Burke/Triolo Productions/ThinkstockAmericana mainstay Nathaniel Rateliff recently joined forces with Elle King for a new, original holiday song called “Xmas to Forget,” a special tune penned just for 2020. Proceeds benefit The Marigold Project, Nathaniel’s foundation for economic and social justice.
You can add a little Music City flair to your holiday season with the Ryman Auditorium’s new Holiday Ornament Coloring Book. Download your copy at the venue’s website.
ABCWatching your kids grow up certainly is bittersweet.
Carrie Underwood recently got the chance to bring her five-year-old son, Isaiah, into the recording studio, when he served as her duet partner on a version of “Little Drummer Boy” off her holiday album, My Gift. While Isaiah may still have quite a way to go before he’s all grown up, the singer says there’s one new thing he learned to do recently that made her a little emotional.
“I’ll make you real sad for a second: He now pronounces his ‘Rs,’” Underwood reveals. “He says ‘Pa rum pum pum pum’ when he sings it now, which is very sad for me. I mean, ultimately, you want them to pronounce Rs, but that moment is already gone, and it went like that.”
Still, she adds, Isaiah still brought plenty of childlike joy and enthusiasm to the studio, especially because he’s too young to understand the marketing, PR and business sides of music-making. All he knows is that he’s having fun.
“Which was such a joy for me to watch,” adds Carrie, “because there’s no motive behind any of it except for ‘This is fun and I like to do it.’
As for her? The singer says her duet with Isaiah will be a cherished keepsake long after her son grows up.
“When he is a dude, a man, and he’s got this deep voice, I am always going to have that moment in time captured on this album,” she says.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump granted 26 new pardons and commutations. Trump granted full pardons to his former campaign adviser Roger Stone and former campaign chairman Paul Manafort who were both convicted of multiple crimes related to Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and potential collusion by Trump’s campaign. Trump has pardoned five people connected with Mueller’s investigation including his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, George Papadopoulos, and Dutch lawyer Alex van der Zwaan
The White House on Wednesday said Stone was granted a “full and unconditional” pardon alleging he was treated unfairly by Mueller’s team due to “prosecutorial misconduct.” Stone was sentenced to 40 months in prison for lying to Congress during the investigation.
Trump also pardoned Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, who pleaded guilty in 2004 to 16 counts of tax evasion.
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill reunited with their three daughters ahead of the Christmas holiday for a Game of Thrones themed dinner.
McGraw took to social media to give fans a look, saying, “So we had a Game of Thrones-themed dinner at home with the kiddos, Merry Christmas!” In the photos, McGraw can be seen dressed up as Ned Stark, while Hill, and daughters Gracie, 23, Maggie, 22, and Audrey, 19, are sporting costumes looking like Joffrey Baratheon, Arya Stark and Sansa Stark respectively. McGraw also recently made headlines when he shared a photo of the family’s massive Christmas tree
On the music front, McGraw recently released a new compilation album, MCGRAW MACHINE HITS: 2013-2019. The project includes songs such as “Humble and Kind,” “Shotgun Rider” and “One of Those Nights,” as well as the collaborations “Highway Don’t Care” with Keith Urban and Taylor Swift, and “May We All” with Florida Georgia Line.
Tori Kelly performed a two-evening run of drive-in holiday concerts at City National Grove of Anaheim’s Drive-In OC.
Kelly did a duet of “Go Tell It On the Mountain” with her producer, R&B singer-songwriter Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, as well as versions of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Joy to the World/Joyful, Joyful” and her show opener, “Christmas Time Is Here.”
Kelly dropped her new holiday album, “A Tori Kelly Christmas,” on Oct. 30, and she debuted the live performance of her original Christmas song, “Kid Again On Christmas,” which is only available on the deluxe edition of the album sold at Target.
19-year-old Billie Eilish took to her Instagram stories this week to reveal music news for 2021, along with a ‘new look.’
“I’m changing it after the doc [documentary] comes out,” she confirmed. “It’ll be the end of an era.” The singer revealed that her green hair will be gone after her documentary Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry drops in February, just before her next full length album is released.
Eilish is currently finishing the follow-up to her debut LP, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, released in March 2019. As for her ever-changing hair looks, Eilish has gone from silver to blue, blue to lavender, lavender to black, and now green.
Tones and I — real name Toni Watson — is celebrating her hit song “Dance Monkey” hitting two billion streams.
The singer took to Instagram to mark the milestone with a portrait of herself sitting triumphantly on a TV, and the caption, “‘Dance monkey hit 2 BILLION STREAMS this morning and I got to busk yesterday! Thank you everyone that’s crazy! Go support other buskers and Aussie artists!’
“Dance Monkey” is the ARIA Singles Chart’s longest-running #1 since the chart was created in 1988. It was also the second most streamed song in the world in 2020, and has netted Watson an estimated $12 million.
ABC/Image Group LAIf you’re looking for a belated Christmas gift this holiday season, Garth Brooks has the perfect thing for the country fan in your life.
During their pandemic-era TV special, Garth and Trisha Live!, the singer appeared alongside his superstar wife, Trisha Yearwood, wearing an inspirational T-shirt reading “Love Will Not Be Canceled.” The sentiment caught fans’ attention — so much so, in fact, that there was a resounding demand for the shirts to be made available for sale.
Garth announced on social media on Wednesday that he’s making that wish a reality. Even better, the new T-shirt line supports a good cause: Proceeds will go to the non-profit organization Teammates for Kids. Specifically, funds will go to the organization’s Child Life Zones, which are dedicated play spaces built within children’s hospitals.
The first shipment of “Love Will Not Be Canceled” shirts will go out January 11, but you can pre-order yours now. Each black T-shirt retails for $25.
John ShearerIf any of Scotty McCreery’s fans weren’t already in the loop about just how much he loves his dog, Moose, they are now. The singer’s wife, Gabi, recently posted an adorable series of photos to social media, and they all revolve around the couple doting on their beloved pup.
“Moosey’s really feeling the Christmas cheer this year,” Gabi commented in the caption to her post.
The singer and his wife welcomed Moose to the family early in 2019, revealing that they’d long been hoping to adopt a yellow Labrador Retriever puppy. Since then, Moose has grown into a 70+ pound dog with a sweet personality and his own Instagram account.
When he’s not cuddling with Moose, Scotty’s hard at work on new music. He put out his most recent single, “You Time,” in September. The new song is the first taste of an as-yet unannounced new album from the singer, on the heels of his wildly successful Seasons Change album.
ABC/Image Group LAAt the end of a landmark debut year, Gabby Barrett has found herself at the top of yet another chart. The singer’s breakthrough first single, “I Hope,” has earned her the title of top music video of the year, according to CMT.
Gabby edged out some serious competition to get to the top of that list, as Maren Morris, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Ingrid Andress and many more stars all earned a place in CMT’s Top 20. “I Hope” has hit a number of milestones and broken several records both on terrestrial radio and in the streaming arena, and it was the singer’s first chart-topping hit.
But as the year winds down, Gabby’s turning her attention to some more family-related matters. She and her husband, Cade Foehner, are expecting their first child next month. Gabby has been relishing her final Christmas before welcoming her baby daughter, and she’s sharing several snapshots of how she and Cade are preparing for the impending new arrival.
Burke/Triolo Productions/ThinkstockAmericana mainstay Nathaniel Rateliff recently joined forces with Elle King for a new, original holiday song called “Xmas to Forget,” a special tune penned just for 2020. Proceeds benefit The Marigold Project, Nathaniel’s foundation for economic and social justice. 
