Month: November 2021

Walker Hayes is taking his viral hit on the road. The singer just announced The Fancy Like Tour, which launches January 27 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and extends through late April. Tickets are available now.

Runaway June bandmate Jennifer Wayne is expecting her first child with husband Adam Moody. The singer told E! News that the new baby will be a girl, and her name will be Lily Maria.

Jake Owen shared the music video for his new song, “Drunk on a Boat,” this week. The clip finds the singer and his twin brother celebrating their birthday in the Bahamas, with a carefree day full of sun, water and good friends.

Last week, the third annual Charlie Daniels Patriot Awards Dinner celebrated its newest class of honorees, including singer Darryl Worley. Chris Young was on hand to perform at the event, which raised over $250,000 to support U.S. military veterans via The Charlie Daniels Journey Home Project.

Deana Carter dropped the 25th anniversary edition of her iconic Did I Shave My Legs For This? album on Friday. The new version includes several previously unreleased tracks, including a newly recorded edition of “Strawberry Wine” that features guest stars Lauren Alaina, Ashley McBryde, Martina McBride, Kylie Morgan and Vince Gill.

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The 9 to 5 gang is finally getting back together. Dolly Parton just announced that she's a guest star on the seventh and final season of Netflix's Grace and Frankie, which stars Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda.

The reunion is a long time coming: The trio of stars have held dreams of working on a project together again ever since their successful 1980 film. Early in 2021, Dolly revealed on U.K. talk show Lorraine that she's been trying to find a time to guest star on Grace and Frankie “for years.”

We worked so well on 9 to 5, [and] it’s a crazy, wonderful show,” the singer says. “We’ve been trying to write me in somehow. When it’s safe for us to actually do a production…I’ll probably get around to doing that.”

No further details about Dolly's character on the show are available at this time. The first four episodes of Season 7 are available to watch on Netflix now, and the remainder of the season — including Dolly's appearance — will air in 2022.

Grace and Frankie centers around the unlikely friendship that develops between two women after their respective husbands leave them to marry each other. When it wraps at the end of this season, it'll make history as the longest-running ever Netflix original series, with a total of 94 episodes.

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Gabby Barrett eases into a new musical chapter with “Pick Me Up,” her newly released back-roads anthem about the kind of love that makes everything right in the world.

“Pick me up, get me lost way out down a back two-lane / Little George Strait way on up,” she sings in the swing-a-long chorus. “Get me outta this town and outta my head / And tell me no matter what, you'll be by my side…”

The new song is one of four on Gabby's upcoming Goldmine (Deluxe), which is a new version of her debut album and will arrive in full November 19. It charts new territory for the singer, who has already had hits with singles like “I Hope” and “The Good Ones.”

“I didn't really have a song in my repertoire that was laid-back country,” she explains. “A riding down the backroads while listening to George Strait type of song. I had to pay homage to George Strait because I feel like I'm being adopted into the Texas family with my husband being from Texas.”

Other songs included on Goldmine (Deluxe) include “Never Get It Back” and Gabby's cover of Dolly Parton's “I Will Always Love You,” plus a Wedding Version of her hit, “The Good Ones.”

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Carrie Underwood is dropping a special surprise in fans' stockings this year: The Special Edition of her My Gift Christmas album, including three bonus songs in addition to the original track list, is now available on vinyl.

Pressed on Crystal Clear Double Vinyl, a limited edition version of the product will also be available on White Vinyl at Walmart. Those picking up their copies at Target have exclusive access to a limited-edition Green Vinyl version, along with a collectible poster.

My Gift, originally released in 2020, is Carrie's first-ever full-length Christmas album. It features a collaboration with John Legend, “Hallelujah,” as well as a version of “The Little Drummer Boy” featuring vocals from the singer's six-year-old son, Isaiah.

Since releasing My Gift, Carrie followed up her holiday project with My Savior, a collection of gospel hymns. More recently, Carrie topped the country charts with her Jason Aldean duet, “If I Didn't Love You.”

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On Friday, fans finally got a chance to hear a song that guests at Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani's wedding already know well: It's the love ballad that he debuted for her as part of his vows during their ceremony.

Called “We Can Reach the Stars,” the new song details Blake and Gwen's real-life fairy tale romance. In the first verse, it addresses the fact that they often wonder what life might have been like if they'd met earlier. But ultimately, Blake says in the song, everything worked out for the best.

“Who are we to question God and his greater plan? You and me are a blessing and all we've got to do is say amen,” he reflects.

“I know we can reach the stars / That's how far my love will go for you,” the chorus continues. “I know we can reach the stars / You've already hung the moon.”

Blake and Gwen wed in an intimate, family-focused ceremony on the country star's Oklahoma ranch this July. Since then, Blake has assured fans that he's not keeping the song private forever — and eventually, he decided to include it on the deluxe version of his Body Language album, which will be out on December 3.

“I'm really proud of We Can Reach the Stars' and I'm really honored to be with her,” he explains. “That's why we got married in the first place. That's why we wear rings…because we want everyone to know. I'm thrilled to share this song with the world.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On Friday, fans finally got a chance to hear a song that guests at Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani's wedding already know well: It's the love ballad that he debuted for her as part of his vows during their ceremony.

Called “We Can Reach the Stars,” the new song details Blake and Gwen's real-life fairy tale romance. In the first verse, it addresses the fact that they often wonder what life might have been like if they'd met earlier. But ultimately, Blake says in the song, everything worked out for the best.

“Who are we to question God and his greater plan? You and me are a blessing and all we've got to do is say amen,” he reflects.

“I know we can reach the stars / That's how far my love will go for you,” the chorus continues. “I know we can reach the stars / You've already hung the moon.”

Blake and Gwen wed in an intimate, family-focused ceremony on the country star's Oklahoma ranch this July. Since then, Blake has assured fans that he's not keeping the song private forever — and eventually, he decided to include it on the deluxe version of his Body Language album, which will be out on December 3.

“I'm really proud of We Can Reach the Stars' and I'm really honored to be with her,” he explains. “That's why we got married in the first place. That's why we wear rings…because we want everyone to know. I'm thrilled to share this song with the world.”

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Thomas Rhett returns with the first taste of a fresh batch of music this week, releasing his nostalgic new single, “Slow Down Summer.” The song's lyrics follow a couple who are soaking up every minute of their summer love together, knowing that when the weather cools, so will their relationship.

“I wrote this song from the point of view of two people who are in love during senior year of high school. I envisioned them headed off to different schools and they're starting to understand that the moment the weather starts to change, they've got a 99-percent chance this relationship is not going to work,” the singer explains.

The song is off his newly-announced album, Where We Started, which will arrive in early 2022.

On his social media, Thomas shared an update about that project — or rather, projects. “So, last year and this year on the road, me and my team have been writing so many songs, and what we have decided to do is to put out two albums next year,” he reveals.

Where We Started will be out first, he goes on to say. Then, in the fall, he'll release Country Again: Side B, the follow up to Side A of that project, which came out in April.

“I'm so pumped. I cannot wait for y'all to hear these songs, and I cannot wait to play them for you live on the road next year,” Thomas continues. “But until then, y'all get excited. Tell your friends, tell your parents, tell your dogs…tell anybody!”

Next up, Thomas is headed to the 2021 CMA Awards, where he's a performer as well as a nominee.

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In 2014, Maddie & Tae burst on the scene, topping the chart with their debut single, “Girl in a Country Song,” and winning the CMA for Music Video of the Year.

Though nominated for Vocal Duo for seven consecutive years, the catchy #1 still seemed to raise the question of if they might be a novelty. That all changed last year, however, thanks to “Die from a Broken Heart.”

“When we came out with ‘Girl in a Country Song,’ it was like ‘one-hit wonder’ or ‘they’re gimmicks,’ that kind of thing,” Maddie Font says candidly. “I think ‘Die from a Broken Heart’ was our moment to say, ‘No, we’re not a one-trick pony. We’ve got so much to uncover…'”

“I was so emotional the week that it went #1,” she continues. “I didn’t even care if it went #1, just the fact that it got up there, I was happy.”

After changing record labels and nearly five years between albums, the duo’s recent success has helped make sense of their struggles.

“It was a really cool God moment for me,” Maddie tells ABC Audio, “because there’s never pain without purpose.’

“I think we wrote ‘Die from a Broken Heart’ in one of the most painful seasons of life,” she reveals. “Fast-forward, three years later — it didn’t feel like it fast-forwarded, it took forever. But ‘Die from a Broken Heart” to me represents perseverance in our career.”

“So every time I hear that song, I’m just reminded that we can go through some really tough times and we always come out stronger,” she adds.  

See if Maddie & Tae pick up a new trophy Wednesday, as the 55th CMA Awards air at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

You can also check out their recent appearance on public television’s Front and Center.

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