Country
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On Thursday night (Sept. 28), the Grand Ole Opry House hosted the inaugural, fan-powered People’s Choice Country Awards, hosted by Little Big Town. The awards ceremony — which aimed to add a fourth major country music awards show to the annual country awards circuit — thrust many of today’s top crop of stars and timeless […]

Toby Keith, who received the Country Icon award at the first ever People’s Choice Country Awards on Thursday night (Sept. 28), shared an update on his battle with stomach cancer, which he was diagnosed with in 2021. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I’ve walked some dark hallways. Almighty’s […]
Kelsea Ballerini is on the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce train. “I love Travis. We did SNL together. I love Taylor. We were close for many years. I want happiness for everyone, so vibe,” the country star told Extra on the red carpet at the first People’s Choice Country Awards. Ballerini was also discussed Swift’s […]
Music legend Willie Nelson may be best known for as a country superstar, but some might not realize he’s visited many other Billboard album genre charts outside of the Top Country Albums chart — where’s racked up a record 53 top 10s, with 18 of them hitting No. 1. Over the years, Nelson has placed high-charting efforts on these genre-specific album rankings: Blues Albums, Kid Albums, Reggae Albums, Traditional Jazz Albums, Jazz Albums, Americana/Folk Albums and Top Christian Albums.
Now, Nelson’s new Bluegrass album, released on Sept. 15, appropriately debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Bluegrass Albums chart (dated Sept. 30), marking his first appearance on the 21-year-old tally. On the album, Nelson reinterprets a dozen of his older songs, joined by a bluegrass ensemble. Billboard’s Bluegrass Albums chart ranks the top-selling bluegrass albums of the week in the U.S., based on traditional album sales, as tracked by Luminate. In the week ending Sept. 21, Nelson’s Bluegrass sold 3,000 copies.
Below is a recap of Nelson’s history on Billboard’s major album genre charts, aside from Top Country Albums. (In addition, Nelson has logged 83 entries on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart.)
Chart NameAlbum Title, Peak Position, Peak Date
Blues AlbumsMilk Cow Blues, No. 2, Oct. 7, 2000
Kid AlbumsRainbow Connection, No. 7, June 30, 2001
Reggae AlbumsCountryman, No. 1 (nine weeks at No. 1), July 30, 2005
Traditional Jazz AlbumsTwo Men With the Blues (Nelson and Wynton Marsalis), No. 1 (four weeks), July 26, 2008Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles (Nelson & Wynton Marsalis featuring Norah Jones), No. 1 (five weeks), April 16, 2011Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin, No. 1 (five weeks), March 19, 2016My Way, No. 2, Sept. 29, 2018That’s Life, No. 1 (two weeks), March 13, 2021
Jazz AlbumsTwo Men With the Blues (Nelson and Wynton Marsalis), No. 1 (four weeks), July 26, 2008Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles (Nelson & Wynton Marsalis featuring Norah Jones), No. 2, April 16, 2011Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin, No. 1 (three weeks), March 19, 2016My Way, No. 2, Sept. 29, 2018That’s Life, No. 1 (two weeks), March 13, 2021
Americana/Folk AlbumsLast Man Standing, No. 1, May 12, 2018Ride Me Back Home, No. 1, July 6, 2019First Rose of Spring, No. 1, July 18, 2020The Willie Nelson Family, No. 12, Dec. 4, 2021A Beautiful Time, No. 3, May 14, 2022
Top Christian AlbumsJust As I Am: 18 Hymns and Gospel Favorites (Willie Nelson and Bobbie Nelson), No. 37, Aug. 27, 2022
Bluegrass AlbumsBluegrass, No. 1, Sept. 30, 2023
The very first People’s Choice Country Awards are going down live from Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House on Thursday night (Sept. 28).
Going into the show, Morgan Wallen led all nominees with 11 nods, trailed by Luke Combs and HARDY with nine nods each; Jelly Roll with eight; Lainey Wilson with seven; Zach Bryan and Kane Brown with six each; and Megan Moroney with five.
But who will be the night’s big winner? Follow along with Billboard’s full winners list below:
The People’s Artist of 2023
Blake Shelton
Kane Brown
Kelsea Ballerini
Lainey Wilson
Luke Combs
Morgan Wallen
Old Dominion
Zach Bryan
The Male Artist of 2023
Bailey Zimmerman
Blake Shelton
HARDY
Jelly Roll
Kane Brown
Luke Combs
Morgan Wallen
Zach Bryan
The Female Artist of 2023
Ashley McBryde
Carly Pearce
Carrie Underwood
Elle King
Kelsea Ballerini
WINNER: Lainey Wilson
Megan Moroney
Miranda Lambert
The Group/Duo of 2023
Brothers Osborne
WINNER: Dan + Shay
Lady A
Little Big Town
Maddie & Tae
Old Dominion
Parmalee
The War and Treaty
The New Artist of 2023
Bailey Zimmerman
Corey Kent
ERNEST
Ingrid Andress
Jelly Roll
Megan Moroney
Priscilla Block
Zach Bryan
The Album of 2023
Bell Bottom Country – Lainey Wilson
Different Man – Kane Brown
Gettin’ Old – Luke Combs
One Thing at a Time – Morgan Wallen
Religiously. The Album. – Bailey Zimmerman
Rolling Up the Welcome Mat – Kelsea Ballerini
the mockingbird & THE CROW – HARDY
Whitsitt Chapel – Jelly Roll
The Song of 2023
“Fast Car” – Luke Combs; Songwriter: Tracy Chapman
“Last Night” – Morgan Wallen; Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, John Byron, Ryan Vojtesak
“Love You Anyway” – Luke Combs; Songwriters: Dan Isbell, Luke Combs, Ray Fulcher
“Need a Favor” – Jelly Roll; Songwriters: Austin Nivarel, Jason DeFord/Jelly Roll, Joe Ragosta, Rob Ragosta
“Tennessee Orange” – Megan Moroney; Songwriters: Ben Williams, David Fanning, Megan Moroney, Paul Jenkins
“Thank God” – Kane Brown, Katelyn Brown; Songwriters: Christian Stalnecker, Jared Mullins, Jaxson Free, Josh Hoge, Kyle Fishman
“Thinkin’ Bout Me” – Morgan Wallen; Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, John Byron, Ryan Vojtesak, Taylor Phillips
“wait in the truck” – HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson; Songwriters: Hunter Phelps, Jordan Schmidt, Michael Hardy, Renee Blair
The Collaboration Song of 2023
“Beer With My Friends” – Kenny Chesney & Old Dominion; Songwriters: Bryan Simpson, David Lee Murphy, Shy Carter
“Cowgirls” – Morgan Wallen feat. ERNEST; Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Ernest Keith Smith, James Maddocks, Milan Modi, Rocky Block, Ryan Vojtesak
“red” – HARDY feat. Morgan Wallen; Songwriters: Michael Hardy, Rhett Akins, Ben Hayslip, Jacob Rice
WINNER: “Save Me” – Jelly Roll with Lainey Wilson; Songwriters: David Ray, Jason DeFord/Jelly Roll
“Thank God” – Kane Brown, Katelyn Brown; Songwriters: Christian Stalnecker, Jared Mullins, Jaxson Free, Josh Hoge, Kyle Fishman
“wait in the truck” – HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson; Songwriters: Hunter Phelps, Jordan Schmidt, Michael Hardy, Renee Blair
“We Don’t Fight Anymore” – Carly Pearce, Chris Stapleton; Songwriters: Shane McAnally, Carly Pearce, Pete Good
“You, Me, and Whiskey” – Justin Moore, Priscilla Block; Songwriters: Brock Berryhill, Jessi Alexander, Cole Taylor
The Crossover Song of 2023
“Dawns” – Zach Bryan feat. Maggie Rogers; Songwriters: Maggie Rogers, Zachary Lane Bryan
“Just Say I’m Sorry” – P!nk, Chris Stapleton; Songwriters: Alecia Moore, Chris Stapleton
“Life Goes On” – Ed Sheeran feat. Luke Combs; Songwriter: Ed Sheeran
“Seasons” – Bebe Rexha, Dolly Parton; Songwriters: Bebe Rexha, Ido Zmishlany, Sarah Solovay
“Texas” – Jessie Murph feat. Maren Morris; Songwriters: Alex Niceforo, Amy Allen, Jessie Murph, Warren “Oak” Felder
“That’s Not How This Works” – Charlie Puth feat. Dan + Shay; Songwriters: Jordan Reynolds, Charlie Puth, Dan Smyers
“UNHEALTHY” – Anne-Marie feat. Shania Twain; Songwriters: Anne-Marie Nicholson, CASTLE, Connor McDonough, Riley McDonough
“Wasted” – Diplo feat. Kodak Black & Koe Wetzel; Songwriters: Bill K. Kapri, Richard Cook Mears IV, Ropyr Wetzel, Thomas Wesley Pentz
The Music Video of 2023
“In Your Love” – Tyler Childers
“Need a Favor” – Jelly Roll
“Tennessee Orange” – Megan Moroney
“Thank God” – Kane Brown, Katelyn Brown
“Thought You Should Know” – Morgan Wallen
“wait in the truck” – HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson
“Where We Started” – Thomas Rhett, Katy Perry
“You Proof” – Morgan Wallen
The Concert Tour of 2023
Blake Shelton: Back to the Honky Tonk Tour
Carrie Underwood: Denim & Rhinestones Tour
Chris Stapleton’s All-American Road Show Tour
Kenny Chesney: I Go Back 2023 Tour
Luke Combs World Tour
Morgan Wallen: One Night at a Time World Tour
Shania Twain: Queen of Me Tour
Zach Bryan: The Burn, Burn, Burn Tour
The Social Country Star of 2023
Bailey Zimmerman
WINNER: Blake Shelton
Carrie Underwood
Dolly Parton
Kelsea Ballerini
Luke Combs
Morgan Wallen
Shania Twain
The inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards have arrived! Lainey Wilson, HARDY, Kelsea Ballerini, Lady A, Brothers Osborne and more country stars hit the red carpet outside Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House. Little Big Town were also in the house, as the night’s first performers and hosts. Ahead of the show, LBT’s Phillip Sweet told Billboard […]
He’s country, he’s rock, he’s a superstar. Zach Bryan wrapped the Burn Burn Burn Tour at the end of August after touring the continent all summer. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, the trek grossed $43.9 million and sold 475,000 tickets across 32 dates.
The Burn Burn Burn Tour took Bryan around the U.S. and Canada in a mix of amphitheaters and arenas, promoted by AEG Presents. The routing mixed primary markets such as New York and Los Angeles with secondary markets including Wilkes-Barre, Penn., and Grand Rapids, Mich., just as his music fuses genres and eschews traditional demographic lines.
With that, the biggest shows on the tour were not major pop stops such as Chicago or San Francisco, nor country hot spots Nashville or Dallas (he didn’t play anywhere in Tennessee). Instead, with roots in each city, double-headers at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center (May 30-31) and Tulsa’s BOK Center (Aug. 10-11) shone the brightest, with earnings of $3.7 million and $3.2 million, respectively.
The Burn Burn Burn Tour was Bryan’s second live outing in two years. Just last year, he mounted the American Run Tour. Each tour was almost identical in length (32 shows in 2023 vs. 31 in 2022) but the results were dramatically different. The average attendance scaled from 5,735 tickets on last year’s run to 14,841 this summer, jumping by 158%. While his reach grew, so did demand. All while endeavoring to control a ballooning ticketing market, the average price jumped from $51 in 2022 to $92.52 in 2023.
Those are stellar improvements for any artist, but even more stark considering the six-month break between tours. And while the Burn Burn Burn Tour ended last month, Bryan has already plotted his next live venture. The Quittin’ Time Tour kicks off in Chicago on March 6, scheduled to run through mid-December with two final hometown shows at the BOK Center.
Even at his current pace, Bryan is already situated to do bigger business in 2024 than 2023. The initial Quittin’ Time announcement included 53 shows, more ambitious than this year’s 32. Just by adding 20-plus dates, next year’s run is on track to land in the $70 million to $75 million range. But he’s unlikely to top out there, as his ’24 routing is bulked up not just in length, but in size.
Bryan will return to some of the arenas from this summer’s tour, coming back to Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena and the Desert Diamond Casino in Glendale, Ariz., playing two shows at each venue rather than one. In other markets, there are clever extensions, like playing two shows at the Prudential Center, N.J., and two at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, compared to this year’s double header at Forest Hills Stadium in New York City’s Queens. Despite its name, the latter venue functions more like a scaled amphitheater, smaller than either of next year’s New York-area arenas.
Elsewhere, it’ll be a whole different ball game. Two 2023 arena dates in Philadelphia will translate to a night at the city’s football stadium (Lincoln Financial Field) in 2024. More stadiums fill out his routing in Atlanta; Foxborough, Mass.; Minneapolis; and Tampa, some of which will be new concert markets for Bryan altogether.
It’s easy to plot Bryan’s transformation from theaters to arenas to stadiums over such a short window. This year’s Burn Burn Burn Tour was plotted, announced and went on-sale amidst the lingering success of American Heartbreak, which debuted and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and then stayed in the top 20 for all but one of the 70 weeks since.
Next year’s Quittin’ Time Tour was announced at the tail end of this year’s run, upon the release of his self-titled album. That one debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and spawned a No. 1 arrival on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart with “I Remember Everything,” featuring Kacey Musgraves. Just last week, he followed it with Boys of Faith, an EP that is currently posting major streaming numbers that are atypical for a seemingly casual release.
Following post-pandemic stadium transformations for Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen, Bryan will likely mount one of the biggest country tours in Boxscore history. The expanded and fortified routing could lead the Quittin’ Time Tour toward $100 million and one million tickets in 2024.
In his song “That Ain’t Country,” queer artist Adam Mac proudly declared to his detractors that, if they tried that in his small town, they would be met with a community that supports him unconditionally. “The people in the town where I was raised/ They love me/ And they got my back,” he defiantly proclaimed.
Yet over the past week, Mac watched as his theory was tested in real time. “I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed that I would preach this love and acceptance that my hometown has had for me, and then immediately feel a little betrayed in the moment,” Mac tells Billboard over a Zoom call. Dressed in a wide-brimmed hat and a lavender pointelle polo, the singer sighs. “This has been the most insane emotional whiplash that I have ever experienced in my life.”
Last Thursday (Sept. 21), Mac announced in an emotional video posted across his social media channels that he would be canceling his scheduled appearance as the headliner of the Logan County Tobacco and Heritage Festival’s Grand Finale concert. The reason behind the cancellation, Mac told his fans, was that there were concerns he would be “promoting homosexuality or sexuality in a family friendly environment” with his performance. “I’m really sad about it,” he said in the clip, fighting back tears. “I really, really wanted to be there.”
But just one week later, the situation has dramatically shifted for the rising country singer. In a post to her Instagram Stories on Thursday (Sept. 28), country superstar Maren Morris announced that Mac would be joining RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Shea Couleé as an opener for her exclusive, fans-only sold-out show in Chicago next week. “Like I said,” Mac says, laughing. “Emotional whiplash.”
As he reflects on the chaotic week he’s experienced, Mac briefly looks as though the information is just setting in for the first time. “It started as something so disappointing and embarrassing and sad, and very quickly turned into the most insane amount of love I have ever been flooded with in my life,” he says, giddy with excitement. “It’s led to one of the coolest things I am ever going to do.”
Mac originally hails from Russellville, Kentucky, which he describes as a town small enough that “we pretty much all know each other.” Leaving home at 22 to chase his dream as a singer-songwriter in Nashville, Mac spent years writing and self-releasing music to try and make a name in an industry that wasn’t necessarily open to the idea of an openly gay country star.
But eventually, people began to take notice. In September 2022, Mac’s music video for “Disco Cowboy” premiered on CMT, where it remained the station’s No. 1 video of their 12-Pack Countdown for four weeks. In March, Mac posted a clip to TikTok of an emotional ballad dedicated to his mother called “Boy Like Me”; the video has since been viewed over 300,000 times. In April, he was highlighted alongside Shelly Fairchild, Sonia Leigh and Angie K at the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Country Proud showcase.
With a performance at CMA Fest in June, and bookings around Nashville and Los Angeles throughout the rest of the summer, 2023 officially felt like it was Mac’s year — especially with the release of his album Disco Cowboy in May. “What we created is something that feels so much like me. I felt like I finally found my home, where I don’t have to sacrifice being ‘too gay’ or loving this sound,” he says. “It just felt like the perfect marriage to be able to tell my story and do it in a way that that felt good to me.”
When the Logan County Chamber of Commerce reached out to ask Mac to headline their annual Tobacco and Heritage festival, he says it felt like a full-circle moment. “The initial process was just so warm and welcoming,” he recalls. “It felt like this big ‘welcome back home’ after a crazy year of successes.”
That’s when the shift started. Two days after the festival announced Mac as the headliner for their Grand Finale Concert and Fireworks in a since-deleted Facebook post, the singer received a call from the person who booked him for the show, a woman Mac says he’s “known my whole life.” She said that the board members at the Chamber of Commerce had some concerns.
“Some board members wanted her to call in ensure that I would not be ‘promoting homosexuality in a family friendly environment, and they wanted to make sure that I knew that this was not a Pride festival,” he recalls. “It just felt like they were telling me, ‘We know you’re gay, just please don’t be too gay. This is a family event,’ as if being gay is inherently sexual.”
The call was prompted not only by board members concerned about queerness represented on their stage — a number of townsfolk, both online and in person at the Chamber of Commerce, made it clear that they intended to protest Mac’s performance while it was happening. “I wanted it to be this homecoming — that vision did not include protesters with signs and pitchforks behind me,” he recalls. “And so I just told her, ‘I just think it’s best for us to pull out of the show.’”
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Having “never cancelled a show,” Mac felt it was only fair to explain why he wouldn’t be performing at the festival in his own video. Sporting a Maren Morris “lunatic country music person” t-shirt, the singer filmed himself explained the entire situation to his fans, and posted it across all of his social media accounts. “I just wanted people to see me and see that I was genuinely hurt to do this.”
The message stuck. Immediately, the video went viral, with fans, both from and outside of Russellville sharing their disappointment that Mac would be treated this way and offering him their support. The feedback also reached the Logan County Chamber of Commerce — Mac received a call from the Chamber after his video went live, saying that there were “10 times the [number of] people that were originally saying that they would protest the show, now saying they can’t believe that we would cancel your show.”
It was a validating moment for Mac, especially when those fans continued to share his the message, which eventually reached country stars like Morris, Kelsea Ballerini, Lindsay Ell and Brandy Clark . “You are loved. I’m sorry this happened but glad you’re sharing it here,” Morris commented on his Instagram post.
“It was all these divas who I have f–king looked up to, and who have been allies to our community, and who have been there for us when no one else was,” he says. “Not only did my community show up for me, but this music community, this country community also showed up for me.”
But the fun was not yet over. Just a few days after his video went viral, Mac received a call from a number he didn’t recognize — which he knew meant “either they want some money, or they’re about to give me a hell of a lot of money.” When he answered, a representative from CAA was on the other end, saying that his name had come up in a meeting discussing openers for Morris’ show at Joe’s on Weed Street in Chicago, and wondering if he would be interested in performing. “I literally collapsed,” Mac says, still stunned. “I’m still pinching myself.”
Between massive artists like Morris showing him support, and organizations like CMT inviting him to perform at their Equal Access showcase, Mac says he’s never felt more supported by the country music industry. But he also recognizes that country music is also currently fractured; progressive country acts — led largely by women, queer folks and people of color — are advocating for change, while more conservative stars are actively appealing to a right-wing fanbase. Morris herself has expressed her intent to essentially leave the genre after years of fighting against its general failures of inclusivity.
“That is the climate that has been created in our nation, and so it gets very clearly reflected in country music,” he says. But Mac remains hopeful that country music, as a whole, can change for the better. “It’s easy to jump on the bandwagon of hating someone or something because it’s different,” he says. “But I have seen, even just in this situation, that there is so much more love and that there is so much more to audiences than we give them credit for.”
It’s fitting, then, that Mac’s song “That Ain’t Country” also serves as an anti-gatekeeping anthem for the country industry. Lyrics like “Ain’t who you take to bed/ Ain’t in that small town draw/ Yeah it’s in what you’re saying/ Not the way you talk” make his assertion clear; bigotry and hatred don’t buy longevity, and those standing in the way of progress won’t ultimately succeed. Lucky for him, the gates are now opening wide — and Mac is ready to step through.

Hitmaking vocal group Little Big Town will host the inaugural, fan-voted People’s Choice Country Awards when it premieres on tomorrow (Sept. 28) on NBC and Peacock from Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House.
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“It’s going to feel like a really good party, but also a feeling of coming back home — connecting with the past and the present and all those things I think we are kind of missing and needing right now,” LBT member Phillip Sweet tells Billboard via Zoom.
“We are lucky enough to be Grand Ole Opry members, so we will be the gatekeepers of the Grand Ole Opry stage that night,” LBT member Kimberly Schlapman adds of the group’s 2014 induction into Grand Ole Opry membership. While this will mark the first People’s Choice Country Awards to be held on the Grand Ole Opry House stage, the Opry House has a venerable history of awards shows, previously serving as the home to the CMA Awards ceremony from 1974 (when Johnny Cash served as host of the show) through 2004.
Though the People’s Choice Awards began in 1975, and has regularly honored country artists in its all-genre ceremony, this marks the first time they have launched a specifically country music-centered awards show.
Little Big Town will guide a show whose slate of nominees includes Morgan Wallen (11 nominations), Luke Combs and HARDY (nine nominations each), Jelly Roll (eight nominations), Lainey Wilson (seven nominations), Zach Bryan and Kane Brown (six nominations each) and Megan Moroney (five nominations).
Blake Shelton, Kane Brown, Toby Keith, HARDY, Jelly Roll, Dan+Shay, Kelsea Ballerini, Carly Pearce and Little Big Town are among the evening’s performers. Shelton will honor Toby Keith with the Country Music Icon award, while Wynonna Judd will be honored with the Country Champion award, saluting her longtime commitment to social causes and philanthropy.
Little Big Town’s breakthrough 2005 single “Boondocks” first demonstrated the quartet’s show-stopping vocal power, as well as its enviable artistic range. Together, Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild, Schlapman, Sweet and Jimi Westbrook are capable of delivering Fleetwood Mac-inspired rock harmonies, light-hearted pop-country fare and sultry ballads such as “Girl Crush.” They’ve earned three Grammys and have been named the CMA Awards’ vocal group of the year six times. They also won a People’s Choice Award trophy for favorite country group in 2017.
The People’s Country Choice Awards’ inaugural moment comes as country music has experienced an elite year on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, with artists like Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, Jason Aldean and Zach Bryan surging to the upper echelons of the chart.
“It’s a unique situation, the fact that we’re the ones that connect the dots with fans and bring all this history together with the modern age of where country music is at the top of the charts right now,” Sweet says. “To see the unbelievable level of superstars we have in our genre that are just ruling all of music and it’s a special night, we jumped at the opportunity to be a part of it. We love hosting. We always have so much fun.”
“You look at a song like ‘Fast Car’ that Tracy Chapman wrote,” Fairchild says. “I love the original and I love Luke [Combs]’s version, and seeing such a lyrically substantive song. I love that Luke didn’t change any of the lyrics, and I think it was something his father had played for him growing up. So to watch that be at the top of the Billboard charts along with a lot of other country people right now is pretty epic.
“I also think it speaks to how people listen to music today,” Fairchild continues. “They’ll go to a Lil Baby show or a SZA show, then see Morgan Wallen, or Kane Brown, or Kelsea Ballerini. It’s the way people are streaming, listening and spending their money on shows.”
Given the precedent in country music of longtime hosting gigs held by artists including Vince Gill (who hosted the CMA Awards from 1992 to 2003), Reba McEntire (who hosted the ACM Awards 16 times), and the duo of Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley (who co-hosted the CMA Awards for 11 years), Little Big Town’s members say they would be open to a similar long-running gig — and they’ve appreciated the work done by their fellow artists who have held hosting roles.
“The longest stretch we hosted was probably a four- or five year-run of CMA Fest. It’s fun to get into a rhythm with writers and a network that wants to do fun things,” Fairchild says. “Luke [Bryan], Dolly, Reba, they’ve all been great hosts; it’s a lot to live up to.”
“I think Vince [Gill] was incredible. He had such a relaxed feeling at the CMAs for so many years,” Fairchild says. “And I thought Brad and Carrie were always so funny with their delivery as hosts.”Westbrook notes that as much fun as fans are having in the main Opry House, artists just might be having even more fun backstage: “It’s always so special seeing everyone and that’s where we have the most fun, great memories.”
Among the artists the group is looking forward to reconnecting with is Blake Shelton. “We haven’t seen him in a long time. And Wy [Wynonna],” Schlapman says.
“And Kelsea [Ballerini]’s performances lately have just been blowing my mind. It’s always exciting to see what she will come up with. And I kind of already know what she’s going to do,” Fairchild adds with a coy smile.
Sweet is excited to see Jelly Roll: “He’s such a sweet guy and I met him a few months back, and he’s having such a huge moment,” he says.
Following its hosting duties, coming up for Little Big Town is collaboration with “My Boy” hitmaker Elvie Shane, although they were scant on details. “We cut an incredible song, and hopefully fans will get to hear that soon,” Fairchild says.
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It’s almost time to lasso yourself onto your couch and tune into the very first People’s Choice Country Awards 2023. The inaugural event is set to occur on Thursday (Sept. 28) with a slew of performances by some of country music’s biggest names including Blake Shelton, Jelly Roll, Dan + Shay and more.
The show will be aired on NBC and Peacock at 8 p.m. ET, which you means you have a few streaming options to choose from to tune into. Our suggestion? Peacock gives you instant access to NBC’s library of programming along with a slew of exclusive offerings such as live sports.
For two hours, country stars will gather together with Little Big Town as the host for the night.
Keep reading to learn how to watch the award show as well as what to expect when the big night arrives.
How to Watch the People’s Choice Country Awards 2023
The inaugural event will air on NBC and Peacock at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday (Sept. 28). Cable users can tune in wherever NBC airs — just check with your cable provider to see what channel it’s on.
If you don’t have cable, Peacock is livestreaming the event, and subscribers can watch it by logging into their account for no additional cost.
Don’t have a subscription? Peacock offers a couple plans at an affordable cost starting with the Peacock Premium plan for $5.99/month, which includes some ads, access to the full Peacock library including NBC and Bravo shows, movies and originals. Live sports and events are also included as well as over 50 channels. The Premium Plus plan is $11.99/month and includes everything in the Premium plan with no ads, local 24/7 NBC channels and the ability to download content to watch offline.
Peacock $5.99/month
Besides the award show, you’ll have access to Peacock Originals in addition to sports, NBC and Bravo shows such as Based on a True Story, Bupkis, Mrs. Davis, Poker Face, Bel-Air, Poker Face, Yellowstone, The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip, Vanderpump Rules, Queens Court, The Traitors, The Best Man: The Final Chapters, Sick and more.
Looking for more ways to save? Live channel streamers may have access to promos and free trials that’ll save you money and give you access to the award show. Philo, Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV all have the NBC channel along with hundreds of other live TV offerings.
Artists Performing at the People’s Choice Country Awards
Pop some popcorn and get pumped for performances by Shelton, Carly Pearce, Dan + Shay, HARDY, Jelly Roll, Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town, Toby Keith and Wynonna Judd.
Judd is also set to be honored with the Country Champion Award for her decades-long music career and work in the community with organizations such as the Wounded Warrior Project and Habitat for Humanity.
Among other special honorees, Keith will be presented with the Country Icon Award followed by a speech from Shelton.