Lauren Akins released her new memoir, Live in Love: Growing Together Through Life’s Changes, on Aug. 18. The new book chronicles Lauren’s childhood friendship with husband-to-be Thomas Rhett, explaining how they reconnected as young adults, got married and are now raising three girls. The book also delves into many of the “challenges they faced as…
Luke Bryan may be busy hitting the talk-show circuit this week to promote his brand-new album, Born Here, Live Here, Die Here, but one month ago he was using his free time to check an item off of his bucket list. In July, Luke loaded up all of his boys—Til, 18, Bo, 12, and Tate,…
Lee Brice is trying to score his eighth No. 1 single with the release of “One of Them Girls.” Penned by Lee, Ashley Gorley, Dallas Davidson and Ben Johnson, “One of Them Girls” is currently No. 18 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart after 16 weeks. The new tune follows Lee’s previous No. 1 singles, “Rumors,”…
Thomas Rhett’s 2013 debut album, It Goes Like This, spawned three consecutive No. 1 singles: “It Goes Like This,” “Get Me Some of That” and “Make Me Wanna.” When TR was planning his 2015 sophomore album, Tangled Up, he knew he needed a lead single that wouldn’t crash and burn. Ironically enough, Thomas Rhett chose…
By sampling Webb Pierce’s 1953 No. 1 hit, “There Stands the Glass,” in his current single, “Hard to Forget,” Sam Hunt has introduced Webb’s iconic song to a new generation of country music fans. While hardcore, old-school country fans may liken Sam’s sampling to blasphemy, the closer truth is that Sam has opened up the…
When the stars align . . . sometimes the music stars align. Keith Urban shared just such an instance during a recent sit-down with Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown. As Kix was reminiscing about his fun-loving days on the road as part of Hall of Fame duo Brooks & Dunn, he jokingly noted that…
Like the rest of the music-making world, Jordan Davis was forced to cancel his spring and summer gigs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But there’s been a silver lining for the Louisiana native, who has scored three consecutive No. 1 singles with “Slow Dance in a Parking Lot” (April 2020), “Take It From Me” (March…
Garner, N.C., native Scotty McCreery has a special affinity for his home state. To this day, the American Idol winner—who has scored three No. 1 albums and two No. 1 singles—cites an honor from his home state as one of his “prouder moments.” In March 2017, Scotty was honored with the Order of the Long…
Kip Moore released his fourth studio album, Wild World, on May 29. The 13-song offering features 12 songs that Kip co-wrote, including lead singe, “She’s Mine,” which is currently No. 26 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart after 38 weeks. In addition, Kip co-produced the album with David Garcia, Luke Dick and Blair Daly on select…
With songs like “Girl Goin’ Nowhere,” “A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega and “One Night Standards,” Ashley McBryde has proven herself to be one of the most vivid storytellers in country music. Her lyrics are almost as fun to read as listen to—but, of course, she also has a beautiful voice. After breaking out in…
At the heart of the iconic Grand Ole Opry, one of the symbolic homes of country music, lies a team of dedicated women ensuring its 100-year legacy thrives. Associate producer of talent Gina Keltner, director of archives and content management Emily Frans, associate producer of show development Nicole Judd, and director of artist and industry…
Variety’s Power of Women Nashville cover star Mickey Guyton has defied the odds to become a prominent figure in country music, while inspiring many with her talent and resilience. Despite facing challenges as a female and Black artist in a predominantly white, male industry, Guyton has continued to make her mark with her powerful performances…
Ella Langley and Zach Top, fresh off being presented with ACM’s New Female Artist and New Male Artist of the Year awards, are both set to perform at the 60th ACM Awards, hosted by Reba McEntire. Langley leads all ACM nominees with eight total nods, on the strength of her successful debut album, hungover, and…
In a new interview with Variety for her Power of Women Nashville cover story, Kelsea Ballerini recalled the challenge of establishing her own identity separate from her idol, Taylor Swift, in order to make a mark in the music industry. She recalls an interaction with a record label executive who dismissed her early on by…
Beyoncé launched her Cowboy Carter Tour on Monday night (April 28) with a nearly three-hour performance at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The 35-time Grammy winner looked resplendent in an all-white outfit complete with cowboy hat, boots, and fringed jacket, with backup dancers dressed in similar attire. The 39-song set focused on Beyoncé’s 2024 Album…