September 14, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image Group LAKeith Urban and pop superstar Pink will deliver a very special performance during the ACM Awards this week. The singer announced over the weekend that he and his duet partner will give the world television premiere of their new single, “One Too Many.”

The song comes off Keith’s next album, The Speed of Now Part 1, which will drop just two days after the ACMs on September 18.

“One Too Many” is one of a couple different out-of-genre collaborations on the project. Keith also worked with country-rap up-and-comer Breland and guitarist Nile Rodgers. The project also features the duet version of Keith’s single “We Were,” featuring Eric Church, who had a hand in penning the tune.

The ACM Awards will be a busy night for Keith this year. In addition to being a performer, he’s also the show’s host, and will navigate a ceremony that looks very different than usual this year.

Pushed from its usual April date and Las Vegas location due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ACM Awards will now take place in Nashville and broadcast from three iconic Music City venues: The Grand Ole Opry House, the Bluebird Cafe and the Ryman Auditorium.

The show will take place this Wednesday, September 16 at 8 p.m. ET. You can watch the festivities live on CBS.

September 14, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Kevin Kane/WireImageTaylor Swift‘s music has evolved so much since she first burst into the spotlight with the 2006 debut single “Tim McGraw” and, come Wednesday, she’ll pay homage to her roots at the Academy of Country Music Awards.

For the first time in seven years, Swift, 30, will give her first performance at the country awards show.  She’ll grace the ACM stage to perform her country hit “Betty” live from the Grand Ole Opry House.

Swift confirmed her participation on Sunday, teasing on Twitter, “Bout to show up at your party @ACMawards.”

The “cardigan” singer’s performance not only marks her long awaited return to the country stage, but also serves as the first time she’ll perform any song off of folklore, her record-breaking new album.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the ACM Awards will look a little different this year and divide its slate of performances across three separate Nashville venues.

In addition to the Opry, performances will take place at The Ryman and Bluebird Cafe.

Besides a performance from Swift, Blake Shelton featuring Gwen Stefani, Carrie Underwood, Dan + Shay, Florida Georgia Line, Gabby Barrett, b Ballerini, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Maren Morris, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Thomas Rhett and Trisha Yearwood are just a fraction of country stars gearing up to sing their hearts out on Wednesday night.

Other artists like Lauren Alaina and Darius Rucker are set to present awards at the Academy of Country Music Awards as well.

The show airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

Bout to show up at your party @ACMawards 😺 pic.twitter.com/ekNJfv4hci

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) September 13, 2020

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September 14, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Academy of Country MusicThe show must go on — even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. And this Wednesday night, that’s exactly what will happen, as the 55th Academy of Country Music Awards — originally scheduled for April in Las Vegas — embrace a much different reality, hosted by reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year Keith Urban. 

“I’m glad it’s going ahead,” the Australian superstar tells ABC Audio. “I’m glad the ACMs are doing it.”

“You know, we’d never done it in Nashville,” he continues. “We’ve never done it without an audience. We’ve never done it in September. So there’s so many firsts.”

For its inaugural outing in Music City, the ACM Awards will showcase multiple iconic locations.

“I’m gonna be live at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville,” Keith explains. “We’re gonna cross over to some performances at other venues in Nashville.”

“We’re gonna utilize the Bluebird Cafe, which a lot of people around the world know about, but haven’t seen it before,” he adds. “So that’ll be a great opportunity for people to see it.”

“And then the Ryman Auditorium as well, which is one of my favorite venues to play in, in all the world. So I think we’re gonna make it a really fun show,” he predicts.

Expect performances by Jimmie Allen, Kelsea Ballerini, Gabby Barrett, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, Florida Georgia Line, Riley Green, Mickey Guyton, Miranda Lambert,Tim McGraw, Maren Morris, Old Dominion, Thomas Rhett featuring Jon Pardi, Blake Shelton featuring Gwen Stefani, Tenille Townes, Carrie Underwood, Morgan Wallen and Trisha Yearwood, with Lauren Alaina, Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black, Cam, Darius Rucker and Runaway June set to present awards as well.

You can tune in for all the action and surprises Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. 

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

September 11, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Black River EntertainmentThis March, right at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kelsea Ballerini released her third studio album, kelsea. It was an uncertain time in the music industry and beyond, and the singer had to forgo a lot of the special events and promotion she’d planned due to quickly escalating social distancing measures.

But even more frustratingly, Kelsea tells People, was the fact that her plans for the music itself weren’t going to pan out the way she’d planned when she made the record.

“We made kelsea, the album, to tour it. It’s an album made for being commercial and being on the radio and singing it really loud with a lot of people in a big venue,” the singer explains. “That was our plan this year, to launch a big tour that happens in the fall, and then obviously all that went away.”

Kelsea admits that for a while, she felt discouraged. “I kind of got into a funk,” she says.

But finding a new way to connect with her songs led her to recording ballerini, the intimate, reimagined version of the project.

“So we made it for people in their living rooms, people having a glass of wine and people who have the time and space right now that they wouldn’t have normally to actually listen to a record, probably differently than they would have, had things been different this year,” she explains.

The reimagined project, including a new version of Kelsea’s current single “hole in the bottle,” is out now.

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

September 11, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Courtesy of Jockey International, Inc. Luke Bryan and his wife, Caroline, are ambassadors for Jockey brand, and they’re putting a hilarious spin on their new role with the release of the brand’s newest, “date night”-themed commercial. 

The clip begins as Caroline compliments Luke’s white Jockey t-shirt, telling him to be sure to wear it for the couple’s date night. Luke goes about his day, but no matter how hard he tries, the singer can’t seem to keep the shirt clean.

First he spills coffee down the front. Next, he gets a big, slobbery kiss from his dog, Choc. Finally, he takes a big bite out of a sandwich, dropping tomato, lettuce and dressing everywhere.

Choc might be licking his chops, but Luke’s exasperated: He can’t figure out how he’s going to keep his white shirt white until evening. But with a little bit of luck and quite a few washes, the shirt is clean when Caroline comes home at the end of the day.

“You ready for date night, baby?” he says, jumping up from the couch.

“It’s tomorrow night, Luke!” she responds.

With the COVID-19 pandemic keeping couples everywhere under quarantine these days, date night doesn’t look quite how it used to. However, that won’t stop Luke from having a big (socially distanced) night out next week: He’s scheduled to perform at the 2020 ACM Awards.

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