Month: July 2022

Back in April, at the 2022 CMT Music Awards, fans got the collaboration they never knew they needed when Jimmie Allen and Little Big Town shared the stage with R&B legend Monica for a rendition of her song “Pray.”

Now, Monica's got a full-blown country album in the works, which she says she's been working on with Brandi Carlile. The project, called Open Roads, might seem like a left turn for the singer — but it actually dates back to her decadeslong Dolly Parton fandom.

“My Dolly Parton obsession began — and it hasn't ended — and what it was, was that my love for my family is really my connection to her,” Monica tells ET Online.

“I was in her park [Dollywood] at about 10 years old, and the lady working told me, Well, I'm Dolly's first cousin and she gives us a job, a car and an apartment. It's amazing,'” the singer recounts. “So when I met her and I realized all of these people are related to her and she built all of this, it really helps her family and community, that's when my love for her began in country music.”

Of course, Dolly is a dream collaborator for Monica's album, but she's not the only one: The singer also names Mickey Guyton and Chris Stapleton as people in the country genre who she'd love to work with.

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After dropping their Through the Madness Vol. 1 EP back in January, Maddie & Tae have announced the next half of the project: Through the Madness Vol. 2 will be available in September.

“The story continues September 23,” the duo shared on social media. “Through the Madness Vol. 2 has a little something for all your feels. We can't wait for you to hear these songs!”

Volume one of the project included personal tracks like “Madness” and “Woman You Got,” which reflects on recent life changes ripped straight from their lives: Both Maddie Font and Taylor Kerr got married within the last few years.

The duo have experienced “madness” throughout the album release process in other ways, too: They had to postpone their scheduled early 2022 tour after Taylor, who was pregnant, was placed on bed rest. After being hospitalized for a month, the singer gave birth to her daughter, Leighton, significantly early. The baby spent 53 days in the newborn intensive care unit, went home and has been thriving since.

Through the Madness Vol. 2 is available for preorder now. If you sign up for Maddie & Tae's fan club, you can get $2 off your order.

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It seems like just yesterday that country fans from across the world were filing into Nashville for CMA Fest — one of the biggest music events of the year — but it's already been a month and a half since the festival wrapped.

Fortunately, in the coming weeks, you can revisit all the CMA Fest fun with an ABC special hosted for the first time by Dierks Bentley and Elle King.

“I think Elle brings so much to the table,” says Dierks of his co-host and “Worth a Shot” duet partner. “Onstage she's just a riot and also super talented — a great combination of talent with comedic humor. A lot of spontaneous moments between the two of us and just a lot of laughs.”

“I am co-hosting this whole she-bang,” Elle adds. “Not only do I get to do it with my buddy Dierks, I also get to see all these incredible performances and be a part of a big party!”

The “CMA Fest” ABC special will revisit some of the most unforgettable performances from the festival. Filmed at Nissan Stadium, the show will provide a front-row seat to mainstage performances from Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Luke Combs, Thomas Rhett and a slew of other stars.

The special airs on August 3 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. It'll be available to watch the next day on Hulu.

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After weeks of new music teases, Kelsea Ballerini is officially dropping details on her next studio album.

Called Subject to Change, the new album will be out on September 23. Kelsea shared the cover art on her social media: It's a blurred photograph of the singer in a floor-length, flowing yellow dress, her hair windswept in front of her face. Kelsea's picture is set against a backdrop of a starry blue sky, calling to mind some of the same visual aesthetics she established in the music video for the album's first single, “Heartfirst.”

Along with her album news, Kelsea shared an audio clip of herself discussing some of the themes behind the record, which revolve around change.

“In my younger years, the idea of change scared me,” the singer admits. “It had proven to be a faceless force that patterned my past with uncertainty.”

But with time and growth, Kelsea says, she came to have a different perspective, learned to let go of things outside of her control and began to embrace the beauty of finding new beginnings.

“This is a season of becoming, healing, loving, dancing and feeling,” she concludes. “And like everything, it is subject to change.”

Earlier this week on TikTok, Kelsea teased her upcoming album with a few cryptic details. In those clips, she said that her project would be heavily influenced by 90s country and also hinted that a new single might be on its way sooner than fans think.

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Tyler Hubbard acknowledges he’s a little out of his comfort zone embarking on a career as a solo artist, but he’s leaning into all the new changes. 

The singer, who has spent the past decade as one half of the popular duo Florida Georgia Line, says he hadn’t imagined being a solo artist until last year, when the duo decided to go on hiatus and pursue separate career paths. But he’s quickly embraced it.  

“I’m still processing a little bit, but also I think the emotion of excitement is far overriding any kind of fear or things that are obviously there to an extent,” he says, noting that performing live will “definitely be different” without FGL partner Brian Kelley. “All of this is unknown territory. It’s out of my comfort zone. It’s new.”  

The “5 Foot 9” singer compares this massive transition to buying a new car, learning how to operate in an unfamiliar setting while still being authentic to himself. 

“It’s like getting a new car after one’s been driven for 10 years … It feels a little different, it drives different, but I’m getting used to it and I’m really excited about how it drives. As far as the live show, I think it’s going to be even more fun to dive in and say, ‘How am I going to differentiate this show from an FGL show? How am I going to make this ‘me’ and reflect 100 percent of who I am?'” the singer says. “Taking everything I’ve learned over the last 10 years and putting it into practice, it’s all so fun.” 

Tyler will get to test out his skills as a solo artist when he joins Keith Urban‘s The Speed of Now World Tour as an opening act in the fall. 

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