Categories
Go Country 105

Here's what Trisha Yearwood + Amy Grant love about this year's 'CMA Country Christmas'

It’s no secret that Trisha Yearwood‘s a big Amy Grant fan.

When asked what her favorite part of this year’s CMA Country Christmas was, she picked her co-host’s performance.

“I think my favorite thing, honestly, this year is the show open because it’s one of [Amy’s] songs,” Trisha shares in an interview. “It’s a classic, and it’s a song I’ve been singing since I was 15. So I’m just excited to get to sing that with [Amy].” 

Amy, on the other hand, is thrilled every time gospel music icon CeCe Winans takes the stage.

“I love all the music this year. I mean, CeCe Winans. Gah-lee!” says Amy, before recounting the filming process that required CeCe to sing twice. “I thought, ‘If I were in the audience I will be like, “Oh no, it can’t be over yet.”‘”

“I don’t ever remember doing a rehearsal for a show, ever, that people got choked up in the rehearsal,” she adds, “and we’ve kind of all got choked up doing this for one thing or another. Somebody’s song or the dancers.”

Trisha adds, “It’s been really special.”

CMA Country Christmas airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and will stream next day on Hulu and Disney+.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Categories
Go Country 105

Jon Pardi teases CMA Country Christmas performance: 'It's a lot of fun'

Ready or not, Jon Pardi‘s about to deliver a fun-filled performance on CMA Country Christmas.

“What I’m performing … is a song called ‘400 Horsepower Sleigh’ off my Christmas record. It’s one of the originals and it’s kind of about off-roading in the snow, kind of Christmas setting and it’s a lot of fun,” Jon says in an interview ahead of his show performance. 

“A lot of ho-ho-hos and a lot of hey-hey-heys. It’s one of my favorites off the record and it’s kind of the song we’re pushing this year for Christmas,” he adds.

CMA Country Christmas, hosted by Trisha Yearwood and Amy Grant, airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and will stream next day on Hulu and Disney+.


Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Categories
News Daypop

Trump selects Tiffany Trump’s FIL Massad Boulos as senior adviser on Middle East

President-elect Donald Trump has chosen billionaire businessman Massad Boulos, the father-in-law to his daughter Tiffany Trump, as his senior adviser on Middle Eastern affairs.

Trump announced on his Truth Social media platform that Boulos, father of Trump’s son-in-law Michael Boulos, will serve as White House senior adviser on Arab and Middle East affairs. Born to a Christian family in Lebanon, Massad Boulos runs Nigeria-based Boulos Enterprises, which produces and distributes mechanical equipment and motorcycles. Michael Boulos has been married to Trump’s daughter Tiffany since 2022.

Trump said in his announcement of the selection: “I am proud to announce that Massad Boulos will serve as Senior Advisor to the President on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs. Massad is an accomplished lawyer and a highly respected leader in the business world, with extensive experience on the International scene. He has been a longtime proponent of Republican and Conservative values, an asset to my Campaign, and was instrumental in building tremendous new coalitions with the Arab American Community. Massad is a dealmaker, and an unwavering supporter of PEACE in the Middle East. He will be a strong advocate for the United States, and its interests, and I am pleased to have him on our team!”

During the presidential election cycle, it is said that Boulos helped Trump by courting Arab American voters and met in September with Mahmoud Abbas – the leader of the Palestinian Authority who had barred Palestinian officials from meeting with the Trump administration during his first term as president. Boulos, however, told The New York Times after the conference with Abbas that it was purely a personal meeting, adding that he did not advise Trump about it before or after.

Editorial credit: Irfy0003 / Shutterstock.com

Categories
News Daypop

6 injured, 3 critically, in home explosion in Jefferson City, Missouri

Fire officials say that a home explosion in Jefferson City, Missouri over Thanksgiving weekend left the residence in shambles, with six people inside injured – three critically. Jefferson is the state capital, located about 133 miles west of St. Louis.

According to a press release from Jefferson City Fire, the explosion occurred on St. Louis Road in Jefferson City early Saturday morning at 2:44 a.m. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation. Jefferson City Fire said in the release: “Rescue operations were particularly challenging due to the extensive structural collapse and significant debris. The team had to carefully tunnel through layers of debris to reach the final occupant, who required intensive extrication.” Photos show the explosion left the home almost completely leveled, with responders saying they discovered the six individuals among the debris upon arrival. All six of the individuals were safely removed from the residence by 5:52 a.m.

Emergency responders said of the six individuals injured in the blast, two were transported to Jefferson City Airport and flown to University Hospital in Columbia, Missouri, with the remaining four people transported by ground to University Hospital. Fire officials also said that two pets were rescued from the collapsed home and are now in the care of animal control.

ABC News’ Missouri affiliate KMIZ reports that Cole County EMS Chief Eric Hoy told the outlet that three of the victims are listed in critical condition and received critical life support. The other three have moderate injuries and are in stable condition.

Editorial credit: Jaromir Chalabala / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Go Country 105

Ella Langley didn't think she'd release her hit song, let alone win a CMA Award

Ella Langley‘s still pinching herself over her first-ever CMA Award win.

The country newcomer and Riley Green took home the Musical Event of the Year trophy for “You Look Like You Love Me” at this year’s awards show and even performed it onstage – a milestone moment of firsts for both artists.

“I didn’t think [‘You Look Like You Love Me’] was ever going to come out in the first place. It was just a song in my audio recordings for almost a year after we wrote it,” Ella shares in an interview. “A girl named Mya Hansen [at Sony Music Publishing] believed in it enough to slip it in every Dropbox link picking for the album, and everyone loved it.”

So how did the idea of dueting with Riley come about?

“Riley asked us on tour. And when I was listening to the cut, I was thinking, ‘Dang, how cool would it be if we turned it into a duet and kind of gave the guy side of a woman walking up to him in the bar in the first place?'” she recalls of her little eureka moment.

“You Look Like You Love Me” is currently in the top three and ascending the country charts.

If you missed their CMA Awards performance, you can watch it now on YouTube.


Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Categories
Country Daypop

Luke Combs, Jelly Roll & Keith Urban to headline Tortuga Music Festival in 2025

Luke Combs, Jelly Roll and Keith Urban will headline Rock the Ocean’s 12th annual Tortuga Music Festival taking place April 4–6 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Other acts slated to perform include Gary Allan, Rodney Atkins, Artikal Sound System, Bumpin Uglies, Ashland Craft, Jordan Davis, Gavin DeGraw, Wyatt Flores, Gashi, Caylee Hammack, Ezra Ray Hart (ft. Mark McGrath, Kevin Griffin, Emerson Hart), Cody Jinks, Corey Kent, Marcus King, Ludacris, Parker McCollum, John Morgan, Megan Moroney, Angie K, Drew Parker, Meghan Patrick, Restless Road, DJ Rock, Lily Rose, Shaboozey, Dee Jay Silver, The Original Wailers, Wheeland Brothers and Yelawolf.

The festival will also feature emerging artists including Abby Anderson, Avery Anna, Bayker Blankenship, Karley Scott Collins, Kashus Culpepper, Denitia, Jade Eagleson, Mae Estes, Thomas Edwards, Lanie Gardner, Noah Hicks, Jenna LaMaster, Bryce Leatherwood, Lauren Watkins and Charlie Worsham.

Tortuga Music Festival supports ocean conservation and sustainability, with fans able to explore the Rock the Ocean’s Conversation Village while on-site to learn more about the work of the organization and how to get involved. The festival has raised almost five million dollars for ocean conservation initiatives to date.

For more information on the Tortuga Music Festival, click here.

Editorial credit: ChrisJamesRyanPhotography / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Little Big Town to host NBC special ‘Christmas At The Opry’

Little Big Town will host the two-hour NBC holiday special Little Big Town’s Christmas at the Opry, with performances by Dan + Shay, Kelsea Ballerini and more. The band’s first-ever holiday album, The Christmas Record, was released on October 4.

The star-studded show was filmed at the legendary Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, with the special featuring a variety of Christmas favorites and holiday classics, with performances to include duets and collaborations in front of a live audience.

Little Big Town in a joint statement: “We are simply beside ourselves to announce that we will host our own NBC holiday special at the prestigious Grand Ole Opry House. This is an incredible honor for us, and we are beyond thrilled to share this special evening with viewers and fans across the country. We’ve invited some of our dearest friends to join us on stage, and we can’t wait for everyone to experience the magic of the holidays at such an incredible venue. After 25 years as a band, we’re also excited to release our very first Christmas album and are thrilled to perform some of those classics during this special.”

Little Big Town’s Christmas at the Opry will air on NBC December 16 at 8 pm ET/PT, then stream on Peacock the next day.

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Pop Daypop

Mariah Carey to release ‘Merry Christmas’ 30th anniversary edition

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of Mariah Carey’s seminal Merry Christmas album, Sony Music’s Legacy Recordings will re-release the LP with several new variations in December. Each version includes “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” as a bonus track.   To preorder, head HERE.

A new limited edition 2 LP set features Mariah’s full Merry Christmas album on disc one and the newly remastered version of her 1994 St. John of the Divine concert on disc two. This deluxe set, available on December 13th, also includes a 24-page photo booklet of Carey’s Christmas journey and a special Mariah Christmas card, all housed in a hardbound package.

Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” will be the subject of several single offerings with different bonus tracks and previously unreleased new cover art for each; with each single offering is expected to ship around December 6th.

Every year since 2019, Merry Christmas has re-entered the Top 200 charts and ranks as one of the three most commercially successful holiday albums ever made. “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” has climbed to No. 1 on the Hot 100 every year since 2019, and spent 12 total weeks at No. 1 as of November 2023. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” became Carey’s 19th Hot 100 No. 1 in 2019, extending her record for the most No. 1s of any solo artist.

Carey also just kicked off Mariah Carey’s Christmas Time, making stops in 20 cities across the country. Performances include the famous Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, and more before wrapping on December 17th in her hometown of New York City.

Editorial credit: Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Pop Daypop

Watch the trailer for RM’s Documentary ‘Right People, Wrong Place’

HYBE and CJ 4DPLEX have released the official trailer for RM‘s upcoming documentary, Right People, Wrong Place, which sees the BTS member open up about living his life. RM says in the trailer: “I have no idea what lies ahead, but it feels like this is what I wanted to do from the beginning.”

As shared in a press release along with the trailer, RM’s documentary will focus on the eight months in which he wrote and recorded his sophomore solo album, Right Place, Wrong Person, released on May 24, 2024, while also “reflecting both the continuous challenges of the person he is off the stage (Kim Namjoon) and his genuine commitment to and love for his art.”

Right People, Wrong Place is scheduled to have its global release on December 5. Lee Seok-jun directs the documentary while Sanyan, Junkyard, Jang Se-hoon Son Ji-min will be making appearances alongside RM.

RM: Right People, Wrong Place premieres December 5; watch the trailer HERE.

Editorial credit: Silvia Elizabeth Pangaro / Shutterstock.com