January 6, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

Courtesy of No Shoes ReefsKenny Chesney’s love of the ocean is longstanding and well-documented, and now, the singer’s helping launch a new initiative to give back to the oceanic ecosystem off Delray Beach, in Palm Beach County, Florida.

The singer’s No Shoes Reefs — in partnership with Coastal Conservation Association Florida and other organizations dedicated to protecting the ocean — will begin development on a 32-acre underwater reef park constructed of 13 10,000-pound artificial “reef balls.”

Kenny says he hopes that the new endeavor will help boost local economy, tourism and a thriving marine ecosystem with various species of fish, invertebrates and more.

“Love the water, give back to the water,” the singer comments. “Many people don’t realize both how fragile and resilient the ocean’s ecosystems are, and I think it’s the small projects that raise awareness on local levels that help people understand the ocean is a living thing.” 

Kenny has continued to embrace his No Shoes Nation mindset of gratitude and love of the natural world throughout 2020, and released his chart-topping Here and Now album in May of last year.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

January 6, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABCTwo particularly digital-savvy country superstars — Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs — are partially responsible for a 19 percent increase in the genre’s on-demand listening in 2020 over the previous year, according to data from Rolling Stone.

Luke came in 17th place in an all-genre ranking of top streaming artists — and he’s the only country star to land inside the Top 20, with 2.7 billion total streams for the year. That’s a 40 percent increase over his streams in 2019, and it’s largely due to the runaway success of his sophomore effort, What You See is What You Get.

Luke has made a name for himself as an innovative performer in the digital and social media space: He often leaks snippets of unreleased songs or demos to engage his fans in helping decide which songs deserve spots on his albums.

Morgan’s found success in that vein too. His single “7 Summers” started out as a viral TikTok hit, and it wasn’t until he saw the fan reaction to the song that he decided to officially release it.

The rising star, whose sophomore album, the double-disc Dangerous, comes out on Friday, raked in 1.9 billion streams in 2020. While that number is significantly less than Luke’s 2.7 billion, Morgan has seen a greater jump from the previous year: His 2020 streaming numbers show a whopping 177 percent increase over the 677 million he pulled in in 2019.

Other country stars who helped country’s jump in on-demand streaming include Gabby Barrett, Parker McCollum, Hardy, Maddie & Tae and Koe Wetzel.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

January 6, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Stewart CookAmerican Idol will return to ABC for its 19th season next month, and it just might be the show’s most emotional season to date.

The show will be extra special this time around, in part because it marks Idol’s return to full-scale — but COVID-safe — production after being affected by the pandemic in 2020. Then, of course, there’s the simply fact that fans and artists alike have been deeply missing live music during quarantine.

The show’s judges, Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan, certainly aren’t immune to the magic of a powerful voice, either. In fact, according to a promo clip shared in advance of the premiere, Luke even gets misty-eyed watching one contestant audition.

“This is the first time just someone singing made me cry,” the country star says during the emotional moment.

2020 has been a wild ride for the “One Margarita” superstar, whose current single, “Down to One,” is currently inside of country radio’s Top 20. He’ll return to his role as judge on Idol when the show resumes on February 14 on ABC.

This Valentine's Day, #AmericanIdol is back with a new inspiring season. 🌟💘 #RockinEve pic.twitter.com/bIi5sdymiB

— American Idol (@AmericanIdol) January 1, 2021

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

January 6, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image Group LALike every other aspect of the music industry, country stars’ merch offerings have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

For Kacey Musgraves, that meant getting creative, swapping out tour t-shirts for things like bath bombs, socks and tie-dye kits, which fans can enjoy from the comfort of their homes during quarantine. In conversation with The New York Times, the singer pointed out that the change in routine posed an opportunity to test out some new merch items. 

“I think this year has shown everyone how far a little self-care can go,” Kacey comments. “…Our homes have all had to become our sanctuaries. A little thing like a scent or a bath bomb or pausing for five minutes, or learning how not to beat yourself up for not being as productive as you wish you could have been.”

One of the singer’s most popular pandemic-era items is her “Slow Burn” candle, a collaboration with Boy Smells, which is named after a fan-favorite track off her Golden Hour album.

Plus, Kacey adds that she gets just as much out of developing new merch ideas as her fans do from enjoying the finished project.“If anything, I love creating the merch for myself, just to keep a creative wheel spinning and to bring some joy to people who have enjoyed the songs,” she muses.

As far as musical pursuits go, Kacey recently had a guest spot in Australian singer-songwriter Troye Sivan’s “Easy” remix.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.