Country Music News

After experiencing a breakout year over the past 12 months, rising country star Maggie Antone will cap 2024 off in style by making her debut on the legendary Grand Ole Opry stage on December 13. The “Suburban Outlaw” and “Johnny Moonshine” singer is set to appear on the long-running radio broadcast next Friday evening, and the significance of the occasion isn’t lost on the young Richmond, Virginia native, who shared the Opry news on Instagram on Monday (December 2). Antone captioned her post, “What an honor it is to be invited to step into that circle. it feels like a fairytale come true. ❤️” Antone is also set to perform at the historic Ryman Auditorium on Thursday (December 5) in support of Brent Cobb. Antone self-released her debut album, Rhinestoned, in August on her own label, Love Big, and it looks like the year ahead has more big love in store for the emerging country star. (Holler)

On Tuesday (December 3), Variety announced six additional honorees for their upcoming eighth annual Hitmakers celebration. Lainey Wilson will be awarded Storyteller of the Year, while Laufey will receive the Crossover Award. Young Miko is set to be recognized with the Trailblazer Award, while Grace Bowers will receive the Next Gen Award. The event also honors the record labels and executives that helped shape today’s hit music, with REPUBLIC Corps Collective to be recognized as Label of the Year, and Aaron Bay-Schuck and Tom Corson celebrated as Executives of the Year. These new honorees join previously announced recipients Hitmaker of the Year Charli XCX, Humanitarian of the Year Quavo, Changemaker of the Year Jelly Roll, Newcomers Award recipients Shaboozey and Benson Boone, Songwriter of the Year Amy Allen, Producer of the Year Daniel Nigro, and Producer of the Decade Jack Antonoff. The private event will be held on Saturday, December 7, in Los Angeles. (Variety)

Justin Moore’s new single, “Time’s Ticking,” was shared to country radio on October 25, and the song shares an appropriate message for music lovers over the holiday season. “It’s pretty simple,” Moore says of the track’s overall theme. “Live life to the fullest, and try to take advantage of every moment you have, whether it be with your family or with your career. Make the most out of every single day.” Jeremy Stover is a co-writer/producer on the tune, along with co-writers Randy Montana and Will Bundy, who all clearly identified with the 'experience life' message of the song. “My kids are getting a little older,” Stover says. “Just thinking on some of the moments I’ve missed, but also some of the ones I’ve been there for — you know, the ones I’ve been there for have been really, really valuable, and I appreciate a lot. That’s a big part of where that comes from.” (Billboard)

Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas announced on Instagram on Tuesday (November 3) that they are setting out on their first tour in a decade. The Arcadia 2025 Tour will find the beloved country and bluegrass band – which now features the addition of vocalist-guitarist Russell Moore – performing 73 dates across the United States and Canada next spring and summer. The tour kicks off with a two-night stand at The Louisville Palace in Louisville on April 17-18, then rolls across most of the country on the sprawling jaunt, including high-profile shows in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, New York, and a hometown show in Nashville, before finishing up in Davie, Florida on September 28. Opening act will be special guest Willie Watson, a co-founder of Old Crow Medicine Show. Alison Krauss & Union Station are also planning on releasing new music next year, which would serve as the long-awaited follow-up to 2011’s Paper Airplane, which earned a Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album. (Billboard)

Ahead of Super Bowl LIX at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome on Sunday, February 9, Post Malone will officially get the party started with a concert on Friday (February 7). Posty’s intimate performance will take place at the Fillmore in New Orleans, which has a capacity of only 2,000 fans, a stark contrast from the massive venues the crossover country superstar will perform at during his upcoming Big Ass Stadium Tour. The event, which is being touted as ‘Bud Light Backyard Presents Post Malone,’ will also be a free show for fans 21-and-up.

Posty’s partnership with Bud Light goes back a while, with the singer starring in three straight Super Bowl commercials for the beer, along with his Bud Light Dive Bar Tour, and his A Night in Nashville Bud Light-sponsored show in June to promote the release of his chart-topping country album, F-1 Trillion. “Bud Light has rocked with me for a while now, and I really can’t thank them enough for all the love and support they’ve shown through the years,” Malone said at the time. (Billboard)

On Tuesday (December 3), Ryan Seacrest announced the stacked music lineup that will bring 2024 to a rousing close during the annual holiday TV special, New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest. Country superstars Cody Johnson and Thomas Rhett, R&B sensation Tinashe, and chart-topping “Lose Control" singer Teddy Swims will all be performing during the festive event, along with the previously announced musical guest Lenny Kravitz, who will be performing at the first-ever live New Year’s Eve countdown from Las Vegas. Rita Ora will also be returning as a co-host alongside Seacrest for the live broadcast of the iconic Times Square ball drop in New York City. New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest typically receives the largest TV viewership of any non-sports rated show, and is set to air on ABC from the East and West coasts on Tuesday night, December 31. (Billboard)

Darryl Worley shared an update on Instagram about his daughter’s recovery progress from the injuries she sustained in a head-on car crash in mid-November. The country star’s 16-year-old daughter Savannah had to have screws inserted into her big toe to hold the bones in place, along with suffering a “broken leg, bruises, and lacerations" from the crash. But Worley says that she is progressing well, and that they were all thankfully able to spend the holiday together as a family. “Everything is coming along nicely. We are so blessed that she is alive and well,” Worley wrote. “Still got some healing to do but we are so thankful at this time of year that we will all be celebrating Thanksgiving together. Savannah is turning the corner and we don’t have to hold our breath anymore.” (Taste of Country)

Darius Rucker has been announced as the host of the 2025 CMA Songwriters Series taking place during the C2C Festival in London. The line-up of special guests include an impressive group of emerging singer-songwriters, including Jesssi Alexander, Wyatt Flores, Mickey Guyton, and Tucker Wetmore. The CMA Songwriters Series writers’ round has quickly become one of the stand-out events at the C2C Festival in recent years, with the 2025 event scheduled to take place on Thursday, March 23th at London's Indigo at the O2 Arena. Guyton and Wetmore will be making their UK live debuts at the CMA Songwriters Series, with Wetmore and Flores also set to perform during the main C2C Festival 2025 event at London's O2 Arena the following evening on Friday, March 14th. (Holler)

Morgan Wallen is taking a well-earned break from touring at the moment, after his record-setting One Night At A Time Tour became the highest grossing country music tour of all-time. During the singer’s current down time, he went on a hunting trip that was part of the hunting lifestyle platform, MyOutdoorTV. They shared an Instagram photo featuring Wallen and a group of his hunting friends all decked out in camouflage in the woods, along with the caption, “Making memories in the great outdoors with special guest, Morgan Wallen 🦌👏🏻.” Wallen has already previously been featured in a hunting episode of MyOutdoorTV, and the new photo suggests that the country superstar will be featured in a future episode as well. Wallen was just awarded the 2024 CMA Entertainer of the Year, and is set to host his inaugural music festival, Sand In My Boots, which will take place in Gulf Shores, Alabama on May 16-18, 2025. (Holler)

During Kacey Musgraves' Deeper Well Tour stop in Tampa, Florida on Friday night (November 29), an aggressive female fan tried to give the country star an unwanted hug, which startled the singer. “Last night, this Tampa b**ch,” Musgraves said between songs at her show in Hollywood, Florida on Saturday night, referring to the incident from the night before. “She kind of ruined it,” Musgraves continued, still clearly flustered by the interaction. “She kind of ruined it for everybody. I thought I was going to have to get real East Texas on her, take off my earrings. Florida goes hard.”

A fan-filmed TikTok video captured the Tampa incident, with Musgraves stopping singing while exclaiming, “what the f–k?” to the person before muttering, “Jesus f–king Christ” as she walked away, clearly perturbed by the unwanted, invasive contact from the fan. Musgraves is set to continue her Deeper Well Tour at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina on December 5, with special guests Lord Huron and Nickel Creek. (Billboard)

During a discussion with Luke Bryan on the new Hulu series, It's All Country, Luke Combs admits to owning between 150-200 of the exact same black, button-up Columbia shirts that he wears on stage during each and every one of his live performances. Combs’ signature look is born out of simplicity, with the country star just wanting to keep things easy and comfortable while he is performing. Bryan asked him if he was ever tempted to switch up his look a little bit, Combs replied, "I think it just goes forever, man. It's just too simple.” That look is certainly working for Combs, who was just named People magazine’s “Sexiest 34-Year-Old Man on the Planet.” “1990, [a] down year when it came to sexy guys, but still proud to be at the top of the pile,” Combs joked about his new title. “Maybe we’re redefining sexy. Guys’ [with] shirts that don’t fit that good, they fall asleep watching football —if that’s sexy, I’m your guy!” (Audacy)

Kendrick Lamar’s “Squabble Up” premieres at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, with the Nobel Prize-winning rapper owning the entire Top 5 of the singles chart this week. Lamar – whose surprise release, GNX, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart –  joins Taylor Swift, Drake, and the Beatles as the only artists in history to have five singles charting at Nos. 1-5 in a single week. Lamar’s “TV Off” (featuring Lefty Gunplay) lands at No. 2, “Luther” (with SZA) at No. 3, “Wacced Out Murals” at No. 4, and “Hey Now” (featuring Dody6) sitting at No. 5. Two additional GNX tracks cracked the Top 10 this week, as “Reincarnated” is at No. 8 and “Man at the Garden” sits at No. 9. The rest of the Top 10 is rounded out by Shaboozey’s 19-week No. 1 hit, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” dropping to No. 6, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” slipping five places to No. 7, and Mariah Carey’s holiday classic “All I Want for Christmas Is You” jumping up six places to No. 10. (Billboard) 

An aspiring country singer from Alabama went to the 2024 CMA Awards and violated his bond conditions by leaving his home state. On Tuesday (November 26), an Alabama judge issued a warrant for the arrest of Austin Tanner, after he and his wife Skyla traveled from their home in Alabama to Nashville to attend the CMAs without asking for prior permission from the court. Tanner was indicted on fraud and theft charges earlier this year, and he brought attention to his unapproved out-of-state travel by sharing a photo on Instagram of him and his wife posing on the CMA red carpet on November 21, the night before the ceremony. On November 25, the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office filed a motion requesting the judge to revoke Tanner’s bond, since he is not allowed to leave Alabama without the court’s approval. The motion was granted the following day, and a warrant was eventually issued for his arrest. (People)

During a recent charity event in Nashville, Miranda Lambert spoke with People about her work with the animal rescue organization MuttNation Foundation alongside her mother, Beverly June Lambert. "It's cool to be able to share passion with your mom, and she's been my biggest fan and biggest supporter," says the 41-year-old country superstar. "But [MuttNation is] something that brings us together on a human level. It's out of the glamour, out of the glitz. It's just about a passion of doing good for the world and saving animals." Miranda and Beverly just announced that they are expanding MuttNation's efforts to also include horse rescue, with the pair recently launching the annual Idyllwind Grant, named after Miranda's first horse. "I love people that are as fanatical about rescue as I am," Miranda says about their horse rescue efforts. "It's such a big deal because these are huge animals who have been through so much trauma." (People)

On September 27, Brett Eldredge released his new Christmas album, Merry Christmas (Welcome to the Family), which features eight new original holiday tunes from the country musician known affectionately as “Mr. Christmas.” Eldredge is taking those songs and the big band renditions of holiday classics on the road as part of his annual run of Christmas concerts, GLOW: Welcome to the Family Tour. The tour kicked off on November 29, with Eldredge set to play a dozen shows in seven cities over three weeks, before finishing up with a hometown show at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on December 20. "I don’t take it lightly," Eldredge says about bringing joy to his fans around the holiday season. "The world is really hard, and it’s really hard on all of us in so many different ways. But it’s also beautiful, and I really want to lean into those things that make it beautiful." (People)

CMA Country Christmas 2024 is set to be broadcast on ABC on Tuesday, December 3rd, beginning at 8 p.m. ET. The list of performers taking part in the holiday music special includes For King & Country, Amy Grant, Cody Johnson, Carín León, Ashley McBryde, Jon Pardi, Brittney Spencer, CeCe Winans, and Trisha Yearwood, who is once again hosting the festive event along with Grant. CMA announced their lineup in a playful Instagram video featuring the performers passing along a Christmas gift to their fellow artists, as well as fun facts about each other. CoJo is set to perform two holiday classics during the TV special, “White Christmas” and “I'll Be Home For Christmas,” while McBryde and Spencer duet on “Man with the Bag,” and Jon Pardi will perform his original holiday tune, “400 Horsepower Sleigh.” CeCe Winans will sing a spirited take on “Joy to the World,” while hosts Yearwood and Grant will perform a variety of Christmas classics throughout the show. (Holler)

Kelsea Ballerini played host to a group of loved ones and one additional country music superstar at her Nashville home this Thanksgiving. Ballerini was joined by her boyfriend, Outer Banks star Chase Stokes, her mom, and a group of friends including Alysa Vanderheym, who worked with the country singer on her new album, Patterns. The festive holiday crew was rounded out by special guest Kenny Chesney, who took part in the meal and presumably the special round of Thanksgiving karaoke that took place afterwards. Ballerini joined Chesney on his I Go Back Tour last year, and repaid the favor by welcoming him into her home during the holiday season. It was Ballerini’s first attempt at making a Thanksgiving turkey, and in an Instagram photo carousel capturing the holiday festivities, she graded her bird: “turkey: 5/10 thanksgiving karaoke: 1000/10 grateful for so so much, mostly the love that we get and we give away. 🤍” (People)

Kendrick Lamar’s surprise new album, GNX, debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, after the Nobel Prize-winning rapper dropped the album with no warning on November 22. GNX marks Lamar's fifth consecutive chart-topping album, while recording the biggest streaming week for any hip-hop album in 2024. The Wicked movie soundtrack also made a strong debut this week, entering the chart at No. 2 while setting a record for the highest debut for a big-screen adaptation of a stage musical.

Elsewhere in the Billboard 200 Top 10, Sabrina Carpenter‘s Short n’ Sweet rises two spots to No. 3, Tyler, The Creator’s CHROMAKOPIA drops a slot to No. 4, Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft jumps up four spots to No. 5, Gracie Abrams’ The Secret of Us moves up two slots to No. 6, Rauw Alejandro’s Cosa Nuestra falls a spot to No. 7, Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department jumps three spots to No. 8, Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time moves up three slots to No. 9, and Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess remains at No. 10. (Billboard)

Sundance Head posted a video to Facebook on Monday (November 25) that gave fans an update on his recovery progress after he accidentally shot himself ten days earlier. The 46-year-old country singer who won Season 11 of The Voice is up and about in the clip, smiling and enjoying the gorgeous fall day with his animals. “Hello everybody. Hope you're having a great day,” Head says in the video. “It's a beautiful day out here. I'm up here walking around, doing some exercise.” Head was airlifted to the hospital after accidentally shooting himself in the stomach on his Texas ranch back on November 15. Thankfully, the bullet missed his vital organs, and the musician was quickly discharged and has been home recuperating ever since. “I can’t express how grateful we are for all the messages, calls, and prayers,” his wife Misty wrote after she brought her husband home from the hospital. (People)

In a joint interview for People, Vince Gill and Amy Grant opened up about their quarter-century together. The two musicians just released their new holiday album, When I Think of Christmas, ahead of their annual Christmas residency at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium beginning on November 29. Gill revealed that in the early days of his friendship with Grant – which would eventually blossom into marriage years later – he wrote a tune about her. “I was writing songs with a buddy of mine, and he said, ‘What do you want to write about today?’" Gill recalls. "I said, ‘Let’s write a song about Amy Grant’s smile.’ He said, ‘Do you even know her?’ I said, ‘Not very well, but she’s sure got a great smile.’” The romantic tune that he and Pete Wasner wrote, “Whenever You Come Around,” would become one of Gill’s biggest hits. Though when Grant heard it, she had no clue she inspired the song. “All I could think of was, ‘Goll, lucky girl,’” Grant remembers, only learning it was written about her years later. (People)