Lady A has been cranking out hit after hit for more than a decade now, but at the heart of the trio’s success is songwriting. Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood all proudly wear the title of songwriter before anything else. That’s why they’re so happy about their latest hit “Champagne Night”, which is result of their appearance on the NBC show Songland earlier this year. Originally titled “I’ll Drink To That” and presented to the group by Madeline Merlo, Charles Kelley immediately declared “this might be a hit, seriously.” Now with contributions from Madeline, Tina Parol, David Thomson, Patricia Conroy, Shane McAnally, and Lady A, “I’ll Drink To That” became “Champagne Night”.
Hillary gushes about the new version of the song, “What I love so much about ‘Champagne Night’ is just how the song makes me feel. It’s just so happy and fun and makes me just want to have a great time with people I love.” She also loves the fact that the group can help out a young songwriter, “I love the story of this song, I love that Madeline Merlo got this big, huge chance to come on Songland and work with Shane McAnally.”
Hillary says that “Champagne Night” really took off once the fans heard it, “We’re all celebrating the fact that this song got such a great response by the fans.” In the end though, Hillary shares “I couldn’t be more excited for Madeline as an up and coming songwriter, and I just know that this is the first of many for her.”
Check out the evolution of “Champagne Night” right here…
Some albums take a few months to make. Some take a couple of years. Brett Eldredge had an album two decades in the making, and he thinks it was completely worth the wait! In 2016 he released Glow, an album of 11 holiday tracks that Brett dreamed of making since he was a little boy.
He says, “I’ve been thinking about it for twenty-something years. Since I was a little kid, I was like ‘One day I’m going to record a Christmas song, just like these songs we’re listening to here’…you know, by the Christmas tree as a kid.” When Brett did get the chance to make his first holiday album, he jumped at the chance, “I’ve been waiting my whole life to make this album. I know it sounds cliché a little bit, but it’s totally true…it couldn’t be more true. This is THEE album I’ve been waiting to make my whole life, and kind of sums me up as a person, and how much I love Christmas.”
In 2018, Brett added 7 more songs, and released Glow (Deluxe Edition). This year Brett released a brand new Christmas single, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” (Latin version) which features Sofia Reyes. He previously recorded a version with Meghan Trainor, but this time Brett and Sofia have the musical conversation in both English and Spanish.
This Christmas season Brett has also been spending time with Kelly Clarkson performing “Under the Mistletoe.” From their appearance on Christmas In Rockefeller Center a couple weeks ago, to last night’s performance on NBC’s The Voice, and then heading to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon later this week, Brett is bubbling over with Christmas spirit…which he’s probably thrilled about, because as he says, “I love Christmas.”
Check out Brett and Kelly’s performance of “Under the Mistletoe” from The Voice, right here…
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee (2-6) concludes its 2020 road slate on Saturday in Nashville, against in-state rival Vanderbilt (0-8, SEC) with a 4 p.m. ET kickoff on the SEC Network. Volunteers senior Velus Jones Jr. (WR) and freshman Tyler Baron (LB), who will participate in the longstanding rivalry for the first time this weekend, talked with media members on Tuesday about their expectations and mindsets for the week.
On how QB J.T. Shrout impressed him on Saturday…
“He came in and he did his job. We’re all on scholarship. It’s our job and duty to perform and put our talents on display. He came in, did his job and did a really good job. I’m proud of him. I’m proud of my brother. He delivered two 90-yard drives. That’s also a great look for him.”
On if he anticipated his expanded role on Saturday and why he believes he was given that opportunity…
“It’s just consistency. At practice, you prove to the coaches that you’re the guy for the job and that you can get it done, no matter how many targets you get. Really, it’s just about being patient, trusting the process and sticking with it. When any opportunity comes my way, I’m going to make the most of it. That’s what happened on Saturday. I was blessed to be targeted as many times I was targeted.”
On his first touchdown as a Tennessee Vol…
“It was honestly a great feeling. The crowd went crazy. Is it 25 percent capacity? I’m not even sure how many fans there are, but it seemed like a packed house when I scored that touchdown. I can say, it was an amazing feeling for me because I think the last time I scored a touchdown was 2018. It felt good, like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I know how hard I prepared during the offseason, back at home. It felt like it all paid off. It’s not new to me. That game’s behind me now. I’ve got to get ready and focused on Vanderbilt and see if I can score some more.”
On what the coaching staff has told him about Tennessee’s in-state rivalry with Vanderbilt…
“This is my first season in the SEC and the coaches have been saying that Vanderbilt is a very competitive team. This is a great rivalry. Every week, we’re going to get every team’s best fight. I respect those guys. I’ve been watching them this season and studying them. They bring it every week, no matter who it is. We’re definitely looking forward to getting their best game. I can’t wait for this historical rivalry. It’s going to be fun competing against those guys. They’re a great team.”
On what this unprecedented season has been like for him mentally…
“With the mindset I have, whether they’re going to cancel games or postpone games, I have to go in with that mindset, each practice every week, of being ready to play the opponent. If the game is cancelled, I have to figure out what I’m going to do to help my team be successful in the next game. If the game is cancelled, I’ll go back to the basics and work on my craft. Mentally, (preseason postponements due to COVID-19) kind of slowed my process down, in terms of getting used to the system because it wasn’t in-person. I was at home, so I had to figure the routes out on my own, but I’m thankful that we had fall camp. I really learned a lot and caught up on a lot when I got here. It’s about trusting the process and staying ready whether you have a game or not. If you’re not having a game, ask yourself, ‘What can I do to get myself better during that bye week. That’s been my mindset.”
On his ability that has allowed him to play right away…
“For me, really, I feel that my mindset has been a big reason as to why I have been able to play so early. Also, with our strength staff, A.J. Artis and his staff, they have done a great job this summer really increasing my physical durability and getting it to where I can play 40-50 plays a game.”
On having a successful personal season amid a losing season…
“It’s been a blessing to have the little bit of success that I have had. The most important thing to me is winning and I know this season hasn’t gone as planned for most people but it hasn’t changed my mindset at all. I’m still going to come to work every day and try to get better and get better as a team.”
On the Tennessee-Vanderbilt rivalry…
“This is a great rivalry. Being from Nashville, I know a little bit more than most. I know Vanderbilt is going to come ready to play and we are going to do the same. It’s going to be a lot of fun playing against a few guys that I played in high school.”
On his celebration after his sack…
“It’s kind of something silly but just to get my first sack was my favorite moment of this year so far. It was great and I didn’t really put much thought into it, just something on the fly.”
On getting more playing time…
“It was definitely good to get more third down reps and more pass rushes. I feel like the only way to really improve in that area is to work on it and to get more of those reps. I definitely think it was beneficial to me and beneficial to that aspect of my game.”
On the defense’s lack of quarterback pressure against Florida…
“There are a lot of things that we saw on film that we could do better on. Personally, I just got to be able to pressure the quarterback and get him off his spot more. I put that burden a lot on myself and a lot of things that I didn’t do well. There are a lot of things that I can improve on.”
On why the team is still so dialed in despite a difficult season…
“I feel like it starts with our coaching staff; they come to work every day to make us a better team and take the next step. We take that same energy and display it on the field, always running to the ball and the small things. I feel like we do that well and that will be a big reason we will be successful in the years to come.”
Parker McCollum has a top 5 hit on his hands with his debut single “Pretty Heart.” The track is from his recently released EP, Hollywood Gold, and the success it’s having couldn’t make Parker any happier, “It’s honestly really truly just humbling.”
But, that success is not just for him…he shares it with his parents. After making a choice to pursue country music, Parker says this is a great validation of his decision, and he makes sure to update his parents every time “Pretty Heart” takes another step closer to the number-one spot, “I’ll send a screenshot to my parents, my mom and my dad, and I’ll be like, ‘Look how well it’s doing so quickly.’ And I think for them that’s really cool ’cause when I didn’t go to college…trying to play country music, I think they lost a little bit of sleep some of those nights wondering where the hell I was and what I was doing. And so I think it kinda puts their mind at ease a little bit to know that maybe I wasn’t crazy for trying to do this.”
Check out the music video for Parker McCollum’s hit song “Pretty Heart” right here…
While Sara Evans wasn’t able to go on tour this year, she has found new ways to connect with her fans. Back in the spring, she and her daughter Liv started their streaming social media show “Closet Chaos” where they’d talk music, life and everything in between with special guests, Phillip Sweet from Little Big Town, Carly Pearce, Edwin McCain, Martina McBride, and more.
Now Sara is bringing an even bigger experience to her fans this week with 3 streaming concerts.
Starting on Thursday, December 10th, Sara Evans will be performing her Greatest Hits virtual show where she promises “all of my hits and a few surprises.”
Friday, December 11th, Sara will be performing, for the first time ever, all the songs from her covers album, Copy That, which came out earlier this year.
Then Saturday night, December 12th, Sara will bring a little Christmas into your home with her At Christmas virtual show. Sara says, “Since we can’t bring our Christmas tour on the road this year, we’re coming straight to your living room with some holiday cheer.”
All three shows will feature Sara and her full band, along with some very special moments along the way.
Sara’s doing this to try end the year on a positive note for her fans that missed seeing her in concert in 2020, but also the tickets sold will help Sara’s band for the lack touring this year.
For more information, head to Sara Evans website, or check out her socials for promo videos of the upcoming virtual shows.
This is sure to be one of the songs on Sara Evans Greatest Hits virtual show…this is her number-one hit “Born to Fly”
