Pulse – Country Music News

Luke Combs is celebrating his 15th consecutive #1 song with "Going, Going, Gone" and as a songwriter, he has lots of stories to tell about how the hits were written. Here's what he told us about about this one: You know, we wrote that song, that riff was just it was there and it was undeniable in the room and, and I pulled that idea out and it just made sense to all of us and I feel like that track if I'm, if I'm remembering, correct, that's the last track on Growin' Up. The point of that was to go okay, well, this is where we're going right? Like I didn't announce when Growin' Up came out that there was going to be a second part to this thing and really, there's not. But I wanted people to go okay, well, you know, this track 12 I really liked that thing. It's this new sound, it's different. It's something else, but I still love it and I still can relate to it. And I wanted to let people know that that's kind of where this was going right like leading into this next album. :43 (OC: next album)

In Carly Pearce's new video for "What He Didn't Do," you see her gradually walk into the ocean wearing a long wedding dress, then she takes a swim underwater. She makes it look easy, but she tells us that wasn't the case at all: "It was me. The whole video is me. I underestimated how difficult it would be to swim underwater with a large wedding dress on. It was really, really crazy to feel the weight of that, but I feel like it almost helped me to get it into the character some. It scared me because at times, you know, you think, oh, I know how to swim. But when you feel that kind of weight really pulling you down it's quite scary. But those scenes of me coming out of the water, I mean, if you look, my dress is broken on the sleeve, and that was actually what really happened just because of the wear and tear of what I was doing. But that was one of the harder things I think I've done, physically, and honestly, the mental game of that was pretty hard." :45 (OC: pretty hard)

Darius Rucker has announced his Starting Fires Tour with 21 dates across the U.S. and Canada. Kicking off June 15 in Virginia, cities include Washington D.C., Milwaukee, Los Angeles and will wrap in Nashville October 16.

Some shows will include special VIP Packages, with exclusive Meet & Greets and individual photo opportunities with Darius, guided backstage tours, and more.

Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors and rising star Drew Green will be joining the 3x Grammy winner on select dates. Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning this Friday, March 17.

With almost 2 decades of a successful career in the music industry, Chris Young is grateful for it all. The good and the bad. Chris tells us more: "Yeah, I mean, I'm incredibly grateful for anybody that's followed my music, bought my music, streamed my music, bought a ticket, told me they liked something I did. Like, did anything and everything. You're not supposed to have a 17 year career in music, and I'm not done yet. So it's pretty wild. You know, I signed my record deal when I was 20. So sometimes it's just kind of tough to wrap my head around. But the biggest thing I can say is I'm just really grateful that I've been around this long and also really happy that it has not been a difficult 17 years there's moments that have been difficult, but it's been pretty damn awesome." :49 (OC: pretty damn awesome)

After several days of teasing new music, Tim McGraw released a single called "Standing Room Only." It's the title track from what will be his 17th studio album, due later this year.

Because of its message, Tim says the song caught his ear the first time he heard it, describing it as "positive and life affirming." He said, "It isn't about the funeral or the procession, it's about how we live, in the here and now."

The 3x Grammy winner has had 69 Top 10 hits and holds the Mediabase record for the most weeks at #1, with all titles totaling 73 weeks.

Over the weekend, Sam Hunt released a new song called "Outskirts." As one of the writers, he says it's about what could have been. Sam tells us more: "It's going to sort of be in line with this character who has come to a crossroads in his life between sort of choosing the world and his dreams and maybe a family and future kids and his roots. And as he gets off down the road, out into the world, he's kind of looking back like, uh, did I do the right thing here? That's kind of the theme that runs through most of these songs that'll be coming out here. But it's the idea is, uh, that, you know, he's living in town and fills his schedule and always busy just trying to find his way in the world. And it's easy to do in town, but as soon as he gets out, out on the outskirts of town, he's reminded of the choice, the road he didn't take, and he's second guessing whether or not he's on the right path or not. So that's essentially the gist of it." :55 (OC: the gist of it)

The first shows of Dierks Bentley's Gravel & Gold Tour are on sale now. He'll be playing several songs from his 10^th studio album of the same name.

Jordan Davis will be the opening act. And a long list of special guests include Elle King, Tracy Lawrence, Caylee Hammack, Kameron Marlowe, The Cadillac Three, Molly Tuttle, and more.

Fans can also expect to see his alter ego band, Hot Country Knights. The tour kicks off on June 1 in Toronto, Canada and will run through the end of August.

Parker McCollum has dropped a new song called, "Speed."

He says it's about his obsession with "living fast." He explained in a press release: "Life is always going a hundred miles an hour and it's important to try and be aware of that. And slow things down every now and then."

The new track has already become a fan favorite at his live shows.

Parker's new single is from his upcoming album, Never Enough, which will be out on May 12. His website is offering signed copies during pre-sale, as well as a special, white vinyl version.

Megan Moroney has released the title track from her debut album, Lucky.

Co-written by Megan, her press release described it as an "up-tempo luck-struck tune" that mixes "classic twang with a contemporary mindset."

Megan was recently announced as a nominee for two CMT Music Awards for Breakthrough Female Video and Digital-First Performance of the Year.

Her album, Lucky, will be out on May 5 and this summer, she'll be opening shows for Brooks & Dunn.

Sam Hunt will take the Ryman Auditorium stage tonight (Friday, March 10th) in Nashville for a headlining show. It's been a long time since he has played that venue, and as Sam tells us, it's going to be a different experience for fans who have seen him play in larger venues. "It's been maybe seven or eight years since I actually played the Ryman and so (I'm) just looking forward to just really getting in there and not overthinking it, not scripting it out too much and in preparation for the summer tour, getting in there and trying some songs out, playing them maybe in some new ways but more than anything, just have a more intimate experience."

Sam sits inside the Top 20 with his latest single, "Water Under The Bridge."

He heads to Las Vegas for a two-night stint on April 21 & 22.

His headlining Summer On The Outskirts Tour, featuring special guests Brett Young and Lily Rose, kicks off on July 6th in Hartford, CT. Tickets go on sale today (Friday, March 10th) at 10 a.m. local time at samhunt.com.

Tim McGraw is granting a dying father's wish to duet with him on his hit "My Little Girl" for the sake of his young daughters so they can have it to play on their respective wedding days. Thirty-seven-year-old Michael Hugo is suffering from stage 4 glioblastoma and is unsure of how much time he has left so he is planning ahead for his six and seven-year-old daughters' futures.

Hugo posted a video to social media explaining his story and asking that Tim help him in hopes that it would somehow get to the superstar. And it did. Tim invited Hugo and his family to Nashville.

Earlier this week, Tim shared a video of himself with the Hugo family standing in front of a piano saying in part, "We're gonna make this happen." He captioned the clip, "Thanx to everyone who shared Mike Hugo's video on social media and tagged me in the comments. So glad we were able to actually get together in person, meet this amazing family, and make it happen! Mike is saving the videos for his daughters' future weddings... what a special thing to be a part of."

Chris Stapleton has extended his All American Road Show Tour by five dates. The run will now continue through October, wrapping up on the 26th in Tulsa, OK. Special guests on the tour include The War and Treaty, Margo Price, Marty Stuart, Marcus King, Charley Crockett, Nikki Lane and Allen Stone.

Tickets to the new shows go on sale on Friday, March 17th.

The 2023 All American Road Show Tour kicks off on April 26th in El Paso, TX.

You've heard of the People's Choice Awards, and now NBCUniversal is partnering with the Grand Ole Opry for the People's Choice Country Awards. The two-hour show will live from the Opry stage in Nashville in September and will broadcast on NBC and Peacock, Country Now reports.

Billed as the "only award show for the people and by the people," the show's winners will be chosen entirely by the fans.

Lainey Wilson leads the list of nominees at this year's CMT Music Awards. She earned four nods, including Video of the Year, Female Video of the Year, Collaborative Video of the Year and CMT Performance of the Year, it was announced yesterday (Wednesday, March 8th). Cody Johnson, Kane Brown and Jelly Roll follow closely behind with three nominations at the fan-voted awards show.

The CMT Music Awards, co-hosted by Kane Brown and Kelsea Ballerini, will be held on April 2 at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas and will air live on CBS beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

Here is the complete list of nominees:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Ashley McBryde, Caylee Hammack, Brandy Clark & Pillbox Patti - "Bonfire at Tina's"
Blake Shelton - "No Body"
Carrie Underwood - "Hate My Heart"
Cody Johnson - "Human"
Elle King feat. Dierks Bentley - "Worth a Shot"
Gabby Barrett - "Pick Me Up"
HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson - "wait in the truck"
Jimmie Allen - "Down Home"
Kane Brown & Katelyn Brown - "Thank God"
Keith Urban - "Wild Hearts"
Kelsea Ballerini - "HEARTFIRST"
Little Big Town - "Rich Man"
Luke Bryan - "Country On"
Luke Combs - "The Kind of Love We Make"
Morgan Wallen - "You Proof"
Walker Hayes - "AA"

FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video by a female artist; awarded to the artist.

Carly Pearce - "What He Didn't Do"
Carrie Underwood - "Ghost Story"
Gabby Barrett - "Pick Me Up"
Kelsea Ballerini - "HEARTFIRST"
Lainey Wilson - "Heart Like a Truck"
Maren Morris - "Humble Quest"
Miranda Lambert - "Actin' Up"

MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video by a male artist; awarded to the artist.

Bailey Zimmerman - "Rock and a Hard Place"
Cody Johnson - "Human"
Cole Swindell - "She Had Me at Heads Carolina"
Jelly Roll - "Son of a Sinner"
Kane Brown - "Like I Love Country Music"
Luke Combs - "The Kind of Love We Make"
Morgan Wallen - "Wasted on You"

GROUP/DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video by a duo or group; awarded to the artists.

Dan + Shay - "You (Performance Video)"
Lady A - "Summer State of Mind"
Little Big Town - "Hell Yeah"
Parmalee - "Take My Name"
The War and Treaty - "That's How Love Is Made"
Zac Brown Band - "Out in the Middle"

FEMALE BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video from a female artist's major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist.

Avery Anna - "Narcissist"
Kylie Morgan - "If He Wanted to He Would"
MacKenzie Porter - "Pickup"
Megan Moroney - "Tennessee Orange"
Morgan Wade - "Wilder Days"
Tiera Kennedy - "Found It in You"

MALE BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video from a male artist's major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist.

Bailey Zimmerman - "Fall in Love"
Corey Kent - "Wild as Her"
Drake Milligan - "Sounds Like Something I'd Do"
Jackson Dean - "Don't Come Lookin'"
Jelly Roll - "Son of a Sinner"
Nate Smith - "Whiskey on You"

COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video from a collaboration; awarded to the artists.

Elle King feat. Dierks Bentley - "Worth a Shot"
HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson - "wait in the truck"
Ingrid Andress with Sam Hunt - "Wishful Drinking"
Kane Brown & Katelyn Brown - "Thank God"
Midland feat. Jon Pardi - "Longneck Way to Go"
Russell Dickerson feat. Jake Scott - "She Likes It"
Thomas Rhett & Katy Perry - "Where We Started"

CMT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

Musical performance on a television show, series or variety special on CMT; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo).

Black Pumas & Mickey Guyton - "Colors" (from 2022 CMT MUSIC AWARDS)
Chris Stapleton - "Whenever You Come Around" (from "CMT Giants: Vince Gill")
Cody Johnson - "‘Til You Can't" (from 2022 CMT MUSIC AWARDS)
Cole Swindell & Lainey Wilson - "Never Say Never" (from 2022 CMT MUSIC AWARDS)
Darius Rucker - "Let Her Cry" (from "CMT Storytellers")
Emmy Russell & Lukas Nelson - "Lay Me Down" (from "Coal Miner's Daughter: A Celebration of the Life and Music of Loretta Lynn")
LeAnn Rimes with Ashley McBryde & Carly Pearce - "One Way Ticket" (from "CMT Crossroads: LeAnn Rimes & Friends")
Keith Urban - "Wild Hearts" (from 2022 CMT MUSIC AWARDS)
The Judds - "Love Can Build a Bridge" (from 2022 CMT MUSIC AWARDS)
Wynonna Judd & Brandi Carlile - "The Rose" (from "Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration")

CMT DIGITAL-FIRST PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

Musical performance from a production, series or livestream created for CMT digital / social channels; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo).

Charley Crockett - "Time of the Cottonwood Trees" (from "CMT Campfire Sessions")
Chris Young - "Gettin' You Home" (from "CMT Stages")
Ingrid Andress - "Wishful Drinking" (from "CMT Studio Sessions")
Jelly Roll - "Son of a Sinner" (from "CMT All Access")
Megan Moroney - "Tennessee Orange" (from "CMT Viral to Verified")
Scotty McCreery - "Damn Strait" (from "CMT Campfire Sessions")

Voting is now open at vote.cmt.com.

Performers and presenters at the 2023 CMT Music Awards will be announced in the coming weeks.

The month of March is dedicated to Women's History, and as a man surrounded by females in his personal life, Kane Brown has nothing but appreciation and admiration. His wife, Katelyn, and daughters, Kingsley and Kodi are at the top of his list of women who have influenced him positively, but there's someone else. Kane tells us: "I feel like I say this every time, but I'm going to have to go with Shania Twain again. My mom was a huge fan of hers, so I've grown up listening to all her music and I actually met her one time and I talked about doing a song with her. So, it'd be cool if we got to do it. But yeah, she influenced me the most as a female."

Kane and Katelyn recently topped the country charts with their first duet, "Thank God."

Kane continues on his headlining Drunk or Dreaming Tour on March 16th in Grand Rapids, MI with special guests Dustin Lynch and LoCash.

Kenny Chesney and his band have set up camp on the banks of the Cumberland River in Nashville where they have been rehearsing like crazy for their upcoming I Go Back Tour, set to kick off on Mach 23rd in Charlottesville, VA. Kenny will be joined by special guest Kelsea Ballerini through the tour's end on July 22nd in Des Moines, IA.

Kenny said, "All those songs that time-stamped people's lives, I want to make sure those people and those songs don't get lost. It's why we named this the I Go Back 2023 Tour. To me, to be able to share this band that's so white hot – even our rehearsals have inspired all of us almost like the shows – with the fans who were there when this was turning into something great, that makes me even more fired up to get out there."

Kenny's set list includes close to 30 songs, as well as a few planned surprises for fans along the way.

His latest single, "Beer With My Friends" featuring Old Dominion, continues its climb up the country charts.

Sam Hunt gives fans their first look at his baby daughter Lucy in a video he posted to social media on Tuesday (March 7th). There is no caption for the clip, which features outdoor footage of Sam and some other friends or family as well as Sam's wife, Hannah Lee Fowler, who is holding Lucy. Throughout the video, a male voice reads the poem "Bluebird," by Charles Bukowski.

Lucy will turn one year old in May.

Earlier this week, Sam announced his upcoming Summer On The Outskirts Tour. A song called "Outskirts" will be released on Friday (March 10th).

His latest single, "Water Under The Bridge," sits at Number 16 this week on the Mediabase chart.

Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean, Jimmie Allen, Dierks Bentley, Dan + Shay, Jordan Davis, Hardy, Tyler Hubbard, Cody Johnson, Little Big Town, Ashley McBryde, Old Dominion, Jon Pardi, Carly Pearce, Keith Urban and Lainey Wilson are all confirmed to play the main stage at Nissan Stadium during this year's CMA Fest in downtown Nashville. This year marks the event's 50th anniversary and will take place June 8-11.

As a frequent performer at CMA Fest dating back to when it was called "Fan Fair," Keith Urban tells us this event is one he looks forward to every year. "I love it! It's like summer camp. I mean, it is! It's a chance to obviously see a lot of people I don't normally see. I don't know. It's just palpable. Since Fan Fair, it's just been that sort of week-plus of energy; the town just explodes, and what it is we love about this genre and the community aspect of it. I always love it." :

The Chevy Riverfront Stage at CMA Fest will feature performances from the likes of Ingrid Andress, Tenille Arts, Travis Denning, Morgan Evans, and Caylee Hammack, while the Dr Pepper Amp Stage at Ascend Park features Blanco Brown, Kassi Ashton, Tyler Farr, Shenandoah, Caitlyn Smith, and Rita Wilson, to name a few.

For complete lineup and ticket information visit CMAworld.com.

Audio recording of Clay Walker verbally dressing down his bus driver has been leaked. The expletive-filled and threatening rant seems to stem from the driver being late and not tidying up the bus. Via a statement to Country Now, Clay said, "This happened over a year ago and it came at the end of a long, tough weekend. The bus driver and I reconciled immediately and we are friends and stay in touch."

The audio was leaked online earlier this week. It was shared on TikTok by user @_i.am.brooke_ with the caption, "TIKTOK THIS IS NOT ME BULLYING. We're just outing someone who is. I guess the Chain of Love ends with him after all… Share this to make sure it's seen, and he doesn't get away with this."

Maren Morris and Brothers Osborne will be among the headlining acts Love Rising, a concert to benefit several LGBTQ+ organizations. The event will take place on March 20th at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. Tickets go on sale today (Wednesday, March 8th) at bridgestonearena.com. Love Rising also feature performances from Brittany Howard, Hayley Williams, Jason Isbell, Sheryl Crow, Amanda Shires, and Hozier, to name a few.

Maren shared news of the concert on social media yesterday writing, "Art & community are, and have always been, oppression's medicine. Let's show these politicians that they do not speak for all of Tennessee. Love will prevail. All ages are welcome . . ."

Organizations earmarked to receive funds from Love Rising include Tennessee Equality Project, Inclusion Tennessee, OUT Memphis and The Tennessee Pride Chamber.

Elle King, Mitchell Tenpenny, Jelly Roll, and Michael Ray are among those taking part in the 27th annual Key West Songwriters Festival, set for May 3-7 in Florida. The event includes 50 shows at venues across the island including Key West bars and restaurants, waterfront resorts, boutique inns, intimate theaters, and more. More than 30 performances are free. Tickets to the other shows and additional information are available at keywestsongwritersfestival.com.

Sam Hunt will be hitting outdoor venues across the country on his Summer On The Outskirts Tour, featuring special guests Brett Young and Lily Rose. The tour kicks off on July 6th in Hartford, CT and wraps up on September 9th in Raleigh, NC. Tickets go on sale on Friday (March 10th) at 10 a.m. local time at samhunt.com.

Sam has largely spent his career playing outdoor venues, and as he tells us, they are very comfortable and familiar to him at this point. "The atmosphere there is being outside. To me, that's big time in the summer. You know, I love being outside as much as I can, so the grass brings something to the to it. I don't know, something about the grass on the hill and the environment. And there's so many great amphitheaters with so many great artists that come through that people also have, is familiar for the folks who come out, too, because they're going to go see a lot of times another one or two or three concerts at that same venue that summer. So, a lot of the good times that can be had in that community can be centered around those amphitheaters."

Sam sits inside the Top 20 on the country charts with his latest single, "Water Under The Bridge."

Morgan Wallen has added a one-night-only show at London's The O2 on December 3rd to his 2023 One Night At A Time World Tour. The trek officially begins in Auckland, New Zealand on March 15th.

General ticket on-sale begins on Thursday (March 9th) at 10 a.m. local UK at MorganWallen.com.

Morgan's One Night At A Time World Tour – named after the title track of his recently released third studio album, One Thing At A Time - kicks off overseas March 15-25 with shows in New Zealand and Australia with HARDY, before returning stateside on April 14 at Milwaukee's American Family Field with HARDY; hitting New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, Chicago's Wrigley Field and Boston's Fenway Park with Parker McCollum; the tour will return overseas Dec. 3 at The O2 in London. ERNEST and Bailey Zimmerman will support across U.S. and international dates.