Month: November 2023

As Ashley McBryde readies to deliver her “Light On in the Kitchen” performance on the CMA Awards, she spoke with ABC Audio about the autobiographical song and what she hopes to evoke in the audience.

“I was just looking on my phone during glam this morning, and right now my mom is taking care of her sister who had her shoulder replaced. I spent an awful lot of time with my mom’s sisters growing up. And mom texted me and said, ‘Have fun today. We’ll leave the light on.’ And that just lets me know that they’re thinking about me,” Ashley shares of the personal sentiment behind “Light On in the Kitchen.”

“I can remember when we were writing it how mom’s oldest sister’s kitchen smelled, and it smelled a little bit like dish soap and a little bit like pastries. It’s just so comforting,” she fondly recalls. “I hope it feels that way during the performance to anybody that’s taking it in.” 

The 57th CMA Awards, hosted by Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Wednesday, November 8, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Now that both Maddie & Tae‘s Maddie Font and Taylor Kerr are moms, they’re embracing their new look as MILFs and are ready to rock out in style at the upcoming CMA Awards.

“We’re going for MILF vibes, OK? Total MILF. That’s what we’re going for,” Maddie tells ABC Audio. “If you don’t know what a MILF means, just look it up on the internet. Yeah, it’s hot moms.”

Maddie & Tae have certainly come a long way since they launched in 2014 with their debut single, “Girl in a Country Song.” It’s been a journey of highs and lows, and both singers can’t imagine having a career without each other.

“We wouldn’t be 10 years in if we were doing it solo,” says Taylor. “Yeah, heck no. I just feel like that would be so boring for me personally and lonely,” adds Maddie. “Like, kudos to people doing it by themselves because I would be so lonely.”

With the CMA Awards just a day away, the Vocal Duo of the Year nominees are looking forward to celebrating Country Music’s Biggest Night with their spouses.

“Like, keep the kids, you filthy animal. I’m gonna go get drunk. No, just kidding. No, not drunk because I am breastfeeding, so I can’t party too hard,” Maddie says with a laugh. “But it is going to be moms’ night out and dads’ night out. They’re coming with us.” 

The 57th CMA Awards, hosted by Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Wednesday, November 8, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Luke Combs‘s cover of Tracy Chapman‘s “Fast Car” has become one of country music’s biggest hits of the year. The song is vying for Song of the Year and Single of the Year at the upcoming CMA Awards.

While the two artists haven’t crossed paths or spoken to each other, Luke hopes it happens one day.

“You know, she’s such an incredible musician [and] songwriter. I’m lucky that the song has done what it’d done, and I’m thankful for her writing that song all those years ago,” Luke tells ABC Audio. “It’s one of my first favorite [songs] ever, probably.”

“Fast Car” is Luke’s latest #1 song, but as he recounts, there were no plans to send it to radio as a single.

“I really just recorded it for me to enjoy and people started playing it on the radio,” shares Luke. “We never [went] like, ‘We’re going to push it as a single.’ That was never [the plan]. It just had this life of its own because it’s such a great song and it’s so ingrained in our collective conscience as a country. I mean, it’s like it’s an all-time song. So all credit to her for that, for sure.”

The 57th CMA Awards, hosted by Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Wednesday, November 8, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

With the 2023 CMA Awards fast approaching, Luke Bryan‘s giving ABC Audio a behind-the-scenes look at how he and Peyton Manning are preparing to host Country Music’s Biggest Night.

“We do a lot of Zoom calls reading the script with all the executives and people at the CMA. So they’re on the calls and we start reading them and working on our timing and stuff like that. And then we start adding or taking away stuff from the script. Sometimes they write for you, but that’s just not how you say it. So we’re just kind of tweaking the script to make it really work for us,” he explains.

But it’s not all work and no play for the hosts.

“I would say [it gets fun] when we start getting onstage [and] reading it from the prompter,” Luke says. “I mean, what’s interesting about Peyton is [that] he comes from a football background, game plans. We’re going to do this, that, this. So he likes to have his ducks in a row. And I’m typically a little more loose and off the cuff. But he’s pretty focused in.”

How many wardrobe changes can audiences expect?

“I think I’ll probably have two or three changes and Peyton maybe the same. The guys don’t have to get too caught up in all that,” says Luke. “I mean, like I said, at the end of the day, Peyton’s a football player. If he changes too many times, some of his old teammates will probably call him out on it.”

On top of hosting, Luke will deliver a medley of his #1 hits with “a little surprise” and a “metaphorical beer in my hand.”

The 57th CMA Awards air live from Nashville Wednesday, November 8, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Kenny Chesney has announced his Sun Goes Down 2024 Tour.

Named after his 2004 hit with Uncle Kracker, “When the Sun Goes Down,” the trek kicks off April 20 in Tampa, Florida, and will wrap in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on August 23.

Joining Kenny on tour are Zac Brown Band, Megan Moroney and Uncle Kracker.

“I wanted a name that suggested – obviously – when all the good stuff starts to happen. The one thing I've learned about No Shoes Nation and these stadium shows is they start the good times early and they just keep it going. But we all know, when the sun goes down, that's when people really get loose and enjoy themselves,” says Kenny.

“That was the thing about Uncle Kracker and my song. It captured a vibe and a moment so perfectly,” he shares. “No matter how much fun you're having all day long, ‘everything gets hotter when the sun goes down…’ I know from years of experience that's true.”

“I can't wait to get back out there, stadium-sized ’cause there's nothing like 60,000 members of No Shoes Nation singing these songs,” he adds. “It's gonna be awesome.”

Tickets for the Sun Goes Down 2024 Tour go on sale Friday, November 17. For a full list of dates, visit Kenny’s website.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

When Kelsea Ballerini surprise-released Rolling Up The Welcome Mat, she certainly didn’t expect the project to take on the life that it has and earn her her first CMA Album of the Year nod.

“This whole album [has] honestly just changed the way that I will make music forever. It’s so unexpected what’s happened with it. It was so not my intention, what’s happened with it, the way that it’s caught on like it has,” Kelsea tells ABC Audio.

“I’m really proud of it. I’m really proud of myself as a songwriter for being that bare and that honest. I’m really proud of myself as an artist for putting it out there very unapologetically. And I’m really proud of myself as a woman for standing by it through all the changes,” she shares. “So to be nominated for my first album of the year for those six songs means a lot more than it ever would have with any other album.”

In addition to being nominated, Kelsea will also take the stage to perform “Leave Me Again,” the last track off Rolling Up The Welcome Mat.

“[‘Leave Me Again’ is] all about like peace and closure and moving forward with love and happiness and the want for that for everyone,” the country-pop superstar explains. “That’s like truly where I’m at in my life now. And I’m really excited to end this year [and] end the Welcome Mat chapter with that sentiment.”

The 57th CMA Awards, hosted by Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Wednesday, November 8, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Dan + Shay have been celebrating several 10th anniversary milestones.

On December 7, 2022, they commemorated 10 years since they first met, and this past October, they hit the 10th anniversary of the release of their first single, “19 You and Me.” One more’s in store for them in 2024.

“We’re coming up on the 10-year anniversary [of] our first album, [Where It All Began], [which] came out in April of 2014,” Dan Smyers tells ABC Audio. “Ten years is crazy. Time flies.”

Coming up, Dan + Shay will perform their latest single, “Save Me the Trouble,” at the 2023 CMA Awards. They’re ecstatic about this opportunity because it was one that they dreamed about since the song’s inception.

“When we wrote that song, we were like, ‘Dude, if we end up recording this song and it becomes a single, wouldn’t this be sick on the CMAs?’ And here we are. It’s climbing the chart just around [the] top ten on country radio, and we get to perform it,” says Dan.

“And honestly, as a fan of Shay’s voice, hearing him sing that song, it’s a very vocally acrobatic song. He’s going to absolutely kill it,” he adds. “It’s going to be an amazing performance. We’re fired up and [it’s our] first time performing it on an award show.” 

The 57th CMA Awards, hosted by Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Wednesday, November 8, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.