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“Five Nights of Beyoncé!” That was the tagline trumpeted across television and radio throughout Los Angeles ahead of the Monday (April 28) night kickoff for the 35-time Grammy winner’s highly anticipated Cowboy Carter Tour at SoFi Stadium in neighboring Inglewood, Calif. The 32-market stadium tour — across nine cities in the U.S. and Europe — […]
In February, when Post Malone and Jelly Roll announced they planned to join forces for the BIG ASS Stadium Tour, it made perfect sense. After all, the pairing takes two artists with deep roots in hip-hop who have crossed multiple genre borders throughout their musical adventures, both embracing rock, pop and country and proving equally […]
Stagecoach 2025 was full of the hottest country stars and the best food, and we caught up with Goldenvoice’s Stacy Vee, Jelly Roll, Shaboozey and Guy Fieri to get their take on how the festival has grown over the years.
Did you go to Stagecoach this year? Let us know in the comments!
Tetris Kelly:
I mean, hanging out with Stacey, you’re a legend. You’ve been with this thing since the beginning. So how is it to like come here, have these amazing artists join you and support you?
Stacy Vee:
I mean, it’s pretty amazing to see this collection of personalities, talent partners, bookers, we all come together with a common goal of pushing the genre forward and having a bunch of fun in the process.
Tetris Kelly:
I mean, and Guy, how has it been to work with Stacey over all these years?
Guy Fieri:
Well, she is the queen, the godmother, she’s the one that curates this. I know everybody loves to come to Stagecoach, but all of our careers have been impacted by her vision and awareness of what’s going on in the world, in the world of music, the world of food, the world of, you know, a party and Stagecoach is Stagecoach because of Stacy Vee.
Tetris Kelly:
I mean, you’re rolling up to Stagecoach, man, this is three weekends for you. I’ve been laughing about you and T-Pain. Coachella, Coachella, Stagecoach. How’s it to be here tonight?
Shaboozey:
It’s amazing, man, to be over here with my brother. Man, we just put out a song and and, you know, I’m just really humbled and grateful to be here.
Keep watching for more!
Before Jelly Roll sang a bit of Miley Cyrus‘ “Flowers” to tens of thousands of fans as the day 2 headliner of Stagecoach on Saturday night, the country superstar got a little practice in with his wife, Bunnie XO. Bunnie shared a video of the couple making their way to the Mane Stage over the […]
Morgan Wallen and Post Malone’s “I Ain’t Coming Back” debuts in the top 10. Tetris Kelly:This is the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 for the week dated May 3. Still hanging in the top 10 is “Beautiful Things.” Teddy Swims is at No. 9. Morgan and Post debut a new one at No. 8, while […]
Shaboozey is gearing up for his headlining tour dates of 2025. After taking the stage at both Coachella and Stagecoach, the “Amen” singer announced the stops on his Great American Roadshow tour on Monday morning (April 28). The outing is slated to kick off on Sept. 22 at the Egyptian Room at Old National Centre […]
For Leslie Fram, the highly respected former senior vp of music and talent for CMT, launching her own company that continues her work advocating and amplifying artists’ voices is a natural move.
Fram, Billboard’s 2021 Country Power Players executive of the year, has founded FEMco (Fram Entertainment & Music), a consulting company with divisions focused on artist development, talent booking and production, as well as a B2B arm that will connect outside businesses to Nashville companies.
“I’ve always wanted to start my own company, leveraging my three decades of accumulated experience and opportunities to intentionally design a purpose-driven business that aligns with my personal and professional aspirations,” Fram tells Billboard. “Through my time in radio and television, I’ve gained a wealth of knowledge, skills and insights from various roles, industries and projects that are not just a collection of past events but a foundation for future endeavors with FEMco. Starting my own company, doing what I enjoy most, was the best choice for me.”
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The new company will allow Fram to use her estimable mentoring, community-building and networking skills that she put into practice during her 13-year tenure at CMT, which she left in September. While there, Fram launched a number of programs, including CMT’s Next Women of Country, which gave a platform to nascent female country artists. She also created the Next Women of Country Tour, which paired Next Women of Country participants with established headlining acts. She was also a fierce advocate for equity, pushing CMT to institute its Equal Play initiative, with a commitment to 50/50 video airplay for female artists on the TV network and CMT Music channels.
FEMco
Courtesy Photo
While at CMT, Fram executive-produced the annual CMT Music Awards, CMT Crossroads and Storytellers. In January, she served as talent producer on CBS Presents Ringo & Friends at the Ryman. Prior to CMT, she had an illustrious background in rock and alternative radio, serving as program director and on-air talent at influential Atlanta alternative rock station 99X before becoming program director and morning show co-host with Matt Pinfield at New York rock station WRXP. She moved to Nashville in 2011.
While FEMco’s other divisions focus on all genders, keeping with her groundbreaking work with female country artists at CMT, Fram has already launched FEMco Presents, “the company’s music-focused production arm that will create multiple opportunities for female artists to increase their visibility and reach via events, sponsorships and more,” Fram says. The first franchise under FEMco Presents is FEMcountry, which will work with women country artists as “a continuation of my work in creating programs like ‘Next Women of Country’ and my passion for elevating female voices in country,” she adds.
FEMcountry soft-launched in March with a singer-songwriter event at Reynolds Lake Oconee in Georgia. “Moving forward, FEMcountry will include writer’s rounds, showcases, listening events both in Nashville and nationwide, along with curating festivals,” Fram says. “The goal is to support female artists in all aspects of their career, finding a stage to play on and to get paid.”
Fram sees her new venture as a through-line in her decades-long work supporting artists. “FEMco will absolutely represent the work I did at CMT in elevating women in country music via FEMcountry,” she says. “A program like ‘Next Women of Country’ is still as relevant today as it was when I launched it over 10 years ago — women are still criminally underrepresented in the country music format.”
Fram also plans to launch FEMpop and FEMrock.
The B2B element will connect companies and brands looking to establish a presence in Nashville with the local music and entertainment market. “Through our extensive industry relationships, we are able to help navigate the city’s unique blend of creativity and commerce with relationships to build authenticity and visibility,” Fram says.
Through FEMco, Fram will also continue working with mtheory CEO Cameo Carlson on another former CMT program, Equal Access, which helps artists and management professionals break into the country music industry.
FEMco will work with artists and companies on an a la carte basis depending upon their individual needs, Fram says.
04/27/2025
Day two of the California country fest was dominated by rising stars enjoying victory lap moments, but also included plenty of big looks for veteran hitmakers.
04/27/2025
04/27/2025
Jelly Roll gave the biggest crowd he’d ever played to their money’s worth, with a cavalcade of starry cameos.
04/27/2025
Lana Del Rey is kissing and telling in her new song “57.5.”
During her debut at the 2025 Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio, Calif., on Friday (April 25), the 39-year-old singer revealed in the song’s lyrics that she once locked lips with a major country star.
“I kissed Morgan Wallen/ I guess kissing me kind of went to his head,” Del Rey sang. “If you want my secret to success/ I suggest don’t go ATVing with him when you’re out west.”
The eyebrow-raising premiere of “57.5” came during the alt-pop star’s set on the Palomino stage at Stagecoach. According to the lyrics, the title nods to the singer’s monthly Spotify listenership, measured in millions. Just before premiering the track, Del Rey told festival-goers that it would be “the last time I’m ever going to say this line.”
It remains unclear whether Del Rey and Wallen ever shared a kiss, or when it supposedly occurred. Billboard has reached out to Wallen’s representatives for comment.
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Elsewhere in “57.5,” Del Rey crooned about having “a man” who “really loves me,” a sentiment seemingly referring to her husband, Jeremy Dufrene, whom she married in September 2024.
Dressed in a white gown and performing in front of a set designed to resemble a picturesque rural home at dusk, Del Rey’s Stagecoach set featured a duet with George Birge on his current hit “Cowboy Songs,” a cover of Tammy Wynette’s “Stand by Your Man,” and a singalong to John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”
In addition to debuting “57.5,” she also performed several new tracks from her forthcoming country-leaning studio album, which has yet to be titled or assigned a release date. The new songs included “Ride,” “Husband of Mine” and “Henry, Come On.” (Read Billboard‘s best moment from day one of Stagecoach 2025 here.)
The singer’s upcoming album will follow Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, which peaked at No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard 200 in April 2023. To date, Del Rey has earned two top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: 2013’s “Summertime Sadness” and her 2022 feature on Taylor Swift’s “Snow on the Beach.”
