Month: December 2021

Kelsea Ballerini finishes the year with a top-ten duet with Kenny Chesney that could very well go on to become the stars’ next number one.

Along the way, she also picked up her very first CMA trophies, with “Half of My Hometown” winning for both Music Video and Musical Event of the Year. 

“It’s my favorite song I’ve put out, you know,” she tells ABC Audio, “so just to have that song kinda get some love on it by my peers is a big deal. It’s also with my hometown hero. Like, there’s a lot of levels to it that make me feel really proud.”

Kelsea goes on: “When we got nominated, I FaceTimed Kenny, and we just kind of had that moment of like, ‘People like our song. Like, What a joy!’ You know, you make it because you like it, and we made it because we liked it. But to see people really kind of relating to it and catching on is exciting.”

Instead of focusing on career momentum, the East Tennessee native seems to view her success through the eyes of the Knoxville girl who dreamed these dreams.

“I still haven’t had the ‘I’ve made it’ moment, I hope I never do,” she confesses. “But yeah, there are certain moments that kinda make you look up and go, ‘Man, 12-year-old me would be losing her mind!'”

“And having a song with [Kenny] is certainly one of those,” she adds.  

In addition to touring the country with pop superstars the Jonas Brothers this year, Kelsea also released her first book of poetry, Feel Your Way Through, in November.

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When it comes to New Year’s Eve celebrations, Walker Hayes‘ focus is on family. 

Walker admits that he doesn’t follow food traditions such as eating black-eyed peas, which many people incorporate into their New Year’s Eve meal as a symbol of good luck. Instead, the hit singer opts for a “hearty” dish, adding that he’s often watching football and has a full house on the holiday with his wife Laney and their six children.

“Little football, for sure, a lot of good food. We don’t do the black-eyed peas thing, I’m not really big into vegetables, so usually a Rotel or something hearty,” he describes of their New Year’s rituals. “Just a lot of family time and doors are usually wide open, kids are always at my house.”

The “Fancy Like” singer asserts that he has every intention of staying up until midnight on New Years Eve. Seeing as his wife and their kids also make a habit out of staying up late, it’s likely they’ll be awake to ring in 2022.

“We got to make it to midnight. The older I get, the harder that is, but we always stay up late,” Walker says. “My family, we always go to sleep late and wake up late also, so we’re prepared.” 

Walker will commemorate the new year with a performance on ABC’s annual special, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest, airing at 8 p.m. ET on December 31.

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Maddie & Tae are hitting pause on their upcoming tour. 

The duo has announced via Instagram that they are postponing dates on the CMT Next Women of Country: All Song No Static Tour “out of precaution” as Taylor Kerr, who is pregnant, has been placed on temporary bed rest. The singers assure that both the mother and baby are “doing great.”  

“As excited as we are to get out on the road and see everyone, we are holding off on our return a little bit longer,” Maddie & Tae write. “We appreciate your understanding and we’ll be back on tour with new music as soon as we can!” 

The CMT Next Women of Country Tour was scheduled to kick off on January 6 and continue through February 12. The duo says that the rescheduled dates will be unveiled soon, closing the message by telling fans “we love you.”   

Tae announced in November that she and her husband, hit songwriter Josh Kerr, are expecting their first child, a girl, in spring 2022. 

Maddie & Tae are set to release their new album, Through the Madness Vol. 1, on January 28.

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Miranda Lambert is continuing to demonstrate her LGBTQIA+ allyship by contributing a song to the new season of Queer Eye. 

As an end-of-year gift for fans, Miranda has revealed that she’s written and recorded the song “Y’all Means All” for the show’s upcoming season, set for release on New Years Eve. 

Filmed in the country superstar’s home state of Texas, season six of Queer Eye follows Jonathan Van Ness, Tan France, Karamo Brown, Antoni Porowski and Bobby Berk as they provide fashion and lifestyle makeovers to a person who is transitioning, a honky tonk owner, a group of high school seniors attending prom and more. 

The latest trailer features a clip of Miranda’s inclusivity-themed track, in which she sings, “If your life is like a tornado/All you need is a smoke and a rainbow” before chanting “y’all means all.” 

“Here's one last surprise for y'all this year! A new song “Y'all Means All” will be out on 12/31 to celebrate the new season of @QueerEye that filmed all in Texas!” the hit singer writes on Twitter.

“OMG We partnered with THE country music queen @mirandalambert for her new song Y'all Means All debuting alongside S6 on 12/31,” the Queer Eye account shares. 

Earlier this year, Miranda released a video for the remix of “Tequila Does” featuring her brother, Luke, and his husband, Marc. She has also attended Pride parades with the couple. 

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