Month: September 2020

ABC/Mark LevineIt seems like Luke Combs can do no wrong on the country charts.

The upstart hitmaker just scored his ninth consecutive number-one single on the Billboard Country Airplay chart with “Lovin’ on You.” It took the song just 12 weeks to get to the top, making for the fastest run to number one of any single of Luke’s career. Previously, his personal record was 13 weeks, courtesy of 2019’s “Beer Never Broke My Heart.”

With his nine-song run, Luke is tied with Thomas Rhett for the longest consecutive string of number-one hits on the Country Airplay chart. Thomas netted his ninth chart-topping hit with “Beer Can’t Fix,” a duet with Jon Pardi, earlier this summer.

“Lovin’ on You” follows Luke’s most recent chart-topper, “Does to Me,” a duet with Eric Church.

Both of those songs, as well as “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” are featured on Luke’s sophomore album, What You See is What You Get. Last month, the singer announced plans to unveil a deluxe version of that album in the fall, featuring five new tracks.

It’s been a big week for Luke thus far. Not only is he celebrating a number-one song, he also notched six 2020 CMA Award nominations, including his first-ever Entertainer of the Year nod.

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

Comstock/ThinkstockTen years ago today, this “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” duo performed the final show of their farewell tour, The Last Rodeo, at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. They closed the show with their chart-topping 1991 debut single, “Brand New Man.” Can you name them? ANSWER: Brooks & Dunn. 

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

ABC/Image Group LAThe 2020 CMA Awards nominees were unveiled this week, and lots of country stars had reason to walk away thrilled. Miranda Lambert led the pack with seven nominations, Luke Combs scored his first-ever Entertainer of the Year nod, and Gabby Barrett, Ingrid Andress, Jimmie Allen and pop star Justin Bieber all celebrated the first nominations of their career.

But not everyone was celebrating after the nominations came out. There were a couple of glaring snubs, too: Neither Kelsea Ballerini nor Kane Brown are anywhere to be seen on the list.

It was a pretty shocking omission for Kelsea, who failed to land a Female Artist of the Year mention for the first time since 2015. She also had ample material for consideration in Album, Song and Music Video categories, having dropped her third studio project, Kelsea, in March.

After the nominees were announced, Kelsea addressed the snub on social media, saying that although she was disappointed, she was trying to keep things in perspective.

“Last time this happened, I wrote ‘Homecoming Queen’ the next day about the feeling,” she wrote, referencing Kelsea’s emotionally potent first single. “Something beautiful will undoubtedly come from the current disappointment.”

She went on to mention those who did receive nods. “Congratulations to my friends & peers that got nominations. Proud to be a part of the country family, always,” Kelsea added.

Other country stars rallied around Kelsea in support, including Old Dominion, Danielle Bradbery and Kane.

“Hold your head up,” replied Kane, who has yet to receive a single CMA nomination in any category despite his impressive catalogue of hits.

Kelsea has been nominated for a total of seven CMA awards over the course of her career but has yet to win a trophy.

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

last time this happened, I wrote homecoming queen the next day about the feeling. something beautiful will undoubtedly come from the current disappointment. nonetheless, congratulations to my friends & peers that got nominations. proud to be a part of the country family, always.

— Kelsea Ballerini (@KelseaBallerini) September 1, 2020

ABC/Image Group LALuke Combs may be busy celebrating his six new CMA nominations — including his first for Entertainer of the Year — but that’s not all that’s going right for the man who’ll soon top the chart with “Lovin’ on You.”

September 1 also marked the North Carolina native’s one-month anniversary as a married man. He and longtime girlfriend Nicole Hocking tied the knot Saturday, August 1 in South Florida.  So how is married life so far?

“It’s really great…” Luke told ABC Audio shortly after revealing the CMA noms on Good Morning America. “You know, we had to scale the wedding back the week before, change venues, and we actually didn’t pick the new venue until the day of the wedding.”

“So that was very interesting,” he continues. “There was a hurricane that looked like it was gonna come right over top of us, and at the, about the midnight hour there, it veered off to the end. So it ended up being perfect.”

Of course, there’s plenty of irony there, since Luke’s debut number-one single also happens to be called “Hurricane.”

In the end, Luke and Nicole enjoyed the upsides of a smaller ceremony.

“You know, it was smaller than we thought it would be, but it actually ended up, you know, being very manageable,” Luke reflects. “We got to have time with everyone that was there, and really enjoy the experience, and it was really special.”

“It’s something that I’ll cherish forever,” he adds.  

Luke’s been teasing a romantic new song called “Forever After All,” which seems likely to be one of the new tracks on the expanded edition of his sophomore album. 

What You See Is What You Get officially morphs into the deluxe What You See Ain’t Always What You Get on October 23.

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

Burke/Triolo Productions/ThinkstockTyler Rich is releasing his debut album, Two Thousand Miles, on Friday. The 11-track project features singles “Feels Like Home,” “The Difference” and “Leave Her Wild.” 

Mickey Guyton and Brandi Carlile are featured guests on actress Beth Behr‘s upcoming podcast HARMONICS. The podcast debuts on September 8, with a new episode set for release every week on Tuesday. 

J.T. Hodges has released a new single, “Sandman.” It marks the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Dorian, which devastated the Bahamas in 2019. J.T. shot the video on the Abacos Islands to bring awareness to ongoing relief efforts.

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