues to reveal new dimensions of his artistry, bringing a new sense of scale and intensity to the emotional honesty at the core of his work. Bartels is currently working with producer Ryan Hewitt (Noah Kahan, The Lumineers, The Avett Brothers) on new music expected in the coming months.

Media Assets HERE:

High Resolution Art
Press Image
“Go Down Swinging” Lyrics
“Go Down Swinging” Credits

ABOUT EVAN BARTELS

Evan Bartels is a Nebraska-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter whose powerful baritone and deeply human storytelling have made him a distinctive voice in contemporary Americana. Raised in the tiny prairie town of Tobias, Nebraska—a community of just over 100 people—Bartels draws inspiration from rural life, faith, longing, and redemption. Telling stories about ordinary people with extraordinary depth and compassion, he crafts songs that are intimate, emotionally resonant, and unflinchingly honest. Bartels began writing songs, playing guitar, and performing at age 13, honing his craft in a backyard recording space his father built, affectionately known as Coop Studio. In 2024, Bartels received the Abe Olman Scholarship from the Songwriters Hall of Fame in recognition of his songwriting talent and promise.

Bartels earned national recognition with his 2017 debut album, The Devil, God & Me, and has since grown a devoted audience through Promised Land (2019), Lonesome (2021), and his 2025 EP To Make You Cry. Recorded live with little more than acoustic guitar and vocals in his handmade cabin outside Nashville, the EP captures the stripped-down honesty and vulnerability that define his work.

Known for his compelling live performances and poetic songwriting, Bartels has toured with Charles Wesley Godwin, Brothers Osborne, and Paul Cauthen. He has appeared at major festivals including AmericanaFest, Mile of Music, C2C: Country to Country, BST Hyde Park, and The Long Road Festival. Now signed to Joan of Arc Records, Bartels continues to explore new creative territory while remaining deeply rooted in the storytelling that first earned him acclaim.

Media Contact:
Leigh Malleus
LP.Malleus@gmail.com
615-438-4855

Cindy Mabe

Cindy Mabe is one of Music Row’s most respected music executives and distinguished marketers. A trailblazer throughout her career, she became Nashville’s highest ranking woman label executive when she was appointed UMGN President in 2014. She made history again in 2023 by becoming the first woman to serve as Chair & CEO of a Nashville-based major label group. During her tenure at UMG Nashville, the label group which included Capitol Records Nashville, EMI Records Nashville, MCA Nashville, and Mercury Nashville, Mabe helped guide and grow the careers of some of country music’s biggest stars including Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Jordan Davis, Mickey Guyton, Sam Hunt, Alan Jackson, Parker McCollum, Reba McEntire, Kacey Musgraves, Jon Pardi, Chris Stapleton, George Strait, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Brothers Osborne, and Little Big Town, among countless others.

Also, during her tenure at UMGN, Mabe launched a new comedy-centered imprint in 2023, Capitol Comedy Nashville, with Grammy-recognized flagship comedian Nate Bargatze. That same year, Mabe unveiled Silver Wings Records, a distribution and independent artist services arm of the label group, and Sing Me Back Home Productions, a TV and Film production company. Sing Me Back Home executive produced the NBC special Toby Keith American Icon which was the highest rated live special on NBC for 2024.

Mabe joined UMGN in 2012 as Senior Vice President, Marketing responsible for leading marketing across Capitol Records Nashville, EMI Records Nashville, MCA Nashville, and Mercury Nashville and UMG Nashville’s expanded suite of country labels following its acquisition of EMI. Prior to that, Mabe spent five years at Capitol Records Nashville, where she held the position of SVP, Marketing and played an integral role in the long-term creative and commercial success of the label that saw it named Billboard magazine’s “Country Label of the Year” consecutively for seven years from 2005 – 2012.

A North Carolina native, Mabe attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and graduated from Belmont University in Nashville with a B.S. in Business Administration. She began her music career as promotions coordinator at RCA Nashville, before shifting to sales and then artist marketing and development, during which time she worked with artists including Clint Black, Martina McBride, and Alabama. She later served as Senior Director, Marketing and Artist Development at Arista Records Nashville from 1999-2007 working with the likes of Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Brooks & Dunn, and Diamond Rio before joining Capitol Records Nashville in 2007.

Mabe’s dedication and tremendous work for her artists and her countless contributions to the music community have earned the industry leader multiple awards and honors including the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Louise Scruggs Memorial Forum Award, the SOURCE Hall of Fame Award, and recognition by Save The Music Foundation. Mabe was named as one of Billboard’s Women in Music 2015-2024 and landed on Billboard’s Country Power Players list every year since its inception in 2015 including earning 2019’s Billboard Country Power Players Executive of the Year. Mabe also serves on the Country Music Hall of Fame board. Mabe is also the recent recipient of “The First Responders Children’s Foundation Corporate Hero Award.” Her ongoing commitment to philanthropic leadership led to the creation of the Joan of Arc Music Preservation Foundation, dedicated to protecting the timeless legacy of Country music while championing its continued evolution. Defining JOA’s ethos from day one, every project across its ecosystem supports the Foundation through charitable initiatives that benefit the Country music community.