Pulse – Country Music News

Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, and Thomas Rhett are set to headline the inaugural BEACH IT! Music Festival, taking place Friday, June 23 - 25 at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, VA. The three-day, two-stage festival's main stage will also host performances by Riley Green, Jo Dee Messina, Kip Moore, Megan Moroney, Brothers Osborne, Jameson Rodgers, Nate Smith, Alana Springsteen, Cole Swindell, Lily Rose and Hailey Whitters. Dee Jay Silver is set to perform between sets.

The "Next From Nashville" stage will feature performances from Chayce Beckham, George Birge, Tyler Braden, Ben Burgess, Mackenzie Carpenter, Ashland Craft, Madeline Edwards, Erin Kinsey, Pillbox Patti, Peytan Porter and Aaron Raitiere.

Three-day general admission and VIP passes for the BEACH IT! Music Festival will go on sale beginning Tuesday (February 21st) at 10 a.m. ET at BEACHITFestival.com.

Gary Allan and Tracy Lawrence are teaming up for a co-headlining tour set to open on May 18th in Lincoln, NE. Tickets to the eight-date run will be on sale on Friday (February 17th) at 10 a.m. local venue time at garyallan.com.

Tracy said, "I'm really looking forward to doing these shows with Gary Allan. We've been talking every day and we're really excited to hit the road together. What he brings to the table is unmatched and is going to elevate an already great night of music."

Gary added, "Tracy Lawrence is one of the iconic artists of the 90s Country sound. It's going to be fun to hit the road with him and hear those great songs every night."

The tour will run through June 3rd in Southaven, MS.

Little Big Town, The Cadillac Three, and Caitlyn Smith have been added to the lineup at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Nashville's Historic Ryman Auditorium's inaugural "Rock The Ryman" event on Wednesday, March 1st. They join previously announced performers The War and Treaty, Gavin DeGraw, Maddie & Tae, and Charlie Worsham. Each artist will perform songs by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees that have moved them or influenced them in some way.

Kelsea Ballerini released a six-song EP called Rolling Up The Welcome Mat yesterday (Tuesday, February 14th), along with a short film that serves as an ongoing video to accompany each song. The music details her side of the recent split from her husband of nearly five years, fellow artist Morgan Evans.

The project's release coincided with Valentine's Day by design. Kelsea shared the news of the surprise project on social media on Monday (February 13th) writing, "here's my healing journey. here's my heart. here's my truth. i've never been this open, i've never been this bold, and i've never been this proud of my art. so with love and respect, i'm rolling up the welcome mat. six song story and short film out now. happy valentine's day."

These days,Kelsea has been romantically linked to actor Chase Stokes.

The Chicks have announced a World Tour launching on June 20th in Oslo, Norway, and they have enlisted Maren Morris to join them on their overseas and Canadian dates. The band Wild Rivers and singer/songwriter Ben Harper will open the remaining shows.

The trio posted the news on social media yesterday (Tuesday, February 14th) writing, "Thank you to all our fans for making last Summer so fun! It's time to get the party going again! We can't wait to see everyone!"

Maren also shared the news via social media writing, "Europe/UK/Canada, I'll be opening for my heroes @thechicks (!!!) later this year . . ."

Visit thechicks.com for more information about ticket on-sale dates.

After more than a decade as part of a successful duo, Tyler Hubbard said that making his first solo album was an adjustment. He was used to having his Florida Georgia Line partner Brian Kelley with him every step of the process, but as Tyler tells us EXCLUSIVELY, it felt like the right time to go it alone. "You know, the whole process of making an album had one less dynamic. You know, it was me collaborating with my producer, Jordan (Schmidt) and the musicians, you know, but not having that partner was definitely different. It took a little getting used to but it feels appropriate and almost necessary at this point. We worked together for so long and had so much success and had so much fun and really told our story that now it feels an appropriate time to tell our individual stories."

Tyler released his self-titled debut album last month.

Brian released his debut solo project, Sunshine State of Mind, in 2021.

Tyler's debut single, "5 Foot 9," topped the country charts, while his second single, "Dancin' In The Country," sits inside the Top 25 and climbing.

Brantley Gilbert is watching his fans as much as much they're watching him when he's on the stage. During a weekend show, he noticed a male concert-goer's bad behavior. Brantley didn't have the full story, but he stopped the show, jumping down into the crowd to tell the guy to "chill the f**k out. Settle down," as captured by a fan's video and posted to Tiktok. Fans around began screaming to Brantley that the guy had just punched a girl in the face.

The fan, whose account is kathryncrawford, captioned the video, "This is why we love Brantley Gilbert. The man behind me punched a girl, and @brantleygilbert came right down!"

Brantley's latest single, "Heaven By Then," features Blake Shelton and Vince Gill.

He will hit the road with Nickelback on the Get Rollin' Tour in June.

Scotty McCreery recently launched his Damn Strait Tour and already has five sold out shows under his belt with full capacity audiences in Joliet, IL; Charlotte, NC; Greenville, SC; The Villages, FL; and Sarasota, FL. He has also sold out four additional shows in advance on March 18 in Shipshewana, IN; Mar. 19 in Nashville, IN; April 28 in Lancaster, PA; and April 30 in Hagerstown, MD.

Scotty said, "We've just started the Damn Strait Tour, but we're already having a great time on the road. The audiences have been packed, singing along with every song. It's been a blast."

The tour is named after Scotty's fifth consecutive Number One hit "Damn Strait," which spent three weeks at the top of both the Mediabase and Billboard charts.

His current single, "It Matters to Her," which he co-wrote, is a current Top 20 on the Mediabase chart.

The newest installment of the CMT Crossroads franchise featuring Jimmie Allen and FOR KING + COUNTRY will premiere on Tuesday, February 28th at 10 p.m. ET. The one-hour show was filmed recently in front of a studio audience outside of Nashville.

Jason Aldean has announced his new tour, the Highway Desperado Tour, set to kick off on July 14th in Bethel, NY. The 41-city trek runs through October 28th where it wraps up in Tampa, FL. Jason will be joined by special guest Mitchell Tenpenny, along with Corey Kent and Dee Jay Silver. Tickets go on sale on Friday (February 17th) at 10 a.m. local venue time.

Jason announced the news on social media yesterday with a video showcasing the dates (Monday, February 13th) writing, "Highway Desperado Tour, let's ride!"

He currently sits inside the Top 10 at Country radio with his latest hit, "That's What Tequila Does."

Kane Brown and his wife, Katelyn, are celebrating their shared Number One hit at Country radio this week. Their duet, "Thank God," claims the top spot on both the Billboard Country Airplay chart and the Mediabase Country chart, giving Kane his ninth Number One hit.

Yesterday (Monday, February 13th) Katelyn posted a picture of herself with Kane and their index fingers raised indicating the Number One hit with the simple caption, "THANK GOD #1"

On Sunday (February 12th), Kane shared the news writing, "My baby got her first number 1 thanks country radio and fans for blowing this one up"

"Thank God" is included on Kane's 2022 album, Different Man.

Garth Brooks will be speaking on a panel during next week's 34th annual Pollstar Live! event in Beverly Hills, CA about ticket prices, ticket scalpers, the ticket resale market and how fans are paying the ultimate price in more ways than one, TMZ reports. Others on the panel include Madison Square Garden Entertainment's James Dolan, former Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ, Makan Delrahim, and panel moderator and entertainment powerhouse Irving Azoff.

The Pollstar Live! conference discussion panel will be held on February 22nd. The multi-day conference runs from February 21st through February 23rd.

Carrie Underwood and her family have a new addition! They adopted a puppy from North Carolina's Pawsitive Impact NC Dog Rescue named "Charlotte 'Charlie' Nilla Fisher," which Carrie met while on tour recently in Charlotte, NC. She introduced the pup on social media on Sunday (February 12th) with a series of pictures writing in part, "We had been looking for the right pup for our family for a while, and she seemed just too good to be true!"

Charlie joins the Fisher family's other two dogs, Penny and Zero.

Dan + Shay's latest hit, "You," is a song that immediately impacted fans. In fact, Dan Smyers tells us it has become an important part of one of the most important days in some of their lives. "Our fans have really connected with this one since the day we put the album out. It's been kind of the standout fan favorite and you know one thing we really noticed was people getting married to this song using as their first dance at weddings and we were seeing it on social media every weekend. And that's such a huge thing you know of all the songs that someone could choose for their first dance they choose ours which the coolest feeling in the world, so flattering, and something will never take for granted."

"You" is featured on Dan + Shay's 2021 album, Good Things.

Chris Stapleton's rendition of the National Anthem at last night's (Sunday, February 12th) Super Bowl had his fellow country artists tweeting their reactions of praise, including Darius Rucker, Carly Pearce, Jordan Davis, Parker McCollum, and Michael Ray. His performance also brought Eagles player Jason Kelce and Coach Nick Sirianni to tears. 

Darius tweeted, "Awesome job @ChrisStapleton u killed it!!!!!!," while Carly wrote, "The most soulful National Anthem ever. @ChrisStapleton you’re one in a million!!!!" Jordan tweeted, "Stapleton just crushed that Anthem #USA." Parker tweeted, "Chris Stapleton is the greatest singer of all time and you can’t change my mind," while Michael added, "@ChrisStapleton One of the smoothest best versions of our Nations anthem!!"

The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 38-35.

Shania Twain has opened up about her 2018 throat surgery which gave her back her career but not without a lasting reminder. She recently told The Graham Norton Show, "The operation was very invasive, and I've got a big scar that I am proud of. I'm very happy to have a scar rather than no voice."

She added, "The surgery was a miracle, and I am so grateful. Going back into a studio after the operation was a discovery and I was re-learning voice."

Shania added, "I can get very loud and now I can swear really loudly!"

The superstar was diagnosed with Lyme Disease which damaged the nerves of her vocal cords. TMZ reports that over the years, Shania had multiple throat surgeries but the one in 2018 was the most worrisome.

Shania recently released her new album, Queen Of Me, which she will support with a tour of the same name kicking off this spring.

Darius Rucker has recorded and released his version of Rihanna’s Oscar-nominated Black Panther: Wakanda Forever theme song, “Lift Me Up." 

Darius said, “I’ve been a huge fan of comics since I was a kid, and I love all of the Marvel movies, so I couldn’t wait to see Wakanda Forever when it came out a few months ago. I was so moved by this song playing at the end of the movie and I felt inspired to try my hand at singing it. I hope y’all love this version we created as much as I do.”

The release comes as Darius puts the finishing touches on his upcoming album, Carolyn’s Boy.

His Riverfront Revival Music Festival will return to Charleston this fall for its second year, with lineups for the October 7-8 event to be announced soon. Early access tickets are available now via RiverfrontRevival.com.

Keith Urban has released the official music video for his latest single “Brown Eyes Baby.” The clip was filmed in Joelton, TN, located just outside Nashville. The song, which entered the Top 15 this week, was released late last year. 

Next month, Keith launches a new Las Vegas residency at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. The 16-date run begins on Friday, March 3rd and will currently wrap up on July 1st. Keith will also be playing scattered fairs and festivals this summer.

Sam Hunt has released a new song called “Walmart." He co-wrote the song, which follows his current Top 20 hit, “Water Under the Bridge.” 

Sam shared news of the release of Walmart on social media on Friday (February 10th) writing, "I know I don’t put out as much music as often as a lot of the artists y’all listen to but I really appreciate you guys tuning in when I do. Walmart is out now. Thanks for listening!"

Fans will have to wait until May 13th to hear Sam perform live at iHeartCountry in Austin, TX. He shares the bill with Luke Bryan, Justin Moore, Elle King, Kane Brown, Mitchell Tenpenny, Parker McCollum, and Jordan Davis.

Priscilla Block has released the Deluxe edition of her debut album, Welcome To The Block Party Deluxe, featuring four new songs. She recently released one of the new Deluxe album tracks, “Me Pt. 2,” along with its lyric video. The song follows up “Off The Deep End,” which is also featured on the Deluxe version of the album.

Priscilla said, “This past year was really big for me, especially releasing my debut album. When we were selecting songs for Welcome To The Block Party we had so many songs to choose from, which is why I’m super excited for the deluxe album. Four more songs that complete the Block Party era.” 
 
Priscilla will be among the acts opening for Shania Twain on select dates during her Queen of Me Tour.

She is featured on Justin Moore's current single, “You, Me, And Whiskey," which is making its way up the country charts.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Vince Gill’s hit album, Next Big Thing, his 11th album for MCA Nashville, the music video from one of the album’s singles, “Someday,” was remastered in HD, and the video made its broadcast premiere on CMT, CMT Music and ViacomCBS Times Square Billboards. Vince said, “Next Big Thing was a collection of songs that I’m really proud of as a songwriter. It was also the first record of my own I ever produced, and I was pleased to discover the process was still the same—great musicians, great engineers—all with a common goal, to serve a song."

Bailey Zimmerman has released a new track called “Fix’n To Break." It follows the recently released “Get To Gettin’ Gone," both of which were co-written by Bailey. The new music arrives as his current single “Rock And A Hard Place” climbs into the Top 10 at country radio after just nine weeks. 

Chris Stapleton will be performing the National Anthem before this Sunday's (February 12th) Super Bowl game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. During a press conference this week, Chris was reminded he once said that the Super Bowl was the only place at which he would sing the Anthem. He told Apple Music: "I think I said it because I thought I wouldn't get asked. The national anthem is not an easy song for singers and it's one that you can, you know, it can go horribly wrong as we've seen many times in the past. Hopefully, it won't happen for me, knock on wood, but yeah, if you're going to do it, this is the place to do it."

Chris will perform the anthem just prior to kickoff, which is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on Fox. The Super Bowl will air live from State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ.

Kane Brown will suit up to play in the 2023 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game set to take place in Salt Lake City, Utah, on February 17th, Billboard reports. Other celebs lined up to hit the court include 21 Savage, Janelle Monae, Cordae, Ozuna, and Nicky Jam. Team captains will include Utah Jazz Governor Ryan Smith and Three-Time NBA Champion Dwyane Wade. Kane will be playing on Dwyane's team.

This year's coaches are two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and his brothers Thanasis and Alex Antetokounmpo and Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn pitted against Houston Astros' Alex Bregman.

This year's performers have yet to be announced.

The Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game will air on ESPN beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

Nate Smith's hit song, "Whiskey On You," tops the country radio charts for the second week in a row, achieving the first multi-week Number One on a debut single since 2019 on the Billboard Country Airplay, and since 2018 on the Mediabase/Country Aircheck chart, according to a release. Yesterday (Thursday, February 9th), Nate was surprised by his label, booking and management teams with an RIAA Platinum-certification plaque for the song.

In anticipation of his upcoming self-titled album, due out on April 28th, Nate will release two new songs next Friday (February 17th) -- "Better Boy" and "Oil Spot."

He will perform "Whiskey On You" on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on February 15th.