Kelsea Ballerini's new song, “What I Have,” is out now.
Kristian Bush has announced the newest installment of his 52 album series. The new chapter, called New Blue, will be out September 30.
Brandi Carlile just announced the release of her deluxe album, In the Canyon Haze, which is due out September 28. To celebrate, she shared a version of “You and Me on the Rock,” which features her wife, Catherine Carlile.
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Maren Morris is finding the humor in a rapidly escalating social media feud with Jason Aldean's wife, Brittany.
In the latest installment of a fiery weeklong back-and-forth, Maren posted a screenshot of a photo that appears of her onscreen during Brittany's recent interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tonight.
The photo of Maren is from the Grammy Awards, but what really got her attention is the caption underneath, which identifies her as a “lunatic country music person.”
“#NewProfilePic,” Maren joked on Twitter, posting a screenshot.
For those who haven't been following the feud between Maren and Brittany, it started when Brittany posted an Instagram Reel showing her going from no makeup to a face full of glam. The caption thanked her parents for not “changing my gender” during her “tomboy phase.”
Cassadee Pope first objected to Brittany's transphobic comments, and Maren quickly followed, calling Brittany “Insurrection Barbie.” Angry back-and-forth ensued, and Brittany even launched a Barbie-themed line of shirts that read “Don't Tread On Our Kids.”
Jason hasn't formally addressed the feud — though he has posted a few vaguely supportive comments on Brittany's posts — but on Friday, his publicity firm of 17 years, The GreenRoom, announced its decision to part ways with the star. The company didn't specify whether that decision was a response to Brittany's comments.
As for Maren, she's not the only one finding humor in the fight: Cassadee replied to Maren's “lunatic country music person” post, writing, “A framer for sure.”
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Jon Pardi is known as one of country music's stoutest neo-traditionalists, bringing elements of fiddle, steel guitar and more into songs with subject matter that's just as classic.
He's keeping those traditional country vibes going in his newest album, Mr. Saturday Night, and the singer's method is still working. The lead single off his new album, “Last Night Lonely,” recently reached the top of the charts on country radio.
But just as gratifying is the validation he gets from the classic country hitmakers who influence his music, Jon says.
“It was always just kind of what I thought country music sounded like,” he explains to Billboard, speaking of the fan fervor over throwback country that emulates the heyday of the 90s.
“I've toured with people like Alan Jackson and Brooks & Dunn and you want them to like what you do,” the singer continues. “The coolest thing is just hearing them say, Keep doing what you're doing.' I'm happy that people are more accepting of the more traditional, 90s kind of sound.”
Mr. Saturday Night arrived on Friday.
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It's the end of an era for Florida Georgia Line fans.
Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley played their final show as a duo at the Minnesota State Fair this week, and it was an emotional set for both the artists and the crowd.
“You've enabled us to chase this crazy dream of writing songs and playing shows and hoping someone will show up to listen, so thank you guys,” Tyler told fans from the stage, according to Variety.
“It's the closing of an incredible, incredible chapter for us,” he continued. “It's very exciting for us to look at what's ahead, see what's next. And the next chapter ahead is very exciting, but we want to celebrate this chapter with you guys.”
FGL announced that they were going on hiatus back in February, explaining that they were planning to pursue solo endeavors and hoped to use the final shows they had on the books as a way to celebrate their time together with their fans.
Both have already started releasing solo music: Brian put out his debut, Sunshine State of Mind, months before the break announcement, and he's also at the end of a new country-themed musical called May We All. Meanwhile, Tyler is busily readying a solo album, which he kicked off with the release of his Dancin' in the Country EP. He'll be on tour with Keith Urban this fall.
For their final song as a duo, FGL performed “Cruise,” their breakout hit from 2012.
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Jason Aldean is parting ways with The GreenRoom, his public relations firm of 17 years, according to a report from Billboard.
The split comes days after his wife Brittany was at the center of a social media controversy surrounding some transphobic comments she made on an Instagram reel. The reel in question shows Brittany going from makeup-free to full glam, with a caption that thanks her parents for not “changing my gender” when she went through a “tomboy phase.”
Artists Cassadee Pope and Maren Morris objected to the comments, criticizing Brittany's words as hateful toward the LGBTQ+ community. Fiery back and forth ensued, with Maren calling Brittany “Insurrection Barbie,” leading the singer's wife to launch a line of Barbie-themed t-shirts reading “Don't Tread on Our Kids.”
When they announced their decision to part ways with Jason, The GreenRoom didn't explicitly mention the fiasco.
“Music has always been and remains The GreenRoom's core focus, so we had to make the difficult decision after 17 years to step away from representing Jason,” the firm said in a statement, adding, “We aren't the best people for the gig anymore, but will always be big fans of his music.”
Jason hasn't publicly commented on the split nor has he formally addressed his wife's social media feud.
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A federal judge in Florida was presented arguments by lawyers for both the Justice Department and former President Donald Trump, on whether a special master should be assigned to review documents seized from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. Judge Aileen Cannon did not immediately rule if a third party should be assigned to determine whether the documents seized from Trump’s Palm Beach, Fla. estate contained possibly privileged information, but said she would issue a written ruling later. Cannon on Thursday said she would consider allowing the intelligence community to continue to review the seized documents if a special master is appointed, while also temporarily blocking the Justice Department from accessing the materials for its criminal probe.
The FBI said it recovered more than 320 classified documents from Mar-a-Lago, including 100 seized in August when agents executed a search warrant. Trump voluntarily turned over 15 boxes to the National Archives in January, and his team turned over other materials under subpoena in June. FBI agents seized another 33 boxes during the search of Mar-a-Lago.
“The government should provide to the special master and to movant a copy of the seized materials, a copy of the search warrant and an unredacted copy of the underlying application materials,” Trump’s lawyers said in a court filing Wednesday. Trump lawyer James Trusty accused the Justice Department of trying to “criminalize” the Presidential Records Act, saying: “We’ve characterized it at times as an overdue-library-book scenario where there’s a dispute — not even a dispute — but ongoing negotiations with [the National Archives] that has suddenly been transformed into a criminal investigation.”
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On Thursday, a federal judge in Atlanta ruled that Sen. Lindsey Graham must comply with a subpoena and testify before the grand jury in the criminal probe into efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results.
Judge Leigh Martin May limited the scope of questioning but will allow questions about alleged efforts to persuade Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to alter election practices. Said May: “Senator Graham may be questioned about any alleged efforts to encourage Secretary Raffensperger or others to throw out ballots or otherwise alter Georgia’s election practices and procedures. Likewise, the grand jury may inquire into Senator Graham’s alleged communications and coordination with the Trump Campaign and its post-election efforts in Georgia, as well as into Senator Graham’s public statements related to Georgia’s 2020 elections.”
May wrote in her decision that Raffensperger “has stated publicly that he understood Senator Graham to be implying or otherwise suggesting that he (Secretary Raffensperger) should throw out ballots. As the Court has previously stated, any such ‘cajoling,’ ‘exhorting,’ or pressuring of Secretary Raffensperger (or any other Georgia election officials) to throw out ballots or otherwise change Georgia’s election processes, including changing processes so as to alter the state’s results, is not protected legislative activity under the Speech or Debate Clause.”
The judge’s order also said the speech and debate clause of the U.S. Constitution prohibits “questions about Senator Graham’s investigatory fact-finding on the telephone calls to Georgia election officials, including how such information related to his decision to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election.”
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It's no secret that Tyler Hubbard loves being his own boss. For years, he enjoyed a successful career as part of Florida Georgia Line before striking out on his own to become a solo singer-songwriter.
But did you know that Tyler's favorite gig before that was when he ran his own car detailing business, which he started when he was still a teenager?
“So I would wash cars, working for myself, and had a lot of fun doing that and working for myself,” the singer explains, adding with a laugh: “I think anything outside of that was not the best job.”
He's had plenty of not-so-fun gigs, too, including a “tough” summer he spent pouring concrete. “I don't know if that was my worst, because I enjoyed being outside and I do enjoy manual labor and all that stuff,” he concedes.
Tyler's least favorite job, he continues, was his stint working at Italian-American chain Maggiano's. “I would probably say that was my worst, only because I was in the back polishing silverware and bussing tables,” the singer explains.
“I never could work my way up to being a server. And that's what I thought I eventually was going to get to do,” he adds. “So I polished silverware and cleaned dishes for, I don't know, six or eight months at Maggiano's.”
Fortunately, country music eventually worked out. Tyler now has his dream job as a solo singer-songwriter, and he recently dropped his latest EP, Dancin' in the Country. He heads out on tour with Keith Urban this fall.
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The lineup of performers for the 2023 Americana Honors and Awards has been revealed, featuring Brandi Carlile, Lucinda Williams, Allison Russell, the Indigo Girls, Chris Isaak and Lukas Nelson. Other artists set to perform include Adia Victoria, the McCrary Sisters, James McMurtry, Sierra Farrell, the War and Treaty, Morgan Wade, Neal Francis and Phosphorescent.
The 21st Annual Americana Honors and Awards will take place Sept. 14 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. The live show kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET. A condensed version will air as a special later on two networks: Cable Network will show it Nov. 23 at 10 p.m. ET, and PBS will broadcast it in 2023.
The recently announced lifetime achievement honorees include Isaak, the Indigo Girls, the Fairfield Four, Don Williams and Al Bell. For the annual award nominations, Carlile, Russell and Yola lead with three each, while Adia Victoria and the duo of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss are up for two apiece.
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LeAnn Rimes has announced a six-date holiday tour dubbed “Joy: The Holiday Tour”. The trek kicks off December 2nd and runs through December 18th, spanning five cities across the country. The holiday run includes a previously announced show at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Rimes is currently on her The Story…So Far Tour with dates currently scheduled through September.
“Joy: The Holiday Tour” will see LeAnn perform festive songs of the season, mixed with her greatest hits and new releases off her forthcoming project, god’s work (due out Sept. 16th). “god’s work” features appearances from Mickey Guyton, Ziggy Marley, Aloe Blacc, Ben Harper, Ledisi, Sheila E., and more.
Tickets are on sale now for Joy: The Holiday Tour at leannrimes.com.
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