Brothers Osborne take a different approach to being a duo. While TJ Osborne takes lead on all of the vocals and plays rhythm guitar, his brother John shreds on lead guitar and provides harmony to TJ.

“It’s really built off of me singing and John playing the guitar,” says TJ. “So, I think it is unique and fun and cool, and it kind of gives two kind of parallels that I think work really nicely together.”

John describes it as a kind of old-school rock approach. “In country music, you have two singers that sing a lot of harmonies and stuff together, and we do that as brothers – sing a lot together – but his voice in the band is his voice and my voice is guitar,” he says. “We look back at a lot of old rock bands like Aerosmith to The Allman Brothers and guys like that, where it’s like a lead singer and the sideman guitar player. That’s the approach that we’re going for, and it seems to be really working for us. It’s kind of carving our path in country music.”

TJ and John, who are riding high on the country charts with their single “Stay a Little Longer,” will release their debut album Friday (January 15th). The two are set to perform on NBC’s Late Night With Seth Meyers on Monday (January 18th), followed by a performance on NBC’s Today show Tuesday (January 19th).

The guys are nominated for a Grammy in the Best Country Duo/Group category for their hit single, “Stay a Little Longer.” The 58th Annual Grammy Awards will air live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles February 15th at 8pm ET on CBS.

Two-time CMA and ACM Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan made a special live announcement direct to his fans this morning that his “Kill the Lights Tour” will add five stadium shows to the 2016 touring schedule. The news was exclusively shared live through his Luke Bryan mobile fan app followed by a live announcement on Facebook. Luke also revealed active users of Luke’s mobile app can enter to win a once-in-a-lifetime experience to sit side of stage at the stadium concert in Detroit. To view the announcement from today go to :  https://www.facebook.com/lukebryan/videos/vb.7290301030/10153803194286031/?type=2&theater .

Luke will return to Boston, Minneapolis and Detroit stadiums performing concerts for a second time in those stadiums while adding first time headlining shows at Wrigley Field in Chicago and Dallas’ AT&T Stadium, where he co-hosted the 50th Academy of Country Music Awards in 2015.  

July 16             Boston, MA                 Gillette Stadium

August 19        Minneapolis, MN        U.S. Bank Stadium

August 27        Chicago, IL                 Wrigley Field

October 22      Dallas, TX                   AT&T Stadium

October 29      Detroit, MI                 Ford Field 

Fans can purchase tickets beginning Jan. 29 for select cities as part of Live Nation’s Country Megaticket at www.Megaticket.com.. Live Nation is the national tour promoter for the “Kill The Lights Tour” and Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter of hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is a sponsor.  Cabela’s CLUB Visa Members will have access to presale tickets and preferred seats in select markets. Complete details are available at www.cabelas.com/lukebryan. Citi is the official credit card of Luke’s “Kill the Lights Tour.”  Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets through Citi’s Private Pass Program. For complete presale details visit www.citiprivatepass.com

2016 “Kill the Lights Tour”

2-18                 Evansville, IN              Ford Center

2-19                 Peoria, IL                     Peoria Civic Center Arena

2-20                 Cedar Falls, IA             UNI Dome

2-25                 Montreal, QC               Bell Centre

2-26                 Uncasville, CT             Mohegan Sun Arena **

2-27                 Uncasville, CT             Mohegan Sun Arena **

3-8                   Las Cruces, NM           Pan American Center**

3-11                 Little Rock, AR             Verizon Arena **

3-12                 Bossier City, LA          CenturyLink Center **

4-7                   Charleston, WV           Charleston Civic Center Coliseum

4-8                   Baltimore, MD             Royal Farms Arena

4-9                   Syracuse, NY               Carrier Dome

4-14                 Toledo, OH                  The Huntington Center

4-15                 State College, PA         Bryce Jordan Center

4-16                 Charlottesville, VA      John Paul Jones Arena

4-21                 Missoula, MT               Adams Center

4-22                 Bozeman, MT              Brick Breeden Fieldhouse

4-29                 Concord, CA               Concord Pavilion

4-30                 Fresno, CA                  Save Mart Center

5-1                   Indio, CA                     Stagecoach

5-12                 Omaha, NE                  CenturyLink Center

5-13                 Wichita, KS                 INTRUST Bank Arena

5-14                 Oklahoma City, OK     Chesapeake Energy Arena

5-20                 Atlanta, GA                 Lakewood Amphitheater

5-21                 Atlanta, GA                 Lakewood Amphitheater

5-27                 Baton Rouge, LA         Bayou Country Superfest*

5-29                 Daytona Beach, FL      Florida Country Superfest*

6-2                   Holmdel, NJ                P.N.C. Bank Arts Center

6-3                   Atlantic City, NJ          Boardwalk Hall

6-4                   Hershey, PA                Hershey Park Stadium

6-9                   Virginia Beach, VA     Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach

6-10                 Washington, DC          Jiffy Lube Live

6-11                 Washington, DC          Jiffy Lube Live

6-17                 Oshkosh, WI                Country USA*

6-19                 Columbus, OH             Buckeye Country Superfest*

6-24                 Toronto, ON                Molson Canadian Amphitheatre

6-25                 Toronto, ON                Molson Canadian Amphitheatre

7-7                   Milwaukee, WI            Summerfest*

7-8                   Indianapolis, IN            Klipsch Music Center

7-9                   Indianapolis, IN            Klipsch Music Center

7-16                 Boston, MA                 Gillette Stadium

7-17                 Bangor, ME                 Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion

7-21                 Scranton, PA                The Pavilion at Montage Mountain

7-22                 Pittsburgh, PA              First Niagara Pavilion

7-23                 Pittsburgh, PA              First Niagara Pavilion

7-29                 Philadelphia, PA          BB&T Pavilion

7-30                 Philadelphia, PA          BB&T Pavilion

7-31                 Saratoga Springs, NY   Saratoga Performing Arts Center

8-11                 Cleveland, OH             Blossom Music Center

8-12                 Cleveland, OH             Blossom Music Center

8-13                 Cincinnati, OH             Riverbend Music Center

8-14                 Cincinnati, OH             Riverbend Music Center

8-19                 Minneapolis, MN        U.S. Bank Stadium

8-21                 Calgary, AB                 Country Thunder Calgary*

8-25                 Bonner Springs, KS     Cricket Wireless Amphitheater

8-26                 St. Louis, MO              Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

8-27                 Chicago, IL                 Wrigley Field

9-1                   Raleigh, NC                 Walnut Creek Amphitheatre

9-2                   Charlotte, NC               PNC Music Pavilion

9-9                   Denver, CO                 Dick’s Sporting Goods Park

9-10                 Denver, CO                 Dick’s Sporting Goods Park

9-15                 Sacramento, CA           Toyota Amphitheatre

9-16                 Mountain View, CA     Shoreline Amphitheatre

9-22                 Phoenix, AZ                Ak-Chin Pavilion

9-30                 Salt Lake City, UT       USANA Amphitheatre

10-1                 Salt Lake City, UT       USANA Amphitheatre

10-22               Dallas, TX                   AT&T Stadium

10-29               Detroit, MI                 Ford Field

Dates and Cities subject to change

*festival date

**no Little Big Town

Since the debut of his first album in 2007, Luke has placed 14 singles at No. 1 and sold nearly eight million albums with 30 million digital tracks from his five studio albums. He has twice been named Entertainer of the Year by both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association. His fifth studio album, Kill The Lights, debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard Top 200 (his third to do so) and Top Country Albums charts and closed 2015 with the best-selling country album of the year and the 10th biggest selling album on the all-genre Billboard Top 200 Year-End list. In Luke’s stellar 2015 year, he had three albums on the Top 15 Year-End Country Albums list- Kill the Lights (#1), Spring Break…Checkin’ Out (#10) and Crash My Party (#15), was the most streamed artist of 2015 and placed six songs in the Year-End Top Country Streaming Tracks list. Luke also performed for 1.5 million fans in concert, played for 400,000 fans at Spring Break in Florida, co-hosted the ACM Awards for a third-consecutive year, had his own exhibit at The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (“Luke Bryan: Dirt Road Diary”), became the reigning ACM and CMA Entertainer of the Year, performed live during halftime at the Dallas Cowboys game on Thanksgiving and wrapped up the year with a Times Square performance on ABC’s “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.”

For up to date information on Luke, the tour and tickets go to www.lukebryan.com or www.livenation.com.

https://twitter.com/lukebryanonline

https://www.facebook.com/lukebryan

http://instagram.com/lukebryan

Reigning CMA and ACM Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan has just announced he will extend his “Kill The Lights Tour” through this fall adding 40 concerts to his previously released 2016 schedule. Little Big Town and Dustin Lynch will continue as guests through the fall.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, January 13 at 10:00am central Luke will share with fans an exclusive Live announcement in his Luke Bryan mobile fan app.  The app is available for download from the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store or download here: http://m.onelink.me/aaf000b8 .

Fans can purchase tickets beginning Jan. 29 for select cities as part of Live Nation’s Country Megaticket at www.Megaticket.com.. Live Nation is the national tour promoter for the “Kill The Lights Tour” and Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter of hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is a sponsor.  Cabela’s CLUB Visa Members will have access to presale tickets and preferred seats in select markets. Complete details are available at www.cabelas.com/lukebryan. Citi is the official credit card of Luke’s “Kill the Lights Tour.”  Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets through Citi’s Private Pass Program. For complete presale details visit www.citiprivatepass.com.

Luke will also make the special announcement tomorrow on Facebook at 10:30am central.

2016 “Kill The Lights Tour” second leg:

5-20                 Atlanta, GA                 Lakewood Amphitheater

5-21                 Atlanta, GA                 Lakewood Amphitheater

5-27                 Baton Rouge, LA         Bayou Country Superfest*

5-29                 Daytona Beach, FL      Florida Country Superfest*

6-2                   Holmdel, NJ                P.N.C. Bank Arts Center

6-3                   Atlantic City, NJ          Boardwalk Hall

6-4                   Hershey, PA                Hershey Park Stadium

6-9                   Virginia Beach, VA     Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach

6-10                 Washington, DC          Jiffy Lube Live

6-11                 Washington, DC          Jiffy Lube Live

6-17                 Oshkosh, WI                Country USA*

6-19                 Columbus, OH             Buckeye Country Superfest*

6-24                 Toronto, ON                Molson Canadian Amphitheatre

6-25                 Toronto, ON                Molson Canadian Amphitheatre

7-7                   Milwaukee, WI             Summerfest*

7-8                   Indianapolis, IN            Klipsch Music Center

7-9                   Indianapolis, IN            Klipsch Music Center

7-17                 Bangor, ME                 Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion

7-21                 Scranton, PA                The Pavilion at Montage Mountain

7-22                 Pittsburgh, PA              First Niagara Pavilion

7-23                 Pittsburgh, PA              First Niagara Pavilion

7-29                 Philadelphia, PA          BB&T Pavilion

7-30                 Philadelphia, PA          BB&T Pavilion

7-31                 Saratoga Springs, NY   Saratoga Performing Arts Center

8-11                 Cleveland, OH             Blossom Music Center

8-12                 Cleveland, OH             Blossom Music Center

8-13                 Cincinnati, OH             Riverbend Music Center

8-14                 Cincinnati, OH             Riverbend Music Center

8-21                 Calgary, AB                 Country Thunder Calgary*

8-25                 Bonner Springs, KS    Cricket Wireless Amphitheater

8-26                 St. Louis, MO              Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

9-1                   Raleigh, NC                 Walnut Creek Amphitheatre

9-2                   Charlotte, NC               PNC Music Pavilion

9-9                   Denver, CO                 Dick’s Sporting Goods Park

9-10                 Denver, CO                 Dick’s Sporting Goods Park

9-15                 Sacramento, CA           Toyota Amphitheatre

9-16                 Mountain View, CA     Shoreline Amphitheatre

9-22                 Phoenix, AZ                Ak-Chin Pavilion

9-30                 Salt Lake City, UT       USANA Amphitheatre

10-1                 Salt Lake City, UT       USANA Amphitheatre

Dates and Cities subject to change

*festival date

Previously announced 2016 “Kill the Lights Tour” first leg:

2-18                 Evansville, IN              Ford Center

2-19                 Peoria, IL                     Peoria Civic Center Arena

2-20                 Cedar Falls, IA             UNI Dome

2-25                 Montreal, QC               Bell Centre

2-26                 Uncasville, CT             Mohegan Sun Arena **

2-27                 Uncasville, CT             Mohegan Sun Arena **

3-8                   Las Cruces, NM           Pan American Center**

3-11                 Little Rock, AR             Verizon Arena **

3-12                 Bossier City, LA          CenturyLink Center **

4-7                   Charleston, WV           Charleston Civic Center Coliseum

4-8                   Baltimore, MD             Royal Farms Arena

4-9                   Syracuse, NY               Carrier Dome

4-14                 Toledo, OH                  The Huntington Center

4-15                 State College, PA         Bryce Jordan Center

4-16                 Charlottesville, VA      John Paul Jones Arena

4-21                 Missoula, MT               Adams Center

4-22                 Bozeman, MT              Brick Breeden Fieldhouse

4-29                 Concord, CA               Concord Pavilion

4-30                 Fresno, CA                  Save Mart Center

5-1                   Indio, CA                     Stagecoach

5-12                 Omaha, NE                  CenturyLink Center

5-13                 Wichita, KS                 INTRUST Bank Arena

5-14                 Oklahoma City, OK     Chesapeake Energy Arena

Dates & Cities subject to change

**no Little Big Town

Since the debut of his first album in 2007, Luke has placed 14 singles at No. 1 and sold nearly eight million albums with 30 million digital tracks from his five studio albums. He has twice been named Entertainer of the Year by both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association. His fifth studio album, Kill The Lights, debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard Top 200 (his third to do so) and Top Country Albums charts and closed 2015 with the best-selling country album of the year and the 10th biggest selling album on the all-genre Billboard Top 200 Year-End list. In Luke’s stellar 2015 year, he had three albums on the Top 15 Year-End Country Albums list- Kill the Lights (#1), Spring Break…Checkin’ Out (#10) and Crash My Party (#15), was the most streamed artist of 2015 and placed six songs in the Year-End Top Country Streaming Tracks list. Luke also performed for 1.5 million fans in concert, played for 400,000 fans at Spring Break in Florida, co-hosted the ACM Awards for a third-consecutive year, had his own exhibit at The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (“Luke Bryan: Dirt Road Diary”), became the reigning ACM and CMA Entertainer of the Year, performed live during halftime at the Dallas Cowboys game on Thanksgiving and wrapped up the year with a Times Square performance on ABC’s “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.”

For up to date information on Luke, the tour and tickets go to www.lukebryan.com or www.livenation.com.

https://twitter.com/lukebryanonline

https://www.facebook.com/lukebryan

http://instagram.com/lukebryan

Lauren Alaina releases the official music video for her playful new single, “Next Boyfriend.” Currently playing on country radio, “Next Boyfriend” is the first track off Lauren’s recently released self-titled EP on Mercury Nashville / 19 / Interscope Records. The video, directed by TK McKamy, provides a fun, high-energy visual perfectly matching the clever tune. View HERE.

Lauren, while joking around with cheesy pick up lines, wrote the catchy “Next Boyfriend” with Matt McVany and Emily Weisband. Along with “Next Boyfriend,” Lauren co-wrote all tracks on her five-song EP including “History,” a song specifically recorded as an exclusive promo track for ESPN’s extensive college and professional football coverage this season. To preview and purchase the Lauren Alaina EP, visit umgn.us/LaurenEP.

In addition to touring, writing and working on her full length album, Lauren hosts “SWAK,” a weekly web series with My Country Nation where Lauren tackles a wide variety of relatable, awkward life experiences. The series quickly took off with fans and is currently in its second installment. New “SWAK” videos post every Tuesday on Lauren’s official Facebook page – Facebook.com/LaurenAlaina.

For more information on Lauren, her new EP and music, visit www.LaurenAlainaOfficial.com.

www.LaurenAlainaOfficial.com | Facebook.com/LaurenAlaina | Twitter @Lauren_Alaina | Instagram.com/IamLaurenAlaina

Keith Urban has long been hailed as one of the industry’s best live performers who has always given his fans, old and new alike, electrifying and unpredictable shows with eye-popping production and a set list that is saturated with many of his 19 No. 1 songs.  Electrifying and emotional, face-paced and inclusive, Urban’s concerts are an explosive experience, a roller coaster ride that numerous critics have called “concert events not to be missed.”

‘RipCORD World Tour 2016’ with Brett Eldredge, along with special guest Maren Morris, will debut on June 2nd, in Kansas City, Missouri and thus far will play more than 50 shows in amphitheaters and arenas throughout the U.S.  Additional legs will be announced and ticket on sales, which will begin in select markets on January 29^th, will become available locally within the next few weeks.

“I’m seriously chomping at the bit to kick off this tour,” said Urban.  “We’ll be playing a lot of new music from RipCORD, all new production, new cities where we’ve never played …and Brett Eldredge and Maren Morris?  It’s gonna be potent and unbridled!!!”

‘RipCORD World Tour 2016’ will not only see Urban’s first headlining shows ever in Youngstown (Ohio), Lincoln (Nebraska), Orange Beach (Alabama), Bloomington (Illinois) and Myrtle Beach (South Carolina), but will see his return to several cities in which he hasn’t appeared in three years, including Tampa (Florida), Kansas City (Missouri), Lake Tahoe (Nevada) and West Palm Beach (Florida).

“I was a Keith Urban fan long before I ever got this music thing going,” said Eldredge.  “He is an absolute powerhouse on stage – unlike anyone I’ve ever seen and to top it all off, one of the most down to earth people I know! The Ripcord tour is gonna be on fire! Get ready!”

“When I was asked to join Keith on tour, I was floored,” said Morris.  “I’ve personally been a fan of his for as long as I can remember. This is my first tour at this level, and I can’t think of a more respected writer, artist, and musician to join for it. It’s going to be an absolute blast!”

Urban’s ‘RipCORD World Tour 2016’ will debut on the heels of his soon to be released eighth studio album release of the same name, which has already produced two singles – his Grammy nominated, 19^th No. 1 song, “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” and its second single “Break On Me.”  It is the follow-up to Urban’s groundbreaking release FUSE, his fourth #1 album, that marked the first time in history that a male Country artist had debuted atop the all-genre charts in the U.S., Canada and Australia.

KEITH URBAN “RIPCORD WORLD TOUR” 2016

June 2                Kansas City, MO                 Cricket Wireless Amphitheater

June 3                St. Louis, MO                      Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

June 4                Indianapolis, IN                  Klipsch Music Center

June 10              Myrtle Beach, SC (festival)  Carolina Country Music Fest

June 11              Alpharetta, GA (Atlanta)      Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

                                                                    at Encore Park

June 16              Orange Beach, AL               The Wharf Amphitheater

June 17              Tampa, FL                          MIDFLORIDA Credit Union

                                                                    Amphitheatre

June 18              West Palm Beach, FL          Perfect Vodka Amphitheater

June 23              Clarkston, MI (Detroit)        DTE Energy Music Theatre

June 24              Canandaigua, NY                Constellation Brands-Marvin

                                                                    Sands Performing Arts Center

June 25              Mansfield, MA (Boston)       Xfinity Center

July 2                 Gilford, NH                         Bank of New Hampshire

                                                                    Pavilion at Meadowbrook

July 9                 Toronto, ON                        Molson Canadian Amphitheatre

July 14               Cincinnati, OH                   Riverbend Music Center

July 15               Cleveland, OH                     Blossom Music Center

July 16               Holmdel, NJ                        P.N.C. Bank Arts Center

July 21               Salt Lake City, UT               USANA Amphitheatre

July 22               Greenwood Village, CO        Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre

July 23               Albuquerque, NM                Isleta Amphitheater

July 28               Mountain View, CA             Shoreline Amphitheatre

July 29               Lake Tahoe, Stateline NV    Lake Tahoe at Harvey’s Outdoor

                                                                    Amphitheatre

August 18           Charlotte, NC                      PNC Music Pavilion

August 19           Raleigh, NC                        Walnut Creek Amphitheatre

August 20           Virginia Beach, VA              Farm Bureau Live at Virginia

                                                                    Beach

August 25           Syracuse, NY                      Lakeview Amphitheater

August 26           Philadelphia, PA                  BB&T Pavilion

August 27           Washington, DC                  Jiffy Lube Live

October 6            Bismarck, ND                     Bismarck Civic Center

October 8            Lincoln, NE                         Pinnacle Bank Arena

October 13          San Antonio, TX                  AT&T Center

October 14          Dallas, TX                          American Airlines Center

October 15          New Orleans, LA                 Smoothie King Center

October 20          Los Angeles, CA                  Staples Center

October 21          Las Vegas, NV                     T-Mobile Arena

October 22          Phoenix, AZ                        Talking Stick Resort Arena

October 27          Grand Rapids, MI                Van Andel Arena

October 28          Rosemont, IL (Chicago)        Allstate Arena

October 29          Toledo, OH                          Huntington Center

November 4         Milwaukee, WI                    BMO Harris Bradley Center

November 5         Minneapolis, MN                 Target Center

November 11       Nashville, TN                      Bridgestone Arena

November 12       Bloomington, IL                   U.S. Cellular Coliseum

November 13       Youngstown, OH                 The Covelli Centre

November 17       Hershey, PA                        Giant Center

November 18       Uncasville, CT                    Mohegan Sun Arena

November 19       Brooklyn, NY                       Barclays Center

About Brett Eldredge

Brett Eldredge’s current single, “Drunk On Your Love” is the second single from his recently released sophomore album Illinois and is currently nearing Top 20. Illinois debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart and No. 3 on the Billboard top 200 Chart and has already produced the No. 1 single “Lose My Mind.” The 2014 CMA New Artist of the Year co-wrote and co-produced every song on the 12 set disc, which follows on the heels of his 2013 debut album Bring You Back. That album spawned three consecutive #1 singles including thePlatinum-certified “Don’t Ya,” the Gold-certified “Beat of the Music,” which was the most played country song of 2014, and the Gold-certified “Mean To Me.”

Known for his world-class vocals, Eldredge has performed his songs on nearly every major television show in the country, and recently wrapped his first headline tour, CMT on Tour: Brett Eldredge & Thomas Rhett — Suits & Boots.

About Maren Morris

25 year-old Columbia Nashville singer/songwriter Maren Morris has quickly established herself in Nashville’s music community with songwriting and vocal styling’s that reflect her country, folk and pop influences, with Rolling Stone Country touting her “a stellar solo artist in her own right.”  Songs from her self-titled EP, have been critically received and just two weeks after its release surpassed 5.5 million streams, with 3 songs hitting Spotify’s US and Global “Viral 50” chart, zipping to #1 on Billboard’s Heat Seeker Album Chart. The Texas native was named one of CMT’s Next Women of Country, a VEVO Discover Artist, a SiriusXM “Artist To Watch in 2016,” and one of Rolling Stone Country’s “10 New Country Artists You Need To Know.”

For more official keith urban news and information go to www.keithurban.net or follow him on www.facebook.com/keithurban or @keithurban.

For PLATINUM selling singer/songwriter Dierks Bentley, it seems the most personal songs are also the ones most universally relatable to his fans. On his upcoming release, he raises the bar on that idea as he candidly explores the farthest corners of his own heart. His eighth studio album BLACK is set for release in early 2016. Fans can pre-order the collection now on Dierks.com and have access to extra tracks, bonus videos, special merchandise and VIP Black Card member experiences with Bentley on his 2016 tour.

“It’s a relationship album. And to do it right, I had to dig deep as a writer, dig into the Nashville songwriting community, and record songs that explore the shadows and edges of the heart. The songs on BLACK range from the lonesomeness of an impossible relationship to ones that describe the feeling of finding that person that makes you forget the one that broke your heart.”

Parts of the album are sexy, intimate and tender, some are quick-witted and wild, other pieces are broken, desperate, longing. As a result, some of the songs’ messages aren’t always flattering, but they’re inevitably candid.

“There’s a realness to the concept, the songs, the process and the production,” says Bentley. “And the title…BLACK is mysterious and sexy and has an edge that describes the sounds we were going for. A lot of it happens after dark, in the black of night. It’s personal too…Black is my wife’s maiden name.”

Dierks reassembled the RISER production team, including producer Ross Copperman and executive producer Arturo Buenahora Jr., and they collectively embraced the challenge of advancing Bentley’s sound while mining his past romantic successes and failures. Recording began cautiously in February 2015, but Bentley allowed the album to simmer for months while he pursued his SOUNDS OF SUMMER TOUR. He delved in again in the fall, building a project that’s both revealing and simultaneously mysterious. Fans will get their first hint at the results when Capitol Nashville releases the lead single in the coming weeks.

Instead of rehashing proven formulas, Bentley has doggedly reinvented his sound on every album and subsequently developed an uncommon mix of commercial success and critical respect. Each of his albums has developed its own identity and/or conceptual theme, be it the classic-country texture of MODERN DAY DRIFTER, the bluegrass/Americana bent of UP ON THE RIDGE or the resilience at the core of his last album, 2014’s RISER.

Today at 6:30P CT, Bentley will host a Twitter chat with fans who can participate by following @DierksBentley. For more information on upcoming events and new music, visit www.dierks.com.

Scotty McCreery will perform the National Anthem at the American Football Conference (AFC) Divisional Playoff Game held at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. on Saturday, January 16th.  The game, which will air live on CBS at 4:35 PM ET (3:35 PM CT), will pit the home team and reigning Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots, against the Kansas City Chiefs.

McCreery is a die-hard Patriots fan who performed for the team members and their guests at their “Welcome to Arizona Party” last year prior to the team winning the 2015 Super Bowl.  “My Dad, who was raised in New England, instilled a love of the New England Patriots in me from birth,” said McCreery. “I was at the Super Bowl last year when they won – maybe that makes me their good luck charm. I cannot wait to sing in Gillette Stadium and then cheer the Patriots on to another victory!”

The singer/songwriter is gearing up for a busy 2016. His first book, Go Big or Go Home: The Journey Toward the Dream, will be in stores on May 3.  Named “Country Music’s Sexiest Man 2015” by the readers of NASH Country Weekly Magazine, McCreery will return to the studio soon to finish work on his upcoming new album, which will be released later this year. The music video for the album’s first single, “Southern Belle,” was the No. 1 video on GAC-TV’s “Top 20 Countdown” going into the recent holidays.

The Mercury Nashville / 19 / Interscope recording artist burst onto the national music scene in 2011 at age 17 as the winner of “American Idol” Season 10 and quickly established himself as one of country music’s hottest new stars. Now 22 years old, the talented singer/songwriter has sold more than 2.5 million albums and received both Platinum and Gold album certifications, debuted three consecutive albums at No. 1 on a Billboard chart, and achieved one Gold and three Platinum-certified singles and two Top Ten hits. McCreery has earned the Academy of Country Music’s New Artist of the Year Award (2011), CMT Music Award for Breakthrough Video of the Year (for “The Trouble with Girls” in 2012), American Country Award for New Artist of the Year (2011) and Breakthrough Artist of the Year (2013), and a BMI Award for writing one of the Top 50 Country Songs of the year (for his Top Ten hit “See You Tonight” in 2015).  For tour schedules and more information, visit www.ScottyMcCreery.com. Follow McCreery on social media at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The final season of American Idol kicked off last week, and not only were the judges – Keith Urban, Harry Connick Jr. and Jennifer Lopez – were blown away by the immense talent during the first round of auditions, but the rest of the nation, including Mickey Guyton, were as well. In addition to the other contestants, 15-year-old Tristian McIntosh from Nashville, stunned the judges with a piano version of Mickey’s song, “Why Baby Why” and then brought them to tears when her mother, Amy, who is deployed overseas, surprised her during the audition and gave her the golden ticket to send her on to Hollywood.

Mickey first heard of Tristan several months ago when the young girl posted a video of herself singing “Why Baby Why” on Instagram. “I actually heard of Tristan about six months ago when my EP came out while I was on tour with Brad [Paisley], and she posted a video of her singing ‘Why Baby Why.’ I actually posted it on my Instagram, and I was like this girl is really freaking talented, and the fact that she’s 15 is just insane,” says Mickey.  “Once I saw the actual audition, it was just so, so emotional, like I’m still a mess. I can barely talk about it now, because of how special it is…It was a really cool moment for me.”

American Idol airs Wednesday and Thursday nights at 8pm ET on Fox.

Dierks Bentley is looking forward to hosting this year’s ACM Awards with his buddy Luke Bryan. He says he’s already been jotting down a few ideas that could make their way onto the show, but he will also be relying quite heavily on the talents of a few other folks, as well.

“I’ve got a couple of ideas that I’ve been putting down in my phone, and we’re getting ready to do some promo stuff here pretty soon, so we’ll start getting together on that,” says Dierks. “There are some great writers that write for the ACMs, and so we’ll lean on those folks and hopefully contribute some of our own things, as well. But, I think down to the end of it, it just comes down to me having a few drinks and just being loose, you know? I’ve had some shows where I really plan out what I’m going to say, then I’ve had other shows where I’m like, take a sip of the Old Smokey Moonshine and just let it be natural and cross your fingers that you say the right things. I think it’s kind of a combination of the two.”

The 51st Annual Academy of Country Music Awards will air live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas April 3^rd at 8pm ET on CBS.