Universal Universal Music Group Nashville Pressroom

Kacey Musgraves will perform on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Monday (October 8th).

Dierks Bentley unveils the video for his song, “Burning Man,” with Brothers Osborne on Monday (October 8th).

https://twitter.com/DierksBentley/status/1049109589667602433

Carrie Underwood will perform on the American Music Awards on Tuesday (October 9th).

Kassi Ashton is set for the CMA’s Country Music Songwriters Series show at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on October 22nd. She’ll be joined by tunesmiths Chris DeStefano, Ashley Campbell and Tenille Townes.

https://twitter.com/o2sbe/status/1049275765521567744

Multi-platinum-selling global superstar Carrie Underwood has spent the last month sharing her critically-acclaimed album Cry Pretty with the world. From coast-to-coast U.S. promotion including an emotional profile with CBS Sunday Morning, impromptu karaoke with Jimmy Fallon and The Ellen Show, Underwood has also traveled to the Netherlands, Germany and Australia.

In this photo released by Warner Bros., talk show host Ellen DeGeneres is seen during a taping of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” at the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, Calif. (Photo by Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.)

In the Netherlands, she promoted the album in Amsterdam, as well as, performing at the 3^rd annual Tuckerville Festival in Enschede, which was attended by fans from all over Europe. The trip to Holland was followed by a round of promotion in Berlin, Germany before U.S. appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Ellen Show, as well as, stellar album reviews from Rolling Stone, NPR and Consequence of Sound.  Additionally, Carrie introduced a new song and show open for her sixth season as the voice of Sunday Night Football, primetime television’s No.1 weekly program.

(Photo Credit: Cameron Premo)

Before heading to Australia for more international promotion, Underwood was joined by family and friends for her star ceremony and induction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as well as, a performance at the iHeart Radio Music Festival in Las Vegas, NV.

(Photo Credit: Cameron Premo)

In Australia, she performed in front of a live audience on The AFL Footy Show’s Grand Final Edition from Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena and headlined the iconic Deni Ute Muster’s 20^th Anniversary Festival in Deniliquin, New South Wales, for a crowd of nearly 18,000 people.  In addition to appearances on ABC News Breakfast and her third on Australia’s nightly news and entertainment program, The Project, she performed an outdoor concert live from Melbourne’s Federation Square on Sunrise, the No. 1 breakfast show, as part of their annual Grand Final Brekky Party, leading up to the country-wide AFL Grand Final weekend celebrations.

The UK’s Music Week says, “While it is with a reasonable degree of certainty that artists will typically herald their latest album as their most personal to date, in Underwood’s case that claim has authenticity…Underwood’s career stands as an exemplar of how to do everything right.”

In the coming weeks Underwood will have several performances including the 2018 American Music Awards airing on ABC, where she is also nominated as Favorite Female Artist – Country. Her performance on Jimmy Kimmel LIVE! will air on October 9 following the AMA broadcast.  She is also being honored and will perform live at the 2018 CMT Artists of the Year special on October 17, which is dedicated to the women of Country music – past, present and future.  The following week she will join with the Grand Ole Opry in the fight against breast cancer on October 26, performing two shows for the special 10^th Annual “Opry Goes Pink.”  On November 14, she and Brad Paisley will co-host the CMA Awards for the 11th consecutive year.  Later that week, she will be inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

Cry Pretty debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Album Charts, making Underwood the only woman in history to land four country albums at the top of the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, as well as the first female country act to top the Billboard Artist 100 Chart. The critically-acclaimed album is the best-selling Country album debut of 2018. Cry Pretty’s debut week also marks the most first week streams by any female in Country music. This is Underwood’s seventh consecutive album to debut at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart, representing all of her first seven albums including her Greatest Hits: Decade #1.

The album is Underwood’s first release on Capitol Records Nashville and her first time co-producing alongside David Garcia.  She co-wrote nine of the songs on the album including her current single, “Love Wins,” with David Garcia and Brett James.

*She recently released the official music video for “Love Wins,” which was directed by Shane Drake. View HERE.

As previously announced, Underwood will launch a new arena tour, The Cry Pretty Tour 360 in Spring 2019.  Sponsored by CALIA, the new tour will kick off on May 1 in Greensboro, NC, and will play 55 arenas across the U.S. and Canada and be promoted by AEG Presents.  She will be joined on tour by special guests Maddie & Tae and Runaway June.

Links to Download Individual Collage Images Below:

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – New York City, New York (Photo Credit: Andrew Lipovsky/NBC)

The Ellen Show (Performance) – Los Angeles, California (Photo Credit: Michael Rozman/Warner Brothers)

The Ellen Show (Interview) – Los Angeles, California (Photo Credit: Michael Rozman/Warner Brothers)

3rd Annual Tuckerville Festival – Enschede, Netherlands (Photo Credit: Raymond van Olphen)

3rd Annual Tuckerville Festival (Collage) – Enschede, Netherlands (Photo Credit: Cameron Premo)

RBB Radio – Berlin, Germany (Photo Credit: Cameron Premo)

Hollywood Walk of Fame – Los Angeles, California (Photo Credit: Cameron Premo)

iHeart Radio Music Festival – Las Vegas, Nevada (Photo Credit: Cameron Premo)

The AFL Footy Show’s Grand Final Edition – Melbourne, Australia (Photo Credit: Cameron Premo)

Deni Ute Muster’s 20th Anniversary Festival – Deniliquin, New South Wales, Australia (Photo Credit: Cameron Premo)

The Project – Melbourne, Australia (Photo Credit: The Project)

Sunrise’s Grand Final Brekky Party – Melbourne, Australia (Photo Credit: Sunrise)

Multi-platinum-selling country artist Josh Turner exclusively premiered the live performance video for “I Saw The Light” on parade.com on Thursday (October 4th). The track, featured on his highly anticipated album, I Serve A Savior, boasts Turner’s rich, distinctive baritone. With an inventive arrangement, the South Carolina native makes the well-known hymn uniquely his own.

Filmed live at Gaither Studios, Turner’s performance of “I Saw The Light” can be found on the complimenting 90-minute live performance DVD set to release in addition to the 12-track studio project. The DVD will feature a special interview of Turner with gospel legend Bill Gaither, a performance by the Turner family and more. The DVD will also be edited to air as a one-hour television special hosted by Bill Gaither and will air this fall on numerous networks across the U.S. and Canada.

“This is a Hank Williams song that I’ve always loved and I’m proud to have it on this record,” Turner exclusively shared with Parade.com. “I hope fans love the new arrangement of it!”

I Serve A Savior is now available for pre-order with two instant grat tracks ahead of its Oct. 26 unveiling. Turner has now released two songs from the anticipated project, “I Serve A Savior” and his latest “I Saw The Light,” featuring gospel’s Sonya Isaacs. Adding a new dimension to the GRAMMY® nominee’s already acclaimed career, the faith-based collection includes hand-picked hymns, alongside brand-new originals and live recordings of some of Turner’s most memorable hits including “Me and God” and “Long Black Train.”

Check out Josh’s Gospel Greats playlist here. To pre-order Josh Turner’s I Serve A Savior, click here.

About Josh Turner:
With his rich, deep voice and distinctive style, MCA Nashville recording artist Josh Turner is one of country music’s most recognizable hit-makers. From his 2003 Platinum-selling debut Long Black Train to his 2017 Billboard No. 1 release, Deep South, Turner has scored multiple GRAMMY®, CMA and ACM Awards nominations and received six Inspirational Country Music Awards. As one of the youngest members inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, Turner has sold more than 8 million units, topped more than 1.5 billion in global streaming and populated radio with such memorable hits as “Hometown Girl,” “Would You Go With Me,” “Your Man,” “Time Is Love,” “Why Don’t We Just Dance” and “Long Black Train.”

With his newest project, I Serve A Savior, Turner adds an exciting new dimension to his already acclaimed career.

I Serve A Savior is a thoughtful gospel collection that finds Turner’s rich, distinctive baritone paired with timeless classics including “Amazing Grace,” “How Great Thou Art” and “Great Is Your Faithfulness,” as well as introducing originals including the title track, “I Serve A Savior,” and “The River (of Happiness),” written by his wife, Jennifer, and their eldest son, Hampton.

Turner is a disciple of traditional country music, a mentor to up-and-coming artists, and one of the youngest members of the Grand Ole Opry.  Turner has been an Opry member for over 10 years and he recently reveled in his 150th performance on the famed Opry circle.

The Hannah, S.C. native has been songwriting and performing since he was a child, and in support of music education, he created The Josh Turner Scholarship Fund to assist students interested in pursuing a future in arts and music. As a high school student, Turner had very little access to music education, therefore realizes first-hand the importance of arts education in schools. For more information on Josh Turner including a list of his upcoming tour dates, visit www.JoshTurner.com.

Get Connected with Josh Turner:
Website: http://joshturner.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshturner/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshturnermusic/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/joshturnermusic

After a 20-plus city, sold-out U.S. tour, Grammy-award winning foursome Little Big Town will extend The Breakers Tour into Canada. The highly-anticipated ten-city run begins February 14^th in London, Ontario and will conclude March 2^nd in Abbotsford, BC. All shows will feature special guests, Midland and Ashley McBryde.

Tickets for The Breakers Canada Tour go on-sale Friday, October 12^th at 10am local time (excluding London and Winnipeg). London and Winnipeg will follow at 12pm local time.

Pre-sale tickets and a special VIP package launch NOW on www.littlebigtown.com (password: BETTERMAN). The VIP experience, offered throughout the tour, will include a private, pre-show acoustic performance from the band, limited edition merchandise, and more.

The Breakers Canada Tour Dates and Markets:

FEB 14                 LONDON, ONT

FEB 15                 OSHAWA, ONT

FEB 19                 WINNIPEG, MB

FEB 20                 SASKATOON, SK

FEB 21                 REGINA, SK

FEB 23                 CALGARY, AB

FEB 24                 EDMONTON, AB

FEB 26                 LETHBRIDGE, AB

MAR 1                  PENTICTON, BC

MAR 2                  ABBOTSFORD, BC

About Little Big Town:

GRAMMY, ACM, CMA, and AMA Award-winning group, Little Big Town — consisting of members Karen Fairchild, Phillip Sweet, Kimberly Schlapman, and Jimi Westbrook — first entered the music scene over 20 years ago with hit songs “Boondocks,” “Bring It On Home,” “Good As Gone” and the GRAMMY-nominated “Little White Church.” Their breakthrough albums Tornado and Pain Killer produced multiple #1 singles, including “Pontoon,” “Tornado,” and “Day Drinking,” as well as the history-making, best-selling country single of the year (2015) “Girl Crush.”  Released February 24, 2017, Little Big Town’s last studio album, The Breaker, debuted #1 on the Billboard Country Charts and Top 10 (No.4) on the Billboard 200 to critical acclaim, marking the group’s fourth Top 10 debut on the Billboard 200 chart. The album features their GRAMMY-winning, multi-week #1 single, “Better Man,” as well as “When Someone Stops Loving You.”

Little Big Town has earned more than 40 award show nominations and in the past five years has taken home nearly 20 awards, including multiple GRAMMY, AMA, People’s Choice, CMA, ACM awards, and an Emmy award. Currently the reigning CMA and ACM Vocal Group of the Year, the Country Music Hall of Fame inductees (2014) went onto receive their star on the Nashville Walk of Fame in 2017. Also in 2017, Little Big Town hosted a sold-out, year-long artist residency at the famed Ryman Auditorium in Nashville — marking the venue’s first-ever, year-long residency in its 125-year history. The band also recently launched 4 Cellars wine, their first non-musical project as a band, with Browne Family Vineyards. On July 26^th The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville launched their new, yearlong exhibit called LITTLE BIG TOWN: THE POWER OF FOUR showcasing the bands powerful and storied 20-year history within the country music community.

For more information on Little Big Town visit LittleBigTown.com or follow them @littlebigtown.

In August’s candid Rolling Stone cover story shortly after Eric Church announced his sixth album was in the works, readers learned exactly what the North Carolinian has been shouldering since his Holdin’ My Own Tour wrapped last May. It was the first time the songwriter had spoken out regarding the turmoil and angst of the last year, his processing of it all and the outcome: a collection of 11 songs that tell a broader story with today’s release of Desperate Man. 

His longest stretch amid albums, Church’s pause between Mr. Misunderstood and Desperate Man was intentional. “I still felt shook up pretty good,” he says of the time he took following a serious health scare and having performed at Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas, where dozens of country music fans lost their lives. “I wasn’t ready yet, wasn’t settled from all that happened – I was still reeling from Vegas, I felt displaced and not really connected to anything. I had to get back to enjoying what we were making and finding refuge in the music as a bit of an anchor.”

But then came a breakthrough for the man Music Connection declares “a frankly magnificent songwriter,” in the form of two songs that represented an entirely new direction.

“The Snake” – the first song greeting listeners on the album described by Esquire as “brilliant” – is a menacing, spoken-word parable with a political undertone. “The rattlesnake and the copperhead—that’s left/right, blue/red, however you say it,” says Church. “They sit there and fight all day to rile people up and then go get a drink. They’re working together while the whole world is burning down.”

Then, immediately after, he wrote a simple song called “Hippie Radio,” an acoustic meditation on the ways that music is there to mark different phases in your life. And suddenly, Church started to get a notion of where this project might be headed – to a place Rolling Stone dubs “classic Church: expertly crafted and country radio-friendly, while also pushing boundaries in a way that sounds natural and unforced.”

His songwriting prowess serves as the backbone of the project, with Vulture noting that his “devastating pen is pushed to center stage” as “Desperate Man weaves excellence out of ordinary threads.” Church, who had a hand in writing all 11 songs on the album, is also praised by the LA Times as “one of Nashville’s most forthright truth-tellers,” resulting in “a warm, appealingly ragged collection infused with wisdom and reassurance” which American Songwriter declares as “his most adventuresome album yet.”

NPR opines in this week’s First Listen, “On Desperate Man, Church embodies his heroic image even more completely and convincingly than he has on the five albums that came before it.” As the New York Times acknowledges, “Church has never been an easy fit into Nashville’s familiar boxes – his music is as much rock as it is country” with Stereogum observing that this renegade spirit is what sets him apart: “Church is someone who’s at the top of his genre because he breaks its rules in big, exciting, arena-filling ways. If that’s not a rock star, I don’t know what is.”

The three-time Country Music Association and seven-time Academy of Country Music Award winner confessed to American Songwriter in their September/October cover story, “For how far we have evolved, we still have the same basic problems. We are all broken, and we are all going to break. It doesn’t matter how far we’ve come or how many pills we come up with or how much technology distracts us; we still want the same things. And you can get through anything in your life with a jukebox, and a bar,” [“Jukebox And A Bar” is one of three songs Church penned solo on the album].

And its closing track, “Drowning Man,” addresses the state of our times and the ways artists have (or haven’t) responded. “With what’s going on in the world, I felt forgotten, left behind,” says Church. “And if you go to any bar or concert in America, there are whole groups of forgotten people who are very much alike, who have more in common than not. There’s a lot of madness in the world that makes no sense, and it’s not all high tides and yachts.”

Desperate Man and tickets to Church’s 2019 Double Down Tour are available today, October 5. Get the album here and visit EricChurch.com for ticketing information.

Desperate Man Track List:

1. The Snake (Written by Eric Church, Jeremy Spillman and Travis Meadows)
2. Hangin’ Around (Written by Eric Church and Jeff Hyde)
3. Heart Like A Wheel (Written by Eric Church)
4. Some Of It (Written by Eric Church, Jeff Hyde, Clint Daniels and Bobby Pinson)
5. Monsters (Written by Eric Church and Jeff Hyde)
6. Hippie Radio (Written by Eric Church)
7. Higher Wire (Written by Eric Church, Casey Beathard and Scooter Carusoe)
8. Desperate Man (Written by Eric Church and Ray Wylie Hubbard)
9. Solid (Written by Eric Church and Anders Osborne)
10. Jukebox And A Bar (Written by Eric Church)
11. Drowning Man (Written by Eric Church and Casey Beathard)

Produced by Jay Joyce
Executive Producer Arturo Buenahora, Jr.

Multi-award-winning singer-songwriter and one of the hottest rising female artists in country music, Lauren Alaina, releases her new single “Ladies in the ’90s” today (October 5th) after teasing her new song last month on Instagram, creating a firestorm of anticipation with her fans. “Ladies In the ’90s” has shipped to country radio and goes for official radio adds on October 15th.

To purchase/stream “Ladies In the ’90s” click HERE.

Lauren co-wrote “Ladies In the ’90s” with Jesse Frasure and Amy Wadge. The fun upbeat song pays homage to the era and inspiration for her career path and namechecks some of her favorite 90s songs from mentors and artists who played a role in her journey to today including “Strawberry Wine” (Deana Carter), “…Baby One More Time” (Britney  Spears), “Fancy” (Reba), “Genie In a Bottle” (Christina Aguilera), “Vogue” (Madonna), “Man, I Feel Like A Woman” (Shania), “Breathe” (Faith Hill), “Cowboy Take Me Away” (Dixie Chicks) and more.

Known for her fun, high energy personality, Lauren is hosting ’90s themed VIP Parties as part of Cole Swindell and Dustin Lynch’s Reason To Drink … Another Tour.  The VIP packages include a special Q&A session with Lauren, an autographed poster, commemorative VIP Meet & Greet laminate, crowd-free merchandise shopping and more. Click HERE to purchase ’90s VIP ticket packages with Lauren. Tour dates and cities below.

Lauren, a 2018 CMA New Artist of the Year nominee, has been riding a wave of career highlights this year including multi-award wins, national tv performances and continuing her rise in country music as part of some of this year’s biggest tours in country music. Lauren recently wrapped with Jason Aldean’s High Noon Neon Tour 2018 and just joined Cole Swindell and Dustin Lynch for the Reason To Drink…Another Tour which kicked off last night in Tuscaloosa, AL. The tour is slated to run through the end of 2018.

In addition to hitting the road with five major tours in the past 12 months alone (Luke Bryan, Alan Jackson, Cole Swindell, Jason Aldean and now, Cole Swindell/Dustin Lynch), Lauren has also earned back-to-back major awards for ACM New Female Artist of the Year and CMT Collaborative Video of the Year, she co-hosted the prestigious 12^thAnnual ACM Honors, and she performed on the 38^th annual broadcast of the top-rated PBS special “A Capitol Fourth” alongside music legends like CeCe Winans, the Temptations, The Beach Boys, Pentatonix and more. For ABC’s CMA Fest TV special, Lauren joined her good friend Kane Brown for an electric performance of their now TRIPLE Platinum® selling No. 1 hit, “What Ifs,” which went to No. 1 simultaneously topping five Billboard charts.

For Lauren’s “Ladies In the ’90s” Playlist click HERE.

Reason To Drink… Another Tour with Cole Swindell and Dustin Lynch

Oct 4               Tuscaloosa, AL                       Tuscaloosa Amphitheatre

Oct 5               Simpsonville, SC                     Heritage Park Amphitheatre

Oct 6               Huntsville, AL                         Von Braun Arena

Oct 11             Wallingford, CT                       Toyota Oakdale Theatre

Oct 12             Worcester, MA                        DCU Event Center

Oct 13             Richmond, VA                         Richmond Coliseum

Oct 19             Sugarland, TX                         Smart Financial Center

Oct 20             New Braunfels, TX                 White Water Amphitheatre

Oct 25             Missoula, MT                          Adams Center

Oct 26             Bozeman, MT                         Brick Breeden Fieldhouse

Oct 27             Bismarck, ND                         Bismarck Events Center

Nov 1              San Jose, CA                           SJSU Event Center

Nov 2              Bakersfield, CA                       Rabobank Arena

Nov 3              Phoenix, AZ                            Comerica Theatre

Nov 8              Minneapolis, MN                     The Armory

Nov 9              Kearney, NE                            Viaero Event Center

Nov 10            Wichita, KS                              INTRUST Bank Arena

Nov 29            Duluth, GA                              Infinite Energy Arena

Nov 30            Jackson, MS                            Mississippi Coliseum

Dec 1              Tupelo, MS                               BancorpSouth Arena

Dec 6              Evansville, IN                           Ford Center

Dec 7              Moline, IL                                 TaxSlayer Center

Dec 8              Highland Heights, KY              BB&T Arena

Dec 13            Bossier City, LA                       CenturyLink Center

Dec 14            New Orleans, LA                     Champions Square

About Lauren Alaina:
Country star Lauren Alaina’s critically-acclaimed sophomore album, Road Less Traveled, landed on multiple “Best Of” lists including Billboard, Rolling Stone and Amazon, and it became the top-streamed female country album release of 2017. Praised as “full of life lessons and uplift” (PEOPLE), the collection of 12 songs all written by the young star includes Lauren’s first No. 1 smash, “Road Less Traveled,” the Top 25 hit “Doin’ Fine,” and the deeply personal and inspiring, “Three.” The “sassy Southerner with killer pipes” (PARADE) has shared the stage with superstars including Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan and Martina McBride, Jason Aldean and the Georgia native is currently on tour with Cole Swindell and Dustin Lynch. In addition to earning nominations for ACM Vocal Event of the Year and Billboard Music’s Top Country Song awards, Lauren took home this year’s ACM New Female Vocalist of the Year Award and CMT Collaborative Video of the Year Award for “What Ifs,” the triple-platinum selling No. 1 hit with childhood friend, Kane Brown. Lauren is one of CMT’s Next Women of Country and she received her first CMT Music Award for Breakthrough Video of the Year with her No. 1 hit “Road Less Traveled.”  Following the release of Road Less Traveled, Lauren has received nominations for the ACM Awards, CMA Awards, CMT Music Awards, Teen Choice Awards, Radio Disney Awards and Billboard Music Awards.

For more information and tour dates, please visit http://laurenalainaofficial.com/and follow Lauren at @Lauren_Alaina on Twitter, @laurenalaina on Instagram and on Facebook. For videos go to her YouTube (@LaurenAlainaAIVEVO)

Adam Hambrick just released his debut song, “Rockin’ All Night Long,” to country radio. Written by Adam along with Kelly Archer, and Pete Good, the nostalgic tune was inspired while the Arkansas native was rocking his daughter to sleep one night and thinking about how many of his favorite memories happened late into the night.

“I wrote ‘Rockin’ All Night Long’ with my friends Pete Good and Kelly Archer. I actually had this idea because I was staying up all night with my daughter, half-delirious, when she was very, very young,” says Adam. “And it’s really special for me to have this song as my first single, because I think it’s one of the most autobiographical songs I’ve ever written. It’s one of the songs that is most uniquely me I feel like that I’ve ever written.”

The song tells a reminiscent story marking the milestone moments from young adulthood to parenthood and pays homage to Don McClean’s 1971 hit “American Pie.”

It's always been my dream to make music, and today the dream is even more real. My first single #RockinAllNightLong is out, and I'm thrilled to be joining my label family at Capitol Nashville/Buena Vista. Thanks for listening and sharing: https://t.co/sou3Zoxjp0 pic.twitter.com/Sa2ULHqdyV

— Adam Hambrick (@adamhambrick) September 27, 2018

Adam will perform to a sold-out Ryman Auditorium, opening for Brett Young on October 10, marking the first time he will play the historic venue. Adam has had numerous cuts for other artists including Miranda Lambert and Eli Young Band, as well as No. 1 hits for Dan + Shay (“How Not To”) and Justin Moore (“Somebody Else Will”).

Adam is currently in the studio working on his debut album with producers Andrew DeRoberts (James Blunt) and Paul DiGiovanni (Blake Shelton).

Maddie & Tae cannot wait to hit the road with Carrie Underwood on The Cry Pretty Tour 360 next year. The duo is excited to be able to learn from the superstar, so they’ll definitely be watching as she hits the stage. The pair are also hopeful they’ll be able to write songs on tour with her and Runaway June, as well.

““There’s so much to be excited about going on tour with Carrie, but I think I’m most excited about just really learning from one of the best artists in the industry and one of the best entertainers,” says the duo’s Maddie Marlow, adding, “and just seeing a woman we’ve both admired for so long do her thing and getting to celebrate all the women on the tour…I feel like we’re gonna learn a lot!”

Bandmate Tae Dye agrees and says they might work in a little songwriting on the road, as well. “I think we’re gonna have some really good hangs, write a couple of songs. I feel like we might get on a bus or Runaway June’s bus and write a tune or two I feel like.”

Maddie & Tae are making their way up the country charts with “Friends Don’t,” the first release from their upcoming album.

Congratulations to @carrieunderwood on having the #1 album this week. What an amazing record! Is it May yet? #CryPrettyTour360 pic.twitter.com/VSp8YscyvT

— Maddie & Tae (@MaddieandTae) September 27, 2018

The gang is back together! Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and host Ryan Seacrest have returned for their second season of American Idol together on ABC. They’ve started traveling the country auditioning hopefuls, and Luke couldn’t be more excited to find the next American Idol.

“I’m more excited this year because I know what to expect. I’m not going to be scared the whole time. The fact that me and Lionel and Katy and Ryan we have one season under our belt; we know how much we can have fun with one another. We know how serious the contestants take it. We’re excited. I mean, I know we’re more excited than last year, just because we know what to expect, and it’s gonna be a lot of surprises and a lot of fun.”

And we’re back! A-Team reunited for the grand opening of @americanidol season 2 #TheNextIdol pic.twitter.com/AZV9U6wFmC

— Ryan Seacrest (@RyanSeacrest) October 3, 2018

Yasss @AmericanIdol Season 2 officially coming at you! #thenextidol pic.twitter.com/i2a6cJD4vq

— Lionel Richie (@LionelRichie) October 4, 2018

Luke, who is nominated for Favorite Male Country Artist at this year’s American Music Awards and Entertainer of the Year at next month’s CMA Awards, is back for the second week of his 10th annual Farm Tour in Archer, Florida Thursday (October 4th), North Augusta, South Carolina on Friday (October 5th) and Ringgold, Georgia on Saturday (October 6th).