BTS’ “Dynamite” is at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart for a second week in a row. “Dynamite” debuted at the Hot 100’s summit, marking the group’s first No. 1 and the first leader on the list ever for an all-South Korean act.
The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming, radio airplay and sales data. “Dynamite” holds at No. 1 on the strength of 17.5 million U.S. streams and 182,000 downloads sold. “Dynamite” is additionally the first song to have sold over 180,000 downloads in its first two weeks of release since Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Stagecoach Florida Georgia Line are getting back in touch with their roots on their upcoming album.
The duo of Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley are hard at work on their fifth studio project and Brian hints that while the new project will have a bit of a throwback sound to the duo’s early days of music, he and his music partner will continue to do what they do best: challenge genre lines.
“This fifth record will have some nostalgia for sure, some kind of old school FGL vibes, if you will, but also still pushing the boundaries, still kind of exploring,” he explains in a statement.
“We’ve been working hard and continuing to hone in on our sound and even dig deeper, get our hands dirty with our music and get even more nitpicky on singing and every line and just continuing to push forward,” he continues.
He also notes that while they are getting back in touch with their roots sonically, fans shouldn’t expect a repeat of previous albums, as they always aim to be innovative with their music.
“We never want to make the same record twice and we don’t think we’re doing that here. We think we’re elevating our game and I think a lot of people will be excited and surprised,” he assures. “We’re just in a good place. “It’s just a whole new energy.”
Fans will get a first taste of the new venture when the duo releases their new single “Long Live” on Thursday.
ABC/Randy HolmesWhen recording new music, Sam Hunt turns to a particular source before releasing it into the world — his wife, Hannah Lee Fowler.
In order to maintain authenticity in his music, the singer turns to his wife for clarity, knowing she’ll provide him with an honest perspective on whether or not the song is a reflection of his true self.
“I run everything by her and make sure to get her sign-off. She’s really big on authenticity, so sometimes I can get a little too big for my britches and write songs that are outside of my character, not only my literal character, but even the character I might be able to pull off in a song,” he explains to People. “She cares to keep me honest when it comes to that as well, even when she’s not involved in the song.”
He adds that Hannah’s instincts often keep him on track musically. “If I’m trying to do too much or getting out of my lane, she’s like, ‘Nah, you can’t go there. You need to dial it back in,'” he says.
The couple’s relationship has inspired many of the hitmaker’s songs including “Break Up in a Small Town,” “Make You Miss Me” and “Drinkin’ Too Much” off his new album Southside. The two wed in 2017.
Frank Hoensch/RedfernsKane Brown is the next artist in line for a drive-in concert.
The cross-genre hitmaker is partnering with Encore Live for a one-night-only, never-before seen show that will air at more than 300 drive-in and outdoor theaters across the U.S. and Canada on September 26.
The venues will be working in accordance with CDC guidelines, along with state and local rules amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Vehicles will be spaced at least six feet apart from each other, with each vehicle allowed to bring a maximum of six people.
Staff will be wearing PPE and provide contactless ticketing and check-in onsite.
Tickets go on sale to the public on Thursday at 12pm local time and are priced at $76 per vehicle. Early bird tickets, available until September 18, are $56 per vehicle.
Kane released his latest EP, Mixtape, Vol. 1, in August, featuring the singles “Cool Again,” “Worldwide Beautiful” and “Be Like That,” with Swae Lee and Khalid.
Kane follows in the footsteps of Garth Brooks and Blake Shelton, both of whom have presented drive-in broadcasts.
Academy of Country MusicThe Academy of Country Music is rolling out the (virtual) red carpet with a week of programming on the Circle TV network, leading up to the 2020 ACM Awards.
The ACM is partnering with Circle, the network that broadcasts the Grand Ole Opry, for ACM AwardsRed Carpet Week, which includes four days worth of shows that spotlight ACM Awards nominees past and present.
The programming kicks off on September 12 with Opry performances by New Female Artist of the Year Tenille Townes and New Male Artist of the Year Riley Green, along with Ashley McBryde, who was named New Female Vocalist in 2019, all airing at 8 p.m. ET.
Ahead of the Saturday night Opry show, Luke Bryan, Josh Turner, Carly Pearce and others will partake in the livestream event Circle Sessions: ACM Awards at 7 p.m. ET.
The ACM-themed schedule also includes the premiere of Riley’s new series Coming Home, offering fans an inside look at his hometown of Jacksonville, Alabama.
Meanwhile, Kenny Chesney, Dierks Bentley, Old Dominion, Martina McBride and more will perform as part of the intimate, live concert series Soundstage, along with re-runs of Hee Haw featuring appearances by Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Merle Haggard.
The series of shows lead up to the 2020 ACM Awards, airing live from the Opry, Ryman Auditorium and Bluebird Cafe in Nashville on September 16 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
Comstock/Thinkstock88 years ago today, one of the most influential voices of country music was born. Not only was this performer a massive country star with hits like “Crazy” and “She’s Got You,” but she also became one of the earliest cross-genre successes before her untimely death at age 30 . Can you name her? ANSWER: Patsy Cline.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange appeared at London’s Old Bailey on Monday for a hearing to determine whether he should be extradited to the United States to face espionage charges.Assange told the British court he didn’t consent to being sent to the United States to be tried on 18 charges, which bring up to 175 years in prison.
The 49-year-old Assange had been living in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since 2012 when he sought asylum to dodge sexual assault charges in Sweden, before being arrested in April 2019. He was arrested after Ecuador withdrew its offer of asylum. The WikiLeaks founder was indicted on 17 new charges of violating the Espionage Act in May of last year and already faced a charge from March 2018 of conspiring to commit unlawful computer intrusion, which carried a maximum five years in prison. Assange was accused of working with former intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to obtain and publicly release classified information. The new charges brought his total charges to 18 counts with each violation of the Espionage Act carrying a maximum 10-year sentence.
Howard BooksIt’s been nearly twenty years since Sara Evans topped the chart with her CMA Award-winning hit, “Born to Fly.” Now, the inspirational title takes wing again, as the ACM Top Female Vocalist releases her autobiography of the same name.
However, the Missouri native admits she initially had reservations about putting her life down on paper.
“At first I thought, ‘I don’t want to write an autobiography. The kids are too young,'” Sara tells ABC Audio. “And I didn’t think that I could write it to where it would be juicy enough.”
“So I initially wanted to write a book about, sort of, unsolicited advice,” she explains, “Like, ‘I don’t know how she does it, raising kids on the road, having this career, being a stepmother to four, being a wife, trying to be everything to everyone.'”
But Sara soon figured out that advice and autobiography work hand-in-hand.
“The more we wrote the book, the more we realized, ‘Well, I need to tell some stories about my life that will relate to the advice,'” she recalls. “Because otherwise, why am I just giving advice if I’m not talking about [the fact that] I went through hard times, this is how my mother raised us?”
Finally, Sara dismissed her co-writers and tackled the project herself.
“I sat down with a computer, rewrote the whole book,” she reveals. “And I love it so much more than what it was initially, because it was just not — it wasn’t funny. It wasn’t in my voice.”
“This book is like me just sitting down with you and telling you about my life,” she adds. “And if we had, y’know, five hours to sit over dinner, this is what I would accomplish telling you.”
Burke/Triolo Productions/ThinkstockAlabama’s 50th Anniversary Tour will resume in 2021, and they’ve announced that Martina McBride will join them for two back-to-back Nashville dates on July 2-3. Tickets are on sale now.
Tyler Rich dropped his debut album, Two Thousand Miles, last week. The project features previously-released fan favorite “The Difference.”
On Monday firefighters in California continued to battle multiple blazes fueled by extreme heat and other severe weather conditions. A record high 2 million acres have been burned in the state this year.
The devastating Creek Fire burning in the Sierra region area has grown to over 78,000 acres and was 0% contained as of Monday morning. Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for the area on Monday. Auberry and North Fork were both placed under mandatory evacuation orders. In Southern California, the El Dorado Fire, which was sparked by a pyrotechnic device used in a gender reveal party, has burned over 7,300 acres and is only 7% contained, Multiple homes have been destroyed and some 21,000 residents have been evacuated
A state of emergency was declared in San Diego County as the Valley Fire burned over 10,200 acres and was only 1% contained.
