Country
Kane Brown Banks 10th Hot Country Songs Top 10 With ‘One Mississippi’
Brown has scored three No. 1s among his 10 Hot Country Songs top 10s. “What Ifs,” featuring Lauren Alaina, dominated for five weeks starting in October 2017; “Lose It” led for a week in November 2018; and “One Right Thing,” with Marshmello, reigned for a week in October 2019. “Mississippi” grants Brown his third Hot Country Songs top 10 of 2021. “Memory,” with blackbear, debuted at its No. 9 best in July and “Famous Friends,” with Chris Young, reached No. 2 in June (and led Country Airplay in July, becoming Brown’s seventh No. 1 and Young’s 10th). ‘DIDN’T’ DID IT AGAIN Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood’s “If I Didn’t Love You” rebounds from No. 2 for a third total w...
Kelsea Ballerini Writes About Eating Disorder, High School Shooting & More in Vulnerable Book of Poems
In “Half of My Hometown,” Ballerini sings about a sense of connection she will always feel to her hometown. Since releasing her debut album, The First Time, in 2015, Ballerini has notched four No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay singles — and as a writer on every song on her albums, her music has become more intimate and personal with each subsequent release, whether she’s writing about a new romantic crush (“Yeah Boy”) or finding courage to choose vulnerability over perfection (“Homecoming Queen?”). On Tuesday, Ballerini’s writing will take on a new patina as she releases her first book, Feel Your Way Through, a collection of poems chronicling her 28 years of life so far and lessons learned along the way. “It feels like a cannonb...
Destructo’s Version of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” Is The Country Queen’s New Favorite Remix: Listen
With his new remix of Dolly Parton‘s “Jolene,” Destructo is officially EDM’s latest superstar to pop on a pair of cowboy boots and try his hand at a lil’ country twang. Only in this case, the boots are probably pink, paired with rhinestones and a V-neck for good measure. Out via RCA and Sony Music, Destructo’s version is one of the only official “Jolene” remixes to ever grace the ears of the public and, according to Parton in a press release, it’s her favorite. “It makes me want to dance!” she said. Notably, this isn’t the Queen of Country’s first foray into electronic music. In 2019, her collaboration with Galantis and Mr. Probz, “Faith,” topped the charts with its of-the-moment tro...
Taylor Swift Crashes a Wedding in Video for “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version): Watch
“I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version)” is one of nine new songs taken “From the Vault” and added to Taylor Swift’s recently refreshed album Red (Taylor’s Version). The country-pop kiss-off features vocals from Chris Stapleton, and it now has a new music video directed by Blake Lively and co-written by Lively and Swift. Check it out below. The visuals open with a groom reciting his vows, though it turns out to be a rehearsal in the bathroom mirror, and his groomsmen are all wiggling in front of urinals. At the black and white reception, Swift appears as an apparition in red, dropping cherries into drinks and toppling the groom from the top of the wedding cake. At one point, she returns in a flowing white wedding gown, tempting her ex away from his bride. But this ...
Taylor Swift Calls ‘I Bet You Think About Me’ the ‘Drinking Song’ of ‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’
Boston-area radio station Country 102.5 tweeted an audio clip of Swift speaking about “I Bet You Think About Me” — and what her intentions were when writing it back in June 2011 with Lori McKenna. “This is a song I wrote with Lori McKenna, who’s one of my favorite sing-songwriters ever. I’d always wanted to work with her … I wrote this with her at her house when I was playing Foxboro [Gillette Stadium] on the Speak Now Tour,” Swift said in the clip, setting the scene. “We wanted this song to be like a comedic, tongue-in-cheek, funny, not caring what anyone thinks about you sort of breakup song because there are a lot of different types of heartbreak songs on Red — some of them are very sincere, some of them very stoic and heartbre...
Taylor Swift Performs 10-Minute Version of “All Too Well” on SNL: Watch
This week in her quest for world domination, Taylor Swift released her long-anticipated re-recording of Red, the 2012 album that helped cement her transition from country-pop singer-songwriter to complete pop superstar. Over the weekend, she took to Saturday Night Live to perform the 10-minute version of the fan favorite song “All Too Well.” “All Too Well” immediately became known upon Red’s release as some of the best of Swift’s storytelling. Its tale of heartbreak — written in the aftermath of her breakup with Jake Gyllenhaal — is rife with imagery of romantic trips upstate and “casually cruel” phone calls once the romance burned out. Written on the fly as a sort of soundcheck rant, the track’s original 10-minute minute version has been spoken of in hushed, reverent tones in fan cir...
It’s Time for the Country Music Association to Show Not Tell (Guest Column)
Like most things in American culture, country music actually has strong Black American influences. Instruments such as fiddles and harmonicas can be traced back to Black communities in the antebellum South. Additionally, the banjo, a staple in country music, originated in West Africa. The history of the Black cowboy has effectively served as a staple symbol of the country music industry and culture. However, the genre has been whitewashed and appropriated thanks to gatekeepers like the Country Music Association. Black people have been systematically excluded from country music to the point where they are often berated and persecuted for even participating in the industry. From experiences with fans to the music labels, Black country artists recount being called rac...
Luke Combs Sets Stadium Tour Dates for 2022
“This song means a lot to me personally,” Combs said via a press release. “Not to recite the lyrics, but for me, it’s truly about playing country music for a crowd, whether that’s 70 people or 70,000 people, and playing country music with my buddies in the band. It really doesn’t matter where we’re playing or how many people we’re playing for because it isn’t about the fame, the fortune, the name, or the glory. It’s about getting to make and play country music.” Combs also noted the swirl of career happenings over the past few days, saying, “This week has been a whirlwind – got to debut a new song on the CMAs, release the song and music video to my fans, and announce three stadium shows at NFL stadiums. Talk about a week! It will be hard to top this one.” Ticke...
Taylor Swift, BTS, Missy Elliott, Lady Gaga, T.J. Osborne & More of the Week’s Biggest Winners (Nov. 12)
Take a look at Billboard‘s weekly roundup and the “awards” it’s giving to this week’s headlines. Reddest Music News: Taylor Swift releases Red (Taylor’s Version) The album Swifties know all too well is the gift that keeps on giving. Taylor Swift finally released the re-recorded and expanded version of her 2012 album Red (Taylor’s Version) on Friday (Nov. 12), totaling 30 tracks. She’ll also slated to perform on Saturday Night Live again on Saturday, Nov. 13. Listen to Red (Taylor’s Version) here, and watch her accompanying All Too Well short film here. Smoothest Music News: BTS will perform “Butter” remix with Megan Thee Stallion at 2021 AMAs The American Music Awards announced on...
2021 CMAs: Best Moments You Didn’t See on TV
Additionally, Luke Bryan marked his first time as host of the CMA Awards, welcoming several of his fellow artists to join him during several moments throughout the show. Besides Combs, Chris Stapleton was the evening’s biggest winner, taking home honors in four categories, including album of the year (Starting Over), male vocalist of the year, and single and song of the year (both for “Starting Over”). But even with all of the special moments happening onstage during the ABC broadcast, several artists reflected on their big night to reporters in attendance during the annual CMA Awards press conference, which was held virtually this year. Luke Bryan on Taking Inspiration From Elvis For Upcoming Las Vegas Residency: “I grew up listening to Elvis’s Vegas album and I always said one day I’d li...
Blake Shelton to Open $30 Million Ole Red in Las Vegas
With an estimated 100,000 people passing by each day, the plot of land in front of Bally’s Grand Bazaar Shops, owned by Caesars Entertainment, is prime property and ideal for a music-superstar backed venue. “This is truly the best piece of undeveloped real estate in Las Vegas, it sits right across from the Bellagio fountains,” says Reed. “This will be a wonderful place for us to rotate the young artists that we are building relationships with. And hopefully Blake [when you do a] residency at Caesars Palace you can then come and play [here] as well.” The $30 million, four-story theater and restaurant with nearly 700 seats will feature Las Vegas’ first rooftop patio with its own music venue. Inside, the 360-degree concert experience takes center stage with lighting, sound and acoustics to gi...
Blake Shelton Offers Fiery Live Debut of ‘Come Back As a Country Boy’ at 2021 CMA Awards
Dressed in all black, Shelton made sure that his darker theme got across to the crowd, with faux lightning crashing in the background and during the song’s riled-up guitar solo. “When I die, I wanna come back as a country boy,” he sang in front of a weathered fence. “No, there ain’t no better life if you ask me.” The performance came just hours after Shelton officially unveiled his new music video for the single (written by “God’s Country” co-writers Michael Hardy and Jordan Schmidt), in which Shelton makes his declared wish a reality — as a meteor comes crashing to the earth, the country star emerges in flames, back to his life as the titular country boy. Shelton wasn’t the only one at the 2021 CMA Awards to deliver some memorabl...
