Music

The process for selecting Grammy nominees underwent big changes for 2022, but in country music, the end results were similar. The electorate also gave a cold shoulder to a marketing trick that's becoming more and more popular as the industry shifts from airplay and hard sales to streaming as the hallowed metric.Once again, country music's biggest radio hits were overlooked for songs and collaborations deemed to have more artistic merit. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Best Country Solo Performance category, where Jason Isbell's "All I Do Is Drive" (a...

Starting in 2022, the Brit Awards will remove separate male and female prizes for best solo and best international act. The gendered categories will be replaced with two gender-neutral awards: artist of the year and international artist of the year. “The Brits have committed to making the show more inclusive,” the organizers said in a statement on Twitter. On the awards show’s website, they added it was about “celebrating artists solely for their music and work, rather than how they choose to identify or as others may see them, as...

There's a grownup tone to Walker Hayes' new song "AA" that, when set alongside his hit "Fancy Like," feels downright melancholy. All this talk of addiction, insecurities, real life parenting and the grind of daily life — who is this guy all of a sudden?New fans who've plowed past "Fancy Like" in his catalog have discovered Hayes is not just capable of adding depth to his infectious rhythms and guitar licks (this time, it's an easygoing little run that connects chorus to verse), he prefers it. Longtime fans are seeing how he's learned...

Taylor Swift’s 10-minute version of “All Too Well” is now the longest Number One hit of all time, replacing Don McLean’s “American Pie” on Monday — a.k.a. the day the music died. According to Billboard, the extended version of Swift’s greatest song, released earlier this month on Red (Taylor’s Version), assumes Number One at 10 minutes and 13 seconds. “American Pie” held that rank for nearly 50 years since it first landed on the charts in Jan. 1972. “You guys sent a 10-minute song to Number One for the first...

It's been 30 years since some of country music's most impactful albums of the early '90s were first introduced to fans.In many ways, 1991 marked the beginning of a very important and formative chapter in the genre's history. It was the year that many artists, including Trisha Yearwood and Tracy Lawrence, were first introduced to fans through their debut records. It also brought some already established acts, like Brooks & Dunn and George Strait, new credibility and fame.Take a look back at the 10 iconic country albums that turned 30 in 2021:10 Country...

New Edition and New Kids on the Block playfully squared off at the 2021 American Music Awards, performing in what the awards show called a “Battle of Boston.” After a video intro, the two Boston-formed bands — who’d never performed together onstage — took turns in the spotlight, singing teases and hooks of various hits. New Kids opened with their signature cut “You Got It (The Right Stuff),” nailing all the choreography (including the pendulum swing). New Edition then took over, naturally, with “Candy Girl,” employing their own array of...

Dan + Shay have been named Favorite Country Duo or Group at the 2021 American Music Awards. Their victory was announced during a pre-show livestream on TikTok ahead of the awards ceremony on Sunday night (Nov. 21), along with a number of other winners genre-specific and non-televised categories.To win in their category, Dan + Shay beat out Florida Georgia Line, Lady A, Zac Brown Band and Old Dominion. Other country acts named as early winners include Gabby Barrett, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan. Plenty more will be headed to the...

Guitars owned by U2’s the Edge, Eddie Van Halen, Elvis Presley and Eric Clapton were among the highest-bid items at a rock-themed auction that raked in over $5 million this weekend. Julien’s Auctions’ Icons & Idols: Rock N’ Roll event also featured David Gilmour’s stage-used guitar from Pink Floyd’s Momentarily Lapse of Reason era ($200,000, doubling its pre-auction estimate) and Amy Winehouse’s Fender Stratocaster, which the late singer played onstage in and in the “Take the Box” music video; that guitar sold for $153,000. Despite the controversy surrounding Clapton’s stance...

Before the 2021 American Music Awards ceremony kicked off on Sunday (Nov. 21), Carrie Underwood was named an early winner in not one but two categories. She brought home the title of Favorite Female Country Artist, an award she's won many times in the past, including an uninterrupted hot streak between 2014 and 2019.Underwood was also named Favorite Inspirational Artist at the 2021 AMAs, a new title for her at the awards show. Early in the year, she dropped My Savior, a 13-track gospel album made up predominantly of traditional...

With her SNL musical guest debut, Saweetie brought old Hollywood glamour to Studio 8H this week. Against a backdrop of the word “Icy,” the rapper delivered a twerk-filled performance of her latest single “Icy Chain,” which was released on Friday. Saweetie also played a medley of “Tap In,” the lead single from her delayed forthcoming album Pretty Bitch Music before transitioning into “Best Friend,” her playful, Doja Cat-assisted single. @Saweetie performing tap in on SNL pic.twitter.com/UnZKv4Z5AD — 𝒔𝒂𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒆 (@boujeeicy) November 21, 2021 🔥 🔥 🔥 #SNL #SaweetieOnSNL #Saweetie pic.twitter.com/N22lZ62htY —...

Dierks Bentley songs are some of the most daringly original tracks in the last two decades of country music. Since his debut in 2003, the singer-songwriter has consistently defied radio trends to produce some of the most sonically interesting records in contemporary country music.Bentley has wandered around stylistically, touching on uptempo party anthems, slow and sensual romantic songs and even bluegrass. But no matter the style, his records are all characterized by an uncompromising quality that sets him apart from any other artist currently working in Nashville.Our list of the Top...

After ending their long-running feud earlier this week, Kanye West and Drake have confirmed they will stage a benefit concert next month in an effort to “Free Larry Hoover.” Ye made the previously discussed gig official Saturday, sharing a poster for the Dec. 9th concert at Los Angeles’ Coliseum. “God’s Plan,” West captioned, a nod to the Drake hit. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ye (@kanyewest) Even before ending their beef — with help from music executive J Prince — earlier this week, West proposed the...

Patsy Cline's former home in Nashville is currently for sale, and pictures give a glimpse into a piece of country music history.Cline purchased her "dream home" in the Nashville suburb of Goodlettsville after she rocketed to country music stardom with a string of hits that included "Walking After Midnight," "I Fall to Pieces," "Crazy" and more. The listing shows that the 2,770-square-foot, 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom home has been restored to its original condition from when it was built in 1965, including the bar counter emblazoned with "Patsy & Charlie."The house features...

Brody Dalle, of The Distillers, performs on stage at Shaky Knees Music Festival on Saturday, May 5, 2018, in Atlanta.Paul R. Giunta/Invision/AP Brody Dalle, founder of the Los Angeles punk group The Distillers, was found guilty of one count of criminal contempt Friday for “failing” to turn over her youngest son to ex-husband Josh Homme, frontman of Queens of the Stone Age, for his allotted custodial time. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Lawrence Riff found Dalle guilty of “willfully” violating a Sept. 1 court order when she didn’t deliver...