Lily Rose‘s new track, “I Know What I Want,” was inspired by a night she opened up for Cole Swindell and Dylan Scott.
Kip Moore‘s sixth album, Solitary Tracks, is out now, featuring 23 new songs.
Newcomer Timothy Wayne co-wrote his latest release, “That’d Be You,” with Mark Collie, and Tim McGraw helped produce it.
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What do Alison Krauss & Union Station sound like now that Dan Tyminski‘s not in the band? You can find out with the new track “Granite Mills,” featuring new member Russell Moore.
“Jerry [Douglas], Ron [Block], Barry [Bales] and I all met when Dan Tyminski left the band,” Alison recalls, “and Jerry asked me, ‘What do you think?’ I said, ‘Russell Moore,’ and they all said, ‘Absolutely!'”
“I couldn’t believe it when we went into the studio and his voice came through the speakers,” she continues. “He just stands there and sings with his hands in his pockets, and he kills it.”
“Granite Mills” follows “Looks Like the End of the Road,” from the band’s new Arcadia record. Set to arrive March 28, it’s the first new music from AKUS in 14 years.
Prior to joining AKUS, Russell became the International Bluegrass Music Association’s most-awarded male vocalist of all time as a member of IIIrd Tyme Out. Of course, Alison is the 1995 CMA female vocalist of the year, with country hits like “When You Say Nothing at All” and “Whiskey Lullaby” to her credit.
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Thomas Rhett‘s showing off his spiritual side in a new collaboration with Christian artist Forrest Frank.
Lest you think that means it’s a slow, sappy tune, be warned: it’s quite the opposite. “Nothing Else” is funky and upbeat, with lyrics like “I woke up to the birds singing/ hey look I’m alive/ I got my family, Jesus and my health/ and if I got all that I don’t need nothing else.”
TR’s country pals are here for it.
“This is gonna go crazy,” Jordan Davis commented on the Instagram post plugging the song.
Forrest topped Billboard‘s Christian Album chart for 14 weeks, making his album Child of God 2024’s biggest debut in the genre. It was also nominated for a Grammy.
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Parker McCollum‘s teaming up with newcomer Kassi Ashton for a new duet. In fact, it’s a collaboration that came to life at the Mother Church of Country Music.
“Parker is a great friend of mine, and I love his voice,” Kassi says. “The first time I ever heard him sing this song, we were backstage at the Ryman. I knew I had to cut it and that he had to sing it with me.”
Kassi co-wrote “Sounds Like Something I’d Say,” which will appear on the deluxe edition of her album, titled Made from the Dirt: The Blooms, which drops April 25.
Parker’s a big fan of Kassi’s after touring with her in 2024.
“I got to know Kassi having her out on the road with me last year and she was firing up the crowd every night,” he recalls. “I was honored to be asked to join her on this track. It has the qualities of one of those classic country duets I grew up listening to and I was completely on board.”
“Think we did pretty good with this one,” he adds.
Kassi heads out on the Honkytonk Hollywood Tour with Jon Pardi the same day her album comes out.
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Dasha‘s delivering the first taste of her second album with her new single, “Not at This Party.” And just like her breakthrough smash, “Austin,” she’s dealing with relationship problems.
“‘Not At This Party’ was a title I’d been carrying around for a while,” she explains. “It’s about that universal experience of being out with friends, but mentally checked out.”
“When I wrote it with Ashley Gorley and Ben Johnson, I was going through something with a guy, and the song just flowed,” she continues. “We really tried to capture that mix of distraction and guilt in the song.”
This year Dasha heads out on tour with Kane Brown, Thomas Rhett and Dylan Scott, and returns to Stagecoach in April.
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Zach Top‘s new EP, Me & Billy, with acclaimed bluegrass musician Billy Strings, is out now.
The three-track collection features new versions of “Bad Luck” and “Things to Do” — originally from Zach’s Cold Beer & Country Music album — as well as a cover of Ricky Skaggs‘ #1 from 1983, “Don’t Cheat in Our Hometown.”
“We had a lot of fun, traded back and forth some playing and whatnot,” Zach says of his collaboration with Strings. “It's so fun to watch him play.”
“And I feel like he's known so much for a player that it gets passed over sometimes how freaking good of a singer he is too,” Zach adds. “It was so fun to get to sing with him and him kind enough to come in on a couple of my songs and sing a second verse, sing a little harmony, do that kind of thing. It was a blast.”
The CMA New Artist of the Year nominee currently has a top ten hit with “I Never Lie.” He heads out on the Broken Branches Tour with Dierks Bentley in May.
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Police in Santa Fe, New Mexico say that an investigation is underway after Oscar award-winning actor Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, 64, were found dead alongside one of their dogs in their Santa Fe residence.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office said in a statement when news first broke of their death: “On 26 February, 2025, at approximately 1:45pm, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to an address on Old Sunset Trail in Hyde Park where Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and a dog were found deceased.”
Later on Thursday, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that the couple were found Wednesday afternoon during a welfare check after their neighbor called and was concerned about their well-being. According to the search warrant affidavit, their deaths were considered “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation, due to all of the circumstances surrounding the scene.”
According to the search warrant: Hackman was found on the floor in the mud room, appearing that he fell suddenly. Arakawa was found lying on her side on the floor in a bathroom, with a space heater near her body Her body showed signs of decomposition with mummification to her hands and feet. On the counter near Arakawa was an opened prescription bottle, with pills scattered. A German shepherd was found dead about 10 to 15 feet from Arakawa, with two other dogs were found alive – one was near Arakawa, and the other was located outside.
The document further stated that the Santa Fe City Fire Department found no signs of a possible carbon monoxide leak or poisoning; if there was carbon monoxide at the scene, it could have vented out of the home through the open front door before responders arrived. Chris Ramirez, spokesperson for the New Mexico medical investigator’s office, said that the medical examiner’s reports with the final cause of death “generally take anywhere from 4-6 weeks to generate.”
Hackman is a two-time Academy Award winner who was awarded Oscars for Best Actor for his portrayal of Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in William Friedkin’s 1971 thriller The French Connection; and for Best Supporting Actor for playing Little Bill Daggett in Clint Eastwood’s 1992 film, Unforgiven.
Hackman retired from acting in 2004, and moved to Sante Fe with his second wife, Arakawa. The actor shared three children from his 30-year marriage with Faye Maltese (they divorced in 1986).
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President Donald Trump confirmed on Thursday that 25% tariffs will go into effect on goods made by Canada and Mexico on March 4.
Trump said in a Truth Social post: “Drugs are still pouring into our Country from Mexico and Canada at very high and unacceptable levels. A large percentage of these Drugs, much of them in the form of Fentanyl, are made in, and supplied by, China. More than 100,000 people died last year due to the distribution of these dangerous and highly addictive POISONS. Millions of people have died over the last two decades. The families of the victims are devastated and, in many instances, virtually destroyed. We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA, and therefore, until it stops, or is seriously limited, the proposed TARIFFS scheduled to go into effect on MARCH FOURTH will, indeed, go into effect, as scheduled. China will likewise be charged an additional 10% Tariff on that date. The April Second Reciprocal Tariff date will remain in full force and effect. Thank you for your attention to this matter. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”
During a meeting on Wednesday with his cabinet, Trump said that he is planning to impose 25% tariffs on goods imported from the European Union, including “cars and all other things. They’ve really taken advantage of us. They don’t accept our cars, they don’t accept, essentially, our farm products. They use all sorts of reasons why not. And we accept everything from them.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday that she hoped to speak with Trump this week, while Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente was scheduled to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday afternoon. Sheinbaum said that her government would stay “cool-headed” and optimistic about an agreement coming together to avoid the tariffs, adding: “I hope we are able to reach an agreement and on March 4 we can announce something else.” (per AP News.)
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My, how the tables have turned: Carrie Underwood won the fourth season of American Idol back in 2005. Thirteen years later, Luke Bryan joined the ABC show as a judge. Now, as Carrie comes back to Idol, Luke’s the veteran, starting his eighth season on the show.
So how’s the “Before He Cheats” hitmaker adjusting?
“We’ve already done some auditions. You know, we do a lot of pre-taped stuff,” Luke tells ABC Audio. “And so Carrie’s doing a great job. It’s a lot to learn in a short amount of time when you’re talking about judging talent and dealing with the kids.”
“And she’s had a little bit of a learning situation on really saying no to kids because she’s such a sweet, kind soul,” Luke reveals. “You know, it’s tough to sit there and tell some kid no, that they can’t go to Hollywood.”
“But she’s doing great. And just me and her and Lionel [Richie], we’re having a blast being on the show and watching the talent,” he adds.
Luke and Carrie remain at the top of their game, with Carrie closing in on the top of the chart with her duet with Cody Johnson, “I’m Gonna Love You.” Meanwhile, Luke’s just started his climb with “Country Song Came On,” “a honky-tonk kind of throwback song” he’d been waiting to put on an album for awhile.
The new season of American Idol premieres March 9 on ABC, with a special sneak peek on the way after Sunday’s Oscars.
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Dylan Marlowe and Conner Smith have announced they will embark on their six-date,co-headlining “Did We Just Become Best Friends? Tour.”
The tour will kick off April 2 in Columbia, South Carolina, and hit Tampa, Chattanooga, Isle of Palms and more before wrapping April 12 in Wilmington, North Carolina. Joining Conner and Dylan as support are Hannah McFarland and Cole Goodwin.
For tickets, visit connersmithmusic.com or dylanmarloweofficial.com.
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