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  • CMA FEST 2023

    Audio
    Darius Rucker / Dierks Bentley / Jordan Davis / Josh Turner / Keith Urban / Tyler Hubbard / Vince Gill

    The 50th annual CMA Fest (formerly known as Fan Fair) kicked off on Thursday (June 8th), and the entertainment was everywhere in downtown Nashville.

    The official kick-off took place at the Riverfront Stage with Lainey Wilson and continued throughout the day, ending up with a party at Nissan Stadium with performances and/or appearances by Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Tyler Hubbard, Darius Rucker, Elle King, Luke Combs, Carly Pearce, Dan + Shay and a surprise appearance by Vince Gill.

    More than 90,000 people are estimated to participate during CMA Fest, a 12% growth over 2022. The stadium alone saw a 10% increase in attendance year over year. Fans from all 50 states and a record-breaking 51 countries filled Music City in anticipation of seeing more than 300 acts taking part in CMA Fest.

    Dierks, who is co-hosting next month’s ABC-TV special CMA Fest with Elle King and Lainey Wilson and performed Sunday night (June 11th) at Nissan Stadium, says he’s not only a country artist, but a fan of the format as well. “This is a great weekend for me, ‘cause I get to go from the Station Inn to the Stadium. I mean, I get to run my whole life in that little, you know, I started off going to watch a band play at the Station Inn back in 1994 with dreams of one day trying to make it as a country artist and nothing says country artist like playing the Stadium here in Nashville. So, it’s kind of a look back at my life in a short six-day period,” says Dierks. “So it’s really, for me it’s a magical week of reflection and being a fan. I’m playing, but also just like total fan mode. I’ve always said I’m a fan of country music first and foremost, and this weekend is a great place to be a fan. It’s just the best of the best.”

     

    Vince was a special surprise guest during Luke Combs’ set, to which the newly-anointed country superstar called his “absolute hero.” The pair teamed up on Vince’s 1993 hit “One More Last Chance.” Vince says he’s grateful to be a part of CMA Fest. “This is a genre of music unlike anything that I’ve ever experienced. It’s a grateful artist base. It’s grateful for the people that give us the opportunity to do what we do, you know, whether it’s at the Fairgrounds or whether it’s a bigger place. I don’t know if it ever really mattered,” says Vince. All those people out there that buy a ticket to come and do this whether they stand in line to get somebody’s autograph or go to a show or whatever. They’re just here because they like what we do, you know? And it feels good to let them know they’re appreciated and not be standoffish and not be that way. So, I’ve always enjoyed it.”

    Backstage prior to his first Nissan Stadium performance, Jordan Davis said he came to Nashville to be a songwriter and never dreamed he’d get to perform at Nissan Stadium during CMA Fest. “Long story short, I moved to town to write songs. I had never played with a band; I’d never played a show,” says the Louisiana native. “I was trying to get a publishing deal and trying to get other artists to cut my songs. I truly started playing music and trying to go after being an artist, because I didn’t know if that was going to happen. So, I figured I was already this far down the road, so I might as well start trying to make some money gigging around and here we are. I kind of fell backwards into it, but I’m very grateful I did. I truly never, never dreamed that I would be playing on the stage that I’m getting to play on tonight.”

    Having performed his two No. 1 songs as a solo artist — “5 Foot 9” and “Dancin’ In The Country” — Tyler Hubbard is overwhelmed by the reaction the fans have had for his recent self-titled album. “It means a ton to me to have these songs connect the way they have, it’s been really special,” he says. “It’s inspired me, it’s motivated me, and it makes me want to keep doing it, and it’s given me a lot of life. These songs are special, and they mean a lot and to watch the fans sing ‘em back to me at the shows and to hear their stories and to see their videos that they’re making to my music, it’s fulfilling as a songwriter, as an artist. It’s just what I love, and like I said, it just motivates me to keep doing this thing. I just love the connection, and that’s what music does. It brings us together and so that’s why I’m honored to be a part of it.”

    Night two pulled in performances by Tanya Tucker, Lainey Wilson, Cody Johnson. Reba McEntire surprised the crowd at Nissan Stadium during Cody Johnson’s set. The pair performed her hit “Whoever’s In New England,” before Cody presented her with a gold plaque for their hit duet “Dear Rodeo.” Also performing on Friday (June 9th) were Miranda Lambert, HARDY and Keith Urban (who had the crowd mesmerized).

    Additional performers at Nissan Stadium included Little Big Town, Jon Pardi, Eric Church, Luke Bryan, Josh Turner, Tim McGraw, Jelly Roll, Old Dominion, Ashley McBryde, Tracy Lawrence, as well as hot newcomers on the Platform Stage including Dalton Dover, Ashley Cooke, Megan Moroney, Ian Munsic, Nate Smith, Alana Springsteen and Haley Whitters.

    More highlights and performances will be featured during the CMA Fest ABC-TV special, hosted by Dierks Bentley, Elle King and Lainey Wilson. Catch all the action at 8pm ET on July 19th.

    Audio / Dierks Bentley, who is co-hosting the ABC-TV CMA Fest, says he’s not only a performer, but also a fan during this special week.

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    Dierks Bentley (CMA Fest 2023) OC: …best of the best. :48
    “This is a great weekend for me, ‘cause I get to go from the Station Inn to the Stadium. I mean, I get to run my whole life in that little, you know, I started off going to watch a band play at the Station Inn back in 1994 with dreams of one day trying to make it as a country artist and nothing says country artist like playing the Stadium here in Nashville. So, it’s kind of a look back at my life in a short six-day period, and even the Hot Country Knights is like that’s to me Lower Broadway at its best…or worst. But, so it’s really, for me it’s a magical week of reflection and being a fan. I’m playing, but also just like total fan mode. I’ve always said I’m a fan of country music first and foremost, and this weekend is a great place to be a fan. It’s just the best of the best.”

    Audio / Vince Gill talks about CMA Fest, formerly known as Fan Fair.

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    Vince Gill (CMA Fest) OC: …grateful. 1:03
    “This is a genre of music unlike anything that I’ve ever experienced. It’s a grat4eful artist base. It’s grateful for the people that give us the opportunity to do what we do, you know, whether it’s at the Fairgrounds or whether it’s a bigger place. I don’t know if it ever really mattered. All those people out there that buy a ticket to come and do this whether they stand in line to get somebody’s autograph or go to a show or whatever. They’re just here because they like what we do, you know? And it feels good to let them know they’re appreciated and not be standoffish and not be that way. So, I’ve always enjoyed it. This is about my 40th year of doing anything connected with whatever they call it. (laughs) I don’t even know anymore (laughs), but it’s still the same thing. It’s just a bunch of people that loves what everybody does and man, it’s great for everybody to hang and just sitting backstage running into so and so and running into so and so, you don’t get to see them very often. So, you know grateful.”

    Audio / Backstage prior to his performance at Nissan Stadium on Thursday night, Jordan Davis talked about how he became an artist.

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    Jordan Davis (CMA Fest 2023) OC: …play on tonight. :34
    “Long story short, I moved to town to write songs. I had never played with a band; I’d never played a show. I was trying to get a publishing deal and trying to get other artists to cut my songs. I truly started playing music and trying to go after being an artist, because I didn’t know if that was going to happen. So, I figured I was already this far down the road, so I might as well start trying to make some money gigging around and here we are. I kind of fell backwards into it, but I’m very grateful I did. I truly never, never dreamed that I would be playing on the stage that I’m getting to play on tonight.”

    Audio / Tyler Hubbard says it means the world to him to see his songs connect with the fans.

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    Tyler Hubbard (CMA Fest 2023) OC: …part of it. :36
    “It means a ton to me to have these songs connect the way they have, it’s been really special. It’s inspired me, it’s motivated me, and it makes me want to keep doing it, and it’s given me a lot of life. These songs are special, and they mean a lot and to watch the fans sing ‘em back to me at the shows and to hear their stories and to see their videos that they’re making to my music, it’s fulfilling as a songwriter, as an artist. It’s just what I love, and like I said, it just motivates me to keep doing this thing. I just love the connection, and that’s what music does. It brings us together and so that’s why I’m honored to be a part of it.”

    Audio / Keith Urban talks about the community spirit surrounding CMA Fest.

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    Keith Urban (CMA Fest 2023) OC: …always need it, though. :29

    “The good thing about CMA Fest is it’s historically always comes at a time when it feels like we need it the most. When we were here back in 2010 after the Nashville floods and doing a special performance, I think CMA Fest was really acknowledging what everybody had gone through and the floods, and so I think it’s such a community spirit out there, not just Nashville, but the country community coming together and celebrating life and the moment. We always need it, though.”

    Audio / Josh Turner talks about his fan encounter with the late, great Vern Gosdin.

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  • NEWS AND NOTES: Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, Luke Bryan, Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Mickey Guyton

    Press
    Brad Paisley / Brothers Osborne / Carrie Underwood / Caylee Hammack / Dierks Bentley / Keith Urban / Luke Bryan / Mickey Guyton / Reba McEntire / Vince Gill

    Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, Luke Bryan, Vince Gill, Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban are among the artists participating in the new documentary, “CMA Fest: 50 Years of Fan Fair,” which tells the story of country music’s longest-running festival. Premiering June 5th on Hulu, the 75-minute special features exclusive one-on-one interviews, never-before-seen archival content and CMA Fest Performances from the last 50 years. “CMA Fest: 50 Years of Fan Fair” will also feature Bill Anderson, Kelsea Ballerini, BRELAND, Brooks & Dunn, Shy Carter, Luke Combs, Wynonna Judd, Miranda Lambert, Patty Loveless, Mark Miller of Sawyer Brown, Craig Morgan, Lorrie Morgan, Dolly Parton, Carly Pearce, Jeannie Seely, Blake Shelton, Thomas Rhett, Lainey Wilson, Trisha Yearwood and Chris Young, among others. CMA Fest will celebrate its milestone 50th anniversary June 8-11, 2023, in downtown Nashville, featuring hundreds of artists performing across multiple stages.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDwLK5aJNrc

     

    Brad Paisley will perform at the second annual Beachlife Ranch festival, taking place in Redondo Beach, California, September 22nd – 24th. The Doobie Brothers, Jack Johnson, Wynonna Judd, Midland and Shooter Jennings will also perform.

     

    Mickey Guyton, Trisha Yearwood and CMT’s Leslie Fram will be honored by Save The Music and SongFarm.org for their contributions to the music industry and music education at Nashville’s 4th annual “Hometown to Hometown” event June 5th at City Winery. Caylee Hammack, Kelsea Ballerini, Brittney Spencer and more will perform. All proceeds will benefit music technology programs in Nashville, Georgia and Texas.

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Keith Urban, Eric Church, Alan Jackson, Sam Hunt, Tyler Hubbard

    Press
    Alan Jackson / Eric Church / Keith Urban / Tyler Hubbard

    Keith Urban returned to ABC’s American Idol for Sunday night’s (May 21st) season finale. He mentored the Top 3 contestants, and he also performed his hit, “Wild Heart,” for all the dreamers on the show. Iam Tongi was crowned the winner of this season.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqWhrJJUL2w

     

    Keith Urban will release Volume 2 of a special No. 1’s exclusive vinyl at Walmart on August 11th.  It includes 12 No. 1 Hits from his entire catalog of albums.  The vinyl will be on exclusive purple/grape vinyl and will include a limited-edition poster inside. The track list includes such chart-toppers as “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16,” “Break On Me,” “We Were Us” (with Miranda Lambert), “You Gonna Fly,” “Once in A Lifetime,” “Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me” and “Making Memories of Us,” as well as many more. Volume 1 is also still available and features “Somebody Like You,” “The Fighter” (with Carrie Underwood), “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” “Days Go By,” “You’ll Think of Me” and “Long Hot Summer,” among others.

     

    Eric Church is set to release the THIRD pressing of his 2015 album, Mr. Misunderstood, on blue vinyl on June 9th. The collection features the title track, “Chattanooga Lucy,” “’Round Here Buzz,” “Holdin’ My Own” and “Record Year,” among others.

     

     

    Alan Jackson was the subject of a recent episode of the game show Jeopardy with the answer being “What is ‘Chattahoochie?'”

    Sam Hunt posted a handful of photos of him with his daughter, Lucy, and wife Hannah, to his socials. Sam just released the song, “Women In My Life.”

    Tyler Hubbard surprised fans with a pop-up show at Nashville’s popular Broadway hotspot, The Stage, on Saturday night (May 20th) to celebrate the one-year release of his No. 1 debut solo single, “5 Foot 9.” He also celebrated his second No. 1 for “Dancin’ In The Country.”

    Video /

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban

    Press
    Carrie Underwood / Darius Rucker / Keith Urban / Luke Bryan

    Carrie Underwood celebrated her 15th Anniversary as a proud Grand Ole Opry member on Saturday (May 13th) with a two-show performance. The Opry presented her backstage with a special commemorative print and a specially-designed cake, by IveyCake, to commemorate the milestone. Carrie made her unforgettable Grand Ole Opry performance debut on June 10th, 2005, just two weeks after winning American Idol. Her love for the Opry started as a child as she grew up watching and listening to the show, dreaming of one day performing there and even becoming a member herself. The multi-GRAMMY® /CMA/ACM award winner was officially inducted into the Opry family on May 10th, 2008 by fellow Oklahoman and fellow Opry member Garth Brooks. Cute note: She also got to meet the iconic daytime star Susan Lucci backstage. Carrie will return to the Grand Ole Opry for a special two-show Tuesday night Opry on June 6 (7 pm and 9:30 pm), which “unofficially” kicks off the milestone 50th CMA Fest week.

     

    Don’t forget to tune in to CMT Crossroads on Tuesday (May 16th) to catch Darius Rucker and The Black Crowes swap vocals on each other’s songs.  “CMT Crossroads: The Black Crowes & Darius Rucker” premieres with a special one-hour presentation on Tuesday at 10p/9c, with an immediate encore at 11p/10c, and on Friday (May 19th) at 12a/11c. It will also go live on Wednesday (May 17th) on CMT.com, CMT VOD and the MTV app (CMT Crossroads), with subsequent premieres on CMT MUSIC and MTV LIVE.

     

    Luke Bryan will perform his new single, “But I Got A Beer In My Hand,” live on ABC’s American Idol finale on Sunday (May 21st). The three-hour finale episode is set to air live from coast to coast starting at 8pm ET/5pm PT.

    Keith Urban will return to the season finale of ABC’s American Idol on Sunday (May 21st) to mentor the Top 3 finalists. Keith, who was a judge on the talent show between seasons 12 and 15, will also take the stage to perform as well.

    https://twitter.com/AmericanIdol/status/1657053379703754753

    In a new promo for the Tennessee Titans 2023-2024 schedule release, Keith Urban appears at the very end on stage at Nashville’s famed Robert’s Western World.

    https://twitter.com/KeithUrban/status/1657182924507164672

     

  • ACM AWARDS 2023 PREVIEW

    Audio
    Brothers Osborne / Carrie Underwood / Caylee Hammack / Jon Pardi / Jordan Davis / Keith Urban / Priscilla Block / The War & Treaty

    The 58th Annual ACM Awards will take place Thursday (May 11th) with a star-studded cast of nominees, performers and presenters. Jordan Davis, Ed Sheeran and Hardy will perform, as well as collaborations between Trisha Yearwood and Carly Pearce; Ashley McBryde featuring Caylee Hammack, Brandy Clark, Pillbox Patti  and John Osborne, as well as Cole Swindell with Jo Dee Messina.

    Presenters include Tyler Hubbard, Mickey Guyton, TJ Osborne, Jon Pardi, Keith Urban, Jordan Davis, Gabby Barrett,Dak Prescott, Emmitt Smith, Tanya Tucker, Breland, MacKenzie Porter, Brandy Clark and Trisha Yearwood.

    Previously announced performers include Keith Urban, The War And Treaty, Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Dolly Parton, Jelly Roll, Cole Swindell, Lainey Wilson and Bailey Zimmerman.

    Chris Stapleton has four nods, including Entertainer of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Song of the Year for “You Should Probably Leave” as both artist and songwriter.

    Jon Pardi is nominated for Album of the Year for Mr. Saturday Night as songwriter and producer.

    Carrie Underwood is nominated for Entertainer of the Year, while Jordan Davis scores his first ACM nomination for Male Artist of the Year.

    Little Big Town is up for Group of the Year, and the Duo of the Year category features Brothers Osborne, Maddie & Tae and The War And Treaty.

    Of note, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne earns a second nod for Album of the Year (Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville) as Producer.

    The 58th Annual ACM Awards will be free to stream live for a global audience across 240+ countries and territories exclusively on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch, May 11th at 7pm ET/6pm CT/4pm PT from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. The full rebroadcast will stream the next day for free on Amazon Freevee.

    The two-hour, commercial-free ACM Awards will stream live for free on Prime Video and the Amazon Music Twitch channel from The Star in Frisco, Texas beginning at 7pm ET/6pm CT.

    Entertainer of the Year

    Jason Aldean
    Kane Brown
    Luke Combs
    Miranda Lambert
    Chris Stapleton
    Carrie Underwood
    Morgan Wallen

    Female Artist of the Year

    Kelsea Ballerini
    Miranda Lambert
    Ashley McBryde
    Carly Pearce
    Lainey Wilson

    Male Artist of the Year

    Kane Brown
    Luke Combs
    Jordan Davis
    Chris Stapleton
    Morgan Wallen

    Duo of the Year

    Brooks & Dunn
    Brothers Osborne
    Dan + Shay
    Maddie & Tae 
    The War and Treaty

    Group of the Year

    Lady A
    Little Big Town 
    Midland
    Old Dominion
    Zac Brown Band

    New Female Artist of the Year

    Priscilla Block 
    Megan Moroney
    Caitlyn Smith
    Morgan Wade
    Hailey Whitters

    New Male Artist of the Year

    Zach Bryan
    Jackson Dean
    ERNEST
    Dylan Scott
    Nate Smith
    Bailey Zimmerman

    Album of the Year

    Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville – Ashley McBryde; Producer: John Osborne
    Bell Bottom Country – Lainey Wilson; Producer: Jay Joyce
    Growin’ Up – Luke Combs; Producers: Luke Combs, Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton
    Mr. Saturday Night – Jon Pardi; Producers: Jon Pardi, Bart Butler, Ryan Gore
    Palomino – Miranda Lambert; Producers: Jon Randall, Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert, Mikey Reaves

    Single of the Year

    “Heart Like a Truck” – Lainey Wilson; Producer: Jay Joyce
    “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” – Carly Pearce & Ashley McBryde; Producers: Josh Osborne, Shane McAnally
    “She Had Me at Heads Carolina” – Cole Swindell; Producer: Zach Crowell
    “Thank God” – Kane Brown with Katelyn Brown; Producer: Dann Huff
    “‘Til You Can’t” – Cody Johnson; Producer: Trent Willmon

    Song of the Year

    “Sand In My Boots” – Morgan Wallen; Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Josh Osborne, Michael Hardy
    “She Had Me at Heads Carolina” – Cole Swindell; Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Cole Swindell, Jesse Frasure, Mark D. Sanders, Thomas Rhett, Tim Nichols; Publishers: Ashley Gorley
    “‘Til You Can’t” – Cody Johnson; Songwriters: Ben Stennis, Matt Rogers
    “wait in the truck” – HARDY ft. Lainey Wilson; Songwriters: Hunter Phelps, Jordan Schmidt, Michael Hardy, Renee Blair
    “You Should Probably Leave” – Chris Stapleton; Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Chris DuBois, Chris Stapleton

    Visual Media of the Year

    “HEARTFIRST” – Kelsea Ballerini; Producers: Christen Pinkston & Wesley Stebbins-Perry; Director: P Tracy}
    “She Had Me at Heads Carolina” – Cole Swindell; Producer: Troy Jackson; Director: Spidey Smith
    “Thank God” – Kane Brown with Katelyn Brown; Producer: Luke Arreguin; Director: Alex Alvga
    “‘Til You Can’t” – Cody Johnson; Producer: Maddy Hayes; Director: Dustin Haney
    “wait in the truck” – HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson; Producer: Inkwell Productions; Director: Justin Clough
    “What He Didn’t Do” – Carly Pearce; Producer: Ryan Byrd; Director: Alexa Campbell

    Songwriter of the Year

    Nicolle Galyon
    Ashley Gorley
    Chase McGill
    Josh Osborne
    Hunter Phelps

    Artist-Songwriter of the Year

    Luke Combs
    ERNEST
    HARDY
    Miranda Lambert
    Morgan Wallen

     

    Audio / CARRIE UNDERWOOD TALKS ABOUT BEING NOMINATED FOR ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR.

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    Carrie Underwood (Entertainer nomination) OC: …that category. :47
    “It is, I mean, obviously such an honor to be nominated in Entertainer of the Year. Obviously, that’s such a tough category to be in, ‘cause there’s just so, I don’t even want to call it competition, there’s just so many hard working artists out there that are just you know pouring themselves and their time and their energy and their love and their artistry into what they do. You know, obviously just to even be in the final category is just absolutely amazing and hopefully, above all, we can all just remember that it’s a celebration of a great year in country music and in our careers as artists, so we’ll just see what happens, but definitely excited to be in that category.”

    Audio / JORDAN DAVIS TALKS ABOUT HIS ACM NOMINATION FOR MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR.

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    Jordan Davis (ACM 2023 Male nod) OC: …win for me. :49
    “I haven’t been that shocked in a long time. Definitely the most shocked I’ve been since I started doing music. It was definitely shocked to see that I was in that category. I knew I made it through to the last round, but, honestly, I was, y’all see the other nominees in there, some heavy hitters. So, to hear my name first, it was pure shock. But now too, in 2019, I was up for New Artist, so I think it goes to show that I’ve got a great team and great fans, and two, we made some great music that is connecting with people. The awards are amazing, but to be nominated with those guys is a huge win for me.”

    Audio / Jon Pardi talks about his ACM Album of the Year nomination for Mr. Saturday Night.

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    Jon Pardi (ACM nomination 2023) OC: …always great. :20
    “’Mr. Saturday Night’ being nominated for Album of the Year is an accomplishment, and a lot of hard work went into it and a lot of hard work goes out touring it. It’s just a great record. We picked out songs, wrote songs, went to Key West to record vocals which is cool. Just to get nominated by songwriters and publishers and the industry is always great.”

    Audio / WHEN THIS YEAR'S ACM NOMINATIONS WERE ANNOUNCED LAST MONTH, MICHAEL AND TANYA TROTTER OF THE WAR AND TREATY TALK ABOUT THEIR FIRST ACM NOMINATION FOR DUO OF THE YEAR.

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    The War and Treaty (ACM 2023 nomination) OC: (Tanya) …country music. 1:13
    “Hey everybody! I’m Tanya, and I’m Michael, and we’re The War and Treaty. (Michael) This morning, April 13th, we woke up and to be able to see Bobby Bones do the nominations for the ACMS ad get to the category of Duo of the Year, and we were just callin’ ‘em out. We were like, ‘Brooks & Dunn,’ ‘Dan + Shay,’ and we were like ‘Brothers Osborne,’ Brothers Osborne, yes! Dan + Shay, Dan + Shay, and we was like, ‘Yes.’ We were like, ‘Maddie & Tae,’ we was like ‘Yes,’ and then time slowed down. They were like The War and Treaty. And honestly, we burst into tears, we screamed, we yelled, we high-fived, we hugged our manager, Christina. In our minds then traveled back in time and forward. We traveled to Charly Pride, DeFord Bailey and Ray Charles, and we were like, ‘I hope they’re seeing this wherever they are, and I hope they’re dancing and high-fiving as well. Thank you, ACMs.” TANYA: “Thank you so much to the ACMs and everybody who’s nominated and all of our peers in country music.”

    Audio / PRISCILLA BLOCK IS SO EXCITED TO BE NOMINATED FOR ACM NEW FEMALE THIS YEAR.

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    Priscilla Block (ACM 2023 nomination) OC: …to party, baby! :28
    “Omigosh! It’s Priscilla Block. I am so honored and just literally freaking out that I am nominated for New Female at the ACM Awards. This is my second year being nominated, and it’s such an honor. Gosh, I think about five years ago when I would’ve dreamed of being here, so I’m really excited, and it’s gonna be in Texas, so I’m ready. I’m ready to party, baby!”

  • KEITH URBAN AND THE WAR AND TREATY ARE AMONG THE FIRST ROUND OF PERFORMERS ANNOUNCED FOR THIS YEAR’S ACM AWARDS.

    Press
    Keith Urban / The War & Treaty

    Keith Urban and The War And Treaty are among the first round of performers at this year’s ACM Awards. Billed as “Country Music’s Party of the Year,” the three-hour special will also feature performances by Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Jo Dee Messina, Ashley McBryde, Dolly Parton, Jelly Roll, Cole Swindell, Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson and Bailey Zimmerman.

    https://twitter.com/ACMawards/status/1651592032484302850

     

    The War And Treaty are also nominated for the first time in the Duo of the Year category.

     

    Additional performers for the 58th ACM Awards, along with presenter and ACM Awards week ancillary events will be announced in the coming weeks. For more information, visit ACMcountry.com.

    The 58th Annual ACM Awards will be free to stream live for a global audience across 240+ countries and territories exclusively on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch, May 11th at 7pm ET/6pm CT/4pm PT from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. The full rebroadcast will stream the next day for free on Amazon Freevee.

  • TYLER HUBBARD SHARES HOW IT ALL STARTED WITH HIS CURRENT TOP 10 HIT BY RELEASING “DANCIN’ IN THE COUNTRY (DEMO – FEAT. KEITH URBAN).”

    AudioVideo
    Keith Urban / Tyler Hubbard

    Tyler Hubbard is giving fans a glimpse into the creative process of how his current hit, “Dancin’ In The Country,” came together. The song is currently in the Top 10 at Country radio and has over 115M global streams. It has already hit No. 1 on the Canadian Country Radio Chart, SXM’s The Highway, and the MusicRow chart. The upbeat anthem was written by Hubbard, Keith Urban, Ross Copperman and Jon Nite, and today Hubbard is releasing the demo from the day they wrote the song, “Dancin’ In The Country (Demo – feat. Keith Urban).”

     

     

    https://twitter.com/KeithUrban/status/1649406644269326337

     

    LISTEN TO “DANCIN’ IN THE COUNTRY (DEMO – FEAT. KEITH URBAN)” | HERE

    Urban brings his musical versatility and virtuosity to the demo, not only on guitar, but on bass, ganjo and vocals.  Originally written and recorded in October 2021, the demo of “Dancin’ In The Country” also features Ross Copperman on keys and programming.

    “I’ve always admired Keith Urban as a writer, but never had the chance to actually write a song with him.  Keith came into the writing session so engaged and ready to go where the ideas took us.  Ross and Jon are two of the finest writers in town, and by the end of the day we had a song we all felt was special,” said Hubbard. “It’s exciting to share a behind the scenes look at how a song comes together.”

    “Spending a day with Tyler, Ross and Jon in the studio writing this song was a total blast,” said Urban. “Especially creating the track with Ross – I love working fast, ideas flowing really quickly- a bass part, a ganjo part, a very intentionally 80s country super compressed electric guitar riff.”

     

    Audio / Tyler Hubbard talks about writing his latest single, "Dancin' In The Country."

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    Tyler Hubbard (Dancin’ In The Country) OC: …a fun one. :59
    “’Dancin’ In The Country’ is just a really fun, uptempo country song that I’m super excited to play live. I was fortunate enough to get to write this with Ross Copperman, Jon Nite and Keith Urban, who’s just incredible as a writer and a guitarist, and he and Ross Copperman really helped capture the feel and emotion of this song sonically and also me and Jon Nite really tried to dial in the lyrics and they were also very helpful with that. But just an incredible day of songwriting and a really cool song that came from it and a song that sounds like nothing else on the project, and honestly, a song that was inspired by these nightly dance parties we’ve been having in my house after dinner. Me and the three kids and my wife we go in the playroom, turn the party lights on just about every night and have a dance party. So, this is one of those songs that always worked in the dance parties  and feels like something that’ll be really fun to take on tour and play live and hopefully get the crowd moving the way the kids do during the dance parties. So, ‘Dancin’ In The Country’ is just a fun one.”

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  • KEITH URBAN WAS DRAWN TO “BROWN EYES BABY” BECAUSE IT LIFTS PEOPLE UP…AND IT’S “SEXY AS HELL.”

    Audio
    Keith Urban

    Keith Urban‘s latest single, “Brown Eyes Baby,” is sitting inside the Top 15 on the country charts, and he was immediately drawn to the song when he first heard it.

    “I love songs that are looking to bring out the best in somebody and bring somebody back to life, you know,” says Keith. “The songs that I’ve loved that have done that for me that give me hope and lift me up and see me for who I can be, those kinds of songs, those kinds of people really, which is what ‘Brown Eyes Baby’ is, and it’s just sexy. It’s sexy as hell. (laughs) I love that song.”

    Keith returns to his residency at the Bakkt Theater at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas June 16th.

     

    Audio / Keith Urban says his latest single, "Brown Eyes Baby," has hope and helps bring out the best in someone.

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    Keith Urban (BEB-bring good out in someone) OC: …love that song. :24
    “I love songs that are looking to bring out the best in somebody and bring somebody back to life, you know? The songs that I’ve loved that have done that for me that give me hope and lift me up and see me for who I can be, those kinds of songs, those kinds of people really, which is what ‘Brown Eyes Baby’ is, and it’s just sexy. It’s sexy as hell. (laughs) I love that song.”

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  • NEWS AND NOTES: Mickey Guyton, Keith Urban, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood

    Press
    Carrie Underwood / Keith Urban / Little Big Town / Luke Bryan / Mickey Guyton / Reba McEntire

    Mickey Guyton will appear on CBS Mornings and The Tamron Hall Show on Thursday (March 23rd) to talk about her new show, “My Kinda Country,” which is set to premiere Friday (March 24th) on Apple+. The show was co-created by Kacey Musgraves and Reese Witherspoon and also features Mickey, Jimmie Allen and Orville Peck. “My Kind of Country” is a new singing competition series, which provides an opportunity to showcase diverse artists from around the world.

     

    Keith Urban, Little Big Town and Mickey Guyton, as well as Tim McGraw, are set to perform at the Capitol One Jam Fest in Houston April 2nd. The March Madness Music Festival is part of the festivities surrounding the NCAA® Men’s Final Four® Weekend.

    Keith Urban takes over CMT Hot 20 Countdown this weekend. Tune in Saturday (March 25th) and Sunday (March 26th) beginning at 9am ET/8am CT.

    https://twitter.com/cmtHot20/status/1638677005247074304

    Luke Bryan, as well as his fellow American Idol judges Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, will appear on ABC’s Live With Kelly and Ryan on March 28th.

    Reba McEntire is scheduled to appear on The Jennifer Hudson Show March 29th.

    Carrie Underwood‘s fans are really “hating” their hearts…before wrapping the tour last week, Carrie’s fans in numerous cities sang along to her latest hit, “Hate My Heart,” and cameras caught all the action.

    https://twitter.com/carrieunderwood/status/1638992767060955138?s=46&t=uIo-zKfKtZ4P7eX-4uM8nQ

     

  • CMT MUSIC AWARDS 2023: Keith, Carrie, Kylie and more

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    Carrie Underwood / Keith Urban / Kylie Morgan

    More performers have been announced for this year’s CMT Music Awards. Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Cody Johnson and Carly Pearce will all hit the stage, in addition to previously announced performers Carrie Underwood, Lainey Wilson and the hosts of the show, Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown.

    Carrie, a fan favorite and the winningest artist in CMT Music Awards history, is nominated for Video of the Year (“Hate My Heart”) and Female Video of the Year (“Ghost Story”).

    Keith Urban is the second most-nominated artist in the history of the CMT Music Awards. He is nominated for Video of the Year (“Wild Hearts”) and CMT Performance Video of the Year (“Wild Hearts” at last year’s CMT Music Awards).

    Kylie Morgan received her first awards nomination for CMT’s Female Breakthrough Video of the Year for “If He Wanted To He Would.” She couldn’t be more thrilled! “I got nominated for my first-ever CMT Award for Breakthrough Female Video of the Year for ‘If He Wanted To He Would,’” says Kylie. “I’ve only cried like 17 times. I’m still shaking about it. Thank you guys so much, and I’m so freaking excited.”

    The 2023 CMT Music Awards will air live from Moody Center in Austin, Texas beginning at 8pm ET/7pm CT April 2nd on CBS. The three-hour special will also be available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.

    Voting for the 2023 CMT Music Awards is now open at vote.cmt.com.

    2023 CMT MUSIC AWARDS Nominations:

    VIDEO OF THE YEAR:

    Best video of the year; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration). Top six nominees, from the first round of voting, will be announced on March 27. The final three nominees, from the second round of voting, will be announced on show day, April 2. Final voting will be determined via social media and announced as the final category during the live show.

    Ashley McBryde, Caylee Hammack, Brandy Clark & Pillbox Patti – “Bonfire at Tina’s”

    Blake Shelton – “No Body”

    Carrie Underwood – “Hate My Heart”

    Cody Johnson – “Human”

    Elle King feat. Dierks Bentley – “Worth a Shot”

    Gabby Barrett – “Pick Me Up”

    HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson – “wait in the truck”

    Jimmie Allen – “Down Home”

    Kane Brown & Katelyn Brown – “Thank God”

    Keith Urban – “Wild Hearts”

    Kelsea Ballerini – “HEARTFIRST”

    Little Big Town – “Rich Man”

    Luke Bryan – “Country On”

    Luke Combs – “The Kind of Love We Make”

    Morgan Wallen – “You Proof”

    Walker Hayes – “AA”

    FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR:

    Best video by a female artist; awarded to the artist.

    Carly Pearce – “What He Didn’t Do”

    Carrie Underwood – “Ghost Story”

    Gabby Barrett – “Pick Me Up”

    Kelsea Ballerini – “HEARTFIRST”

    Lainey Wilson – “Heart Like a Truck”

    Maren Morris – “Humble Quest”

    Miranda Lambert – “Actin’ Up”

    MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR:

    Best video by a male artist; awarded to the artist.

    Bailey Zimmerman – “Rock and a Hard Place”

    Cody Johnson – “Human”

    Cole Swindell – “She Had Me at Heads Carolina”

    Jelly Roll – “Son of a Sinner”

    Kane Brown – “Like I Love Country Music”

    Luke Combs – “The Kind of Love We Make”

    Morgan Wallen – “Wasted on You”

    GROUP/DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR;

    Best video by a duo or group; awarded to the artists.

    Dan + Shay – “You (Performance Video)”

    Lady A – “Summer State of Mind”

    Little Big Town – “Hell Yeah”

    Parmalee – “Take My Name”

    The War and Treaty – “That’s How Love Is Made”

    Zac Brown Band – “Out in the Middle”

    FEMALE BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR:

    Best video from a female artist’s major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist.

    Avery Anna – “Narcissist”

    Kylie Morgan – “If He Wanted to He Would”

    MacKenzie Porter – “Pickup”

    Megan Moroney – “Tennessee Orange”

    Morgan Wade – “Wilder Days”

    Tiera Kennedy – “Found It in You”

    MALE BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR

    Best video from a male artist’s major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist.

    Bailey Zimmerman – “Fall in Love”

    Corey Kent – “Wild as Her”

    Drake Milligan – “Sounds Like Something I’d Do”

    Jackson Dean – “Don’t Come Lookin’”

    Jelly Roll – “Son of a Sinner”

    Nate Smith – “Whiskey on You”

    COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR:

    Best video from a collaboration; awarded to the artists.

    Elle King feat. Dierks Bentley – “Worth a Shot”

    HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson – “wait in the truck”

    Ingrid Andress with Sam Hunt – “Wishful Drinking”

    Kane Brown & Katelyn Brown – “Thank God”

    Midland feat. Jon Pardi – “Longneck Way to Go”

    Russell Dickerson feat. Jake Scott – “She Likes It”

    Thomas Rhett & Katy Perry – “Where We Started”

    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)

    Black Pumas & Mickey Guyton – “Colors” (from 2022 CMT MUSIC AWARDS)

    Chris Stapleton – “Whenever You Come Around” (from “CMT Giants: Vince Gill”)

    Cody Johnson – “‘Til You Can’t” (from 2022 CMT MUSIC AWARDS)

    Cole Swindell & Lainey Wilson – “Never Say Never” (from 2022 CMT MUSIC AWARDS)

    Darius Rucker – “Let Her Cry” (from “CMT Storytellers”)

    Emmy Russell & Lukas Nelson – “Lay Me Down” (from “Coal Miner’s Daughter: A Celebration of the Life and Music of Loretta Lynn”)

    LeAnn Rimes with Ashley McBryde & Carly Pearce – “One Way Ticket” (from “CMT Crossroads: LeAnn Rimes & Friends”)

    Keith Urban – “Wild Hearts” (from 2022 CMT MUSIC AWARDS)

    The Judds – “Love Can Build a Bridge” (from 2022 CMT MUSIC AWARDS)

    Wynonna Judd & Brandi Carlile – “The Rose” (from “Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration”)

    CMT DIGITAL-FIRST PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR:

    Musical performance from a production, series or livestream created for CMT digital / social channels; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo).

    Charley Crockett – “Time of the Cottonwood Trees” (from “CMT Campfire Sessions”)

    Chris Young – “Gettin’ You Home” (from “CMT Stages”)

    Ingrid Andress – “Wishful Drinking” (from “CMT Studio Sessions”)

    Jelly Roll – “Son of a Sinner” (from “CMT All Access”)

    Megan Moroney – “Tennessee Orange” (from “CMT Viral to Verified”)

    Scotty McCreery – “Damn Strait” (from “CMT Campfire Sessions”)

    Audio / Kylie Morgan talks about her CMT Award nomination.

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    Kylie Morgan (CMT nomination) OC: …freaking excited. :16
    “Hey y’all, it’s Kylie Morgan. I got nominated for my first-ever CMT Award for Breakthrough Female Video of the Year for ‘If He Wanted To He Would.’ I’ve only cried like 17 times. I’m still shaking about it. Thank you guys so much, and I’m so freaking excited.”