Country
Carrie Underwood, Thomas Rhett & All the Record-Setters at the ACM Awards
A tie for entertainer of the year? Beautiful. Crazy. There was a shocker at the end of the 55th ACM Awards, the first tie for entertainer of the year (or any major category, for that matter) in the show’s history. The co-winners were Carrie Underwood, winning in the category for the third time, and Thomas Rhett, winning in the category for the first time. Swift is the first woman in ACM history to win entertainer of the year three times. She previously won the award in 2008-09. The only other female artist to win twice in the category is Taylor Swift, who took the prize in 2010-11. Rhett won a second prize this year—video of the year for “Remember You Young.” That award was announced in the run-up to the show. Underwood previously won female artist of the year three times (2006-08). Rhett ...
Nine Can’t-Miss Moments From the 2020 ACM Awards
On Wednesday night (Sept. 16), the Academy of Country Music finally got to hold its long-delayed awards ceremony. Postponed from the original April 5 date after the pandemic sent everyone into lockdown, the 2020 edition of the ACM Awards moved to Nashville for the first time, adjusted to social distancing and no audience and still managed to pull of a show that had plenty of striking moments—including a tie for the coveted entertainer of the year. There were none of the usual cutaways to the audience or shots of Taylor Swift singing along to every song with gusto. Instead, a raft of top names performed from three iconic Nashville venues: the Grand Ole Opry House, Ryman Auditorium, and the Bluebird Cafe, while Keith Urban hosted live from the Grand Ole Opry. Here are some of the top moments...
Steve Earle & The Dukes Announce Covers Album of Justin Townes Earle Songs
Last month, beloved singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle was taken from the world suddenly when he passed away at the young age of 38. The news was shocking and unexpected, causing a wave of grief to settle over the Americana music community. Now that a few weeks have passed, his father, Steve Earle, has announced he will honor his son’s life by recording a covers album of Justin Townes Earle originals. In a press release, it was revealed that Steve Earle & The Dukes already have a plan in the works to cover songs written by Justin Townes Earle. While no specific songs have been mentioned just yet, the band did state that 100% of the artist advances and royalties will go to a trust for Justin’s daughter, Etta St. James Earle. The as-yet-unnamed album will be recorded in a studio next ...
Dan + Shay’s ‘I Should Probably Go To Bed’ was a Stripped-Down Highlight of the 2020 ACM Awards
Dan + Shay released “I Should Probably Go To Bed,” a song ripe for arena sing-alongs, earlier in 2020… a year in which arena shows have been necessarily scarce. Fortunately, the duo rocked out to the anthem at the 2020 ACM Awards on Wednesday night (Sept. 16). The duo took the Grand Ole Opry stage under a shared spotlight, with Shay Mooney seated at a grand piano and Dan Smyers gripping a mic stand. With no other accompanying musicians, the duo showcased their well-worn harmonic skills, making a stripped-down performance sound mighty enough to fill the historic venue. “I Should Probably Go To Bed” has thus far been Dan + Shay’s lone release of 2020, after notching a top 10 smash, “10,000 Hours,” alongside Justin Bieber in late 2019. Their latest single has peaked at No. 8 on the Hot ...
Gabby Barrett Belts ‘I Hope’ at 2020 ACM Awards
Rising country star Gabby Barrett hit the stage at the 2020 ACM Awards on Wednesday (Sept. 16) evening to perform her country smash “I Hope.” Wearing a sparkly white top and cape, the American Idol veteran belted out her Hot Country Songs No. 1 with gusto as her guitarist strummed along. Barrett is nominated for best new female artist of the year at the 2020 ACM Awards. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair share of Internet revenue.
Kane Brown Offers a Moving Performance of ‘Worldwide Beautiful’ at 2020 ACM Awards
Kane Brown performed his powerful “Worldwide Beautiful” single at the 2020 Academy of Country Music Awards on Wednesday night (Sept. 16). “I just want everybody to love everybody,” Kane lead off his performance by proclaiming. “And this is a song I wrote for it.” He then gave an emotional performance of the sung-rapped ballad about racial tolerance, playing just as much to the camera as to the COVID-vacated Grande Ole Opry venue — which saw backing singers appear in the upper levels as the song reached its climax. Brown has no nominations at the 2020 awards, but he was nominated for single of the year at the 2019 ACM Awards for his “Heaven” hit single, losing to Dan + Shay’s “Tequila.” “Worldwide Beautiful”...
Nigeria’s virus death toll hits 1,083
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) at midnight on Monday said that the death toll for the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Nigeria had jumped to 1, 083. The NCDC made this known on its official twitter handle. Newsmen report the NCDC confirmed that there were 132 new infections . It stated that one new fatality raised the death toll to 1,083. The agency said 132 new cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, were recorded across Nigeria on Monday, Sept. 14. The public health agency stated that the new cases now bring the number of confirmed infections in the country to 56,388. It noted that 185 people had been treated and had recovered from the virus, bringing the nation’s number of recovery to 44,337. According to the agency, Lagos State had the highest number ...
Blanco Brown Out of ICU, Expected to Make ‘Full Recovery’ After Car Crash
“The Git Up” singer Blanco Brown is on the road to recovery after a head-on car crash on Aug. 31 that left him with “significant injuries.” An update from BBR Music Group on Monday (Sept. 14) revealed that after the collision near his home in Atlanta, the Grammy nominee “suffered significant injuries and was transported to a local hospital where he underwent a 12-hour surgery to address those traumas.” “Brown has since relocated out of the ICU, following an additional 12-hour plus surgery and is continuing his recovery in the hospital,” the statement continues. “His team of doctors do not anticipate Brown requiring any additional surgeries and expect him to make a full recovery. Blanco, his family and his friends wis...
Keith Urban: I ‘Did Nothing … for It Seemed Like an Eternity’ During Quarantine
Keith Urban was a lot like the average person when quarantine began. “I didn’t transition smoothly into this new way of doing things,” he confessed to CBS Sunday Morning’s Tracy Smith in a new interview. And that wasn’t all. “I was gonna put my sweatpants on, sit on the couch, watch TV with the family, and wait ’til the whole thing blows over!” the country superstar, who’ll be hosting the ACM Awards on Wednesday (Sept. 16), added. “I just didn’t do anything! I just did nothing for it seemed like eternity for me.” But it wasn’t long before Urban began doing livestream concerts from home, as did many other musicians who wanted to stay connected with fans as tours around the world were canceled due to the coronaviru...
First Country: New Music From Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs, FGL, Mickey Guyton & More
Kelsea Ballerini, Ballerini Ballerini takes March’s Kelsea album and reinvents the songs on this companion set. Recorded during lockdown, the 13 tracks are stripped down and led primarily by acoustic guitar. The reinterpretation allows a new vulnerability to come through, even on lighthearted, jaunty tracks like “Hole In the Bottle” and “Overshare.” “homecoming queen?,” already spare in its original form, switches from an acoustic guitar to a piano-led melody here to lend an extra air of fragility. Former duets, “Half of My Hometown,” which featured Kenny Chesney, and “The Other Girl,” which featured Halsey, turn into affecting solo efforts. Luke Combs, “Lovin’ On You” [embedded content] For the video for his recent Country Airplay No. 1, Combs, his bandmates and new wife Nicole travel bac...
Kelsea Ballerini’s Quarantine Album ‘Ballerini’ Is Here: Stream It Now
The pandemic hasn’t slowed Kelsea Ballerini. The two-time Grammy nominated artist released Kelsea back in March, a full-length album that peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard 200. Today sees the arrival of Ballerini, the unplugged follow-up and companion album to Kelsea. For the new album, the country star returned to all 13 tracks and viewed them through the lens of lockdown. They were deconstructed, reinterpreted and re-recorded during quarantine, this time stripped back to raw emotions. Of the projects, Ballerini explains: “Kelsea is glitter: bold and effervescent and dreams that are boundless. She’s who I want to be. While Ballerini is emotional, vulnerable, soft: observes her surroundings and chooses her words carefully. She’s who I am.” The new album features the previously released “cl...
Here Are All the Livestreams & Virtual Concerts to Watch During the Coronavirus Crisis: Week of September 8
Labor Day Weekend has come and gone, but the livestream concerts show no signs of slowing down. Most live events and large gatherings remain in hold throughout the country due to the coronavirus crisis, leading artists to continue the trend of livestreaming shows to connect with fans. With music venues still shut down from coast to coast, here’s your guide to the best live-streamed music content right now, for the week of Sept. 8. As additional events are announced for the week, we’ll add them to this list. Check out the list of shows and musical events to stream from the comfort of your home this week below. September 8: Pop singer Shura will have a live chat with fellow musician Austra, with both taking questions from fans, on Twitch at 5:00 p.m. ET. September 11:&n...
