December 30, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Matthew BerinatoKane Brown and his wife Katelyn are finding ways to amuse themselves at home.

Last week, Kane posted a blooper reel of himself trying to imitate his wife, promising that a full video was forthcoming. Kane delivered on this promise with a video of him and Katelyn attempting their best impressions of each other.

The clip begins with Kane on the elliptical, peddling ferociously with a towel wrapped around his head and a bottle of water in hand.  “Babe, how many calories do you usually burn? I’ve been going for two hours and I have 53,” he calls into the other room.  Apparently, “babe” is a word used frequently in the Brown household.

The camera then cuts to Kane, still with a towel on his head, approaching his wife, who is in character as her hubby, wearing a Pizza Hut hat and playing video games, getting furious when she loses the game after Kane asks her to cuddle.

The video ends with Kane, aka Katelyn, spending so much time moisturizing his face before bed that he misses the movie his wife rented for them.

“Did you watch the whole movie?” he asks defensively while still in character. “Babe, you’ve been in there for over an hour. You’re going to bed, not out to dinner,” Katelyn replies as her husband.   

“Couple things,” the country superstar captions the video with an eye roll and crying laughing emoji.  

The couple wed in October 2018 and welcomed their daughter Kingsley one year later.

By Cillea Houghton
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

December 30, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

UMG NashvilleCarrie Underwood is riding high on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. 

This week, Carrie scored her first top-10 hit on the chart in two years as her duet with John Legend, “Hallelujah,” soars to #3 and her other original Christmas tune, “Favorite Team of Year,” sits at #5. 

The last time Carrie was in the top 10 on the chart was when “Cry Pretty” peaked at #5 in 2018. She now has a total of 29 songs that have reached the top 10, 14 of which have made it to number one. 

Additionally, “Hallelujah” marks John’s first appearance in the top 10 on the Hot Country Songs chart. He previously charted inside the top 20 earlier this year with Kane Brown on their duet “Last Time I Say Sorry.” 

My Gift, the album that boasts “Hallelujah” and “Favorite Time of Year,” is currently spending its fifth week at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.

By Cillea Houghton
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

December 30, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABCKeith Urban is heading back Underground. 

When quarantine began back in March, Keith would perform original and cover songs for fans from his home, in a series titled Urban Underground, often with wife Nicole Kidman dancing by his side.

The country superstar will be hosting a holiday edition of the virtual show tonight, marking his final Urban Underground livestream of 2020.  

Fans can expect to see the singer, who’s been stationed with his family at their home in Australia, performing acoustic renditions of songs off his latest chart-topping album, The Speed of Now Part 1. 

Described in a statement as “authentic and spontaneous,” Keith will also offer a musical tribute to his fans.

“Thank you so much for all of your support this year. Let’s close out 2020 together,” he writes on Facebook where the show will airs tonight at 5 p.m. ET.

By Cillea Houghton
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

December 30, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Ford Fairchild Another member of Runaway June is tying the knot!  

Jennifer Wayne revealed on Wednesday morning that she and up-and-coming country singer Austin Moody are engaged: She posted a photo of the couple holding glasses of champagne, with Jennifer showing off the giant rock on her ring finger. 

“Happy birthday to the man I get to spend the rest of my life with!!! I love you @theaustinmoody. Can’t wait to celebrate the day with you…” Jennifer captions their engagement photo on Instagram.   

According to People, Austin proposed outside of Ocean Way Nashville Studios on Monday afternoon. Jennifer’s bandmate Natalie Stovall was also part of the surprise: She asked Jennifer to meet her at the studio, but when she arrived, Austin was there with a ring in hand. 

After Jennifer said “yes,” Natalie popped a bottle of champagne and she and Jennifer FaceTimed fellow RJ member Naomi Cooke to tell her the good news. Naomi also got engaged earlier this month, to Boys Like Girls‘ frontman, Martin Johnson.

Jennifer was previously engaged to “I Met a Girl” singer William Michael Morgan. 

By Cillea Houghton
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

December 30, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABCIn 2020, country concerts — like so many other things — came to a halt because of COVID-19.

In fact, quite a few artists were either on a plane headed to Europe’s annual Country to Country festival or already there for the March mainstay, as it became the first of countless events to be cancelled or postponed because of the coronavirus.

In April, Nashville typically descends on Las Vegas to take over Sin City for the Academy of Country Music Awards, but this year, it was not to be. The 55th ACM Awards, hosted by Keith Urban, would eventually take place – for the first time ever – at multiple locations in Music City in September.

As superstars from Kenny Chesney to Luke Bryan to Sam Hunt held onto hope for some return to touring in 2020, it became clear we were on a much different trajectory as the Country Music Association did what once seemed unthinkable, cancelling CMA Fest, the yearly celebration that takes place in Nashville in June.

By the end of June, Garth Brooks had figured out at least one way to connect with his fans until he could resume his Stadium Tour, performing for more than 350,000 collectively during a pre-recorded concert at drive-in theaters all around the country.

That same weekend, both Chris Janson and Chase Rice came under fire after social media posts showed them performing at events in Idaho and Tennessee where people didn’t seem to be wearing masks and social distancing.

July found Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, and Jon Pardi playing a weekend of socially-distanced Live from the Drive-In shows in St. Louis, Nashville, and Indianapolis. Though thankful for the chance to take the stage, Brad later remarked he doubted anyone turned a profit, as decreased audience numbers and the expense of safety protocols made it unlikely.

Even without the income of touring, many artists struggled to keep paying their band and crew during such a tough time, among them Chase Rice and Jimmie Allen – who confessed he’d taken out a rather large bank loan expressly for that purpose. In a show of ingenuity, Caylee Hammack’s band started a lawn care company to keep them working while they couldn’t play.

The huge financial toll aside, the lasting impact of COVID-19 is even greater: Nashville lost legends like Charley Pride, Joe Diffie and John Prine to the virus.

Just prior to the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine, new CMA Entertainer of the Year Eric Church predicted music would again bring America together in a communal setting, likely in second half of 2021: “Third, fourth quarter is gonna be a f****** great thing,” he told reporters in the virtual CMA press room.

By Stephen Hubbard
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.