As thousands of fans descended upon Nashville for CMA Fest week earlier this month, one of the city’s most anticipated industry gatherings, Trend Presents: Off The Record with HARDY & Friends, took place behind the scenes in support of The HARDY Fund.
The invite-only kickoff to the major music festival, in partnership with country-rocker HARDY, was held at Marathon Music Works. Hosted by talent management and influencer marketing agency Trend Management (TREND), the event drew an eclectic mix of artists, creators, and music industry heavyweights and featured surprise collaborations and a silent and live auction, which benefited The HARDY Fund’s incredible mission to support community-focused initiatives across Mississippi and Tennessee.
Throughout the evening, guests enjoyed an all-star lineup of performances from HARDY, Lauren Alaina, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, Ella Langley, Karen Fairchild, ERNEST, Tucker Wetmore, and Stephen Wilson Jr. HARDY and Alaina set the tone for the evening, performing their No. 1 hit “ONE BEER,” which immediately energized the packed crowd.
Stephen Wilson Jr. followed before HARDY welcomed Ella Langley to the stage for performances that included their co-penned No. 1 hit, “Be Her.” Miranda Lambert, then, teamed with Langley for a rendition of their jointly-written chart-topping hit “Choosin’ Texas.”
Later on, Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild shared the stage with Lambert, Langley, and Lainey Wilson for a powerful rendition of “Better Man” and “Girl Crush,” creating one of the evening’s standout moments.
Wilson also reunited with HARDY to perform their fan-favorite, “Wait In The Truck” before ERNEST and Tucker Wetmore helped close out the evening’s musical festivities, with Wetmore delivering his breakout hit, “Brunette.”
Music, of course, wasn’t the only highlight of the evening as HARDY reminded everyone that the showcase’s purpose extended beyond the entertainment onstage. Speaking alongside his wife, Caleigh Hardy, the award-winning singer-songwriter reflected on the blessings he has experienced throughout his career and why giving back has become so important to him.
“I moved to Nashville about 16 years and one month ago, and although I feel like I’ve worked very hard, I feel like 99.9% of my career has just been a blessing from God, and I just feel like I’ve been very lucky,” HARDY told the crowd. “I have so many moments in my career where I’m like, ‘How did I get here?’ And now that I have a family and I have a beautiful, wonderful wife, and we now have such a beautiful, wonderful daughter.”
The “Truck Bed” singer admitted he often feels overwhelmed by gratitude.
“I walk around all the time thinking about how blessed I am and how lucky I am and how blessed and lucky Caleigh and I are together,” he continued. “I feel like the only way to process that is to pay that forward and to make other people feel what we feel because we just feel extremely, extremely lucky to be in a position where we can do that.”
Caleigh echoed her husband’s sentiments while thanking attendees for supporting the cause.
“Thank you guys so much for being here,” she beamed. “We are so overwhelmed by the generosity on here tonight, and a huge thank you to everyone who made this possible.”
“I can speak for Michael and I when I say this evening is already one of the most special, meaningful nights of our lives,” she continued. “When we have been blessed in life, like we have, it is your responsibility to pay those blessings forward, and we truly plan to live our lives by that belief.”
Aside from speeches of gratitude, Marathon Music Works became the ultimate Southern dive bar experience for the night, featuring interactive games, flash tattoos and piercings, as well as saloon-style portraits captured by photographer Katie Kauss in partnership with Free People.
Though the performances and the overall atmosphere kept the crowd buzzing throughout the evening, the event’s larger mission remained front and center, generating more than $400,000 through the auctions benefiting the charitable organization established by HARDY and his wife, Caleigh Hardy. A portion of the proceeds also benefited Unlimited Play, a nonprofit dedicated to creating inclusive playgrounds where children of all abilities can play, connect, and thrive together.
For more information about The Hardy Fund, including ways to support its work through a donation, visit thehardyfund.org.
