Award-Winning Journalist Cindy Watts Joins American Songwriter

CMA Award-winning journalist Cindy Watts has joined the editorial team at American Songwriter as a senior writer in Nashville.

Watts has spent more than two decades in Music City covering country music. She has previously worked with People, CMT, and Country Insider. However, she spent the bulk of her career at The Tennessean as part of the USA Today Network.

More than a journalist with an eye for a good story and an ear for the best country music, Watts is a seasoned red-carpet host, podcaster, panelist, and event emcee. She developed and anchored USA Today Network’s award-winning Country Mile podcast that paired superstars with their heroes and co-hosted 52-The Podcast with Sugarland’s Kristian Bush. The weekly show featured Watts and Bush discussing the stories behind songs from Bush’s deep catalog.

“I’m so excited to jump in with American Songwriter in Nashville and expand and continue what I’ve done my entire career, which is entrench in Nashville’s country music community, earn people’s trust, tell their stories in a variety of mediums, and help artists and songwriters connect with their peers while growing their fan bases,” Watts said. “If fans want to know the true story that no is else is talking about, we’ll have it. If they want to know the trendiest—or most inside baseball—places to go in Nashville, we’ll have that, too. From the artists and their music to the genre, business, and its culture, we’re going to check every box.”

Watts holds a degree in recording industry from Middle Tennessee University, where she recently taught journalism. The East Tennessee native is also an avid animal lover and mother of two.