November 13, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Pearl Records, Inc.It’s been a long year, and Garth Brooks knows his fans are more than ready for a little FUN. The singer revealed that his long-awaited new studio album is on its way, arriving November 20.

Garth has been teasing the project for quite a while, and says the only reason he hasn’t released it already is because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The whole reason why FUN hasn’t been released was hesitation of having fun or celebrating FUN’s release in the midst of a pandemic when people are struggling,” he explains.

But as 2020 has worn on, the singer has seen fans continuing to ask for new music — and he’s come to realize that a little FUN might be the perfect way to cap off a tough year.

“The pandemic has gone on so long, [the question became] ‘Could we just have a little fun? Toward the end of the year, can we just celebrate a little bit of the healing through music?’” Garth continues. “And when an artist gets a chance to be part of the healing through his or her or their music, that’s the greatest honor of getting to be a music or an entertainer or an artist.”

When FUN arrives next Friday, it’ll include previously-released fan favorites like “Dive Bar,” Garth’s Blake Shelton duet, and his current single, “Shallow,” a cover performance with Trisha Yearwood of the Oscar-winning song from A Star Is Born.

But that’s not all the FUN Garth has in store: The singer’s hinting that his project includes another duet that he’s keeping under wraps for now.

You can catch Garth performing today as a guest host on Ellen, too.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

November 13, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABCThere’s no denying that 2020’s been a hard year, even for the woman who’s now the reigning Female Vocalist for both the CMA and ACM.

While Maren Morris crafted “The Bones,” the winner this week for both CMA Song and Single of the Year, she admits creativity has been hard to come by in a year dominated by COVID-19, social issues, and the election. 

“For me, it’s been sparse,” she reflects, “just because I’ve been a new mom, I’ve been off the road and…  I haven’t had the mental bandwidth to write songs.”

Maren and husband Ryan Hurd welcomed their son Hayes on March 23, near the beginning of the pandemic, and it was months later before she knew she had something to say.

“After the [political] conventions,” she explains, “and just sort of entering this extremely polarized season of an election year, and just everything that happened during the summertime with the the riots and the protests, and… the murder of George Floyd, I felt like the few times I have written I really wanted to say something and not just phone it in and perch on the fence.”

“So I felt like the few times I’ve written, I’ve gotten some really real s***,” she observes.

Maren’s newest recording is a plea to work toward a better world.

“I’m happy that ‘Better Than We Found It’ was received with so much love, because it was given with love,” she says. “It wasn’t given as a hand slap or to say FU to all these people.”

“It was literally saying, pleading from a mother’s heart now, ‘Please, can we leave this better, just a little bit better for our kids?'” she continues. “So that’s kind of where my head’s been at in the writing space.”

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

November 12, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABCNot only is Kelsea Ballerini not expecting a baby, she’s making it clear that her pregnancy status is none of anybody’s business.

After the 2020 CMA Awards last night, one Twitter user wondered if Kelsea might be expecting a new addition to her family. The singer set the record straight, and also stressed that speculation about her pregnancy status is off-limits.

“I’m sure you mean well, but it’s incredibly insensitive to ask or assume if another woman is pregnant,” the “hole in the bottle” star pointed out. “I’m not, by the way. Just carrying around my organs.”

But just as importantly, she wanted fans to know that it’s not okay to pry into such a personal topic.

“If I were [pregnant], I’d want to share that in my own time when I felt ready,” Kelsea continued. “Let’s not judge bloat levels on the Internet.”

Per People, Kelsea and her husband, Morgan Evans, have been open about the fact that they want a family someday, but they’re not ready yet. The couple got married in 2017.

“I’m 24, I’m not in a rush,” the singer said at the time. “It’s something we’re both stoked to do — someday down the track.”

In the short-term, however, Kelsea’s setting her sights on a fun new duet with Shania Twain. The singer recently shared that she and the ‘90s country legend are planning to drop a duet remix of Kelsea’s current single, “hole in the bottle,” this week.

I’m sure you mean well, but it’s incredibly insensitive to ask or assume if another woman is pregnant. I’m not, by the way. Just carrying around my organs. But if I were, I’d want to share that in my own time when I felt ready. Let’s not judge bloat levels on the internet. 🤍 https://t.co/b73pVo3Ror

— Kelsea Ballerini (@KelseaBallerini) November 12, 2020

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

November 12, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABCDuring her acceptance speech for Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2020 CMA Awards, Maren Morris made a point to spotlight Black female artists who don’t always get the recognition they deserve.

The singer’s long been vocal about her passion for parity in the music industry, and now she’s using her glamorous awards show look to further racial justice in health care, too.

People reports that Maren has teamed with ChicRelief.com to auction off her Dolce & Gabbana 2020 CMAs red carpet look, a dramatic, boudoir-style kimono set that Maren’s stylist says the singer picked out “about three months ago.”

100% of the proceeds will benefit the Black Women’s Health Imperative, an organization that works to advance public health initiatives and support the health and wellness of Black women and girls.

This isn’t the first time that Maren has supported that cause. Back in August, she also selected it as the charity of her choice in partnership with Little Spoon’s “Is This Normal?” campaign, in which the singer answered questions from fellow new moms about postpartum depression and more.

Maren’s Dolce & Gabbana dress was one of two outfits she picked out for the 2020 CMAs. The other is a shimmering Peter Dundas dress that the singer wore to perform her CMA-winning hit, “The Bones.”

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

November 12, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Courtesy of Amazon MusicAs the holiday season nears, Carrie Underwood is one of a group of artists celebrating the magic of Christmas with Amazon Music.

The singer shared her original tune, “Favorite Time of Year,” this week, which now appears as an Amazon exclusive bonus track on her Christmas album, My Gift.

“‘Favorite Time of Year’ is a joyful, super happy and fun Christmas song because it is about all of the things that make you happy this time of year, and it puts you in the mood to celebrate,” the singer says. “I can’t help but smile when I sing it, it just brightens my day and I’m thrilled to share it today only on Amazon Music.”

Carrie’s song is one of four Christmas releases Amazon dropped today. While she’s the only country artist of the bunch, she’s joined by Justin Bieber, whose holiday contribution is a cover of country legend Brenda Lee’s classic “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”

The other participating artists are Mary J. Blige and Jess Glynne. All four are also celebrating the season by teaming with Amazon’s “Delivering Smiles” holiday campaign, a partnership with charitable organizations serving communities this Christmas.

Carrie also recently shared a snippet of her new song as part of a holiday-themed commercial for the Ring Video Security’s video doorbell function.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.