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Country Daypop

Academy of Country Music Awards sets date for 2025 ceremony, Reba McEntire to host

The Academy of Country Music Awards will return in May 2025. A post on social media read:✨ @Reba is BACK to host the 60th #ACMawards – on May 8, 2025 – LIVE on @PrimeVideo from @thestarinfrisco! Our 60th Anniversary celebration is gonna be our BIGGEST PARTY YET 🎉 Join the free ACM A-List to be the first to know when tickets go on sale → https://lnk.to/A-List!TP”

Prime Video, the Academy of Country Music (ACM), and Dick Clark Productions announced in a press release Tuesday that the 60th annual ACM Awards will take place May 8, 2025, at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. The show will stream on Prime Video.

Country music star and 16-time ACM Award winner Reba McEntire will host the ceremony for the 18th time. Additional details, including nominees and performers, will be confirmed in the coming months. Said McEntire: “I’m thrilled to be coming back to host the 60th ACM Awards on Prime Video. It’s going to be an absolute can’t miss show and I can’t wait to see everybody back in Texas!”

ACM CEO Damon Whiteside added: “We’re so excited to honor and celebrate the legacy of the ACM Awards all year long surrounding the 60th anniversary show returning to Amazon Prime Video next May. Reba McEntire has hosted more ACM Awards shows than any other artist in history, and after her triumphant return this year for the 59th show, there is clearly no one better suited to helm this milestone show! Our landmark 50th anniversary show in 2015 marked our debut in Texas, and we’re thrilled to return again to celebrate another major moment in ACM history. We look forward to seeing our industry, artists, and fans celebrate in Frisco, Texas, next may for an unforgettable week!”

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

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Pop Daypop

Nicki Minaj to release deluxe version of Pink Friday 2, ‘Gag City Reloaded’

Nicki Minaj has officially announced the new deluxe version of Pink Friday 2, dubbed Gag City Reloaded. Minaj wrote on Instagram along with a series of pictures with her husband: “9.13.24 #GagCityRELOADED THE DELUXE ALBUM.”

Pink Friday 2 was released in December 2023, and marked Minaj’s first full-length effort in five years. Minaj originally teased that she was expanding her fifth studio album with a deluxe LP with a post on social media: “Barbz relax it’s just a deluxe 💖😅🫶🏽 I love it tho. I love it so much. I’ll be performing 2-3 songs from this version of the album on the PF2 #GagCityReloaded TOUR. Release date = I’ll keep you posted Promise🎀 Oh, & Barbz… Thanku for inspiring me🙏🏽 Love you”

Minaj also wrote on X:  “WWell, Barbz- Didn’t really want to have to speak on this but I just can’t stay quiet about it any longer. Last night, I recorded what will probably be your favorite song on the deluxe. It will immediately go into your TOP 5 of the entire PF2 era. OH MY FREAKING GOODNESSWDRFFHJKGV” 

Pink Friday 2, the follow-up to 2010’s Pink Friday, featured guest appearances from J. Cole, Lil Wayne, Drake, 50 Cent, Monica and Keyshia Cole. Upon its release, Pink Friday 2 debuted at No.1 atop the Billboard 200 and included the hit singles, “Super Freaky Girl”, “Red Ruby da Sleeze,” and “Everybody” ft. Lil Uzi Vert.

Pre-order Pink Friday 2 (Gag City Deluxe)HERE.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shuttestock.com

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Pop Daypop

Rosalía joins Blackpink’s Lisa in video for ‘New Woman’

BLACKPINK’s Lisa shared the video for the song “New Woman” featuring Rosalía.

Lisa first posted a teaser on social media, with the “New Woman” teaser showing Lisa sport both platinum blonde and black hair as she hangs out with Rosalía. The clip ends with a shot of Lisa and Rosalía dressed in all white and black, respectively.

The “New Woman” video shows Lisa and Rosalía give off confident vibes as they wait at an audition, where again Lisa is dressed in all white, and Rosalía in all black.  Upon the video drop, Lisa’s Blackpink bandmate Jennie showed her support for the song on Instagram Stories, writing, “Love these two beautiful women.”

Lisa had previously expressed her admiration for Rosalía in a 2022 interview with Rolling Stone: “Rosalía is so cool. She has her own Spanish culture, that’s inside her person, that influences her music… I’m curious to know how much I can expand what I do. Music-wise, dance-wise, I feel like I still have to learn more.”

“New Woman” is Lisa’s second single of 2024, following “Rockstar.” See the video for ‘New Woman’ – here.

Editorial credit: Ben Houdijk / Shutterstock.com

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News Daypop

Suspect in custody after 4 killed, 9 hospitalized after high school shooting in Georgia

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (“GBI”) has confirmed that at least four people were killed, and nine hospitalized after a shooting at a Georgia high school.  A post on X from the GBI noted that a suspect is in custody.

The Wednesday morning shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, located in Barrow County roughly 50 miles east of the state’s capital in Atlanta, saw multiple of law enforcement agencies respond before 10:30 a.m. local time. The Georgia high school was under lockdown until a little before 11:30 a.m., when the site was cleared and students released to families.

CNN reported that the suspect in the fatal mass shooting has been identified as Colt Gray. Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey said at an afternoon news conference that Gray is a student at the school, and will be charged with murder and handled as an adult as he moves through the criminal justice system.

Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said the shooting was reported at 10:23 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 4 at Apalachee High School, with the school  put on lockdown in the aftermath of the shooting. Two teachers and two students were killed, authorities said, with nine other victims were taken to hospitals with injuries.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said in a post on X he has “directed all available state resources to respond to the incident at Apalachee High School and urge all Georgians to join my family in praying for the safety of those in our classrooms, both in Barrow County and across the state. We will continue to work with local, state, and federal partners as we gather information and further respond to this situation.”

President Joe Biden said in a statement shared by the White House Wednesday afternoon that he is “mourning the deaths” of those killed in the shooting and that he is “thinking of all of the survivors whose lives are forever changed.  What should have been a joyous back-to-school season in Winder, Georgia, has now turned into another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart. Students across the country are learning how to duck and cover instead of how to read and write. We cannot continue to accept this as normal. We are closely coordinating with officials at the federal, state and local level, and are grateful for the first responders who brought the suspect into custody and prevented further loss of life.”

At a separate news conference on Wednesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland said he was “devastated for the families who have been affected by this terrible tragedy.  We are still gathering information, but the FBI and ATF are on the scene working with state, local and federal partners. The Justice Department stands ready to provide any resources or support that the Winder community needs in the days ahead.”

Winder, GA is located about 50 miles outside Atlanta. Schools in Barrow County will be closed the rest of the week.

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News Daypop

Biden administration hits Russia with sanctions over 2024 election misinformation

On Wednesday, the Departments of Justice and Treasury announced sanctions targeting Russian government-sponsored attempts to manipulate U.S. public opinion ahead of the November election. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the sweeping crackdown of efforts by the Russian government to influence the upcoming 2024 election through covert networks aimed at spreading disinformation to American voters (per ABC News).

Garland stated: “That law enacted nearly a century ago, was enacted to ensure that the American people were informed when a foreign power engages in political activities or seeks to influence public discourse. The American people are entitled to know when a foreign power is attempting to exploit our country’s free exchange of ideas in order to send around its own propaganda.”

Garland said the State Department would also take separate actions, announcing that the DOJ had unsealed an indictment in the Southern District of New York that charges two employees of the Russian-backed media network RT with conspiring to commit money laundering and to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The defendants — Konstantin Kalashnikov, 31, and Elena Afanasyeva, 27 — are accused of implementing a nearly $10 million scheme to fund and direct a Tennessee-based company to publish and disseminate content that was considered favorable to the Russian government. The company then contracted with U.S.-based social media influencers to share that content on their platforms.

FBI Director Christopher Wray highlighted both foreign and domestic incidents of attempts to influence voters: “RT has used people living and working inside the U.S. to facilitate contracts with American media figures to create and disseminate Russian propaganda here. The content was pitched as legitimate independent news when, in fact, much of it was created in Russia by RT employees who work for the Russian government. The second operation reveals even more malign activities by companies working under the direction and control of the Russian government, companies that created media websites to trick Americans into unwittingly consuming Russian propaganda.”

Garland shared that information was “often consistent with Russia’s interest in amplifying U.S. domestic divisions in order to weaken U.S. opposition to core Russian interests, particularly its ongoing war in Ukraine.”  Kalashnikov identified himself as RT’s “Deputy Chief of the Digital Media Projects Department,” and Afanasyeva has identified herself on social media as a “producer at RT, dealing with overseas affairs and news.”  Said Garland: “The company never disclosed to the influencers or to their millions of followers as ties to RT and the Russian government. Instead, the defendants and the company claimed that the company was sponsored by a private investor, but that private investor was a fictitious persona.”

The Treasury Department also announced that its Office of Foreign Assets Control had designated 10 people and two entities as part of a “coordinated U.S. government response to Moscow’s malign influence efforts targeting the 2024 U.S. presidential election.”  The Treasury Department shared in its announcement of sanctions that RT  “used a front company to disguise its own involvement or the involvement of the Russian government in content meant to influence U.S. audiences.” Under the new actions, all property and interests in property of the designated people that are in the U.S. or in the possession or control of Americans are blocked and must be reported to the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Editorial credit: Melnikov Dmitriy / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Inaugural ‘Giddy Up’ Las Vegas music festival cancelled

The inaugural ‘Giddy Up’ country music festival slated for Downtown Las Vegas this fall has been abruptly canceled. The three-day event, set to run from October 18-20, was set to feature performances from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Megan Moroney, and the Turnpike Troubadours as headliners; in addition to Chase Rice, Charles Wesley Godwin, Lauren Watkins, Tanner Adell, Josh Turner, Elle King, Kameron Marlowe, and many more artists.

Festival organizers did not share an official reason why ‘Giddy Up’ was cancelled, but posted the following on their social pages: “To our Giddy Up crew: There’s nothing we would love more than to ride through the festival gates with you this October, but unfortunately we can no longer move forward with Giddy Up Las Vegas Music Festival 2024. We understand that many of you who have purchased tickets looked at Giddy Up as the must-attend event of the season, and we are truly sorry. It is not possible to overstate just how seriously we, as producers and promoters, take the decision to cancel this year’s festival. All tickets purchased directly through Giddy Up and our official partners will be automatically refunded at the point of purchase to the original payment method within 7-10 business days. Our team will be in touch directly with more details. We appreciate your understanding, if you have any further questions please direct them to the team@giddyupfest.com. Thank you for supporting live music, Giddy Up”

Fans who purchased tickets can expect to receive a refund to the original form of payment automatically within seven to ten days.

Editorial credit: L Paul Mann / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Midland shares video for “Vegas”

Midland recently revealed the track list for their forthcoming album Barely Blue, out September 20.

Barely Blue, produced by Dave Cobb, features eight songs including their latest release, Vegas.  About the new single, Midland’s Mark Wystrach explains: “‘Vegas’ is an homage to the wildest town in the world and the intense connections and losses that tend to happen in Sin City along the way. Sonically, the song feels like a tip of the cowboy hat to early George Strait classics penned by the legendary Dean Dillon.”

Midland’s Jess Carson added: “‘Vegas’ takes Sin City’s unofficial calling card ‘what happens in Vegas’ and interprets it through a love story. The phrase instead here is a sweet and tender ode to an all too brief romance that lingers after the tellers have returned to their daily lives.”

The trio has also announced additional tour dates for The Get Lucky Tour, kicking-off on September 19 in Cincinnati, OH and making stops at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on October 12 with Jackson Dean and at the ACL Live in their hometown of Austin, TX on December 20. Find a full list of tour dates at Midland’s website.

The band also released the official music video for “Vegas”, directed by Harper Smith. Watch the official video for “Vegas” – HERE.

Pre-add/pre-save Barely Blue HERE.

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Pop Daypop

Adele to take extended break from music after wrapping Munich, Vegas residencies

Adele announced she is taking a break from creating new music or performing after her Munich and Las Vegas residencies wrap up later this year.  The singer/songwriter told the crowd at her 10th and last show in Germany over the weekend (per CNN): “I just need a rest .. I have spent the last seven years building a new life for myself, and I want to live it now .. I want to live the new life that I have been building.”

Adele’s Las Vegas residency, which began in November 2022, is slated to wrap up this November after more than 100 live stage shows. She wrapped up her residency in Munich, Germany om August 31st, where she delivered the speech to the audience about taking an extended break. In a video from her last Munich show, posted by fans to social media, the 36-year-old said: “I’m not the most comfortable performer, I know that, but I am very f—ing good at it. And I’ve really enjoyed performing for nearly three now, which is the longest I’ve ever done and probably the longest I will ever do .. I still have exactly five weeks of shows, but after that, I will not see you for an incredibly long time. And I will hold you dear in my heart for that whole length of my break. And I will fantasize about these shows and any shows that I’ve done over the last three years.”

Adele has previously said she suffers from sciatica and is uncomfortable performing live for long periods at time.   The Grammy-winning artist has an 11-year-old son named Angelo, and is rumored to be engaged to longtime partner, Rich Paul.

Adele hasn’t released new music since her fourth album “30,” which arrived in November 2021. She told fans on stage earlier this year: “I just don’t think I’m going to write an album for quite some time. But next time I do, I’ll come to wherever it is you live.”

Editorial credit: Fred Duval / Shutterstock.com

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Pop Daypop

Usher teams up with Victoria Monét for the single ‘SOS’

Usher and Victoria Monét team up for the new song “SOS (Sex on Sight).”

Monét said in a statement: “‘SOS (Sex on Sight)’ is about desire. It’s about the urgency you feel when you need some love, physical touch, and quality attention! Sometimes that desire can feel as urgent as being rescued from a natural disaster, or, in this case, rescued from your own sensual urges. Just like a storm, ‘SOS’ summons and forewarns a lover of the rainfall that is to come and welcomes the beautiful relief from that desire. It feels romantic, playful, sultry and direct. Based in fantasy and the warmest tones of R&B. It feels timeless, and we hope you enjoy the escape!”

“SOS (Sex on Sight)” follows Victoria Monét’s Jaguar II and Usher’s Coming Home.

Take a listen to SOS (Sex on Sight): HERE.

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News Daypop

Over 50 killed, 100s injured after Russian missiles strike Ukrainian military academy and hospital

In one of the deadliest Russian strikes since the war began, two ballistic missiles blasted a military academy and nearby hospital Tuesday in Ukraine, killing more than 50 people and wounding more than 200 others. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian military forces on Tuesday launched missile strikes in the city of Poltava, a city of under 300,000 citizens located in Poltava Oblast in the east-central part of the country (about 75 miles from the Russian border, in a region known to be a regular target of Russian missile or drone strikes).

Reuters reports that Poltava Gov. Filip Pronon announced that at least 50 people were killed and 271 wounded in the strike as Ukraine’s defense ministry said that the missile strike caught people as they tried to evacuate.The missiles struck the Poltava Military Institute of Communication’s main building, causing several stories to collapse. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video posted on his Telegram channel: “People found themselves under the rubble. Many were saved. They targeted an educational institution, and a nearby hospital, partially destroying one of the telecommunications institute’s buildings.” Zelensky said “all necessary services” had been deployed to aid in the rescue operation, adding that he had ordered a “full and prompt investigation into all of the circumstances of what happened .. The Russian scum will surely pay for this strike.”

The Ukrainian defense ministry called the strike a ‘barbaric attack’ and added in a statement: “We express our sincere condolences to the families of the victims. This tragedy is yet another evidence of the enemy’s cunning, which stops at no crime to try to intimidate Ukrainians.”  The ministry added that emergency personnel managed to save 25 people, 11 of whom were trapped underneath the debris.

Ukraine’s land forces said military personnel had been killed: “the Land Forces Command is conducting an investigation to determine whether enough was done to protect the lives and health of the soldiers at the facility.” The strike followed Sunday’s airstrikes also by Russian military forces on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv which injured more than 40 people including five children.

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