Country Music News

The 2025 Stand Up to Cancer fundraiser will be hosted by Sheryl Crow and feature Dolly Parton, and is set to be broadcast from Nashville for the first time on August 15. This one-hour special will take place at The Pinnacle, a new 4,500 capacity venue in Music City, and will bring together musicians, celebrities, athletes, cancer survivors, and medical professionals, to raise money and awareness for cancer research. Additional performers and appearances will  be announced in the coming weeks. The commercial-free broadcast will be shown on over 30 platforms, including all major TV networks and streaming services.

“The goal of Stand Up To Cancer has always been about working collaboratively to push cancer research forward so we could help patients as quickly as possible,” SU2C co-founder Katie Couric said in a statement. “Nearly two decades later, it’s incredibly gratifying and inspiring to see the impact of this research. Bringing the show to Nashville will infuse new energy and excitement into our mission.” (Billboard)

Lainey Wilson's new single, "Somewhere Over Laredo," creatively references Judy Garland’s iconic song, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” just with a modernized, countrified touch on The Wizard of Oz classic. Wilson co-wrote the track with Andy Albert, Trannie Anderson, and Dallas Wilson, with the original composers of Dorothy’s tender anthem, Harold Arlen and E.Y. “Yip” Harburg, also credited as co-writers. “‘Laredo’ isn’t just a place — it is a feeling,” Lainey explains. “It speaks to anyone who has ever looked back or remembered something and let that memory shape who they are. It also connects to all of those [small American] towns and people who are just trying to find their way home.” The tune will be one of five new songs featured on the deluxe version of Wilson’s recent album, Whirlwind, which is due out August 22. Broken Bow released “Laredo” to radio via PlayMPE on May 22, and the track is already at No. 24 on the current Country Airplay chart. (Billboard)

On Tuesday (July 1), Zach Bryan surprised fans by releasing three brand new songs, including “Streets of London,” which he recently debuted at his historic Hyde Park shows. “Releasing a song Monday hope u guys don’t hate it, recorded it at bowies old studio across the pond with my best friends,” Bryan wrote in an Instagram post announcing the release of “London.” But after Monday passed without the new song, the country star surprise dropped two additional tracks, “River Washed Hair” and “Song for You” to make up for the delay. “They are kind of just tunes that didn’t belong on the record, and they didn’t fit on an EP either,” Bryan wrote in an expired Instagram Story. “So I’m just releasing them to get them out into the world cause I love them. Hope you guys enjoy them.” Bryan still had his recent London shows on his mind, adding, “Only five people ever have sold out Hyde Park two nights in a row. I have you guys to thank for it.” (Billboard)

During his recent Big Ass Stadium Tour stop at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, Post Malone unexpectedly fell off the stage while toasting with a fan in the audience. Despite the fall, Post continued the performance unharmed, and the fan took to TikTok to express her apologies, writing alongside the clip of the tumble, “I am SO sorry Austin. I love you! Such an amazing show ❤️.” This incident marks the second notable time that Malone has fallen off stage, with the first occurring in St. Louis in 2022 on his Twelve Carat Tour. That fall resulted in the show being cut short, with Post suffering bruised ribs that required a brief hospitalization. Malone just wrapped up the North American leg of his Big Ass Stadium Tour on Tuesday in San Francisco, with a run of European and U.K. dates set to start in August. (Rolling Stone) 

On Friday (June 27), rising country star Elle Sloan released her debut EP, What’s Best For Me. The six-song collection follows a series of big breaks early in the career of the 22-year-old singer-songwriter, including being featured on the cover of TIDAL’s Country Rising. Sloan was raised in Phoenix, and now resides in Nashville, and has a voice reminiscent of Miranda Lambert and Kacey Musgraves. Sloan recently sold-out a hometown show at Last Exit Live in Phoenix, with more live dates expected to be announced soon. The EP's title track and "Heartbreak in Houston" showcase Sloan's ability to convey powerful narratives with authenticity, while "If He Really Meant It" unveils emotional complexities with understated poignancy. Sloan’s work reflects a deep, unapologetic exploration of self-discovery, marking her as an essential new voice in modern country music. (All Country News)

Eric Church is set to livestream a trilogy of shows at Colorado’s legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre from July 14 to 16 exclusively on Nugs, the live concert streaming platform. Church will curate distinct experiences for each show: "Eric Church vs. The Machine” on July 14 with a grand production featuring a full band and additional ensemble, “Eric Church vs. The ECB” on July 15 for a raw, high-energy set with his original band, and “Eric Church vs. The Guitar” on July 16 for an intimate acoustic session. The pay-per-view events, available in HD and 4K, can be purchased through the Nugs mobile app or online at nugs.net, with streaming options available for various devices. Church will promote his new album, Evangeline vs. The Machine, on his 22-date Free the Machine Tour, which is set to kick off on September 12 in Pittsburgh. (Music Row)

Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan's Outlaw Music Festival Tour faced a setback when a storm damaged gear during a stop in Missouri, leading to the cancellation of their Oklahoma show on Tuesday (July 1). The Sunday (June 29) concert at Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Ridgedale was cut short due to heavy rains and high winds, forcing evacuation of concertgoers and causing water damage to artist instruments and production equipment. “The potential damage has halted the festival production as they recover and replace what’s necessary for the tour to resume,” reads an official statement by festival organizers. The tour is planning to resume on July 4 in Austin, Texas, as part of Nelson’s annual 4th of July Picnic, with a lineup including Dylan, the Avett Brothers, the Mavericks, and Asleep at the Wheel. Full refunds for the cancelled show at the Lucky Star Amphitheater in El Reno, Oklahoma, will be issued at the original point of purchase. (Billboard)

During a recent concert, Gavin Adcock blasted Beyoncé’s Grammy-winning Best Country Album, Cowboy Carter, during an onstage rant. In fan-captured video footage of the incident, the country star takes issue with albums that currently outrank his own on Apple Music’s country albums chart. “One of them’s Beyoncé — you can tell her we’re coming for her f—in’ a–,” Adcock said, before adding, “That sh– ain’t country music and it ain’t ever been country music, and it ain’t gonna be country music.” Adcock took to Instagram on Monday (June 30) to share a video statement clarifying his remarks. “I’m gonna go ahead and clear this up,” he says. “I really don’t believe that her album should be labeled as country music. It doesn’t sound country, it doesn’t feel country, and I just don’t think that people that have dedicated their whole lives to this genre and this lifestyle should have to compete or watch that album just stay at the top, just because she’s Beyoncé.” (Billboard)

After concluding his historic Sphere Las Vegas residency, Kenny Chesney took to Instagram over the weekend to show his appreciation to fans who paid tribute to his late dog, Da Ruba Girl, by wearing t-shirts honoring her at his recent shows. The post features a t-shirt emblazoned with her name, along with the quote, “she’s a very good girl,” with Chesney affectionately captioning the post, “Saw a lot of these shirts in the audience at Sphere in Vegas. Thank you guys for that.” Da Ruba Girl, who passed away in 2022, inspired a fan-favorite song released by Chesney, with proceeds from sales of the track benefiting the Stray Rescue of St. Louis. The song serves as a tribute to the dog’s spirit while also highlighting the work of shelters in rescuing and caring for pets. Fans continue to show support for Da Ruba Girl, as Chesney's merchandise paying tribute to his late dog are currently sold out online. (Holler)

Post Malone, Jelly Roll, and Chandler Walters delighted fans with a lively acoustic rendition of Toby Keith's chart-topping 2002 hit, “Who's Your Daddy,” during a recent stop on Post’s Big Ass Stadium Tour. The video of the performance features Chandler leading on vocals and guitar, with Post and Jelly joining in for the rousing rendition. This collaboration reflects the easygoing camaraderie that the country stars have for each other, while also highlighting each of the artists’ versatility and musical talent. This isn’t the first time that Posty has paid tribute to Keith, as he previously covered “As Good As I Once Was” back in 2023. Jelly and Walters have both been serving as opening acts on the Big Ass Stadium Tour, with Chandler also being part of Post's backing band The Fools For You. The tour is set to hit San Francisco's Oracle Park on Tuesday (July 1). (Holler)

The 2025 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala will take place on October 6 at the Music City Center, and this year’s nominees have just been announced. The 2025 nominees in the Contemporary Songwriters category are Steve Bogard, Shawn Camp, Don Henry, Gordon Kennedy, Tony Martin, Aimee Mayo, Jim Rushing, and Darrell Scott. While the 2025 nominees in the Contemporary Songwriter/Artists category are Jim Lauderdale, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Lucinda Williams, and CeCe Winans. The 2025 class of inductees will eventually feature two contemporary songwriters and one songwriter/artist that will be elected to the hall. Three additional writers, including a Veteran Songwriter, a Veteran Songwriter/Artist, and a Legacy Songwriter, will also be named to the Class of 2025 by a separate body of veteran voters. “Well-deserved congratulations to all the nominees in our contemporary categories,” says NaSHOF Executive Director Mark Ford. “We look forward in several weeks to announcing those who will be inducted this fall as members of our Class of 2025.” (Music Row)

Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” remains at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, as his first career leader adds a fourth week atop the chart. Elsewhere in the Top 10, Cardi B’s new single “Outside” debuts at No. 10, becoming the Grammy-winning rapper's 13th career Top 10 hit. Meanwhile, Morgan Wallen claims his sixth week with at least three simultaneous Hot 100 Top 10s this year, surpassing Kendrick Lamar for the most such weeks in 2025. The country superstar’s duet with Tate McRae, “What I Want,” rises one spot to No. 2, while his single “Just in Case,” remains at No. 4, and “I’m the Problem” moves up one slot to No. 5, as his chart-topping album of the same name spends its sixth consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The rest of the Hot 100 Top 10 features Sabrina Carpenter’s new single,“Manchild,” dropping one spot to No. 3, Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Luther” falling one spot to No. 6, Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” holding at No. 7, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” remains at No. 8, and Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control” stays at No. 9. (Billboard)

On Thursday (June 25), Gavin Adcock announced the details of his upcoming third full-length album, Own Worst Enemy, which is set to be released on August 15 via Warner Music Nashville. The rising country star also shared the newest single from the 24-track project, “Last One To Know,” which joins the previously released tracks “On One,” “Morning Bail,” “Need To,” “Never Call Again,” and “Unlucky Strikes.” "Over the last 4 years I’ve spent my life writing, traveling, and trying to find time to breathe," Adcock captioned his post. "Through the happiness, hard times and self destruction I’ve found the best part of my job is letting out music for my fans. I can’t thank y’all enough for sticking with me for this long." Adcock is set to open two nights of Morgan Wallen’s I’m The Problem Tour in Miami on July 11-12, along with his own headlining dates on his Need To Tour throughout the summer and fall. (Holler)

Before he even played a note, Morgan Wallen already made history by becoming the first artist to secure a second show at Madison, Wisconsin’s 76,000-capacity Camp Randall Stadium. The chart-topping country superstar played two sold-out shows at the massive venue on Saturday and Sunday night (June 28-29) as part of his I’m The Problem Tour. To mark the occasion, Wallen brought out his special guest opening acts during Saturday’s show, as Miranda Lambert joined him for a stirring duet on his 2024 Country Airplay No. 1 hit, “Cowgirls,” while Ella Langley sang Tate McRae's part on Wallen’s Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping duet, "What I Want." Following Wallen’s historic two-night stand at Camp Randall Stadium, his I’m The Problem Tour continues with two shows at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on July 11-12, with Lambert set to open the first night along with rising country star Gavin Adcock, while Brooks & Dunn are set to kick off the second night. (Taste of Country)

Zach Bryan performed his biggest headlining shows of his career over the weekend at London’s Hyde Park, playing to 65,000 UK country music fans during two sold-out shows on Saturday and Sunday night (June 28-29). During his Saturday performance, Bryan debuted a brand new song he had written only four days earlier, “Streets of London,” which he plans on releasing on Monday (June 30). “We love you, London,” Bryan announced from the stage. “This is a dream come true for me.” In addition to the performance of his latest track, the set also featured standouts like “Oklahoma Smokeshow,” “Dawns,” “Heavy Eyes,” and “Open the Gate,” along with a duet with opener Dermot Kennedy on “Hey Driver,” as well as a surprise collaboration with a fan from the audience on “Heading South.” Bryan shared a clip capturing the set-closing fireworks display, captioning the post, “Biggest headlining show to date. I love you Hyde Park and I love you London, thank you so much.” (Holler)

Corey Kent claims his first career No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart with "This Heart." The track jumps up two places to reach the top spot on the strength of 27.9 million audience impressions over the past week, up 16% from the previous seven days. The song, co-written by Thomas Archer, Blake Bollinger, Jacob Hackworth, and Michael Tyler, and produced by Chris Farren, is from Kent’s album Black Bandana, released in September 2024. “This Heart” marks Kent’s first No. 1 following three Country Airplay entries, with “Wild as Her” hitting No. 3 in May in 2023, and “Something’s Gonna Kill Me” reaching No. 40 in January 2024. “I couldn’t be more proud of ‘This Heart.’ It is everything that I love about country music,” says Kent, a former contestant on The Voice back in 2015. (Billboard)

Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem spends a sixth straight week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. I’m the Problem earned 177,000 units over the past week, netting the largest total for an album in its sixth week on the chart since Adele’s 25 earned 363,000 in its sixth week in January 2016. Three new releases debut in the current Billboard 200 Top 10, as Benson Boone’s American Heart lands at No. 2, marking his highest-charting album and biggest week of his career, while Karol G notches her third career Top 10 album with the No. 3 arrival of Tropicoqueta, and the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack enters at No. 8, becoming the first soundtrack released in 2025 to reach the Top 10, and the highest-debuting soundtrack of the year. The rest of Top 10 is filled out by all former No. 1 albums, as SZA’s SOS holds at No. 4, Wallen’s One Thing at a Time remains at No. 5, Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet stays at No. 6, Kendrick Lamar’s GNX rises one spot to No. 7, Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album is steady at No. 9, and PARTYNEXTDOOR and Drake’s $ome $exy $ongs 4 U sticks at No. 10. (Billboard)

On Thursday (June 26), Scotty McCreery was named the host of a new monthly show on SiriusXM's Prime Country, where he will showcase his favorite country hits and deep cuts from the 1980s and 1990s. The show, which premieres on July 5, will feature handpicked songs by McCreery from artists like Garth Brooks, George Strait, Randy Travis, Kathy Mattea, Patty Loveless, and Ronnie Milsap, with each episode also spotlighting live Opry performances from that era. McCreery, a Grand Ole Opry member, aims to share his passion for country music history while occasionally featuring his own music “because – hey! It’s my show!,” and welcoming in guest artists to share conversations. “I love country music from every decade, but the country music of the ’80s and ’90s is probably my favorite era of music,” McCreery says in a statement. “I’m excited to put a spotlight on the songs and performers I grew up listening to that helped shape the artist I am today.” (Billboard)

Luke Combs and his wife Nicole celebrated their son Tex's 3rd birthday with a NASCAR-themed party inspired by Dale Earnhardt Sr. The party featured a balloon-filled wall with "Tex's Third Lap", a winner's podium and a chair that featured a photo of the late racing icon, a play area with racing stripes, a "No. 3" car design, and a “fueling station” with beverages and snacks for the kids, which included cookies shaped like Earnhardt's iconic car and racing flags. Nicole shared an Instagram video capturing the racing-inspired decorations, while captioning the post, “some details from Tex’s birthday ♥️🏁 guess who picked the theme lol.” The post includes comments from Combs' "Backup Plan" duet partner Bailey Zimmerman, who wrote “Would kill for you to throw me a bday party like this,” along with supportive responses from Dale Earnhardt Jr., and from Richard Childress Racing (Earnhardt Sr.’s longtime racing home) who wrote, “Solid choice!” (Billboard)

During an interview prior to his 2025 CMA Fest appearance, BigXthaPlug revealed details of his highly-anticipated upcoming country project. The crossover artist shared the title of the EP, I Hope You're Happy, and disclosed that it will include his viral hit, “All The Way” with Bailey Zimmerman, and the newly announced track, “Home,” featuring Shaboozey, that drops on Friday (June 26). This marks BigXthaPlug’s second collaboration with the “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” hitmaker, following their 2024 link-up, “Drink Don't Need No Mix,” which was featured on Shaboozey’s Billboard Top 5 hit album, Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going. The Texas rapper also revealed that 5-time CMA Award-winner Ella Langley will also be featured on his project. “You got Jelly Roll. You got Post Malone. You got Bailey Zimmerman, Shaboozey, that's a brother of mine, Ella Langley, you got a lot of people on there,” BigX teased. “So definitely be on the lookout for that.” No official release date has been announced for the EP. (Holler)