It’s been two years, nearly to the day, since Luke Combs dropped his second studio album, What You See Is What You Get. In that time, he’s found massive success with the project, which produced six chart-topping singles and broken streaming and sales records.

Now, the singer says he’s ready to say goodbye to his What You See Is What You Get era, and he’s excited about what’s in store. The next musical chapter kicks off with “Doin’ This,” a song Luke debuted onstage at the 2021 CMA Awards.

“I would say this song for sure is the start of the next chapter, a hundred percent. I mean, undeniably so,” Luke says.

“We’re closing the book on What You See Is What You Get and we’re on to the next thing,” continues the singer, who was named 2021 CMA Entertainer of the Year just last week. “So this [song] will be kind of a cool way of saying, ‘Hey, this is kind of where we’re going and where we’re heading.’ And I look forward to seeing what people think about it.” (AUDIO IS ABC 1-ON-1)

It’s a deeply personal song for Luke, who was inspired to write it by a question he gets a lot in interviews: What would he do, if he weren’t a country singer?

“Jokingly, I would say I would be homeless,” Luke recounted backstage at the 2021 CMAs. “But there was never a Plan B. Once I decided this is what I was going to do, it’s what I was going to do.”

He looked down at the Entertainer of the Year trophy in his hand as he added, “I would be chasing this if I wasn’t holding it in my hand right now,” he continued. “And I’ll always be doing that.”

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Fans can hear a different side of Dolly Parton’s classic “Jolene” in the Destructo Remix of the song, which arrives today.

Brett Young’s chart-topping “Lady” has received RIAA Platinum certification, becoming the seventh No. 1 hit of Brett’s to earn that status. The singer celebrated the milestone with an official plaque.

On Friday, Randy Travis shared another new from-the-vault song: This time, a Christmas tune called “There’s a New Kid in Town.” It’ll appear on an upcoming remastered version of his holiday album, An Old Time Christmas, which arrives November 19.

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As he continues to ride the momentum of his latest album, Same Truck, Scotty McCreery has announced plans to head across the pond. In March of 2022, he’ll play a four-stop European run, including three dates in Germany and one show in Amsterdam.

The shows will take place after Scotty’s previously announced three main-stage appearances at C2C Festival, which will take place in Ireland and the U.K. on March 11, 12 and 13.

Scotty’s Amsterdam show will mark the first time he’s visited the Netherlands, and he says he’s excited to add some new stamps to his passport and see some audiences he’s never gotten a chance to play for before.

“Growing up in North Carolina, it was always a dream of mine to be able to perform my music around the globe,” the singer reflects. “I am looking forward to playing C2C in March in the UK and Ireland, but was also hoping we could return to Germany after we had such a great time there a couple of years ago.”

He continues, “I’m also very excited about visiting the Netherlands for the first time as I’ve heard such great things about Amsterdam. Can’t wait to see everyone!”

Tickets for all four newly announced dates are on sale now.

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Russell Dickerson is hitting the road in early 2022. On Friday, the “Home Sweet” star revealed a run of headlining dates that kicks off January 25 in New York City.

Up-and-comer Breland, who recently joined Dierks Bentley for a series of shows and has collaborated with acts like Keith Urban, will join Russell as direct support on the newly announced dates.

“It’s time!” Russell shares. “This headlining tour has been a huge dream for so long and now it’s time! The All Yours, All Night Tour is here and we’re bringing Breland with us to take this thing to a whole new level!”

The tour will take Russell through cities like Boston, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh, ultimately wrapping up with a hometown show at the Ryman in Nashville. Pre-sale for the shows begin today, and tickets will be available to the general public starting next Friday, November 19, at 10 a.m. local time.

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Bring on the Spandex and sweats! Carrie Underwood just dropped “Stretchy Pants,” her hilarious new tribute to holiday feasting.

The song embraces a different side of Christmas cheer than fans have already seen from the singer, who dropped a more serious batch of seasonal tunes, called My Gift, last year. The tune also is a counterpoint to Carrie’s well-known love of health and fitness, which fans have gotten to know in part through her line of activewear, Calia.

“People know that I am a champion for a healthy lifestyle, but a big part of that is balance,” she points out. “There are times to be disciplined, and then there are times when we need to eat and drink and be merry and enjoy ourselves with family and friends.”

Along with the song itself, Carrie shared a fun animated video for “Stretchy Pants,” which adds a colorful visual element to the song’s celebratory message.

A portion of the proceeds from the song benefits Brad Paisley’s The Store, a free shopping experience in Nashville that offers those facing food insecurity the dignity of going to a regular grocery store.

“We knew [the song] would bring a lot of fun and joy to people, but I also wanted to do something good with it that would help people. I immediately thought about Brad and [his wife Kimberly]’s charity, The Store,” Carrie goes on to say.

“Everybody should be able to afford feasts for the holidays,” she adds, “and everybody should have the opportunity to break out those stretchy pants!”

Limited-edition “stretchy pants” made out of green flannel — just like the ones featured in the song’s video — are available in Carrie’s merch store, too.

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Hot on the heels of his first-ever CMA Entertainer of the Year win, Luke Combs has announced another big first in his career.

On Friday, he revealed he’ll be playing three headlining stadium tour dates in the summer of 2022, marking his first stadium run as a headliner. Those shows will take place at NFL stadiums in Denver, Seattle and Atlanta.

The news comes just a couple of days after Luke’s big win at the 2021 CMAs, and just one day after he dropped his new song, “Doin’ This,” after debuting it on the CMAs stage. “Talk about a week!” Luke commented. “It will be hard to top this one.”

Joining Luke for the stadium shows will be opening acts Cody Johnson, Zach Bryan and Morgan Wade. Tickets go on sale to the general public next Friday, November 19, and members of Luke’s Bootleggers fan club will have access to a special pre-sale that Wednesday beginning at 4 p.m. local time.

Additionally, American Express card members will have early access on November 18 between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. local time.

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Newly crowned CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Carly Pearce will join forces with country superstar Gabby Barrett this holiday season: The pair are co-hosting the 2021 edition of the annual CMA Country Christmas TV special.

Carly shared the news on her Instagram, along with a photo of the two women seated together in front of a roaring fire, wearing cozy holiday garb; Carly holds an acoustic guitar and Gabby’s got a microphone. Behind them, stockings hang from the mantelpiece and a Christmas tree decked out with ornaments stands over a mountain of wrapped gifts.

It’s both singers’ first time hosting a major TV special. The lineup for CMA Country Christmas hasn’t been announced yet, but it does have an air date: It’ll premiere on November 29 on ABC.

Gabby was a performer on last year’s show, singing “The First Noel.”

 

 

 

 

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Think Maren Morris’ next studio project will follow in the same pop-leaning direction as her massive cross-genre hit “The Bones”? Think again, the singer says.

“This album is quite a left turn for me,” she explains. “And it’s very country, organic. Not a lot of production going on tracks. It’s not overly polished. It’s very rootsy.”

Following the success of her stand-out Girl album from 2019, and in particular, her success with “The Bones,” Maren acknowledges that she could have felt pressure to pursue her poppier side in her next project. But that’s not what happened, she goes on to say.

“I could have buckled and just felt pigeonholed by a very pop-sounding song like ‘The Bones,’ and what it achieved, but I actually felt the opposite,” the singer reflects. “I felt freedom, like I could do anything or go anywhere after that song.”

Plus, Maren says she’s finding a lot of joy in her next body of work.

“It’s a very happy record for me,” she adds.

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In honor of Veteran’s Day, Miranda Lambert’s Muttnation Foundation is offering support to military service dogs and the US War Dogs Association with a $20,000 donation. The organization supports retired military service dogs across the country with a variety of programs, including a free prescription medication program for the dogs.

Following his performance at the 2021 CMAs, Chris Young announced a $1 million donation to the Bob Woodruff Foundation in partnership with Crown Royal. The nonprofit organization provides support to injured service members, veterans and their families.

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Three of country music’s biggest names are among the performers at the 2021 American Music Awards. Carrie Underwood and Jason Aldean are slated to perform their duet, “If I Didn’t Love You,” which recently went number one at country radio.

Meanwhile, Kane Brown will take the stage for a rendition of “One Mississippi,” which he’s delivering from the campus of Tennessee State University, which is an HBCU, or historically black college and university.

Both performances are part of the “My Hometown” featured segment on this year’s AMAs, which focuses on the influence artists take from their hometowns. For Kane, that means charting his Tennessee and Georgia roots and his journey toward becoming one of the most successful artists in country music.

Jason and Carrie’s performance will also spotlight their Southern roots. Carrie is an Oklahoma native, while Jason hails from Georgia.

The 2021 AMAs airs on November 21 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC. The fan-voted ceremony will take place at Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater, and will be hosted by rapper Cardi B.

 

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