Lisa talks with Michael Ray about the importance of creating memorable moments onstage for his fans, his No. 1 song, “Think a Little Less,” his upcoming new album, what he learned while touring with Darius Rucker, his brief cameo on Nashville, and more.
Shania Twain is bringing her “That Don’t Impress Me Much” talents to Season 8 of The Voice on April 24.
Like Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill in previous seasons, Shania will serve as a mentor to the finalists.
Shania made the announcement on Twitter today (April 13): “Excited to announce that I’ll appear on @nbcthevoice this month, as a mentor to the finalists. Tune in on Monday 24th April at 8pm ET/PT”
Excited to announce that I’ll appear on @nbcthevoice this month, as a mentor to the finalists. Tune in on Monday 24th April at 8pm ET/PT pic.twitter.com/HqOcDPp2TG
Season 8 of The Voice features coaches Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Alicia Keys and Gwen Stefani. Luke Bryan, John Legend, DJ Khaled and Celine Dion have served as advisors.
The Voice picks back up on April 17 and 18 with Playoff results that will be voted on in real time on Twitter and through The Voice app. Tune in to NBC at 8 p.m. ET for all of the action.
According to TMZ, Blake Shelton has reached a settlement with In Touch magazine over its September 2015 issue that featured a cover story with the headline “Rehab for Blake: He Finally Hits Rock Bottom.” The accompanying article portrayed Blake as an alcoholic with several of the singer’s alleged drunken antics.
Blake denied the incidents occurred and filed a defamation lawsuit against In Touch and its parent company Bauer Publishing Co.
During a filing Thursday (April 13) in a Los Angeles federal court, lawyers for Blake and In Touch asked the judge to dismiss the defamation lawsuit filed by Blake. The filing did not include any details of a settlement.
A source told TMZ that “In Touch shelled out an undisclosed amount of money to make the suit go away.”
Adam Craig, one of country’s hottest new voices, released his current single, “Just a Phase”—featured on his self-titled EP—in February. Now the sultry voiced newcomer is releasing his first major label video, and he’s taking you behind the scenes to check it out.
“This is my first music video on a major label, and it really has been like a dream come true,” Adam tells Nash Country Daily. “Before you move to Nashville, you dream about making a music video and singing in front of large audiences and hearing yourself on the radio—there’s so much that goes into it all. It takes a village.”
Directed by the Edde Brothers, Matt and John, the video explores a minimalist vibe. It shows Adam performing in the middle of Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony, playing his guitar as the song narrates the story.
“Cause I’m a Friday nighter / And you’re a Sunday afternoon / I’m a reckless rock and roller / You’re a nice slow dance to a midnight tune / Deep in you’re heart I know you know I ain’t right for you / I’m just a phase you’re going through,” Adam sings in the chorus.
NCD talked with Adam about the making of “Just a Phase.”
What is the concept of the video for “Just a Phase”?
“The video for ‘Just a Phase’ takes you on the journey of this guy who is a musician and is out on tour. He has been on a date or two with this girl that he’s really hit it off with and now she’s come out on the road to see him. He really likes her but he also knows that he is ‘just a phase’ to her. But he really wants it to last and is essentially holding on for dear life, hoping that it will last longer than he knows it inevitably will.”
What is your role in the video?
“I’m the narrator and am telling the story that you see play out on screen. We filmed my performance at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in the middle of downtown Nashville and it’s just beautiful—the lighting, the vibe—everything was just so neat. It set the mood just perfectly.”
You also starred in the lyric video for “Just a Phase.” What was the difference for you between making the official music video and the lyric video?
“My part in this and my part in the lyric video were very similar. My part in this official music video was basically to just sing the song over and over until I didn’t look goofy doing it. I was very lucky to have the lyric video as kind of a dry run to figure it out a little.”
We all go through phases in our lives. What were some childhood phases you went through?
“Motorcross. Football. Baseball. I thought I was going to play major league baseball right out of T-ball. There was a phase where I kept getting in trouble because I saw a Def Leppard video on MTV. I took a pair of scissors and shredded every pair of jeans I owned. There was a pretty good spanking session after that. That was a bad phase. I was also way into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles—the old ninja turtles back when they were real and they used to kick butt.”
Check out the behind the scenes video for “Just a Phase.”
Check out the final version of “Just a Phase,” right here.
If you’re one of those country fans that have been longing for a return of ’80s, ’90s and ’00’s country music, you’re in luck. The CMA has announced a brand new stage at CMA Music Festival, on June 8 -11 in Nashville, called the Budweiser Forever Country Park Stage.
Located in the park behind Ascend Amphitheater, the stage will hosts artists such as The Bellamy Brothers, Mark Chesnutt, Tracy Lawrence, Darryl Worley, Daryle Singletary, Little Texas, Mark Wills, Confederate Railroad, Lonestar, Lari White, Ty Herndon, Andy Griggs, Trick Pony, Jamie O’Neal, Shenandoah, Restless Heart, Emerson Drive, John Berry, Collin Raye and many more.
Forever Country Park Stage is free and open to the public. So hold on to your hats and check out this super ’80s, ’90s and ’00s full-lineup.
We’ll see you there, but you’ll have to get in line behind us.
Thursday, June 8
11:00am – 11:30pm – Emerson Drive
11:45am – 12:15pm – Confederate Railroad
12:30pm – 1:45pm – Tracy Lawrence (also performing at Nissan Stadium Sunday, June 11 at 8pm)
2:00pm – 2:30pm – Daryle Singletary
2:45pm – 3:15pm – Mark Wills
3:30pm-4:00pm – The Bellamy Brothers
4:15pm – 4:45pm – Lonestar
Friday, June 9
11:00am – 11:30am – Lari White
11:45am – 12:15pm – Trick Pony
12:30pm – 1:00pm – Ty Herndon
1:15pm – 1:45pm – Darryl Worley
2:00pm – 2:30pm – James Otto
2:45pm – 3:15pm – Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers
3:30pm – 4:00pm – Danielle Peck
4:15pm – 4:45pm – Ray Scott
Saturday, June 10
11:00am – 11:30am – George Ducas
11:45am – 12:15pm – John Berry
12:30pm – 1:00pm – Andy Griggs
1:15pm – 1:45pm – Doug Supernaw
2:00pm – 2:30pm – Rick Monroe
2:45pm – 3:15pm – Mila Mason
3:30pm – 4:00pm – Terry McBride
4:15pm – 4:45pm – Mark Chesnutt
Sunday, June 11
11:00am – 11:30am – Restless Heart
11:45am – 12:15pm – Julie Roberts
12:30pm – 1:00pm – Exile
1:15pm – 1:45pm – Jeff Bates
2:00pm – 2:30pm – Shenandoah
2:45pm – 3:15pm – Jamie O’Neal
3:30pm – 4:00pm – Little Texas
4:15pm – 4:45pm – Collin Raye
Tracy Lawrence photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for The Country Music Hall Of Fame & Museum; Darryl Worley photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for IEBA; Mark Chesnutt photo by Suzi Pratt/FilmMagic
Loretta Lynn will turn 85 years old on Friday, April 14, and she’s celebrating with two sold-out shows at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on April 14 and 15. But the celebration is starting today (April 13) as Loretta announced she will be releasing a new album, Wouldn’t It Be Great, on Aug. 18.
All of the tunes on the new 10-song offering were penned or co-penned by Loretta. Like the album’s predecessor, the Grammy-nominated Full Circle (March 2016), Wouldn’t It Be Great was mainly recorded at the Cash Cabin Studio in Hendersonville, Tenn., with producers Patsy Lynn Russell and John Carter Cash. The album features new songs “Ruby’s Stool,” “Ain’t No Time to Go” and “I’m Dying for Someone to Live For” alongside newly recorded renditions of past compositions such as “God Makes No Mistakes,” “Coal Miner’s Daughter” and “Don’t Come Home A’ Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind).”
“I think you try to do better with every record you put out,” Loretta said in a press release. “It’s just everyday living—and everybody wants to know, ‘Well, what is it about your songs that people like?’ I think you’ve got to tell your stories. I just think it hits everybody, you know, the songs.”
Wouldn’t It Be Great Track List and Songwriters
“Wouldn’t It Be Great” (Loretta Lynn)
“Ruby’s Stool” (Loretta Lynn, Shawn Camp)
“I’m Dying for Someone to Live For” (Loretta Lynn, Shawn Camp)
“Another Bridge to Burn” (Loretta Lynn, Lola Jean Dillon)
“Ain’t No Time to Go” (Loretta Lynn, Patsy Lynn Russell)
“God Makes No Mistakes” (Loretta Lynn)
“These Ole Blues” (Loretta Lynn, Patsy Lynn Russell)
“My Angel Mother” (Loretta Lynn)
“Don’t Come Home A’ Drinkin'” (Loretta Lynn, Peggy Sue Wells)
“The Big Man” (Loretta Lynn, Shawn Camp)
“Lulie Vars” (Traditional, arrangement by Loretta Lynn)
“Darkest Day” (Loretta Lynn)
“Coal Miner’s Daughter” (Loretta Lynn)
Congratulations are in order for Zac Brown Band’s violin player, Jimmy De Martini and his wife Stacey, who welcomed a bouncing baby girl to their family earlier this month.
Jonelle De Martini was born on April 4, weighing in at 6lbs 5 oz and is the first girl for the couple. The new baby will join big brothers James, Joseph and Jackson, who will be in charge of looking out for their little sister.
Zac Brown Band posted a photo of Jimmy’s three boys and new daughter on Instagram, along with a congratulatory note.
“Big congratulations to Stacey and Jimmy De Martini who welcomed their fourth child and first daughter Jonelle on April 4, weighing in at 6 lbs 5oz. Jonelle joins big brothers James (9), Joseph (6) and Jackson (almost 2),” they said in the caption.
Congratulations to the happy couple and their growing family.
Carrie posted a pic on Instagram of her freshly painted fingernails and toenails that match the team colors—navy blue and gold—of the Nashville Predators. Carrie’s husband, Mike Fisher, will lead the Preds against the Chicago Blackhawks tonight (April 14) in the first round of the NHL playoffs.
Jessie James Decker can now add “Brand Ambassador” to her flourishing résumé.
The singer/songwriter/TV personality/entrepreneur has been named the brand ambassador for South Beach Diet, a division of Nutrisystem.
The mother-of-two will appear in a 360-degree marketing campaign for the company, including TV, online, digital and social media.
“I have been following the principles of the South Beach Diet for quite some time,” said Jessie James in a press release. “My days often consist of juggling work while running around after my kids, and sometimes I forget that I need to focus on myself. With the South Beach Diet, I can easily grab a meal, a bar or a shake, and be confident that I am eating healthy, even on the go.”
South Beach Diet boasts a menu of more than 70 frozen and pantry-ready meals and snacks.
The University of Tennessee has finally recognized something we’ve known for years: Dolly Parton = higher learning.
Since the Fall 2016 semester, Dolly has been the subject of an honors class—”Course-Work: Dolly’s America”—at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, which is about 30 miles northwest of her hometown in Sevierville, Tenn.
The class is offered to honors history students. Materials assigned for the class include Dolly Parton’s book, Dolly: My Life, and other books about Appalachia like Hillbilly and Dear Appalachia. The wider watch list includes a range of media like the TV show The Beverly Hillbillies and trailers for Roots, Saturday Night Fever and Coal Miner’s Daughter—pop culture sources that are generally overlooked by historians. Students keep journals, making notes on topics like the perceptions of Appalachia in pop culture. At the end of the class, each student writes a 10-page work answering the question “What was Dolly Parton’s America?”
A few days ago, Dolly tweeted about the ongoing class.
From the girl voted in High School ‘least likely to succeed’ this sure is a blessing! https://t.co/3EnB8ixB4f
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