Month: December 2024

If there’s an artist who sits atop Thomas Rhett‘s collab bucket list, it’s pop superstar Bruno Mars.

Thomas has been a longtime fan of Bruno. He already recorded a cover of Bruno’s “When I Was Your Man” in 2015 and has named Bruno as a dream collab several times.

As the new year approaches, Thomas keeps his fingers crossed for studio time with Bruno.

“Is there an artist I’d love to collaborate with in the new year? It was and forever always will be Bruno Mars,” Thomas shares in a recent interview. “I’m just going to keep saying it in interviews until it happens.”

But looking back on 2024, Thomas says his onstage collaboration with Teddy Swims at the CMA Awards takes the crown as the “most memorable moment of his year.”

“It was just kind of electric to me. I love getting to collaborate. I love the process of that. It kind of takes so much of the pressure off of you and kind of allows you to be doing it with somebody,” shares Thomas. “Teddy has that energy, there’s kind of this carelessness but also so much swagger, and he kind of dripped some of that onto me.”

“I would say getting to watch that back has been one of my favorite things to do this year,” he adds. “That’d be my favorite moment of this year onstage.”

You can catch Thomas and Teddy on ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin‘ Eve with Ryan Seacrest, airing Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Other artists on the bill include Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Cody Johnson, Megan Moroney, HARDY, ERNEST and Dasha.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Cody Johnson‘s got quite a few goals for 2025, and that includes some diet changes and professional endeavors.

When asked what he’s plotting for the new year, Cody says, “Go back to my carnivore diet, get in better shape and ride more horses.”

But that’s not all. 

He’s also hoping to record duets with two of country music’s biggest stars.

“You know, I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with a lot of people. Luke Combs is one of my good buddies. We still haven’t done a collaboration,” Cody shares. “Luke, I mean, I don’t know how many more invitations you have to have.”

He continues, “I’d really like to record something with Lainey, Lainey Wilson. I’m a big fan. She’s a great person. She’s got a beautiful heart and a beautiful voice. I’d love to sing with her.”

Cody’s closing out 2024 with a bang on ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin‘ Eve with Ryan Seacrest, which airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Other artists on the bill include Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Thomas Rhett, Megan Moroney, HARDY, ERNEST and Dasha.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Morgan Wallen has surprised fans on New Year’s Eve with a new song: “Smile.”

Written by Morgan, ERNEST and others, the moody heartbreak number chronicles Morgan’s forlorn feelings following a romantic split.

He sings in the opening verse, “I can’t remember the last time/ You looked as happy as you did tonight/ Your tipsy friend grabbed that bartender/ Gave him her phone and pulled us over there with her.”

“It was good to see you smile/ Girl you know it's been a while/ It was good to see you smile/ Even if it was just for the picture,” Morgan continues in the chorus. 

But wait, there’s another surprise in the music video.

Instead of performing “Love Somebody” on a fictional late-night talk show, Morgan sings “Smile,” leaving the host, audience and production crew shocked and puzzled. 

Looking all woebegone, Morgan delivers his tune as everyone behind the camera starts panicking. Fortunately, ratings start soaring and those frowns turn into smiles.

Morgan, however, remains stuck in his melancholy state when he’s hit with a curveball at the end of his performance. What exactly happened? You’ll have to watch the video to find out.

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For newcomer Warren Zeiders, 2024 brought his first #1 with “Pretty Little Poison,” as well as a CMT Music Award for Breakthrough Male Video of the Year for the same track.

Along the way, he also developed a reputation as a bit of a hunk, thanks in part to a memorable appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show. 

“I was nervous going into that interview,” Warren admits. “I had no idea what to expect. Lo and behold, we are 10 seconds into the interview and there’s a shirtless photo of me playing lacrosse on the screen, and she’s left speechless in a sense.”

“And yeah, it definitely made me blush, that’s for sure,” he adds.

Warren also earned a mention in People magazine’s annual Sexiest Man Alive issue. 

Along the way, the Pennsylvania native also put in the miles in 2024 on one of country’s biggest tours, Jelly Roll‘s Beautifully Broken trek. 

“We played, I think it was 39 shows in 60 days,” Warren tells ABC Audio. “We played some amazing venues. We played Madison Square Garden, played out in LA. Aw, man, we played all over the place. Delta Center in Utah.”

“A surreal place for me was in State College, Pennsylvania,” he continues, “being a Pennsylvania boy, going up to Penn State and playing there at the arena, Bryce Jordan Center. There was just so many family members and so many friends there.”

Perhaps Warren’s only regret is that it went by too quickly. 

“It was a blur. As fast as, you know, it started, it was over before you knew it,” he reflects. “But it was honestly just a blessing and such an awesome opportunity.” 

On the calendar for 2025: his headlining Relapse Tour, as well as his first string of shows in Europe.

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