Month: January 2026

Here’s one more reason to love Lainey Wilson: She’s pretty much buying you breakfast on Feb. 4. 

As part of her gig as brand ambassador for the beloved Texas fast-food chain Whataburger, Lainey took to its socials Thursday to declare she’s created a made-up holiday to honor her favorite menu item. That Wednesday will be known as National Whataburger Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit Day.

Obviously, celebrate however you wish, but there’s one obvious way: stop by Whataburger, grab one and see if your tastebuds agree Lainey’s.

Drop by between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Feb. 4 and participating locations will give you a free one. No purchase required, one per person, and you can order yours in-store, at the drive-thru or online.

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Brad Paisley‘s set to be a guest mentor on the new season of American Idol; he will be joined by Keke Palmer to help the top 20 singers.

The “Whiskey Lullaby” hitmaker popped up on Monday’s premiere, dropping by during auditions at his alma mater, Nashville’s Belmont University. Brad reunited with his longtime CMA cohost Carrie Underwood, as well as Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie. 

Brad’s first appearance will be March 16 with the top 20 at Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawaii.

Until then, you can catch two-hour episodes of American Idol Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. 

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Blake Shelton‘s not done with his Sin City residency, and he rode a Kubota tractor down the Las Vegas strip Thursday to prove it. 

The “Stay Country or Die Tryin'” hitmaker parked in front of Caesars Palace and tossed the keys to the valet, before revealing he’ll do eight more shows at The Colosseum. 

The new shows will run through May. Two shows remain from his initial engagement, with limited tickets still remaining.

Presales for Blake’s May run start Monday, before expanding to the public on Friday, Feb. 6. 

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Dylan Scott‘s latest hit, “What He’ll Never Have,” is a family affair.

“It’s a special song to me,” he tells ABC Audio. “One, I’ve got my little brother, he’s a co-writer on the song. He’s my lead guitar player. It’s his first-ever song that’s being recorded. Top 40, top 20 now. So it’s fun watching him get excited about all this stuff, you know. It makes me happy.”

Dylan’s brother, Logan Robinson, can be even more excited now, since “What He’ll Never Have” just broke into the top 15.

What mystifies Dylan about his hit, however, is how his muse, wife Blair Robinson, feels about the tune.

“Here’s what I don’t understand about the song,” he reveals. “I’ve written all these love songs, right? ‘My Girl,’ ‘Nobody,’ ‘Can’t Have Mine,’ all these brownie-point songs for my wife. And then I write this song and it’s her favorite one, the one about me dying. Can you explain that to me?”

“She said, ‘What female [doesn’t] want to hear that? “If I was to die, just know that whoever you find, the love I have for you, he’ll never have.”‘ Like, what?” he asks. “I don’t know. She was right, though. It’s a big hit for us.”  

Dylan sets his Till I Can’t I Will Tour in motion March 12 in Syracuse, New York. 

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Tracy Lawrence will launch his 2026 No Alibis Tour March 12 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Presales are underway now, with tickets becoming available to the public on Friday. 

Tyler Braden‘s new track, “Dry County,” drops Friday. It’s the first taste of his new project, due during the first half of 2026.

Ian Munsick will release his new song, “Geronimo,” on Friday, as part of his new partnership with Triple Tigers Records.

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Reba McEntire will pay homage to those we’ve lost this year during Sunday’s Grammy Awards.

“Watch @reba lead a touching in memoriam tribute to musical icons, alongside [Brandy Clark] and [Lukas Nelson],” the Grammys announced Wednesday on its socials. 

The 2026 awards air Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+. 

You might remember Reba also led a 40th anniversary tribute to The Golden Girls with Little Big Town‘s Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman at September’s 77th Emmy Awards, performing the iconic theme song, “Thank You for Being a Friend.”

So far, there’s no word on what she’ll sing with Brandy and Lukas on Sunday.

The Grammys will air on ABC in 2027.

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Dolly Parton now has chart hits spanning 60 years, thanks to her rerecording of “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” with Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus, Queen Latifah and Reba McEntire on the occasion of her 80th birthday. 

The all-star sing-along scored the highest debut of the week at #41 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart, emerging at #1 on Billboard‘s Country Digital Song Sales tally as well.

“This is the best gift I could receive!” Dolly said of the news. “I want to thank the fans, all the radio programmers, and all the streaming partners.”

Dolly’s first chart success came in 1966 with a song she co-wrote and contributed uncredited vocals to: “Put It Off Until Tomorrow” by Bill Phillips. It made it to #6 and was named a BMI Song of the Year.

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Dustin Lynch and Chase Rice are headed back to Colorado’s iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre to co-headline a show to help firefighters.

“Red Rocks is such a legendary venue, I couldn't be more pumped to be back – especially with my buddy Chase Rice joining me this time around,” Dustin says. “I'm excited to partner with my friends over at Coors Banquet and help in their mission to support the Wildland Firefighter Foundation.”

“This one's going to be special, see y'all out there!” he adds.

Presales for the April 22 concert are underway now, with tickets becoming available to the public on Friday. 

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Lainey Wilson spent Christmas Day performing on Snoop Dogg‘s Holiday Halftime Party, and it won’t be her last time on Netflix.

The documentary Lainey Wilson: Keepin’ Country Cool is set to premiere on the streamer April 22.

“I couldn't be more excited that this documentary is going to be on Netflix,” she tells Deadline. “This was such a special project to make, and I hope that folks who watch it see that no dream is too big and that staying true to who you are will always lead you exactly where you're meant to be.”

The show “captures a pivotal moment in her career,” according to the official release from Netflix.

Lainey’s also been rubbing elbows with some other Netflix stars. She recently stopped by the Los Angeles set as Leanne Morgan shoots the second season of her eponymous sitcom. You might remember the Tennessee comedian also visited Lainey as she hosted November’s CMA Awards.

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Even before Luke Bryan launches his Word on the Street Tour in the spring, he’s heading back to California for three Farm Tour dates. 

“We had such a great response to the shows out West last year that we decided to come back,” he says. “It was so impactful to learn from the farmers about what affects their operations and families, and our hope is to shine a little spotlight on them for all they do for America.”

Luke will kick off his 17th Farm Tour May 14 at Sillect Farms in Shafter, California, before heading to Clovis on May 15 and Elk Grove on May 16. 

Presales start Feb. 2, before tickets go on sale to the public Feb. 5. 

Look for special guests to be announced in the future, as well as Luke’s traditional Farm Tour dates in the fall. 

The son of a peanut farmer, Luke launched his first Farm Tour in 2009 and has since provided 90 college scholarships to students from farming families.

Luke’s Word on the Street Tour kicks off May 29 in Gilford, New Hampshire.

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