• NEWS AND NOTES: Reba McEntire, Chris Stapleton, Carrie Underwood

    Reba McEntire teams up with her Reba co-star and friend, Melissa Peterman, on Tuesday (October 5th) to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the iconic show on Facebook Live at 6pm ET/5pm CT.

     

    Chris Stapleton is set to perform his latest song, “You Should Probably Leave,” on NBC’s Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday (October 5th). Check local listings for time.

     

    Carrie Underwood will return to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry on October 23rd.

     

  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD’S MY GIFT (SPECIAL EDITION) AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE TODAY.

    Seven-time GRAMMY® Award winner and 2021 CMA Entertainer of the Year nominee Carrie Underwood’s My Gift (Special Edition) is available worldwide today – listen hereThe album, featuring three new tracks, is available digitally and on CD now and pre-orders begin today for vinyl, which will be available November 5.  Initially released September 25, 2020, Underwood’s first-ever Christmas album, My Gift, debuted #1 across multiple global charts, including Billboard’s Country, Christian and Holiday album charts.  The album remained at #1 on the Christian album chart 11 weeks after it was released and debuted #1 on the UK and Canadian Country album charts. It consistently remained in the Top 5 on the Billboard Holiday album chart throughout the 2020 holiday season, hitting #5 on the all-genre Billboard Top 200.

    My Gift is a combination of beloved traditional songs celebrating the spiritual nature of Christmas and several originals, two of which were written by Underwood, frequent collaborator Brett James (“Jesus, Take the Wheel,” “Something In The Water”), and her Cry Pretty and My Savior co-producer, David Garcia.  In addition to a special appearance by Underwood’s then 5-year-old son, Isaiah Fisher, on the holiday classic that inspired the album title, “Little Drummer Boy,” My Gift also features her first collaboration with Emmy, GRAMMY®, Oscar, and Tony Award-winner John Legend, on the original track, “Hallelujah,” written by Legend and Toby Gad (“All of Me”).  The video for “Hallelujah,” directed by Randee St. Nicholas, won the CMT Music Award for Video of the Year, continuing Underwood’s record as the most-awarded artist in that show’s history.

    My Gift (Special Edition) will feature three additional tracks:

    • “Favorite Time Of Year” was previously released exclusively as an Amazon Original and featured in Ring’s 2020 Doorbell Season holiday campaign.  Written by Underwood, Hillary Lindsey, and Chris DeStefano and produced by Greg Wells, “Favorite Time Of Year” also opened the HBO Max Original, “My Gift: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood.”
    • “All Is Well” (Michael W. Smith, Wayne Kirkpatrick) is an all-new studio recording of Smith’s classic, produced by Greg Wells.
    • “Let There Be Peace/Something In The Water (LIVE From HBO Max’s MY GIFT: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood)” (Carrie Underwood, Brett James, David Garcia, Chris DeStefano), the live recording of the powerful medley that provided a stunning finale to the Max Original special.

    My Gift is an album I’ve wanted to make from the beginning of my career,” says Underwood.  “It’s been such a blessing to share this special music and I’m excited to share even more with the release of My Gift (Special Edition).”

    Fans can view the official My Gift video playlist here. Preorders of the vinyl are available now.

    GRAMMY® Award-winning producer, mixer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Greg Wells produced and arranged My Gift, which features a world-class orchestra, led by the pre-eminent arranger, composer, and conductor David Campbell.   The album was mixed by 14-time GRAMMY® Award winning mixer, Serban Ghenea.  Acclaimed gospel quartet The McCrary Sisters, who have performed backing vocals on previous Underwood songs including “Choctaw County Affair” and “The Champion,” can also be heard on the album’s “Let There Be Peace.”

    Carrie Underwood My Gift (Special Edition) Track List:

    1. Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee (Traditional)
    2. O Come All Ye Faithful (Traditional)
    3. Let There Be Peace (Carrie Underwood, Brett James, David Garcia)
    4. Little Drummer Boy (featuring Isaiah Fisher) (Harry Simeone, Henry Onorati, Katherine Davis)
    5. Sweet Baby Jesus (Carrie Underwood, Brett James, David Garcia)
    6. Hallelujah (with John Legend) (John Stephens, Toby Gad)
    7. O Holy Night (Traditional)
    8. Mary, Did You Know? (Buddy Greene, Mark Lowry)
    9. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin)
    10. Away In A Manger (Traditional)
    11. Silent Night (Traditional)
    12. Favorite Time Of Year (Carrie Underwood, Hillary Lindsey, Chris DeStefano)
    13. All Is Well (Michael W. Smith, Wayne Kirkpatrick)
    14. Let There Be Peace/Something In The Water (LIVE From HBO Max’s MY GIFT: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood) (Carrie Underwood, Brett James, David Garcia, Chris DeStefano)

    Additionally, HBO Max began streaming My Gift: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood” in December 2020, a breathtaking musical holiday special with Carrie performing songs from My Gift with a full orchestra and choir.  The Max Original special was executive produced by Gary Goetzman and Tom Hanks for Playtone, along with Underwood and her manager Ann Edelblute. My Gift: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood” has become an instant holiday classic and will continue to stream this holiday season.

    Underwood is nominated for two Gospel Music Association Dove Awards for her critically-acclaimed album of gospel hymns, My Savior. The album is up for Bluegrass/Country/Roots Album of the Year and her duet with gospel superstar CeCe Winans, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” is nominated for Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year.  My Savior debuted #1 on the Billboard Country chart in March, making it her ninth consecutive release to do so, extending her record as the only artist to accomplish that feat with all nine of her album releases from the beginning of her career.

    Her duet with Jason Aldean, “If I Didn’t Love You,” made the highest debut of a solo male/female duet since the inception of the Billboard Hot Country charts and is currently in the Top 5 and climbing on the Country Airplay Charts. It is available on all digital platforms here and the music video can be seen here.

    On September 3, Carrie and Dan + Shay released their much-anticipated collaboration, “Only Us,” from the Dear Evan Hansen (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), which will be featured on the film’s soundtrack, and also releases today through Interscope Records. Listen to “Only Us” here and watch the performance video here.

     

    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 27 #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 (nominated again this year for Entertainer of the Year), and 15 American Music Awards. She has also built a successful business portfolio inspired by her passion for health and wellness, including her fitness and lifestyle brand, CALIA by Carrie Underwood, bestselling book, FIND YOUR PATH, her fit52 app, and a partnership with BODYARMOR Sports Drink.  She recently announced her first-ever residency, REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency, at The Theatre at Resorts World Las Vegas, which will begin December 1.

     

    Audio / CARRIE UNDERWOOD TALKS ABOUT THE TITLE OF HER FIRST CHRISTMAS ALBUM, MY GIFT.

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    Carrie Underwood (My Gift album title) OC: …good title. 1:21
    I chose My Gift as an album title. It’s a bit of a story. I wanted something to kind of define this album and me in it. And “Little Drummer Boy” kind of became a cornerstone for this whole project and it does tie back to that story of a little boy not having anything to give Jesus and he gave him what he could, which was his talent, his gift which was given to him by God, his love of music. I always say I like to imagine that he was good at it. He was a good drummer. Had to be. And that’s what he wanted to give to Jesus, which was a gift that was given to him by God. I feel like my gift in my life, which I’m blessed enough to have many gifts that I’m so thankful for, but my heart and my cornerstone is the gift and the love of music. That’s what I get to do. That’s my gift that I get to do when I get on stage or when I record a song that is something for me and I’m so thankful for it. So I want ultimately with this album to give it back to Jesus like the little drummer boy. So, I thought My Gift was a good title.”

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  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD WILL RELEASE THE SPECIAL EDITION OF HER CHRISTMAS ALBUM, MY GIFT, TOMORROW.

    Carrie Underwood is set to release My Gift (Special Edition) on CD/digital on Friday (September 24th), and on vinyl November 5th, featuring three additional tracks. Initially released September 25th, 2020, Carrie’s first-ever Christmas album, My Gift, debuted #1 across multiple global charts, including Billboard’s Country, Christian and Holiday album charts.  The album remained at #1 on the Christian album chart 11 weeks after it was released and debuted #1 on the UK and Canadian Country album charts. It consistently remained in the Top 5 on the Billboard Holiday album chart throughout the 2020 holiday season, hitting #5 on the all-genre Billboard Top 200.

    My Gift is a combination of beloved traditional songs celebrating the spiritual nature of Christmas and several originals, two of which were written by Carrie, frequent collaborator Brett James (“Jesus, Take the Wheel,” “Something In The Water”), and her Cry Pretty co-producer, David Garcia.  In addition to a special appearance by Carrie’s son, Isaiah Fisher, on the holiday classic that inspired the album title, “Little Drummer Boy,” My Gift also features her first collaboration with Emmy, GRAMMY®, Oscar, and Tony Award-winner John Legend, on the original track, “Hallelujah,” written by Legend and Toby Gad (“All of Me”).  The video for “Hallelujah,” directed by Randee St. Nicholas, recently won the CMT Music Award for Video of the Year, continuing Carrie’s record as the most-awarded artist in that show’s history.

    My Gift (Special Edition) will feature three additional tracks:

    • “Favorite Time Of Year”was previously released exclusively as an Amazon Original and featured in Ring’s 2020 Doorbell Season holiday campaign.  Written by Carrie Underwood, Hillary Lindsey, and Chris DeStefano and produced by Greg Wells, “Favorite Time Of Year” also opened the HBO Max Original, “My Gift: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood.”
    • “All Is Well”(Michael W. Smith, Wayne Kirkpatrick) is an all-new studio recording of Smith’s classic, produced by Greg Wells.
    • “Let There Be Peace/Something In The Water (LIVE From HBO Max’sMY GIFT: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood)” (Carrie Underwood, Brett James, David Garcia, Chris DeStefano), the live recording of the powerful medley that provided a stunning finale to the Max Original special.

    GRAMMY® Award-winning producer, mixer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Greg Wells produced and arranged My Gift, which features a world-class orchestra, led by the pre-eminent arranger, composer, and conductor David Campbell.   The album was mixed by 14-time GRAMMY® Award winning mixer, Serban Ghenea.  Acclaimed gospel quartet The McCrary Sisters, who have performed backing vocals on previous Carrie Underwood songs including “Choctaw County Affair” and “The Champion,” can also be heard on the album’s “Let There Be Peace.”

    My Gift (Special Edition) Track List:
    1. Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee (Traditional)
    2. O Come All Ye Faithful (Traditional)
    3. Let There Be Peace (Carrie Underwood, Brett James, David Garcia)
    4. Little Drummer Boy (featuring Isaiah Fisher) (Harry Simeone, Henry Onorati, Katherine Davis)
    5. Sweet Baby Jesus (Carrie Underwood, Brett James, David Garcia)
    6. Hallelujah (with John Legend) (John Stephens, Toby Gad)
    7. O Holy Night (Traditional)
    8. Mary, Did You Know? (Buddy Greene, Mark Lowry)
    9. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin)
    10. Away In A Manger (Traditional)
    11. Silent Night (Traditional)
    12. Favorite Time Of Year (Carrie Underwood, Hillary Lindsey, Chris DeStefano)
    13. All Is Well (Michael W. Smith, Wayne Kirkpatrick)
    14. Let There Be Peace/Something In The Water (LIVE From HBO Max’s MY GIFT: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood) (Carrie Underwood, Brett James, David Garcia, Chris DeStefano)

    Additionally, HBO Max began streaming My Gift: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood” in December 2020, a breathtaking musical holiday special with Carrie performing songs from My Gift with a full orchestra and choir.  The Max Original special was executive produced by Gary Goetzman and Tom Hanks for Playtone, along with Carrie and her manager Ann Edelblute. My Gift: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood” has become an instant holiday classic and will continue to stream this holiday season.

     

    Audio / Carrie Underwood talks about the song "Favorite Time of Year," which is included on the special edition of her Christmas album, My Gift.

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    Carrie Underwood (Favorite Time of Year) OC: …song collection. :34
    “’Favorite Time of Year’ is a song about all of the things that make you smile during Christmas. There’s so much about Christmas that is absolutely wonderful. Obviously, the birth of Jesus, that’s what we’re celebrating, but there’s so many other things too – like the presents, the family, the weather, the decorations – just all those things all wrapped up to make the favoriteist time of year, the favorite of year. So, I love the song because it’s hard to sing it without smiling. It’s hard to listen to it without smiling. I think it’s a perfect edition to the rest of my Christmas song collection.”

  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD HONORED TO SING WITH DAN + SHAY ON “ONLY US” FROM THE DEAR EVAN HANSEN SOUNDTRACK.

    Carrie Underwood and Dan + Shay perform the collaboration “Only Us” on the Dear Evan Hansen (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), which comes out September 24th (next Friday).

    Carrie says she was honored to sing with Dan + Shay on “Only Us.” “I did get the privilege and honor to get to sing with Dan + Shay on the Dear Evan Hansen soundtrack, singing a song called ‘Only Us,’” says Carrie. “I knew Dan + Shay, they were a huge fan of Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway. I had not seen it on Broadway. I only got to watch the movie kind of in secret. I got to screen it, and I loved the movie and loved the music in it. Obviously, music is what I do. I love it when I get to go watch a movie or go see a theater production and people are just crushing it musically. It was just such a great song and I could immediately hear us singing on it together, and I’m just honored to be a part of this really cool project.”

    The soundtrack also features performances by Sam Smith with Summer Walker, SZA,   FINNEAS and Tori Kelly. Plus, the 16-track album features new recordings by the film cast of these beloved songs with music and lyrics by the Oscar®, Grammy®, and Tony® winning songwriting team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La LandThe Greatest Showman). Among the new songs, the Soundtrack also includes “A Little Closer” performed by Colton Ryan and “The Anonymous Ones” performed by Amandla Stenberg, who co-wrote the lyrics and music with Pasek and Paul. FINNEAS and SZA add their renditions of these originals to the soundtrack.

    Dear Evan Hansen opened on Broadway in December 2016 and became a generation-defining phenomenon, winning six Tony Awards, including for Best Musical and for Ben Platt as Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical. The show’s cast album would go on to earn a Grammy®.

    Now, in the film, Ben Platt returns as Evan Hansen, an anxious, isolated high schooler aching for understanding and belonging amid the chaos and cruelty of the social-media age.

    Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being A WallflowerWonder), the film is written for the screen by the show’s Tony® winner Steven Levenson with music and lyrics by Pasek & Paul. Dear Evan Hansen stars six-time Oscar® nominee Amy Adams, Oscar® winner Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart), Amandla Stenberg (The Hate U Give), Colton Ryan (Little Voice), Nik Dodani (Atypical) and Danny Pino (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit).

    The film is produced by Marc Platt (La La LandInto the Woods, Mary Poppins Returns) and Adam Siegel (2 GunsDrive), and is executive produced by Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Michael Bederman and Stacey Mindich.

    Tracklist:

    1. Waving Through A Window – Ben Platt & Dear Evan Hansen Choir
    2. For Forever – Ben Platt
    3. Sincerely Me – Colton Ryan, Ben Platt & Nik Dodani
    4. Requiem – Kaitlyn Dever, Danny Pino & Amy Adams
    5. If I Could Tell Her – Ben Platt & Kaitlyn Dever
    6. The Anonymous Ones – Amandla Stenberg
    7. You Will Be Found – Ben Platt, Amandla Stenberg, Liz Kate, DeMarius Copes, Isaac Powell, Hadiya Eshe’, Kaitlyn Dever & Dear Evan Hansen Choir
    8. Only Us – Kaitlyn Dever & Ben Platt
    9. Words Fail – Ben Platt
    10. So Big / So Small – Julianne Moore
    11. A Little Closer – Colton Ryan
    12. You Will Be Found – Sam Smith feat. Summer Walker
    13. The Anonymous Ones – SZA
    14. Only Us – Carrie Underwood & Dan + Shay
    15. A Little Closer – FINNEAS
    16. Waving Through A Window – Tori Kelly

     

    Audio / Carrie Underwood talks about the Dear Evan Hansen soundtrack and singing “Only Us” with Dan + Shay.

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    Carrie Underwood (Dear Evan Hansen) OC: …really cool project. :
    “I did get the privilege and honor to get to sing with Dan + Shay on the Dear Evan Hansen soundtrack, singing a song called ‘Only Us.’ I knew Dan + Shay, they were a huge fan of Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway. I had not seen it on Broadway. I only got to watch the movie kind of in secret. I got to screen it, and I loved the movie and loved the music in it. Obviously, music is what I do. I love it when I get to go watch a movie or go see a theater production and people are just crushing it musically. It was just such a great song and I could immediately hear us singing on it together, and I’m just honored to be a part of this really cool project.”

  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD BRINGS THE HYPE FOR A NEW SEASON OF SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL.

    Carrie Underwood kicked off NBC’s Sunday Night Football last night (September 12th) with a new opening sequence. She says as she enters her ninth season of performing the opening song, “Waiting All Day For Sunday Night” — based on Joan Jett’s “I Hate Myself For Loving You” – says it’s great to be back to help get fans excited for the game.

    “It is always a pleasure to get to do the Sunday Night Football open. We are back this year. It’s always interesting and a challenge to try and figure out what we’re gonna do with things year after year and how we’re gonna keep it new and fresh. This year they came up with being on this super high-tech set. It was just such a cool environment to get to be in. I felt like I was in a stadium being on a set in L.A. It was super cool, and I feel like it turned out that way as well. But we’re all about bringing the hype and energy and getting people ready for a great game. So, it’s fun to be back!”

    Carrie, who can be heard with Dan + Shay for the song “Only Us” on the soundtrack for the film, Dear Evan Hansen, can also be heard singing the soaring duet “If I Didn’t Love You” with Jason Aldean.

     

    Audio / Carrie Underwood talks about being back as the voice of the opening for NBC's Sunday Night Football.

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    Carrie Underwood (SNF 2021) OC: …it’s fun to be back! :38
    “It is always a pleasure to get to do the Sunday Night Football open. We are back this year. It’s always interesting and a challenge to try and figure out what we’re gonna do with things year after year and how we’re gonna keep it new and fresh. This year they came up with being on this super high-tech set. It was just such a cool environment to get to be in. I felt like I was in a stadium being on a set in L.A. It was super cool, and I feel like it turned out that way as well. But we’re all about bringing the hype and energy and getting people ready for a great game. So, it’s fun to be back!”

  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD & DAN + SHAY SHARE “ONLY US” FROM DEAR EVAN HANSEN (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK).

    Today, GRAMMY® Award winning superstars Carrie Underwood and Dan + Shay present their much-anticipated collaboration “Only Us” as the next song to be unveiled from the Dear Evan Hansen (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), releasing on September 24 through Interscope Records. Additionally, they’ve shared an in-studio performance video with footage from the film to accompany the track. Listen to “Only Us”HERE.

     

    Underwood and Dan + Shay have come together for the first time for a powerful and passionate recording of this soaring ballad, produced by Dan (Smyers). They’ve ultimately delivered the collaboration audiences have clamored for over the years—and are finally receiving now.  Also released today is the film version of “Only Us” performed by Kaitlyn Dever & Ben Platt. Listen to the film version HERE.

    The full lineup of artists has been revealed for the soundtrack, including Sam Smith with Summer Walker, SZA,  Carrie Underwood and Dan + Shay, FINNEAS and Tori Kelly. Plus, the 16-track album features new recordings by the film cast of these beloved songs with music and lyrics by the Oscar®, Grammy®, and Tony® winning songwriting team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land, The Greatest Showman). Among the new songs, the Soundtrack also includes “A Little Closer” performed by Colton Ryan and “The Anonymous Ones” performed by Amandla Stenberg, who co-wrote the lyrics and music with Pasek and Paul. FINNEAS and SZA add their renditions of these originals to the soundtrack.

    Last month, Universal Pictures & Interscope Records unveiled new renditions of the film’s iconic anthems “Waving Through A Window” and “You Will Be Found” performed by Tony®, Grammy® and Emmy® winner Ben Platt, who originated the role of Evan Hansen on Broadway and reprises the role for the film.

    Pre-order the Dear Evan Hansen (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).  —HERE.

    Dear Evan Hansen opened on Broadway in December 2016 and became a generation-defining phenomenon, winning six Tony Awards, including for Best Musical and for Ben Platt as Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical. The show’s cast album would go on to earn a Grammy®.

    Now, in the film, Ben Platt returns as Evan Hansen, an anxious, isolated high schooler aching for understanding and belonging amid the chaos and cruelty of the social-media age.

    Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being A Wallflower, Wonder), the film is written for the screen by the show’s Tony® winner Steven Levenson with music and lyrics by Pasek & Paul. Dear Evan Hansen stars six-time Oscar® nominee Amy Adams, Oscar® winner Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart), Amandla Stenberg (The Hate U Give), Colton Ryan (Little Voice), Nik Dodani (Atypical) and Danny Pino (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit).

    The film is produced by Marc Platt (La La Land, Into the Woods, Mary Poppins Returns) and Adam Siegel (2 Guns, Drive), and is executive produced by Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Michael Bederman and Stacey Mindich.

    Tracklist:

    1. Waving Through A Window – Ben Platt & Dear Evan Hansen Choir
    2. For Forever – Ben Platt
    3. Sincerely Me – Colton Ryan, Ben Platt & Nik Dodani
    4. Requiem – Kaitlyn Dever, Danny Pino & Amy Adams
    5. If I Could Tell Her – Ben Platt & Kaitlyn Dever
    6. The Anonymous Ones – Amandla Stenberg
    7. You Will Be Found – Ben Platt, Amandla Stenberg, Liz Kate, DeMarius Copes, Isaac Powell, Hadiya Eshe’, Kaitlyn Dever & Dear Evan Hansen Choir
    8. Only Us – Kaitlyn Dever & Ben Platt
    9. Words Fail – Ben Platt
    10. So Big / So Small – Julianne Moore
    11. A Little Closer – Colton Ryan
    12. You Will Be Found – Sam Smith feat. Summer Walker
    13. The Anonymous Ones – SZA
    14. Only Us – Carrie Underwood & Dan + Shay
    15. A Little Closer – FINNEAS
    16. Waving Through A Window – Tori Kelly
  • NEWS AND NOTES: Dierks, Brothers Osborne, Eric, Luke, Mickey, Carrie, Keith, Chris, Josh

    Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Mickey Guyton, Darius Rucker and Carrie Underwood are among the artists performing during the upcoming CMA Summer Jam TV special. Filmed at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater, the CMA Summer Jam is a three-hour television event airing Thursday, September 2nd at 8pm ET/7pm CT on ABC. Luke Combs, Jimmie Allen, Gabby Barrett, BRELAND, Florida Georgia Line, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, Cole Swindell, Thomas Rhett, Lainey Wilson and Dwight Yoakam will also perform.

    Keith Urban is set to perform “Wild Hearts,” among others during the Today Show Summer Concert Series on September 3rd on NBC.

     

    Chris Stapleton performed “Worry Be Gone” on Late Night With Seth Meyers on Wednesday (August 25th). The song is from his latest No. 1 album, Starting Over.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wmc7MnKvD4Q

     

    Josh Turner was surprised by his wife Jennifer and their four sons – Hampton, Colby, Marion and Hawke – after learning that the video for his 2005 chart-topping hit “Your Man,” surpassed 100 million views on Youtube. The video was the first he and his wife filmed together. He took to his socials to share a photo of the celebration, and said, “The ‘Your Man’ video surpassed 100 MILLION views yesterday. It was the first video Jennifer and I shot together, which makes it all that more special. Thanks to y’all for all the watchin’ and support these past 15 years.”

     

     

     

  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD STARS IN 2021 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SHOW OPEN, PERFORMED ON INDUSTRIAL LIGHT & MAGIC’S CUTTING-EDGE LED SOUND STAGE.

    In less than three weeks, on Sunday, September 12th on NBC and Peacock, seven-time Grammy Award-winner and multi-platinum recording artist Carrie Underwood stars in the debut of the 2021 show open for NBC’s Sunday Night Football, which has been primetime television’s No. 1 program for an unprecedented 10 consecutive years.

    Shot at Industrial Light & Magic’s cutting edge LED sound stage utilizing the company’s StageCraft LED virtual production technology recently used in “The Mandalorian,” the 2021 Sunday Night Football show open for the first time will feature a virtual football tailgate as a backdrop for Underwood’s performance of “Waiting All Day For Sunday Night.”

    “Shooting the new show open for Sunday Night Football is one of the highlights of my year,” said Underwood, who headlines the SNF show open for the ninth consecutive season.  “I just love the fact that we get to reinvent it every year.  The team behind these shoots is incredible and it’s always a really fun day, especially this year getting to work with such amazing state-of-the-art technology.”

    In addition, the show open will highlight user-generated cameos from some of the NFL’s biggest stars, as well as fans’ self-recorded video from NFL tailgates.

    “We are excited about this year’s new collaboration with Carrie, which utilizes virtual production technology to generate real-time environments for Carrie’s performance, including a ‘tailgate’ to salute this game’s great fans, who have been ‘waiting all day for Sunday night’ and will be incorporated with their own user-generated tailgate videos,” said Tripp Dixon, creative director of the SNF show open.

    NBC’S SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL IS PRIMETIME TELEVISION’S NO. 1 SHOW FOR RECORD 10 CONSECUTIVE YEARS: NBC’s Sunday Night Football finished the 2020-21 TV season as primetime’s #1 TV show in all key metrics for an unprecedented 10th consecutive year – adding to its record for the most consecutive years atop the charts (since 1950), based on official live plus same day data provided by Nielsen. Sunday Night Football also ranked as the No. 1 show in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic for the 11th consecutive TV season.

    Carrie recently announced her first-ever residency, REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency, at The Theatre at Resorts World Las Vegas, which will begin December 1st.

     

    2021 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
    Thurs. Sept. 9 NFL Kickoff  Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
    Sun. Sept. 12 Week 1   Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Rams
    Sun. Sept. 19 Week 2   Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens
    Sun. Sept. 26 Week 3   Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers
    Sun. Oct. 3 Week 4 Tampa Bay Bucs at New England Patriots
    *Sun. Oct. 10 Week 5   Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs
    *Sun. Oct. 17 Week 6 Seattle Seahawks at Pittsburgh Steelers
    *Sun. Oct. 24 Week 7 Indianapolis Colts at San Francisco 49ers
    *Sun. Oct. 31 Week 8 Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings
    *Sun. Nov. 7 Week 9 Tennessee Titans at Los Angeles Rams
    *Sun. Nov. 14 Week 10 Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders
    *Sun. Nov. 21 Week 11  Pittsburgh Steelers at Los Angeles Chargers
    **Thurs. Nov. 25 Week 12 Buffalo Bills at New Orleans Saints
    *Sun. Nov. 28 Week 12 Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens
    *Sun. Dec. 5 Week 13 San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks
    *Sun. Dec. 12 Week 14 Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers
    *Sun. Dec. 19 Week 15 New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
    *Sun. Dec. 26 Week 16 Washington Football Team at Dallas Cowboys
    *Sun. Jan. 2 Week 17 Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
    *Sun. Jan. 9 Week 18 TBD

     

    *Flex Week

    ** Thanksgiving Night Game

     

    Audio / A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, CARRIE UNDERWOOD TALKED ABOUT BEING A PART OF SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL.

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    Carrie Underwood (loves being a part of SNF) OC: …my whole life. :54
    “I love being the voice of Sunday Night Football because I grew up watching football…from birth. I’m from Oklahoma – we’re a football state. It’s just a part of the country that everybody has their teams and there’s such an energy about it. We would drive down to Dallas and watch the Cowboys play whenever we could. There’s just something about being at a live sporting event or watching it on TV. You have your favorites. They have their rivals. There’s an excitement to it that really, it’s unlike anything else, so being a small part of that is absolutely amazing. It’s been so wonderful working with everybody at SNF, and I count myself very lucky and very blessed that I get to be a small part of something that I’ve loved my whole life.”

  • LABOR DAY AUDIO 2021

    For many decades, Labor Day was seen as a day for workers to voice their complaints and discuss better working conditions and pay.

    U.S. Congress declared Labor Day a national holiday in 1894, and on Monday, September 6th, we will once again celebrate the people in every occupation whose work and dedication make this nation great. Labor Day in the United States is a holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It is a celebration of the American labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of workers.

    Labor Day weekend also signals the unofficial end to summer, and many of the hottest country stars are taking a look back at some of the toughest jobs they had prior to making their mark in music or their dream job now.

    To access artist liners, click here.

     

    Audio / Adam Hambrick talks about one of his summer jobs when he was growing up in Arkansas.

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    Adam Hambrick (Labor Day) OC: …that summer. :41
    “I don’t know if I’ve ever had a bad job. I don’t think I had a bad job, ‘cause I actually enjoyed this job ‘cause I was actually sitting in the air conditioning all day over the summer in Arkansas. It was very monotonous, because I was spending every summer day repairing old fallen-apart medical charts in a heart clinic in Little Rock. I would take all these photos of all these records and re-sort them page-by-page and put ‘em back in the manila folder and re-alphabetize ‘em. But I did bring my computer and watch movies while I did it, so I drank a lot of soda and watched a lot of movies that summer.”

    Audio / Alan Jackson says that working man values have always been a part of his music.

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    AJ (working people songs) OC: … appreciate that. :28
    “I’ve always written songs and recorded songs, other people’s songs, about workin’ people, and workin’, the workin’ life ’cause I mean, that’s where I’m from. I mean, I worked…I’d already had jobs and worked as a grown person before I ever even thought about bein’ in the music business, so I come from that background, and…although I hadn’t had a job in a long time (laughs), I still remember a lot about it, you know, and I remember what the lifestyle is, and I still appreciate that.”

    Audio / Billy Currington recalls some of the jobs he had before landing his record deal in 2003.

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    Billy Currington (Labor Day) OC: …record deal. :40
    “I started working like at [age] 12, landscaping. This was summer, every summers, and roofing. I started when I was about 16 roofing houses, and that was probably one of my toughest jobs because down there in South Georgia, it gets hot, so doing that every day all summer long. The pawn shop when I moved to Nashville was one of my favorites, even though it was one of my least favorites. The concrete job was my least favorite of all – six years of that, and I couldn’t take it no more. After that job, that was my turning point. Either I’m going to do something else for a living [laughs] or quit and try to really focus on music and get this record deal.”

    Audio / BRANDON LAY SAYS HE’S ALWAYS ENJOYED THE LABOR DAY WEEKEND.

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    Brandon Lay (Labor Day) OC: …a good one. :13
    “You know, I can’t complain too much about Labor Day, ‘cause usually doing landscaping and it had slowed down a little, but the water’s still warm enough to hit the river. I’ve gotten to spend some time out on the lake for Labor Day, so Labor Day’s a good one.”

    Audio / CARRIE UNDERWOOD TALKS ABOUT THE JOBS SHE HAD GROWING UP AND HER BEST JOB -- PERFORMING FOR HER FANS.

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    Carrie Underwood (Labor Day) OC: …born to do. :59
    “I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad job. I’ve had hard jobs. I’ve had jobs that worked random hours. My first job was at a gas station, and that was a lot of fun actually. While I was working at the gas station, I took another job at a hotel down the street. There was nobody else working there. I had one day of training and then the next day I came in, and the lady that had worked there the longest and was training me just didn’t show. So, the second day at work I was now in charge ‘cause I was now the senior member that was working at the hotel. So, I feel like that one was really challenging to figure my way through it, but I did. My best job is definitely what I do now. I really like being on stage. I really like performing for people and just having fun and singing, because that’s what I feel like I was born to do.”

    Audio / Caylee Hammack says her worst job truly smelled bad.

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    Caylee Hammack (Labor Day-worst job) OC: …worst job. (laughs) :38
    “My worst job was working in a nursery, actually. I love kids so I thought I’d be really good at it, but wen you’re the new person coming in, you have to change all the diapers first. So, I was changing 45 diapers a day and it got to the point where everything smelled like baby poop. It literally drove me crazy. I would walk my dog and I would have to go to pick up her poop, and it would smell like baby poop, and I just couldn’t handle it, honestly. The smell of poop warded me away. The children were lovely, but the smell of poop lingered, and I couldn’t handle that job. That was my worst job.” (laughs)

    Audio / Darius Rucker recalls one of his worst jobs before turning to music.

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    Darius Rucker (Labor Day) OC: …pizza. :15
    “I was fifteen, and I worked at a pizza place, and the guy decided that at fifteen, that I could not only clean the floors and wash the dishes, but I also had to make pizza. So, for two months, he taught me how to make pizza.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley makes a living performing for his fans, and he can’t say enough about them.

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    Dierks Bentley (Labor Day) OC: …generosity. :26
    “Personally, the fans give me amazement. That’s the only word to really sum it up. I look out in the crowd, you know, usually see a lot of faces and fans are cheering. I know each one of these like from the road-the signs are from California…Michelle and Kayla live up in the Ohio area. They’re all, I just see them, and I’m like, ‘Wow!,’ they’re all from different regions. You know when you’re in a different region of the country and you just see certain fans. These people are way more hard core than I am, and I’m just amazed by their generosity.”

    Audio / Eric Church talks about one of his worst job.

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    Eric Church (Labor Day-odd jobs) OC: …bought at 2am. 1:27
    “I had an awful job. I’ve had a lot of awful jobs…my worst one was when I first came to Nashville. I got a job at the Shop at Home Network. I worked midnight, graveyard, midnight to eight. That was bad enough but then I would work all night, go home, shower and then I had writing appointments all day because I was trying to get a career started. I’d go write songs and get meetings just trying to get signed. And end up getting done at 3 of 4 with all of that, I’d go home, take a shower or sleep for a little bit and then I had to be at work again at midnight. So the schedule was bad enough, however, what I had to do at the job…I sold knives from midnight to 7 or 8am. And, anytime somebody calls you at 3 or 4am and needs 200 knives for $19.95, it’s automatically an alarming situation. And I just, I was young and I’d been in a lot of these people’s shoes, I had done this…I knew they were drunk. I knew what they had done. They’d just come home from the bar, flipped on Shop at Home and said, ‘You know what? I need that.’ So the reason the job didn’t last long for me is that I was maybe the worst salesmen in history because I ended up talking a lot of these people out of it, I’d say, ‘I’ll tell you what man, go to bed, call me, I’ll be here in the morning. If you get up in the morning and want these knives you call me back.’ Because I knew what was going to happen, you know. They bought 200 knives for $19.95…first of all some of these people you didn’t know whether you should call the cops. What do you need 200 knives for? Even though I’m selling them…what do you need them for? So, it was awful doing that job. And then they got rid of me because, they were like, ‘You’re the worst. I can’t believe you’re talking people out of it.’ I was like, ‘Man I know…I’ve been there.’ [laughs] I’d want some to talk me out of buying some of the stuff I’ve bought at 2am.”

    Audio / GEORGE STRAIT’S CAREER HAS SPANNED DECADES AND 60 NO. 1 HITS, BUT HE CAN RECALL HEARING ONE OF HIS SONGS ON THE RADIO AND HOW COUNTRY RADIO HAS SUPPORTED HIM.

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    George Strait (first time on radio) OC: …records I’ve put out. :26
    “I took it to a radio station in San Antonio KKYX, and a guy named Jerry King put it on and played it while I ran out to the car to listen to it on the radio. So, it’s just been relationships like that through the years that I’ve had with different people. I don’t know, they’ve just supported me so much and have been very open to the records I’ve put out.”

    Audio / Jon Langston says he's just not cut out for cooking chicken, but he is made for performing on stage.

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    Jon Langston (Labor Day) OC: …is the bomb. :45
    “The worst job – it wasn’t bad – I could just say growing up and stuff and in high school, I was working for my dad. It was a great job, working at the shop. One day I got tired of working for my dad. I thought it’d be smart to go work for somebody else and so I went to work at Chik-fil-a for a family friend, and I’m just not made for cooking chicken. But, I told my dad, ‘Hey, can I come back to work?’ (laughs) So, yeah, I mean, Chik-fil-a a great place to work if you’re into that kind of thing, but not me. But Chik-fil-a is my favorite fast food restaurant of all time. I mean, I will go to war for Chik-fil-a. I eat there probably three or four times a week. Chik-fil-a is the bomb.”

    Audio / Jon Pardi talks about his worst job, which was at a grocery store.

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    Jon Pardi (Labor Day) OC: …so bored! :17
    “The worst job I ever had was at Hometown Grocery Store. I didn’t want to work, I was 15, and I did not want to work at the grocery store. Bagging was fun, but they sent me down the aisles to pull up cans and turn ‘em around and face ‘em, and I would just get so bored!”

    Audio / Jordan Davis talks about his worst job.

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    Jordan Davis (Labor Day) OC: …worst job. :41
    “[My] worst job was probably whenever I got out of school I started working for an environmental group in Baton Rouge, and I was doing actual environmental work at first. I went to my boss probably about four months in and told him that I was going to move to Nashville and write songs. Luckily enough, he let me stay on, but I became the weedeater guy for the landscaping side of the business. I seriously weedeated eight hours a day. The only break I would get would be in-between yard to yard. So, like we would be in the car and I would try to doze off for like 10 minutes. I was covered in grass in the middle of the summer in Baton Rouge. It was awful. That was definitely the worst job.”

    Audio / Keith Urban has never had another job other than performing, and he loves watching people connect to his music.

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    Keith Urban (Labor Day) OC: …amazing. :22
    “Seeing people connect to the music is absolutely, hands-down the biggest reward for me, especially when you go to a place you’ve never been to before and it’s all these people, I mean lots of people out there. You’ve never met a single one of ‘em and they’re singing every word, and you realize that it’s not just a pretty melody and everything, but they get the songs. It’s amazing.”

    Audio / Kip Moore recalls his worst job...ever.

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    Kip Moore (Labor Day-worst job) OC: …than that. :21
    “I’d have to say my worst job ever was laying sod in the south Georgia heat. There’s nothing than that, especially when somebody would think that you’re waiting for the next sod patch to be thrown to you and you got your back turned, and all of a sudden, that big ole piece of sod hits you right on the back. You got nowhere to clean up, and you’re just stuck with dirt on your back for the rest of the day. It doesn’t get any worse than that.”

    Audio / Kylie Morgan says being on the road performing for people is her “happy place.”

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    Kylie Morgan (the road is her happy place) OC: …that’s me. :48
    “The road is truly my happy place. I love going to sleep and not knowing where I’m going to be the next day. I love hotel beds. I literally just eat and breathe the road. It is truly an adventure all the time, and I knew even when I was little that I had to do something where I traveled because I love the feeling of it. I love experiencing new things, and the fact that I truly feel like what I do is not a job. And the fact that I get to see the world, meet so many amazing people, have a one-on-one connection through my music, I never have to work a day in my life because I would do this for free. It is one of the most liberating feelings to finish a song and see someone turn to someone and go, ‘Omigod, that’s me.’”

    Audio / Luke Bryan talks about the different jobs he worked in and around Leesburg, Georgia, before heading to Nashville to pursue a career in music.

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    Luke Bryan (Labor Day-jobs) OC: …Nashville… 1:07
    “At age 12 thru 13, I worked at Rubos IGA Supermarket in Leesburg, GA. I worked during the summers on Monday and Tuesday. I stocked and cleaned up the produce.  They paid me under the table…I peeled off all of the brown lettuce. Let’s see, when I was 15, I was a cashier at K-Mart for two months. I worked at K-Mart for two months, and then I reverted back to Rubos because it didn’t really make sense for me to drive all the way into Albany and work for K-Mart. The benefits were great though-you’d get an hour-long on the blue light special. So I started back at Rubos, and then I quit Rubos and worked for my Dad-just awful just driving tractors through cotton all day, and spraying pesticides that eventually would turn your hair green. And then at some point, I started playing guitar. And well, after college I went back and worked for my dad and continued to spray and haul fertilizer around. And then I moved to Nashville…”

    Audio / Priscilla Block had a lot of side jobs when she was trying to make it in the music business, including cleaning Airbnbs.

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    Priscilla Block (Labor Day) OC: …didn’t care. :34
    “Cleaning Airbnbs, and that was really interesting ‘cause you’d find some crazy things in those Airbnbs. Those bachelorette parties, all I’m saying is I want to be invited next time. I was kind of sad that I had to be the house cleaner and I wasn’t at the bachelorette party. It was great! You’d go in and sometimes there’d be extra food, alcohol. When I walked in and I would see White Claws in the fridge, I’m, ‘Bingo, baby! Let’s go!’ I don’t know if I was supposed to be taking the alcohol, but I didn’t care.”

    Audio / TRAVIS DENNING HAS NEVER HAD ANOTHER JOB OTHER THAN PLAYING MUSIC.

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    Travis Denning (Labor Day) OC: …right for it. :13
    “I’ve always played music. I mean, my first gig was when I was 16-years-old. That was what I did. And as soon as I found out I could make money doing it, I thought I’d much rather make money doing this than anything else, so I went right for it.”

     

     

  • LABOR DAY LINERS 2021

    Audio / LINER Adam Hambrick (Labor Day)

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    Hey guys! It’s Adam Hambrick, hoping you have a Happy Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (Labor Day)

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    Hey y’all! It’s Billy Currington, wishing you a very happy Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Boy Named Banjo (Labor Day)

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    Audio / LINER Brandon Lay (Labor Day)

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    Hey y’all! This is Brandon Lay, wishing you a happy and work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (Labor Day)

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    This is TJ, and I’m John, and we are Brothers Osborne, wishing you a happy and work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Carrie Underwood (Labor Day Weekend)

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    Hey everyone! I’m Carrie Underwood, hoping you have a happy Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Caylee Hammack (Labor Day)

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    Hey y’all! This is Caylee Hammack. I’m wishing you a fun and work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (Labor Day)

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    Hey! It’s Darius Rucker, and I hope you have a have a happy work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Labor Day)

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    Hey! It’s Eric Church, and I hope you have a have a happy Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Gary Allan (Labor Day)

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    “This is Gary Allan wishing you a Happy Labor Day Weekend.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Langston (Labor Day)

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    Hey! I’m Jon Langston. Hope you have a Happy Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Labor Day weekend)

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    Hey! It’s Jon Pardi, and I hope you have a happy and work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Jordan Davis (Labor Day)

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    Hey! I’m Jordan Davis, wishing you a happy and work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Kacey Musgraves (Labor Day weekend)

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    Hey! It’s Kacey Musgraves, hoping you have a happy Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Labor Day weekend)

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    Hi everybody! This is Keith Urban, wishing you a very happy Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Kip Moore (Labor Day)

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    Hey—what’s happening guys? This is Kip Moore, wishing you a happy and work-free Labor Day Weekend.

    Audio / LINER Kylie Morgan (Labor Day)

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    Hey, it’s Kylie Morgan, wishing you a fun and work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER LBT (Labor Day)

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    Hi! We’re Little Big Town, hoping you have a work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Labor Day)

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    Hey! It’s Luke Bryan, and I hope you have a have a happy Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Maddie & Tae (Labor Day)

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    Hey everybody! I’m Maddie, and I’m Tae, and we’re Maddie & Tae, hoping you have a happy and work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Parker McCollum (Labor Day)

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    Hey everybody, I’m Parker McCollum, wishing you a work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Priscilla Block (Labor Day)

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    Hey, it’s Priscilla Block, wishing you a fun and work-free Labor Day Weekend.

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Labor Day)

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    Hey everybody! I’m Sam Hunt. Have a great and work-free Labor Day weekend.

    Audio / LINER Travis Denning (Labor Day)

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    Hey y’all. It’s Travis Denning, hoping you have a happy and work-free Labor Day weekend.