Country
Maren Morris Drives into New Era with “Circles Around This Town”: Stream
Maren Morris has released her feel-good new single “Circles Around This Town” along with its accompanying music video. Stream it below. The track finds the country star looking back on her journey from struggling, undiscovered songwriter to one of Nashville’s brightest voices and even references her big break with 2016’s “My Church” and “80s “Mercedes.” “Couple hundred songs and the ones that finally worked/ Was the one about a car and the one about a church,” she croons on the effervescent chorus. “That I wrote/ Driving circles around this town/ Trying to write circles around this town/ Trying to say something with meaning, something worth singing about.” Advertisement Related Video “Circles Around This Town” serves as the lead single for Morris’ upcoming third studio album, following her...
Grow Your Own Willie Nelson with the New Chia Pet
Willie Nelson is known for his love of greenery. Now, with the new Chia Pet, he becomes it. Available wherever that one aunt shops for holiday presents, Chia Pet’s latest novelty planter features the Red-Headed Stranger in full bloom. Although only the luscious locks comes with color, the eyes just feel red, with a bleary glint that suggests this Chia Pet is having a great time. The devices is recommended by none other than alt-country icon Margo Price. “Love mine so much!” she wrote on Instagram. “The only thing that would make it better is if it came with cannabis seeds.” Alas, it’s supplied with regular old chia seeds. For a less conventional experience, you may have to check out Willie’s Reserve, where Nelson himself is the chief tester. But if you just want to knock off...
2022 RodeoHouston Sets Performer Lineup
This year’s Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s 2022 entertainer lineup is star-packed, with performers from a range of genres, including country, Contemporary Christian, EDM, R&B, pop and more. The multi-week event runs from Feb. 28-March 20 at NRG Stadium. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Dierks Bentley, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, for King & Country, Sam Hunt, Cody Johnson, Journey, Khalid, Marshmello, Tim McGraw, Maren Morris, Brad Paisley, Chris Stapleton, Gwen Stefani, George Strait, Keith Urban and more are among those announced as performers for this year’s RodeoHouston. Strait, who will conclude this years RodeoHouston with a show on March 20, will welcome Ashley McBryde as a special guest. The weekday rodeos will begin at 6:45 p.m. ...
Happy New Year: Kacey Musgraves, Normani, Christina Aguilera & More Look Forward to 2022
Happy New Year! Music stars began to usher in 2022 with messages on social media on New Year’s Eve. Kacey Musgraves had an excellent suggestion on Twitter for those hoping for a better year ahead: “PSA: if you listen to Rainbow at precisely 11:56:39 on New Year’s Eve, you’ll be starting off 2022 hearing ‘it’ll all be alright,’” she noted in a tweet on Dec. 31. “Do with this what you will.” Meanwhile, Normani fans were in for an end-of-year treat: the singer’s name trended after she posted a video snippet that seems to play a few seconds of a new song, captioning it with “Dear 2022” — implying there’s more dropping in the new year. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Christina Aguilera looked back at the highlights of her 2021 — “a year full o...
Watch Chance the Rapper Turn Nelly’s ‘Hot in Herre’ Into a Country-Rock Sensation
Chance The Rapper lends a hand to Nelly‘s hip-hop-country crossover narrative with the rapper’s country-rock cover performance of “Hot in Herre.” During a sneak peek of Jimmy Fallon’s new music and comedy variety game show series That’s My Jam on Thursday (Dec. 30), Chance pulled the lever and landed on the musical genre challenge, where the participant gets a song and completely different genre that they have to sing it in. When the screen selected “Hot in Herre” and “country-rock,” the Chicago MC took the mic and remixed the song with an extra twang (and fake Southern accent) that the Country Grammar star would certainly approve of. Alessia Cara, who was partnered with Josh Groban in the competition series, bopped her head and clapped her hands to Chance’s performance while per...
Sam Hunt, Zac Brown Band & Elle King Bow Out of Nashville’s NYE Celebration
Zac Brown Band, Sam Hunt and Elle King are no longer set to perform at Friday evening’s New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash in downtown Nashville, according to an announcement from the city. Zac Brown Band’s frontman issued a statement on the band’s Twitter account Thursday (Dec. 30) saying that he had tested positive for COVID-19. “To Our Fans, We are deeply disappointed to share that Zac Brown Band will no longer be performing at Nashville’s Big Bash tomorrow night on CBS. Despite taking precautions, I’ve tested positive for COVID-19,” the letter read. “While we were very excited to join the incredible line up of artists and millions of amazing fans tuning in to watch, our #1 priority is the safety and well-being of our fans, band, crew and venue staff. We’re looking forward to gre...
Kane Brown Teases New Song ‘Whiskey Sour’ in a Home Video: Watch
Kane Brown has new music on the way in 2022, and the singer-songwriter gave fans an early listen to a new song, “Whiskey Sour,” which will release Jan. 14. “I love getting to sing other people’s stories!” Brown captioned an Instagram video of himself singing the new track on Dec. 26. Explore Explore Kane Brown See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The ballad marks one of Brown’s more traditional country-sounding releases, highlighting his smooth baritone over sparse, acoustic guitars. Meanwhile, the lyrics center on a story of a romance gone wrong. While the first verse focuses on two young lovers hopeful about their future together, that relationship quickly fizzles, with Brown singing, “It only took a month or so to be someone you used to know.” Longtime f...
Chris Young Surprises His Dad With a New Truck: Watch
Chris Young has had much to celebrate in 2021, including a Billboard Country Airplay No. 1 hit with “Famous Friends,” his collaboration with Kane Brown. The song was also the most-played song on country radio this year, topping Billboard‘s year-end Country Airplay chart. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Young also gave his father, Michael Harris, something to celebrate this year, when the artist surprised him with a new Chevrolet truck. The singer-songwriter shared the moment via a video on Instagram Dec. 27, as the Michael Bublé rendition of “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas” plays. Young captioned the video, saying, “My dad has been driving the same truck for well over a decade. I decided he needed a new one this year. I love you dad!” In the clip, Young walks with H...
Matthew West Tops Billboard’s Year-End Christian Songwriters Chart: ‘I Fell in Love With Songwriting as Much as I Did Artistry’
Since first entering Billboard’s Christian Airplay chart with his 2004 chart-topper “More,” Matthew West has earned 11 No. 1 singles as an artist on that chart. But over the past 17 years, he’s also written songs recorded by artists including Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Scotty McCreery, Rascal Flatts, Maddie & Tae, Casting Crowns, Mandisa, Billy Ray Cyrus and more. Explore See latest videos, charts and news This year, West earned several hits as both an artist and a writer, co-writing hits for Casting Crowns (“Scars in Heaven”), Anne Wilson (“My Jesus”) and Tasha Layton (“Look What You’ve Done”), while notching a five-week No. 1 Christian Airplay hit with his own single “Truth Be Told” and following it with another No. 1, “What If.” West’s string of songwriting credits landed him at N...
CBS Highlights Nashville & Country Music’s Biggest Stars With New Year’s Eve Special
Nashville’s annual New Year’s Eve party will ring in 2022 with its biggest spotlight to date when the five-hour concert special New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash airs Dec. 31 via CBS Television Network, as well as Paramount+. The show, which begins at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT, will feature more than 50 performances from several of country music’s biggest stars, including Jason Aldean, Jimmie Allen, Kelsea Ballerini, Gabby Barrett, Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Luke Bryan, Sam Hunt, Elle King, Miranda Lambert, Carly Pearce, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, Cole Swindell and Zac Brown Band — all airing from the heart of downtown Nashville. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Bentley will co-headline a free concert at Nashville’s Bicentennial Mal...
Abby Anderson on Leaving Her Record Label & New Music: ‘I Feel So Much More Confident Now’
“I was just coming out of my depression, so that was fun,” country singer-songwriter Abby Anderson tells Billboard of writing her latest single, “Bad Posture,” which released in October. “My hair was black. I was going through it, man.” It was a different image than country music fans had come to know of Anderson—a gregarious, charming singer-songwriter. Since her debut in 2018, Anderson released the ballad “Make Him Wait,” and collaborated with Jimmie Allen on a cover of the A Star Is Born hit “Shallow,” with their collaboration reaching No. 21 on Billboard‘s Country Digital Song Sales chart in 2019. That same year, she opened shows for Rob Thomas on his Chip Tooth Tour. Explore See latest videos, charts and news But in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced artists away from the road. ...
Watch Ariana Grande ‘Audition’ for Blake Shelton’s ‘Come Back as a Country Boy’ Music Video
Ariana Grande, wannabe country girl? That’s the premise behind the amusing skit posted by the superstar on Tuesday showing her “audition” for Blake Shelton‘s “Come Back as a Country Boy” music video. In the comical clip, the “Santa Tell Me” singer dons a cowboy hat, flannel shirt and high-heeled boots while talking to off-camera casting agents. “Blake doesn’t think I’m ‘country enough,’ but I told him he’s so wrong so hopefully this’ll really show him what he needs to see,” she deadpans with her fingers crossed. The pint-size superstar then proceeds to fail miserably at various country-fied activities like catching a beer can, starting up a chainsaw (“Are you sure it’s charged? I think this one is defective…”) and kicking over a tree. “Still waiting to hear but i feel like no news is good ...
