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  • CARRIE UNDERWOOD AND KEITH URBAN ARE FINALISTS FOR CMT’S VIDEO OF THE YEAR AWARD.

    Press
    Carrie Underwood / Keith Urban

    CMT today unveiled the finalists for its highly coveted “Video of the Year” award at the “2020 CMT Music Awards.” Country music’s only entirely fan-voted show airs Wednesday, October 21st at 8:00PM ET/7:00PM CT on CMT, MTV, MTV2, Logo, Paramount Network, Pop and TV Land.

    For the last several weeks, fans have been actively voting on a group of “Video of the Year” nominations that have been narrowed down to the following six finalists:

    • CARRIE UNDERWOOD – “Drinking Alone”
    • KEITH URBAN – “Polaroid”
    • KELSEA BALLERINI – “homecoming queen?”
    • LUKE COMBS – “Beer Never Broke My Heart”
    • MIRANDA LAMBERT – “Bluebird”
    • TANYA TUCKER – “Bring My Flowers Now”

    Of the “Video of the Year” award nominees, Carrie Underwood brings fierce competition, reigning as the most awarded artist in CMT Music Awards history with 20 career wins, taking home last year’s top prize for “Cry Pretty.”

    As of 12PM ET, fans can vote for the top six finalists by visiting vote.cmt.com into the show on Wednesday, October 21.

    As previously announced, country hitmaker Kane Brown and entertainer Sarah Hyland will share co-host duties for this year’s show, alongside two other famous faces to be revealed closer to air date. On top of hosting duties, Brown and fellow country superstars Ashley McBryde, Dan + Shay, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan and Maren Morris will bring highly-anticipated performances to the CMT stage alongside breakout artists Caylee Hammack, HARDY, Ingrid Andress, Mickey Guyton, Riley Green and Travis Denning, who will make their debuts on the Ram Trucks Side Stage. Additional performers and presenters will be announced closer to the show.

  • KEITH URBAN JOINS FOY VANCE ON THE “VINYL SUPPER.

    Video
    Keith Urban

    Keith Urban recently joined fellow songwriter-musician-collaborator Foy Vance on Foy’s new web series, “The Vinyl Supper.” The website states: “If you miss having dinner with friends, grab a seat at Foy’s table. On The Vinyl Supper, Foy Vance chats songs and food with old friends and special guests. During each episode, Foy has a lively discussion with his guest about what three courses they’d eat and what music they’d listen to at their last meal. And of course, they catch up and chew the fat with moments of levity amidst the cathartic reflection. Foy’s pals talk about everything from pairing burgers with oysters to Japanese beef and redneck sushi. Conversations meander through global tours and global lockdown, losing loved ones and winning Grammys, reflecting on life before and during quarantine. As it turns out, you can tell a lot about a person by their favorite food and music.”

    Keith is episode No. 2 in the series and they talked about dogs (including Keith’s toy poodle Julian), Bonnie Raitt, Billy Connolly, promite sandwiches, Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, and much more.

    Keith Urban recently released his latest single, “One Too Many,” with P!NK.

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  • KEITH URBAN’S THE SPEED OF NOW Part 1 RACES TO THE TOP OF THE ALBUM CHARTS IN THE U.S., CANADA AND AUSTRALIA MARKING HIS FOURTH CONSECUTIVE ALBUM TO SIMULTANEOUSLY DEBUT AT #1 IN ALL THREE COUNTRIES.

    Press
    Keith Urban

    Keith Urban’s THE SPEED OF NOW Part 1, released worldwide this past week, sets a new mark for the four-time Grammy© Award winner, adding yet another release to a streak that has now seen four simultaneous album debuts at #1 on the charts in the United States, Canada and Australia.  In addition, “One Too Many,” Urban’s duet with P!nk, explodes all around the globe, where he also finds himself having cracked sales and radio charts in the U.K., Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, China, Russia, Belgium and South Africa.

     

    THE SPEED OF NOW Part 1 is Urban’s 9th #1 album in the United States and his 6th in Canada.  It’s also his 4th #1 debut on the ARIA Album chart in Australia, where “One Too Many” debuts at #6 on the ARIA Singles chart.

     

    THE SPEED OF NOW Part 1 is Urban’s 10th studio album.  It’s already featured a series of monthly releases including his 39th Top 5 “God Whispered Your Name,” “Polaroid,” “Superman,” and last week’s debut of “One Too Many.”

     

    The album delivers the power of lifting people up and seeking hope in every – even the challenging – moments, and it serves as the distillation of the music that Urban has been exploring throughout his career.  From “Out The Cage,” featuring funk/pop icon Nile Rodgers and Breland, to the giddyup rock of “Tumbleweed,” “We Were,” featuring Eric Church and the old-flannel tumble of “Forever,” Urban has never sounded so immersed in the music.

     

    Always seeking new collaborators, THE SPEED OF NOW Part 1 defines one of the most wide-ranging careers in modern music, trusting the moments is as much THE SPEED OF NOW Part 1 as anything.  He possesses an unadorned willingness to bring the best musical touchstones together seeking not just to expand but to unite influences, genres, trends and the human heart.

  • KEITH URBAN PERFORMS “FOREVER” FROM HIS NEW ALBUM ON SETH MEYERS.

    Video
    Keith Urban

    Keith Urban performs “Forever” from THE SPEED OF NOW Part 1 on Late Night With Seth Meyers this week.  Check out the performance below.

     

    Keith just released his new single, “One Too Many” with P!NK, and it goes for ADDS at radio on Monday (September 28th).

     

  • SAM, CARRIE, KEITH, LITTLE BIG TOWN, LUKE, MADDIE & TAE, BROTHERS O, CHRIS, PARDI, CAYLEE AND TRAVIS NOMINATED FOR CMT AWARDS THIS YEAR.

    Audio
    Brothers Osborne / Carrie Underwood / Caylee Hammack / Chris Stapleton / Jon Pardi / Keith Urban / Little Big Town / Luke Bryan / Maddie & Tae / Sam Hunt / Travis Denning

    The nominations for this year’s CMT MUSIC AWARDS were announced on Wednesday (September 23rd), and several UMG Nashville artists were among the nominees.

    Sam Hunt picked up three nods, including Video of the Year (“Hard To Forget”); Male Video of the Year (“Hard To Forget”) and CMT Performance of the Year (“Fancy” from CMT Artists of the Year show).

    Carrie Underwood, who reigns as the most awarded artist in CMT Music Awards history with 20 wins, is up for two awards including Video of the Year and Female Video of the Year  for “Drinking Alone;” and Little Big Town is also up for a pair of awards including Video of the Year (“Sugar Coat”) and Group Video of the Year (“Wine, Beer, Whiskey”).

    “Breakthrough Video of the Year” nominees include Caylee Hammack (“Family Tree”) and Travis Denning (“After a Few”).

    The finalists for “Video of the Year” will be announced on October 12; fans will be able to vote throughout the week until October 16 to determine the winner.

    Fan voting begins today at vote.cmt.com and continues until 12PM ET/11 AM CT on Monday, October 12. The top five “Video of the Year” finalists will be revealed at that time.

    The finalists for “Video of the Year” will be announced on October 12; fans will be able to vote throughout the week until October 16 to determine the winner.

    The nominees for the “2020 CMT Music Awards” are:

    VIDEO OF THE YEAR
    Best video of the year; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration) and the video director. Final nominees announced on 10/12, with final voting held until 10/16 and announced in-show.

    • Ashley McBryde – “One Night Standards”
    • Blanco Brown – “The Git Up”
    • Carrie Underwood – “Drinking Alone”
    • Dan + Shay – “I Should Probably Go To Bed”
    • Keith Urban – “Polaroid”
    • Kelsea Ballerini – “homecoming queen?”
    • Little Big Town – “Sugar Coat”
    • Luke Combs – “Beer Never Broke My Heart”
    • Miranda Lambert – “Bluebird”
    • Old Dominion – “Some People Do”
    • Sam Hunt – “Hard To Forget”
    • Tanya Tucker – “Bring My Flowers Now”
    • The Chicks -“Gaslighter”
    • Thomas Rhett – “Remember You Young”

    FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
    Best video by a female artist; awarded to the artist

    • Ashley McBryde – “One Night Standards”
    • Carrie Underwood – “Drinking Alone”
    • Gabby Barrett – “I Hope”
    • Kelsea Ballerini – “homecoming queen?”
    • Maren Morris – “The Bones”
    • Miranda Lambert – “Bluebird”

    MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
    Best video by a male artist; awarded to the artist

    • Jason Aldean – “Got What I Got”
    • Luke Bryan – “One Margarita”
    • Luke Combs – “Even Though I’m Leaving”
    • Morgan Wallen – “Chasin’ You (Dream Video)”
    • Sam Hunt – “Hard To Forget”
    • Thomas Rhett – “Remember You Young”

    GROUP VIDEO OF THE YEAR
    Best video by a group; awarded to the artists

    • Lady A – “Champagne Night”
    • Little Big Town – “Wine, Beer, Whiskey”
    • Midland – “Cheatin’ Songs (Live From the Palomino)”
    • Old Dominion – “One Man Band”
    • The Chicks – “Gaslighter”
    • The Highwomen – “Crowded Table”

    DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR
    Best video by a duo; awarded to the artists

    • Brothers Osborne – “All Night (Studio Performance)” 
    • Dan + Shay – “I Should Probably Go To Bed”
    • Florida Georgia Line – “Blessings”
    • LOCASH – “One Big Country Song”
    • Maddie & Tae – “Die From A Broken Heart”

    BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR
    Best video from an artist’s major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist (male, female or group/duo)

    • Blanco Brown – “The Git Up”
    • Caylee Hammack – “Family Tree”
    • Gabby Barrett – “I Hope”
    • Ingrid Andress – “More Hearts Than Mine”
    • Riley Green – “I Wish Grandpas Never Died”
    • Travis Denning – “After a Few”

    COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
    Best video from a collaboration; awarded to the artists

    • Blake Shelton with Gwen Stefani – “Nobody But You”
    • Carly Pearce and Lee Brice – “I Hope You’re Happy Now”
    • Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber – “10,000 Hours”
    • Kane Brown featuring Nelly – “Cool Again”
    • Marshmello and Kane Brown – “One Thing Right”
    • Thomas Rhett featuring Jon Pardi – “Beer Can’t Fix”

    CMT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
    Musical performance on a television show, series or variety special on CMT; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo)

    • From CMT Artists of the Year: Ashley McBryde – “One Night Standards”
    • From CMT Crossroads: Brooks & Dunn and Luke Combs – “Brand New Man”
    • From CMT Artists of the Year: Chris Young – “Drowning”
    • From CMT Crossroads: Halsey and Kelsea Ballerini – “Graveyard”
    • From CMT Artists of the Year: Sam Hunt – “Fancy”
    • From CMT Crossroads: Sheryl Crow and Chris Stapleton – “Tell Me When It’s Over”

     

    Audio / MADDIE & TAE TALK ABOUT THE EMOTIONS THAT TOOK PLACE WHILE FILMING THE VIDEO FOR THEIR LATEST SONG, “DIE FROM A BROKEN HEART.”

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    Maddie & Tae (DFABH video emotions) OC: (Tae) …feel something. :49
    MADDIE: “My role in this is kind of being the narrator and watching my best friend go through kind of like how this inspiration started for this song. So, we just both really, really dug into the like just lowest, lowest parts of our (TAE: “Heartache.”). It was tricky, ‘cause I was like I have to be really, really emotional and I feel bad all the camera guys, especially with Tae’s scenes, they’re just like, you could see their eyes welling up watching her and watching me crying.” TAE: “My parents just happened to be in town when we were shooting, so I was like, ‘When else are you gonna be in town when we’re making music videos, so you have to come,’ cause they’ve never seen it. They came and one specific scene – I’m not gonna say what it is – but it made both of my parents cry. And I walked out and my mom had a red nose and my dad’s like, ‘I wasn’t crying. I wasn’t crying.’ (MADDIE: “Awwwwww.”) And I was like, ‘Oh no.’ Well, if it makes my parents cry, hopefully it’ll makes people feel something.”

    Audio / CAYLEE HAMMACK TALKS ABOUT HAVING SOME OF HER FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS FEATURED IN THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR “FAMILY TREE.”

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    Caylee Hammack (Family Tree video) OC: …world to me. :37
    “If you’ve ever wrangled monkeys, that’s pretty much the gist of getting ‘Family Tree’ together because I brought in a bunch of my family members, I brought a bunch of my friends, I brought my dog in, we had a little cast because some of the people couldn’t come in to play the roles. It was a wild day on set, but I think it all came together. Being able to bring my family in that video means the world to me, because ‘Family Tree’ is the introductory course into my music, you know? It’s the appetizer of my tunes, and being able to start that off very strong with all of my family surrounding me, means the world to me.”

    Audio / TRAVIS DENNING TALKS ABOUT THE STORY LINE OF HIS MUSIC VIDEO FOR "AFTER A FEW."

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    Travis Denning (AAF video) OC: …act in it. :50
    “One thing I loved about the treatment for the After a Few music video is Justin Clough, who directed it, just had this great idea of the similarities between the relationship and taking a gamble on that and actually taking a gamble on a poker game. And so, we decided to kind of have this story line of me and this girl that I just couldn’t help but go back to and every drink was a gamble into falling back in her arms. And then this other side where I’m going up playing poker and getting more confident and winning money and then finally, everything comes to a T with going all in on this hand, and all of a sudden, I’m all in with her. I just thought it was so cool, and it was just great how the cinematic aspect completely mirrored one another. It was fun to act in it.”

    Audio / CARRIE UNDERWOOD TALKS ABOUT “DRINKING ALONE,” WHICH SHE CO-WROTE WITH BRETT JAMES AND DAVID GARCIA.

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    Carrie Underwood (Drinking Alone) OC: …right now. 1:07
    “I had the title, and we just kind of started what does this mean. This is another one that I feel like the title could have gone to a very like sad emotional place, but me being me I still wanted to have that strong kind of character in there. So, I love the fact that this is a breakup song. ‘I’m here at the bar drinking my pain away. You and me can hang out. Why should we both be lamenting over lost love separately? We’re both here doing the same thing. Let’s just do that together.’ I love that the character, I was like I don’t want her like going home with him. I don’t want any of that. I just want it to be like, ‘Okay we’ll just hang out. We’ll drink. We’ll maybe share a corner booth kiss.’ But it’s just more about that night and that moment and that Band-Aid and then going your separate ways. ‘Like this isn’t a thing. I’m not looking to start a new relationship. I’m out of this one. Let’s just let whatever this is be what this is right now.’”

    Audio / LUKE BRYAN TALKS ABOUT HIS MULTI-WEEK NO. 1 SONG, "ONE MARGARITA."

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    Luke Bryan (One Margarita) OC: …margarita. :44
    “’One Margarita’ is like the perfect summertime anthem party song, get on your boat, have a great time. The first time I heard it, I was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s like the catchiest, most fun party song I’ve heard in a long time.’ Sop, we knew we had something special with the song. We get it recorded, and I’m like, ‘Hey! We’ve got Crash My Playa. What better place to put a song called ‘One Margarita’ out and then do the video?’ So, we go to Crash My Playa and we just start shooting it down there. And the video just feels fun. It came together amazing, and it gives fans a little glimpse of what Crash My Playa is if they’ve never been, and hey-it makes you want to have a margarita.”

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Mickey, Keith, Jordan and more

    Press
    Jordan Davis / Keith Urban / Mickey Guyton

    Mickey Guyton appeared on NBC’s Today Show Monday morning (September 21st). She talked to the hosts Hoda and Jenna after her stunning performance with Keith Urban at the ACM Awards. Plus, she shared a special performance of her single, “Black Like Me.” Watch below.

    Keith Urban has released the official video for “One Too Many” with P!NK. The song is from his new album, The Speed of Now Part 1, which was just released on Friday (September 18th).

     

    Jordan Davis recently released an acoustic version of his latest hit, “Almost Maybes.”

     

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  • KEITH URBAN’S 10th STUDIO ALBUM THE SPEED OF NOW Part 1 OUT TODAY AMID MASSIVE PROMO BLITZ.

    Press
    Keith Urban

    Today, Keith Urban celebrates the release of his tenth studio album, THE SPEED OF NOW Part 1.  With the album’s release, comes a global promotional blitz that began on Wednesday night with the network television performance debut of Urban’s duet with P!nk on “One Too Many.”  The official music video for the track, which is blowing up in numerous countries around the world, debuted on Facebook yesterday, and is now available wide today.

     

     

    In addition, today sees multiple performances including appearances on ABC’s Good Morning America and NBC’s The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, the release of lyric videos for every song on TSON, as well as THE SPEED OF NOW Global Livestream via Amazon Music’s Twitch channel within the Amazon Music mobile app and on Amazon.com/live airing at 9pm ET.

    Urban will also take part in tomorrow night’s ‘iHeartRadio Music Festival,” streaming on the CW App and CWTV.com and on iHeartMedia radio stations at 9PM ET/6 PM PT.  Next week brings even more from THE SPEED OF NOW Part 1 including Wednesday’s performance on Late Night with Seth Meyers and the CW Network will also broadcast the two-night televised iHeartRadio Music Festival on Sunday, September 27th (8:00-10:00pmET) and Monday, September 28th (8:00-10:00pmET).

     

    TSON delivers the power of lifting people up and seeking hope in every – even the challenging – moments, and it serves as the distillation of the music that Urban has been exploring throughout his career.  From “Out The Cage,” featuring funk/pop icon Nile Rodgers and Breland, to the giddyup rock of “Tumbleweed,” his 39th Top 5 “God Whispered Your Name,” his slinky soul pop duet with P!nk “One Too Many,” “We Were,” featuring Eric Church and the old-flannel tumble of “Forever.”  Urban has never sounded so immersed in the music.

    Always seeking new collaborators, THE SPEED OF NOW Part 1 defines one of the most wide-ranging careers in modern music, trusting the moments is as much THE SPEED OF NOW Part 1 as anything.  Urban possesses an unadorned willingness to bring the best musical touchstones together seeking not just to expand but to unite influences, genres, trends and the human heart.  He casts his sessions, follows his inquisitiveness and trusts his collaborators.

    “It’s letting go of parameters, boundaries, expectations, limitations of any sort and taking the most honest and accurate photograph of who I am and where I am musically and personally right now,” says Keith.  For a man who sets an ever-higher bar, it’s a serious standard. But for the multi-instrumentalist, it’s also the reason to keep exploring.

  • KEITH URBAN GETS READY TO RELEASE HIS NEW ALBUM, THE SPEED OF NOW PART 1.

    Audio
    Keith Urban

    Keith Urban is getting ready to release his new album, The Speed of Now, on Friday (September 18th). The collection, Keith’s tenth studio album, features 16 tracks, including his recent Top 5 single, “God Whispered Your Name,” “We Were” – featuring Eric Church, the song’s co-writer, as well as the original solo track, Keith’s new duet with P!NK on “One Too Many” and “Out The Cage,” the album’s opening tune, which highlights a collaboration with Breland and the legendary guitarist Nile Rodgers.

    Keith says the title originally was about how fast life’s little moments were flying by, but took on a whole new meaning after COVID-19 hit with a worldwide pandemic.

    “This title came to me in October of last year, and it was more of a comment about how fast everything was going,” says Keith. “So, the title was a bit of a comment on that, but it took a 180 and suddenly now means something very, very different.”

    The Speed of Now Part 1 Track List:
    1. Out The Cage ft. Breland & Nile Rodgers
    2. One Too Many (Duet with P!NK)
    3. Live With
    4. Superman
    5. Change Your Mind
    6. Forever
    7. Say Something
    8. Soul Food
    9. Ain’t It Like A Woman
    10. With You
    11. Tumbleweed
    12. God Whispered Your Name
    13. Polaroid
    14. Better Than I Am
    15. We Were
    16. We Were ft. Eric Church

    You can catch Keith on ABC’s Good Morning America on Friday, plus on NBC’s Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon tomorrow night.

    Audio / Keith Urban talks about the title of his new album, The Speed of Now Part 1.

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    Keith Urban (TSON title) OC: …very different. :16
    “This title came to me in October of last year, and it was more of a comment about how fast everything was going. So, the title was a bit of a comment on that, but it took a 180 and suddenly now means something very, very different.”

     

    Audio / Keith Urban talks about what goes into the make-up of his new album, The Speed of Now Part 1.

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    Keith Urban (TSON is a combination of elements) OC: …insight into that. :28
    “I just try to take the most accurate, honest photograph of who I am, where I’m at, who I’m listening to, what my life is like, what it’s been like, what my aspirations are, the way I feel about things, people, the world. I try and capture all of that on a record, and themes, the themes that I write about which is quite diverse on this record. So, if you wanted to know who I am, this record would give you a good insight into that.”

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (available September 18th)

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    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (available this week)

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  • AMAZON MUSIC ANNOUNCES KEITH URBAN’S THE SPEED OF NOW GLOBAL LIVESTREAM.

    Press
    Keith Urban

    Keith Urban and Amazon Music today announced that they will join forces for “THE SPEED OF NOW Global Livestream,” an interactive concert experience that will feature the debut of new music from his new release THE SPEED OF NOW Part 1 out on Friday (September 18th). Filmed live from a state-of-the-art studio in Nashville, Tennessee, the four-time GRAMMY Award winner is inviting viewers to participate in the performance via interactive functionality. The concert experience will begin at 9pm ET on September 18th on Amazon Music’s Twitch channel and within the Amazon Music mobile app via Twitch and Amazon Music’s new live streaming functionality, as well as on Amazon.com/live.

     

    Designed as a choose-your-own-adventure experience, “The SPEED OF NOW Global Livestream” will present unifying interactivity to bring audiences together in a way that feels familiar and exciting. Featuring an immersive LED set with multi-camera angles filming on a four-walled soundstage fans are in for an unprecedented night and a set list featuring songs off the new album in addition to past hits. Leading up to September 18th, fans can explore Keith Urban’s Amazon Music Store, highlighting a collection of his music and merch with an exclusive t-shirt, only available for a limited time, or they can shop the collection during the show in the accompanying carousel on amazon.com/live.

    THE SPEED OF NOW Part 1, Urban’s tenth studio album, serves as the distillation of the music that Urban has been exploring over his career.  From “Out The Cage,” featuring funk/pop icon Nile Rodgers and Breland, to the giddyup rock of “Tumbleweed,” and his slinky soul pop duet with P!nk on “One Too Many,” Urban has never sounded so immersed in the music.  Always seeking new collaborators, THE SPEED OF NOW Part 1 defines one of the most wide-ranging careers in modern music.  His current single “God Whispered Your Name,” is currently in the Top 5 and the year thus far as seen a series of monthly releases from THE SPEED OF NOW Part 1 including “Polaroid” and “We Were,” featuring Eric Church.

    Keith Urban has spent the better part of his life harnessing a deep-seated passion for music. His authenticity, talent and driving musical inquisitiveness, helps to understand why he is one of the most successful and well-respected artists in the world.  Besides four Grammy Awards, Urban he’s won thirteen Country Music Association Awards, fifteen Academy of Country Music Awards, four People’s Choice Awards, four American Music Awards and celebrated more than 6 billion streams.

    He is a world-renowned artist, musician, producer, songwriter, singer who remains restless and musically fearless.  His live shows are notorious. An explosive experience of energy and showmanship, Urban’s concerts connect with every soul whether in an arena of 15,000 or outdoors in front of 50,000.

    His musical virtuosity and fluidity has seen him collaborate with a diverse group of artists that include Billy Gibbons, Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Eric Church, John Mayer, Julia Michaels, Justin Timberlake, Dzeko, Miranda Lambert, Nile Rodgers, Post Malone, Taylor Swift, The Rolling Stones and Vince Gill.

  • ACM AWARDS 2020 WILL BE A STAR-STUDDED SHOW.

    Audio
    Brothers Osborne / Carrie Underwood / Caylee Hammack / Chris Stapleton / Dierks Bentley / Eric Church / Jon Pardi / Kacey Musgraves / Keith Urban / Lauren Alaina / Little Big Town / Luke Bryan / Maddie & Tae / Mickey Guyton / Taylor Swift

    The Academy of Country Music will present its annual awards show on Wednesday night (September 16th). The show was postponed from April in Las Vegas to September in Nashville due to the global pandemic (COVID-19).

    For the first time in the show’s history, the awards will take place in Nashville, broadcasting from three iconic Country Music venues: Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium and The Bluebird Cafe. The reigning Entertainer of the Year, Keith Urban, will host the show from The Grand Ole Opry House.

    Performances include a star-studded medley from the night’s Entertainer of the Year nominees – Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Carrie Underwood, Luke Combs and Thomas Rhett – to kick off the show, as well as other performances by Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and Pink, Blake Shelton with Gwen Stefani, Jimmie Allen, Kelsea Ballerini, Gabby Barrett, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Maren Morris, Old Dominion, Riley Green, Tenille Townes, Thomas Rhett with Jon Pardi, Eric Church, Mickey Guyton, Morgan Wallen, Dan + Shay, Kane Brown, Florida Georgia Line, Trisha Yearwood, Taylor Swift and Luke Bryan.

    Eric Church is set to perform the anthemic “Stick Tat in Your Country Song,” while Luke Bryan will sing his multi-week No 1 summer smash “One Margarita.” Taylor will perform her Top 40 country hit, “betty,” and Carrie Underwood will turn in a medley of songs by the format’s most iconic female artists, including Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Barbara Mandrell, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton. Mickey Guyton will sing the critically-acclaimed “What Are You Gonna Tell Her,” and the night’s host Keith Urban will perform with P!ink on his new song, “One Too Many from his upcoming album, The Speed of Now Part 1.

    Newcomer Caylee Hammack picked up her first ACM Award for Music Event of the Year for the Miranda Lambert-led collaboration, “Fooled Around and Fell in Love,” which also featured Maren Morris, Ashley McBryde, Tenille Townes and Elle King.

    Universal Music Group Nashville is celebrating its honorees (see below).

    Eric Church leads our nominees with three, including his second nod for Entertainer of the Year. He was also nominated as artist and songwriter in the Song of the Year category for “Some of It” – marking his eighth and ninth nominations in the category.

    Reigning Female Artist of the Year Kacey Musgraves earned three nominations including her seventh nod for Female Artist of the Year. Additionally, she received her first Single of the Year nomination as both artist and producer for “Rainbow.”

    Carrie Underwood is nominated for a pair of awards, including Entertainer of the Year, as well as Female Artist of the Year.

    Little Big Town also picks up a pair of nods for Group of the Year and Video of the Year for “Sugar Coat.”

    Chris Stapleton, Dierks Bentley and Keith Urban are nominated for Male Artist of the Year; Jon Pardi is up for Album of the Year for Heartache Medication; and Brothers Osborne and Maddie & Tae are up for Duo of the Year.

     

    The 55th ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, hosted by Keith Urban, will be broadcast Wednesday, September 16th (live 8:00-11:00 PM ET/delayed PT) on CBS  and will be available to stream on demand on CBS All Access.

     

    ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

    Luke Bryan

    Eric Church

    Luke Combs

    Thomas Rhett

    Carrie Underwood
    FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

    Kelsea Ballerini

    Miranda Lambert

    Maren Morris

    Kacey Musgraves

    Carrie Underwood
    MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

    Dierks Bentley

    Luke Combs

    Thomas Rhett

    Chris Stapleton

    Keith Urban
    DUO OF THE YEAR

    Brooks & Dunn

    Brothers Osborne

    Dan + Shay

    Florida Georgia Line

    Maddie & Tae
    GROUP OF THE YEAR

    Lady Antebellum

    Little Big Town

    Midland

    Old Dominion

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

    Center Point Road – Thomas Rhett

    Producers: Julian Bunetta, Jesse Frasure, Dann Huff, Thomas Rhett, The Stereotypes, Cleve Wilson

    GIRL – Maren Morris

    Producers: busbee, Greg Kurstin, Maren Morris

    Heartache Medication – Jon Pardi

    Producers: Bart Butler, Ryan Gore, Jon Pardi

     

    What You See Is What You Get – Luke Combs

    Producer: Scott Moffatt

    Wildcard – Miranda Lambert

    Producer: Jay Joyce

     

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

    God’s Country – Blake Shelton

    Producer: Scott Hendricks

    One Man Band – Old Dominion

    Producer: Shane McAnally

    Rainbow – Kacey Musgraves

    Producers: Ian Fitchuk, Kacey Musgraves, Daniel Tashian

    Rumor – Lee Brice

    Producers: Lee Brice, Dan Frizsell, Kyle Jacobs, Jon Stone

    What If I Never Get Over You – Lady Antebellum

    Producer: Dann Huff

     

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

    10,000 Hours – Dan + Shay Featuring Justin Bieber

    Songwriters: Justin Bieber, Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd, Jessie Jo Dillon, Shay Mooney, Jordan Reynolds, Dan Smyers

    Publishers: Beats and Banjos (ASCAP), WB Music Corp. (ASCAP) / Shay Mooney Music (BMI), Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI) / Big Ass Pile Of Dimes Music (BMI), Big Machine Music (BMI) / Buckeye 26 (ASCAP), Jreynmusic (ASCAP), WB Music Corp. (ASCAP) / Bieber Time Publishing (ASCAP), Universal Music (ASCAP) / Poo B Z Inc. (ASCAP), BMG Gold Songs (ASCAP).

    Girl Goin’ Nowhere – Ashley McBryde

    Songwriters: Jeremy Bussey, Ashley McBryde

    Publishers: Songs of Song Factory (BMI) / Universal Tunes (SESAC).

    God’s Country – Blake Shelton

    Songwriters: Devin Dawson, Michael Hardy, Jordan Schmidt

    Publishers: Relative Music Group (BMI), Administered by Songs of Kobalt Music Publishing (BMI) / WB Music Corp. / Georgia Song Vibez / We-volve Music (ASCAP) / Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. / Neon Cross Music (BMI).

    One Man Band – Old Dominion

    Songwriters: Josh Osborne, Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Brad Tursi

    Publishers: WB Music Corp/Smackville Music/Smack Songs LLC (ASCAP) adm by Kobalt Songs Music Publishing. Rezsongs/Reehits World/Smacktown Music, a division of Smack Blue, LLC/Unfair Entertainment  (ASCAP) adm. by Me Gusta Music. We’re Really Doin’ It Publishing (ASCAP) adm by Words & Music. Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing/Smackville Music/Smack Songs LLC (ASCAP) adm. by Kobalt Songs Music Publishing.

    Some Of It – Eric Church

    Songwriters: Eric Church, Clint Daniels, Jeff Hyde, Bobby Pinson

    Publishers: Sony/ATV Tree Publishing/Longer and Louder Music, admin. by Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC; Mammaw’s Fried Okra Music/Little Louder Songs, admin. by Songs of Kobalt Music Publishing; New Writers Of Sea Gayle Music, admin. by ClearBox Rights; New Writers Of Sea Gayle Music/Not A Track Guy Music, admin. by ClearBox Rights (BMI).
     

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

    10,000 Hours – Dan + Shay Featuring Justin Bieber

    Producers: Dan Smyers

    Record Label: Warner Music Nashville

    Dive Bar – Garth Brooks Featuring Blake Shelton

    Producers: Garth Brooks

    Record Label: Pearl Records, Inc.

    Fooled Around And Fell In Love – Miranda Lambert Featuring Maren Morris, Ashley McBryde, Tenille Townes, Caylee Hammack & Elle King

    Producer: Jay Joyce

    Record Label: Vanner Records/RCA Records Nashville

    Old Town Road – Lil Nas X Featuring Billy Ray Cyrus

    Producers: Michael Trent Reznor, Atticus Matthew Ross, YoungKio

    Record Label: Columbia Records

    What Happens In A Small Town – Brantley Gilbert Featuring Lindsay Ell

    Producer: Dann Huff

    Record Label: The Valory Music Co.

    Audio / ERIC CHURCH TALKS ABOUT THE ENERGY EXCHANGED BETWEEN HIM AND HIS FANS IN THE AUDIENCE AT HIS SHOWS.

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    Eric Church (performing energy) OC: …type of crowd. :40
    “Well, I think for me every night I try to empty the tank. There’s always that energy floating around. It’s a palpable thing, and 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. We have one night here in whatever city we’re in, you know, we’ve got this night. I’m not gonna see you for a while you’re not gonna 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 exchange 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 / LAST YEAR, CARRIE UNDERWOOD TALKED ABOUT HER ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR NOMINATION FOR LAST YEAR’S CMA AWARDS…AND THE SAME SENTIMENT HOLDS TRUE FOR THIS YEAR’S ACM AWARDS.

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    Carrie Underwood (Entertainer nod 2019) OC: …sorry boys! (laughs) :28
    “I personally feel like entertainer. It’s everything, right? So, I feel like people kind of narrow it down to tours, but I feel like there’s so many more components to it. And, you know, I’m blessed and lucky to be nominated, obviously, and fantastic company. It would be amazing, but of course, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want it. (laughs) Sorry boys.” (laughs)

    Audio / A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, LUKE BRYAN TALKED ABOUT BEING NAMED ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR FROM BOTH THE ACM AWARDS AND CMA AWARDS.

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    Luke Bryan (Entertainer wins) OC: …got it right. :49
    “The title is what it is, you know? I mean, my focus in life when I’m on stage is entertaining these fans. If it’s my smile and my demeanor, if it’s my song that does it, if it’s me picking up a child out of the audience and letting them sing, it’s not being so premeditated that you can see it from a mile away. I mean, my main thing is be a fan up there that just gets to sing. That’s kind of how I’ve always approached it, and being called the Entertainer of the Year makes me want to do that to the best of my ability every night for the rest of my life as long as I’m on stage. I want people to leave my shows and go, ‘You know what? Whoever’s voting him Entertainer of the Year, they got it right.’”

    Audio / Caylee Hammack, who was nominated for a pair of awards going into this year's ACM AWARDS, has won her first for Music Event of the Year.

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    Caylee Hammack (ACM Music Event of the Year win) OC: …of women. :42
    “Getting to recreate this song with women that inspire me so very much was already a huge blessing for me. To get to perform it every night for the encore of Miranda Lambert’s show that I got to be on tour with her for, it was already this huge blessing for me and then to be nominated was a huge deal and now, we’ve won an ACM for vocal event of the year, this is unreal. And I wish there was another word I could use for it, but unreal is truly it. This is so very special, and I’m just so honored to be in this group of this caliber of women.”

    Audio / KACEY MUSGRAVES SAYS SHE WROTE “RAINBOW” AS A MEMO TO HERSELF, BUT SAYS IT CAN HELP PEOPLE ACTUALLY SEE THE SUN THROUGH THE CLOUDS.

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    Kacey Musgraves (Rainbow) 1 OC: …make it through. :48
    “The song ‘Rainbow’ was actually written a handful of years ago as sort of a little bit of a memo to myself. I think we can all get stuck in a mindset that things are never gonna improve or you can easily focus on kind of the bad parts of whatever you’re going through and not really realize that if you pulled your head above the water you’d see that the sun is actually shining and that everything’s actually okay. I think one of the reasons that people may relate to the song a lot is because, though it was written to myself, I think that it can take the shape of like whatever someone’s going through – whether it’s coming out and not having the support or just any kind of a situation that they don’t feel like they may make it through.”

    Audio / ERIC CHURCH TALKS ABOUT HIS SONG "SOME OF IT."

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    Eric Church (Some of It coming of age) OC: …figure it out. :56
    “That’s a song, a coming-of-age song, it’s an adult song. It’s adult music. If you listen to the thematics in that and what it’s about, it’s about being older and having some wisdom about you. I think that’s something that I appreciate in my fan base now that early on probably wasn’t there. We were young and drunk and fighting and stupid. But I think now to see them grow – to see the fan base grow – it’s just one of those songs that came along at the right time. And again, it was such a blessing that happened. It wasn’t going to be on the album. It was just one of those freak things that I put it on the album, the last song on the album. The album was done, and all of a sudden it becomes the pillar, one of the pillars on the album. I think again, you go back to it’s one of the great things about music, is you just never know what’s going to happen until it’s all said and done. You can try to plan all you want to, but you’ll probably not going to figure it out.”

    Audio / Jon Pardi is excited for his ACM Album of the Year nomination.

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    Jon Pardi (nominated for ACM AWARD for album) OC: …it’s awesome. :32
    “Being nominated for an ACM Award is always awesome, especially when it’s for Album f the Year. From all the hard work we put in to making this record to seeing it as a nominee for Album of the Year is amazing. It’s such a great honor to just have a nomination – to still be in the game is what I’m saying, and I put in a lot of hard work and it’s just so fun. It’s my favorite category to be in and the most, it’s the one I want to be in because that means all the songs help you get that nomination. I think that’s so great, and we work so hard on picking songs. So, it’s awesome.”

    Audio / MADDIE MARLOW OF MADDIE & TAE TALK ABOUT BEING NOMINATED FOR THE ACM DUO OF THE YEAR AWARD.

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    Maddie & Tae (ACM 2019) OC: …this year. :35
    “Being in the Duo category, especially being the only females in that category, is really, really special. We are just in such good company. Every single duo that’s nominated this year, we are really good friends with and we love and support and root for, but just the fact the industry acknowledges what we’re doing, especially after the crazy past couple of years we’ve had, just to get that nod saying, ‘Hey! You’re doing good. Keep doing what you’re doing,’ is so special. We do not take that for granted ‘cause we didn’t expect that at all, and so it was a huge shock for us and such good news for us this year.”

    Audio / BROTHERS OSBORNE SAYS IT'S AN HONOR TO BE NOMINATED AT THIS YEAR'S ACM AWARDS.

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    Brothers Osborne (being nominated) OC: (TJ) …but it really is. :26
    JOHN: “One of the things I love about the country music genre is “It sounds cliché to say it’s an honor, but it really is that it’s a family. We’re all really, really close. We’re all a bunch of misfits thrown together. We’re all a little different, but we love one another and respect one another, and I’m just honored for the both of us to be a part of this awesome family.” TJ: “I will say to add on that, it sounds cliché to say it’s an honor to be nominated, but it really is.”