October 8, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Dylan RuckerJon Pardi just received his latest piece of RIAA hardware for “Heartache Medication,” and the singer was surprised with the accolade while hard at work on his property. In fact, he just might store his new plaque in the windshield of his excavator.

The singer’s manager, Melanie Wetherbee, hand-delivered the plaque, which certifies his 2019 single “Heartache Medication” as platinum. When she stopped by, however, Jon happened to be out at work on his property, digging out a pond with an excavator. The singer was caught off-guard by the surprise visit, but was thrilled that his traditional country song had managed to perform so well.

“Wow! It went platinum, huh?” He said, inspecting his new hardware. “That’s pretty awesome for a fiddle kick-off intro. I’ll just put it right here,” he said, resting it on the excavator’s floor, where it could be seen through the floor-to-ceiling windshield.

After he had a few minutes to soak in the surprise, Jon thanked his co-writers and team. He remarked that it was encouraging to see Heartache Medication continue to do well, particularly after the success of his debut album.

“It’s pretty awesome, coming off of such a successful album as California Sunrise, to come with another record and start off right out of the gate with a platinum single. So that’s pretty amazing,” he reflected, before joking: “We’ll keep ‘em comin’! You want platinum, I got it, baby! I’ll bring it!”

Jon’s latest accolade is one of many he’s received for Heartache Medication thus far. The project is also nominated at the 2020 CMA Awards for Album of the Year.

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

October 8, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Courtesy of CMTKane Brown will co-host the 2020 CMT Music Awards, alongside Modern Family actor Sarah Hyland. Both are first-time hosts for the show.

But that’s not the only surprise the CMT Awards’ producers revealed on Thursday: Kane and Sarah won’t be taking the stage alone. For the first time in show history, a total of four hosts will helm the awards show, with the other two mystery co-hosts to be announced closer to time.

“In true 2020 fashion, where just about anything can happen, we have a big surprise up our collective sleeves, and look forward to announcing our final two hosts to add to this illuminous lineup,” producers hint.

Kane has two CMT trophies to his name, and he’s notched several more nominations over the past few years, too. It’ll be a busy night for the singer, as he’s pulling double duty between hosting and performing at the event.

“The CMT Music Awards have always been about bringing the fans and their favorite artists together to celebrate,” notes Kane. “I have so many great memories of this show — from watching as a fan at home to accepting my first industry award win on the CMT stage.”

He’s also nominated for two awards in the same category this year. Kane is up for the “Collaborative Video of the Year” both for “Cool Again,” his duet with Nelly, and “One Thing Right,” his collaboration with Marshmello.

The CMT Awards will air on October 21 at 8PM ET on CMT. Voting is open through October 12.

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

October 8, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

BBR Music GroupRunaway June take fans on a trip to Columbia, Tennessee, the real-life hometown of band mate Natalie Stovall, in the sweet new music video for their current single, “We Were Rich.”

The storyline offers an intimate look into Natalie’s family life and childhood home.  The singer and fiddle player admits that seeing her personal life and memories play out against the song was unexpectedly emotional.

“The first time I saw our music video I just started sobbing like a baby!” Natalie recalls. “It opens on the house I grew up in, features my parents and sweeps through intensely nostalgic moments, people & places from my childhood and hometown.”

The video also helps fans get to know Natalie, who just joined Runaway June earlier this year after Hannah Mulholland departed the trio.

“I couldn’t think of a more perfect visual love letter to the town that made me who I am! And the fact that this is my first video with Runaway June just makes it even more special,” she adds.

“We Were Rich” comes off of the band’s album, Blue Roses, which they released before Natalie was a part of the band. However, after announcing their new addition, they re-recorded and released a new version of “We Were Rich” that features their new band mate not only on vocal harmony, but also on fiddle.

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

October 8, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image Group LAThree months after filing for divorce from husband Michael Ray in June, Carly Pearce is beginning to open up publicly about their split.

“Hopefully, people respect us enough to understand that we are humans and I certainly didn’t get married to get divorced,” Carly points out during a recent interview with ET Canada. “Things happen, and I think it’s just something that has to stay between the two of us.”

In fact, the singer says that the challenges she’s faced in her personal life lately have made her even more appreciative of life’s imperfections.

“It’s so easy to look at artists, like myself or whoever, and think their lives are perfect. That’s just not a reality for any of us,” she goes on to say. “I think when you go through a lot of changes in any aspect of your life, you kind of realize that imperfections are kind of what make us all ourselves.”

As for what she’s learned about herself through the difficult divorce process? “I’m way stronger than I thought,” says Carly.

It’s tempting to look for glimpses of Carly’s personal life in the lyrics of her new single, “Next Girl,” a breakup anthem with a ‘90s flair that offers words of warning and support to the next love interest that comes into her ex’s life.

“If you listen to any of my music and listen to the stories and the way I tell my stories through songs, I think that’s always been a huge part of it for me — being honest and being authentic,” explains Carly. “This new music in ‘Next Girl’ is no different than that.”

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

October 8, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Courtesy of NIVA/YouTube MusicReba McEntire, Brothers Osborne, Little Big Town and Kelsea Ballerini are on deck to represent the country genre at the upcoming all-genre #SOSFEST, a three-day virtual event organized by YouTube Music and the National Independent Venue Organization (NIVA).

The festival’s mission is to help independent venues across the U.S., many of which are struggling over being forced to shutter earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With their ability to generate revenue ripped away from them, many stages are in danger of closing permanently.

A couple of the venues listed as beneficiaries from the event are especially near and dear to Reba and Kelsea’s heart. Nashville’s famed Ryman Auditorium is among the stages that will be supported by the festival, as is Music City live performance hub Exit/In.

Hosted by musician and comedian Reggie Watts, #SOSFEST will also feature performances from a vast roster of different kinds of acts.

The Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews, Miley Cyrus, The Roots, Marshmello & Demi Lovato and many more stars will also take the virtual stage during the event, which also benefits iconic stages like the Apollo Theater, World Cafe Live and many more independent venues.

The event will air live on NIVA’s YouTube channel from October 16-18, with proceeds benefiting the NIVA Emergency Relief Fund.

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