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Neon Union, Restless Road and Tigirlily Gold are all nominated for the first time in the 59th annual Academy of Country Music Awards. But their arrival on the final ballot marks a return of the new vocal group or duo of the year trophy for the first time in five years.
LANCO took home the hardware when it was last presented in 2019, but it’s been a veritable desert for qualifying acts since then. The ACM requires a minimum of three eligible nominees to field each of its three new artist categories — new male, new female and new group or duo — and while there were duos and groups in circulation during the interim years, they didn’t quite meet the criteria. The key data point was the ACM’s requirement that an artist needed to hit the top 40 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart or in Mediabase. The only act that met that goal was now-defunct Gone West, who reached the top 30 in 2020, but since member Colbie Caillat was already an established artist, the group was not eligible.
For this year’s ballot, the ACM expanded the criteria to top 50 and — voilà! — three artists made the grade as finalists for the May 16 ceremony.
“That was a really big topic of discussion with our awards voting and membership committee,” says ACM chief of staff/vp of artist and industry relations, board administration and governance Tommy Moore. “At the Academy, we really try to pride ourselves on being on the forefront of inclusivity for new artists and really want to give them the opportunity to shine.”
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Not surprisingly, the nominees in the category appreciate that opportunity.
“We had heard through the grapevine that they were bringing back the new duo or group of the year category, but we still thought it would be a long shot to get nominated,” Neon Union’s Andrew Millsaps notes.
The lack of new duo or group options is a glaring reality. The prospects have been so glum during the last four years that even if the ACM had loosened the chart requirement to the top 50 during that window, the industry still would not have mustered three qualifying entries.
Part of that dearth is the nature of the beast. Particularly in the digital era, it’s much easier for a solo artist to make simple videos and post them on YouTube or TikTok and start building a following. The effort required to form a band or duo, schedule rehearsals and plan marketing schemes is far more challenging for an ensemble. And handling relationships — both inside the act and with a larger ring of family and associates — creates more tension, making it harder during the hungry years when meager earnings are split.
“Being a group or duo is such a delicate dynamic,” Tigirlily Gold’s Krista Slaubaugh says. “You can’t just slap two people together and call them a duo. You have to stick it out through the hard years because it’s not always going to be easy.”
Even filling out the new group/duo field is challenging. To get three nominees this year, the ACM allowed Restless Road into the category, even though it did not have a top 50 single in 2023. It had reached that level in 2022, and the group is currently charting with “Last Rodeo” (No. 58, Country Airplay).
“There’s been a slower rollout of bands, but I’m definitely starting to notice a lot more,” says Restless Road’s Zach Beeken. He cites Flatland Cavalry, which secured its first ACM vocal group nomination this year.
Notably, The Red Clay Strays could have been considered for new group or duo on the strength of “Wondering Why,” which hit No. 18 on the Hot Country Songs chart dated Dec. 30, 2023. But, Moore says, no one submitted them for consideration.
The ACM’s three new artist categories differ from the Country Music Association, which has a single new artist of the year field. And it’s advantageous, since it means more artists get their first major nomination from the ACM. All of 2024’s new group or duo finalists are first-time nominees, and they’ll always associate that with the ACM.
“We try to get them into the fold early on,” Moore says, “and we find that the more we can educate them on the Academy and the charitable aspect of ACM Lifting Lives, the more inclined they are to stick with us throughout the years.”
Despite their first-time-nominee status, the three new group or duo contenders should feel a bit at home. They all attended 2023’s ACMs in Frisco, Texas, and they will return to the same venue this year, trodding familiar turf as they perform at the ACM Kickoff Concerts and walk the same red carpet. But they’ll be doing it as finalists, which presents its own uncertainties. The winner will perform at the show, though they won’t know who that is until two days before the event. All the acts have musicians on hold in case they’re needed. They’ll also discover, perhaps for the first time, what it’s like performing a truncated version of a song for their peers.
“Obviously, I’d be focusing so much on doing a good job,” Slaubaugh says, “but then you look at, like, Chris Stapleton in the crowd? I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
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This week’s batch of new music includes fresh releases from Billboard‘s current cover star Lainey Wilson, as well as the recently BB-feted duo The War and Treaty. Musical trailblazer Lily Rose offers up new music as country radio mainstay Thomas Rhett issues his latest dance-worthy track, while Whey Jennings builds upon his familial legacy with his new music.
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Lainey Wilson, “Hang Tight Honey”
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Heading into Academy of Country Music Awards week, Wilson is up for trophies including entertainer of the year and is celebrating by dropping new music and revealing her upcoming new album Whirlwind, out in August. Wilson looks to further accelerate her ascendance to elite stardom with her new song, written with Driver Williams, Jason Nix and Paul Sikes.
Here, she keeps a fervent pace on this barn burner, rife with searing electric guitar riffs and space for Wilson to unleash her powerful vocals. She revels in her wild ride on the road but maintains that during all those concerts and long hours away from home, her lover stays on her mind and she’s counting down the days when they are reunited. “Hang tight honey, got a pocket full of money / And I’m headed straight home to you,” she sings, evoking every entertainer’s struggle for balance between work and homelife. This feels like another winner from Wilson.
The War and Treaty, “Leads Me Home”
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The Grammy-nominated husband-and-wife duo of Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter have appeared on stages from the Academy of Country Music Awards to the MusiCares Gala. This duo’s music defies categorization, with Michael Trotter Jr.’s voice effortlessly weaving from gospel-soul to distinct vocal timbres that bring to mind some of country music’s traditional talents. Simultaneously, Tanya Trotter’s rafter-reaching soprano is a true marvel — together, they form an unstoppable musical force. Here, with the follow-up to their 2023 major label debut Lover’s Game, they revisit their Americana roots with this emotionally charged tale of a love that beckons one to return to their roots of country roads and winding streams. Their inimitable, Gospel-swathed harmonies are highlighted by tastefully reserved, cascading piano, answered by banjo and acoustic guitar and a conclusion of ragged fiddle.
Lily Rose, Runnin’ Outta Time
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Rose, who broke through with the hit “Villain” and recently made her Grand Ole Opry debut, makes the personal universal on her new six-song EP Runnin’ Outta Time. Opener “The Goal” pays homage to lessons gleaned from her childhood as she works to balance striving for success while keeping her loftiest goal as staying true to herself and her loved ones. “Back Pew” finds Rose seeking the courage to find grace and refuge not only in faith but foremost in herself. Elsewhere on the project, she delves into nostalgia and making each moment count. Along the way, Rose has etched her own musical imprint, thanks to perceptive songwriting, a conversational vocal style, and sonic arrangements that meld country and soul-dipped pop. Taken together, these elements make this trailblazing singer-songwriter’s newest release one for the ages.
Thomas Rhett, “Beautiful as You”
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With nearly two-dozen No. 1 Country Airplay hits to his credit, one of country music’s premier architects of both pop-polished up-tempo hits and tender romantic ballads returns with a new summer-ready single. He continues with his thematic terrain, layering starry-eyed, romantic adoration atop a churning, dance-ready groove as he vows to “spend the rest of forever just treasurin’ you,” as he ponders just how he managed to build a life with a lover he knows is out of his league. “Beautiful as You” serves as the first song from Thomas Rhett’s upcoming album.
Whey Jennings, “One of These Days”
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Jennings, the grandson of country singer-songwriter Waylon Jennings, has put in the work in forging and refining his own sound over the course of multiple EPs, and miles on the road. His latest song trades in hope and self-determination, while placing the focus on his voice, as smooth yet gritty and world-weary as the dirt and rocks embedded on a well-trod backroad. “One of These Days,” from his upcoming August album Jekyll & Hyde, was co-written by Jennings with Sam Lowe. The album as a whole encapsulates his own journey to sobriety and faith, while the raw emotion of “One of These Days” hinges on acknowledging his own proclivities for rambling and wandering, while putting forth his own dreams and aspirations, as he promises a loved one he will change his ways and settle down — well, one of these days.
With Sparkling gold cowboy boots that double as disco balls, a corner dedicated to Dolly Parton and vintage storefront signage that recalls the spirit of Westerns filmed in Pioneertown, Calif., it’s easy to see why someone at the country music-inspired Desert 5 Spot in Los Angeles would want to document all of its intricacies. Yet the owners of the multifaceted entertainment venue would prefer that guests abstain.
When Ten Five Hospitality managing partner Dan Daley and his team opened the rooftop bar in December 2021, they envisioned a location where guests could stay in the moment. “It was this pullback to an era when not everything was viewed through the medium of a screen,” Daley says. “We wanted the exact opposite of that manufactured feeling when you get into another space and feel like, ‘This feels fake because it’s almost too perfect.’ ”
The interior of Desert 5 Spot in Los Angeles.
Desert 5 Spot
In June, Desert 5 Spot will open a roughly 200-capacity second location, traveling cross-country to Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood. The venue will bring with it much of its style, such as the hand-selected furniture from antique sales and thrift shops across the West, various forms of its Boho desert-inspired chic and the affably named Dolly’s Corner. Like its predecessor, Desert 5 Spot N.Y. will prioritize the live-music experience with performances from rising artists, DJ sets and an in-house band — though plenty of established country and rock’n’roll talents are bound to show up. (In L.A., Kane Brown, Green Day, Dasha and Noah Cyrus have all performed, while others including Lainey Wilson and John Mayer have swung by the venue.) Plus, it’ll offer an array of weekly programming featuring line dancing and two-stepping classes, tarot card reading, a vintage trading post and more. Daley adds that there will be a regular Sunday-night party exclusive to the Williamsburg location, though keeps specifics under wraps. As for food and drinks: “L.A.-approved tacos,” he says with a grin. “We’re going to sling some of the best tacos in New York.”
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The venue’s East Coast debut follows a year in which the top song and album were both country releases (Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” and One Thing at a Time, respectively). The genre’s popularity has sustained in 2024, with pop stars like Beyoncé, Post Malone and Lana Del Rey either releasing blockbuster country projects or teasing forthcoming efforts. Daley expects the venue to embody the aura that has fueled the trend. “The ethos of country music is rawness, it’s authentic; it’s messy, but it’s real emotion,” he says. “I think that’s why the genre is speaking to all different types of people now. It’s part of this cultural reversal in terms of, ‘Let’s get back to real human connection,’ which at the end of the day is what country music is really about.”
Daley reveals the partners are eyeing other markets and considering further expansion, but the focus now is on New York. Still, it hasn’t precluded them from growing in other ways: At the Stagecoach festival in April, Desert 5 Spot hosted a pop-up featuring performances from Shaboozey and Nikki Lane over the weekend and attracting attendees including Leon Bridges, Diplo and Del Rey. But as the brand continues to grow, Daley stresses that its core message to guests remains the same. “Our goal is for you to [leave] our venue and say, ‘That was one of the best times in a really long time.’ ”
This story originally appeared in the May 11, 2024, issue of Billboard.
“We were pretty prepared for this moment,” says Shaboozey, lounging on the floor of a Los Angeles recording studio. While putting the finishing touches on his forthcoming album, Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going (due out May 31), the fast-rising country artist is — perhaps for the first time — reflecting on how he arrived at this point in his career. Not only has the buzzy 29-year-old been working in music for nearly a decade, but a recent assist from Beyoncé helped spark a career-shifting breakout moment of his own.
After appearing as a featured guest on a pair of songs on the icon’s chart-topping and record-breaking Cowboy Carter (“Spaghettii” with Linda Martell and “Sweet * Honey * Buckiin”), Shaboozey released a solo single: the jaunty country-rap anthem “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” which interpolates J-Kwon’s 2004 smash “Tipsy” — and, just three weeks later, broke records of its own.
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Even though his Bey-assisted breakout was unveiled first, Shaboozey suspects his solo track was the reason he was featured on Cowboy Carter at all. “Someone at Parkwood or in Beyoncé’s camp heard [“A Bar Song”] from me playing it live and was like, ‘We have to bring him in the studio,’ ” Shaboozey recalls. “Then the Beyoncé [album] came out, and we were like, ‘Oh, it’s time. Drop it.’ ”
After rising from No. 6 to rule Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart dated May 4, Shaboozey and Beyoncé became the first Black artists to score back-to-back leaders in the chart’s 66-year history with “Texas Hold ’Em” and “A Bar Song.” His hit also debuted atop the all-genre Digital Song Sales list and has peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking his first solo entry on the chart. “A Bar Song” has also exploded on TikTok (soundtracking more than 150,000 posts in a few weeks) and has collected 64.9 million official on-demand streams through April 25, according to Luminate.
“I had been wanting to flip a 2000s song for a while,” Shaboozey says, noting Petey Pablo’s “Raise Up” was also in the running. “I just said, ‘Everybody at the bar getting tipsy,’ and then we were like, ‘Oh, sh-t!’ The producer picked up the guitar and started playing the chords, and then we started writing, just having fun and being creative.”
Shaboozey photographed on April 18, 2024 at Dover Studio in Los Angeles.
Sage East
Shaboozey photographed on April 18, 2024 at Dover Studio in Los Angeles.
Sage East
According to Shaboozey, J-Kwon is “more excited” about the song than he is. The two have been texting ever since the first sample clearance request, during which the St. Louis rapper assured Shaboozey that his song was “outta here.” (Upon its release in 2004, J-Kwon’s “Tipsy” reached No. 2 on the Hot 100.) “Feeling like you did the song you’re flipping justice and then getting that co-sign, not everybody gets that,” Shaboozey gushes.
An artist who cartwheels across country, hip-hop, rock and R&B, Shaboozey is a product of the melting pot that is Virginia. Born Collins Chibueze in the northern part of the state to Nigerian parents, his earliest musical memory is listening to Juvenile’s “Back That Azz Up,” along with a healthy dose of Kenny Rogers and Garth Brooks that his father would play. In 2015, Shaboozey experienced his first viral moment with “Jeff Gordon,” an independently released piano-inflected trap banger he says was “a whole moment in DMV music” that he conceived after sourcing a Gordon racing jacket and delving into NASCAR’s fashion aesthetics. Two years later, another quasi-viral song, “Winning Streak,” helped Shaboozey score a record deal with Republic, which released his 2018 debut album, Lady Wrangler.
In 2020, he scored a manager in Abas Pauti, whom he met through mutual friends. “After talking through our lives and hearing the music,” Pauti recalls, “I knew that I needed to be around and support in any way I could.” (Shaboozey is now co-managed by Range Media’s Jared Cotter.) Shaboozey released his second album, 2022’s Cowboys Live Forever, Outlaws Never Die, on indie label EMPIRE, saying his team there has “been down for the ride… it’s like a family.”
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Since Cowboys Live Forever, Shaboozey has enjoyed a string of wins that set the stage for his breakout 2024. Late last year, he released “Let It Burn,” the lead single from Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going. It quickly gained ample traction online, even drawing attention from Timbaland and Diplo. And it was during those early months of his album campaign that Shaboozey received what became a life-changing call: a request to co-write with Beyoncé. “What I loved about [the] Beyoncé album is the inspiration and the influence that she had are probably the same as mine,” he says. “We’re studyingthe same things.”
Evocative follow-up track “Annabelle” maintained momentum while Shaboozey’s live performance of “Vegas” for music discovery platform COLORS, posted in March just weeks before Cowboy Carter arrived, has since amassed 1.3 million YouTube views.
Now, as he finishes his third album — which he teases will include “crazy surprises featurewise” — while also opening on tour for pop artist Jessie Murph, Shaboozey is a front-runner to dominate the summer. But he’s already thinking well beyond this moment. Ahead, he hopes to share one other thing with Queen Bey: “I want the Grammy.”
Shaboozey photographed on April 18, 2024 at Dover Studio in Los Angeles.
Sage East
Shaboozey photographed on April 18, 2024 at Dover Studio in Los Angeles.
Sage East
This story originally appeared in the May 11, 2024, issue of Billboard.
The line-up of performers and presenters for the 2024 Academy of Country Music Awards is just about set, and the key word is collaboration. Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan will team up for a performance, as will Blake Shelton and wife Gwen Stefani and also Nate Smith featuring Avril Lavigne. In addition, Post Malone is booked for the show. He is expected to perform “I Had Some Help,” his new single featuring Morgan Wallen, though that has not yet been announced.
Presenters include Alabama (most awarded group in Academy history with 22 ACM Awards), Carin León (two-time Latin Grammy Award winner), Dion Pride (son of country legend Charley Pride), Rozene Pride (Pride’s widow), Richard Sherman (Super Bowl XLVIII Champion & Thursday Night Football analyst), Charissa Thompson (host, Thursday Night Football) and Randy Travis (11-time ACM Award-winning artist).
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Hosted by 16-time ACM Award-winner Reba McEntire, the ACM Awards will stream live for a global audience on Prime Video from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas on Thursday (May 16) at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. A Prime membership will not be required to watch live. The full rebroadcast will be available directly following the stream on Prime Video and available the next day for free on Amazon Freevee and the Amazon Music app.
The ACM Awards will kick off with the Official ACM Awards Red Carpet Show hosted by Amber Anderson and Kelly Sutton (co-hosts, Country Heat Weekly podcast), Makho Ndlovu (host, Amazon Live), and Elaina D. Smith (host, Nights With Elaina), with Katie Neal (host, Katie & Company) serving as a correspondent from the carpet. Presented by Prime Video and Amazon Music, the Red Carpet Show will also feature a performance by Megan Moroney (this year’s most nominated female artist with six nods), and air on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch starting at 7 p.m. ET.
Plus, Bobby Bones, five-time ACM Awards winner for national on-air personality of the year, will be featured throughout the night. His segment, “Backstage with Bobby Bones,” will showcase intimate artist interviews and special moments of the show.
Fans can also experience a week of pre-ACM livestream celebrations hosted by Kelly Sutton and Amber Anderson courtesy of Amazon Music. Broadcasting live on the Amazon Music Channel on Twitch, the festivities will kick off on Tuesday (May 14) at 9 p.m. ET with Live from the ACM Awards: ACM New Artist Winners Celebration from Tostitos Championship Plaza at The Star, which will feature musical performances and special guests, as well as the presentation of the ACM new male artist, new female artist, and new duo or group of the year.
On Wednesday (May 15) at 9 p.m. ET, fans will be able to stream Live from the ACM Awards: Backstage with Kelly & Amber. Amber and Kelly will also release three ACM-themed Country Heat Weekly podcasts on Thursdays, starting on May 9 with the duo’s interview with McEntire.
Fans can also stream the Official ACM Awards playlist available now on Amazon Music in celebration of this year’s nominees. Fans can listen to Country Music’s biggest stars directly on the Amazon Music app.
The 59th Academy of Country Music Awards is produced by Dick Clark Productions. Raj Kapoor is executive producer and showrunner, with Patrick Menton as co-executive producer. Damon Whiteside serves as executive producer for the Academy of Country Music, and Barry Adelman serves as executive producer for DCP. John Saade continues to serve as consulting producer for Amazon MGM Studios.
Here are the performers and presenters for the 2024 ACM Awards. Any additional performers will be added to the list as they are announced.
Performers
Jason Aldean
Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan
Kane Brown
Jelly Roll
Cody Johnson
Miranda Lambert
Post Malone
Parker McCollum
Reba McEntire
Thomas Rhett
Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani
Nate Smith featuring Avril Lavigne
Chris Stapleton
Lainey Wilson
Presenters
Alabama
BRELAND
Tyler Cameron
Jordan Davis
Sara Evans
Carin León
Little Big Town
Ashley McBryde
Dion and Rozene Pride
Noah Reid
Richard Sherman
Charissa Thompson
Randy Travis
Clay Walker
Limp Bizkit have been playing their unique version of the Who’s “Behind Blue Eyes” during live shows since including the 1971 Who’s Next classic on their 2003 Results May Vary album. On Friday night at the Welcome to Rockville Festival at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, Fred Durst and company roped in […]
Four pop stars — Post Malone, Gwen Stefani, Noah Kahan and Avril Lavigne — are set to perform on the 2024 Academy of Country Music Awards on Thursday May 16, but the show’s producers stress that the performances came about organically.
“Our goal is always country-first,” Raj Kapoor, who is the show’s executive producer and showrunner, told Billboard. “We’re not actively going out to pursue artists [who are] out-of-genre. I think the most important thing is that it fits in a very natural way. We’re not asking people to come in who don’t have relationships or haven’t wanted to work together or don’t have projects together. We always want to stay authentically country. Those bonds that bring people together need to exist already.”
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Post Malone will perform a song from his upcoming country album, possibly “I Had Some Help,” a collab with Morgan Wallen. Stefani and Blake Shelton will perform their single “Purple Irises.” Kahan and Kelsea Ballerini — who, Kapoor notes, were in the studio together — will perform her “Mountain with a View” and his smash “Stick Season.” Lavigne and Nate Smith will perform Smith’s song “Bulletproof.”
This is a heavier slate of pop performers than on last year’s ACM Awards, where there was just one: Ed Sheeran, who joined Luke Combs to perform Sheeran’s song “Life Goes On.”
Menton, who is serving as co-executive producer, notes, “Yes, Post is definitely a kind of pop/hip-hop performer, but in a way, he’s almost genre-less. Post spent a lot of time in Nashville on this record and kind of dove back into his roots. He’s a country traditionalist at heart. He’s from Texas, so he grew up on this. Having heard some of the album, this is a real country album. This is an artist who’s really honoring the genre.
Menton adds: “This is such a global genre now. Country artists are selling out stadiums in the U.K. and Europe and all over the world. So, I think there is that conversation of they want it to be a bit boundary-less. They want those guardrails to open up a little bit. Yes, for us to be focused on country and celebrate the genre, but we really do welcome these other genres coming in because [country] really has exploded into this global genre and we want to celebrate that.”
The 59th ACM Awards, to be hosted by Reba McEntire, will stream globally on Prime Video on Thursday May 16 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Also performing on the show are Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Parker McCollum, Thomas Rhett, Chris Stapleton and Lainey Wilson, as well as McEntire and, most likely, one or two more artists not yet named. “There may be some surprises,” Menton teases.
Kapoor was one of three executive producers of the Grammy Awards on Feb. 4, along with Ben Winston and Jesse Collins. He also served as executive producer and showrunner of the Oscars on March 10. Menton was a co-executive producer of the Grammys.
“I think my job is to make each show unique,” Kapoor says, “because they have such different DNA. That’s really what I strive for. They’re brands almost. They’re all actually [put on by] academies. It’s so different from just a pop show. There’s so many eyeballs on what we do. I guess I didn’t realize the complexities of that before I took on these positions. I’m much more aware of what goes on behind-the-scenes because it’s not just about our show. It’s really about these year-round programs that they all do and how many people are so invested.”
Kapoor and Menton have worked together on six Grammy telecasts – four in their current positions. They share a philosophy of producing a show, one that may sound a bit soft, but which is obviously working. Last year’s ACM Awards was the third-highest-rated awards show of 2023, behind just the Oscars and the Grammys (which they also worked on).
“We both lead with kindness,” Menton says. “That’s our rule of thumb, across-the-board. It’s creating space for these artists to come to us and feel safe. It’s not a case of we tell them what we want on the show. That’s not at all the way we work. It’s ‘What do you want to do on the show?’, ‘What’s going to create a moment?’ We’re all about the artist first and making sure they have a space to really create and collaborate in a safe space.”
Some awards show producers are known for taking a much firmer hand; for dictating what they want the artist to perform and who they want them to perform it with.
“We always believe it’s a conversation,” Kapoor says. “Obviously, we’re there to help guide sometimes. ‘Why don’t we try this?’ ‘What would you think about this?’ Sometimes we will push if we have a really strong belief about something, but it’s always a conversation, always a collaboration.
“Sometimes these moments really help define people’s careers,” he continues. “They can go viral. They are things that people will talk about for years to come. Last year [on the ACMs], everyone talked about Luke and Ed. Earlier this year [on the Grammys], I think everyone was talking about Luke and Tracy [Chapman, who teamed on “Fast Car].”
Kapoor believes the ACMs’ move to Amazon in 2022 helped give it a unique personality that sets it apart from the three other televised country award shows, the CMA Awards, the CMT Music Awards and the People’s Choice Country Awards.
“Our show is very fast-paced – two hours with very little commercials. So, you have back-to-back music performances. You still have a lot of awards, but our show moves very quickly. One thing I’ve really taken away since we’ve been on Amazon is how punchy and exciting it feels. We’re literally moving all the time. One performance leads into another. Sometimes, we’ve done three performances back-to-back.”
Menton says the partnership with Amazon has affected the show in another way. “It has allowed us to open those guardrails up and take chances. We’ve leaned into new artist development a lot more, we lean into diversity. We lean into something that’s completely out of the box; [that] other shows may feel a bit uncomfortable trying to do. Amazon gives us that ability to move and shake a bit differently. But I also think the industry comes to us with those out-of-the-box ideas. I think it’s because we’re open to it, Amazon is open to it and the Academy has always been that place where we’re the party of the year. We’re a little bit more fun. We try to let everyone just let their hair down.”
The ACM Awards are different in that respect from the Grammys and the Oscars, which are the official “shows of record” for the music and film industries. The CMA Awards probably better fit that description for country music, which led to the ACM Awards instead billing itself as country music’s party of the year.
As for new artist development, the show will feature performances by this year’s winners of the three new artist awards, male artist, female artist and duo/group. The latter category is being awarded for the first time in five years.
Bobby Bones will be featured throughout the show with the artist interview segment “Backstage with Bobby Bones,” which was introduced on last year’s show. This takes advantage of Bones’ close relationships with many country stars, but Kapoor reveals that the segments also serve a practical function on the show.
“Because we are live/live with all these performances, Bobby is also a great backup plan when we need him to be. You would never know it, like if we need an extra 30 seconds [to set the stage for the next performer], Bobby is there to help us if we need it, which we are very grateful for.”
Menton says they approached last year’s hosts, Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks, about returning to host the show again this year, but the superstar duo declined. “They were ready to take a step down,” he says. “They had such a rocking year last year, they probably felt like it [would be] hard to top.”
Fortunately for the show, another country legend, McEntire, was willing to return to the show for a 17th time as host or co-host. McEntire is closing in on the all-time record for most times hosting or co-hosting a major awards show. That record has long been held by Bob Hope, who hosted or co-hosted the Academy Awards 19 times between 1940-78.
“Reba is one of the most kind and hard-working artists out there, and to have her hosting our show, having an icon like that — we’re so lucky,” Menton says.
Barry Adelman, a mainstay at Dick Clark Productions, is serving as executive producer of this year’s show for DCP. Adelman has worked on the ACMs for more than 30 years.
Anyone can watch the ACM Awards, whether they have a Prime subscription or not. Did ACM CEO Damon Whiteside push for that? “Oh, I think we all did,” Menton says. “We want everyone to see this. It’s a country music show. We don’t want to have that paywall in front of us. The fact that everyone can watch it, whether you have Prime or not, we’re so grateful.”
Kapoor says they are already thinking ahead to next year’s show, which will be the 60th ACM Awards. “Everybody is already strategizing leading to that event. We’ll be returning to Amazon. I hope on this show we set the foundation for what’s going to be an amazing 60th show.”
DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a Penske Media Corporation (PMC) subsidiary and joint venture between PMC and Eldridge. PMC is the parent company of Billboard.
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Here’s your guide on where to buy tickets to the most-anticipated country music concerts of the year.
05/10/2024
The inaugural I’m Just Me: A Charley Pride Celebration of Inclusion will take place May 14 in Frisco, Texas.
Presented as partnership between Amazon MGM Studios, Amazon Music and the Academy of Country Music, the invite-only event hosted by BRELAND will recognize and celebrate 16 honorees who represent Pride’s legacy in country music as leaders in hope, advocacy, and innovation.
The groundbreaking Pride, who died in 2020 at age 86, was country music’s first Black superstar, breaking down barriers despite facing racial adversity and going on to win three Grammy Awards, and was the first Black artist to win entertainer of the year at the Country Music Awards, as well as received the ACM’s Pioneer Award and the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He scored 29 No. 1s on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and was the first Black artist to reach No. 1 on the chart.
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“Charley Pride was a trailblazer in the true sense of the word. He paved the way for innumerable artists that followed in his footsteps and his success is a reminder that country music traces its roots back to diverse artists and traditions,” said Ryan Redington, GM of Amazon Music, in a statement. “Amazon Music is honored to come together with the Academy of Country Music and Amazon MGM Studios to not only celebrate Charley Pride’s legacy, but also honor the artists, creators, and executives that carry his spirit forward.”
The 2024 honorees are artists BRELAND; Reyna Roberts; The War and Treaty’s Michael and Tonya Trotter; Tiera Kennedy and Wendy Moten; Recording Academy Nashville Chapter executives Alicia Warwick and Armand Hutton; Black Music Action Coalition president/CEO Willie “Prophet” Stiggers; BMI Nashville executive director of creative Shannon Sanders; artist/Color Me Country Radio host Rissi Palmer; songwriter/author Alice Randall; ACM executive Kortney Toney; journalist Naima Cochrane and Pride’s widow Rozene Pride and son Dion Pride.
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The celebration, which organizers hope to make an annual event, takes place two days before the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards, hosted by Reba McEntire. The ACM Awards will stream for live and free exclusively on Prime Video across more than 240 countries and territories from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, on May 16 at 8 p.m. ET.
“We’ve got liquor, records, worms, lures, all the good things here in Florida at our house,” Brian Kelley tells Billboard via Zoom, from his pool house-turned-tackle room (and sometimes songwriting room) at his Florida residence. “When it’s open for songwriting season I call it the Song Saloon; when it’s fishing season, it’s the Tackle Shop or the Tackle Box.”
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Kelley’s willingness to mesh various aspects of his life is distilled into his new solo album, Tennessee Truth, out May 10 via Big Machine Records. That rural imagery of creeks, ponds, fishing lures, dirt roads, and plenty of outdoors-oriented brand names from Mossy Oak to John Deere — are threaded throughout songs including “Dirt Road Date Night,” “Acres,” and “How We’re Livin’”.
As the Florida half of duo Florida Georgia Line, Kelley helped usher in country music’s “bro-country” era with a slate of FGL hits including two songs that would go on to be certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America signifying sales in excess of 10 million: “Cruise” and the Bebe Rexha collab “Meant to Be.” The duo earned 16 Billboard Country Airplay No. 1s and more than 13 billion global streams and played to more than 4 million fans in arenas and stadiums.
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After Florida Georgia Line went their separate ways following a fallout in 2020, both Kelley and Hubbard launched solo careers — something Kelley says “is not easy, in a sense, being kind of a new guy, a new voice” — noting that Hubbard had handled the bulk of the lead vocals in FGL. “My lead vocal hadn’t been out there, so it’s been a fun challenge. You find out who you are, musically.”
Though Kelley issued his debut solo album, Sunshine State of Mind, in 2021 via Warner Music Nashville and his own Nashville South label, he considers his new album to be his “true debut.” The album’s “See You Next Summer” reached the top 30 on Country Airplay.
Kelley took an intentional, diligent approach to spilling his Tennessee Truth, ultimately co-writing eight of the dozen songs, and working with writers including Thomas Archer, Matt McGinn, Kaitlin Owen, Blake Pendergrass, Jimmy Robbins and Michael Tyler.
“I didn’t care what their songwriting credentials were, I just wanted to write with more people and wanted my circle to grow. I wasn’t holding anything back,” Kelley says of the new project. “I want people to see that I’m no different than the people listening to this record — I love working hard, I love family, God and country. Hunting, fishing and being outdoors is how we navigate our lives.”
For Kelley, the songwriting process is not unlike a day spent on the lake catching fish.
“You don’t know what you’re going to get — you may get half a song, you may get a hit. It’s about showing up, even if you don’t feel 100% or don’t feel inspired. With songwriting and fishing, it’s about how patient can you be until something inspires a line or a title.”
Working with mega-producer Dann Huff (Keith Urban, Megadeth, Faith Hill), Kelley eschewed many of the hip-hop inflected sonics of his work with FGL, instead leaning on more acoustic-based and rock-oriented (yet still radio-polished) instrumentation.
“Dann has a way of branding each individual artist sonically in its own way,” Kelley explains. “You could talk about Rascal Flatts, you could talk about Keith Urban. He’s produced so many great records and they all sound different. He loved how hard I wanted to push on this album and make some songs a little heavier. On ‘King Ranch,’ he sent five different guitar solos he’d played. I picked one and he was like, ‘Oh, you’re an ’89 metalhead with that solo.’”
Though the bulk of the album leans on light-hearted, outdoorsy fare, the album’s closing song — and its corresponding video — have garnered speculation and controversy. After Kelley released “Kiss My Boots,” which he wrote with Dylan Guthro, some listeners speculated the song’s vengeful lyrics of betrayal were aimed at his former FGL bandmate Hubbard. Those murmurings were heightened with the release of the music video, which featured Kelley hunting down a snake and ending with a scene of Kelley, his “Florida” belt buckle in clear view, while peeling a peach (the official state fruit of Georgia, Hubbard’s homestate).
Kelley didn’t address if the song was about Hubbard, saying, “The song started with the line about ‘comes out with the whiskey,’ and we were just channeling a sense of standing up for yourself and that means a bunch of different things for all of us that wrote it that day,” Kelley says. “Everybody has a couple of people on their ‘Kiss My Boots’ list, especially in this industry. This was a chance to let fans, listeners know that another of my truths is I’ve gone through things in life, I’ve had struggles and navigating how to be a healthy adult or take the high road. I wanted to give people an anthem, an outlet.”
Kelley filmed the video at his wife Brittney’s family farm in Musella, Georgia, the same place another album track, “Acres,” is written about.
“We were there and Dickey’s Peach Farm is right down the road — so we thought it was a cool moment because of the character I play, the snake catcher guy, has just gone through hunting down and killing this snake,” he says. “I think people could take it many ways, but for me I took it as you just got the snake, you’re relaxed and waiting for the next call and I’m done for a second. I thought it was cool, but that’s the freedom of putting art into the world — people can take it however they want.”
He says the theatrical mode of the video was intentional. “I didn’t want to perform or sing — I didn’t want to lip synch anything and make it like every other video we’ve all done. I wanted it to be a piece of art. I went to Belmont [University] in Nashville and got my degree in entertainment industry studies, which was movies, music, television. So it’s cool to live out all those things and put my touch on everything that I’m involved with.”
Kelley offered more details on what led to the duo’s breakup on the Bussin’ With the Boys podcast on Thursday (May 9), saying that the duo had initially agreed to wait on putting out solo music until after their fifth studio album had been released. Kelley said that in December 2020, he got a call from Hubbard informing him that Hubbard would be releasing a collaboration with Tim McGraw; that song, “Undivided,” released in January 2021. Then after the release of Kelley’s solo album in June 2021, Kelley says Hubbard reached out to him and “it was made known to me that we were kinda done.” Kelley added, “It went from no music for the foreseeable future, to now we’re not even going to tour… I’m just here to tell the truth, I’m not here to try to burn down anything, whatever, I’m just here to stand up for myself and my family, and like I said, the fans.” [Billboard has reached out to Hubbard’s camp for comment but has not heard back as of press time.]
Outside of their separate solo careers, another signal of FGL’s diverging paths is the recent, sudden closing of their bar FGL House in Nashville (which opened in 2017), in addition to the previous closures of their music publishing company Tree Vibez and the shuttering of their Old Camp Whiskey. But Kelley has slowly built his own slate of entrepreneurial outlets over the past few years, including the Tribe Kelley Surf Post in Grayton Beach, Florida, and the Papa Surf Burger Bar in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida (Kelley and his wife Brittney teamed with Jason and Brittany Aldean on the Burger Bar venture). The Kelleys bought an old home-turned-café during the COVID pandemic and had already conceptualized the name for the Papa Surf Burger Bar.
“We got a good deal on the place before all the real estate went nuts,” he tells Billboard. “We knew there was a need for a burger joint, and we love real estate and architecture and interior design, so it was great renovating that house and blending the old with the new. This is hopefully, fingers crossed, one of many Papa Surfs that will pop up along coastal areas, but this is kind of the flagship.”
He also notes that his entrepreneurial tendencies run in the family: “My dad is 81 years old and still looking at little real estate things. I’m like him — I just love to work and to create.”