• LUKE BRYAN WILL RELEASE A NEW VERSION OF A CHRISTMAS CLASSIC TOMORROW.

    Luke Bryan will release a new version of “O Holy Night” on Friday (October 10th). He recorded the holiday classic earlier this year

    “I truly believe that ‘O Holy Night’ is one of the prettiest songs, one of the most spiritual Christmas songs that’s ever been. For years and years and years, I’ve just wanted the opportunity to sing it, and hopefully to showcase a little of my south Georgia church voice upbringing,” says Luke. “I just felt like the big man upstairs was on my side singing it, and it was a very emotional, uplifting feeling while I was in the vocal booth, and probably one of my better vocals I’ve performed in my career.”

    This isn’t his first Christmas song he’s recorded; in 2008, he released “Run Run Rudolph.”

    People gave a sneak listen to the song on Thursday (October 9th). Listen below.

    Luke is nearing the top of the country charts with his latest song, “Light It Up,” from his upcoming album, What Makes You Country, available December 8th.

    Audio / Luke Bryan talks about recording his version of the Christmas classic, “O Holy Night.”

    Download

    Luke Bryan (O Holy Night) 1 OC: …in my career. :54
    “I truly believe that ‘O Holy Night’ is one of the prettiest songs, one of the most spiritual Christmas songs that’s ever been. For years and years and years, I’ve just wanted the opportunity to sing it, and hopefully to showcase a little of my south Georgia church voice upbringing. I’ve sang this song for years, obviously, and even as a kid in church, and so when I sat down with my producer, we just did piano and strings. We didn’t do any fancy production of click tracks. We just kinda let it feel organic and real. I didn’t spend all day singing it that particular day. I just felt like the big man upstairs was on my side singing it, and it was a very emotional, uplifting feeling while I was in the vocal booth, and probably one of my better vocals I’ve performed in my career.”

     

    Audio / Luke Bryan says he’s very proud of his version of the Christmas classic, “O Holy Night.”

    Download

    Luke Bryan (O Holy Night) 2 OC: …during Christmas time. :23
    “I’m always excited to allow my fans to hear different aspects of who I am as an artist. This is our second Christmas song, and we did ‘Run, Run Rudolph,’ which is totally what people would expect from me. But ‘O Holy Night’ is something I’m really, really proud of and I’m ready for people to hear this type of music from me, certainly during Christmas time.”

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (O Holy Night)

    Download

    Video / People Country teaser of O Holy Night

    View
  • BROTHERS OSBORNE WIN MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR AT THE 2017 CMA AWARDS.

    Brothers Osborne picked up an early CMA Award already. The reigning CMA Duo of the Year won Music Video of the Year for their Top 10 hit “It Ain’t My Fault,” which was directed by Wes Edwards and Ryan Silver.
    John and TJ Osborne partnered with directors Wes Edwards and Ryan Silver for the eccentric video that originated as a comedic spoof on the action film Point Break. Brothers Osborne portray pawn shop owners who are robbed at gunpoint by four masked men disguised as former presidents. Hijinks ensue as the video chronicles the consequential police chase.

    “We got a lot of good treatments for the video, but this one seemed to be the most bold and daring, and we laughed the whole time we were reading it. It definitely have a huge political undertone to it, but at the end of the day, we hope people come away laughing because politics these days has been so polarizing and such a dark part of American culture that we want people to be able to laugh at it for a second.”

     

     

    Audio / Brothers Osborne’s John Osborne talks about why they decided to go with the treatment they did for the “It Ain’t My Fault” video.

    Download

    Brothers Osborne (IAMF video) OC: …a little bit. :41
    “The video treatment to ‘It Ain’t My Fault’ was written by Ryan Silver and Wes Edwards. We got a lot of good treatments for the video, but this one seemed to be the most bold and daring, and we laughed the whole time we were reading it. It definitely have a huge political undertone to it, but at the end of the day, we hope people come away laughing because politics these days has been so polarizing and such a dark part of American culture that we want people to be able to laugh at it for a second. And, yeah, that’s it, and that’s why we tried to take the risks that we did. We know that we might piss a few people off along the way, but hopefully we make everyone laugh a little bit.”

  • JON PARDI KICKS OFF CMA WEEK WITH MULTIPLE CMA NOMINATIONS AND A SOLD-OUT HEADLINING TOUR.

    Jon Pardi kicks off CMA Awards week with multiple CMA Award nominations, in-depth feature stories and a sold-out headlining “CMT On Tour Presents Jon Pardi’s Lucky Tonight Tour.” Country Living shares how ‘”Dirt On My Boots is the most relatable country song of the year,” HERE.  The Tennessean has more on his first-ever CMA performance and nominations (HERE) and Pollstar is breaking the news about his SOLD-OUT headlining “CMT On Tour Presents Jon Pardi’s Lucky Tonight Tour.” Read more about his “…eye-catching numbers…” and 17-date sellout, HERE.

    Pardi is currently nominated for CMA’s New Artist of the Year and Single of the Year, and “Dirt On My Boots” is also up for CMA Song Of The Year. Pardi recently earned his first-ever American Music Awards nomination for Favorite Song-Country.

    The headlining “CMT On Tour Presents Jon Pardi’s Lucky Tonight Tour” is CMT’s fastest-selling tour to date and includes venues nationwide with audiences ranging from 1,000 – 5,500. Venues like Grayson Stadium in Savannah, GA sold-out with the most tickets sold since Bob Dylan in ‘05 (Peachtree Ent.) and Billy Bob’s sold out days in advance – a rare feat considering the last show to sell out in advance was Florida Georgia Line in ‘13 (Chris Spinks, Marketing Director, Billy Bob’s). The tour features special guests Midland and Runaway June.

    Pardi’s traditional sound and tireless work ethic is resonating with fans. Fourth single “She Ain’t In It” was most-added with 50 first-week stations and Billboard called it “a stone-cold weeper that would make George Strait nod with approval.” “She Ain’t In It” follows Pardi’s three consecutive No. 1 hits with his Platinum-selling “Head Over Boots,” the three-week chart-topper “Dirt On My Boots,” and most-recently, “Heartache On The Dance Floor.”

    Fans can tune in to the 51st CMA Awards airing live from Nashville Nov. 8 at 8pm ET on ABC, and voting is now open for AMA’s Favorite Song-Country with results airing live from Los Angeles Nov. 19 at 8pm ET on ABC.

    Pardi is set to join Miranda Lambert’s Livin’ Like Hippies Tour in early 2018. For more information, images, music and tour dates, please visit www.JonPardi.com.

    www.JonPardi.com | facebook.com/JonPardi | twitter.com/JonPardi | instagram.com/JonPardiPics

  • KEITH URBAN RECEIVES THE CHAMPION AWARD AT LAST NIGHT’S BMI AWARDS.

    Keith Urban received the Champion Award at Tuesday night’s (November 7th) BMI Country Awards. Maren Morris and the Nashville School of the Arts Choir performed Keith’s first No. 1, “But for the Grace of God,” using guitars he had donated to the school.

    Keith was honored by the performing rights organization for his assistance in helping the next generation of songwriters and musicians, as well as furthering music education.

    He just released a new song, “Female,” to country radio. The tune was written by Nicolle Galyon, Ross Copperman and Shane McAnally.

     

     

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Luke, Lady A, LBT, Alan, Darius, Shania

    Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Alan Jackson, CB30 will all perform during this year’s CMA Country Christmas. The show, hosted by Reba McEntire for the first time, will air November 27th at 8pm ET on ABC. Dustin Lynch, Brett Eldredge, Kelsea Ballerini, Trisha Yearwood, Chris Young, Dustin Lynch, CeCe Winans and Dan + Shay will also perform during the show, which will be held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville.

    Darius Rucker will perform “Winter Wonderland” during ABC’s The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration this year. The show will premiere November 30th at 9pm ET, as well as “Home for the Holidays” during Disney Parks Magical Christmas Celebration on Christmas Day.

    The new revamp of American Idol, starring Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and Katy Perry as judges, will premiere Sunday, March 11th on ABC.

    Shania Twain is featured in the new free mobile game Home Street, as an in-game character throughout the month of November. The international superstar, who recently released her new album NOW, is the first guest character to appear in the game.

  • LUKE BRYAN PLAYS FOR 1.5 MILLION FANS IN 2017.

    Four-time Entertainer of the Year and 2017 CMA Entertainer of the Year nominee Luke Bryan wrapped his “Huntin’, Fishin’, And Lovin’ Every Day Tour” over the weekend playing for 1.5 Million fans this year.

    The tour bookends a year of new heights for Luke as he kicked off 2017 as the Super Bowl LI National anthem performer, co-hosted the ACM Awards for the fifth consecutive year, broke a record as the only artist in the 27-year history of the Billboard Country Airplay chart to garner six No. 1 singles from one album, played for 80,000 fans during his ninth annual “Farm Tour,” joined ABC’s first season of American Idol as a judge along with Lionel Richie and Katy Perry and soon to be releasing his sixth studio album on Dec. 8, What Makes You Country.

    During the tour’s Houston stop in September, Luke invited first responder teams to attend the show and donated the concert proceeds to benefit the Houston Community Fund. A week prior, Luke participated in the Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Relief Telethon special live from Nashville as part of the celebrity phone bank answering donor calls. The show was broadcast across multiple networks and benefited Hurricane Harvey and Irma.

    In February of 2018, Luke will launch the first leg of “What Makes You Country Tour” named after his soon to be released album, due out Dec. 8.  Kip Moore and The Cadillac Three are the special guests on first leg and ticket sales began last Friday.

    Pre-orders of What Makes You Country are available now at http://strm.to/whatmakesyoucountry and exclusive album packages available here:  https://LukeBryan.lnk.to/storePR

    Luke is making his way up the country charts with his latest song, “Light It Up.”

    About Luke Bryan
    Country music superstar Luke Bryan is a two-time Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year, a five-time host of the ACM Awards and the 2017 Super Bowl LI National anthem performer. He has sold over 10 million albums, 40 million tracks with three Billion music streams. He has had 18 career No. 1 singles and has headlined arena tours and sold-out stadiums across the U.S. When the sixth song from his Kill The Lights album hit the top of the chart, Luke became the only artist in the 27-year history of the Billboard Country Airplay chart to garner six No. 1 singles from one album. Luke’s previous two albums, tailgates & tanlines and Crash My Party, both generated five No. 1 singles.

     

    Visit www.LukeBryan.com or follow Luke on Twitter @LukeBryanOnline, Instagram and Facebook

  • LADY ANTEBELLUM WERE GIVEN THE HUMANITARIAN AWARD AT THIS YEAR’S SESAC AWARDS.

    SESAC, the only music rights organization in the U.S. honored seven-time GRAMMY award-winning trio Lady Antebellum with the SESAC Humanitarian Award at its Nashville Music Awards this past Sunday (November 5th).

    The members of Lady Antebellum – Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley and SESAC writer Hillary Scott – were recognized for their generous contributions and philanthropic efforts through LadyAID®.

    LadyAID® is a philanthropic effort founded by Lady A to bring awareness to and generate support for those in need locally, nationally and globally. The multi-level organization is a component fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and is funded by ticket sales, donations and fundraising efforts. Most recently, the urgency to continue raising awareness and support for those affected by this fall’s hurricanes prompted a significant donation made from LadyAID® to hurricane relief efforts via MusiCares® and United for Puerto Rico. Fans can continue to take part in the ongoing relief efforts by contributing at LadyAID.org.

    “Over the years we have watched Hillary, Charles and Dave accomplish their dreams and receive so many accolades—not only for their creative contributions but also their kind hearts and willingness to simply do the right thing,” said Shannan Hatch, Vice President, Creative Services. “It brings me great pleasure to recognize Lady A’s charitable efforts to create awareness for the plight of children and those in need, here in Nashville and around the globe.”

    In addition to receiving the Humanitarian Award, Hillary Scott was on hand during the awards ceremony to present Kenny Rogers with the SESAC Legacy Award. The annual awards show, which celebrates the successes of SESAC’s songwriters and publishers, was held at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in downtown Nashville.

    Lady Antebellum is  nominated for CMA “Album of the Year” and “Vocal Group of the Year” following more than 18 million album units sold, nine No. 1 hits, ACM and CMA “Vocal Group of the Year” trophies three years in a row and countless other honors including seven GRAMMYs, Billboard Music Awards, People’s Choice Awards and Teen Choice Awards.  For more information visit www.ladyantebellum.com

  • LITTLE BIG TOWN PREMIERES THE VIDEO FOR ‘WHEN SOMEONE STOPS LOVING YOU.’

    Little Big Town kicks off CMA Awards week today with the release of the music video for their critically-acclaimed single, “When Someone Stops Loving You.” The Grammy Award-winning band will stop by VEVO Live’s official CMA Awards Special live from Nashville for a special interview and Q&A at 5:15pm CT followed by the “When Someone Stops Loving You” music video world premiere on VEVO. Tune in via: vevo.ly/VevoLiveCMA.

    ‪Little Big Town‪ is celebrating their 26th career CMA nomination this year with multiple nods in CMA categories including Album Of The Year for their No. 1 debuting album, The Breaker, as well as Single Of The Year and Music Video Of The Year for their platinum-selling multi-week No. 1 hit, “Better Man.” The five-time CMA Vocal Group of the Year and current reigning ACM and CMA Vocal Group of the Year are also nominated for CMA Vocal Group of the Year.

    Written by Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna and Chase McGill, Little Big Town first debuted their critically-acclaimed single “When Someone Stops Loving You” during Good Morning America’s Summer Concert Series. The band can be seen next performing on this week’s 51st Annual CMA Awards, airing Wednesday, Nov. 8, and during the final performance of their historic sold-out, year-long artist residency “Little Big Town At The Mother Church,” from the Ryman Auditorium on Monday, Nov. 27.  Little Big Town’s highly-anticipated The Breakers Tour featuring special guests Kacey Musgraves and Midland kicks off early next year.

    For a full list of tour dates and more information, visit www.LittleBigTown.com.

  • CMA AWARDS 2017: Keith Urban

    Keith Urban has the chance to take home several awards going into this year’s CMA Awards, including Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year, as well as Single and Music Video of the Year for “Blue Ain’t Your Color.” “Blue” is also nominated for Song of the Year, which would go to songwriters Clint Lagerberg, Hillary Lindsey and Steven Lee Olsen.

    The first time he heard “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” Keith knew he wanted to record it. “I just know when I heard ‘Blue Ain’t Your Color’ for the first time, it just struck me as one of those rare songs that encompass so many things in it,” he says. “I couldn’t even label what it was, what style it was. It’s got a bit of soul, it’s got a bit of blues, it’s got a bit of country, it’s got just a big mix of all good things. Lyrically, it’s just an incredible song, incredible song. [It’s got] great melody, great lyric. I was so hopin’ I could do the song justice when we got in the studio.”

    The video for “Blue Ain’t Your Color” was actually inspired by a performance he did with Carrie Underwood on American Idol.

    “[The inspiration] really came from when I did American Idol with Carrie Underwood, and because it was the finale, I played in a suit, and this whole idea kind of started from the idea of playing in a suit. From there, obviously, the story of the song is pretty strong, and we started building the concept from there. But, the initial spark of inspiration was really about that.”

    Keith is scheduled to perform during the 51st Annual CMA Awards, which will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday (November 8th) at 8pm ET on ABC.

    Audio / Keith Urban recalls hearing his CMA-nominated "Blue Ain't Your Color" for the first time.

    Download

    Keith Urban (1st time he heard Blue) OC: …in the studio. :31
    “I just know when I heard ‘Blue Ain’t Your Color’ for the first time, it just struck me as one of those rare songs that encompass so many things in it. I couldn’t even label what it was, what style it was. It’s got a bit of soul, it’s got a bit of blues, it’s got a bit of country, it’s got just a big mix of all good things. Lyrically, it’s just an incredible song, incredible song. [It’s got] great melody, great lyric. I was so hopin’ I could do the song justice when we got in the studio.”

    Audio / Keith Urban talks about the inspiration for the video for “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” which also stars actress/model Amber Valletta (Hitch, Transporter 2, Revenge).

    Download

    Keith Urban (Blue Ain’t Your Color video) OC: …about that. :28
    “[The inspiration] really came from when I did American Idol with Carrie Underwood, and because it was the finale, I played in a suit, and this whole idea kind of started from the idea of playing in a suit. From there, obviously, the story of the song is pretty strong, and we started building the concept from there. But, the initial spark of inspiration was really about that.”

    Audio / Keith Urban talks about his CMA-nominated video for "Blue Ain't Your Color."

    Download

    Keith Urban (Blue Ain’t Your Color video) 2 OC: …idea from Carter. :29
    “There was something that sort of Carter [Smith] suggested by having it be almost dreamlike. The girl walks into the bar, she’s just not in a good place in life, hits the jukebox, the song starts playing, suddenly we’re on stage, and she’s in the bar and she’s on her own. So, at the end of the video, you’ll see the camera pans around and then the band’s actually not there, and so you wonder was she just imagining the whole thing. It’s very cool. I really like that idea from Carter.”

    Audio / Keith Urban recalls his first-ever CMA Award nomination and subsequent win for the coveted Horizon Award (now named New Artist of the Year).

    Download

    Keith Urban (first CMA nomination) OC: …for a moment. :28
    “I was so excited to be nominated for my first CMA, I went out and had Manuel make me a suit for the occasion, and it was just as well, because I ended up winning, which was just an indescribable feeling. When I heard my name called amongst all the nominees, it felt surreal, and then when they actually read my name out as the winner, it was literally like time just slowed down for a minute.”

  • LITTLE BIG TOWN WILL PREMIERE THE VIDEO FOR ‘WHEN SOMEONE STOPS LOVING YOU’ ON MONDAY.

    Little Big Town will premiere the video for “When Someone Stops Loving You” on VEVO live at 5pm ET/4pm CT on Monday (November 6th).

    LBT scored a handful of CMA Awards nominations this year, including Vocal Group of the Year, Album of the Year for The Breaker, Single, Song and Music Video of the Year for “Better Man.” The Song of the Year award would go to Taylor Swift, who wrote the song.

    You can see Little Big Town during this year’s CMA Awards, airing live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena November 8th at 8pm ET on ABC.