Month: November 2021

Categories
Go Country 105

Luke Combs breaks records as “Cold As You” becomes his latest #1 hit

abc-rss-feed-20211122130000

Luke Combs continues to break records in country music. 

As his latest single, “Cold As You,” ascends to #1 on country radio, it makes him the first artist in history to have seven consecutive #1 singles off the same album.

“Cold As You” and its predecessors “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” “Even Though I’m Leaving,” “Does to Me,” “Lovin’ on You,” “Better Together” and “Forever After All” are all lifted from the deluxe album, What You See Ain't Always What You Get, setting a record for most chart-topping hits off the same project. 

“Cold As You” marks Luke’s 12th consecutive #1 single overall.  

Luke’s 2019 sophomore album, What You See Is What You Get, and the deluxe edition released in 2020 both debuted at #1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 and Billboard Top Country Albums chart. 

The superstar singer was recently crowned Entertainer of the Year at the CMA Awards for the first time. He’s set to embark on a headlining stadium tour in 2022 that includes stops at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and Denver’s Empower Field at Mile High, among other venues.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Categories
Go Country 105

Maddie & Tae's Taylor Dye expecting first child

abc-rss-feed-20211122090200

Taylor Dye is pregnant! 

The singer, who is one half of the duo Maddie & Tae, is expecting her first child with her husband, hit songwriter Josh Kerr, next year.

The couple announced the news via Instagram on Sunday night. Taylor shared a series of photos that show Josh cradling her baby bump, revealing they are expecting a baby girl by munching into pieces of a pink cake with a sign displaying the word “girl” in pink lettering. 

“Mom and dad,” Taylor writes alongside the photos with a white heart emoji. “Baby Kerr is joining us earthside in spring 22 and we are already so deeply in love.” 

“@taylordye and I have been keeping a little secret for a few months now. mom & dad already love you so much baby Kerr,” Josh shares in his celebratory post. 

Among those to congratulate the couple were Taylor’s band mate, Maddie Marlow, who cheered in the comment section, “Thank you Jesus for the biggest blessing!! I CANT WAIT TO MEET HER.” 

Taylor and Josh wed in February 2021. Maddie & Tae earned their second #1 country song in 2020 with “Die From a Broken Heart.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Categories
Go Country 105

Luke Combs to headline the Thanksgiving Day halftime show

abc-rss-feed-20211122081321

Luke Combs has been tapped to headline the Thanksgiving Day halftime show at the Dallas Cowboys vs. Las Vegas Raiders NFL game at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas.

The event also serves as the launch of the annual Red Kettle Campaign run by the Salvation Army to supply a range of resources to people in need during the holiday season, including food, shelter and Christmas gifts.

Luke, who is friends with Dallas Cowboys player Ezekiel Elliott, says he’s “humbled” to be a part of the initiative.

“Considering I’m a huge football fan, the Dallas Cowboys were always on our TV on Thanksgiving Day growing up, so it is a complete honor to be a part of their 25th Thanksgiving Day halftime show supporting The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign,” the singer says in a statement. 

The CMA Entertainer of the Year follows in the footsteps of Kane Brown, who performed at the halftime show last year. Luke’s performance comes as his latest single, “Cold as You,” clinches the #1 spot on the country charts.   

The NFL game airs at 4:30 p.m. ET on Fox.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Categories
Go Country 105

'CMA Country Christmas' reveals the festive songs list for this year's show

abc-rss-feed-20211122071347

Country stars are lining up to bring seasonal cheer to fans next week with the airing of the annual CMA Country Christmas special. Following the lineup announcement earlier in November, the CMA has now revealed which songs will be performed on the 2021 show.

Breland, Carrie Underwood and Brett Eldredge are all sticking with the classics, performing “The Christmas Song,” “Mary, Did You Know?” and “Merry Christmas, Baby,” respectively.

Show hosts Gabby Barrett and Carly Pearce will perform Christmas standards, too, with Gabby offering her version of “Silent Night” and Carly putting her spin on “O Holy Night.”

Gabby and Carly will also take the stage together. They're planning a duet version of “Sleigh Ride” that features two student musicians: eight-year-old Carter Hammonds and 17-year-old Truman Eltringham, both of whom are from Nashville.

The CMA Country Christmas special will offer some original holiday music, too. The Pistol Annies are performing “Snow Globe,” off their newly-released Christmas record, Hell of a Holiday. Lady A will offer “Christmas Through Your Eyes,” a holiday song inspired by their kids, and Jimmie Allen taps Louis York and the Shindellas for a performance of “What Does Christmas Mean,” a song they put out together last year.

Finally, Lainey Wilson will keep it country with her spin on George Strait's “Christmas Cookies.”

The 2021 CMA Country Christmas will air on Monday, November 29 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Categories
Pop Daypop

2021 American Music Awards: See The Full List Of Winners

shutterstock_1199223097

The 49th annual American Music Awards (AMAs) were held on Sunday live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, with Cardi B serving as host.

BTS took home the biggest award of the night, Artist of the Year, beating out fellow nominees Ariana Grande, Drake, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd. The K-pop band also won the award for favorite pop duo or group and favorite pop song for “Butter.”

Olivia Rodrigo, who led the nominations with seven, won the award for New Artist of the Year, and Megan Thee Stallion received three wins, for favorite trending song for “Body,” female hip-hop artist and hip-hop album for “Good News.” Doja Cat had the same amount of honors, winning collaboration of the year for “Kiss Me More” with SZA, as well as favorite female R&B artist and R&B album for “Planet Her.”

For a full list of 2021 AMA winners, check out the link below or visit https://www.theamas.com/

Editorial credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com

Categories
News Daypop

Multiple deaths, injuries confirmed after SUV plows through holiday parade in Wisconsin

shutterstock_416567773

Fatalities have been confirmed after a driver of an SUV plowed through a Christmas parade in a Milwaukee suburb. A live video feed of the Holiday Parade from the City of Waukesha showed a red SUV breaking through barriers and speeding into the roadway where the parade was taking place.  Waukesha is located about 15 miles from Milwaukee.

Waukesha Police Chief Dan Thompson said the SUV struck more than 20 people, including children. Fire Chief Steve Howard said that 11 adults and 12 “pediatric patients” were transported to nearby hospitals. Police chief Thompson and fire chief Howard declined to comment on the number of fatalities until families of the victims could be notified. Several social media reports claim shots were fired from the SUV; however, Thompson clarified during a press conference that the shots were fired by a police officer attempting to stop the SUV. No one was injured by the gunfire.

Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly called the incident a “horrible, senseless tragedy,” adding, “My heart goes out to those injured as well as to their families My heart goes out to those who are witness to these events. My heart goes out to those who lost a loved one tonight.” Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers tweeted that he and his wife, Kathy were “praying for Waukesha tonight and all the kids, families, and community members affected by this senseless act. I’m grateful for the first responders and folks who acted quickly to help, and we are in contact with local partners as we await more information.”.”

The FBI will assist local authorities, who are currently leading the investigation. Thompson said it is a “very fluid investigation” and that one person of interest is in custody in the case.

Editorial credit: Juli Hansen / Shutterstock.com

Categories
News Daypop

U.S. missionary group confirms 2 of 17 hostages have been released from captivity in Haiti

shutterstock_1028329153

Two of the 17 people taken hostage in Haiti last month have been freed, their church organization said Sunday. According to the Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries, both members are “safe” and “in good spirits,” No further information, including the identities of those freed or how their release was secured, was given. The church group said: “While we rejoice at this release, our hearts are with the fifteen people who are still being held.”  The FBI, which is helping Haitian authorities recover the captives, declined to comment.

The missionaries were kidnapped by the ‘400 Mawozo’ gang on Oct. 16. There are five children in the group of 16 U.S. citizens and one Canadian, including an 8-month-old. Their Haitian driver also was abducted, according to a local human rights organization. The leader of the 400 Mawozo gang has threatened to kill the hostages unless his demands are met. Authorities have said the gang was demanding $1 million per person, although it wasn’t immediately clear that included the children in the group.

The release comes as Haiti has seen a spike in gang-related violence and kidnappings. The U.S. government recently urged U.S. citizens to leave Haiti, and on Friday, Canada announced it was pulling all but essential personnel from its embassy. Haiti also is trying to recover from the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moise and a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck in mid-August, killing more than 2,200 people and destroying tens of thousands of homes.

 

Categories
Go Country 105

Kelsea Ballerini shares her “autobiography that rhymes” with 'Feel Your Way Through,' her new poetry book

abc-rss-feed-20211122030000

Kelsea Ballerini stepped far outside of her comfort zone in order to create her newest project, a book of poetry called Feel Your Way Through. The volume addresses the singer's coming-of-age story and explores family dynamics, sexuality, body image concerns, relationships and more.

“Poetry, to me, can seem really kind of heady,” Kelsea explains. “It's really just an autobiography that rhymes. So I'm nervous and I'm terrified, and it's certainly the deepest I've gone and also the most artful I've gone.”

The book might never have been written without the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shutdowns, which took Kelsea — and the rest of the touring industry — off the road for over a year. During that time, she says, she wasn't able to process her emotions through songwriting the same way she always had in the past.

“I couldn't write music about it, because music made me sad,” she admits. “Because that's such a place of connection and community, and it wasn't in 2020.”

But the time off the road sparked another source of inspiration for Kelsea. While she was writing, she says, she began to slow down and reflect on a way she never could have during a normal year.

“We've all had this excess time to think and to process and to be — you know, I really like being busy,” she goes on to say. “I like running at a high speed all the time. And so I hadn't really thought about my life since I was 19. I've just been sprinting. And I had a lot to process.”

Feel Your Way Through arrived last week.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Categories
Country Daypop

Alan Jackson shares ‘Racing the Dark,’ co-written with daughter Mattie

shutterstock_1633655

Alan Jackson and his daughter, Mattie Jackson Selecman, have released their collaborative song titled “Racing the Dark,” which coincides with the release of Selecman’s book ‘Lemons on Friday’. Selecman recently lost her husband Ben after only 11 months of marriage. Both song and book detail Selecman’s painful heartbreak while also honoring the life that Ben and Mattie shared.

Jackson said in a statement: “I’m really surprised how well she was able to handle all that. I know I couldn’t have done what she’s done. One day she came to me with this piece of paper and said, ‘I wrote this song… the lyrics,’ and asked me to put it to music. So, I wrote the melody for it, and it turned out to be a very sweet song. It’s a beautiful song. And it’s well-written, lyrically. She told a little more of her story in it… so I’m anxious for my fans to get to hear this.”

To purchase Lemons on Friday, head here.  Take a listen to “Racing the Dark” at the link here.

Editorial credit: Danny E Hooks / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Kelsea Ballerini reveals her struggle with an eating disorder as a teenager

shutterstock_1112199806

Kelsea Ballerini is opening up about her struggles in her teenage years in her new poetry book, Feel Your Way Through,  The 28-year-old country singer revealed that she had struggled with an eating disorder when she was a teenager, saying, “My parents had just gotten divorced, and I think for me, it was a source of control.”  The singer revealed that up until the age of 18 she had battled bulimia, took several diet pills, and worked out excessively until she sought help after passing out numerous times, noting, “It’s a journey, and it’s never-ending.”

While Ballerini says she is in a better mindset now, she revealed that she still struggles with body image issues at times, saying, “There are still days when I revert back to being that 12-year-old, and I have to catch myself, and hold myself accountable to the work I’ve done. I’ve re-calibrated what it means to me to just look in the mirror and just be like, ‘Man, I’m healthy. I’m strong. I have good breath support to do my job well.’ Those are things that matter to me now, rather than: ‘I look skinny in a dress.’”

The country singer hopes to shed light on the issue and help those who have struggled with it in the past:  It took me some time to feel bold enough and confident enough to share my true self. When you’re able to talk about things, you either are going to feel shame about it and you’re going to keep it hidden, or you’re going to air it out and be vulnerable and connect with people and take the sting away from it and heal together. And I think that’s just the better option for me at this point in my life. So that’s why I air out a couple of my dark secrets in this book.”

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com