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Go Country 105

Nashville notes: Carly Pearce, Nashville Meets London & more

Presale tickets for Carly Pearce‘s headlining show at the Ryman Auditorium are available to members of her fan club Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET. 

Priscilla Block will be one of the performers at the Nashville Meets London Festival, taking place August 24 and 25 at Trinity Buoy Wharf in East London. 

Shy Carter will make his Grand Ole Opry debut on June 25. 

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Go Country 105

Nicole Kidman introduces herself as “Nicole Urban” at Keith Urban's Las Vegas show

Keith Urban had a special guest join him in Las Vegas this weekend.

The crowd at the final night of his 2022 residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace got the ultimate treat when Keith’s Academy Award-winning wife, Nicole Kidman, came out on stage. 

Keith greeted his wife with a hug and a kiss as he jokingly asked, “What’s your name?” The actress sheepishly replied, “Nicole Urban,” which sent the crowd into a frenzy. “Oh cool!” the country star said excitedly. 

But Nicole was also there on a specific mission. “I want to get your jacket, you put it on the floor,” she informed him as they walked across the stage hand-in-hand to retrieve the black jacket. “She literally said, ‘Don’t lose that jacket.’ I’m like, ‘How am I going to lose the jacket?’ And it’s gone,” Keith confirmed.

After retrieving it from his guitar player, Keith helped his wife put on the jacket. Nicole blew a kiss and flashed a heart symbol to the fans before walking off stage. 

“Just a Saturday night in Las Vegas,” Keith said with a smile. 

The hit singer added five more shows to his Vegas residency after Adele had to postpone her residency at Caesars Palace last minute. Keith will launch his Speed of Now World Tour on June 17 in Tampa, Florida.  

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Go Country 105

Jimmie Allen, Michael Ray sign on for ACM Lifting Lives' mental health series

Jimmie Allen and Michael Ray are among the artists speaking out about their mental health in partnership with ACM Lifting Lives. 

In the new digital series The Check-In, multiple country stars are opening up about their mental health journeys, candidly “sharing stories from their own mental health experiences over the recent few years and revealing how music has played a crucial role in their healing process,” according to ACM Lifting Lives.  

“You feel like your world is maybe coming to an end five years ago, 10 years ago, 15 years ago. It probably doesn’t even matter anymore,” Michael shares in a video advertising the series. “Learn to see the most beautiful things in life and really take it in. And I would also tell myself that everything’s going to be alright,” Jimmie says. 

John Osborne and Lindsay Ell‘s episodes have already been released. New episodes will air throughout the summer, with Brett Eldredge; Chase Bryant, who previously opened up about his experience surviving a suicide attempt; and Caitlyn Smith also participating.  

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Go Country 105

Dan + Shay tribute Kenny Chesney in original new song

Dan + Shay are Kenny Chesney superfans and are pledging their allegiance through song. 

The duo is currently one of the opening acts on Kenny’s stadium-sized Here and Now Tour. Ahead of their show at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, they debuted a new song they wrote in honor of the impact Kenny has had on them. 

Dan + Shay hopped on Instagram to share the brand new track, with Dan Smyers revealing that it’s inspired by how much Kenny’s music means to them and how they used to go to his shows every summer. “It’s an absolute dream come true for us to be on this tour,” he said. “At the end of the day, we’re still just fans.”

With the lyrics pulled up on bandmate Shay Mooney‘s phone, the two turned the empty Nissan Stadium into their personal stage as they performed the acoustic number that references Kenny’s hit “I Go Back” while recalling the first time they met him. 

“The first time I shook his hand/All I said was was thank you, man/You introduced me to country music/You’re the reason that I do it,” Shay croons, leading into the chorus. “Every time I hear that song/I’m right back there in that parking lot/Drinking discount beer with my best friends/We were drunk before we ever got in/And just like him it stops me in my tracks/Singing I go back.” 

Many fans took to the comments to demand that the duo officially record the song, with one referring to it as “the song of the summer.” 

Carly Pearce and Old Dominion are also part of the lineup of Kenny’s tour, which continues through the summer, concluding with a two-night stay at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on August 26 and 27. 

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Go Country 105

Carly Pearce to make headlining debut at Ryman Auditorium

Carly Pearce is marking a major milestone in her career with her first headlining show at the Ryman Auditorium. 

On October 26, the “I Hope You’re Happy Now” singer will make her headlining debut at the historic venue in Nashville with Carly Pearce: One Night at the Ryman. Carly recently topped the charts with Ashley McBryde on their duet “Never Wanted to Be That Girl,” which is featured on Carly’s CMA Award-nominated album, 29: Written in Stone. The album came in the wake of her divorce from Michael Ray in 2020. 

In a statement, Carly says she’ll perform “cold, hard truth songs” at the show that she calls a dream come true.

“I've dreamt of headlining my own show at the legendary @theryman for years & it's finally happening!!! I truly can't wait for this magical night,” Carly raves in the caption announcing the special show. “See y'all there!” 

Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday at 11 a.m. ET.

The hitmaker is on the road opening for Kenny Chesney on his Here and Now Tour through the end of the summer.    

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Go Country 105

Thomas Rhett welcomes summer with #1 hit “Slow Down Summer”

Summer is speeding up for Thomas Rhett, as he has the #1 song in country music this week.

The singer welcomed in summer this weekend with his single “Slow Down Summer” rising to #1 on the country charts. Thomas shared the news via video, saying that after taking nighttime pictures on the beach with daughter Lennon, “Slow Down Summer” came on the radio. In the video the 2-year-old is sitting on her dad’s lap as the song blasts through the speakers of their Jeep with the windows and top down.  

“Sitting ‘in park’ in the car with Lennon and this is the first song we hear. Can't wait to see all of you on the road this summer. Love all of y'all so much,” Thomas shares in the caption, adding that he feels “very grateful for everyone involved in the process,” including his co-writers, family, country radio and the fans.

“Slow Down Summer” is the superstar’s 19th #1 hit. It’s the lead single off his latest album, Where We Started.

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Go Country 105

Luke Combs never planned to duet with Miranda Lambert, but the song was “too good not to do it”

When Luke Combs shared the track list for his next album, Growin' Up, earlier this month, there were one especially eye-catching piece of news: A duet with Miranda Lambert called “Outrunnin' Your Memory.”

But Luke says that the two stars didn't necessarily set out to sing together. It all started with a co-writing session, Luke explains.

“We wrote that song together, and it wasn't like we sat down to write a duet. I didn't plan to have her on my album and she didn't plan for us to write a song for hers,” he recalls. “There were no intentions in the songwriting other than, Let's go write a song that we both think is really good.'”

Mission accomplished: When he started cutting songs for Growin' Up, “Outrunnin' Your Memory” is at the forefront of Luke's mind.

“When we were going in the studio, I was like, I gotta cut this song,'” he goes on to say. “It was never like, Man, it's gonna be this duet, and we're gonna do this.' It was like, We gotta have her on this song, right? It's too good, and she's too good, not to do it.'”

Still, it's not too much of a surprise that Miranda would help pen a song that was a must-have for Luke's next album cycle. He's long been influenced by her writing style.

“She's somebody I've looked up to for so long as a songwriter. And what she does as an artist is, I think, super authentic and amazing as well,” he comments.

Luke's had good luck with megawatt collabs in the past. His last album contained “Does to Me,” a duet with another of his musical heroes — Eric Church — and the song was a chart-topping hit.

Growin' Up drops on June 24.

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Go Country 105

Craig Morgan will take the stage as part of PBS' National Memorial Day Concert

Country star and Army veteran Craig Morgan is on deck to perform during PBS' annual National Memorial Day Concert. The annual, 90-minute event features musical performance, stories from military families and more.

Supporting the military is an important component of Craig's career. As a vet who served nearly 10 years of active duty, plus several more years in the reserves, he continues to shine a light on military heroes in his role as a country star.

He recently competed in the CBS reality series Beyond the Edge, for example, where he raised money for Operation Finally Home, an organization that works to provide mortgage-free homes to wounded veterans and first responders.

Craig raised $100,000 for the cause during his time on the show, and presented OFH with the donation during the Grand Ole Opry's annual Salute the Troops show this week.

Musically, Craig is known for hit songs like “Redneck Yacht Club” and “That's What I Love About Sunday,” and he had a viral hit in 2019 with his poignant “The Father, My Son and the Holy Ghost.”

The National Memorial Day Concert airs on PBS this Sunday, May 29 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Also on the bill is Americana star Rhiannon Giddens.

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Go Country 105

Jimmie Allen trades verses with Jennifer Lopez on a remixed “On My Way,” the latest Tulip Drive release

Jimmie Allen's latest song release is a full-circle moment: It's a collaboration with Jennifer Lopez, the pop superstar who was a judge on Season 10 of American Idol — the same season that Jimmie competed on the show.

Now, the two stars are peers and duet partners. Their pop-leaning new song, “On My Way,” tells a romantic story of all of life's ups and downs — and how they ultimately lead to the perfect partner.

It's a harmony-packed remix of JLo's solo version of the song, which first appeared in the soundtrack for Marry Me, her romcom that premiered back in February. In its new, remixed version, the song appears on the track list for Tulip Drive, Jimmie's next album.

“On My Way” is one of the few tracks on Tulip Drive that Jimmie didn't have a hand in writing, and he has said that this collection of music is his most personal to date.

“This is the first [album] where I chose to write songs about my own personal experiences, thoughts and hopes,” Jimmie explained in a statement.

The new project also continues the theme of big, cross-genre duets that Jimmie established on his Bettie James project. The track list of Tulip Drive also boasts a collab with CeeLo Green and T-Pain.

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Go Country 105

On Memorial Day, Chris Young salutes all military service-members, including those he counts as friends

Chris Young has a personal connection to the military — his sister and grandfather both served in the Marines — but that's not all: Throughout his career, he's made it a point to uplift and connect with all those who serve.

“There's so many people that I've met,” he says, explaining that his career has afforded him the opportunity to perform for and meet military service men and women of all description. Every one of them has an inspiring story, he adds.

“If I was going to pick one — my buddy Joe Bowser, who lost his leg while he was serving,” Chris continues. “He and I have been friends for years and years and years…I got to meet him through one of my very first trips over to Iraq and German and Kuwait.”

Chris leans on his fellow country stars for inspiration on how to best use his platform to support the military. In particular, he looks up to the late legend Charlie Daniels, whose Charlie Daniels Journey Home Project raises funds for veteran-focused projects.

“They've got a lot of different outreach for veterans, if they're dealing with something, or they might need help,” Chris details.

“Seeing Charlie's love for the military, getting a chance to help them raise money and knowing it's going to help our veterans who might need a leg up,” he goes on to say.

“Having that military connection to my family, having been able to be lucky enough to go around the world playing for military,” he adds,” being able to offer some help to veterans, it's really important for me to have a chance to do that.”

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