Month: February 2026

Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins are now the parents of a baby boy, the two revealed on Instagram Friday evening. 

“Oh. my. goodness. Our hearts are just in a big ole puddle with this precious baby BOY,” Lauren begins, leading with a photo of the little one, who has a full head of dark hair, with his arms wrapped around a stuffed duck. 

“Brave Elijah Akins was born last week at almost 10 pounds and almost 2 weeks early-thank you Jesus this big boy didn't wait another 2 weeks to be born,” she says. “Thomas Rhett was my biggest champion in labor & delivery.”

“He helped deliver him,” she continues, adding a crying emoji, “was the first one to see and *tearfully*, mixed with a bit of shock announce to us all in the room ‘It's a BOY.'”

“We are so grateful God chose us to have YOU cutie pie,” she closes. “Your four sisters are smitten and we are completely over the moon in love with you big Brave boy.”

The post includes a full carousel of photos of the whole family, including his sisters, Willa Gray, Ada James, Lennon Love and Lillie Carolina, who range in age from 10 to 4.  

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Avery Anna’s new EP, forgive, forget, will arrive March 13. The six-song collection features her latest release, “Man Downstairs.”

“Boat Named After You” is the latest preview of ERNEST’s third studio album, Deep Blue, which is set for release sometime later this year. It will also feature the previously released “Lorelei.”

“Born to Be Yours” is Warren Zeiders’ first new music since January’s Live from the 717. The 21-track album was recorded during his sold-out Giant Center performance in his hometown of Hershey, Pennsylvania. 

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To celebrate her 26th birthday, “Austin” hitmaker Dasha is putting out a new version of “Oh, Anna!” recorded live at the Grand Ole Opry.

“Stepping into the circle never loses its magic for me,” she says. “Every time I stand on that stage, I think about the little girl who used to go by Anna and dreamed about moments like this. The Opry carries so much history; it’s where country music’s story has been told for generations, and ‘Oh, Anna!’ carries my own history.” 

The 2025 Opry NextStage member made her Opry debut in June 2024. The new version of “Oh, Anna!” was captured last August. 

“When I sang it there this past summer, I knew it was a moment I’d want to hold onto forever,” she recalls. “Releasing this live version on my 26th birthday feels like the most meaningful way to honor where I started and who I’ve become. It’s a gift to myself I’ll always cherish.”

“Austin” put Dasha on the map in 2024, becoming a viral sensation and making it to the top 10 on the Mediabase chart. 

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If you can hardly wait for the premiere of Marshals on Sunday, you can check out a new song by its star now.

Singer, songwriter and actor Luke Grimes has just dropped “Haunted,” which appears in both the new CBS show and on his new album. His sophomore record, REDBIRD, is set to arrive April 3. 

Marshals continues the story of Kayce Dutton, which began on Yellowstone, and will also mark the acting debut of Riley Green – something that grew out of his friendship with Luke. 

Riley tells Entertainment Tonight he was already thinking about doing some acting when he happened to meet the star from the Taylor Sheridan universe.

“As he was starting his music career,” Riley recalls. “I was kind of trying to help him out in town, and we wrote some songs together and it was really just buddies talking … and he was like, ‘Maybe you should do some acting?'”

The 13-episode debut season of Marshals starts Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+.

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A week after Cloud 9‘s Feb. 20 release, Megan Moroney’s already surprising fans with more music. 

The bonus cut “Sorry… I Meant Tonight” expands on the 15 tracks from her third album.

“So, you pick a place and I'll pick a time/ Under the stars or the city lights/ What are you doing for the rest of your life?/ Oh sorry, I meant tonight,” she sings on the just-released new addition.

Currently on her 9 Cities. 9 Days fan-focused promotional tour, Megan’s booked for a return appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday, where she’ll play a surprise cut from Cloud 9.

She played “No Caller ID” on the NBC late-night staple in 2024. 

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Jason Aldean will sing Songs About Us on the road this summer, as he kicks off the tour of the same name July 16 in Bangor, Maine. 

He’ll hit 22 cities before the trek wraps Sept. 26 in Gilford, New Hamshire. Chase Matthew, Mackenzie Carpenter and Dee Jay Silver join him on the run. 

Presales kick off March 3, before tickets become available to the public March 6. 

Jason also just released three new tracks from Songs About Us ahead of his project’s release on April 24: “Drinking About You,” “Dust on the Bottle” with David Lee Murphy and his new radio single, “Don't Tell On Me.”

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Gavin Adcock is the driving force behind Country Never Dies, a new covers album that matches current artists with classic songs. 

His take on Waylon Jennings’ “Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line” is the first taste of the project, which drops March 13. 

“I came up with the idea of this album one day when I was listening to some country music and realized that I'm never going to get to hear any new music from some of the artists, because they're not with us anymore,” Gavin says. “I grew up listening to a bunch of these artists, and some of them are the main reason I'm in country music, and how I got my style.”

Gavin also covers Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried.” The album features contributions from Hudson Westbrook, Ashley Cooke, Vincent Mason, Jake Worthington and more. 

“There's a bunch of people that these songs mean the world to them,” Gavin continues. “They grew up listening to these songs, hearing their parents or grandparents play them. I think it is important in country music to remember the people who paved the way for us.”

Here’s the complete track listing for Country Never Dies, along with the artist who made each song famous:
“Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line” — Gavin Adcock (Waylon Jennings)
“Slow Hand” — Hudson Westbrook (The Pointer Sisters/Conway Twitty)
“He Stopped Loving Her Today” — Jake Worthington (George Jones)
“Southern Nights” — Ashley Cooke (Glen Campbell)
“Slide Off Your Satin Sheets” — Braxton Keith (Johnny Paycheck)
“Wayfaring Stranger” — Lanie Gardner (American folk song)
“You Win Again” — Vincent Mason (Hank Williams)
“Kentucky Bluebird” — The Creekers (Keith Whitley)
“Simple Man” — Austin Snell (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
“Big City Blues” — Shelby Stone (Keith Gattis)
“Mama Tried” — Gavin Adcock (Merle Haggard)

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When Chris Young was creating his Black River debut, I Didn’t Come Here to Leave, there was one song he had to have: “Til the Last One Dies.”

“It’s one of the few songs on the album that I didn’t have a hand in writing,” he tells ABC Audio. “But I just fell in love with this song and wanted it before anybody else got ahold of it.”

Though the top-25 hit is familiar territory for Chris, it still breaks new ground.

“[It’s] definitely a straight down the middle love song, which a lot of people go, ‘Well, you’ve got a bunch of love songs over the course of your career,'” he says. “But this was the first time in a long time I’d done a, like, ‘could be your first dance’ version of a love song. So I just thought it was a really amazing way to say that and turn a phrase.” ? 

Chris currently only has a handful of dates on his concert schedule, as he hasn’t announced any 2026 tour plans yet. 

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Maddie & Tae discuss putting their career as a duo on pause in the latest edition of The Dr. Phil Podcast. You can watch the conversation on YouTube. 

You can check out Filmore’s performance of “Yeehaw” on The Kelly Clarkson Show on YouTube. It’s from his new album, Atypical.

“Didn't have [Alex Warren] with me this time but hopefully I did Ordinary justice,” Luke Combs wrote on his socials, referring to his 2025 collab with the pop star at Lollapalooza. Luke’s solo version from the Georgia Theatre is available on YouTube. 

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Tucker Wetmore’s headed for Colorado this fall to mark an item off his bucket list. 

“Headlining Red Rocks has been one of my dreams for quite some time and I can't think of a better place to bring the energy of The Brunette World Tour,” he said of the newly announced date.

Tucker will play the iconic amphitheater Oct. 27. 

Presales start March 4, with tickets becoming available to the public March 6. A portion of the proceeds from each ticket sold will go to Face the Fight, which supports suicide prevention and provides mental health services for veterans. 

The “Wind Up Missin’ You” hitmaker kicked off his tour earlier in February with sold-out shows in Boston and New York City. He also just added to his schedule an appearance on the CMA Fest main stage at Nissan Stadium in June.

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