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  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD RELEASES HER BRAND NEW SINGLE, “GHOST STORY.”

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    Carrie Underwood

    Today (March 18th), Carrie Underwood has released her much-anticipated new single, “Ghost Story.” Written by Josh Kear, Hillary Lindsey and David Garcia and co-produced by David Garcia and Carrie Underwood, “Ghost Story” is a fresh, contemporary take on a revenge song, but instead of smashing headlights, this scorned lover is telling her ex that she will continue to haunt him no matter how hard he tries to forget her.

    “’Ghost Story’ was written for me by David Garcia, Hilary Lindsey and Josh Kear, and I feel like they just nailed it when they got together to write. I’ve worked with all those incredibly talented writers a couple of which, I’ve worked with since pretty much the very beginning. I feel like they just know me so well. The song is hauntingly beautiful, has a really wide range and amazing melody and just tells this really cool, cinematic story of how this guy is never going to be able to let go of the girl he let go of because she’s just always going to be haunting him. He’s going to see her everywhere. He’s gonna want her back but she’s moved on – sorry man. (laughs) I loved this song, I loved recording it. It’s challenging vocally, but I like that. I feel like it’s just a really awesome song and I’m glad they got together to think of me while they were writing one day.”

     

    “Ghost Story” lyrics:

    You’re gonna see a shadow
    Midnight playing tricks with your head
    A silhouette float down the hallway
    And you’ll reach for the light by your bed
    You’ll hear a noise, swear you know the voice
    And you’ll chase it down the stairs
    You’ll look around, not a single sound
    ‘Cause there’s no one even there

    I’m gonna be your ghost story
    That keeping you up all night memory
    I’ll be haunting you, you’ll be wanting me
    I’m gonna be your ghost story
    Your ghost story
    Your ghost story

    You’ll be sitting at home drinking ‘bout me
    When I’m out with my friends at the bar
    But there ain’t enough whiskey
    For you not to miss me
    I’ll be waiting at the bottom of the bottle in the dark

    I’m gonna be your ghost story
    That keeping you up all night memory
    I’ll be haunting you, you’ll be wanting me
    I’m gonna be your ghost story
    Your ghost story, yeah
    Your ghost story

    Ooh, you’ll wish you’d never said goodbye
    Wish you’d never let me go
    Let the love between us die
    You can carve it into stone

    I’m gonna be your ghost story
    That keeping you up all night memory
    I’ll be haunting you, you’ll be wanting me
    I’m gonna be your ghost story

    Your ghost story, yeah, yeah
    Your ghost story, yeah, yeah
    I’ll be haunting you, you’ll be wanting me
    I’m gonna be your ghost story
    Your ghost story

    Carrie is nominated for two 2022 GRAMMY® Awards – for Bluegrass/Country/Roots Album of the Year for My Savior, and she and Jason Aldean, who just picked up the ACM Award for Single of the Year, are also nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “If I Didn’t Love You.”  Carrie and Jason Aldean were also nominated this week for two 2022 CMT Music Awards for “If I Didn’t Love You” – Collaborative Video of the Year and Video of the Year, which Carrie won last year for “Hallelujah,” with John Legend.  Carrie continues to reign as the most awarded artist in CMT history with 23 total wins.

    This month, Carrie continues her ongoing, critically-acclaimed REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency at the Resorts World Theatre, having opened the new 5,000-capacity, world-class theatre, the first artist to grace the largest and tallest stage in Las Vegas, with six sold-out shows in December.

     

    Audio / Carrie Underwood talks about her brand new single, "Ghost Story."

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    Carrie Underwood (Ghost Story) 1 OC: …writing one day. :56
    “’Ghost Story’ was written for me by David Garcia, Hilary Lindsey and Josh Kear, and I feel like they just nailed it when they got together to write. I’ve worked with all those incredibly talented writers a couple of which, I’ve worked with since pretty much the very beginning. I feel like they just know me so well. The song is hauntingly beautiful, has a really wide range and amazing melody and just tells this really cool, cinematic story of how this guy is never going to be able to let go of the girl he let go of because she’s just always going to be haunting him. He’s going to see her everywhere. He’s gonna want her back but she’s moved on – sorry man. (laughs) I loved this song, I loved recording it. It’s challenging vocally, but I like that. I feel like it’s just a really awesome song and I’m glad they got together to think of me while they were writing one day.”

    Audio / LINER Carrie Underwood (Ghost Story) 1

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    Audio / LINER Carrie Underwood (Ghost Story) 2

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    Audio / LINER Carrie Underwood (Ghost Story) 3

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    Audio / LINER Carrie Underwood (Ghost Story) 4

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    Audio / LINER Carrie Underwood (Ghost Story) 5

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  • UMG NASHVILLE 2022 ACM AWARDS WINNERS: Brothers Osborne, Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Parker McCollum

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    Brothers Osborne / Carrie Underwood / Chris Stapleton / Parker McCollum

    There were lots of big wins at Monday night’s ACM Awards, and some incredible and moving performances.

    Chris Stapleton won his third ACM Male Artist of the Year, which is his 13th ACM Award overall. He also performed a fiery, moving and pulse-inducing performance of “Watch You Burn,” which he wrote with Mike Henderson after the devastating mass shooting at the Route 91 festival in 2017. The performance was introduced by Jason Aldean, who was on stage performing at the festival when the shooting took place.

     

    Carrie Underwood picked up an ACM Award for Single of the Year with Jason Aldean for “If I Didn’t Love You,” which they turned in a spectacular performance of during the show. This makes her 16th overall ACM win.

    https://twitter.com/carrieunderwood/status/1501069052265078792

    Brothers Osborne’s win for Duo of the Year marks their third win in the category, and sixth win overall. John and TJ performed twice on the show. First, they played the title track from their latest album, Skeletons, complete with light up outfits. They also closed the show performing a cool version of “These Boots Were Made For Walking” with Brittney Spencer.

     

     

    Parker McCollum was named New Male Artist of the Year, his first-ever ACM Award. He also performed his No. 1 “Pretty Heart.”

     

    Eric Church performed a 16-song medley on the show, which featured Ashley McBryde and included songs such as “How Bout You,” “Guys Like Me,” “Love Your Love The Most,” “Smoke A Little Smoke,” “Drink In My Hand,” “Springsteen,” “Talladega,” “Give Me Back My Hometown,” “Mr. Misunderstood,” “Round Here Buzz,” “Record Year,” “Desperate Man,” “Some Of It,” “Hell Of A View,” and his latest single “Heart On Fire.”

    Luke Bryan performed his latest single, “Up,” before joining Jordan Davis on the two-week No. 1 “Buy Dirt.”

     

     

     

    Fans can relive all of the excitement of the 57th Academy of Country Music Awards ceremony now on Prime Video and on IMDb TV, Amazon’s premium free streaming service on March 8th beginning at 8pm ET/5pm PT.

    Audio / Backstage at this year's ACM Awards, Carrie Underwood talks about her performance with Jason Aldean on "If I Didn't Love You" on the show.

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    Carrie Underwood (ACM 2022 performance with Jason Aldean) OC: …the performance. :46
    “It’s my home away from home with our residency not too far from here, so I feel like I’ve gotten a taste for Vegas showmanship. And it’s just so much fun, and we were trying to think of ways to make this performance fresh and fun and what else can we do. The song has such a huge success and we love it so much, we really just wanted to take the moment and celebrate it. When somebody said, ‘How would she feel about descending from the ceiling?’ I was like, ‘I feel good about that.’ I was excited. It’s something I’ve never done before, and I’m always up for trying new things; adding a bit of danger in to the performance.”

    Audio / Brothers Osborne's TJ Osborne talks about closing the ACM Awards with Brittney Spencer.

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    Brothers Osborne (closing  ACM show) OC: …room was fun. :24
    “We knew with Brittney (Spencer) and her vocal ability and just her stage presence, we liked the arrangement that we came up with, and it was something that I genuinely just wanted to play. I was like this is gonna be exciting and fun to play. We also knw there was going to be confetti cannons at some point. I’ve never experienced that. But I felt really excited about the whole thing. I thought the night, just us aside, I thought the whole night went very well and the energy in the room was fun.”

    Audio / Backstage at Monday night’s ACM Awards, Parker McCollum says he’s realizing a dream come true.

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    Parker McCollum (ACM Award) OC: …good feeling. :18
    “Since I was a little kid, all I wanted to do was play country music for a living and work my butt off and my team’s worked their butt off. So, to get to have a night like this after putting out a record like that, just to know that it worked a little bit? I don’t know what else anybody could ask for. It’s, I don’t know, that’s a good feeling.”

     

  • CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY ON TUESDAY, MARCH 8TH.

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    Carrie Underwood / Caylee Hammack / Kacey Musgraves / Kassi Ashton / Kylie Morgan / Maddie & Tae / Priscilla Block / Reba McEntire

    Tuesday (March 8th) is International Women’s Day, which is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. International Women’s Day has been observed since the early 1900’s.

    Many of your favorite female country artists are also celebrating this day in honor of women everywhere and of their influences and inspirations.

     

    Audio / CARRIE UNDERWOOD TALKS ABOUT HER AMAZING PROFESSIONAL INFLUENCES.

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    Carrie Underwood (Musical influences) OC: …do it too. :54
    “I think my biggest influences musically, or career-wise, would have to be women like Reba, like Dolly, like Faith Hill, like Martina McBride. You see all of these women just juggle everything masterfully and many of them are moms and they’re superstars and they’re talented, and you know, I know how hard they work because I’m in their shoes somewhat and doing the same juggling. You know, you have the kids and the career and you’re just trying to crush everything you do and being pulled in a million different directions. And to see women like that who are just beautiful and smart and strong and talented, knowing that they have come first and they’re still getting to do what they love and they’re still getting to be the mom and the wife and all the things – that’s just such an inspiration to me and just lets me know that I can do it too.”

    Audio / CARRIE UNDERWOOD TALKS ABOUT HER BIGGEST FEMALE INFLUENCE – HER MOM.

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    Carrie Underwood (biggest female influence) OC: …ever had. :25
    “I would say my biggest female influence would have to be my Mom. She was the first person that I was around that really taught me what it was like to be a woman, to be a Mom, to be a wife, to be a daughter and a sister. And just watching her and how she did everything with grace and integrity and she’s so strong. I mean, she was just the best role model anybody could have ever had.”

    Audio / LINER CARRIE UNDERWOOD (IWD)

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    “Hey, this is Carrie Underwood, and today is International Women’s Day. Let’s celebrate and encourage the achievements of women and girls around the world today and every day.”

    Audio / LINER CARRIE UNDERWOOD (NWM)

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    “Hi, this is Carrie Underwood, and March is National Women’s month. Celebrate and encourage the achievements of women and girls everywhere today and every day.”

    Audio / LINER CATIE OFFERMAN (INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY)

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    “Hey y’all, this is Catie Offerman. Happy International Women’s Day. This is such a special chance for all of us to celebrate each other and all the women around the globe and all their amazing accomplishments. We love you!”

    Audio / CAYLEE HAMMACK TALKS ABOUT HER PROFESSIONAL INSPIRATIONS, WHO INCLUDE LORETTA LYNN, DOLLY PARTON, REBA MCENTIRE AND MORE.

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    Caylee Hammack (Loretta Lynn and professional inspirations) OC: …look up to. :31
    “My first concert ever was Loretta Lynn. I was 13 years old and I got to see her in Columbus, Georgia. I begged my Dad to bring me, and I just remembered sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to see what she’d sing or say next. Loretta Lynn has been such an inspiration to me and all of the women who came before me – Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, all the way to Miranda Lambert and the legends of today. It’s unreal how many amazing women I have been given in this world to look up to.”

    Audio / CAYLEE HAMMACK TALKS ABOUT SEEING LORETTA LYNN IN CONCERT WHEN SHE WAS 13 YEARS OLD.

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    Caylee Hammack (Loretta Lynn) OC: …should listen. :28
    “My female idol growing up was Loretta Lynn. I was 13 when I got to see her live in-concert for the very first time. It was my first concert ever, and I will always remember sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to just see what she was gonna sing or say next. The power she had on stage is something you don’t see much; there’s a magic there. I think that when a woman tells her story – a woman like Loretta Lynn – everyone should listen.”

    Audio / CAYLEE HAMMACK TALKS ABOUT THE WOMEN IN COUNTRY MUSIC WHO HAVE BECOME HER FRIENDS AND SUPPORTIVE COUNTRY MUSIC FAMILY.

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    Caylee Hammack (Miranda, Ashley, Tenille) OC: …more grateful. :46
    “I could on and on about Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline and Tammy Wynette and Reba and Dolly, but I want to actually mention a few friends that I’ve recently made in this year of quarantine and that’s Miranda Lambert and Ashley McBryde and Tenille Townes, these women that I’ve really gotten to connect with over this time in random group messages and such. I‘m just so very grateful that not only do I have women that have paved the way for us coming up in the country music industry, but I also have amazing women around me that I get to celebrate every single time that they put a new song out or win an award. I feel like I’ve found a family in country music, in the women of country music and I just couldn’t be more grateful.”

    Audio / DURING A BACKSTAGE PRESS CONFERENCE AT THE CMA AWARDS A FEW YEARS AGO, KACEY MUSGRAVES TALKED ABOUT BEING INSPIRED BY TWO OF HER IDOLS, LORETTA LYNN AND DOLLY PARTON, AND HOPED SHE COULD CARRY THAT INSPIRATION ON IN HER OWN MUSIC.

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    Kacey Musgraves (women in Country Music) OC: …of it all. :37
    “I look at people like Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton, songwriters who were sassy and intelligent and beautiful and also intelligent and humorous. They inspired me, and if I can be at all any part of that in carrying that on, then I feel like,  that’s just the icing on the cake for me, and I feel like I’ve done my job.”

    Audio / Kassi Ashton says one of her most memorable moments watching a female artist is when The Chicks performed “Sin Wagon” on the 2000 CMA Awards.

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    Kassi Ashton (female artist-first memory) OC: …want to do. :24
    “When I think of my most memorable moment as a country music fan of a female artist, it would have to be when I was really little sitting crisscross-applesauce on the carpet looking up at the TV watching the Chicks perform on the CMA Awards. They were performing ‘Sin Wagon.’ There were CGI flames on the screen and gates opened up and they just tore it up. It’s still to this day is one of my favorite performances to watch over and over on Youtube. I remember looking up at the screen and thinking that that is exactly what I want to do.”

    Audio / KYLIE MORGAN EXPLAINS WHAT INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY MEANS TO HER.

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    Kylie Morgan (International Women’s Day) OC: …so young. :21
    “For me, International Women’s Day is not only about women supporting women but also looking up to other women. And the very first tiny woman, actually, I ever looked up to was Shirley Temple. Not only was she a child star, but she never let her age hold her back. And I feel like I continue to grow up with that mentality and why I started my career so young.”

    Audio / LORETTA LYNN, WHO WAS ONCE SIGNED TO DECCA AND MCA RECORDS, TALKS ABOUT TWO OF HER SONGS THAT HAD A BIG IMPACT.

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    Loretta Lynn (which songs had most impact) OC: …double hits. :10
    “‘You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man)’ and ‘Fist City’ is another one. They both hit women, you know? I wrote them about other women at the time and myself too, so I think that’s why they were double hits.”

    Audio / MADDIE & TAE TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE WOMEN THEY MOST ADMIRE.

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    Maddie & Tae (women most admire) OC: (Maddie) …everybody! :43
    “I definitely can’t pick just one inspiring woman in my life, because I’ve been blessed by many. (TAE INTERRUPTS) Yeah, I was gonna say Tae is definitely one that inspires me always for many different reasons. You are really good at living in the moment, I feel like; very good at being present and I always pick that up from you every time we hang out. (TAE SAYS, “Your joy inspires me.”) My mom, she is just a baddie and amazing. I would say our manager Haley. She is just so great at balancing work life and family life, and I really admire that. And I would say, I don’t know. All the women in my life – my sister, my sister-in-laws, my mother-in-law. I love ‘em all. My grandma…everybody!”

    Audio / LINER MADDIE & TAE (IWD)

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    “We’re Maddie & Tae on International Women’s Day.”

    Audio / MICKEY GUYTON RECALLS THE MOMENT SHE WANTED TO BECOME A COUNTRY SINGER.

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    Mickey Guyton (started with LeAnn) OC: …done. :24
    “I was eight-years-old, and my church, I grew up singing in the church, and my church drove to Arlington [Texas] from Waco to go see a Texas Rangers baseball game. We were all the way up in the nosebleed section, and the announcer says, ‘Please rise as 10-year-old LeAnn Rimes sings the National Anthem,’ and that was before ‘Blue’ came out. I was already stuck on her, and then when ‘Blue’ came out, I was just like done.”

    Audio / MICKEY GUYTON TALKS ABOUT THE FEMALE COUNTRY ARTISTS SHE ADMIRED GROWING UP.

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    Mickey Guyton (on pursuing a career as a singer) OC: …all those people. :50
    “It wasn’t like something where I was like, ‘Dad, I want to be a professional singer.’ It wasn’t until I was older when I finally admitted it. When you say something like that, it’s pretty crazy. What are we normally supposed to be? We’re supposed to be a teacher, a doctor, a lawyer, go to school and for me to even say that was just kind of crazy. So, I took an interest in singing. I started doing solos in the church choir or the school had a talent show. I’d bring my boom box, and I’d sing ‘I Will Always Love You.’ I was just mesmerized by big-voiced women, so from LeAnn, I started listening to Dolly and Patsy Cline and Patty Loveless and Reba McEntire and Faith Hill and Martina McBride, all those people.”

    Audio / MICKEY GUYTON RELEASED THE SONG “SISTER” A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, AND SHE EXPLAINS WHY THE MESSAGE WAS SO IMPORTANT.

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    Mickey Guyton (why the song Sister is so important to her) OC: …out there. :21
    “As a woman, we need our sisters and this song is just so important for women, for girls, for everyone right now, to show solidarity and support for each other. No matter what it is that you believe, no matter what it is that you do, this song is exactly that for every woman out there.”

    Audio / PRISCILLA BLOCK TALKS ABOUT THE LEGENDARY DOLLY PARTON.

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    Priscilla Block (Dolly Parton) OC: …me some Dolly. :19
    “Hey-this is Priscilla Block, and I would say one female country legend that I look up to would be Dolly Parton. I love how honest she is, and she’s always just embraced who she is as a woman, and I love that so much, you know. Big hair, big hoops and you know what’s next. I love me some Dolly.”

    Audio / PRISCILLA BLOCK SAYS SHE IS INSPIRED BY HER MOTHER.

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    Priscilla Block (Mom) OC: …in the butt. :25
    “I would honestly say one of the most inspiring women in my life is my mom because she raised five kids, and honestly had no clue what she was doing, but kind of always just made life so fun. She was there when we needed to laugh and when we needed to cry, and she was also there when we needed a little kick in the butt.”

    Audio / Priscilla Block says her favorite compliment from another woman is that she helps make them feel confident about themselves.

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    Priscilla Block (favorite compliment from another woman) OC: …means the world. :18
    “I would say that my favorite compliment that I’ve received from a woman is that I made them feel comfortable in their own skin. You know, it’s something that doesn’t come easy all of the time, and it’s something that I’ve worked on my whole life on feeling comfortable, so when another girl says, ‘Yeah, you make me feel confident,’ it means the world.”

    Audio / A few years ago, Taylor Swift said Reba McEntire was one of her favorite people in the world.

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    Taylor Swift (Reba) OC: …factored in. :33
    “Reba is absolutely one of my favorite people on this planet. And yk, I think when you’re making your way up in the music industry, you have all these heroes and the reasons why they’re your heroes are one thing, and then as soon as you kind of get in the industry, your guidelines change a little bit. For me, my heroes now are great people first and great artists second – people that I just feel strive to be great people and kind people first before anything else gets factored in.”

  • THE STAGE IS SET FOR THE 57TH ACM AWARDS, TAKING PLACE NEXT MONDAY (MARCH 7TH).

    Audio
    Brothers Osborne / Carrie Underwood / Chris Stapleton / Eric Church / Jordan Davis / Little Big Town / Luke Bryan / Maddie & Tae / Parker McCollum / Priscilla Block

    The 57th Academy of Country Music Awards take place next Monday (March 7th) and several of your favorite country artists are preparing to take center stage.

    Chris Stapleton earned nods in the categories for Entertainer of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Single of the Year (“You Should Probably Leave”) – nominated as artist + producer and Video of the Year for “I Bet You Think About Me” with Taylor Swift.

    Carrie Underwood is nominated for four awards this year, including Entertainer of the Year, Single of the Year (“If I Didn’t Love You”), Video of the Year (“If I Didn’t Love You”) and Music Event of the Year (“If I Didn’t Love You”). She is a 45-time nominee and 15-time winner, including three Entertainer of the Year Awards (the only female artist in history to win this award three times).

    Jordan Davis is nominated for Single of the Year (“Buy Dirt”), Song of the Year (“Buy Dirt”) – nominated as artist + songwriter, Music Event of the Year (“Buy Dirt”), along with Luke Bryan.

    Reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan is up for three nominations with Jordan Davis for Single of the Year (“Buy Dirt”), Song of the Year (“Buy Dirt”) and Music Event of the Year (“Buy Dirt”).

    Eric Church is nominated for Entertainer of the Year, while the members of Little Big Town are up for Group of the Year.

    The reigning CMA Duo of the Year Brothers Osborne, as well as Maddie & Tae are up for Duo of the Year.

    Parker McCollum is up for New Male Artist of the Year, while Priscilla Block is nominated for New Female Artist of the Year.

    The two-hour show, featuring more than 20 performances, will stream live without commercial interruption and is hosted by icon Dolly Parton and co-hosted by reigning ACM New Female Artist of the Year Gabby Barrett and reigning ACM New Male Artist of the Year Jimmie Allen.

    The 57th Annual ACM Awards will be streamed live from Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium March 7th at 8pm ET/7pm CT on Amazon Prime.

    Artist nominee list below.

    ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

    • Eric Church
    • Luke Combs
    • Miranda Lambert
    • Chris Stapleton
    • Carrie Underwood

    FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

    • Gabby Barrett
    • Miranda Lambert
    • Ashley McBryde
    • Maren Morris
    • Carly Pearce

    MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

    • Jimmie Allen
    • Luke Combs
    • Thomas Rhett
    • Chris Stapleton 
    • Morgan Wallen

     DUO OF THE YEAR

    • Brooks & Dunn
    • Brothers Osborne
    • Dan + Shay
    • LOCASH
    • Maddie & Tae

    GROUP OF THE YEAR

    • Lady A
    • Little Big Town
    • Midland
    • Old Dominion
    • The Cadillac Three

    NEW FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR 

    • Tenille Arts
    • Priscilla Block
    • Lily Rose
    • Caitlyn Smith
    • Lainey Wilson

    NEW MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR 

    • HARDY
    • Walker Hayes
    • Ryan Hurd
    • Parker McCollum
    • Elvie Shane

    ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]

    • 29: Written in Stone – Carly Pearce

    Producers: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Jimmy Robbins, Tony Brown

    Record Company-Label: Big Machine Records

    • Country Again: Side A – Thomas Rhett

    Producers: Dann Huff, Jesse Frasure, Matt Dragstrem

    Record Company-Label: Big Machine Label Group

    • Dangerous: The Double Album – Morgan Wallen

    Producer: Joey Moi, Jacob Durrett, Charlie Handsome, Matt Dragstrem, Dave Cohen

    Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records / Republic Records

    • Famous Friends – Chris Young

    Producer: Mark Holman, Corey Crowder, Chris Young, Chris DeStefano

    Record Company-Label: RCA Records Nashville

    • The Marfa Tapes – Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall

    Producers: Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall

    Record Company-Label: Vanner Records / RCA Records Nashville

     

    SINGLE OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]

    • Buy Dirt – Jordan Davis featuring Luke Bryan 

    Producer: Paul DiGiovanni

    Record Company-Label: MCA Nashville

    • Famous Friends – Chris Young and Kane Brown

    Producers: Corey Crowder, Chris Young

    Record Company-Label: RCA Records Nashville

    • Fancy Like – Walker Hayes

    Producers: Walker Hayes, Shane McAnally, Joe Thibodeau

    Record Company-Label: Monument Records

    • If I Didn’t Love You – Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood

    Producers: Michael Knox

    Record Company-Label: Broken Bow Records; Macon Music, LLC; BBR Music Group, BMG

    • You Should Probably Leave – Chris Stapleton

    Producer: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton

    Record Company-Label: Mercury Nashville

     

    SONG OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]

    • 7 Summers – Morgan Wallen

    Songwriters: Morgan Wallen, Josh Osborne, Shane McAnally

    Publishers: Big Loud Mountain, Bo Wallace Publishing, Smackborne Music, Sony/ATV Accent, Smackstreet Music, Tempo Investments, Warner Geo Met Ric Music

    • Buy Dirt – Jordan Davis featuring Luke Bryan

    Songwriters: Jordan Davis, Jacob Davis, Josh Jenkins, Matt Jenkins

    Publishers: Anthem Music Publishing II, Bentprop Pub, Big Blue Nation Music, Combustion Five, Jentown, Jordan Davis Music, Smackwork Music, Smack Blue, Kobalt Music Group Music, Universal Music Corporation, WC Music Corp

    • Fancy Like – Walker Hayes

    Songwriters: Cameron Bartolini, Josh Jenkins, Shane Stevens, Walker Hayes

    Publishers: Songs of SMACK, Rarespark Media Group, Smackworks Music, Smack Blue, Kobalt Music Group, Holy Graffiti Music, Purplebeatz, WC Music Corp

    • Knowing You – Kenny Chesney

    Songwriters: Adam James, Brett James, Kat Higgins

    Publishers: 3 Ring Circus, BMG Platinum Songs, Pompano Run Music, Songs of Brett, WC Music Corp

    • Things A Man Oughta Know – Lainey Wilson

    Songwriters: Jason Nix, Jonathan Singleton, Lainey Wilson

    Publishers: Sony/ATV Accent, Sony/ATV Countryside, Spirit Two Nashville, Super Big Music

     

    VIDEO OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)]

    • Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home) – Elle King and Miranda Lambert

    Producers: Angie Lorenz, Wes Edwards, James Stratakis

    Directors: Alexa Kinigopoulos, Stephen Kinigopoulos

    • Famous Friends – Chris Young and Kane Brown

    Producer: Jennifer Ansell

    Director: Peter Zavadil

    • I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) – Taylor Swift featuring Chris Stapleton

    Producers: Jil Hardin, Blake Lively, Kathy Palmer, Austin Swift

    Director: Blake Lively

    • If I Didn’t Love You – Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood

    Producers: Christen Pinkston, Wesley Stebbins-Perry

    Director: Shaun Silva

    • Never Wanted To Be That Girl – Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde

    Producer: Ryan Byrd

    Director: Alexa Campbell

    SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR*(Off Camera Award)

    • Jesse Frasure
    • Nicolle Galyon
    • Ashley Gorley
    • Michael Hardy
    • Josh Osborne

    MUSIC EVENT OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]

    • Buy Dirt – Jordan Davis featuring Luke Bryan 

    Producer: Paul DiGiovanni

    Record Company-Label: MCA Nashville

    • Famous Friends – Chris Young and Kane Brown

    Producers: Corey Crowder, Chris Young

    Record Company-Label: RCA Records Nashville

    • half of my hometown – Kelsea Ballerini featuring Kenny Chesney

    Producers: Ross Copperman, Jimmy Robbins, Kelsea Ballerini

    Record Company-Label: Black River Entertainment

    • If I Didn’t Love You – Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood

    Producer: Michael Knox

    Record Company-Label: Broken Bow Records; Macon Music, LLC; BBR Music Group, BMG

    • Never Wanted To Be That Girl – Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde

    Producers: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne

    Record Company-Label: Big Machine Label Group, Warner Music Nashville

    Audio / Carrie Underwood talks about her ACM nomination for Entertainer of the Year.

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    Carrie Underwood (Entertainer of the Year nomination) OC: …what happens. :49
    “Of course, it’s an honor to be nominated for Entertainer of the Year, you know. I feel like I’m so blessed to have so many facets of my job and things that I do, obviously performing live on stage, but there’s about a million other irons that we’ve always got in the fire that we’re always working on and we’re always busy. It kind of encapsulates all of that and being recognized for all the things going on is always a good thing. You never know what’s going to happen, because obviously there’s been many, many other artists that have just been crushing it and putting on great shows and doing all the things. There’s only a select handful that get nominated and it’s obviously very exciting and we’ll see what happens.”

    Audio / Carrie Underwood and Jason Aldean have wanted to find a song to do together, but when “If I Didn’t Love You” came along, they knew it was the perfect fit.

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    Carrie Underwood (IIDLY perfect fit) OC: …the perfect fit. :30
    “Jason asked if I would sing ‘If I Didn’t Love You’ with him. I knew I liked the song, and Jason and I have actually been kind of trying to do things together over the years. We’ve sang together before, but we’ve never officially recorded anything together. It just kind of felt like this could be our moment. I felt like it was a little bit of an unexpected duet to other people, but I feel like I kinda always knew at some point I’d probably sing with him officially, and this just seemed like, the stars were aligning and it just seemed like it was going to be the perfect fit.”

    Audio / Carrie Underwood on the announcement of ACM nominations.

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    Carrie Underwood (ACM nominations announcement) OC: …like that. :30
    “I love that they announce nominations for the ACMs in the morning because the night before you kind of know that they’re gonna come out. Usually, I forget by the time morning actually gets there, and then I wake up and start going about my day, and then I’ll get a text at some point that says, ‘Congratulations,’ and say what I’m nominated for, so it’s just super ‘Oh yeah! Omigosh! Yay!’ I knew they were coming, but they always surprise me, and I always feel just super honored and excited when I get good news like that.”

    Audio / Eric Church talks about what kind of energy he receives when he performs for the audience.

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    Eric Church (performing energy) OC: …type of crowd. :43
    “I think, for me, every night I try to empty the tank. There’s always that energy floating around.  It’s a palpable thing. It’s up to me to start that exchange and get the crowd to give it back to me and then watch it build on itself, and just to have that experience. I mean, we have one night here in whatever city we are in, whether it’s Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Monday. We got this night, I’m not going to see you for a while and you’re not going to see me for a while, you know? And I love being able to capitalize on that moment and trying to live in that moment and get as much energy exchanged between myself and the crowd as we can. I love that! That’s my favorite part of what we do. I love being around people…I’m very passionate about my music and I love people who are passionate about the music too, and I love playing a show for that type of crowd.”

    Audio / Backstage at a previous awards show, Chris Stapleton says he's always grateful to win awards.

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    Chris Stapleton (grateful for awards) OC: …grateful for the moment. :30
    “Well I’ll take ’em home with me I guess once they send ’em Yeah I guess you have to at some point, but it still is a very… I’m thankful for it and it’s very nice and there’s a lot of great people doing a lot of great things making a lot of great music and working really hard and so when you get this kind of a thing going, I don’t think anybody deserves it. It’s a lot of luck and a lot of stars lining up so, I’m grateful for the moment.”

    Audio / Chris Stapleton is the reigning CMA Male Vocalist, and he says it's special every time you win that award.

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    Chris Stapleton (CMA Male Vocalist 2021) OC: …for that. :17
    “It’s special every time you win something, and I do like, I feel like when you win that award people are appreciating your talent as a singer. And so, I do partially pride myself on being a pretty good one, so it’s nice to be recognized for that.”

    Audio / Little Big Town talk about cheering on their fellow nominees.

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    LBT (Group nomination) OC: …yeah. :12
    “That’s the coolest thing. Yeah. We’re all friends and we all root for each other and cheer each other on, and we love the music they’re making. And we just celebrate, man. We’re, we’re fans. Yeah.”

    Audio / Maddie & Tae say a nomination means the world to them.

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    Maddie & Tae (Duo nomination) OC: …super fun. :24
    “Having that nomination was like, oh wow, our peers do still feel like we’re doing something special and do still believe in us and that was a really nice spirit-lifter where we were like, ‘Oh my gosh. We are doing something right and we’re making music that people are enjoying,’ and that was just a huge, huge compliment. And we’re nominated with some of favorite people in the industry, so super fun.”

    Audio / Parker McCollum talks about his ACM nomination for New Male Artist of the Year.

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    Parker McCollum (ACM Nomination reaction) OC: …paying off. :35
    “You know, it’s really just crazy to be at a point in my life, in my career, where I can say things like I’m nominated for an ACM Award. I mean, I’ve watched those awards since I was a little kid and watched so many of my heroes win awards on that show and they play your song and you walk up and you accept an award, and it’s something I’ve thought about for a long, long, long time. So, to even be a consideration for an award, to even be a nominee, is just such an honor. It’s kind of a pinch-me moment of man, maybe what I’m doing is working out and paying off.”

    Audio / Priscilla Block is thrilled about her first ACM Nomination (for New Female Artist of the Year).

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    Priscilla Block (ACM 2022 reaction) OC: …so excited. :15
    “I am just blown away. I feel like I just keep crying. I don’t even know how this happened, but I’m so honored. This is probably one of the biggest moments of my life! I’m so excited!”

  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD CONTINUES REFLECTION: THE LAS VEGAS RESIDENCY AT RESORTS WORLD THEATRE WITH UPCOMING SHOWS IN MARCH/APRIL/MAY.

    Press
    Carrie Underwood

    Superstar Carrie Underwood returns to Las Vegas March 23 for the second run of her critically-acclaimed REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency at the Resorts World Theatre, having opened the new 5,000-capacity, world-class theatre – the largest and tallest stage in Las Vegas, with six sold-out shows in December.

    Conceived by Underwood to celebrate some of the highlights of her stellar recording and touring career over the years, REFLECTION celebrates her greatest hits from over 15 years as an award-winning international superstar.  The production brings beloved fan favorites to life in a whole new way, utilizing spectacular special effects, pyrotechnics and state-of-the-art visual and audio technology, with Underwood joined onstage by her band, dancers, aerialists and a special virtual orchestra.  Some of the production highlights include:

    • A custom-built “gem” set-piece, created especially for Underwood’s grand entrance at the top of the show.
    • A one-of-a-kind custom “Cadillac Throne,” the centerpiece for “Two Black Cadillacs,” hand-built from reconstructed parts of a limited-edition 1963 Cadillac especially for the production.
    • 3 giant screens that move throughout the show, featuring eye-popping content created by multi-national creative teams in Los Angeles, the UK and Montreal.
    • 20 custom wardrobe looks were created for the production, seven of which are featured each night on a rotating basis, including one-of-a-kind bespoke gowns and other unique costume pieces designed and handmade especially for Underwood.
    • Underwood’s breathtaking finale rendition of “Something in the Water,” performed on a never-before-seen water wall feature measuring approximately 46 feet wide by 20 feet tall.

    Underwood and REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency are thrilling fans coming to Vegas from around the world and critics alike:

     

    “Carrie Underwood approaches her residency at the Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas like a

    championship-caliber football team might approach the Super Bowl.  The tools for greatness already existed

    before this debut; she wouldn’t be there if they didn’t.  But a plan lacking

    a brilliant concept, relentless preparation, focused teamwork and attention to every dazzling detail

    would fall short of transformative.  And Underwood’s show is transformative.”  (Taste of Country)

    “There is a time to stay dry, and a time to get wet.  Carrie Underwood performed a cannonball at the

    Theatre at Resorts World on Wednesday night.  She threw open the 5,000 capacity theatre with

    a leap into the deep end.”  (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

    “The country superstar brought big pipes and big production values to open the new

    5,000-seat venue.”  (Billboard)

    “Throughout the evening, Underwood sparkled – her wardrobe, from head to foot, and her powerful

    and stunning voice.  She literally shook the house when ‘Jesus Take the Wheel’ morphed into

    ‘How Great Thou Art.’”  (Las Vegas Sun)

    “It’s no surprise that Underwood has now etched her name in Las Vegas entertainment history as the opening act at the brand-new, state-of-the-art Resorts World Theatre.”  (Las Vegas Weekly)

    The show is directed by Barry Lather, with Creative Production & Show design by Nick Whitehouse & Fireplay, and Costume Design/Wardrobe Styling by Emma Trask.

     

    The Resorts World Theatre, exclusively programmed and operated by Concerts West / AEG Presents, is a state-of-the-art, multi-level venue designed by the award-winning international design firm, Scéno Plus. The intimate venue, with the furthest seat only 150 feet from the stage, features unparalleled comfort, unobstructed sightlines and an unmatched immersive audio experience through more than 200 L-Acoustics speakers powered by L-ISA hyperreal technology. The venue has been nominated for a 2022 ACM Award for Casino of the Year – Theater, presented to an outstanding theater or showroom within a casino.

     

    Upcoming REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency performance dates currently on sale include:

     

    • March 2022: 23, 25, 26, 30
    • April 2022: 1, 2
    • May 2022: 11, 13, 14, 18, 20, 21

     

    Tickets for all upcoming shows, plus a limited number of VIP and premium ticket packages, are available at rwlasvegas.com/entertainment/carrie-underwood and AXS.com/CarrieInVegas.

    As part of her ongoing partnership, $1 from each ticket sold for REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency is donated to Make-A-Wish Foundation of America (https://wish.org), which grants life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Carrie has been involved with the organization for more than 15 years, granting wishes since the beginning of her recording career.

    Underwood is nominated for a 2022 GRAMMY® Award for Bluegrass/Country/Roots Album of the Year for My Savior and she and Jason Aldean are also nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “If I Didn’t Love You.”  “If I Didn’t Love You” is also nominated for two iHeart Radio Music Awards for Best Collaboration and Country Song of the Year and three ACM Awards for Single of the Year, Video of the Year, and Music Event of the Year.  Underwood is also nominated for ACM’s Entertainer of the Year.

  • ACM NOMINATIONS: Chris Stapleton, Carrie Underwood, Jordan Davis, Eric Church, Luke Bryan, Little Big Town, Brothers Osborne, Maddie & Tae, Parker McCollum, Priscilla Block, Taylor Swift

    Audio
    Brothers Osborne / Carrie Underwood / Chris Stapleton / Eric Church / Jordan Davis / Luke Bryan / Maddie & Tae / Parker McCollum / Priscilla Block / Taylor Swift

    The nominations for the 57th Academy of Country Music Awards were announced this morning, and at the top of the list is Chris Stapleton with five nominations.

    Chris earned nods in the categories for Entertainer of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Single of the Year (“You Should Probably Leave”) – nominated as artist + producer, Video of the Year (“I Bet You Think About Me”).

     

    Carrie Underwood and Jordan Davis both earned four nominations each.

    Carrie is up for Carrie Underwood Entertainer of the Year, Single of the Year (“If I Didn’t Love You”), Video of the Year (“If I Didn’t Love You”) and Music Event of the Year (“If I Didn’t Love You”)

     

    Jordan Davis is nominated for Single of the Year (“Buy Dirt”), Song of the Year (“Buy Dirt”) – nominated as artist + songwriter, Music Event of the Year (“Buy Dirt”), along with Luke Bryan.

     

    Luke picks up three nominations with Jordan Davis for Single of the Year (“Buy Dirt”), Song of the Year (“Buy Dirt”) and Music Event of the Year (“Buy Dirt”)

    Eric Church is nominated for Entertainer of the Year, while the members of Little Big Town are up for Group of the Year.

     

     

    The reigning CMA Duo of the Year Brothers Osborne, as well as Maddie & Tae, are up for Duo of the Year.

     

    https://twitter.com/MaddieandTae/status/1491824357399842830

    Parker McCollum is up for New Male Artist of the Year, while Priscilla Block is nominated for New Female Artist of the Year.

     

    https://twitter.com/priscillablock/status/1491826305511432194

     

    Taylor Swift receives her 32nd nomination, her first ACM Award nomination since 2018 as she is nominated for ACM Music Video of the Year. Actor, producer, and director Blake Lively receives two nominations for producing and directing Taylor Swift’s music video I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version). This marks Lively’s first ACM Award nomination and her first nomination at a music award show. Actor and Producer Austin Swift is a first-time nominee, receiving a nod for producer of I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version).

    Artist nominee list below.

     

    ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

    • Eric Church
    • Luke Combs
    • Miranda Lambert
    • Chris Stapleton
    • Carrie Underwood

     

    FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

    • Gabby Barrett
    • Miranda Lambert
    • Ashley McBryde
    • Maren Morris
    • Carly Pearce

     

    MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

    • Jimmie Allen
    • Luke Combs
    • Thomas Rhett
    • Chris Stapleton 
    • Morgan Wallen

     

     DUO OF THE YEAR

    • Brooks & Dunn
    • Brothers Osborne
    • Dan + Shay
    • LOCASH
    • Maddie & Tae


    GROUP OF THE YEAR

    • Lady A
    • Little Big Town
    • Midland
    • Old Dominion
    • The Cadillac Three

     

    NEW FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR 

    • Tenille Arts
    • Priscilla Block
    • Lily Rose
    • Caitlyn Smith
    • Lainey Wilson

     

    NEW MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR 

    • HARDY
    • Walker Hayes
    • Ryan Hurd
    • Parker McCollum
    • Elvie Shane

     

    ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]

    • 29: Written in Stone – Carly Pearce

    Producers: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Jimmy Robbins, Tony Brown

    Record Company-Label: Big Machine Records

    • Country Again: Side A – Thomas Rhett

    Producers: Dann Huff, Jesse Frasure, Matt Dragstrem

    Record Company-Label: Big Machine Label Group

    • Dangerous: The Double Album – Morgan Wallen

    Producer: Joey Moi, Jacob Durrett, Charlie Handsome, Matt Dragstrem, Dave Cohen

    Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records / Republic Records

     

    • Famous Friends – Chris Young

    Producer: Mark Holman, Corey Crowder, Chris Young, Chris DeStefano

    Record Company-Label: RCA Records Nashville

     

    • The Marfa Tapes – Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall 

    Producers: Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall

    Record Company-Label: Vanner Records / RCA Records Nashville

     

    SINGLE OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]

    • Buy Dirt – Jordan Davis featuring Luke Bryan 

    Producer: Paul DiGiovanni

    Record Company-Label: MCA Nashville

    • Famous Friends – Chris Young and Kane Brown 

    Producers: Corey Crowder, Chris Young

    Record Company-Label: RCA Records Nashville

    • Fancy Like – Walker Hayes

    Producers: Walker Hayes, Shane McAnally, Joe Thibodeau

    Record Company-Label: Monument Records

    • If I Didn’t Love You – Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood 

    Producers: Michael Knox

    Record Company-Label: Broken Bow Records; Macon Music, LLC; BBR Music Group, BMG

     

    • You Should Probably Leave – Chris Stapleton

    Producer: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton

    Record Company-Label: Mercury Nashville

     

    SONG OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]

    • 7 Summers – Morgan Wallen

    Songwriters: Morgan Wallen, Josh Osborne, Shane McAnally

    Publishers: Big Loud Mountain, Bo Wallace Publishing, Smackborne Music, Sony/ATV Accent, Smackstreet Music, Tempo Investments, Warner Geo Met Ric Music

     

    • Buy Dirt – Jordan Davis featuring Luke Bryan

    Songwriters: Jordan Davis, Jacob Davis, Josh Jenkins, Matt Jenkins

    Publishers: Anthem Music Publishing II, Bentprop Pub, Big Blue Nation Music, Combustion Five, Jentown, Jordan Davis Music, Smackwork Music, Smack Blue, Kobalt Music Group Music, Universal Music Corporation, WC Music Corp

     

    • Fancy Like – Walker Hayes

    Songwriters: Cameron Bartolini, Josh Jenkins, Shane Stevens, Walker Hayes

    Publishers: Songs of SMACK, Rarespark Media Group, Smackworks Music, Smack Blue, Kobalt Music Group, Holy Graffiti Music, Purplebeatz, WC Music Corp

     

    • Knowing You – Kenny Chesney 

    Songwriters: Adam James, Brett James, Kat Higgins

    Publishers: 3 Ring Circus, BMG Platinum Songs, Pompano Run Music, Songs of Brett, WC Music Corp

     

    • Things A Man Oughta Know – Lainey Wilson

    Songwriters: Jason Nix, Jonathan Singleton, Lainey Wilson

    Publishers: Sony/ATV Accent, Sony/ATV Countryside, Spirit Two Nashville, Super Big Music

     

    VIDEO OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)]

    • Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home) – Elle King and Miranda Lambert 

    Producers: Angie Lorenz, Wes Edwards, James Stratakis

    Directors: Alexa Kinigopoulos, Stephen Kinigopoulos

     

    • Famous Friends – Chris Young and Kane Brown 

    Producer: Jennifer Ansell

    Director: Peter Zavadil

     

    • I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) – Taylor Swift featuring Chris Stapleton

    Producers: Jil Hardin, Blake Lively, Kathy Palmer, Austin Swift

    Director: Blake Lively

    • If I Didn’t Love You – Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood 

    Producers: Christen Pinkston, Wesley Stebbins-Perry

    Director: Shaun Silva

     

    • Never Wanted To Be That Girl – Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde 

    Producer: Ryan Byrd

    Director: Alexa Campbell

     

    SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR*(Off Camera Award)

    • Jesse Frasure
    • Nicolle Galyon
    • Ashley Gorley
    • Michael Hardy
    • Josh Osborne

     

    MUSIC EVENT OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]

    • Buy Dirt – Jordan Davis featuring Luke Bryan 

    Producer: Paul DiGiovanni

    Record Company-Label: MCA Nashville

    • Famous Friends – Chris Young and Kane Brown

    Producers: Corey Crowder, Chris Young

    Record Company-Label: RCA Records Nashville

    • half of my hometown – Kelsea Ballerini featuring Kenny Chesney 

    Producers: Ross Copperman, Jimmy Robbins, Kelsea Ballerini

    Record Company-Label: Black River Entertainment

    • If I Didn’t Love You – Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood

    Producer: Michael Knox

    Record Company-Label: Broken Bow Records; Macon Music, LLC; BBR Music Group, BMG

    • Never Wanted To Be That Girl – Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde

    Producers: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne

    Record Company-Label: Big Machine Label Group, Warner Music Nashville

    Audio / CARRIE UNDERWOOD SAYS SHE AND JASON ALDEAN HAVE WANTED TO DO A DUET, BUT FEELS LIKE “IF I DIDN’T LOVE YOU” WAS THE “PERFECT FIT.”

    Download

    Carrie Underwood (IIDLY perfect fit) OC: …the perfect fit. :30
    “Jason asked if I would sing ‘If I Didn’t Love You’ with him. I knew I liked the song, and Jason and I have actually been kind of trying to do things together over the years. We’ve sang together before, but we’ve never officially recorded anything together. It just kind of felt like this could be our moment. I felt like it was a little bit of an unexpected duet to other people, but I feel like I kinda always knew at some point I’d probably sing with him officially, and this just seemed like, the stars were aligning and it just seemed like it was going to be the perfect fit.”

    Audio / Jordan Davis says the success his two-week No. 1 song, "Buy Dirt," is having is pretty special.

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    Jordan Davis (Buy Dirt success is special) OC: …more special. :13
    “It just means a lot more. I wrote it with my brother (Jacob) and two my best friends (Josh and Matt Jenkins) in town and just the content of it. It comes from a really, really honest place. So, when you have songs that mean that much and you get to see them have success like ‘Buy Dirt’ is having, it’s a little bit more special.”

    Audio / Jordan Davis talks about how he and his tree co-writers came up with "Buy Dirt."

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    Jordan Davis (Buy Dirt origin) OC: …that day. :55
    “We took a writer’s retreat a little south of Nashville, me and three of my favorite writers in the world – Matt Jenkins, Josh Jenkins and my brother Jacob. We started every day – we were down there three days – and we started every day with coffee on the back porch, and Josh would lead us in some type of devotional. He would find some scripture and then we would just kind of chew on it for a little bit. That day he had read, and I need to remember the exact scripture, but it was something about being planted, being planted in the dirt and having a strong root system so you can weather storms and rain. That is really the start of ‘Buy Dirt.’ And I don’t know if that song comes if we don’t wake up early and get out there and kind of start talking about real life. That was where it all started, and I’m grateful, grateful that I (laughs) didn’t sleep in that day.”

    Audio / Jordan Davis explains how Luke Bryan ended up on his song, "Buy Dirt."

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    Jordan Davis (Luke Bryan on Buy Dirt) OC: …my songs now. 1:13
    “I met Luke three or four years ago at an awards show after party, and got to hang with him, but I really kind of got to sit and talk with him after a round of golf one day, and we just really talked about everything under the sun aside from music. Luke kind of embodies what that song is. You know a lot of people get to see Luke on American Idol or on stage, but Luke Bryan really is a great guy. I sent him a message one day, a text message actually attached with the song, and I was like, ‘Hey Luke, I wrote this. It means a lot to me. You came to mind whenever I was thinking about it, through the writing process, and this song just kind of says what you’re about, and if you want to sing on it, great, no pressure. Don’t even feel the need to text me back or whatever. Just listen to it and let me know.’ And he got right back with me. He’s like, ‘Man I love the song. Let me live with it for a couple of days.’ And he called me back four or five days later and was like, ‘When do you want me singing on this thing?’ That was a pretty cool moment. I’m such a big fan of Luke, and he’s been a huge influence on me since I moved to Nashville, and pretty cool to have him on one of my songs now.”

     

     

  • VALENTINE’S 2022 AUDIO

    Audio
    Alan Jackson / Billy Currington / Carrie Underwood

    Each year on February 14th, many people exchange cards, candy, gifts or flowers with their special someone. The day of romance we call Valentine’s Day is named for a Christian martyr and dates back to the 5th century.

    Over 190 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine’s Day the second-most popular greeting-card-giving occasion.

    Monday is Valentine’s Day (February 14th), and we’ve got some thoughts and feelings and more about love, romance and marriage from several of your favorite country artists. A few are new and some have become our favorites over the years. Which country stars are romantic? Which ones have a good reason to celebrate the holiday that’s all about love?

    Audio / Alan Jackson talks about his love for wife, Denise, over the years.

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    AJ (Valentine’s Day) OC: …continue to. :24

    “We got a lot of history together now, and we’re happier than we’ve ever been. So, she’s still beautiful, and she’s always inspired songs. I mean, one of my early hits was a song called ‘I’d Love You All Over Again,’ I wrote for her for our 10th anniversary. I mean, there’s been a zillion songs that have pieces of our good days and bad days inspired, and they continue to.”

    Audio / Billy Currington recalls his first real Valentine’s Day.

    Download

    Billy Currington (Valentine’s Day memory) OC: …took off running. :21
    “Yeah, I remember my first girlfriend. I was in first or second grade, but anyway, I remember it was Valentine’s Day and your mom going, ‘You’ve got to give your girlfriend something, and you’ve got to go give it to her.’ I’ll never forget — we got her a box of chocolates or whatever it was. I remember going down to her classroom and knocking on the door, getting her to come to the door. I remember handing it to her, and then I took off running.”

    Audio / Carrie Underwood is all about the chocolate most couples give each other on Valentine’s Day.

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    Carrie Underwood (Valentine’s Day-chocolate) OC: …white chocolate. :14
    “Chocolate’s every woman’s friend – in their time of need or in their time of happiness or in their time of sadness or madness, chocolate is my friend. Anything with caramel in it, ooooooooh. White chocolate’s good too. You can’t beat some good white chocolate.”

    Audio / DIERKS BENTLEY SAYS THE MOST INTERESTING GIFT HE AND HIS WIFE CASSIDY HAVE GIVEN EACH OTHER WERE MIXTAPES OF SONGS.

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    Dierks Bentley (Valentine’s Day-most interesting gift he’s given his wife) OC: …formulate yourself. 1:19
    “When ‘What Was I Thinkin’’ was released in 2003, I didn’t know what my life would look like, and all of a sudden, I found myself out on the road full-time, just gone. So, the place where I was staying, I had some friends pack it up and move it into a storage facility…and in there I found some letters that she and I had written back and forth when we were dating. I was working at The Nashville Network and she was working out in San Francisco and found some letters I had written her and I’d gotten back and some stuff she’d sent me, including a CD of songs she’d been listening to, back when you made CD mixes and there’s like these three hearts on that CD. I just found that it was so meaningful for me those gifts you give each other before any money, before anything else was going on, just music, giving of mixtapes was so cool. She reminded me of a mixtape that I had sent her. I’d sent it to her via FedEx, because it was so important she get this as quickly as possible. This was sadly before, I guess we had internet back then, but you really couldn’t send songs over the internet. I think the most interesting thing I’ve given her and she’s given me was just mixtapes, because there’s nothing like music to put into words and the thoughts you have in your head that you can’t formulate yourself.”

    Audio / Eric Church says his wife, Katherine, loves him in spite of his fallibilities.

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    Eric Church (Valentine’s) OC: …love song is. :48
    “True love to me is when you love a person in spite of all their fallibilities, and for me, I have a lot of ‘em. I’m definitely at times hard to love, and that’s what’s great about Katherine and the way she loves me. She loves me in spite of those things and really for those things.”

    Audio / Jon Pardi says he has learned a lot about love and about Valentine’s Day from his wife, Summer

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    Jon Pardi (Valentine’s Day – Summer) OC: …for you. (laughs) :35
    “One thing Summer has taught me is that gifts are cool, diamonds, blah, blah, blah, but to take your time and clear your mind and write something about what she means to you on a card is probably the most least expensive and the biggest price you can give her is just to write and tell her how much you love her on a little card. That’s what she taught me for Valentine’s Day, so I just do that. It’s way cheaper. (laughs) And of course, I always say to her, ‘Babe, every day is Valentine’s Day for you.’ (laughs)

     

    Audio / Jordan Davis talks about meeting his wife in New Orleans. They were both there attending separate weddings.

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    Jordan Davis (meeting wife) OC: …here we are. :47
    “My college roommate was getting married in New Orleans. My wife was in New Orleans for a totally separate wedding. Both wedding parties were staying at the same hotel, so we met, the first time, in the lobby of the hotel. I’m actually wearing a necklace that has the coordinates to that hotel. Then the next day, me and my brother walk into a bar in New Orleans, and her and her friends were sitting in the corner, and I was like, ‘Hey-that’s the girl from the lobby.’ She was actually dating somebody at the time. But we kind of exchanged numbers and stayed in contact, and about two months later, a month later, she came into town for CMA Music Fest and told me that she no longer had a boyfriend, and here we are.”

    Audio / Jordan Davis talks about a couple of his favorite love songs.

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    Jordan Davis (love song) OC: …well done! :25
    “I guess Valentine’s Day gets you to thinking about love songs. You know, me and my wife’s first dance was ‘I’m Gonna Lose You’ [by] John Legend and Meghan Trainor. I think that’s just an amazing love song. I think also a love song that I heard the other day? ‘Strawberry Wine’ from Deana Carter? Great love song. I listened to that a lot. Ooooh Deana Carter. Well done.”

     

    Audio / Josh Turner says his wife would call him a romantic, but now that they have four children, it takes a bit of work to make time for each other.

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    Josh Turner (Romantic) OC: …long time to come. :26
    “If you ask my wife Jennifer if I was a romantic, she would definitely say, ‘Yes,’ but she knows that sometimes my hectic schedule and our busy lifestyles can kind of interfere with the romantic side of things. But we do try to make efforts towards being together and having adult conversations and taking time away from the children and doing things that husbands and wives do, so we’ll definitely try to continue that for a long time to come.”

    Audio / Keith Urban talks about the support he and his wife, Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman, give each other, which is especially important when two creative artists are married to each other.

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    Keith Urban (Nicole support) OC: …very important. :17
    “I feel very blessed that I have the support of my family like I do. It’s a beautiful thing having two artists because we understand the passion and the responsibility of what we get to do. It’s very important.”

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman says falling in love with her husband, Stephen Schlapman, came as a big surprise.

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    Little Big Town (Kimberly falling in love) OC: …healed me. 1:20
    Kimberly: “Well, I wasn’t planning on falling in love, at all. I didn’t want to…I wasn’t sure that I ever would.  So, my husband now and I were just really good friends, and after my late husband died all my friends were calling me, all the time. Just checking up on me. He was just an old friends. We had known each other for about six years and he started calling me just like everybody else did.  But, he started calling me more than everybody else did [laughs]. We had both been through similar losses, he hadn’t lost a mate but he had lost a close friend, so we kind of bonded over that. I grieved, kind of, at him a lot. He took my grief, I had a lot of grief left, and he just took it and listened and accepted it and was so understanding and let me talk about my late husband all the time. We still talk about him a lot, and he’s totally fine with it. He says that, that made me who he fell in love with and he never minds if I bring anything from the past up which is just really sweet. I was shocked, I remember when I first realized that I was having feelings. I just thought, OK, this is so weird.  What is this?  I haven’t felt this in a long, long, time. This is weird. But, eventually I allowed myself and it’s been the most beautiful gift of my life. It pulled me out of the deepest hole that I’ve ever been in and healed me.”

     

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild and Jimi Westbrook had a chemistry performing together, but it wasn’t until they each found themselves single…at the same time…that sparks flew romantically. The pair, who wed in 2006, have a son, Elijah.

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    Little Big Town (Jimi & Karen fell in love) OC: (Kimberly) …to be together. :48
    JIMI: “We were in the band a long time before there was ever anything which is interesting. I think there was always something underlying there that we were kind of trying to ignore. And then when the opportunity came, when all of us, ended up single kind of at the same time, a very strange turn of events for the band in a lot of different ways. And those feelings, you were able to come out with them finally. It was like, we’re single. Let’s get together. And, you know, she has a beautiful heart and she’s absolutely gorgeous and I just love her dearly.”

    PHILLIP: “Get a room!” [laughs]

    KIMBERLY: “They’re a perfect match. They really are. They were meant to be together.”

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Phillip Sweet was ready for love when he met Rebecca, his wife since 2007.

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    Little Big Town (Phillip – reasons fell in love) OC: …real love. :17
    “I think everything that I had gone through before had prepared me to be ready to see that there was genuine love there for me, and my Rebecca.  So, it was just a great time, I wouldn’t have been ready before I met her…Now it’s just been a really great journey to heal through the past and to know real love.”

    Audio / Luke Bryan talks about his favorite love song.

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    Luke Bryan (love song with Caroline) OC: …That’s it! :11
    “Caroline and I, we had a love song in college. It was Lenny Kravitz’ [starts singing] ‘I just can’t get you off of my mind.’ That’s it!”

    Audio / Luke Bryan talks about marrying Caroline, his college sweetheart.

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    Luke Bryan (married college sweetheart) OC: …married. :27
    ”I married my college sweetheart. We dated back in college and broke up for nearly six years, and while I was off doing my Nashville stuff and touring and writing songs, she was finishing getting her career kind of going. Man, we just kinda bumped into each other one night, and it was like bam, here we are married.”

    Audio / Maddie & Tae’s Taylor Kerr talks about her husband, songwriter Josh Kerr. The pair are just about to celebrate their first anniversary as a married couple (they got married February 21st, 2020).

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    Maddie & Tae (Tae talking about husband Josh) OC: …that way, you know? :45
    “From the moment I met Josh, he never shied away from sharing what’s on his heart. For me, sharing what’s on my heart is sometimes hard, but he always created the environment and dynamic of it’s totally normal to open up and let people to see that side of you. And so, the more we spent time together, the more I kind of adopted that mindset of like, ‘Okay, I can be vulnerable. I can take risks. I can put myself out there and maybe get rejected, but maybe it could be awesome.’ Our relationship is that to a T. I was skeptical at first and I was scared, and he was scared. And we both just, we went all in, and I felt so safe to go there with him and he’s always made me feel that way, you know?”

  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD KICKS OFF THE NEW YEAR WITH SURPRISE APPEARANCE AND PERFORMANCE ON NETFLIX HIT “COBRA KAI” HER ALL-NEW RECORDING OF “THE MOMENT OF TRUTH” APPEARS ON COBRA KAI: SEASON 4 (SOUNDTRACK FROM THE NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES), AVAILABLE JANUARY 7TH.

    Press
    Carrie Underwood

    Hot on the heels of the sold-out year-end debut of her REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency, seven-time GRAMMY® Award winner Carrie Underwood kicks off the new year with a surprise appearance on the Netflix smash hit, Cobra Kai Season 4, streaming now.  In the season finale, Underwood performs the classic 80s hit “The Moment of Truth.” Written by Bill Conti, Dennis Lambert, and Peter Beckett, the song was originally recorded by iconic 80s rock band Survivor for “The Karate Kid” original movie soundtrack and played over that film’s end credits. Underwood’s turbocharged interpretation is produced by Cobra Kai series composers Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson and appears on COBRA KAI: SEASON 4 (SOUNDTRACK FROM THE NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES), available on Madison Gate Records as a two-volume set with nearly two hours of music.  Both volumes will be available everywhere on digital starting Friday (January 7th), and as a deluxe edition 2-disc CD set through La-La Land Records.  LISTEN HERE (Starting 1/7)

    Cobra Kai takes place over 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament with the continuation of the inescapable conflict between Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). Cobra Kai is written and executive produced by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg via their production company, Counterbalance Entertainment. Will Smith, James Lassiter and Caleeb Pinkett executive produce for Westbrook Entertainment along with Susan Ekins in association with Sony Pictures Television. Ralph Macchio and William Zabka also serve as executive producers. The first three seasons of Sony Pictures Television’s Cobra Kai are now streaming on Netflix, Season 4 premiered on December 31, 2021. The series has been renewed for a fifth season.

    From executive producers/series creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg: “When we set out to present the biggest, boldest, most explosive All Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament of all time, we knew we had to reach for the stars and pull out all the stops. Having Carrie surprise the audience with her unadulterated charisma and musical adrenaline was a dream collaboration and such a special moment for the franchise.”

    On appearing on Cobra Kai Season 4 and covering “The Moment of Truth,” Underwood says, “I love Cobra Kai so much and was absolutely thrilled when they invited me to be a part of the penultimate episode of season 4.  Adding Survivor’s iconic ‘The Moment of Truth’ to the mix was very cool, as I loved the original Karate Kid movie soundtrack. I love all the nostalgia with Cobra Kai, and it’s an honor to be a small part of this legacy.”

    Underwood finished a stellar 2021 with a bang.  She was the first artist to grace the brand-new, state-of-the art stage at the Resorts World Theatre when her REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency opened December 1 to rave reviews with six sold-out shows, with upcoming engagements confirmed in March, April and just-added dates in May 2022 (Carrie Underwood (rwlasvegas.com) and (Carrie Underwood – Resorts World Las Vegas (axs.com).  Her first Christmas album, My Gift, initially released September 2020, has been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America® (RIAA) and she released My Gift (Special Edition) in September 2021, featuring three new tracks, debuting #1 on Billboard’s Holiday Albums chart.  To date, there have been over 400 million global streams for My Gift and My Gift (Special Edition) combined.

    She commanded the broadcast airwaves in November and December with two stellar performances with Jason Aldean of the duo’s multi-week #1 smash hit duet, “If I Didn’t Love You,” on the 55th CMA Awards and the 2021 American Music Awards.  She celebrated the holiday season with special performances from My Gift (Special Edition), including a new performance of “Hallelujah” with John Legend on the season finale of “The Voice,” NBC’s “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” and “Christmas in Rockefeller Center,” ABC’s “CMA Country Christmas,” Canada’s “2021 Santa Claus Parade” on CTV, “Opry Live: USO Holiday Special” on Circle Network livestreamed on the USO and Circle All Access’ Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channel. She headlined “Woolworths Carols in the Domain” on Australia’s Channel 7 and 7plus and closed out the season with a special Christmas Eve performance on NBC’s TODAY. Her stunning “My Gift: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood,” which became an instant holiday classic when it premiered in December 2020, continues to stream on HBO Max.

    Additionally, she won her 16th and 17th AMAs, marking her eighth win for Favorite Female Country Artist and her first for Favorite Inspirational Artist, elevating her to tie Garth Brooks and Justin Bieber as the sixth top AMA winners of all time.  She won the 2021 Gospel Music Association Dove Award for Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year for her collaboration with gospel superstar CeCe Winans, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” from Underwood’s critically-acclaimed album of gospel hymns, My Savior, which was also nominated for a 2022 GRAMMY® Award for Bluegrass/Country/Roots Album of the Year.  She and Aldean are also nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “If I Didn’t Love You.”

    About Carrie Underwood:
    Carrie Underwood is a true multi-format, multi-media superstar, spanning achievements in music, television, film, and as a New York Times bestselling author and successful entrepreneur.  She has sold more than 66 million records worldwide, recorded 28 #1 singles (14 of which she co-wrote), and has seven albums that are certified Platinum or Multi-Platinum by the RIAA, all while continuing to sell out arena tours across North America and the UK.  All nine of her consecutive album releases (two of which she co-produced) from the beginning of her career debuted #1 on the Billboard Country Chart, making her the only artist to accomplish that feat.  She has won over 100 major awards including 7 GRAMMY® Awards, 15 ACM Awards including three for Entertainer of the Year (the first female in history to win twice and the only female ever to win three times), 23 CMT Music Awards (holding the record for the most award wins ever for the show), 7 CMA Awards, and 17 American Music Awards. She has also built a successful business portfolio inspired by her passion for health and wellness.  She founded and created the fitness and lifestyle brand, CALIA by Carrie Underwood and her first book, FIND YOUR PATH was an instant New York Times bestseller.  She launched her fit52 app in 2020, and expanded her lifestyle portfolio with an equity partnership with BODYARMOR Sports Drink in 2021. Her first-ever residency, REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency, began December 1, making her the first artist to grace the stage of the state-of-the-art Resorts World Theatre at the brand-new Resorts World Las Vegas.

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Reba McEntire, Jordan Davis, Carrie Underwood

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    Carrie Underwood / Jordan Davis / Reba McEntire

    Reba McEntire has a few recommendations to watch on TV. She recently posted the two — “Welcome to Earth” and The Beatles docuseries, “Get Back” — as her recommendations since they’re “Very entertaining and educational.”

    Reba McEntire reprises her role as “June” on the hit CBS show, Young Sheldon, tonight (January 6th). You can check out the episode titled “An Expensive Glitch and a Goof-Off Room” beginning at 8pm ET on CBS.

     

    Jordan Davis guests on new country duo Seaforth‘s new song, “Good Beer,” which will be released on Friday (December 7th). His own collaboration with Luke Bryan, “Buy Dirt,” is making its way to the top of the charts.

    Carrie Underwood surprised fans with a cameo appearance in the new season (Ep. 9) of the popular Netflix series, “Cobra Kai,” which is based off the hit ’80s film franchise, The Karate Kid. She performed Survivor’s “The Moment of Truth” — a song from the original Karate Kid soundtrack — at the All Valley Karate Tournament in the episode.

    https://twitter.com/carrieunderwood/status/1478156214265655299

     

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, Mickey Guyton, Jon Pardi, Lauren Alaina, Maddie & Tae

    Press
    Carrie Underwood / Eric Church / Jon Pardi / Lauren Alaina / Maddie & Tae / Mickey Guyton / Reba McEntire / Vince Gill

    Watch Carrie Underwood on NBC’s Today Show on Friday (December 24th) for an all-new holiday performance.

    https://twitter.com/carrieunderwood/status/1474051545041932290

    Reba McEntire performed “I Needed Christmas” from her Lifetime holiday movie, Christmas In Tune, on ABC’s Good Morning America earlier this week.

    https://twitter.com/GMA/status/1473294281561493508

    Vince Gill and Mickey Guyton recorded the song “Love Changes Everything” for the soundtrack of the feature film, American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story. The movie, based on Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner’s life story, stars Zachary Levi, Anna Paquin and Dennis Quaid and is set to open nationwide on Christmas Day. The soundtrack will be released on Christmas Eve (December 24th).

    Mickey Guyton is among the performers set for the 31st Annual MusiCares Person of the Year Concert honoring the legendary Joni Mitchell. Also performing are Graham Nash, James Taylor, Brandi Carlile, Pentatonix, Jon Batiste, Herbie Hancock and Leon Bridges, among others. The event will be held January 29th at the Los Angeles Convention Center, two nights before the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.

    Reba McEntire, Jon Pardi, Lauren Alaina and Maddie & Tae are among the artists joining Musicians On Call for “Hope for the Holidays” virtual concert. The artists, which also includes Brett Eldredge, Caitlyn Smith and Cassadee Pope, perform holiday favorites and deliver messages to hospital patients and caregivers at over 5,000 hospitals nationwide.

    Eric Church performed “Joy To The World” during In Performance At The White House: Spirit of the Season on PBS earlier this week. The special, hosted by actress Jennifer Garner, also featured performances by the Jonas Brothers, Pentatonix, Norah Jones, Camilla Cabelo, Billy Porter and many others. If you missed it, you can stream it now — see below.

    Video /