Pulse – Country Music News

Kelsea Ballerini and Morgan Evans are getting divorced after almost five years of marriage. Kelsea broke the news via an Instagram story letter to fans yesterday (Monday, August 29th), writing in part, "This deeply difficult decision is the result of a journey of love, growth, and effort that ultimately has come to an end. It's hard to find the words here...but I feel extremely grateful for the years of marriage to Morgan and hopeful for the next seasons. With very active schedules coming up, please be mindful that we are both fragile, actively healing, and showing up the best we can."

Yesterday afternoon, Morgan issued a statement via Instagram story writing, "I am very sad to confirm that after 5 years of marriage, Kelsea and I are parting ways. I wish it were otherwise but sadly it is not."

People.com reports that Kelsea offically filed for divorce on Friday (August 26th).

A source told the publication, "They've been working on their marriage for a very long time. Prior to this they had separated privately once before and have been in therapy for several years. They gave it their best go but unfortunately arrived at the decision to formally separate."

Kelsea is getting ready to release her new album, interestingly titled Subject To Change, on September 23rd.

Jimmy Fallon, Willie Nelson, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jimmie Allen, Zach Williams and Miley Cyrus have all been cast as guest stars in NBC's upcoming holiday special, Dolly Parton's Mountain Magic Christmas. Dolly will play the lead alongside previously announced co-stars Tom Everett Scott, Ana Gasteyer and Angel Parker.

Kane Brown released a vertical music video for "Grand" yesterday (Monday, August 29th) on TikTok. On Sunday (August 28th), he made history as the first male country artist to perform on the MTV VMA's where he debuted "Grand," a song he has defined as a pop single. Kane will release his third studio album, Different Man, on September 9th. The 17-track album features "Grand" as well as his latest country chart-topper, "Like I Love Country Music."

Gabby Barrett celebrated one of her hometown heroes during this weekend's Rock N' Roll Cowboy Tour stop with headliner Jason Aldean in Burgettstown, PA. Gabby is from nearby Munhall, PA, so she invited her former high school teacher, Casey Stapleton, as a special guest and gifted him with a platinum plaque for her debut album, Goldmine.

Gabby said, "In my community, Mr. Stapleton was one of the only people – and teacher in my high school – who encouraged me to pursue music when I needed it most. I was balancing school while performing in malls, grocery stores, Chick-fil-A, really anywhere I could, and he continued to uplift and inspire me to keep going. I don't know if he had any idea how much of a positive impact he has made on my life and career. So, to be able to honor him near my hometown and have him see how I have grown as an artist while I'm now living my dreams is a moment I'll never forget."

This past weekend marked Gabby's last on the Rock N' Roll Cowboy Tour as she is getting ready to welcome her second child very soon.

Her latest single, "Pick Me Up," sits at Number 21 on the Mediabase chart this week.

Justin Moore appreciates his talent as a singer and songwriter, but he admits he's a little jealous of those people who are naturally great craftsmen. He tells us that is one skill he wishes he had. "I wish I was a better craftsman at building stuff. It would take me very little to get better because I'm awful. There's a lot of math involved and I'm not a fan of math. But I have friends for example that can just think of something that they want in their yard or in their house and can just do it. It makes my mind wanna explode to even think about it. I wouldn't even know where to begin. You know, I'd go to Lowe's or Home Depot or something and I wouldn't even know what to ask for or what sizes. You know, I'm terrible."

Justin will stick to doing what he does best as he continues on the road this week with a show tomorrow (Wednesday, August 31st at the Fort Drum Mountain Fest in Fort Drum, NY.

He continues his Country On It Tour on September 15th in Billings, MT with special guest Granger Smith.

Craig Morgan has revealed more details about his upcoming album, God, Family, Country (Deluxe Edition), due out on November 11th. The project features 14 tracks including Craig's latest single, "How You Make A Man," which is one of four previously unreleased songs.

In support of the album, Craig will launch his headlining Operation Finally Home Welcomes God, Family, Country Tour 2022 this fall, playing 11 theater and auditorium dates in October and November. The trek opens on October 19th in Green Bay, WI, where he'll be joined by Ray Fulcher. Tickets are on sale now at CraigMorgan.com.

Craig will release his personal memoir, called God, Family, Country, on September 27th.

Jason Aldean's wife, Brittany, drew the ire of Maren Morris and Cassadee Pope over the weekend in response to a post she made last week on Instagram. Brittany shared a video of her going from fresh-faced to glam with the caption, "I'd really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girly life" Cassadee tweeted, "You'd think celebs with beauty brands would see the positives in including LGBTQ+ people in their messaging. But instead here we are, hearing someone compare their 'tomboy phase' to someone wanting to transition. Real nice." Maren commented on Cassadee's tweet, "It's so easy to, like, not be a scumbag human? Sell your clip-ins and zip it, Insurrection Barbie."

The feud continued as Brittany shared Maren's comment on her Instagram story and referred to her as "Karen Morris." Maren continued to talk about Brittany writing, "You know, I'm glad she didn't become a boy either because we really don't need another a**hole dude in the world. Sucks when Karens try to hide their homophobia/transphobia behind their ‘protectiveness of the children.' Weren't they putting their kids in ‘Biden-is-a-pedo' shirts on social media? Sounds like a real safe way to protect them from millions of eyes! Fu** all the way off to Insurrection Barbie and the fellow IB's trolling this comment section with their hypocritical, hateful a**es."

Those who posted comments in support of Brittany included the wives of Jon Pardi, Shay Mooney, Granger Smith and Chuck Wicks.

Thomas Rhett was forced to cancel his concert on Saturday (August 27th) in Chula Vista, CA due to "vocal irritation and swelling." Thomas broke the news to fans on social media writing in part, "It breaks my heart to say this but unfortunately I am not able to sing tonight . . . I am so sorry this announcement is so close to show time. For those of you who have already traveled to the show I sincerely apologize. We've been working all day to try and make the show happen, but it's just not going to be possible and have been advised not to perform this evening . . ."

According to the post, fans' tickets will be refunded at point of purchase.

At present time, Thomas is scheduled to resume his tour on September 8th in Tuscaloosa, AL.

Alan Jackson tested positive for Covid over the weekend and had to cancel his show on Saturday (August 27th) in Kansas City. Billboard reports that organizers plan to reschedule the concert for a later date, and the original tickets will be honored at the rescheduled date.

The concert's venue, T-Mobile Center, published a statement from Alan on Saturday that read, "I'm so sorry I can't be there tonight. I hate to disappoint my fans."

At this time, Alan's One More for the Road Tour will resume on September 9th in Lexington, KY.

Ingrid Andress' introduction on Facebook book reads "sad piano songs + tequila = your new BFF (me)," however with the release of her new sophomore album, Good Person, she tells us she might have to consider changing that. "That sums it up right there pretty much - sad songs and tequila, although I will say there are some happy songs on this next album which is definitely new for me so I probably have to come up with a new . . . well, I mean half the album said so I guess that's still true."

Ingrid sits inside the Top 10 and climbing with "Wishful Drinking" featuring Sam Hunt.

She continues on The Speed of Now Tour with Keith Urban on Thursday (September 1st) in Stateline, NV.

Walker Hayes has released a new song called "That Dog'll Hunt." He co-wrote the song, which is available everywhere now.

Walker has been playing the song on the road this summer, and it has quickly become a fan favorite. He said, "My fans are truly amazing, and they tell me the truth. When they like a song I hear about it, and when they don't, I know I will hear about that too! I wouldn't be the artist I am today without their input. And I wouldn't want it any other way."

Walker's current single, "Y'all Life," continues to climb the country charts.

What was supposed to be a one-night-only concert from Garth Brooks at the newly expanded Thunder Ridge Nature Arena at Bass Pro Shops Big Cedar Lodge in the Ozarks of Missouri has become three due to overwhelming demand. The concerts will be held on September 30th, October 1st and October 2nd.

Dolly Parton's 2020 Christmas album, A Holly Dolly Christmas, has been expanded with eight tracks, including rarities making their CD, vinyl, and digital debuts. A Holly Dolly Christmas: Ultimate Deluxe Edition will be available on October 14 on CD ($18.98) and 2-LP white vinyl ($34.98), as well as digital and streaming services.

Kip Moore has released a new song called "If I Was Your Lover." The video was shot in Charleston, SC and stars Kip and newcomer Morgan Wade.

Kenny Chesney and Old Dominion have paired up for a recording of "Beer For My Friends," a pop-up single released early this morning (Friday, August 26th) to digital outlets and radio. The song will have its live debut tonight at the first of two shows this weekend at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA. This weekend marks the end of Kenny's Here And Now Tour with Old Dominion, Dan + Shay and Carly Pearce.

Kenny said, "I've never seen anything like this summer. Before it's over, I wanted to give everyone something to remember it by, a song that we can all sing wherever we are – and know there's nothing like these moments we've shared. All you gotta do is put it on, turn it up and we'll all be right back there; bringing OD in reinforces it all. So, here's to kicking it all off at Gillette Stadium this weekend."

The Here And Now Tour kicked off on April 23rd in Tampa, FL.

Kelsea Ballerini caused people at Wednesday (August 24th) night's ACM Honors event in Nashville to do a double take when she walked the red carpet wearing a familiar looking long white gown covered in iridescent sequins. Turns out it was the very same Marc Bouwer-designed dress Shania Twain wore to the Grammy Awards in 1999 and was borrowed from the Grammy Museum.

Shania told Entertainment Tonight, "I am so blown away. She looks stunning. She looks like an absolute angel. It's very flattering to see her in the dress, and that she even wanted to wear it. I said, ‘I hope it's not too dusty after being in the (Grammy Museum).'"

Shania was honored with the ACM Poet's Award during the event.

Kelsea told Page Six, "It's Shania's night! When I was asked to be a part of it, to honor her, we were just thinking about every possible way that we can highlight every stage of her career. One of the things that I think she's an icon because of is her fashion, and the way she's always pushing boundaries. I wanted to honor that part of her too."

She added, about the dress, "It's only allowed to leave the museum for 48 hours, so I tried it on yesterday. I had (a) back-up just in case."

ACM Honors will air on FOX on Tuesday, September 13th at 8 p.m. ET.

Blake Shelton's new single, "No Body," can be a little misleading when you hear the title alone. In fact, that's one of the things Blake loves about the song. He tells us what it's actually about: "I love the song ‘No Body' because the hook has such a twist to it. People hear the song, they think, ‘What does "No body but yours" mean?' No body but yours. No. Body. Like, your body. No body…but yours. That's what it's about."

Blake recently released the song's video which was filmed in a country bar in the Los Angeles area and is a throwback to the 90s era when country establishments were filled with line dancing patrons. The video is authentic to the time and finds Blake sporting a cowboy hat on top of his infamous mullet.

He will perform "No Body" and a few others live at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on Saturday, September 10th as he celebrates his 12th year as an Opry member.

For the first time, Priscilla Block is offering her fans a more intimate experience during her Welcome to the Block Party Tour with VIP upgrades available for purchase on her website. The upgrades include a meet & greet and photo with Priscilla as well as a two-song pre-show acoustic performance, among other options.

She said, "I always love meeting as many people as I can, and for this VIP Experience I'll be able to share even more stories, some new music that won't be in the full set, and a few other special surprises we're working up. It could be a more intimate hang, or it could be a pre-game for The Block Party … that's up to y'all, but I'm excited to see you there."

Priscilla's Welcome to the Block Party Tour continues stateside in October. She wraps up the overseas leg of her tour, which included sold-out shows in Glasgow and London, on Monday (August 29th) in Dublin.

Her new single is called "Off The Deep End."

Lauren Alaina and fashion retailer Maurices have announced an exclusive t-shirt collection with its first-ever celebrity brand ambassador. Lauren co-designed the collection, which will include shirts donning puns and lyrics she made famous. The t-shirts are available now for purchase across its stores and online at maurices.com.

Lauren said, "I am a good pair of jeans and t-shirt type of southern girl at heart. I love casual comfort with a fashionable twist, which is why I'm so excited to launch my first-ever exclusive t-shirt collection with Maurices for the upcoming fall and holiday seasons! This collaboration with Maurices has allowed me to express myself in a whole new way for my fans. The designs are a true reflection of my personality and love of sassy puns . . ."

Lauren was announced as the Maurices Brand Ambassador earlier this year.

Luke Combs has struggled with anxiety and "crippling" obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) over the years, he revealed during an interview with Apple Music Country's Kelleigh Bannen. But, he added, the June birth of his son, Tex, has helped him for the better. Luke said, "There's stuff that used to matter as far as the things that you worry about, you just don't really worry about that stuff anymore. I mean, and almost instantly. Really… Like, you're just kind of like, ‘Don't care about that. Don't care' And I was fine before, but I did tend to have pretty tremendous anxiety at times in my life."

Luke explained that his anxiety is not about music or touring. He said, "(It) could be anything. It's really stuff that's out of my control, whether it's my health. It's just really insane. Stuff you could never get an answer to. So you have to learn to live with the uncertainty of never knowing becomes the only way to get over it."

Luke certainly doesn't have to worry about whether his songs will be hits. His latest, "The Kind of Love We Make," sits inside the Top Five and climbing on the country charts this week.

Luke's Middle Of Somewhere Tour with special guest Jordan Davis will kick off on September 2nd in Bangor, ME. Opening acts include Morgan Wade and Lainey Wilson on select dates.

Chris Young has canceled his upcoming UK shows due to Covid. He turned to social media yesterday (Wednesday, August 24th) to inform fans writing, "This week started off incredibly with my 13 #1 single for ‘At The End Of A Bar' and plans to tour in the UK but unfortunately COVID has hit my band and we are forced to cancel the shows in Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol, London, and the Long Road Festival. I am excited to play all the new music from ‘Famous Friends' for fans in the UK and we will update you soon on plans to reschedule the run of shows."

The string of shows were scheduled to run through this weekend.

At this point, Chris is set to perform his September 23rd concert at Fantasy Springs Resort and Casino in Indio, CA.

Chris and his "At The End Of A Bar" collaborator Mitchell Tenpenny claim this week's Number One spot on both the Billboard and Country Aircheck/Mediabase charts.

Carly Pearce heads into the final weekend on Kenny Chesney's Here And Now Tour, playing the last two stadium shows at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA on Friday (August 26th) and Saturday (August 27th). She has cherished her time with Kenny this summer, and she says that the rumors about him are true. "I've always heard how amazing he was, and just what a fun tour, but oh my goodness, it really is, and it's exceeded any expectation that I have, and just to be able to be out during this time in my career, it just feels right on time."

Next month, Carly heads overseas to play eight shows in Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and Ireland.

Craig Morgan is setting out on a six-city in-person national book tour next month, personally signing copies of his memoir, God, Family, Country. The book tour begins on September 26th at Bookends Bookstore in Ridgewood, NJ and wraps on up October 1st at the Barnes & Noble at the Grove in Los Angeles. In between, Craig will visit bookstores in Doylestown, PA; Dallas, TX; Brentwood, TN; and Fort Campbell, KY.

God, Family, Country will be released on September 27th.

An expanded God, Family, Country (Deluxe Edition) album, featuring four new sides, including "How You Make A Man," will be released on November 11th.

Singer, songwriter and actress Rita Wilson tapped Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, Jimmie Allen, Willie Nelson and Vince Gill, among others, to join her on her new album, Now & Forever: Duets. The album features '70s covers and is due out on September 27th. The project also includes collaborations with Smokey Robinson, Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, Josh Groban and Leslie Odom Jr.

With Labor Day around the corner, kids are either already back in the classroom or getting ready to start the school year. As a father of four, Jason Aldean is used to the drill that comes with early school mornings, but he's enjoying a pretty easy break in the action at the moment.

His oldest daughter, Keeley, is in college, but he has one teenager and two that are still too young for full-time school at home. Jason tells us that at this time, not much is required of him other than providing transportation. "Kendyl's 15 so she still can't drive, so this morning I got up, took her to school. Luckily she's at the age now where she comes in, makes her own lunch. She gets herself ready for school, so we haven't crossed that yet. Memphis starts kindergarten next year, and then Navy will start the year after, so when that happens there'll be two of them and I'm sure I'll be doing ponytails and you know . . . With Memphis it's easy. I just slap a hat on him and go. You notice he's always got a backward ball cap? Yeah, that's cause it's easy. I don't know. They'll make it to school on time. That's my role in it all."

Jason continues climbing the country charts with his latest single, "That's What Tequila Does." It follows up his recent chart-topper, "Trouble With A Heartbreak."

Luke Bryan is getting into the popcorn business! He has teamed up with AGCO Corporation, which designs, manufactures and distributes agricultural machinery and technology, for the August 25th release of Fendt & Luke Bryan's Boldly Grown Popcorn. The limited-edition snack is available in Bold Butter and Chart Toppin' Churro flavors. Boldly Grown Popcorn will be available for sale exclusively on BoldlyGrownGoods.com for $5.00 per bag (plus shipping) while supplies last. Fans can begin purchasing the popcorn beginning at noon ET on Thursday (August 25th).

Luke said, "I've sung about farming my entire career, so having the chance to work with Fendt to grow my favorite snack for my fans is pretty special. The strength, agility, precision, reliability, function, and comfort of my Fendt 724 Vario gives me the same confidence in the cab that I feel when I'm performing on the biggest stages. Hands down, it's the perfect tractor for the job."

Once the limited supply of Boldly Grown Popcorn sells out, Fendt will donate $25,000 to the National FFA Organization, the youth organization that prepares members for leadership and careers in the science, business, and technology of agriculture.

Fendt is an official sponsor of Luke's Farm Tour, an annual outdoor concert series staged on actual farms throughout the country. This year's six-date Farm Tour is set to kick off on September 15th in Monroeville, IN.

Collaborations with Dolly Parton, Lady A, Jimmie Allen, Brett Young, Russell Dickerson, Little Big Town and Mitchell Tenpenny are featured on the new album by Cheat Codes. The project called One Night in Nashville- Presented by the Cheat Codes, is the EDM DJ trio's first foray into Country music. The project is due out early next year, and their first single, "I Remember," with Russell Dickerson will be released on Friday (August 26th).

Cheat Codes orignally turned to Little Big Town to add their vocals on a song while making their last album, Hellraiser PT 3. They loved the results, saying, "We had set out to make a dance song and the vocals were so right it just made sense. We didn't know if anyone would want to do this with electronic artists but we found that they were just as keen to work with us as we were to work with them and that comfort set the tone for the type of album we wanted to make and who we wanted to work with moving forward."

Shortly thereafter the members of Cheat Codes made their first trip Nashville. They said, "Going to the coolest city ever after us making one song turned into us wanting to make an entire album. We knew it was a different world musically from the one we lived in but we knew we wanted to be a part of it."