Pulse – Country Music News

Shania Twain made a surprise appearance during Harry Styles' set at Coachella in Indio, CA on Friday (April 15th) night. She and Harry collaborated on Shania's hits "Man! I Feel Like a Woman" and "You're Still the One."

Shania shared a few pictures and video footage from the night on social media writing, "Music icon. Fashion icon. And true friend. I am honored and thrilled to have joined @harrystyles onstage for his @coachella debut. What a magical moment!! And I mean c'mon... WHAT A SHOW I'm a huge fan! Grateful we got to create this memory together - Thank you Harry."

Shania returns to Las Vegas for her Let's Go! residency at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood beginning on June 10th.

Maren Morris is considering expanding her body of work to include a few projects inspired by her toddler son, Hayes. She tells us: "I've sort of floated the idea of writing a children's book or doing a children's album just because there's so much really awful children's music that I've had to hear as a mother that I would love to (laughs) make some for myself just to be able to listen to, but also, I've read to y son since he was born and it's just our favorite thing to do, so, yeah, I would love to maybe write a children's book someday."

In the meantime, Maren is inside the Top 20 and climbing on the country charts with "Circles Around This Town." It's the first release from her new album, Humble Quest.

Parker McCollum has released his Amazon Original cover of John Mayer's hit track, "Perfectly Lonely." Parker said, "Everyone knows Mayer is top two all-time for me, so when I got the opportunity to cover one of his songs, I had to do it. I just hope that if he ever hears it, he won't hate it."

Fans can hear Parker's cover of "Perfectly Lonely" on Amazon's Texas Forever playlist.

Parker's latest single, "To Be Loved By You," topped the country charts.

He released his debut album, Gold Chain Cowboy, last year.

Trace Adkins was surprised during his recent sold-out show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville when Terri Clark interrupted the show to present Trace with a triple platinum plaque for his 2005 hit "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk." The livestreamed show served as the kickoff to Trace's headlining The Way I Wanna Go Tour and marks his first Ryman visit since 2012.

Niko Moon has released a song called "Easy Tonight," his first taste of new music since the release of his 2021 debut album, Good Time. Niko said, "Seeing people having a 'Good Time' together and catching the vibe is part of the inspiration behind ‘Easy Tonight.' It's like a love song to your favorite bar. I just imagine it bringing people together and everyone taking it easy!" He will host a special streaming performance tonight (Monday, April 18th) at 7 p.m. CT on his Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Ingrid Andress has released "Good Person," the first single and video from her forthcoming sophomore album. She co-wrote and co-produced the track.

Kane Brown's new album is finished and should be released "sometime this year," he recently told Billboard. The project includes a duet with his wife, Katelyn, and is expected to feature his chart-topping hit, "One Mississippi," along with his latest single, "Leave You Alone."

Kane said, "I took time with this album and I love every song on the album. My wife says it's her favorite album I've ever done."

The new album will be the followup to Kane's 2020 release, Mixtape Vol. 1.

Lady A will head out on a new tour this fall called the Request Line Tour. The trek opens with back-to-back nights at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium on August 13th with longtime friend and collaborator Dave Barnes as direct support. Each night fans will get to interact with the band in real time to directly request songs, making no two shows the same. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 22nd at 10 a.m. local time at ladyamusic.com.

Dave Haywood said, "We've been touring for over fifteen years and have played some of the biggest venues in the world but there's something truly special about being close to your audience and having the flexibility to include the fans in how the show goes. During our Vegas residency our favorite moments allowed the three of us to talk with the fans and play what they wanted to hear. So we're taking that spirit and making it a regular part of our shows this year."

During the Request Line Tour fans can call 615-882-1975 and ask to hear their favorite Lady A songs to be added to the show's set list.

The trio continue to climb the country charts with "What A Song Can Do," the title track of their latest album.

Maren Morris popped up as a surprise guest at John Mayer's concert in Nashville on Wednesday (April 13th) night. People.com reports that she sang background vocals on "Last Train Home," as she does on the album cut, and later returned to join John on "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room."

After the performance, the two hugged, with Maren joking, "My high school self just died" as John joked, "I'm 65 years old."

Both Maren and John took to social media after the show to share their experience from the evening, with Maren writing, "Hello, Maren can't be reached right now because she went back to 2006 and told her younger self this would happen in year 2022 and her brain exploded ... Thank you @johnmayer for bringing your new light to Nashville and blessing our ears. WHAT a band."

John wrote, "For as long as I live, whenever someone mentions the Nashville show in 2022, I'll remember the transcendent moments on stage with @marenmorris on both 'Last Train Home' and 'Slow Dancing in a Burning Room,' where for the first time, the true meaning of the song came to life as the duet it was always meant to be. Maren is one of my favorite artists, writers and singers of all time, and it's a great honor to share the musical space with her. What a night. The afterglow is strong."

This isn't the first time the two have collaborated on stage -- John joined Maren at the Grammys last year where he accompanied her on guitar as she performed her hit "The Bones."

Michael Ray, Craig Campbell, Lee Greenwood, Mark Wills, Ty Herndon, Wade Hayes, Rhett Akins, and Ricochet are set to join together at "A Music Memorial For Jeff Carson" to honor the late country singer. The event will take place at The Nashville Palace on Tuesday, May 10th at 7 p.m. to share, celebrate and honor their times with Carson through the years. Tickets go on sale today (Friday, April 15th) at 10 a.m. CT at outhousetickets.com.

An online auction has also been set up at carson.givesmart.com and donations can be made in Carson's honor at the link or text Carson to 76278. The link will be available beginning today at 10 a.m.

Carson's widow, Kim Carson, said, "I am so happy that many of Jeff's friends and peers are coming out to honor his memory and, at the same time, raise money for this charitable cause. Jeff would be so thrilled with what we are doing. He loved his country music family and he loved his law enforcement family, so this will be a really special night."

The charity event will benefit the Law Enforcement Assistance Partnership (LEAP), a nonprofit organization that provides assistance to sworn officers of the FPD during unexpected life events. After retiring from country music, Carson pursued his other lifelong dream and joined the Franklin Police Department where he remained a dedicated officer until his passing.

Loretta Lynn celebrated her 90th birthday yesterday (Thursday, April 14th) and among those included in the celebration were many of her famous friends who recorded video messages for the legend, including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, Maren Morris, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, Brandi Carlile, Carole King, Martina McBride, Tanya Tucker, and Ashley McBryde. The video is being hosted on Loretta's website, where fans can also sign a birthday card for her on Loretta's Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Ryan Griffin will release a six-song EP, called Slow Down Sunrise, on May 6th. It will include an acoustic version of "Salt, Lime & Tequila" in addition to the original radio version.

Luke Combs has a new album coming in June. He posted the news on social media yesterday (Wednesday, April 13th) which simply reads, "New Album June 24." No other details have been shared.

Luke's latest album, What You See Is What You Get, was released in 2019. The multiplatinum project produced five consecutive Number One hits.

Luke's next live show will be on May 1st at Stagecoach in Indio, CA.

The lineup for Dierks Bentley's Seven Peaks Festival has been announced and it includes fellow headliner Morgan Wallen with additional main stage performances by Boy Named Banjo, Ashley Cooke, Jordan Davis, Jackson Dean, Travis Denning, HARDY, Kendell Marvel, Ashley McBryde, Old Crow Medicine Show, Caitlyn Smith, Rapidgrass, Alana Springsteen and Lainey Wilson. Friday night of the festival will kick off with a special lineup of 90's acts including Hot Country Knights, Tracy Lawrence, The Frontmen and Pam Tillis.

Dierks tells us he's thrilled to have Morgan join him as a headliner. "Morgan is one of the biggest stars in country music right now. He's drawing the most folks ever out there and it's just a super important festival to me. It's one of my favorite things of anything I've done. It's something I hope carries on long after I'm gone, and it only works if you have a guy or girl coming in the night opposite of me on Friday night that can carry the weight and Morgan more than carries the weight. I mean, people are super excited that he's headlining the show. I'm super appreciative that we was able to do it."

The Seven Peaks Music Festival takes place this Labor Day Weekend (Sept. 2 - Sept. 4) in Villa Grove, CO in the San Luis Valley. Tickets go on sale on Friday, April 22nd at 10 a.m. MT at SevenPeaksFestival.com.

Garth Brooks will perform in Salt Lake City on Saturday, June 18th at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Tickets will be on sale on Friday, April 22nd at 10 a.m. MT at ticketmaster.com/garthbrooks or on the Garth Brooks line at Ticketmaster, 1-877-654-2784 or through the Ticketmaster App on your mobile phone.

Craig Campbell and his wife Mindy will officially open their new coffee shop, Grindstone Coffee, in their hometown of Eagleville, Tennessee on Saturday, April 30th. Grindstone Cowboy will include a restaurant, bar and music venue and feature craft coffee drinks, coffee cocktails, beer on tap, and lunchtime soups and sandwiches.

Randy Houser and his wife, Tatiana, will be welcoming their second child together this fall. Randy performed at the Tortuga Music Festival in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida over the weekend where he told local radio station Kiss Country 99.9 the couple will welcome their new addition in October. Randy and Tatiana are already parents to two-year-old son Huck. Randy also has a 10-year-old son, West, from a previous marriage.

Randy recently release his new single, "Note To Self," his first new music in almost three years.

Randy and Jamey Johnson continue on their co-headlining Country Cadillac Tour Part 2 tonight (Thursday, April 14th) in Salina, KS.

Later this month, Lindsay Ell will release a new single called "Right On Time." She shared the news on social media yesterday (Wednesday, April 13th) writing, "The past couple years have been full of a lot of time to write. I have been working on lots of new music that I'm so excited to share with you. This is the first song of the new chapter. This is my story. This is my heart. Cannot wait for you to hear it."

The song will be released on April 27th.

Lindsay's latest single is called "Can't Do Without Me" (with Chayce Beckham).

She is set to participate in CMA Fest in downtown Nashville in June.

Jason Aldean, Luke Combs, Kelsea Ballerini, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley, Thomas Rhett, Darius Rucker, Russell Dickerson, Lady A, Gabby Barrett, Parker McCollum, Carly Pearce, Cole Swindell, Lainey Wilson, Zac Brown Band and Alan Jackson are among the initial lineup on the main stage at Nissan Stadium at this year's CMA Fest taking place June 9-12. This marks the event's returning to downtown Nashville following a two-year postponement due to the pandemic.

Fans can access a limited number of four-day passes, plus newly announced single night tickets, for the Nissan Stadium nightly concerts at CMAfest.com or through the CMA Box Office at 1-800-CMA-FEST. A portion of ticket proceeds are earmarked for music education programs throughout the U.S. via the CMA Foundation.

To check out the full lineup of performers at the Chevy Riverfront Stage, the Dr Pepper Amp Stage at Ascend Park, the Chevy Vibes Stage at Walk of Fame Park, and the Maui Jim Reverb Stage at Bridgestone Arena Plaza, visit CMAFest.com.

Additional stage lineups, including nighttime concerts at Ascend Amphitheater and Fan Fair X activities inside Music City Center, will be announced in the coming weeks.

Cole Swindell and his girlfriend Courtney Little made their relationship red carpet official at Monday (April 11th) night's CMT Music Awards in Nashville. Cole has shared a few personal photos of the two on social media over the last several months, and says that their relationship has definitely had an impact on his new album, Stereotype.

Cole tells us: "I know how fortunate I am to have this career but you got friends and family but you want somebody to share that with and I think, this album, I think there's touches of that in there -- love songs that I can sing and know I'm not just singing them. I feel that now and so I do enjoy getting to talk about that now because in years past y'all would maybe say something about that (and) I'd kind of brush it off because I didn't have anything to talk about. I'm happy talking about it now cause I think I am happy and that's only gonna make my music for years to come hopefully even better."

Cole's current single, "Never Say Never," featuring Lainey Wilson, sits inside the Top Five on the Mediabase country chart.

Luke Combs and his wife, Nicole, have whittled name choices for their baby boy down to a "shortlist" but they aren't sharing any of them. The couple are expecting their first child this spring, and according to People.com, Luke recently told Audacy's Rob + Holly, "(The name) is tight-lipped, but we are in talks . . . There's a theme. I'm good."

Luke has big plans for raising his son, saying, "I would teach him to sing, teach him how to eat a cheeseburger, (and) I could afford a good coach. I have been pawning the takeover of the Nashville little league in the next five years – finding the best kids, building this unstoppable little league team."

So far, Luke and Nicole have not announced the baby's due date.

Luke sits at Number Six and climbing on the Mediabase chart with his latest hit, "Doin' This."

Shinedown's upcoming album, Planet Zero, has been pushed back to a July 1st release date. It was originally scheduled to be released later this month. The band made the announcement on social media yesterday (Tuesday, April 12th) via a video message explaining it was "due to delays in physical production of vinyl and CDs."

In addition to the video, the band posted, "We've made the difficult decision to move the album release date from April 22nd to July 1st due to delays in vinyl production. We want to ensure our fans have FULL access to Planet Zero via every possible medium on the day it comes out to give you all the BEST album release experience possible! We have so many incredible things to share with you in the meantime until the new album drops, so make sure to stay up to date on the latest Planet Zero news via our text line and newsletter."

Shinedown is currently touring with The Pretty Reckless & Diamante, performing on Thursday (April 14th) in Toledo, OH.

Jason Aldean says he's up for another collaboration with Carrie Underwood after winning two awards at Monday (April 11th) night's CMT Awards for their chart-topping duet, "If I Didn't Love You." He told Entertainment Tonight, "I'm open to that . . . I really enjoyed working with Carrie, and if something comes up and we have a chance to do it again, and the song's right, I'm definitely in."

"If I Didn't Love You" is included on the second part of Jason's Macon, Georgia double album, the latter of which will be released on April 22nd.

He's in the Top 15 and climbing on the country charts with his latest hit, "Trouble With A Heartbreak," which is included on the Macon half of his Macon, Georgia project.

The CMT Music Awards were held live from Nashville on Monday (April 11th) night, airing on CBS for the first time ever. The evening's big winners were Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean and Cody Johnson, who each took home two belt buckle trophies.

Keith Urban kicked off the night with his song "Wild Hearts," followed by Cole Swindell and Lainey Wilson performing a dramatic "Never Say Never" in the rain.

Kelsea Ballerini co-hosted the event virtually from home due to a COVID-19 diagnosis, while Anthony Mackie joked that they found a "backup KB" to co-host, as Kane Brown joined him onstage throughout the night.

Despite being nominated for four CMT awards, Kane didn't end up taking home any buckles this year.

Carrie Underwood had already won the most CMT awards ever before last night — and she took home two more with Jason Aldean for "If I Didn't Love You," including Video of the Year. Jason said that this is the first Video of the Year award he's won in his 17-year-long career.

Cody Johnson's two CMT awards were for Male Video of the Year for "'Til You Can't" and CMT Digital-First Performance of the Year for "Dear Rodeo" (from CMT Campfire Sessions).

Miranda Lambert was the lucky winner for Female Video of the Year for "If I Was a Cowboy," which she performed live later in the show.

Carrie Underwood wowed the audience with her aerial silks skills while singing "Ghost Story," and The Judds performed for the first time at an awards show in over 20 years, singing a momentous version of "Love Can Build a Bridge" with the help of a gospel choir.

Jason Aldean and Bryan Adams revived their 2009 CMT Crossroads rendition of "Heaven." Jimmie Allen, Monica, and Little Big Town also brought heaven to the stage visually with "Pray"—as the performers were all dressed in white with cloud-like fog at their feet.

Co-host Kelsea Ballerini took work-from-home to a whole new level, performing her new song "Heartfirst" from her backyard.

Other performers included Carly Pearce, Old Dominion, Thomas Rhett + Riley Green, Mickey Guyton + Black Pumas, Gabby Barrett, Walker Hayes, Maren Morris + Ryan Hurd, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Kane Brown, and Kenny Chesney.

George Strait won his first CMT Award ever for Performance of the Year, which he accepted virtually. Maddie & Tae won Group/Duo Video of the Year for "Woman You Got," which a very emotional Maddie Font accepted in person without Tae Kerr, who appeared virtually from home with her newborn baby.

Presenters included Faith Hill, LeAnn Rimes, Dennis Quaid, Martina McBride, Kacey Musgraves, Gayle King, Joel McHale, Taylor Lautner, and the stars of Queer Eye: Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France, and Antoni Porowski.

See the full list of winners here:

Video of the Year
Jason Aldean & Carrie Underwood - "If I Didn't Love You"

Female Video of the Year
Miranda Lambert - "If I Was A Cowboy"

Male Video of the Year
Cody Johnson - "'Til You Can't"

Group/Duo Video of the Year
Maddie & Tae - "Woman You Got"

Breakthrough Video of the Year
Parker McCollum - "To Be Loved By You"

Collaborative Video of the Year
Jason Aldean & Carrie Underwood - "If I Didn't Love You"

CMT Performance of the Year
George Strait - "Is Anybody Goin' to San Antone (from CMT GIANTS: Charley Pride)"

CMT Digital-First Performance of the Year
Cody Johnson - "Dear Rodeo" (from CMT Campfire Sessions)

BROADCAST SOUND

Tish Cyrus filed for divorce from Billy Ray Cyrus last week in Tennessee citing irreconcilable differences, according to TMZ. They have been married for almost 30 years and together have five children, including pop star Miley Cyrus.

According to documents, Tish and Billy Ray haven't lived together in more than two years. Tish is requesting that all marital assets be equally distributed.

This marks the third time the Cyrus' have filed for divorce. Billy Ray first filed in 2010, however it was called off. Tish filed in 2013, and that was also called off.

The Judds will head out on their first tour in over a decade, called The Final Tour, this fall. The 10-date arena tour kicks off on Friday, September 30th in Grand Rapids, MI and wraps up in Nashville, TN at Bridgestone Arena on Friday, October 28th. Martina McBride will join as special guest on select dates. Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Friday (April 15th) at TheJudds.com.

Naomi Judd said, "The fans have always been my family of choice. I love them dearly, so I'm chompin' at the bit to belt out our hits and reconnect with them once again. The cherry on top is singing with my beloved, wild and extremely talented daughter . . . the best singer of any genre, Wynonna! She asked me if I was still going to twist, twirl and crack jokes. I answered, "Heck yeah! I'm too old to grow up now!"

Wynonna Judd added, "What I'm looking forward to most is celebrating Judd music with the fans. Mom and I have had quite the journey over the last 38 years, and the fans have been with us through it all. This tour is a celebration for them!"

The Judds reunited at last night's (Monday, April 11th) CMT Music Awards in Nashville where they performed their classic hit "Love Can Build A Bridge."

The mother/daughter duo will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in May.

Elle King's duet with Miranda Lambert, "Drunk (And I Don't Wanna Go Home)," makes history this week as it tops both the Billboard Country Airplay and Mediabase/Country Aircheck Charts. The hit marks the first woman-woman collaboration to reach the top spot on Billboard's Country Airplay chart since Reba McEntire and Linda Davis' "Does He Love You" in 1993.

Toby Keith's 2019 album, Toby Keith Greatest Hits: The Show Dog Years, will be released in the form of a vinyl double album exclusively at Walmart beginning on April 29th. The release features two LPs in red vinyl with16 tracks on three sides and an etching of Toby from a live performance on the fourth. He established his own Show Dog Nashville record company in 2005.

Carrie Underwood's upcoming album, Denim & Rhinestones, will feature 12 new songs, 11 of which she co-wrote. On Friday (April 8th), Carrie released a new album trailer for the project, which will be available on June 10th.

The title track, "Denim & Rhinestones," and its accompanying lyric video, were also released on Friday. The track was written by Carrie, David Garcia, Josh Kear, and Hillary Lindsey, and co-produced by David and Carrie.

Of Denim & Rhinestones, Carrie said, "We cover a lot of ground on this album. We have a lot of songs that have a bit of a ‘throwback' feel, but they sound super fresh. I grew up listening to so many different kinds of music and that is extremely evident in this body of work. These are musical influences that are all in me and work their way out, and I just decided this time not to get in their way. I think this whole album ended up being a big reflection of me as a person and as an artist."

Carrie adds that putting together her "REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency" was "the catalyst for this album." She explained, "I was just ready to have fun and to write songs that make me happy to listen to and happy to sing."

The debut single from Denim & Rhinestones, "Ghost Story," is making its way up the country charts.