Month: February 2022

Maren Morris pens a love letter to those closest to her in “Background Music,” the newest release to come off her upcoming studio album, Humble Quest.

It's a celebration of savoring life, especially in light of the knowledge that a person's time on earth can't last forever.

“We've got time, but we're only human / We call it forever but we know that there's an end to it,” Maren sings in her new ballad's chorus. “You and I can dance our way through it / And I'll love you til all that we are is background music.”

“I wrote this about the beauty of the temporary, which is inevitably all things,” Maren explained when she released her new song. “The romanticism of eternity sounds nice, but I like to think I savor things better when I know I'm not entitled to it in perpetuity.”

Maren underscores her point with a music video featuring her family, including her young son, Hayes. He previously made an appearance in another of the singer's videos, for “Better Than We Found It.”

Elsewhere in the “Background Music” video, a man's hands play a piano line. While the man's face isn't revealed, it's a pretty safe bet that it's Maren's fellow singer-songwriter husband, Ryan Hurd.

Humble Quest will be out in full March 25.

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As Luke Bryan heads into tonight’s opening show of his Las Vegas residency, he's grateful to be at a place in his career where he's truly comfortable and confident onstage.

“I think as you get more and more comfortable in who you are as an artist and all the true stresses of life — stress is the enemy of singing,” Luke reflects. “The more you stress, the more it affects everything.”

So Luke’s learned to relax and have fun when he's onstage, something that will be on full display when he kicks off his show tonight at Resorts World Las Vegas. “I mean, I just get up there and sing and enjoy the crowd,” he adds.

Of course, that's not all that goes into putting on a truly great show. Luke says he's learned a lot about taking care of his voice over the years, including how to “look after myself, stay healthy, and what not to eat on the road.”

Luke's also had to make adjustments at home to be comfortable and confident — and for the sake of his wife getting a full night's rest.

“After you're home for a year and a half and you're in bed next to your wife and she is claiming that you might be snoring a little bit more than you've ever snored,” he continues slyly. “And she says if you don't get a CPAP machine she's going to move [you] out to the horse barn.”

Now that he's got the machine, Luke says he's not snoring as much — and his voice in better, too.

“I said it. I'm on a CPAP,” Luke confesses with a giggle. “And I'm encouraging all my country music buddies who have admitted to me that they snore — they know who they are — I've got a coupon for a CPAP.”

Luke' Vegas residency continues throughout the month.

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Willie Nelson has announced the release of his next album, A Beautiful Time. It'll arrive April 29, which is Willie's 89th birthday. The first single, “I'll Love You Till the Day I Die,” is out now.

Randy Travis' More Life documentary premieres tonight at 8:30 p.m. EST on the Circle Network.

Dustin Lynch is teasing the release of his new song, “Party Mode,” and an accompanying music video with some stills from the clip. It'll be out at midnight.

Darius Rucker will be livestreaming his March 3 concert from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. To watch the show from the comfort of your home, you can purchase tickets now.

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Miranda Lambert scored five 2022 ACM Awards nominations this week, making her one of the events most-nominated artists.

Among her nods is an Album of the Year nomination courtesy of The Marfa Tapes, her acoustic project with Jon Randall and Jack Ingram, which the trio recorded around a campfire during a five-day stay in Marfa, Texas.

“I am so humbled by the industry's recognition of the music we're making,” Miranda says. “…Receiving acknowledgement like this only furthers the permission we give ourselves to be vulnerable and stretch beyond our comfort zones.”

Another marquee nomination for Miranda comes via her Female Artist of the Year nomination. She's now been nominated in that category 16 times, tying with Reba McEntire for the most-nominated Female Artist at the ACMs.

Miranda's also up for the awards show's most coveted honor, Entertainer of the Year. In that category, she'll go head to head with Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Chris Stapleton and Luke Combs.

The 2022 ACMs will stream live from Las Vegas on March 7, exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.

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