Dierks Bentley is back with another new single, “Gold,” all about finding the joy in the journey of life despite the ups and downs it brings.

“I got some rust on my Chevy but it’s ready to roll / I got a rhinestone sky and a song in my soul,” the singer belts out in the chorus on his song. “It ain’t a smooth ride, life, it’s a winding road / Yeah, it might be gravel but it feels like gold.”

“Gold” follows Dierks’ latest number-one hit, “Beers on Me,” as well as his recent collaboration with Elle King, called “Worth a Shot.”

Amid the new music he’s got planned for this year, Dierks is also keeping busy on the road: He’s in the middle of his Beers on Me Tour, which launched in 2021 and is scheduled to keep going well into September. Currently, he’s out with opening acts Travis Denning and Ashley McBryde. The singer’s Seven Peaks Festival is also set to make its return this Labor Day weekend, after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But first up, Dierks and Elle will co-headline ABC’s CMA Fest special, which airs on August 3.

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Lady A and Breland will take the spotlight when ABC’s CMA Fest TV special airs next week, performing a special duet version of the classic Lady A hit “Need You Now” from the mainstage.

Breland and the Lady A bandmates may come from different generations, but Lady A’s Charles Kelley says that makes collaborating with the younger star even more exciting.

“He told me he grew up on that song,” Charles says, talking about “Need You Now.” “And I really, truly think he’s one of the most talented artists, up and coming, that we have. And so anytime you can be part of that energy — you know, us doing this for 15 years now, we like to feed off that youthful energy and that excitement.”

They were excited to collaborate on a personal level, too. “We became buddies backstage, and I told him I was a fan,” Charles says.

One thing led to another, and they decided to write a song together. “We wrote a song and he asked if Lady A would feature on it,” Charles adds. “And while we were there, I was like, ‘Well, we’ve gotta do a song, you know, for the fans!’ And so we did ‘Need You Now.’”

Someone at CMA Fest got wind that they’d done a duet version of the Lady A classic and asked them to do it as part of the show, which took place in Nashville in June.

CMA Fest airs on ABC on August 3. Dierks Bentley and Elle King are co-hosting the show.

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Chris Lane and Lauren Alaina are hitting TODAY next week for a performance of their duet version of “Dancin’ in the Moonlight.” Tune into NBC on Tuesday during the 10 a.m. hour to watch.

Chris Young’s partnership with the Charlie Daniels Journey Home Project has helped raise over $1.2 million to support military services members over the past year. Most recently, Chris raised thousands of dollars for the cause when he gave a private performance in Atlanta, in partnership with another veteran-focused nonprofit, The Shepherd’s Men.

Get a peek at what it’s like on set with Brett Eldredge for his “Songs About You” video shoot. He just released a behind-the-scenes video.

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A new season of American Idol is about to get underway, and fans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing a familiar trio of judges will make a return.

Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and Katy Perry — in addition to host Ryan Seacrest –have signed on for the sixth season of the hit reality singing competition.

Filming is a week away from picking up, with auditions set to kick off next Wednesday, August 3. The tryouts, labeled “Idol Across America,” will run until August 31 with a slew of locations across the country. Those hoping to win their golden ticket and sing for America’s vote can visit AmericanIdol.com/auditions to find a list of tryout dates and locations. You must be at least 15 years old to audition.

This year, American Idol is doing something new. The show unveiled its annual “First 500” event, set for August 3, where hopefuls can try to score a VIP spot.

American Idol‘s sixth season is set to premiere on ABC in spring 2023.

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After scrapping two scheduled shows this weekend, Lainey Wilson continues to update fans on the family emergency that’s keeping her off the road.

She asked for prayers for her father, who she affectionately refers to as “my deddy,” posting a photo of herself with her dad on her social media.

“My deddy. My cowboy. Please keep lifting him up in prayer,” Lainey wrote in the caption of her post. “Toughest man I know.”

A number of Lainey’s fellow stars chimed in in the comments section to offer their well wishes. “Sending so much love,” wrote Carly Pearce. “Praying, love,” added Caylee Hammack.

Lainey first let fans know of her family crisis earlier this week, when she told them she wasn’t going to make a pair of shows this weekend. “I’m so sorry to cancel last minute,” she said at the time, “but please trust I would not be backing out if it weren’t critical. Please keep my family in your prayers.”

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Zac Brown Band are taking fans behind the scenes in the video for their new collaboration with Cody Johnson, a duet version of “Wild Palomino.”

In the clip, the guys hang out in the studio. ZBB frontman Zac Brown strums a guitar and sings, while Cody reads a lyrics sheet and sings into a microphone. The rest of the band and studio workers also make appearances in this video.

ZBB and Cody debuted the duet version of “Wild Palomino” at Boston’s Fenway Park earlier this month, with Cody making a surprise appearance on a stop on the band’s Out in the Middle Tour.

The song originally appeared on the track list of ZBB’s The Comeback album from 2021, and the version that features Cody is part of the deluxe version of that project. Other duet partners on the deluxe album include Blake Shelton, who joins the band on a new rendition of their song “Out in the Middle.”

The Comeback (Deluxe) comes out September 30.

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Sam Hunt will no longer be able to make his headlining engagement at the upcoming Boots and Hearts Festival in Canada.

“Unfortunately, due to ongoing government restrictions, Sam Hunt will not be able to perform at Boots & Hearts Music Festival on August 5,” reads a statement from the singer’s social media. “We were hopeful that these restrictions would be lifted as the date got closer, but it’s now apparent that won’t happen.”

Sam didn’t specify which government restrictions were keeping him from making his set, but some fans speculated that it might have something to do with the COVID-19 vaccine requirements necessary for travel into Canada.

Currently, travelers coming into the country must have received at least two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

The Boots and Hearts festival, held annually in Burl’s Creek, Ontario, will take place over four days between August 4-7. Shania Twain and Florida Georgia Line are each headlining a day, with Walker Hayes on deck to headline a special kick-off party on August 4.

In his post, Sam explained that the festival “secured a great replacement” to perform in his stead; Boots and Hearts later announced that Jake Owen will take over Sam’s Friday night slot.

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Carly Pearce is known for her authenticity as a songwriter, and while her songs were written about her own emotions and experiences, they often cut just as deep for the fans who listen to her music.

That was the case for a fan Carly recently met, who’d gotten a tattoo of some of the lyrics from “It Won’t Always Be Like This,” a song off her 2020 self-titled sophomore project.

In the song, Carly reminds listeners — and herself — that, good or bad, nothing lasts forever. She remembers being desperate to get out of her hometown as a teenager, experiencing a breakup at 22 and making precious memories with a loved one. In every case, the feeling eventually fades, even if it feels permanent at the time.

For this particular fan, the song’s message helped him survive addiction and had such a huge effect on a difficult chapter of his life that he immortalized Carly’s words on his skin.

“That was crazy, and for him to be vulnerable enough to tell his story of addiction and that he overcame that, it’s powerful,” the singer reflected in an interview with her record label. “It was really amazing and just shows me the power of music, and we can change lives with lyrics.”

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If you’re wondering what to expect from Brothers Osborne’s performance on the CMA Fest TV special, the bandmates have a little hint to share.

“We were allowed to bring a prop from our live shows. Actually, two props,” says one-half of the band, John Osborne. “Without giving anything away — keep your eyes peeled for that. Props. Yeah.”

The special will feature the brother duo playing “Skeletons,” the title track from their latest album, on the big stadium stage. For Brothers Osborne, taking the main stage for their performance is a reminder of how far they’ve come, especially compared to the CMA Fests they played at the outset of their career.

“We’ve been playing it for a long time,” says TJ Osborne. “We’ve played these small little stages, sometimes three or four of them in a single day…labels got to see us, publishers got to see us, and then [we got to] make some fans.”

It’s a lot of work to build a grassroots fanbase like that, but the Brothers wouldn’t have it any other way. “Now to be here, playing the stadium, it really is like a snapshot — these different stages we would play and grow in,” TJ continues.

“It really puts into perspective, you know, what hard work can do,” he adds, “but also having these opportunities, how incredibly helpful they are.”

The CMA Fest special was filmed during the annual festival in downtown Nashville in June. Dierks Bentley and Elle King are hosting the show, which airs on August 3 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. It will also be available to watch on Hulu the next day.

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Ahead of the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix event next month, Tim McGraw has a special T-shirt available in his merch store: a vintage-inspired McGraw NASCAR tee.

Carrie Underwood, CeCe Winans and more will perform at a ceremony celebrating the 50th anniversary of Barbara Mandrell’s induction to the Grand Ole Opry this Saturday, July 30. The living legend will attend both shows that day. Tickets are available now.

American Idol champ Laine Hardy returned to social media this week to debut an unreleased new song called “Party I Can Play.” It’s his first appearance on social media since April, when he was arrested and accused of planting a recording device in an ex-girlfriend’s dorm room.

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