• NEW YEAR’S SOUNDBITES 2019

    What are some of your favorite stars doing to welcome in the New Year? A few of them are working to help fans celebrate. Several artists have taken the time off around the holidays and will hit it hard when they return to the road in January. Some artists have resolutions, and some are very helpful with their own hangover cures for those who imbibe too much on New Year’s Eve.

    Keith Urban is set to headline Music City on New Year’s Eve for the fourth consecutive year. He’ll perform at the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park as part of the Jack Daniels Music City Midnight bash. The legendary Stevie Nicks will join Keith, as well as Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Ashley McBryde, Amanda Shires, The Struts and the Fisk Jubilee Singers, among others. The event will include the traditional Music Note Drop and fireworks display to ring in the New Year. Keith will be featured on “NBC’s New Year’s Eve,” which will be hosted by Carson Daly and Julianne Hough. The special will air Monday, December 31st from 10-11pm ET/PT and return 11:30pm – 12:30am ET/PT. Keith, as well Shania Twain, will also appear during CNN’s coverage of the New Year with hosts Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen.

    Sam Hunt will perform during Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve from New York City. The long-running countdown to the new year, hosted by Ryan Seacrest, will also include performers Keith Urban, Post Malone, BTS, Jonas Brothers, Kelsea Ballerini, Blanco Brown, Dan + Shay, Green Day, Sheryl Crow, Usher, Salt-N-Pepa and many others. The show will air 8pm to 2am ET on ABC.

    Lauren Alaina will perform on Fox’s New Year’s Eve with Steve Harvey: Live From Times Square. Other performers include LL Cool J, Florida Georgia Line, The Chainsmokers, The Lumineers, Backstreet Boys and The Killers, among others, to help ring in 2020. The show will air in two parts: 8p-10p ET/CT live; MT/PT tape-delayed with the second part beginning at 11pm – 12:30am ET live; CT/MT/PT tape-delayed.

    Gary Allan is set to ring in the New Year with a show at Riverwind Casino in Norman, Oklahoma.

    Audio / Brothers Osborne talk about how people spend the last moments of the year, and the first moments of the new year.

    Download

    Brothers Osborne (New Year) OC: (TJ) …next month. :44
    JOHN: “I think it’s kind of funny how we spend literally the last moment and the very first moment of every year being extremely intoxicated, extremely, because you don’t want to wait until like 12:30 to get your buzz on. You’ve got to do it before midnight, and then once midnight happens, you’re like, ‘Omigod! Now it’s time to celebrate even more.’ Debauchery is the literally bookending your entire year.” TJ: “I love how everyone starts the year off with diets and then we end the year with like excessive amounts of food. And then you get to the end of the year, you’re like, ‘Oh, I’m going to start a diet on the 1st, so I’m going to eat everything that’s in front of me.’ I love it.” JOHN: “And come February 1st, ‘what diet?’” [laughs] TJ: “What diet? I’ll start it next month.” [laughs]

    Audio / John Osborne of Brothers Osborne says a little hair of the dog is definitely the cure for a hangover.

    Download

    Brothers Osborne (hangover cure) OC: …of the year. :07
    “Usually drinking more. I mean, a little hair of the dog never hurt anybody. Plus, it’s the first of the year.”

    Audio / Clare Dunn suggests a good hangover cure.

    Download

    Clare Dunn (hangover cure) OC: …hangover cure. :10
    “Greasy food is always kind of a, you can let it go for one day before you start all your resolutions [laughs] after that. So, that’s probably my best hangover cure.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley says there’s not really a cure for a hangover.

    Download

    Dierks (NYE) OC: …for that. :10
    “I think January first is universally accepted as a dog. So, I mean, a little hair of the dog, I guess. But just…water and stay on the couch, I guess. There’s no real sure-fire cure for that.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley talks about New Year's Eve.

    Download

    Dierks Bentley (New Year’s) OC: …in stride. 1:07
    “New Year’s is rough. New Year’s hurts no matter what’s going on. I’ve played a lot of New Year’s shows, you know, but I’ve honestly found that it’s not my favorite night to throw down. Look, for a living, that’s what I do. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, I host a big party; not only on stage, but I’ve got friends backstage. It starts before the concert sometimes, [and] it goes long after the concert, so a lot of times on New Year’s, I’m looking for a really mellow hang – a good party, good friends, pretty chill. Some of my best New Year’s – it doesn’t make for great radio – but some of my best New Year’s have been just like actually hearing fireworks go off while I’m in bed, [laughs] and know I’m gonna wake up the next morning for the first day of the New Year feeling great, feeling recharged and I’m ready to go and go into the New Year feeling good as opposed to going into it with a giant Jagerbomb hangover, which I’ve done many, many times. So, the goal this year is to go into it feeling pretty good and the kids help with that, because you really just don’t want to be hungover with children. It’s not a good feeling. You would probably admit to any crime to get them, just feel better, and get them leave you alone.”

    Audio / Eric Church has a couple of hangover cures for those times (especially on New Year’s Eve) when you might imbibe a little too much.

    Download

    Eric Church (hangover cure) OC: …every time. :17
    “The best hangover cure – I’ve got two. One is 5-hour Energy [bottles], because of all the B-vitamins that are in it. You can start pounding those, and it’s either gonna work, or it’s gonna keep you up and prolong your misery. But the other one I have is just take two Advil and a beer in the morning. Hair of the dog, man – that works every time.”

    Audio / Jon Pardi talks about his own hangover cure.

    Download

    Jon Pardi (hangover cure) OC: …deal with it. :20
    “My hangover cure is Bloody Marys, but be careful – because once you have a couple, don’t go to beer, because if you go to beer, you’re gonna start drinking again and you’ll end up a morning drunk. OR if you want to go the non-alcoholic route, there’s nothing you can do for hangovers. [laughs] You just go deal with it.”

    Audio / Kacey Musgraves has her own hangover cure.

    Download

    Kacey Musgraves (hangover cure) OC: …water. Yup! :32
    “Coconut water is a major help with hangovers and also, a lot of times we go and eat Vietnamese fuh. It’s a soup, and it’s got this awesome broth. You can get different things in it or whatever, but for some reason, it’s just like…it’s almost like a chicken noodle soup kind of an idea, you know, but it’s good. That’s good for hangovers too. That, sleep, Tylenol, coconut water and just water, in general. And when you’re drinking, have your alcohol, drink a little bit of water, drink some more alcohol, drink some water. Yup!”

    Audio / Keith Urban says he loves playing New Year's Eve in Nashville.

    Download

    Keith Urban (playing Nashville 2019) OC: …getting to do it. :
    “I love it. I love playing in Nashville. I’ve lived here now 27 years. I’ve lived here longer than I lived in Australia, which is crazy, you now? Playing New Year’s Eve is awesome because you never know what to expect from year to year. This’ll be our fourth year doing it. We have Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires this year and a bunch of other people. There’s a whole bunch of people at this show. It’s free and the town gets behind it in a big way. It just feels like a, I don’t know, it just feels like a big Nash love fest really for me. I love it. I love getting to do it.”

    Audio / Kip Moore gives sound advice on how to avoid a hangover on New Year’s Eve.

    Download

    Kip Moore (avoiding hangovers on NYE) OC: …yourself. :03
    “Pace yourself on New Year’s – that’s the remedy. Pace yourself.”

    Audio / Luke Bryan’s favorite New Year’s Eve has to be when he and his now wife Caroline reunited.

    Download

    Luke Bryan (New Years-best) OC: …great night. :17
    “My best New Year’s Eve is definitely when my wife and I started back dating. We started back dating right before Christmas, and we went on a trip down to Florida and met some friends. And her birthday is New Year’s Eve. We celebrated it that night. It was just a great night.”

    Audio / Travis Denning recalls his favorite New Year’s Eve party.

    Download

    Travis Denning (favorite New Year’s Eve party) OC: …it was good. :41
    “I think my favorite New Year’s Eve party ever was when my sister got married, and my sister’s party got done at 10:30, 10:45 and she got married right behind a little club that I played a lot in Macon, Georgia called the Crazy Bull and love the owner. We’re boys, you know? So, we just literally walked right over and burned the house down. That was one of my favorite New Year’s Eve memories, ‘cause I got to see my sister and brother-in-law get married and that was such a great, great time, and then me and my older cousin and best friend, we ended up at Waffle House that night, so it was good.”

    Audio / Travis Denning talks about his hangover cures.

    Download

    Travis Denning (hangover cure) OC: …me better. :17
    “You know, I think my hangover cure is just sitting on my butt, [laughs] not doing anything. Drink some water, a cup of coffee, but usually anything greasy or just some big ole Mexican food that’ll get me at least to a nap, which will get me better.”

     

    Audio / Travis Denning talks about getting dressed up for New Year’s Eve.

    Download

    Travis Denning (wants to get dressed up for New Year’s Eve) OC: …good for it. :13
    “No matter what I do for New Year’s Eve, I want to get dressed up. I want to wear a suit. I want to get real snazzied up, and I don’t care if I’m just going to a bar. Like, it’s New Year’s Eve, let’s look good for it.”

     

     

     

  • NEW YEAR LINERS 2019

    Audio / LINER Adam Hambrick (New Year) 1

    Download

    “Hey Everybody! I’m Adam Hambrick, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Brandon Lay (New Year)

    Download

    “What’s up everybody? This is Brandon Lay, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

     

    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (New Year)

    Download

    “Hey! This is TJ, and I’m John, and we are Brothers Osborne. Happy New Year.”

     

    Audio / LINER Carrie Underwood (New Year)

    Download

    “Hi! I’m Carrie Underwood, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Caylee Hammack (New Year)

    Download

    “Hey y’all! This is Caylee Hammack, wishing you a very Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Clare Dunn (Happy New Year)

    Download

    “Hey! I’m Clare Dunn, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

     

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (Happy New Year)

    Download

    “Hey y’all! What’s up? This is Darius Rucker, wishing you a Happy New Year!

    Audio / LINER Dierks Bentley (Happy New Year)

    Download

    “Hey, it’s Dierks Bentley. Happy New Year!”

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Happy New Year)

    Download

    “Hey! It’s Eric Church, hoping you have a Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Gary Allan (New Year)

    Download

    “Hey everybody! I’m Gary Allan. Happy New Year!”

    Audio / LINER Jon Langston (New Year) 1

    Download

    “Hey y’all! I’m Jon Langston, wishing you a very Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (New Year)

    Download

    “Hi! I’m Jon Pardi, wishing you a Happy New Year!”

    Audio / LINER Jordan Davis (New Year)

    Download

    “Hey! I’m Jordan Davis, wishing you a Happy New Year!”

    Audio / LINER Josh Turner (New Year)

    Download

    “Hey! I’m Josh Turner. Happy New Year!”

     

    Audio / LINER Kacey Musgraves (New Year)

    Download

    “Hey! It’s Kacey Musgraves, hoping you have a safe and Happy New Year!”

     

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (New Year)

    Download

    “Hey everyone! This is Keith Urban. Have a safe and happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Kip Moore (New Year)

    Download

    “It’s Kip Moore, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Lauren Alaina (New Year)

    Download

    “This is Lauren Alaina, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER LBT (New Year)

    Download

    “Hey! We’re Little Big Town. Happy New Year!”

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (New Year)

    Download

    “Hey! This is Luke Bryan, hoping you have a Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Maddie & Tae (New Year)

    Download

    “Hi! We’re Maddie & Tae, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

     

    Audio / LINER Mickey Guyton (New Year)

    Download

    “Hey! This is Mickey Guyton, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Parker McCollum (New Year)

    Download

    “Hey everybody! I’m Parker McCollum, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Happy New Year)

    Download

    “Hey everybody! I’m Sam Hunt. Happy New Year!”

    Audio / LINER Shania Twain (Happy New Year)

    Download

    “Hi! This is Shania Twain. Happy New Year!”

    Audio / LINER Travis Denning (New Year)

    Download

    “Hey y’all, this is Travis Denning, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

     

  • KEITH URBAN TAKES TIME TO PERFORM AN ACOUSTIC VERSION OF “I’LL BE YOUR SANTA TONIGHT.”

    Keith Urban took to his socials this morning to post an acoustic version of his new Christmas song, “I’ll Be Your Santa Tonight,” and it’s FIRE.

    Check it out below:

     

    The official music video is also posted below, as well.

    Video /

    View
  • UMG NASHVILLE’S ‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS 2019

    DRY VERSION (POEM):

    Keith Urban
    Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
    Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

    The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
    In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

    The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
    While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.

    TJ Osborne
    And ma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
    Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap.

    When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
    I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

    Away to the window I flew like a flash,
    Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

    John Osborne
    The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
    Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.

    When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
    But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

    Clare Dunn
    With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
    I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.

    Lauren Alaina
    More rapid than eagles his reindeer they came,
    And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

    “Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
    On, Comet! On, Cupid! On Donner and Blitzen!

    To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
    Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”

    Caylee Hammack
    So up to the house-top the reindeer they flew,
    With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

    Darius Rucker
    And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
    The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

    As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
    Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

    Jordan Davis
    He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
    And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.

    A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
    And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

    Carrie Underwood
    His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
    His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

    Jon Pardi
    His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
    And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

    The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
    And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.

    Brandon Lay
    He had a broad face and a little round belly,
    That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

    He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
    And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!

    Luke Bryan
    A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
    Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

    He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
    And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.

    And laying his finger aside of his nose,
    And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

    He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
    And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

    Alan Jackson
    But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,
    “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!”

     

    Audio / 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS POEM

    Download

    Audio / 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (produced)

    Download
  • CHRISTMAS 2019 LINERS

    Here are holiday liners from some UMG Nashville artists, including Adam Hambrick, Alan Jackson, Billy Currington, Brandon Lay, Brothers Osborne, Clare Dunn, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Gary Allan, George Strait, Jon Pardi, Jordan Davis, Josh Turner, Kassi Ashton, Keith Urban, Kip Moore, Lauren Alaina, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Maddie & Tae, Parker McCollum, Sam Hunt, Shania Twain, Travis Denning and more!

    Audio / LINER Adam Hambrick (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey everybody! I’m Adam Hambrick, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

     

    Audio / LINER Adam Hambrick (Happy Holidays)

    Download

    “Hey everybody! I’m Adam Hambrick. Happy Holidays.”

     

    Audio / LINER AJ (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hi! This is Alan Jackson, and I’m wishing y’all a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (Happy Holiday Season)

    Download

    “Hi! Billy Currington here, wishing you and your family a safe and Happy Holiday Season.”

    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey! This is T.J., and I’m John, and we are Brothers Osborne, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Carrie Underwood (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hi! I’m Carrie Underwood, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Clare Dunn (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey! What’s up? This is Clare Dunn, hoping you have a Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey y’all! What’s up? This is Darius Rucker, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Dierks Bentley (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey! This is Dierks Bentley, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey everybody! It’s Eric Church, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Gary Allan (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey! This is Gary Allan. Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER George Strait (Happy Holidays)

    Download

    “Hey everybody! This is George Strait, wishing you and your family a Happy Holiday season.”



    PLAYER ERROR

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Merry Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey! This is Jon Pardi, wishing you a Merry Christmas!”

    Audio / LINER Jordan Davis (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey! I’m Jordan Davis, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Josh Turner (Happy Holidays)

    Download

    “Hey! I’m Josh Turner, wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday season.”

    Audio / LINER Kacey Musgraves (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey! This is Kacey Musgraves, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hi folks, this is Keith Urban, wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Holiday season)

    Download

    “Hi everyone, this is Keith Urban, wishing you and all your family the very best this holiday season.”

    Audio / LINER Kip Moore (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey guys, this is Kip Moore, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Lauren Alaina (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey! This is Lauren Alaina, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER LBT (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey! We’re Little Big Town, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey! It’s Luke Bryan, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Maddie & Tae (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hi! We’re Maddie & Tae, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Mickey Guyton (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey! It’s Mickey Guyton, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”



    PLAYER ERROR

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hey everybody! This is Sam Hunt, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

    Audio / LINER Shania Twain (Christmas)

    Download

    “Hi! This is Shania Twain, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

  • CHRISTMAS 2019: Keith Urban

    Sometimes, Keith Urban and his family, including wife Nicole Kidman and daughters Sunday and Faith, head Down Under for the holiday, visiting family and hitting the beach, which is what he did on Christmas Day when he was a kid.

    “We had great Christmases growing up. I really, really enjoyed them,” says Keith. “Mostly, we’d go to the beach, you know, ’cause there it’s summertime. Load up the station wagon and head off to the beach.”

    He and his family still love to do that when they’re in Australia since it’s summer there. “We still love going to the beach at Christmas time, as long as we’re in Australia, because it’s like the Fourth of July. It’s huge. Everybody’s out. It feels very celebratory. It’s in the ‘90s. It’s crazy, but having grown up with that, it feels very natural to me. Albeit it, we still had all of the same Christmas songs, so we’re in like 90-degree heat with shorts and tank tops singing ‘Walking in a Winter Wonderland,’ and I remember getting Christmas cards of like Santa on a surfboard, so that probably explains a lot.”

    He says the lights, the music and getting the house decorated put him in the spirit of Christmas. “The lights going up, which was a little earlier this year because of Thanksgiving, you know, we didn’t wait,” says Keith. “We just put those puppies up, and the place looked awesome. We had the best Christmas-looking Thanksgiving ever. (laughs) So, the lights, the music, all of that, the house sort of transforming into Christmas. I love it. It’s sad when it all has to go away.”

    Keith just released the first Christmas song, “I’ll Be Your Santa Tonight,” which he co-wrote with Shane McAnally (see video below).

    After Christmas, Keith will be getting ready for his fourth headlining gig on New Year’s Eve in Nashville.

    Audio / As a kid in Australia, Keith Urban headed to the beach for Christmas. Because it's summer Down Under during the holidays, most families hang out in the surf and sun.

    Download

    Keith Urban (Christmas-beach) OC: …to the beach. :24
    “I have great memories of getting up early and going and jumping on your parents’ bed and getting them up. You know, and then of course you tear open the presents and then it’s done and it’s like eight in the morning, and you’ve got all morning now to sort of wish you had more presents to open. We had great Christmases growing up. I really, really enjoyed them. Mostly, we’d go to the beach, you know, ’cause there it’s summertime. Load up the station wagon and head off to the beach.”

    Audio / Keith Urban says he and his family still love going to the beach at Christmas.

    Download

    Keith Urban (still loves going to the beach at Christmas) OC: …explains a lot. :33
    “Yeah, we still love going to the beach at Christmas time, as long as we’re in Australia, because it’s like the Fourth of July. It’s huge. Everybody’s out. It feels very celebratory. It’s in the ‘90s. It’s crazy, but having grown up with that, it feels very natural to me. Albeit it, we still had all of the same Christmas songs, so we’re in like 90-degree heat with shorts and tank tops singing ‘Walking in a Winter Wonderland,’ and I remember getting Christmas cards of like Santa on a surfboard, so that probably explains a lot.”

    Audio / Keith Urban explains what gets him in the Christmas spirit.

    Download

    Keith Urban (what gets him in the Christmas spirit) OC: …goes away. :25
    “The lights going up, which was a little earlier this year because of Thanksgiving, you know, we didn’t wait. We just put those puppies up, and the place looked awesome. We had the best Christmas-looking Thanksgiving ever. (laughs) So, the lights, the music, all of that, the house sort of transforming into Christmas. I love it. It’s sad when it all has to go away.”

    Audio / Keith Urban talks about a few Christmas movies he enjoys watching during the holidays.

    Download

    Keith Urban (Christmas movies) OC: …every year. :17
    “I love A Christmas Story, that’s a good one, and It’s a Wonderful Life, of course. I have one of my main guitars is called Clarence, and it’s named after the angel (in It’s a Wonderful Life), and then for some reason, I swear, no matter what you’re doing flicking around the TV, but you’re gonna land on Charlie Brown (Christmas). I don’t know how that happens, but it happens every year.”

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Christmas)

    Download

    Video /

    View
  • KEITH URBAN TAKES FANS BEHIND-THE-SCENES OF HIS NEW CHRISTMAS VIDEO FOR “I’LL BE YOUR SANTA TONIGHT.”

  • KEITH URBAN RELEASES NEW MUSIC VIDEO FOR “I’LL BE YOUR SANTA TONIGHT.”

    Today marks the debut of the official music video for Keith Urban’s first Christmas song, “I’ll Be Your Santa Tonight.”  Co-written with Shane McAnally, Urban describes the track as “classic in its melody, retro 50s vibe in its structure.”

    “I’ve always wanted to record a Christmas song, but I really wanted to try and write something new,” says Urban.  “So, Shane came to my house and we wrote, really about a Christmas gone terribly wrong.  No snow. Too much fog.  Nobody can make it to the party.  It’s going to be a colorless Christmas, until her man comes through.”

    “I’ll Be Your Santa Tonight,” possesses a whimsical, playful feeling that comes through in its lyric, so it’d only stand to reason that Urban’s attempt to create an ‘appropriate’ Christmas environment, during Nashville’s Summer months, would prove… unsuccessful.

    As Urban explains, “We started writing in my studio, which I decked out with colored Christmas lights, a tree, tinsel and of course I put the A/C on artic, so it was freezing! Shane says to me, ‘Do you have a piano? and I say, Yeah, but its upstairs.’  So, we head upstairs to the living room – nice and warm and toasty, with no Christmas decorations of any sort.  Of course, we end up writing the whole thing there – go figure.”

    The song’s video was directed by one of Urban’s longtime video collaborators Chris Hicky.  It depicts several Keiths, snow falling, simultaneously playing piano, guitar and bass.  “I wanted to keep the video loose and a bit more performance-based than the actual story line, because everybody has their own version of what a song should look like, so I didn’t want to touch on that too much.”

    “I’ll Be Your Santa Tonight” is now available to stream at https://strm.to/IllBeYourSantaTonight

    Keith is currently poised to take over the top of the country charts with his latest single, “We Were.”

    Audio / Keith Urban talks about his new holiday song, "I'll Be Your Santa Tonight."

    Download

    Keith Urban (I’ll Be Your Santa Tonight) OC: …the magic. :31
    “I wanted to write a song that could kind of just travel anywhere really, I guess, and be also about the sort of the romantic side of this particular Christmas Eve. The idea that this girl is about to have the bleakest Christmas ’cause there’s no, there’s too much fog, there’s no snow, her mom’s not going to be able to make it, her sister can’t come, it’s all going to be a complete mess. And the guy steps up and says it’s gonna happen. ‘I’ll bring the magic.'”

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (I'll Be Your Santa Tonight) 1

    Download

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (I'll Be Your Santa Tonight) 2

    Download

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (I'll Be Your Santa Tonight) 3

    Download

     

  • KEITH URBAN WANTED TO HEAR ERIC CHURCH SING “WE WERE.”

    In October, Keith Urban released a new version of “We Were” featuring one of the song’s writers, Eric Church. Keith says as soon as he heard Eric co-wrote the song, he wanted to hear his voice on the tune.

    “As soon as I found out he was a writer, the first thing I wanted to do is I wanted to hear him sing that song, ’cause in my head I heard it top to bottom, so I called him and I said, ‘Would you come in some time and do a version?,'” says Keith. “At the end of the summer, he came by and spent a couple of hours at Sound Emporium Studios. Just hearing him sing the song and do his own thing to it — changing all the phrasing, changing the melody, the odd lyric changing. I sat there and watched him sing it several times back to back, and he never did it the same way twice…ever. And I said to him, ‘You change it every time.’ He goes, ‘Yeah. Why would I do the same thing twice?’ It’s just the way he rolls, [and] it’s because he’s a storyteller. He’s an amazing songwriter; one of the best in town period, and he’s a great storyteller.”
    Eric, who penned the song with Ryan Tyndell and Jeff Hyde, didn’t realize just how perfect the song was for his pal until after Keith recorded it.

    “That was the coolest thing for me is I didn’t send Keith the song and say, ‘Here’s a song I wrote.’ He found it, and honestly, it fits him more than it fits me. There’s a line in there about ‘two heartbeats in the moonlight/leather jackets on a back of a Harley.’ I don’t ride a Harley. That’s a line, call it ‘poetic license.’ That’s where it came from. He and Nicole used to do that when they first started dating, and they were touring, they would jump on his Harley and they would put on their leather jackets and they’d go ride up in the countryside before the show. I did not know that until after he cut that song,” says Eric. “I truly believe songs find the path that they’re supposed to find, and that one was supposed to be with him.”

    “We Were” is closing in on the top of the country charts. Keith and Eric previously collaborated on the 2015 hit “Raise ‘Em Up,” from Keith’s 2013 Fuse album.

    Audio / Keith Urban said he wanted to hear Eric Church sing "We Were."

    Download

    Keith Urban (We Were Church collaboration) OC: …storyteller. :48

    “As soon as I found out he was a writer, the first thing I wanted to do is I wanted to hear him sing that song, ’cause in my head I heard it top to bottom, so I called him and I said, ‘Would you come in some time and do a version?’ At the end of the summer, he came by and spent a couple of hours at Sound Emporium Studios. Just hearing him sing the song and do his own thing to it — changing all the phrasing, changing the melody, the odd lyric changing. I sat there and watched him sing it several times back to back, and he never did it the same way twice…ever. And I said to him, ‘You change it every time.’ He goes, ‘Yeah. Why would I do the same thing twice?’ It’s just the way he rolls, [and] it’s because he’s a storyteller. He’s an amazing songwriter; one of the best in town period, and he’s a great storyteller.”

    Video /

    View
  • THANKSGIVING 2019: Artist Audio

    The Thanksgiving holiday tradition traces its origins to a 1621 celebration at Plymouth, in the state that’s now known as Massachusetts. The 1621 Plymouth feast and thanksgiving was prompted by a good harvest. While initially, the Plymouth colony did not have enough food to feed half of the 102 colonists, the Wampanoag Native Americans helped the Pilgrims by providing seeds and teaching them to fish. The practice of holding an annual harvest festival like this did not become a regular affair in New England until the late 1660s. People now celebrate the holiday by giving thanks for their blessings over the past year, as well as feasting on turkey and other festive goodies.

    Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, November 28th, and most people will be enjoying time with their friends and families, including some of your favorite country stars, such as Adam Hambrick, Alan Jackson, Brandon Lay, Carrie Underwood, Caylee Hammack, Clare Dunn, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Jon Langston, Jordan Davis, Josh Turner, Keith Urban, Kip Moore, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Maddie & Tae, Mickey Guyton, Sam Hunt, Travis Denning and more. They share their thoughts, memories and favorite Thanksgiving dishes.

    Brothers Osborne, who usually have their annual Misfits Thanksgiving dinner, are set to perform this year during halftime of the Detroit Lions 80th Thanksgiving Day Classic on Thursday, November 28th. The performance will be televised as part of FOX’s coverage of the game starting at 12:30pm ET/9:30am PT.

    Audio / Adam Hambrick says he’s very thankful to his family.

    Download

    Adam Hambrick (Thanksgiving) OC: …I was raised. :32
    “I know this sounds very cheesy, but I am very thankful for my family. A lot of the good things that have happened in my life are just a result of being raised in a family with two parents that love each other, with sisters that I love and being raised in a community of people, even outside of my family, that’s just a lot of love and a lot of care. Those are the things that raise a person up to be successful, and I am a success because of the way I was raised.”

    Audio / Adam Hambrick says his Grandfather’s turkey and dressing and a special side dish signals Thanksgiving.

    Download

    Adam Hambrick (Thanksgiving food) OC: …Thanksgiving. :21
    “Oh man. Give me Granddaddy’s turkey and dressing and just the friggin’ canned cranberry sauce, [laughs] like I’ll suck it down like a champ. There’s just something about the canned cranberry sauce with my Granddaddy’s turkey and dressing that will always taste like Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / Alan Jackson talks about his favorite Thanksgiving dish.

    Download

    AJ (Thanksgiving) OC: …enjoy it. :19
    “My favorite Thanksgiving dish would be the homemade dressin’ that we, cornbread-based kind of dressin’ that we always have with turkey. That recipe is a kind of a combination of my mama, and Denise has taken it and perfected it over the years, so that me and my children really enjoy it.”

    Audio / Carrie Underwood says she and her family don’t have too many Thanksgiving traditions.

    Download

    Carrie Underwood (Thanksgiving) OC: …the other one. :34
    “We don’t have too many set-in-stone Thanksgiving traditions. I find myself a lot of times working on or around Thanksgiving or unable to get home or whatever. We try to be together, but sometimes that just doesn’t work out. But yeah, I mean, I think it’s just about we eat. I eat a lot every year on Thanksgiving. [laughs] I never skip THAT tradition. But yeah, that’s the gist of it, and I’m kind of lucky. I get two Thanksgivings, because I also get to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving with my husband’s family, so if I don’t hit one, I’ll definitely be able to get the other one.”

    Audio / Carrie Underwood says she’s thankful for her family, which has grown by one this year, as well as her fans, her health and her recent Cry Pretty Tour 360.

    Download

    Carrie Underwood (Thanksgiving 2019) OC: …blessed with. :46
    “My list of things I’m thankful for is too vast. First and foremost, my family. We had a baby earlier this year, which is crazy to think about all of the things that we’ve done and thinking about starting off this year pregnant and having a baby and all of the places that he’s already seen. I’m thankful for health and we’ve had safety along all of our travels. Of course, I’m thankful for the tour and I’m thankful to the fans that have come out to see us. There’s a lot to be thankful for. God has blessed us with some incredible stuff and hopefully we’ve done good with what we’ve been blessed with.”

    Audio / Caylee Hammack says Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday, because she gets to just spend time with her family.

    Download

    Caylee Hammack (Thanksgiving) OC: …favorite holiday. :27
    “Thanksgiving is the one holiday where we stay at home. We stay at my family’s house, and it’s just me, my mom and dad, my brother and sister and their families. We all sit around and just eat all day. And I love Thanksgiving because you don’t have to worry about getting gifts for people; you don’t have to worry about wrapping them. You just show up and you eat all day with the people you love. So, I absolutely love Thanksgiving. It’s my favorite holiday.”

    Audio / Caylee Hammack talks about her favorite Thanksgiving dish.

    Download

    Caylee Hammack (Thanksgiving eats) OC: …cranberry jelly. :15
    “My favorite Thanksgiving meal (dish) is definitely cornbread dressing. My mom makes the best, er, some people call it stuffing, but I’ve always called it dressing for some reason. But I love that with canned cranberry jelly.”

    Audio / Clare Dunn talks about her favorite Thanksgiving side dish.

    Download

    Clare Dunn (Thanksgiving dish) OC: …like hers. :21
    “I think my favorite Thanksgiving dish [is] my mom makes the best mashed potatoes in the world. I mean, they’re crazy. They’re like garlic and butter and all the good stuff, so that’s probably my favorite Thanksgiving dish. Oh, and she makes great stuffing too, and I’m not a stuffing person, but I like hers.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker talks about his favorite part of Thanksgiving.

    Download

    Darius Rucker (favorite part of Thanksgiving) OC: …my family. :17
    “My favorite part of Thanksgiving is easy – it’s food. It’s eating. It’s hanging out with family and getting some great food, ‘cause that’s really what Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving is about giving thanks for all of the great things you’ve got, and I always give thanks for the greatest thing I’ve got and that’s my family.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley, who is thankful for his wife, two daughters and son, talks about his Thanksgiving must-have! It’s an oldie, but a goodie!

    Download

    Dierks Bentley (Thanksgiving must-have) OC: …for Thanksgiving. :34
    “You gotta have a big turkey. Thanksgiving is not possible without a turkey. We cook it traditionally, but when we’re in, a couple of Thanksgivings ago, we were here in Nashville, we did the whole fry the turkey up, and it was great. It just tasted so good; all those juices get locked in there, and I love that too. You really can’t, to me, cook a turkey wrong. I’m gonna eat it any way, and I have over the years. Trust me, I’ve played a lot of county and state fairs, where I’ve seen gigantic turkey legs, you know, I’ve had the flat meat. I’ve done turkey every way you could do it. I’m pretty good any way you want to cook it up, but you’ve got to have a turkey for Thanksgiving.”

    Audio / Eric Church says he’s thankful for his family as well as for his fans.

    Download

    Eric Church (Thanksgiving) OC: …want to do it. :23
    “A couple of things. I’m thankful for my family and great health. And I’m thankful for from a career standpoint, I’m very thankful for the success we’ve had lately. I’m thankful for what the fans have done. I mean there’s a lot of stuff to be thankful for in that regard. And I’m thankful that I was given the opportunity to do it my own way. I’m thankful that I’m going to get to keep doing this and do it the way that I want to do it.”

    Audio / Jon Langston talks about his Thanksgiving tradition.

    Download

    Jon Langston (Thanksgiving) OC: …pretty cool. :21
    “We always watch football on Thanksgiving. It was pretty cool in high school. It was a big deal in high school if you had practice on Thanksgiving Day because you made third round of the playoffs. So, in high school we always had practice on Thanksgiving, so I guess that was pretty cool. Everybody’s waking up on a cold Thanksgiving morning going to football practice, but yeah, pretty cool.”

    Audio / Josh Turner shares his favorite Thanksgiving side dish.

    Download

    Josh Turner (fave side dish) OC: …’em myself. [laughs] :24
    “Uh, deviled eggs! [laughs] Where I’m from in South Carolina, I don’t think I’ve tasted a bad deviled egg. It’s like everybody has their own twist on it, but they’re all good, but I always loved it when my mama made ‘em. I’m learning as I get older, making deviled eggs is no easy task. It’s more complicated than it looks, and so that’s probably why I never made ‘em myself.” [laughs]

    Audio / Josh Turner explains what he enjoys about the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

    Download

    Josh Turner (holidays) OC: …the peace and quiet. :38
    “I love being outside in nature and the outdoors, and the holidays is a great time for me to go and partake in that part of my life. A lot of times, Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s a little cold to go fishing, but when it comes to Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s a great time to go hunting, especially in South Carolina, that’s when the temperatures are starting to drop and the conditions are getting right, and especially in November, kind of the tail end of the rut, as far as deer season. So, it’s a good time to get in the deer stand whether you kill anything or not, it’s just a great time to just get away from everything and get away from the noise and the lights and the diesel fumes [laughs] and just relax and just enjoy the peace and quiet.”

    Audio / Keith Urban gives thanks for many things, including his wife and two daughters.

    Download

    Keith Urban (Thanksgiving) OC: …for me. :21
    “Thankful that, well, my marriage is just, it’s life-giving, not just life-changing, it’s been life-giving for me. And from there, we created life, and that’s just beautiful, absolutely beautiful. And the effect that all of that has had in my work, has given life to it too, given it a sense of purpose and really deepened the experience for me.”

    Audio / Kip Moore says he usually goes home to Georgia for Thanksgiving.

    Download

    Kip Moore (Thanksgiving) OC: …with them. :11
    “I [usually] go home for Thanksgiving. I love going home to see all them. I have five brothers and sisters and it’s a blast to go home and just catch up on their lives. I get so wrapped up in all this that I lose touch sometimes, and it’s cool to hear everything going on with them.

    Audio / The members of Little Big Town love Thanksgiving since they get time off to be with their families.

    Download

    LBT (Thanksgiving) 2 OC: (Kimberly) …and eat. :31
    KIMBERLY: “Thanksgiving—we love Thanksgiving, ‘cause we get to be with our families and we don’t often get to spend time with our families, our extended families, until the holidays. I love being around the table with my family and talking and laughing and cooking and eating…” JIMI: “And eating and eating and eating and eating…” PHILLIP: “The laughter around the eating, the good cheer, the celebration, the music…” JIMI: “The eating, going taking a nap, then coming back and eating.” KIMBERLY: “Go to bed with a full belly, take a nap, and then get up and eat.”

    Audio / Maddie & Tae talk about their Thanksgiving traditions.

    Download

    Maddie & Tae (Thanksgiving) OC: (TAE) …I do. :41
    MADDIE: “I love Thanksgiving because I get to see my family, and it’s not as much pressure as Christmas I feel like because there are no gifts exchanged. It’s just all about quality time and I love quality time. My favorite dish is some broccoli-cheese casserole and Tae’s favorite dish, I know, is cranberry sauce, just plain. Just plain ole cranberry sauce, no turkey, just cranberry sauce.” TAE: “She knows.” MADDIE: “That’s it.” TAE: “I genuinely feel there’s something wrong with me. (MADDIE: “Out of the can.”) out of the can. My parents know just to have cranberry sauce for me, like no one else can touch it. There’s a home video where my brother Mason tries to eat it, and I’m like, ‘What are you doing? This is mine.’” MADDIE: “She eats it out of the can.” TAE: “I do.”

    Audio / Mickey Guyton talks about one of her favorite Thanksgiving traditions.

    Download

    Mickey Guyton (Thanksgiving traditions) OC: …Thanksgiving traditions. :17
    “One of my Thanksgiving traditions is playing charades after Thanksgiving dinner. I’m not the most competitive person in the world, but as soon as you put some Charades in the picture, I am crazy, and you will definitely want to be on my team if we’re playing Charades. I’m just saying. So, that’s one of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions.”

     

    Audio / Mickey Guyton reveals her favorite Thanksgiving dish.

    Download

    Mickey Guyton (favorite Thanksgiving dish) OC: …both so much! :39
    “My favorite Thanksgiving dish that has to, has to, has to be at Thanksgiving dinner is dessert. Dessert is my favorite Thanksgiving dish. I mean, it doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s sweet. My mom actually makes an Italian cream cake that’s absolutely awesome. It’s homemade, and the entire family, that’s the first thing to go at Thanksgiving dinner. And my Grandma D, she makes a pecan pie that is awesome. She taught me how to make them when I was little, and I just love them, and that’s the other thing that I look forward to at Thanksgiving dinner, and I love them both so much!”

    Audio / Travis Denning says Thanksgiving is one of his favorite times of the year.

    Download

    Travis Denning (Thanksgiving) OC: …love Thanksgiving. :43
    “Thanksgiving actually is probably one of my favorite moments of the year, and the reason is actually because just about every Friday after Thanksgiving, I would play a small acoustic show at this bar in my hometown and it’s always so much fun. So many of my old friends come and it’s packed and it’s super loose and super fun and everybody’s just enjoying it. I might play three of my songs, and then I just try to figure out how many old country songs I can sing. That’s so fun, because you’re coming off spending so much time with your family and then you get this little time to go spend with your friends. I think it’s just great because you get to knock out so much like reconnecting and fellowship. I love Thanksgiving.”