Jimmie Allen and Brad Paisley’s duet “Freedom Was A Highway” reached country radio’s Top 20, and now the duo are dropping the video for the track, directed by Allen himself. Freedom Was A Highway is featured on both Allen’s 2020 EP Bettie James, as well as that project’s Gold Edition which was released in 2021.
Allen is currently on the road as a special guest with Paisley through Oct. 9, at which time he will then join Nelly on select dates this fall. Allen also recently announced he will be the Executive Producer of an episode of Netflix’s Titletown High, while Paisley recently released the single, “City of Music.”
Check out the video for Freedom Was A Highway – here
Ingrid Andress and Sam Hunt have teamed up for their new song and video, “Wishful Drinking.” The video features Hunt and Andress at the Nashville bar Flamingo Cocktail Club, decked out in flashy ’70s-type attire.
Andress said via a press release: “I’ve never done anything like ‘Wishful Drinking’ before. I’ve always wanted to work with Sam and have been such a fan of his for a long time. I admire how he stays so true to himself and am so happy to have him join me for my first collaboration. The song was co-written by my friend JP Saxe, and it became this amazing sad bop, which we all know I love.” Hunt added: “I heard Ingrid’s music a while back and knew right away she was a very talented singer and songwriter. I met her not long ago at a Nashville Sports League kickball game and I really enjoyed getting to know her a little bit. When the opportunity came along to be a part of this song with her, I was all in.”
Andress will soon embark on The Feeling Things Tour, making stops in the U.S. and Europe. She will also serve as support for Dan+Shay on The (Arena) Tour, and will make her Stagecoach debut in 2022. Last year, Hunt released the single “Breaking Up Was Easy in the ’90s,” and earlier this year released the duet “When Was It Over?” with Sasha Sloan.
Maroon 5 will launch their North American headlining tour on August 10 in Auburn, WA at White River Amphitheater, and they are teaming up with pop star Ava Max as support on tour. The band announced that Ava Max will join them as their opening act on four stadium shows, including Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL on August 30, Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, PA on September 5, Fenway Park in Boston, MA on September 12, and Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles, CA on October 2.
Maroon 5’s tour runs through October 8 at Concord Pavilion in Concord, CA. As previously announced, blackbear will also serve as support on all tour dates.
Judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie, as well as host Ryan Seacrest, are all officially returning to American Idol’s 20th season overall (and fifth on ABC) in the spring of 2022, The show’s live virtual audition tour, ‘Idol Across America,’ also returns to all 50 states beginning on Friday, August 6.
“American Idol is still the original music show that genuinely creates superstars and continues to evolve to allow true artists to succeed in this unique business,” executive producer and showrunner Megan Wolflick said. “The chemistry and passion Katy, Luke, Lionel and Ryan bring is second to none. We couldn’t be more ecstatic that they are returning for this iconic 20th season in search of the freshest new talent that this nation has to offer.”
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are set to star in the prequel to Yellowstone.
Described in a release as “a stark retelling of Western expansion,” the series titled 1883 will follow “the Dutton family as they embark on a journey west through the Great Plains” to “flee poverty to seek a better future in… Montana.” The show will also feature Oscar winner Sam Elliott.
Tim and Faith will play James and Margaret Dutton, the “patriarch and matriarch” of the family.
“This is truly a dream job,” Tim says. “[Show creator] Taylor [Sheridan] has found a way of storytelling that brilliantly creates these epic dramas and family sagas with so much depth and creativity. The Duttons are tremendous characters and it's so thrilling to be able to bring them to life.”
“As a kid growing up riding horses,” Tim adds, “you think about dream jobs like this and I am just so excited to work with this amazing cast and crew.”
His real-life wife agrees.
“This is the opportunity of a lifetime,” Faith says. “The Duttons are a formidable family and it is an absolute dream to bring such a strong female character like Margaret Dutton to life. I am humbled and honored to work with Taylor and his entire team.”
You’ll be able to watch 1883 via the Paramount+ streaming service. So far, there’s no word on when it will premiere.
As he considers reevaluating his Stadium Tour plans due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Garth Brooks is making one thing clear: He doesn't want anybody to feel uncomfortable for wearing a mask to a show.
Ahead of his planned August 7 concert in Kansas City, Missouri, Garth spoke to fans via his Inside Studio G Facebook series.
“Follow all the rules. Make up your own rules, too,” the singer said. “You can't be safe enough. You can't be cautious enough. Keep your space. Keep your distance.”
He also encouraged concert-goers to mask up if doing so makes them more comfortable. “Please feel free to wear the masks at the concert. Nobody is going to look at you strange, I promise,” Garth stressed.
The Kansas City stadium show — which is expecting to host 70,000 Garth fans — will feature an on-site vaccination clinic. Per Rolling Stone, those who get vaccinated at the show will be eligible for a “ticket upgrade raffle.”
Earlier this week, Garth announced that he's hitting pause on ticket sales for the Stadium Tour after next week's sold-out Lincoln, Nebraska date. There will be a three-week window in which no shows will be scheduled, and ticket sales for his recently-announced Seattle date on September 4 will be halted.
Anyone who's heard Mickey Guyton's music can attest to the fact that she can sing, but there's one thing even superfans might not know about the star: She was once a jam session duet partner for famed singer-songwriter Prince.
Mickey shares the wild story of how that came to be during a new installment of CMT’s “Probably Shouldn't Tell You This” series, explaining that it all started during a night out in Hollywood with a friend who happened to be dating the pop superstar. When they couldn't get back to their car at the end of the night, the friend called Prince to pick them up, and he showed up in a limo to escort them to his house in Sunset Plaza.
“We get in this purple suede elevator….yes, a purple suede elevator! With Prince!” Mickey details. “I don't know if we went up or down, but we went somewhere, he opens the door, and there's this large, giant ballroom.”
In it was a piano, microphone setup and drum kit — and Mickey first went over to the drums.
“And he takes the drumsticks away from me and tells me I have no rhythm, which I don't,” she adds with a laugh. Next, Prince sat down at the piano and invited her to sing with him.
“I was like, Okay, well, I'm with Prince, and he loves soul, so why not sing Natural Woman'?'” she recalls. “Who am I right now?!…And I sing Natural Woman' with Prince. It doesn't sound real, right? Like, you don't even believe that that actually happened, but it did.”
Mickey's upcoming album, Remember Her Name, is due out on September 24.
Carly Pearce and Lee Brice's chart-topping duet, “I Hope You're Happy Now,” is continuing to hit new milestones.
On Tuesday night, the song officially received RIAA 2X Platinum certification, and Carly and Lee each got a special plaque commemorating the occasion. It was a memorable night for both artists, as both were handed their surprise plaques in the middle of nights that were already shaping up to be pretty memorable.
Lee was presented with the plaque at the end of a performance at Nashville's legendary Ryman Auditorium. He was there to play a benefit show for the John Hiatt Adolescent and Young Adult Treatment Fund at Cumberland Heights.
Meanwhile, Carly was also standing on one of her very favorite hometown stages: the Grand Ole Opry. She was there to be officially inducted as a member into the hallowed hall, fulfilling one of her lifelong dreams.
During the show that night, Carly performed “I Hope You're Happy Now” solo, along with a number of other songs. She also duetted with Trisha Yearwood — who inducted her — on the latter star's “How Do I Live.” Jeannie Seely then joined the two women for a multi-generational rendition of Kitty Wells' “Making Believe.”
“I Hope You're Happy Now” also won Carly and Lee trophies for Musical Event of the Year at both the CMA and ACM Awards, and it's the ACM's 2020 Single of the Year, too.
Trisha Yearwood was at the Grand Ole Opry to celebrate brand-new Opry member Carly Pearce this week, and amid the celebrations of Carly's accomplishments, Trisha received a surprise of her own.
The singer's breakout debut single from August, 1991, “She's in Love with the Boy,” has officially become the most-listened-to country song by a female artist in the history of MRC Data. In the 30 years since she released it, Trisha's history-making hit has become one of the most popular songs ever to be released by a woman in country music.
“When people come to a show, I see these girls singing She's in Love with the Boy' and they're like, you know, 15. I'm thinking, How do you know this song?'” Trisha noted backstage at the Opry.
“But now learning that it's…been heard that many times — it's just such an honor! It's so cool!” she continues. “All I ever wanted to do was to be a country music singer, so…for a song in my career to have that kind of life' just makes me proud.”
In celebration of the song's 30th anniversary, Trisha released a new, acoustic version of “She's in Love with the Boy.” That song will find a home on the track list of her upcoming deluxe version of Every Girl, due out August 13.
Miranda Lambert throws a backyard party for a dozen or so of her closest friends and family members in the music video for the Telemitry Remix of her song, “Tequila Does.”
Starring in the clip are her brother Luke and his husband, Marc, who enlisted several of their closest friends as well as a collection of other LGBTQ+ allies to join the fun. The result is a tequila-soaked, rainbow-studded Pride-themed summer party.
“This is my first remix of any song in my whole career,” Miranda explains. “I knew it was right up my brother Luke's alley so I sent it to him to see what he and Marc thought. They loved it and gave me the confidence to put it out there. I thought, why not invite my family and friends out to my farm and shoot it at my vintage trailer park. It seemed perfect.”
Fans who've been following Miranda on social media might recognize a couple of other familiar faces. The singer's husband, Brendan McLoughlin, makes a shirtless appearance in the video, playing the role of the handsome partygoer who catches Miranda's eye.
Also featured are Brendan's brothers, K.C. and Patrick, as well as Miranda's background singer and longtime friend, Gwen Sebastian. In one scene, Miranda — a well-known animal lover — can also be spotted hanging out with a pair of dogs.
The original version of “Tequila Does” appears on Miranda's Wildcard album, which she dropped back in 2019.
