Month: April 2021

Back at the 2020 CMA Awards last November, Carly Pearce had plans to perform “I Hope You're Happy Now,” her hit single, with her duet partner Lee Brice. But Lee had to skip the awards show at the last second after a positive COVID-19 test.

Though Lady A's Charles Kelley filled in Lee during the performance, Carly and Lee never got to truly celebrate the song that won them a CMA trophy and a number-one hit together onstage.  That's all going to change at Sunday night's ACM Awards, where Carly and Lee are performing “I Hope You're Happy Now,” which also won Music Event of the Year ahead of the show.

“We haven't seen each other since it went number one. We haven't seen each other, except on FaceTime, since we won a CMA,” Carly shares. “Now to be able to perform together — on a stage that I have obviously dreamt of performing on forever — is going to be just magical.”

“I Hope You're Happy Now” might not be done hitting new milestones, either: It's nominated for ACM Single of the Year, something that Carly says is a little bit tough to fathom, given what a personal song it is.

“It's very weird for me to think of it that way, because it started as an apology to someone in my past,” she says. “It's changed the whole trajectory of my life, and continues to validate my purpose as a songwriter and my purpose as an artist, which is to tell my truth and tell my stories.”

Carly's also nominated for Female Artist of the Year at the ACM Awards, which takes place Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. 

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TJ Osborne, one half of country duo Brothers Osborne, recently came out as a gay man. He’s the first mainstream artist signed to a major country label to do so, and his brother and band mate, John Osborne, admits he wasn't sure that country fans were ready to accept an openly gay artist.

“I was just worried as an older brother, as a protective older brother,” John says. “And when he came out and the response was what it was, it really did surprise me. And I thought it was incredible. It was a beautiful surprise.”

For TJ's part, coming out means that he doesn't get hung up on little annoyances, like overthinking his outfit choices for awards show like Sunday's ACM Awards.

“There were a couple of times where I would think to myself, Wow, that's really cool, but if I wear that, maybe people will think that I'm gay,'” he remembers. “…That's not even in my mind anymore. It doesn't seem like a big deal until it just isn't a problem anymore. You're like, Wow, that was very annoying before. I didn't really realize that!'”

In addition to be nominated for Duo and Album of the Year, the Brothers Osborne will perform their new single, “I'm Not for Everyone,” which is a fitting statement about being comfortable with who you are.

“You get to a point where you are okay with who you are and okay with people maybe not liking you for who you are,” TJ says of the song's message. “I think when you get to that place, It's a much happier place to be.”

The 2021 ACM Awards air Sunday night at 8PM ET on CBS.

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The ACM Awards aren't until Sunday, but Jimmie Allen's already a winner: He was named this year's New Male Artist of the Year ahead of the ceremony.

He's the first solo Black performer in ACM history to win a New Artist trophy, and he's not the only trailblazer so far this year: Kane Brown also became the first Black artist to win in his category when he brought home Video of the Year for “Worldwide Beautiful.” But Jimmie says he hopes that in the future, Black artists winning country music awards becomes a much more common experience.

“My plan is hopefully, in 10 years, it's no longer a thing, you know?” the singer says. “We'll be just like every other genre of music…where you don't even mention the Black thing or the white thing or the Spanish thing or Asian thing. It's not even talked about. It's just: Here's the artist. Here's the song. I like the song or I don't like the song.'”

In the meantime, though, Jimmie's proud of his growing legacy in country music, particularly when it comes to his relationship with legendary Black country performer Charley Pride. Jimmie duetted with Pride at the CMA Awards last November. It was the 86-year-old's last performance before his death in December.  Now Jimmie's starting to hear some pretty powerful feedback from his fans, along the same lines.

“I've had parents DM me on Instagram and say that I am to their nine-year-old son what Charley Pride was to me. I was like, Jeez! No pressure,'” he adds with a laugh. “To have an impact on someone's life the way Charley had an impact on mine, it's just mind-blowing to me.”

The ACMs air Sunday at 8PM ET on CBS.

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Ashley McBryde won ACM New Female Artist of the Year back in 2019, and this year, she's got a chance to build on that resume. The “One Night Standards” singer is up for Female Artist of the Year at Sunday night's ACM Awards show.

The singer knows she's up against stiff competition, including her former tour boss, Miranda Lambert. Also listed in the category are Kelsea Ballerini, Maren Morris and Carly Pearce.

“I love all of these women. So there's not a wrong winner here,” Ashley says.

But does she envision what it might feel like to take home the trophy?

“You're dang right I do,” she says without hesitation. “I think about it a lot…I think if you don't ever envision it, then it won't, it can't ever happen…and if it's not my year, it will be eventually.”

Meanwhile, the singer says she's also looking forward to her performance of her new single “Martha Divine,” which she's giving from an outdoor stage in downtown Nashville, by the riverfront.

“I mean, what better backdrop than the entire cityscape of Nashville, with the river running calmly between the chaos and the lights?” she adds, noting that her performance will be just as fast-paced and villainous as the song's sinister storyline itself. “Mean ole' Martha Divine, we have to teach her a lesson one more time.” 

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