Universal Universal Music Group Nashville Pressroom

Brandon Lay usually goes home to West Tennessee for the holidays, and he and his wife Nicole will be taking his new son, Ryder. During his time at home, he and his family are certain to catch his favorite Christmas movie, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, at least once or twice.

Brandon, whose single “Yada, Yada, Yada” is climbing the country charts, recalls his favorite Christmas gift that he still uses today. “My favorite Christmas present is a Craftsman toolbox that my Mom got for me. I think I was 17? And I love it, because I’ll have it forever and pass it down and anytime I get downtime and get that time to tinker with stuff, I think of her. So, that’s the one that stands out the most.”

Multi-Platinum singer/songwriter Kip Moore debuted his latest release ROOM TO SPARE: THE ACOUSTIC SESSIONS EP at No. 1 on the ARIA Country Album Chart in Australia. It debuted Top 20 in the ARIA main album chart landing at No. 18.

On hearing the news Kip said, “I’ve always felt a special connection with my fans in Australia and I’ve been so thankful for the way they have embraced my music. To debut another album at No. 1 on the ARIA Country Album Chart is a testament to that and I can’t wait to get back there for some shows we’re working up in the near future.”

ROOM TO SPARE: THE ACOUSTIC SESSIONS showcases Moore’s signature sound in a stripped-down setting, as his gritty vocals resonate through each track. The collection opens with an acoustic spin on fan-favorite and live-show staple “Plead The Fifth,” and keeps the momentum going with the hook-driven “Tennessee Boy.”  The longing and reflective “It Ain’t California,” offers another stand-out moment and also sees Moore collaborate with upcoming tourmate Charlie Worsham, who has co-writer and studio credits throughout the release.

Kip is currently sitting inside the Top 10 on U.S. country charts with his latest smash, “Last Shot.”

ROOM TO SPARE: THE ACOUSTIC SESSIONS Track List:
1. Plead The Fifth (Acoustic Version)
2. Tennessee Boy
3. Love You To The Moon
4. It Ain’t California
5. Wish It Was Me
6. Come Home With You
7. Part Of Growing Up

Eric Church is looking forward to launching his 2019 Double Down Tour in January. He will play two nights in each city (except for Nashville where he’ll play Nissan Stadium) and perform six albums worth of material. Unlike his Holdin’ My Own Tour in 2017 where he would sometimes play four different cities in less than a week (a trek that nearly killed him), he has spaced out his shows to a city a week.

The North Carolina native says he learned a lot from his previous tour and applied it to his new Double Down outing. “When we booked the last tour, we booked the tour before we decided to kind of show what we were going to do. So, we ended up with four or five shows a week sometimes at three hour shows, and it was tough physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. The whole thing was really, really hard on me, very draining,” says Eric. “So, this time knowing that we are going to do that, we booked it in a way that I think we can do that the best way. So, we’re going to a city, we’re going to stay in a city and we’re going to play three, three-and-a-half hours…We’re just gonna stay there and make it about this spiritual, musical experience. I think that’s what the last tour really taught me is there is a different level of where touring can go for us and for the fans. I had not experienced that in my career until the Holdin’ My Own Tour.”

Eric is currently sitting inside the Top 15 on the country charts with his latest hit, “Desperate Man.”

Eric Church’s 2019 Double Down Tour dates are as follows:
January 18, 2019     Omaha, NE                CHI Health Center+
January 19, 2019     Omaha, NE                CHI Health Center+
January 25, 2019     St. Louis, MO            Enterprise Center+
January 26, 2019     St. Louis, MO            Enterprise Center+
February 1, 2019     Boston, MA               TD Garden+
February 2, 2019     Boston, MA               TD Garden+
February 8, 2019     Minneapolis, MN      Target Center+
February 9, 2019     Minneapolis, MN      Target Center+
February 15, 2019   Detroit, MI                 Little Caesars Arena+
February 16, 2019   Detroit, MI                 Little Caesars Arena+
February 22, 2019   Cincinnati, OH           U.S. Bank Arena*
February 23, 2019   Cincinnati, OH           U.S. Bank Arena*
March 1, 2019         Kansas City, MO        Sprint Center+
March 2, 2019         Kansas City, MO        Sprint Center+
March 8, 2019         Toronto, ON               Scotiabank Arena+
March 9, 2019         Toronto, ON               Scotiabank Arena+
March 15, 2019       Greensboro, NC         Greensboro Coliseum+
March 16, 2019       Greensboro, NC         Greensboro Coliseum+
March 22, 2019       Chicago, IL                Allstate Arena*
March 23, 2019       Chicago, IL                Allstate Arena*
March 29, 2019       Milwaukee, WI          Fiserv Forum+
March 30, 2019       Milwaukee, WI          Fiserv Forum+
April 12, 2019         Dallas, TX                 American Airlines Center*
April 13, 2019         Dallas, TX                 American Airlines Center*
April 19, 2019         Cleveland, OH           Quicken Loans Arena*
April 20, 2019         Cleveland, OH           Quicken Loans Arena*
April 26, 2019         Greenville, SC           Bon Secours Wellness Arena*
April 27, 2019         Greenville, SC           Bon Secours Wellness Arena*
May 3, 2019            Pittsburgh, PA            PPG Paints Arena+
May 4, 2019            Pittsburgh, PA            PPG Paints Arena+
May 10, 2019          Denver, CO                Pepsi Center*
May 11, 2019          Denver, CO                Pepsi Center*
May 17, 2019          Los Angeles, CA       STAPLES Center*
May 18, 2019          Los Angeles, CA       STAPLES Center*
May 25, 2019          Nashville, TN            Nissan Stadium#
June 28, 2019          George, WA               The Gorge Amphitheatre#
June 29, 2019          George, WA               The Gorge Amphitheatre#
+on sale October 5 at 10am local time
*on sale October 12 at 10am local time
#on sale October 19 at 10am local time

Here are some holiday liners from UMG Nashville artists, including Adam Hambrick, Alan Jackson, Billy Currington, Brandon Lay, Brothers Osborne, Carrie Underwood, Clare Dunn, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Gary Allan, George Strait, Jon Langston, Jon Pardi, Jordan Davis, Josh Turner, Keith Urban, Kip Moore, Lauren Alaina, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Sam Hunt, Travis Denning and more!

Brothers Osborne are currently across the pond playing shows in the U-K. Their last scheduled show of the year is in London on December 2nd. The reigning CMA Duo of the Year love the sights and sounds of Christmas.

“I love the overall feel and look at that time of year, because it’s starting to get really cold then and everything’s coming to a halt. It stays dark, so you have a lot of Christmas lights. I just love Christmas lights – they put you in such an amazing mood,” says John Osborne. “Just the sounds, like all the Christmas music and even shopping, which is quite possibly one of the most hectic things to do during the holidays. Even if we have all our shopping done, we’ll still go to the mall just because it’s so alive and vibrant and the colors and the music and the lights. I just love it. It’s a bit sensory overload, but I kinda dig that.”

Last year for Christmas, John and TJ hosted their family in Nashville. Spending time with their family has become very important to the duo. “Particularly as of late with John and I traveling a lot we don’t get a lot of family time at all. And so, as time goes on, I really value that more and more,” says TJ.

Brothers Osborne are currently climbing the country charts with “I Don’t Remember Me (Before You),”

Left to right: Mo Anderson, David Rainbolt, Ree Drummond, Paul Allen, Carrie Underwood, Jon R. Stuart
Photo credit: Oklahoma Hall of Fame

Seven-time Grammy Award-winning singer and Checotah-native Carrie Underwood was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame’s 91st class at the official ceremony on Thursday, November 15th, 2018, at the Renaissance Tulsa Hotel & Convention Center.  Induction into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame is the state’s highest honor with 698 individuals that have been recognized since the first class in 1928. Underwood’s friend and fellow Oklahoma-born country artist Bryan White presented her with this honor. Others in the 91^st class include Jon R. Stuart, Mo Anderson, Paul Allen, Charlie Christian, David Rainbolt, and Ree Drummond. This ceremony took place fresh off her 5^th win for “Female Vocalist of the Year” at the CMA Awards, which Underwood co-hosted the night prior with Brad Paisley for the 11^th consecutive year and performed her current hit single “Love Wins.”

Sorry it took me a few days to post, but it was such an honor to be inducted into the @oklahomahof last Thursday! Thanks, @bryan_white for being there for me…what a wonderful evening celebrating some pretty amazing Oklahomans! Thank you all for the… https://t.co/enxFTsUu4H pic.twitter.com/TBjpqvrxge

— Carrie Underwood (@carrieunderwood) November 21, 2018

Carrie released Cry Pretty, her first studio album on Capitol Records Nashville, on September 14.

Early next year, Carrie will launch The Cry Pretty Tour 360, which will kick off in May and will play 55 arenas across the U.S. and Canada.

Luke Bryan gets some of his famous friends to reveal what makes them country. Check it out:

#WhatMakesYouCountry celebrity edition. pic.twitter.com/1N0YANW8UX

— Luke Bryan (@lukebryan) November 20, 2018

Billboard announced this week it will honor Kacey Musgraves, as well as SZA and Hayley Kiyoko at its 13th annual Women in Music event in New York City December 6th, in conjunction with the release of its “Women in Music” issue.

Kacey will be honored with the innovator award, which recognizes female artists who challenge musical convention, create positive change and contribute new ideas both in and outside of their creative work. With her third No. 1 Country Albums release, Golden Hour, she has evolved her traditional country sound with daring vision, becoming an in-demand live act while serving as an advocate for inclusion and tolerance.

They will join Billboard’s Woman of the Year, Ariana Grande, Janelle Monae and Cyndi Lauper.

Luke Bryan’s Crash My Playa – 5^th Year Fiesta has added Luke Combs, who will headline one night, Chris Janson and Jake Owen as performers for the destination event taking place January 23-26, 2019 in Riviera Maya, Mexico. They join Luke Bryan who will headline two of the four nights and previously announced headliner Thomas Rhett along with Dustin Lynch and Lauren Alaina. Additional performers still to be announced.

The event’s host resort, the Barceló Maya, is sold-out with limited packages remaining at one of three other carefully selected tropical resorts. At all locations fans will enjoy royal treatment all weekend long including all-inclusive food and drink, 24-hour concierge service, convenient nightly shuttle transportation to the main stage performances,  daily onsite activities, offsite adventures like visiting Chichen Itza, zip-lining, and ATV tours, excursions including day trips to Tulum, official Crash My Playa – 5^th Year Fiesta merchandise packages, and more. To see highlights from last year’s event go HERE.

For more information about Crash My Playa – 5^th Year Fiesta 2019, how to book four or five night all-inclusive packages and payment plan details, please visit: www.crashmyplaya.com.

This summer Luke, who is making his way up the charts with his latest hit “What Makes You Country,” opened Nashville’s only six-floor entertainment facility in the heart of Music City, LUKE’S 32 BRIDGE FOOD + DRINK. In 2019 Luke, along with Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, will return to the judges table for a second season on ABC’s American Idol.

Luke Bryan takes over Pickler and Ben on Tuesday. He talks about his latest single, “What Makes You Country,” American Idol and his favorite holiday traditions. Check local listings for times.

TUNE IN ALERT: Luke’s taking over on @PicklerandBen tomorrow talking @AmericanIdol, #WhatMakesYouCountry, & his holiday traditions. Check your local listings here: https://t.co/Alk7DtAOoa #PicklerandBen pic.twitter.com/t3pM84Lqdz

— Luke Bryan (@lukebryan) November 19, 2018

Kacey Musgraves will be a guest judge during the highly-anticipated fourth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars. Her “weave-snatching” episode will air December 14th at 8pm ET on VH1.

https://twitter.com/KaceyMusgraves/status/1062088650488496130

Chris Stapleton will be among the artists paying tribute to the legendary Dolly Parton as MusiCares Person of the Year February 8th. Pink, Leon Bridges, Norah Jones, Shawn Mendes, Lauren Daigle and many more will also perform at the event taking place at the Los Angeles Convention Center two days prior to the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards.