Month: December 2022

Categories
Country Daypop

‘Willie Nelson and Family’ set for world premiere at 2023 Sundance Festival

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The authorized new film about one of country music’s greatest legends will have its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival next year.  ‘Willie Nelson and Family’ — which is presented in five parts — is directed by award-winning filmmakers Thom Zimny and Oren Moverman and features Nelson’s own contributions. The movie follows the many ups and downs of Willie’s epic life and career, and also includes interviews with friends and family members, as well as access to his personal archives. Sundance 2023 will take place from January 19–29 in Park City, Salt Lake City and the Sundance Resort.

‘Willie Nelson and Family’ was developed by Nelson’s longtime manager Mark Rothbaum and Blackbird Presents founder & chief creative officer Keith Wortman. Rothbaum and Wortman remarked: “Telling Willie’s story has been a lifelong dream of ours, and we feel privileged to realize this dream with Thom, Oren, and Sight Unseen. Words like ‘honored,’ ‘excited,’ and “humbled’ don’t come close to describing the way we feel about being entrusted with telling Willie’s story. And what a story it is! We are celebrating the music, the career, the long road, the family, friends, and history. But, more than anything, we are piecing together a narrative — one never before seen in its entirety — about an extraordinary man with a unique ability to bring people together; folks of all races, orientations, genders, political ideologies, and musical leanings. These days, we sure could use the healing powers of Willie Nelson.”

Editorial credit: Josh Withers / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Little Big Town share video for ‘Rich Man’

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Little Big Town have shared the music video for their song “Rich Man,” written by LBT’s Jimi Westbrook over the course of the last decade. The video for “Rich Man” features actor Charles Esten (from ‘Outer Banks’ and ‘Nashville’), and tells the story of a young boy and his relationship with his father (Esten) over the course of time. Interwoven with a performance by Little Big Town, the video ends with a twist: Westbrook himself playing the older grown-up version of the little boy.

“Rich Man” is taken from LBT’s 10th studio album ‘Mr. Sun.’  Says Westbrook of the track: “‘Rich Man’ has a special place in my heart, and I’ve been touched by the response it’s gotten from the record and playing it on the road. We wanted the video to show the love of family, and love of a father. This song makes me think of my own dad, and I wanted to honor that as well as the heart I have for my son. Making this with Charles, the other actors, and of course Karen, Kimberly, and Phillip, was really a labor of love.”  Adds LBT’s Karen Fairchild: “‘Rich Man’ tells the story of how the deep roots of family ground us and give us the space to flourish and become who we are meant to be. True wealth is the story of this song.”

Take a look at the video for ‘Rich Man’ – here.
To buy or stream Mr. Sun, head here.

Little Big Town releases ‘Rich Man’ video

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Pop Daypop

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky share first photos and video of their baby boy

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Rihanna and her boyfriend, rapper A$AP Rocky, have shared pictures and posted video of their infant son for the first time. The couple welcomed their first child back in May, and have not yet announced their son’s name, nor had either posted any pictures or videos of the infant until now.

The beauty and fashion moguul captioned a 45-second TikTok video “hacked.”  Rihanna asks her baby boy, who is filmed while enjoying a ride in the car with his mom, “You’re trying to get mommy’s phone?” as he laughs and attempts to grab his famous mommy’s phone.

Hollywood Unlocked also shared adorable pictures of their son: Rocky can be seen in one photo holding up the 7-month-old to the camera; while in another shot, the baby boy is seen hanging out on a bed bed. In a third pic, Rocky shows off his son’s baby gear.

The couple first announced they were expecting back in January with a series of paparazzi photos taken in Harlem, New York. Riri gave birth to their son on May 13, 2022, in Los Angeles.

Editorial credit: Fred Duval / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Pop Daypop

BTS to release Busan concert film ‘BTS Yet To Come In Cinemas’ in 2023

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BTS will release a new concert film in theaters in early 2023. The K-pop group announced on Monday that the concert film BTS: Yet to Come in Cinemas will be released in theaters on February 1st, 2023, in more than 100 countries and territories. The Feb. 4 screenings will feature a special event where fans can use light sticks.

BTS: Yet to Come in Cinemas captures BTS’ Yet to Come in Busan show, which the group performed on October 15th, 2022 to support South Korea’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo. The film’s official website reads: “Join RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook in this special cinematic cut, re-edited and remixed for the big screen. Watch new close-up angles and a whole new view of the entire concert, BTS Yet To Come in Busan.  Featuring hit songs from across the group’s career, including “Dynamite,” “Butter” and “IDOL,” plus the first concert performance of “Run BTS” from the group’s latest album Proof  See you in cinemas around the world in this celebratory moment. Let’s have fun!”

The film will be in theaters for a limited time only, and ticket sales begin at the start of the new year on January 10th-11th. Sign up for updates on tickets at the link here.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Pop Daypop

Trevor Noah confirmed as host of 2023 Grammy Awards

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Emmy Award-winning comedian Trevor Noah will return to host the 65th Annual Grammy Awards for the third consecutive year. Noah will also serve as a producer on the show.

The Grammys Awards are voted on by the Recording Academy’s voting membership body of music makers who represent all genres and creative disciplines, including recording artists, songwriters, producers, mixers, and engineers.Topping the list of Nominees for the 65th Annual Grammy Awards are Beyoncé (9), Kendrick Lamar (8), Adele (7), Brandi Carlile (7), Mary J. Blige (6), DJ Khaled (6), Future (6), Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant (6), Randy Merrill (6), and Harry Styles (6).  Beyoncé and Jay-Z are now tied as the most nominated artists in Grammy history, with 88 each.

The 2023 Grammy Awards will be broadcast live on the CBS Television Network on Sunday, February 5, 2023, from 8–11:30 p.m. ET/5–8:30 p.m. PT, and will be available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.

Editorial credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Go Country 105

Nashville notes: Walker Hayes' “restless” new song + Parker McCollum's album preview

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Walker Hayes sat down with an acoustic guitar to play a new song for fans on social media this week. He didn't specify the title, but captioned his post, “For restless people like me,” which is also one of its lyrics.

Parker McCollum shared a “sneak peek” of his upcoming new album on social media.

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Categories
Go Country 105

Dolly Parton's upcoming rock album includes some of her husband's favorite songs: “He'll love it”

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Dolly Parton's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame may have inspired her to make a whole album full of rock music, but it was an idea she'd been considering for quite a while beforehand, too, because her husband Carl Dean is a big fan of rock music.

Now that the project is officially underway, Dolly says she knows that Carl is going to be excited to hear the finished product.

“He loves all the songs,” Dolly explains in a new interview with ET Canada, adding that the track list will feature some yet-to-be-determined duet partners.

“I haven't told [Carl] yet who I'm going to have on. I don't even know myself, who all is gonna be on it,” she reveals. “But he'll love it.”

Though Dolly's released dozens of country albums, she's got a feeling that this rock project will be a special one to her husband. “I'm doing so many of his favorite songs on the album,” she adds, “so I'll play it to him when it's all done.”

Dolly's interview was a part of the TV special ET Canada Presents: Icons Dolly Parton, which aired on STACKTV and the Global TV App on Monday night.

 

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Categories
Go Country 105

Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley + more sign on for a George Jones tribute special, 'Still Playin' Possum'

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Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley, Justin Moore and Tanya Tucker are among the first round of performers added to the bill for a new tribute show and TV special dedicated to George Jones, according to a report from Billboard.

Called Still Playin' Possum: Music and Memories of George Jones, the event is scheduled to take place April 25 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. That's a decade, almost to the day, since the country legend died on April 26, 2013.

“It will be 10 years since he left us with just his songs, so to produce this night of music to honor his legacy is perfectly fitting,” the singer's widow, Nancy Jones, said when she announced the event.

“George made history and influenced artists from all genres and many of them will celebrate with us in April,” she continued. “The night will bring lots of emotion for the fans, our family and anyone who just loves country music.”

Other performers on deck for the taping include Jamey Johnson, Lorrie Morgan, Michael Ray, Mark Chesnutt, Trace Adkins, Tracy Byrd, Tracy Lawrence and Sam Moore.

Tickets to the event start at $25. VIP packages are available, including an upgrade that includes dinner with Nancy Jones the night before the show.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Categories
Go Country 105

Blake Shelton + Gwen Stefani papered one of their bathrooms with tabloids: “It's pretty funny”

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One of the biggest musical cross-genre power couples out there, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani, have garnered their fair share of press – both independently and together – since they met on the set of The Voice and started dating in late 2015.

For example, Blake was named People's Sexiest Man Alive in 2017, a title that he took some light-hearted ribbing for from country peers like Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean.

But in a new interview with the Wall Street Journal, Gwen says she and Blake don't keep a copy of his Sexiest Man Alive issue around the house.

“We don't. That's a good idea,” Gwen says, but adds that their Oklahoma home does include another nod to their popularity in the press.

“When we built our house last year in Oklahoma, [in] one of the bathrooms going out to the pool is every single tabloid cover, made into wallpaper,” she describes. “You go in there and you're like, Oh my God.' It's pretty funny.”

The couple like to keep tabs, no pun intended, on the stories circulating about them. Gwen says they also like to see how fans are using her new makeup line, GXVE Beauty.

“Blake and I will lay in bed and watch the tutorials of people that would take a palette and see what they would create with it,” the singer adds.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Categories
Go Country 105

Shania Twain says she's in her “renaissance period”: “All these years later, I'm still here”

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As she gears up to release her new album, Queen of Me, early next year, Shania Twain is celebrating a career that, throughout all its evolutions, is still as relevant as ever.

“It's like a renaissance period for me,” the singer tells People in a new cover story. “To be experiencing it as a relevant artist still, that's rewarding.”

Her spot at the top of her game is hard-earned. Shania has experienced her share of ups and downs, both professionally and personally: For one, a prolonged bout with Lyme disease affected her vocal cords and left her, at one point, unsure if she'd ever be able to perform again.

In the mid-2000s, the singer took a step back from her career to raise her son, Eja, and in 2008, she split from husband and producer Mutt Lange after learning of his affair with her close friend.

Shania describes the experience as “a very low period in my life,” but with time, she returned to the top of her professional game and found love again with her now-husband, Frédéric Thiébaud.

“I feel a renewed confidence. I don't have anything to prove anymore, and I feel freedom in that,” she reflects.

“All these years later, I'm still here, almost in a bigger way,” Shania adds. “And I'm embracing it.”

In addition to putting out her new album, Shania will embark on a massive tour in 2023.

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