Miranda Lambert‘s influence is expanding beyond country music’s borders.

Miranda has been named one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People of 2022” and is the only country star to appear on the elite list of world figures, politicians, artists and more. 

“I’m so honored to join this year’s class of #TIME100. I only ever wanted to sing and write songs and thanks to y’all I’ve gotten to do that and so much more,” the “Tin Man” singer says of the distinguished honor. “Thank y’all for being on this journey with me.” 

A tribute written by Miranda’s “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” duet partner, Elle King, refers to the superstar as an “acclaimed performer and songwriter” who’s intentional about “making everybody feel welcome.” Elle also praised Miranda for including her as part of the all-female lineup for her 2019 Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars Tour. 

“That’s her vibe: she’s all about making everybody feel welcome. And there is not one inauthentic hair on her head,” the singer says, citing Miranda as a “true country queen.” “Her shows are incredible; from start to finish, she gives it her absolute all … But the reason that I like Miranda so much is because she is one of the absolute funniest people I’ve ever met. When she and I get together, we don’t lose our voices because we’re singing or because we’re drinking. It’s because we laugh the whole time.” 

Miranda and Elle recently topped the country charts with “Drunk,” which became the first #1 female country duet in nearly 30 years.   

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Jimmie Allen‘s new album is chock-full of superstar collaborators. 

Next month, Jimmie will drop his highly anticipated third album, Tulip Drive, and on Monday, he unveiled the  track list’s 17 songs, most of which were co-written by the hitmaker. Among the titles are album opener “be alright,” current single “down home” and “habits & hearts.”

There are several eye-catching guest stars on the track list, including Jennifer Lopez, who appears on the instant gratification track “on my way” that drops on Friday. Former The Voice coach CeeLo Green and T-Pain share “pesos” with the country star, while former nurse-turned-singer Katie Ohh is featured on “broken hearted.” Jimmie’s 7-year-old son, Aadyn, also lends his voice to the closing track, “you won’t be alone.” 

“This is the first [album] where I chose to write songs about my own personal experiences, thoughts and hopes,” Jimmie said in a statement. 

Tulip Drive is named after the street his grandmother grew up on in his native Delaware. It arrives on June 24. 

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Carly Pearce continues her hot streak with the announcement of her new single. 

“What He Didn’t Do” is the third single off Carly’s critically acclaimed, CMA-nominated album 29: Written in Stone. The album finds a woman on the other side of a breakup who, rather than explicitly detailing all the ways her ex hurt her, lets his actions do the talking as she describes how he didn’t put her or their love first. 

“All I know is in the end/It wasn’t what he did/It was what he didn’t do,” she affirms in the chorus. 

Carly says the song was born from a place of pain and finding the courage to move through it, coming out on the other side with more clarity and strength. 

“Life goes on. You KNOW that when you’re reeling…feeling like the fool and so hurt… but then there’s a moment when those emotions start to clear. That’s when you look in the mirror and you ask yourself what happened and try to learn from your mistakes. That’s where ‘What He Didn’t Do’ came from,” she explains. “To me, it’s really a song of hope and trying to get smarter before moving forward.” 

“What He Didn’t Do” follows her #1 hit “Never Wanted to Be That Girl,” featuring Ashley McBryde.  

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Carrie Underwood may have just wrapped her Las Vegas residency, but she’s already looking forward to returning.   

Just days after completing Reflection: The Las Vegas Residency at Resorts World, the powerhouse singer confirms that she will return to Vegas next year. She got her sons in on the action, posting a photo on Instagram that shows 7-year-old Isaiah and his 3-year-old brother, Jacob, with their backs turned to the camera, displaying black jackets advertising their mom’s show in gold lettering. 

“We’ll be back!” Carrie reveals in the caption alongside #2023 and #REFLECTION. The “Ghost Story” hitmaker’s residency launched in December and came to a close with back-to-back shows on May 20 and 21.

While she’s saying goodbye to Sin City for now, the Grammy winner has a packed schedule ahead of her as she gears up to release her new album, Denim & Rhinestones, on June 10. She’ll support the album with a massive arena tour beginning in October and ending in March, with Jimmie Allen joining as the opening act.  

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Eric Church‘s headlining show at Madison Square Garden was made even more impressionable with the presence of Ashley McBryde. 

When Eric’s backup singer, Joanna Cotten, tested positive for COVID and announced she was unable to perform during the final night of The Gather Again Tour, the Chief knew just who to call to fill in. Ashley held her own inside the massive arena, where she sang backup for Eric in front of a crowd of more than 17,000 people. Videos captured by fans show her harmonizing on his chart-topping hits “Springsteen” and “Hell of a View,” along with a cover of Bruce Springsteen‘s “Thunder Road.” 

“When the Chief @ericchurchmusic calls from @thegarden, you answer,” Ashley wrote in the Instagram caption accompanying photos from the special night. “Thanks for answering,” the headliner replied, adding in a statement, “when Joanna had to sit this one out, we immediately knew who to ask. Ashley is meant for arena stages, and she’ll be headlining her own show at MSG soon.” 

This is one of many times the two have collaborated. Eric invited Ashley onstage to sing “Bible and a .44” with him in Chicago in 2017 during his Holdin’ My Own Tour. They also performed “The Snake” at the 2019 ACM Awards, and Ashley joined Eric during his medley of hits at the 2022 ACM Awards. 

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Scotty McCreery pays homage to the King of Country himself in his current single, “Damn Strait,” a track that strings together references to some of George Strait’s biggest hits to tell a new breakup story.

Scotty didn’t write the song — Trent Tomlinson and Jim Collins are the writers on the track — but the singer says he was immediately impressed by how “Damn Strait” didn’t just name-check classic country songs, but used them to create a new narrative.

“Even if you don’t know this George Strait song — which, shame on you if you don’t — but if you don’t, you still get the song, you know?” Scotty tells ABC Audio.

But Scotty’s very favorite George Strait ballad — “The Chair” — actually doesn’t make an appearance in the lyrics of “Damn Strait.”

He tried to find a way to reference that song, since it’s such an important and influential track for him. “My favorite George Strait song that I always go back to, if I’m in the shower or washing dishes, is ‘The Chair.’ I always go back to that,” he says. When it didn’t fit into the lyrics of his song, Scotty was hoping to include a musical reference to the track.

“In the demo, we put the steel guitar lick [of ‘The Chair’],” he says. “And then, in the actual recording, I think it was a little too close for comfort for the lawyers.” 

“Damn Strait” is one of the tracks on Same Truck, Scotty’s album from September 2021.

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Ronnie Dunn, one half of Brooks & Dunn, has announced his next solo album. Called 100 Proof Neon, it’ll be out July 29.

Chris Janson released a performance video for his new song “Keys to the Country” this week. The track comes off his latest studio album, All In.

Breland, Shy Carter and others will take part in a June 10 panel at the National Museum of African American Music during CMA Fest 2022. The panel will shed light on the new film For Love & Country, which features the panel participants. The movie will be screened on June 10 and 11 at the museum’s Roots Theater.

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Zac Brown Band founding member John Driskell Hopkins had “tough news to share” on Friday: He announced that he’s been diagnosed with ALS, which is also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

With his ZBB bandmates by his side, John delivered his news in a video message, describing some of his symptoms and telling fans that, so far, the progression of the disease has been very gradual.

“Over the past several years, I’ve noticed some balance issues and some stiffness in my hands,” he said. “After careful analysis by some of the country’s top neurologists, I have been diagnosed with ALS. Because my symptoms have been slow progressing from the start, we believe that they will continue to be slow progressing going forward.”

He added, “God willing, I plan to be rocking with these amazing people for many years to come.”

An additional video message that John posted solo describes ALS as a “degenerative neuromuscular disease that has no cure,” also explaining that “[t]ypically, research shows a 3-5 year lifespan after diagnosis, but the slow progression stands to reason that I will be around longer than that.”

He also shared his family’s Hop on a Cure Foundation, which raises funds for research to find a cure for the disease.

Frontman Zac Brown spoke of the band’s work with the foundation in their video message. “The technology and research surrounding ALS treatments has been advancing, but we still don’t have a cure. Thanks so much for your prayers and support in helping us cure ALS,” he said.

The video ends with info on how to help the cause via the Hop on a Cure Foundation. To donate, text “Hop” to 345-345.

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1883, the Paramount+ prequel to Yellowstone, might be complete, but the world of the show lives on — not only in its original Yellowstone setting, but also in a newly announced prequel, called 1932.

Still, fans of the show probably won’t see Tim McGraw or Faith Hill on screen anytime soon. The country superstars recently told Entertainment Tonight that their characters, James and Margaret Dutton, are probably best left back in 1883.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Tim said. “I think we like Margaret and James to sort of live in that atmosphere they created for 1883.”

That doesn’t mean they’re not sad to say goodbye — both Tim and Faith have spoken at length about how much they loved being a part of the show. But now it’s time to make room for a new cast of characters, and for 1932, that means welcoming new stars Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren.

“They should know it’s going to be one of the most incredible experiences of their lives — of their careers,” Faith said. “The people that work on the set, behind the scenes — they’re gonna be well taken care of. It’s the best of the best.”

The next Yellowstone prequel, 1932, will debut on Paramount+ in December.

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Jimmie Allen earned back-to-back chart-topping hits with his last two singles — “Make Me Want To” and the Brad Paisley duet “Freedom Was a Highway.” As he reflected on the achievement, he said he hopes he can be a source of inspiration.

“It feels great,” he said at an event celebrating the two hits, according to CMT. “Hopefully, it’s motivation for people not to be afraid to chase things, even when it’s different.”

As a Black country artist who’s not afraid to mix other styles and genre influences into his work, Jimmie knows that he doesn’t always fit the mold of what people expect a country star to be. But he’s found success by following his inner muse, he said, and that sometimes means taking a song’s chart placement with a grain of salt.

“No matter where the song is on a chart, it’s not a real representation of what the song is doing for people because I know a lot of songs that were #1 but not hit songs,” he said. “I know a lot of hit songs that never reach #1.”

The true measure of success, he said, is in the fan engagement.

“I just kind of grade the song based off when I play shows, how many people sing it back?” he adds. “How many messages do I get?”

This summer, Jimmie will apply that approach to a whole new musical chapter. His next album, Tulip Drive, is coming out in June, and he’ll take its songs on the road when he goes on tour with Carrie Underwood for her Denim & Rhinestones Tour.

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