Country
Jessica Chastain, Margo Price & More Stars Mourn the Death of Luke Bell: ‘A Sad Night for Country Music’
More than a week after he was reported missing in Arizona, country singer Luke Bell was found dead in Tucson on Monday (August 29). He was 32 years old. While a cause of death has not been given at press time, the Tucson Police Department confirmed to Billboard that “the investigation is on-going at the moment,” with no further details disclosed. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The late singer’s close friend and fellow country singer Matt Kinman, who said he was with Bell recently and had been taking care of him for six years as he navigated a severe battle with bipolar disorder, reportedly told Saving Country Music — which first reported the news — that Bell went missing on August 20. Bell released his debut full-length album...
Plains (Katie Crutchfield and Jess Williamson) Don’t Talk About “Abilene” in New Song: Stream
Jess Williamson and Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield have shared “Abilene,” another new song from their project as Plains. Listen to the track — and watch Yoga with Adriene’s own Adriene Mishler star in its music video — below. The classic country waltz melodies of “Abilene” soundtracks Plains’ journey to distance themselves from the Texas city, and the lives it once housed. “Young lovers like to dream/ We’ll settle down and we’ll make a good team/ Well Main Street was cute and the rents there were cheap/ But I was too much for you and for your Abilene,” Williamson sings. Crutchfield shared the inspiration behind the latest Plains song in a statement. “The song ‘Abilene’ really solidified the vision of the album for me,” she said. “I’ll never forget how giddy I felt when Jess sent me t...
Miley Cyrus, Jimmy Fallon, Willie Nelson to Guest on ‘Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas’
Dolly Parton is planning an A-list Christmas special with some of her best friends. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas film will feature appearances from her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus (as well as pops Billy Ray Cyrus), as well as Jimmy Fallon, Willie Nelson, Jimmie Allen and Zach Williams. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The NBC holiday musical movie will air at an as-yet-unspecified time between Thanksgiving and Christmas and star the 76-year-old country icon, alongside actors Tom Everett Scott, Ana Gasteyer and Angel Parker. The meta project is described as a “modern-day movie musical” about the making of a network TV special. THR reported that as Dolly strives to make a show that shares the “mountain ...
Maren Morris and Cassadee Pope Call Out Jason Aldean’s Wife Brittany Over Transphobic Comments
Comments made by country singer Jason Aldean‘s wife, Brittany, are coming under fire after she posted a transphobic joke on Instagram. “I’d really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girly life,” Brittany wrote earlier this week, on Aug. 23, as a caption to a before-and-after makeup video set to Beyoncé’s 2006 song “Upgrade U,” (even though Beyoncé is known to be an ally to the LGBTQ+ community). Husband Jason left a laughing emoji in the comments and replied, “Lmao!! Im glad they didn’t too, cause you and I wouldn’t have worked out.” In a wordier statement via Instagram Stories on Friday (Aug. 26), Brittany expanded upon her unsolicited thoughts on transgender youth and their rights to gender-affirming care: “Advocating for ...
Alan Jackson Tests Positive for COVID-19, Cancels Kansas City Concert
Alan Jackson canceled Saturday night’s (Aug. 27) concert in Kansas City, Missouri, after testing positive for COVID-19. “I’m so sorry I can’t be there tonight,” Jackson said, according to a statement published by the venue, the T-Mobile Center. “I hate to disappoint my fans.” A representative for Jackson confirmed to Billboard that the country star has COVID-19 and that the show was called off. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The T-Mobile Center says organizers intend to reschedule the concert date, and that those who purchased tickets for the original date will have them honored at the rescheduled date. The show was part of his Last Call: One More for the Road” Tour, which launched in June and runs through early October. At the ti...
Noah Cyrus and Ben Gibbard Brace for Heartbreak on New Song “Every Beginning Ends”: Stream
Noah Cyrus is gearing up to release her debut solo album, and with her latest single “Every Beginning Ends,” she’s got none other than Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard in her corner. Listen to the two’s new duet below. A slow country ballad, “Every Beginning Ends” mourns the beginning of the end of a relationship. “You went to sleep without saying you loved me,” Cyrus first sings, prompting Gibbard to reply,. “I guess I thought you already knew.” The opening is just one of many call-and-response lyrics in the track, as the artists draw up all those dreaded signs of two people falling out of love. In a statement, Cyrus recalled working with Gibbard, a veteran of emotional songwriting. “That was such a surreal experience,” she said. “I’ve always been such a huge fan, so it was pretty daunti...
Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Scotty McCreery Blend Country Music & a Good Cause at ACM Party for a Cause
“You get country music and a good cause, what could be any better?” Scotty McCreery told the crowd gathered at Ascend Amphitheater in downtown Nashville on Tuesday evening (Aug. 23). The ACM Party for a Cause benefiting ACM Lifting Lives returned to Nashville for a second year, welcoming a stellar performer lineup of reigning ACM duo of the year Brothers Osborne, McCreery, Blanco Brown, Travis Denning, Sara Evans, Caylee Hammack, Darius Rucker, Ingrid Andress, Hailey Whitters and Brad Paisley to downtown Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The balmy summer evening served as a perfect backdrop for a night of music to raise money for ACM Lifting Lives, the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Country Music. The organiz...
Zac Brown Reveals the Health Advice He Got From Bruce Springsteen
While the Zac Brown Band is crisscrossing America on the group’s current tour, they bring with them a tractor trailer that houses an Iron Paradise gym, outfitted with machines, free weights and more. In a new feature for Men’s Health, Brown shared his fitness journey that led to him being his healthiest ever at age 44. Brown explained that much has changed since his early days on the road, when he says the band’s workout regimen consisted of “a bottle of Jäger before the show, during the show, and after the show.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “One thing I noticed, just bouncing down the road on a bus for days and days in a row, you get hunched over,” he said. “I had L5 issues, a bulging disc, and I couldn’t move my leg. I had to have a surge...
Blake Shelton Is Prioritizing Gwen Stefani & Stepsons in the ‘New Phase of My Life’
Blake Shelton is loving his life married to Gwen Stefani above all else. In a new interview with ET, the country superstar revealed that in his new married life, his career might take a “backseat” to his wife and stepsons. “Look, I love music and I love The Voice. I love all the cool things I get to do with my job, but those things all take a backseat now to Gwen and the kids and it’s just a new phase of my life,” he said. “I’m having fun putting out songs when I feel like it and luckily the record label allows me to do that,” he continued. “They always support it when I do it and my stupid ideas of doing a ’90s country video — they’re always on board and because of that, we have a ‘God’s Country’ once in a while or a ‘Happy Anywhere.’” Explore See latest videos, charts and...
Blake Shelton Brings ’90s Vibe to ‘No Body’: Stream It Now
Blake Shelton released a new song, “No Body,” on Friday (Aug. 19), and it is soaked in ’90s country vibes. Of course, this is par for the course for Shelton, who moved to Nashville in the 1990s to chase his own country music ambitions, and has since earned 28 No. 1 hits on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I get excited and feel like a kid every time we release new music,” Shelton said via a press release. “But this song in particular takes me back to the ‘90s when I was in high school and first moved to Nashville, because it feels like what the music sounded like at that time.” “No Body” was written by Rodney Clawson, Chris Tompkins and Josh Kear, while the video for the track — which drops at 10am Fri...
Makin’ Tracks: How a ‘Sex and the City’ Episode Inspired a Vocal Challenge for Corey Kent
It’s a hallmark of Southern dialects that one-syllable words are frequently stretched into two: “there” becomes “they-er,” or “damn” – in the title of a Florida Georgia Line album cut – becomes “Dayum, Baby.” Oklahoma-bred Corey Kent figuratively puts the accent on steroids in “Wild as Her,” holding the word “wild” out for 12 “wi-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-ild” rollercoaster syllables in the back half of the chorus. And for good measure, he repeats the feat immediately, extending the run to 13 syllables. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The thing is, that passage is tough. It covers a wide melodic range, for starters, and without any separation between the notes, it can quickly devolve into non-descript mush. Create too much separation, it soun...
Going There with Jewel: Knowing the Tide of Mental Health Will Always Come Back In
Listen via: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Pandora | Stitcher | Google | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Jewel joins the Going There podcast to discuss her personal mental health journey and how she learned to except the changing tides of wellness. Advertisement The iconic singer-songwriter shares that the cornerstone of her approach to mental health is what she calls the concept of emotional impermanence. Jewel explains that one of the most difficult issues we face on our mental health journey is that oftentimes when we experience depression, anxiety, or addiction, there is such a powerful feeling that our emotions and behaviors are permanent. But her concept of “emotional impermanence” suggests that we are dyna...
