Kelsea Ballerini’s branching out with CMA fashion, but Chris Young’s just hoping to avoid “worst-dressed” lists

Posted on November 10, 2021 by Carena Liptak

As the 2021 CMAs loom, Kelsea Ballerini and Carly Pearce are two artists who say they’ll be trying something new with their fashion choices on the big night. Carly hints she’s keeping it straightforward with a “classy” look, but it’s going to be “in a color I’ve never worn before.”

“I’m going to wear all the weave, and it’s going to be — I’m excited,” she adds with a laugh.

Meanwhile, Kelsea’s taking risks with a “fashion forward,” “futuristic feeling” ensemble that she says is just one example of how she’s trying to push herself and grow.

“I’m trying to start doing [the glam aspect] myself. I did it myself on tour, and I really started enjoying the hair and makeup and stuff,” she explains. “I’m trying to push myself out of my comfort zone in every area of my life. And so I’m wearing this stunning dress that is like nothing I’ve ever worn.”

But not every artist has such lofty goals for their awards show night looks. Chris Young says that in the midst of a busy week, the awards show look is just one piece of the puzzle. “I don’t think people realize just how busy it is, with doing all the interviews and everything else,” he says.

“Making sure the rehearsals are good,” he adds with a laugh, “and making sure your clothes are correct, so you’re not gonna be on, like, the ‘worst-dressed’ list somewhere.”

The 2021 CMA Awards airs tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.

Old Dominion says CMAs recognition gets more and more special every time they’re nominated

Posted on November 10, 2021 by Carena Liptak

Old Dominion are up for Vocal Group of the Year at tonight’s CMA Awards, and it’s far from the first time. They’re five-time nominees in the category, and they’re on a three-year winning streak, taking home the trophy at every awards show since 2018.

But that doesn’t mean the nomination gets less special, the group says. In fact, it’s an even bigger deal to them now than it was the first time around.

“Every time we get nominated, it means more and more each time,” band member Matthew Ramsey explains. “I think when it first happened, I thought, ‘It’ll never be as special as that,’ but I was wrong. Every time it happens now, it’s just an amazing thing.”

As the trophies keep stacking up, the band mates will have to find new spots in their house to keep their CMAs hardware — but the guys of Old Dominion joke that guitarist and keyboardist Trevor Rosen already has that problem figured out, as he’s got a “Trevor Rosen Museum” in his basement.

“Yeah, it’s [the] Trevor Rosen Museum, so there definitely is an Old Dominion wing to that which is pretty sizeable,” Trevor elaborates with a laugh. “It’s a great display of hockey sticks and guitars, things like that. Former glory days to current glory days, you would say.”

In addition to being nominees, Old Dominion are performing their single “I Was on a Boat That Day” at the 2021 CMAs. The show kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Luke Bryan’s hosting the 2021 CMA Awards solo, but he thought about bringing his mom along to help

Posted on November 10, 2021 by Carena Liptak

Luke Bryan‘s mom, LeClaire, is a bona fide social media star in her own right, thanks in part to the fact that she frequently finds herself the butt of the joke in family prank wars.

LeClaire is so popular that Luke’s fans might even have hoped she’d make an appearance at the 2021 CMA Awards, which her superstar son is hosting solo this year. And while his mom won’t be appearing on the big stage this year, Luke says it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.

“We did have a moment where we were gonna maybe incorporate her. We were gonna have some fun with her, but it didn’t work out,” Luke admits with a giggle. “You never know — if they let me back next year, we might turn it over to Mama.”

In the meantime, Luke knows he’s got some big shoes to fill. There hasn’t been a solo host at the CMA Awards in almost two decades, and for a streak of years, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood helmed the show. During their tenure as hosts, Brad and Carrie were known not only for their hilarious onstage antics, but also for their frequent costume changes, and Luke says he might try to outdo them in the latter category.

“We’ve tabulated how many times they have done that, and I’m going to one-up them,” he hints. “Whether it’s just a tie here — just nuances — a pocket square here. That’s a wardrobe change.”

The 2021 CMA Awards airs on ABC tonight beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

Chris Young can’t say much about his CMAs “Famous Friends” performance, but it’s “definitely something new”

Posted on November 10, 2021 by Carena Liptak

Chris Young and Kane Brown will hit the CMAs stage tonight for a rendition of their number-one song “Famous Friends,” but don’t expect to hear many details about what they’ve got planned for their performance ahead of showtime.

“Nothing. I’m not allowed to say anything at all [about it],” Chris jokes. “I will say that we have not done this particular gimmick for the performance anywhere before, so it’s definitely something new.”

Between the performance and his nominations for “Famous Friends,” Chris is expecting an exciting CMAs week, made even more special because he gets to share it with his friend Kane.

“[It’s] the first time I’ve ever been nominated for Single of the Year, and I get to celebrate those noms with KB,” he adds, going on to reflect on his longtime friendship with his fellow country superstar.

“Kane’s fantastically talented and I love that I’ve been able to get to know him That I knew him before he had the record deal, and was getting the chance to write with him and have some cuts on his records. And then was able to ask him to be a part of mine,” Chris continues. “…Watching this song blow up and become bigger than we ever expected it to has been so much fun.”

The 2021 CMA Awards airs beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.

Ryan Hurd thinks no one’s more deserving of the CMA Female Vocalist trophy than Maren Morris

Posted on November 10, 2021 by Carena Liptak

Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd are attending the CMA Awards as a power couple in 2021, as for the first year ever, they’re both nominated for awards. Their duet, “Chasing After You,” scored nods in both the categories of Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year.

“It was such a huge morning when they announced, and he got those nominations,” Maren recalls of the day they found out that Ryan had nabbed his first-ever CMA nods. “It’s his first time getting to go to the awards not just as my very handsome date. He’s going as a nominee.”

And while both those trophies went to Kelsea Ballerini and Kenny Chesney’s duet, “Half of My Hometown,” during an early winners announcement before the show, there’s still a big chance that Maren could walk away a winner tonight. She’s nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year, a trophy she also won in 2020.

This time around, no one’s more deserving of the title of CMA Female Vocalist of the Year, Ryan says.

“I think that award is mostly about who’s on top,” he explains. “I believe that Maren’s the most influential country artist in the world right now. I really appreciate everything she’s outspoken about, and I really appreciate, more than anything, her music and her talent.”

Catch the 2021 CMA Awards on ABC beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET. The show will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

Luke Combs will be “the happiest guy in the world” at the 2021 CMA Awards, win or lose

Posted on November 10, 2021 by Carena Liptak

Luke Combs is up for Entertainer of the Year at tonight’s 2021 CMA Awards ceremony, and while he’d like to walk away with the trophy, he knows he’s up against some stiff competition.

“Everybody that’s nominated has made a huge impact on country music, undeniably speaking,” he says. Luke’s contenders in the category are Miranda Lambert, Eric Church, Carrie Underwood and Chris Stapleton.

But win or lose, Luke says, he’s just excited to be part of country music’s biggest night.

“If I win, I’ll be the happiest guy in the world. If I lose, I’ll still be the happiest guy in the world. So it makes no difference to me,” he continues, adding that for him, the real prize for being one of country music’s biggest names is being able to bring joy to the people who matter most.

“Whether that’s writing songs, or my parents, or my friends: Any opportunity I have to do something cool for them or make their life better, that’s where you fill up your life cup, in my opinion,” Luke reflects. “It’s not buying cars or buying houses. It’s doing things for people you love and having great experiences with them.”

Plus, he says, fans who tune into tonight’s show will get a chance to see him perform a brand-new song.

“I’m nervous about it, and nobody’s ever heard the song before,” he admits. “It’s gonna be an exciting moment for us and something new, something we’ve never done before.”

The 2021 CMA Awards will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena tonight at 8:00 PM ET on ABC.

Kelsea Ballerini, Kenny Chesney take home two early CMA trophies for “Half of My Hometown”

Posted on November 10, 2021 by Carena Liptak

Kelsea Ballerini and Kenny Chesney are early CMA winners…times two! Ahead of tonight’s CMA Awards show, the two stars claimed a pair of trophies for their duet, “Half of My Hometown.”

Those awards are for CMA Musical Event of the Year and CMA Music Video of the Year. It’s the first time that Kelsea has ever won a CMA trophy, while Kenny is a nine-time winner. Their newest wins were announced on ABC’s Good Morning America this morning.

“Half of My Hometown” is the fourth single to come off of Kelsea’s latest album, Kelsea. The song is inspired by the singer’s hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee — a hometown she and Kenny share.

In the Musical Event of the Year category, Kelsea and Kenny were up against an impressive list of contenders, including Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd, Kane Brown and Chris Young, Miranda Lambert and Elle King, and Luke Bryan and Jordan Davis.

To win Music Video of the Year, they beat out Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, Kane and Chris, and Maren and Ryan.

More winners will be announced tonight at the 2021 CMA Awards, which broadcasts live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.

The Good Ones: Gabby Barrett reunites with ‘American Idol’ judges tonight, as she hopes her “very special” song wins big at the CMAs

Posted on November 10, 2021 by Andrea Dresdale

Thanks to hits like “I Hope” and “The Good Ones,” Gabby Barrett‘s the most successful artist from American Idol since it moved to ABC. Tonight, she’ll reunite with her former Idol judges on the CMA Awards, where “The Good Ones” — inspired by Gabby’s husband, fellow Idol finalist Cade Foehner — is up for multiple awards.

“It’s a very special song to me,” Gabby says. “It was ever since I wrote it. And ‘special’ is a great word, even though I’ve said it a lot. It’s a very sentimental song…and I’ll be glad to see it win anything, if possible.”

Gabby notes that it’s a “360-degree moment” to be nominated during a year that American Idol judge Luke Bryan is hosting the CMAs, and fellow judges Katy Perry and Lionel Richie are presenting. Gabby recalls how, after her third-place finish on Idol in 2018, Luke had her back.

“He’s always been very kind to me, even after the show,” she tells ABC Audio. “When he came to Heinz Field in Pittsburgh right after I had gotten off Idol, he brought me on the stage there and I got to sing in front of a stadium of people…so that was amazing.”

But Gabby’s quick to note that the success she’s experienced since then has all been down to what she calls her “hard work and perseverance.”

“It was not easy for me coming off the show because nobody wanted anything to do with me…it was very difficult for me,” she says of her post-Idol career. “I just had me and, thankfully, my wonderful management.”

“You just got to work hard and persevere,” she advises. “And eventually, one of them doors are going to open for you!”

The CMA Awards air at 8 p.m.ET tonight on ABC.

Luke Bryan says the CMA Awards offer a “microcosm of many flavors of music”

Posted on November 10, 2021 by Cillea Houghton

As Luke Bryan gears up to host the 2021 CMA Awards, he’s looking back on the moments that make the show special.

For the chart-topping singer, the diverse performances are an important part of the experience, offering viewers an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding into each artist.

“If you’ve never seen the CMA Awards, first of all, pray for the guy hosting, and sit back and enjoy an example and microcosm of many flavors of music,” Luke observes. “Sit back and enjoy the realness and the relatability and the stories of the songs that you’re hearing and the uniqueness of the artist and how the artist gives you where they’re from, who they are through their music.”

Additionally, Luke notes that among his favorite CMA Awards memories is when Chris Stapletoncatapulted from a behind-the-scenes songwriter into a superstar following his performance of “Tennessee Whiskey” with Justin Timberlake at the 2015 ceremony, a moment he says captures the essence of the show.

“I always love the breakout moments, the moments where a star is born. I never will forget [the] Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton moment that really put Stapleton on the map,” he shares. “Those are the things why you want to turn on the TV and watch stars be born, watch the way the show honors America and country music and how those two work so great together.”

Luke will take the stage as both the host and a performer when the CMA Awards air this Wednesday, November 10, on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.

Nashville notes

Posted on November 9, 2021 by Cillea Houghton

Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd will perform their hit duet “Chasing After You” on Jimmy Kimmel Live! tomorrow night. It airs after the CMA Awards at 11:35 p.m. ET on ABC.

Sam Hunt is headlining Casa Fiesta in Cancún, Mexico next year, March 14-18. The lineup also features Nelly, Parker McCollum, The Band Camino and more. Visit Pollen for more information.

It’s “Officially Christmas” with Dan + Shay‘s new holiday song! The track is a companion song to “Pick Out A Christmas Tree,” released as an Amazon Original earlier this month.

Chris Janson is partnering with Bass Pro Shops to donate a minimum of $100,000 to Folds of Honor, a veteran-focused nonprofit. The money will be used for at least 20 scholarships to be given to the spouses and children of fallen and disabled service members. It’s part of Bass Pro’s “round-up at the register” campaign, taking place now through November 13.