Music

Some of country music's biggest hitmakers have cut songs that make fun of the genre they love. In a lot of cases, it's done playfully. But not every singer is so nice.Rascal Flatts, Brantley Gilbert and Hardy all keep things light-hearted with songs that are obviously jokes — they're simply poking some good-natured fun at their genre or themselves. You could count the Hot Country Knights in that category, too, though this elaborately-crafted '90s alter-ego group falls into a class all their own.However, many songs on this list are by...

Australia’s University of Melbourne will host the Swiftposium 2024 in February to better understand Taylor Swift’s global impact. The three-day event will be an international academic symposium and will coincide with Swift bringing her Eras Tour to the country. While Swift has been the subject of several university courses in the U.S., this is the first time a global symposium is being held to examine her impact on everything from the music industry to fandom to pop culture to the economy. The event will take place Feb. 11-13 at the...

Tyler Hubbard's freshly-released "Back Then Right Now" is about more than just nostalgia. He says the song, which he wrote with Jessie Jo Dillon, Geoff Warburton and David Garcia, sums up a mindset that's been his mantra for the past year or so.When asked which lyric describes his life today, Hubbard points to the part of the first verse where he sings, "Back when you took a pic and didn't have to post it.""I haven't been taking a lot of pictures for posting lately, and it's been good. just being...

Cracking the Code Taylor Swift later shared the full track list and confirmed the re-record wouldn't include any features Unsurprisingly, 33 million puzzles were no match for the Swifties. Within 24 hours of Taylor Swift launching a challenge to reveal the titles of the vault track from 1989 (Taylor’s Version), fans have cracked the code. The titles were shared by Google, with whom Swift had apparently partnered for the very on-brand easter egg hunt. In a short video shared on Twitter, a voice that kinda sorta sounds like Swift, but...

The Oak Ridge Boys acknowledge time is running out to see them live, as they label an upcoming batch of tour dates a "farewell tour."The American Made: Farewell Tour includes shows through mid-December, but the band plans to keep playing into 2024. William Lee Golden and company will play fewer shows next year than ever before, telling Billboard that old age and health issues are forcing them to slow down."My legs aren’t what they used to be," Joe Bonsall says, explaining how he's had to sing from a stool in recent years....

Ed Sheeran has revealed that he recorded a live version of his forthcoming LP Autumn Variations by doing surprise pop-up gigs in fans’ houses. Writing on Instagram, Sheeran shared that “each song is recorded in a different fan’s living room, but all of it was a total surprise.” The singer posted a video of himself performing an older song at one fan’s house, explaining “We got to @kariconaway‘s house at the end of the day, and I instantly knew it was gonna be a fun one. They had cats, friendship...

Garth Brooks is wishing happy birthday to "The Queen" herself. The singer's country legend wife, Trisha Yearwood, turned 59 years old on Tuesday (Sept. 19)."HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!!!" a statement posted to Brooks' social media reads. "To the woman who brings inspiration, comfort, kindness & love into our hearts every day, today we celebrate YOU!"Brooks' birthday message is paired with a series of snapshots of the two singers together, both onstage and behind the scenes.One photo is a performance shot, while another shows them just hanging out onstage during soundcheck, and two...

The Black Music Action Coalition called Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner’s exclusion of Black and female musicians from his upcoming book The Masters “an offensive and absurd erasure.” The organization — which was founded in the summer of 2020 amidst the uprising against police brutality and wider reckonings with systemic racism and injustice — issued the statement after Wenner was widely criticized for comments about Black and female artists in an interview with The New York Times. In the interview, Werner said Black and female musicians “didn’t articulate at the...

Charlie Daniels received the ACM Spirit Award posthumously during the broadcast of the 2023 ACM Honors on Fox on Monday night (Sept. 18), and his son was on hand to give an emotional speech on his father's behalf.The ACM awards the Spirit Award to honor the legacy of Merle Haggard. The award goes annually to an artist "who is continuing the legacy of country legend and 20-time ACM Award winner Merle Haggard by following his/her own path, crafting great songs and epitomizing Merle’s spirit through genuine performances and great storytelling,"...

Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” will never be used as evocatively as it was in Miami Vice’s 1984 pilot — Fire up the Spyder, Crockett, and load that shotgun, Tubbs! — but isn’t afraid to try. ESPN’s football franchise teamed up Snoop Dogg, Chris Stapleton, and drummer Cindy Blackman Santana to remake Collins’ 1981 hit as a brand-new opening theme. And while it doesn’t touch Michael Mann’s indelible usage, the new rendition sure is moody fun. The minute-and-a-half recreation sees Stapleton, with an upturned collar and cowboy hat, walking determinedly...

It just wouldn't be Christmas without Santa, presents and Brett Eldredge. The country singer will once again embark on his annual Glow Live Tour in 2023, which has become a staple around the holidays.“The Glow Tour has now become a big, beautiful Christmas tradition," Eldredge says in a press release. "I love kicking off the season with all of you. I’m excited to return to some of my favorite cities and add some new cities including Detroit, Philadelphia and Milwaukee. To me, it’s definitely the most wonderful time of the year.”The...