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When country singer-songwriter Chely Wright decided to come out of the closet in 2010, she knew that her life was never going to be the same. She’d made a name for herself in mainstream music circles with songs like “Single White Female” and “It Was,” built a strong fanbase in the country scene and saw an opportunity to break new ground.
“I thought I was uniquely positioned, because I am still that Grand Ole Opry-loving, patriotic, Midwestern girl who loves country music who is also a person of faith. I thought if I did this right, I could come out ‘well,’” she tells Billboard.

In retrospect, Wright was correct; her life did change, just not in the way that she expected. Fifteen years later, Wright has reinvented herself as a leader in corporate America, advocating for diversity, equity and inclusion. In her latest venture, the former country star is taking on the position of senior vice president, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and new market growth at facilities management organization ISS. She describes the role as getting a company of 320,000+ employees to ask itself one central question: “How do we use our power, position and resources for good?”

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That pivot came naturally, Wright says — after coming out, she began working her “side hustle” of speaking to organizations about the importance of DE&I. As the opportunities for work in the space grew while her touring career got put on hold thanks to COVID-19, Wright saw an opportunity to make the most of her position. “Who is luckier than me that I was able to not only continue working, but to feel such a great sense of pride and purpose and mission in what I do?” she ponders.

Below, Wright talks to Billboard about her evolution from country stages to the C-suite, why DEI work is vital despite a pushback from the current presidential administration, and what advice she would give to young country stars looking to come out today:

Let’s talk about your new role — your previous role at Unispace saw you overseeing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, while your new role sees you heading up “corporate social responsibility.” Can you explain the difference between those two ideas? 

In my last role, I was the chief diversity officer — my role at ISS is head of CSR and new market growth. On the Venn diagram of life, DEI, ESG (environmental, social and governance) and CSR have a lot of overlap. The way I look at it, CSR is asking myself and getting organizations to ask themselves the question, “How do we use our power, position and resources for good?”

That is actually harder to ascertain and actually takes more time and effort to know and understand than organizations might think. There is an entire process of really engaging with your teams, engaging with communities, engaging with your clients and putting your heads together about “hey, what do we collectively care about, and how are we uniquely positioned to get out there and drive impact?”

I think what we’ve learned post-COVID — and honestly, we’re in a world that has been significantly changed by COVID and it looks like we’re never going back — is that employees care more than ever about who their employers are, and what they’re doing to positively impact their environments and their communities.

There’s a lot of conversation happening around the concept of DEI, with the current administration actively campaigning against these policies both in the federal government and at individual companies. What is your reaction to that push to eliminate DEI efforts in the workforce?

A couple of years ago, in my last role, we felt this coming. When you look at the marketing campaign around being “anti-woke” and “anti-DEI,” it is not surprising to me that this is all happening. What I think is important is that we talk about what is happening right now, and what is not happening. If people are scared and nervous, that in and of itself is harm. It’s the whole point of bullying — you scare people, and that causes unease. In its worst-case scenario, it can set on some very negative, violent behaviors from others.

So, what I don’t want to say is, “Oh it’s all posturing and noise, and it’s not real.” No, it is real. I would say that some of it is posturing. Some of it is noise, and pandering to a base that they made promises to. And I would argue that a lot of it, based on what I’m hearing from our clients, is performance for an administration.

I’m gonna use a restaurant analogy — there’s front of house, and there’s back of house. I think the front of house, right now, is positioning themselves to make certain pieces of the administration happy, kissing the ring, scrubbing their websites of certain language. Do I think it’s right? No. Would I do it personally? No. But I understand what is happening there — no one wants to receive the ire of a very powerful person or an administration that feels like it may be punitive or retaliatory. But in the back of house, organizations that didn’t want to really do DEI or CSR or ESG work to begin with are using this as an offramp.

For those who are really committed to this idea, everyone I’ve talked to is still very interested in ensuring that their people and their communities where they work understand that they’re in it to win it. Because there is a business sense to DEI: the metrics are off the charts on how much more profitable a business is that has a supplier diversity program. It lowers attrition and elevates client retention, and if you have these initiatives in your company, it makes people want to go work for them and stay with them. It elevates that pride and purpose.

You mentioned the anti-DEI “marketing campaign” — part of that is spreading misinformation about what diversity, equity and inclusion programs actively do. A lot of people think that this is about unqualified candidates getting jobs, simply because that’s what they’ve been told.

Yes, the characterization is this concern that, for example, a black woman is going to get a job over a qualified white man — as if he is somehow, inherently, above her. That’s not what this work is, and anyone who is a practitioner of good DEI work knows that. Take supplier diversity, for instance. Supplier diversity was started in the automotive industry back in the late ’60s, and what it proved is that this work makes the vendor base more competitive and more innovative. There is a lot of myth-busting up front of hearing, “We want qualified vendors,” and saying back to them, “I don’t want anything but qualified vendors — but all of our vendors in our base look pretty straight and white, to me.”

We want qualified veterans to be part of our vendor base. We want qualified Black and Brown people. We want qualified women. It has become a minefield out there, but the principles of DEI are not going anywhere. We might be talking about them a little bit differently for a minute, but not for long. 

You made a fascinating transfer from your music career to your corporate career around 2020 — what inspired that change? What skills transitioned well from one career to the next?

In 2010, I knew I wanted to come out of the closet, be informed and educated and use all of my public capital to challenge some of those myths about queer people. After I came out, I was getting invited to talk to corporations and higher ed and faith communities about my experience, and it snowballed from there. So that began my side hustle; I continued touring to smaller audiences — because when I came out I lost some of my fanbase — and spent 70% of my time making records and touring. 30% of my time was spent doing this culture work, and I loved it.

When COVID hit — and I had to cancel my tour just like every other touring musician in the world — that happened to coincide with my clients coming out of the woodwork asking about doing virtual events. With the murders of George Floyd and Brianna Taylor, with mental health declining because everyone was at home, my side hustle just skyrocketed, and eventually lead to my role at Unispace.

When you’re a country singer, and you get to Nashville and you somehow make it where you’re making records and you decide to come out of the closet, one doesn’t do that without knowing that your life is going to change. I didn’t know exactly what it was going to look like, but I knew that I was nimble and I knew that I was a good business thinker. I was always mindful and aware, when I got to Nashville and I saw how damn good everybody was, that I would not be outworked, and I would not be out-strategized.

I knew the value of engaging with fans and giving them what they want, and knowing that they are my customer. I knew in 2010 that I could do another side hustle full time if I wanted to, but I didn’t want to. And then ten years later, the universe tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Hey guess what? It’s time to make a big pivot.” 

You certainly left behind an important legacy in the country scene: Today, there are more queer artists working in the Nashville scene than ever before. If you could give any advice to an LGBTQ artist looking to “make it” in the industry, what would you tell them?

I love seeing all of these country artists who have come out, it just delights me and thrills me every time someone comes out. I love that I could be a drop of water in what would become a wave. But let’s make no mistake; I still don’t recommend to anyone that they run down Music Row and say they’re gay. My counsel for anyone, whether they’re a country music artist, or going into finance, or whatever, is: Do not come out until you feel safe and able. And that process is different for everyone.

I would even go back to the advice that Loretta Lynn gave me about being a woman in the industry: I asked her once about what I could do in a man’s industry to change things. She said, “You can’t change the game unless you’re on the field.” So Loretta, right? What I took from that is that you have to do everything that you can to keep yourself on the field — take care of you first. If you’ve got aspirations to be a country singer, and you’re in a place that might not be safe, share your authentic self with safe people in your life and protect those relationships.

I’m not saying that people should force themselves into the closet: I’m saying you can still get yourself uninvited to the party if you’re not very careful about when you share your truth. The last thing I would ever want to do is to minimize the reality of what coming out is like, and to say, “Oh, just come out! It’s great out here!” I received death threats, I lost fans, a lot happened when I came out. It is a personal decision, so don’t do it until you feel safe and able. If you need support, you call me on the phone. Everyone in Nashville has still got my number — just give me a ring.

Jason Aldean, Brooks & Dunn, Luke Bryan, Cody Johnson, Megan Moroney and Keith Urban are among the acts who will appear at Nissan Stadium as part of CMA Fest, which will run June 5-8 in Nashville and span 10 stages.
Also slated for Nissan Stadium are Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Riley Green, Ella Langley, Ashley McBryde, Parker McCollum, Rascal Flatts, Red Clay Strays, Darius Rucker, Shaboozey, Black Shelton, Zach Top and Bailey Zimmerman.

Four-night stadium passes range from $240 to $1,061, while single-night stadium ticket starts at $79.80.

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CMA Fest, which began in 1972 as Fan Fair, will spread across Music City on stages both free and paid. The event has a new partner, bank and financial services company SoFi, in a multi-year partnership.

MŌRIAH will kick off the Chevy Riverfront Stage on Thursday morning, performing the national anthem. Other artists playing that stage over the festival run include Gavin Adcock, Tanner Adell, Cooper Alan, Drew Baldridge, Sam Barber, Gabby Barrett, George Birge, Tyler Braden, Colbie Caillat, Ashley Cooke, Dasha, Jackson Dean, Marcus King, Randall King, Brandon Lake, Chris Lane, Ella Langley, Maddie & Tae, Dylan Marlowe, Kameron Marlowe, Max McNown, Midland, Megan Moroney, Ian Munsick, RaeLynn, Redferrin, Josh Ross, Conner Smith, Austin Snell, Alana Springsteen, Thelma and James, Tigirlily Gold, The War And Treaty, Hudson Westbrook and Tucker Wetmore.

Appearing on the Dr. Pepper Amp Stage at Ascend Park are Rodney Atkins, Frankie Ballard, Casey Barnes, Danielle Bradbery, Blanco Brown, T Graham Brown, Karley Scott Collins, Billy Dean, Tyler Farr, Filmore, Josh Gracin, Ty Herndon, Braxton Keith, Erin Kinsey, Lakeview, Edwin McCain, John Morgan, Kylie Morgan, Jerrod Niemann, Jamie O’ Neal, Mason Ramsey, Owen Riegling, Emily Ann Roberts, Reyna Roberts, Kaylee Rose, Shaylen, Sister Hazel, Iam Tongi, US Navy Band Country Current, Darryl Worley, Charlie Worsham and Jake Worthington.

Artists playing The Chevy Vibes Stage at Walk of Fame Park are Angie K, Graham Barham, Blessing Offor, Craig Campbell, Dillon Carmichael, Mackenzie Carpenter, Ashland Craft, Kashus Culpepper, Dailey & Vincent, Jade Eagleson, Exile, Mickey Guyton, Kelsey Hart, Tayler Holder, Greylan James, Willie Jones, Tiera Kennedy, Vincent Mason, Madeline Merlo, Drake Milligan, Lorrie Morgan, David Nail, Meghan Patrick, Dylan Schneider, Shenandoah, MaRynn Taylor, Thompson Square, Pam Tillis, Lauren Watkins, Mark Wills, Rita Wilson and Waylon Wyatt.

The Good Molecules Reverb Stage at Bridgestone Plaza’s line-up includes  Willow Avalon, Maddox Batson, Laci Kaye Booth, Brenn!, Franni Rae Cash, Chapel Hart, Julia Cole, Preston Cooper, Kolby Cooper, Wesley Dean, Melanie Dyer, Madeline Edwards, Mae Estes, Carter Faith, Lanie Gardner, Cole Goodwin, Fancy Hagood, Jack Wharff and The Tobacco Flats, Max Jackson, James Barker Band, Just Jayne, Alexandra Kay, Zach John King, Matt Lang, Bryce Leatherwood, Hannah McFarland, Walker Montgomery, Will Moseley, Elizabeth Nichols, Adrien Nunez, Scoot Teasley, Cameron Whitcomb, Blake Whiten, Austin Williams and Eli Winders.

Acts will perform free at The Hard Rock Stage with a slate that includes Ashley Anne, Palmer Anthony, Hayden Blount, BODHI, BoomTown Saints, Luke Borchelt, CECE, Hayden Coffman, Abbey Cone, Crowe Boys, Eddie and The Getaway, Sterling Elza, Brian Fuller, Giovannie and The Hired Guns, Colt Graves, Reid Haughton, Christian Hayes, The Heels, Hueston, Solon Holt, Preston James, Jason Scott & The High Heat, Britnee Kellogg, Alex Lambert, LECADE, Trey Lewis, Tyler Joe Miller, MŌRIAH, Clayton Mullen, O.N.E The Duo, Harper O’Neill, Pistol Pearl and the Western Band, Peytan Porter, RVSHVD, Sacha, Matt Schuster, Sophia Scott, SKEEZ, Kevin Smiley, Payton Smith, Liam St. John, Colin Stough, Troubadour Blue, Leah Turner, Alli Walker, Carson Wallace, Brendan Walter, Chandler Walters, Jay Webb, Wesko, Angel White and Sam Williams.

All artists perform for free to benefit the CMA Foundation, with a portion of ticket proceeds supporting music education programs. CMA Fest will be filmed for a special airing on ABC and Hulu later in the summer.

For more details and ticketing options, go here.

Kenny Chesney got a very special early birthday present on Tuesday (March 25), one day before he turned 57. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, in a class that also included producer Tony Brown and the late June Carter Cash. Chesney is the youngest solo inductee since Garth Brooks, who was […]

Lady A member Charles Kelley and his wife Cassie let fans in on a secret on Tuesday (March 25), revealing that they are expecting their second child this fall. In an Instagram post shared by the couple, they captioned the photos, “Biggest surprise of our lives! Baby Kelley coming early fall 2025 🍼👶🏻🤰🏼 Big brother […]

Maren Morris has announced the release date for her anticipated fourth studio album, Dreamsicle. The 14-track LP is slated to drop on May 9, with the first single, “Carry Me Through,” slated for release on Thursday morning (March 27). Morris has been doing a slow reveal of the new album on her newly wiped Instagram […]

Kenny Chesney, June Carter Cash and musician-producer-label exec Tony Brown have been given country music’s highest honor: They were named as the latest inductees to the Country Music Hall of Fame during a ceremony held Tuesday (March 25) at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.

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CMA CEO Sarah Trahern, Country Music Hall of Fame CEO Kyle Young and Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill revealed this year’s slate of individuals who have been named as the latest inductees to the Country Music Hall of Fame. The Country Music Hall of Fame launched in 1961, and “since then it has been the ultimate recognition of country music excellence,” Trahern told the audience.

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“We honor not just talent, but impact, not just success, but legacy,” Trahern added.

The three inductees will be inducted during the annual Medallion ceremony, set for later this year.

Chesney will be inducted in the modern era artist category. During his career, he’s become known for massive concerts, 33 No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay hits, his passionate No Shoes Nation fanbase, and his work ethic. Though Chesney released his debut single in 1993, it wouldn’t be until 1997 that he earned his first No. 1 with “She’s Got It All.” From there, he kept amassing songs that connected with fans, and in 2000, he earned a triple platinum Greatest Hits collection that included songs such as “How Forever Feels,” “That’s Why I’m Here,” “Don’t Happen Twice” and “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.” He appeared on George Strait’s stadium tours in 1999 and 2000, which sparked his desire to create a career and sound that was solely his. His album No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems debuted at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200, and he soon sold out the University of Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium, while hits such as “There Goes My Life” and “I Go Back” kept coming. He’s now won four entertainer of the year awards from the Country Music Association and an equal number of EOY wins from the Academy of Country Music.

He continues breaking new ground as the first country artist to set a residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas. He’ll release his first book, Heart*Life*Music, later this year.

“I always felt like country music told a lot of truth,” said East Tennessee native Chesney on stage at the Country Music Hall of Fame. “It’s also fueled by a lot of dreams. I had a really big dream that not a lot of people saw coming. My dream started on the shoulders of the dreams of George Jones. It was built on the shoulders of the dreams of Randy, Teddy, Jeff and Mark of Alabama, Conway Twitty, Doc Watson,” he said.

“I wanted to spread as much positive energy as I possibly could. I just want to say thank you. This is beautiful,” Chesney concluded.

June Carter Cash will be inducted in the veteran’s era artist category.

As the daughter of Maybelle Carter (who in 1927 formed The Carter Family along with Sara and A.P. Carter), Virginia native June Carter Cash grew up in show business, teaming with her sisters Anita and Helen, along with Maybelle, to form Mother Maybelle and The Carter Sisters. The Carter Family laid much of the foundation for commercial country music and Carter followed in their musical footsteps, learning to play autoharp by age 10 and appearing on the Carters’ radio broadcasts. She also developed a talent for comedy, developing stage characters such as Aunt Polly Carter. A multi-faceted entertainer, in the 1950s through 1970s, she appeared on Gunsmoke, The Adventures of Jim Bowie and Little House on the Prairie. She was in the 1958 film Country Music Holiday, 1986’s remake of Stagecoach and multiple episodes of hit primetime Western drama Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.

The Carter Sisters joined Johnny Cash’s roadshow in 1961, sparking what would become one of music’s most well-known love stories. As a songwriter, Carter Cash wrote with Merle Kilgore what would become Johnny Cash’s 1963 hit “Ring of Fire,” which spent seven weeks atop Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart. Carter and Cash wed in 1968. They won Grammys for their collaborations on “Jackson” and “If I Was a Carpenter.” Carter Cash was also a bedrock of support for Nashville’s greater music community, offering respite for artists at the couple’s Hendersonville, Tenn., home, including artists such as Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Larry Gatlin. She also continued recording her own projects, and her 1999 album Press On won a Grammy for best traditional folk album. Carter Cash died on May 15, 2003, at age 73. Her final album, Wildwood Flower, released posthumously that same year, earned Grammys for best traditional folk album.

Carter Cash’s children, Carlene Carter and John Carter Cash, were on hand to accept the induction news for their mother.

“I can’t tell y’all what this means to us, to our whole family,” Carlene said. “My mom was a force of nature. Everything she did, she did with grace and style and finesse and humor. I was so proud to be her daughter. Anything that Is good about me is because of that woman.”

John Carter added, “You look up here — will the circle be unbroken. Of course that song has ancient origins, but there’s one person who sang that song more than anyone else in her lifetime and that was my mother, June Carter. She was a songwriter, a musical historian, a comedian, but she carried the torch for country music history with her though her lifetime. Millions of people knew Carter Family songs because of my mother … She appreciated the music, but she brought it all together with a laugh. ‘Anchored in love’ is one of her life mottos, and ‘press on.’ But blessed to be here today. She did not know a stranger …she would be so grateful for this.”

June Carter photographed circa 1965.

GAB Archive/Redferns

Producer, label exec, musician and North Carolina native Tony Brown will be inducted into the non-performer category, which rotates every three years with the songwriter and recording and/or touring musician categories.

Early in his career, Brown spent time playing in bands for the Oak Ridge Boys, Elvis Presley, Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris. He played on Harris’ projects including Blue Kentucky Girl. As a label executive, Brown signed hitmakers including Alabama and Gill. As a producer, he had his first hit with Steve Wariner’s 1983 song “Midnight Fire,” produced with Norro Wilson.

In 1978, he joined RCA’s Free Flight Records; soon after it closed, he transferred to RCA’s Nashville division, signing group Alabama. In After heading back onto the road to tour with Rodney Crowell and Rosanne Cash’s The Cherry Bombs, Brown returned to RCA and to Nashville, signing Gill. Brown moved from RCA to MCA Nashville, helping it become country music’s kingpin label in the 1990s and becoming president of the label. He brought Gill to MCA and signed artists including Patty Loveless and Marty Stuart and developed working relationships with artists including Wynonna Judd, and production relationships with artists including George Strait and Reba McEntire. He also aided numerous Americana artists, signing and producing artists including The Mavericks, Joe Ely, Lyle Lovett and Allison Moorer. He left MCA to co-found Universal South Records with Tim Dubois in 2002.

Tony Brown speaks onstage during the Country Music Hall of Fame Inductee Announcement at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on March 25, 2025 in Nashville.

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Brown has won six Grammys and is a member of the Gospel Music hall of Fame. His accolades also include Leadership Music’s inaugural Dale Franklin Leadership Award, the ACM’s icon award and the Americana Music Association’s lifetime achievement award. He’s aided record sales of more than 100 million units during his career.

Taking the stage, Brown said, “I’ve had a lot of big things happen in my life and career — this is the biggest. This is cool, I don’t care who you are. I’m totally blown away … never ever imagined that I would be. Thank you to the CMA, the Hall of Fame, Vince Gill, all the people who helped me get here … the engineers, songwriters, song pluggers. This is better than money … this is about making an impact and when it comes down to it, that’s the reason we all get into this business, to make an impact.”

Zach Bryan again captures the No. 1 on Billboard’s Top TV Songs chart, powered by Tunefind (a Songtradr company), as “Oklahoma Smokeshow” rules the February 2025 list following a synch in CBS’ Tracker.

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Rankings for the Top TV Songs chart are based on song and show data provided by Tunefind and ranked using a formula blending that data with sales and streaming information tracked by Luminate during the corresponding period of February 2025.

Bryan boasts a previous ruler on Top TV Songs via the November 2022 ranking with “Something in the Orange” from Fire Country, also a CBS property.

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This time, Bryan’s “Oklahoma Smokeshow,” a No. 72-peaking song on the Billboard Hot 100 from 2022’s American Heartbreak, pops up in the Feb. 23 episode of Tracker (the 10th episode of season two), begetting 18 million official on-demand U.S. streams and 1,000 downloads in February 2025 in the process, according to Luminate.

Bryan leads the latest Top TV Songs ranking over a slew of songs from the third season of Showtime’s Yellowjackets, whose first two episodes premiered on Feb. 16, followed by episode three on Feb. 23.

Candlebox’s “Far Behind” leads the charge, debuting at No. 2 thanks to 7.2 million streams and 1,000 downloads in February after an appearance in the second episode, while Bush’s “Glycerine” follows at No. 3 (5.9 million streams, 1,000 downloads) following its synch in the premiere.

The ’90s flavor doesn’t extend to the rest of Yellowjackets’ charting songs, though. The series also represents the 1980s with Tiffany’s cover of “I Think We’re Alone Now” (No. 8; 2.7 million streams, 1,000 downloads) and the ‘70s with Cat Stevens’ “Morning Has Broken” (No. 10; 1.3 million streams, 1,000 downloads).

Of the group, “I Think We’re Alone Now” was a two-week No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 1987, though all four reached the top 30.

See the full top 10 of the Top TV Songs chart, also featuring music from Fire Country, Cobra Kai, Suits LA, School Spirits and The White Lotus, below.

Rank, Song, Artist, Show (Network)

“Oklahoma Smokeshow,” Zach Bryan, Tracker (CBS)

“Far Behind,” Candlebox, Yellowjackets (Showtime)

“Glycerine,” Bush, Yellowjacket (Showtime)

“Nobody Knows,” The Lumineers (cover), Fire Country (CBS)

“Silent Lucidity,” Queensryche, Cobra Kai (Netflix)

“Daylight,” Shinedown, Suits LA (NBC)

“Let’s Dance,” David Bowie, School Spirits (Paramount+)

“I Think We’re Alone Now,” Tiffany, Yellowjackets (Showtime)

“Maria Tambien,” Khruangbin, The White Lotus (HBO)

“Morning Has Broken,” Cat Stevens, Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Trisha Yearwood added to her lengthy list of career accolades on Monday (March 24), when she was honored with the 2,805th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, during a ceremony held in Los Angeles.
Media personality Cody Alan, known for his work on SiriusXM and CMT, emceed the event, which honored Georgia native Yearwood’s numerous career milestones over the past three decades, and her journey from aspiring singer to multi-faceted entertainer, singer, author, television show leader, actress and businesswoman.

Two of Yearwood’s friends and fellow country artists, Reba McEntire and Carly Pearce, celebrated her at Monday’s ceremony.

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“What matters is the impact she’s continued to have on this industry, the genre, on me and on all of the next generation of female country artists,” Pearce said.

Pearce recalled several of the kind gestures Yearwood has made to her over the years, including greeting her backstage at the Opry and sending gifts from Yearwood’s line of pet products, for Pearce’s dogs Johnny and June, and inducting Pearce as a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

“What a full-circle moment and honor for me to get to be here to help usher in this historic achievement after all the times Trisha has stood by my side,” Pearce said. “She is as beautiful on the inside as she is the outside, and I believe her loved ones would say that she is the same, down-to-earth girl she has always been. I’m grateful to have such a wonderful blueprint for what it means to have an impactful career, but also most importantly what it means to be a good person. In an industry where people will chew you up and spit you out, Trisha is the warm hug. And don’t we all just need a Trisha Yearwood and a warm hug in our lives? This star is one not everyone will achieve, but where you belong.”

Yearwood’s fellow Hollywood Walk of Fame member McEntire recalled first meeting Yearwood at the ACMs in the 1990s, at a party after the show.

“I came by and sat with you and your mom…and I thought, ‘I love her already, she’s sittin’ with her mom,’ cause my mom and I were real close, just like you and your mom,” McEntire said. “Your dry sense of humor and wit won my heart….You were funny and the years just kept going by and we got to hang out and be with each other, we got to sing together and have dinners together. You taught me a lot about cooking on your cooking show and she was like, ‘Oh poor little Reba. I’m going to help her learn how to cook,’” she said with a grin. “And I appreciated that more than you know. But our friendship throughout the years means the world to me, because girls out on the road need a buddy and we are in the country music business where girls stick together. We have fun together, we complain and gripe to each other, because you can’t do that with anybody else, nobody else understands. So congratulations today, I’m thrilled to pieces for you…I love you with all my heart and congratulations.”

Among those in attendance was Yearwood’s husband and fellow country artist and Hollywood Walk of Famer Garth Brooks, who could be seen wiping away tears during the ceremony.

Hollywood Chamber of Commerce president/CEO Steve Nissen introduced Yearwood to the audience and welcomed her to accept her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The ceremony also took place near the iconic Capitol Records building, which also happens to be the place where Yearwood recorded her 2019 album Let’s Be Frank, an album of Frank Sinatra classics.

“This street represents creative genius, innovation, brilliance, recognized by your peers,” Nissen said, before Yearwood was presented with a resolution from the city council of Los Angeles.

Yearwood said, “It’s one of those surreal moments. My team, Team TY, who are all here and who I love, we all talk about being where your feet are and I’m trying to be where my feet are, but it’s very surreal to be here. It’s such an honor and the thing that makes it so special are the people who are here. I see a lot of faces in the crowd, who have been coming to see me since 1991. I love you and you know that, because all I ever wanted to do was to sing.”

To Pearce, Yearwood said, “Carly, your words were so kind. I want to tell you that when I met you for the first time, it was at a CMT Awards show and I just immediately knew that you were genuine. I knew I wanted to be your friend. So it’s been my honor to get to know you a little bit.”

Of McEntire, Yearwood said, “The person that taught me how to do that was the first artist who was so kind to me at an awards show and that was Reba McEntire, who just exemplifies friendship and class. She sent me flowers at my first awards show when nobody even knew I was in the dressing room. I though they were from my mom and dad and then I saw they were from Reba and I’m like, ‘Oh, okay.’ I’m so blessed that you and I have become more than just colleagues, but friends that get to hang out, because you’re right. There’s a misconception that female artists in particular are always climbing at each other and trying to get at each other, but the truth is, we’re all cheering for each other and with each other. This is an example of that. These girls, from every generation of country music, we’re all for each other.”

She also thanked the members of her team, Team TY, saying, “We are a team, I love you so much.” She added, “My family, my sister Beth, who is the crier, more than my husband actually. Her and her husband John are here representing our parents, who I know are here in this moment and just loving every second, especially my mom. She’s loving a star on Hollywood Blvd.” Yearwood continued by thanking her longtime producer Garth Fundis, saying, he is “the man who brought me ‘She’s in Love With the Boy,’ he brought me ‘The Song Remembers When,’ he brought me ‘Walkaway Joe,’” and thanked him for “helping me make my dreams come true.”

She also thanked her husband Brooks, calling him, “the one who has really been a cheerleader and one who, as many accolades and awards as he has won, I never see him get more excited than he does when I receive something. And for all the people who want this for me, nobody wants it more than you and I appreciate you for being my support. We’re down a few stars from each other, but we’ll figure out something, we’ll put out some breadcrumbs or something,” she added, jokingly. “I want to thank you all for taking out your time on this gorgeous day to be here for this star.”

McEntire and Pearce then joined Yearwood to reveal Yearwood’s newly minted star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Among the Georgia native’s accolades are three Grammy wins, three CMA Awards, membership in the Grand Ole Opry and the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame, the ACM Honors icon award and CMT’s inaugural June Carter Cash humanitarian award. She won her first Grammy for best country vocal collaboration, for a collaborative rendition of the Patsy Cline classic “I Fall to Pieces” with Aaron Neville. She picked up two more wins, for best female country vocal performance (“How Do I Live”), and for best country collaboration with vocals (“In Another’s Eyes”) with husband Garth Brooks.

The Belmont University alumna has amassed numerous hits including her breakthrough “She’s in Love With the Boy,” as well as “How Do I Live,” “XXXs and OOOs (An American Girl),” “The Song Remembers When,” “I Would’ve Loved You Anyway,” “Believe Me Baby (I Lied),” and “Thinkin’ About You.”

Beyond the 15 albums she has released, she is also host of the Emmy-winning Food Network show Trisha’s Southern Kitchen. She’s written four New York Times bestselling cookbooks and has had cookware, furniture and home accessories lines. She also co-owns the Nashville bar Friends in Low Places with Brooks, with menus created by Yearwood.

Ahead, Yearwood is prepping her upcoming new album, which will feature her own work as a songwriter on each of the tracks. She’s previewed the project with the lead song “Put You in a Song.” Beyond her own business initiatives, Yearwood supports a range of charitable causes, including her longtime work with Habitat for Humanity, her support for breast cancer research and her nonprofit Dottie’s Yard which aids shelters and animal rescue causes.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame launched in 1961. Other country artists with with stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame include Brooks, Roy Acuff, Clint Black, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Brooks & Dunn, Freddy Fender, Lefty Frizzell, Crystal Gayle, Vince Gill, Alan Jackson, Loretta Lynn, McEntire, Tim McGraw, Buck Owens and Charley Pride.

Bunnie XO is opening up about the lesser known emotions of IVF. In a new episode of her Dumb Blonde podcast, the star got vulnerable about her emotions as she goes through the process of trying to conceive a child with her husband, Jelly Roll. She compared the process to “slot machine in Vegas” due […]

One year after the release of Beyoncé’s Billboard 200-topping album Cowboy Carter, “Texas Hold ‘Em” banjo player Rhiannon Giddens is opening up about feeling conflicted over her contributions to the culture-shifting project.
In an interview with Rolling Stone published Sunday ahead of the release of her own album What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow, Giddens shared that she has struggled with the pros and cons of appearing on such a high-profile album. On the one hand, plucking strings on the LP’s No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit single “Texas Hold ‘Em” allowed her to feel embraced by the mainstream Black community for the first time, she says — but on the other, it also made her feel like her contributions were simply part of a “transaction.”

“There are so many of us struggling to maintain our humanity in this industry,” Giddens told the publication. “My biggest talent is collaboration. I’m really into sharing and being one of many, and I feel like that’s important, but you can’t be a superstar and do that. You just can’t!”

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“There are two examples I could pull out, in my entire 20-year career, where I feel like I had to make a compromise in order for a greater good,” she continued. “This was one of those times … And there were definitely benefits: I’ve heard from people saying more people are taking banjo classes and dancing to it because of [‘Texas Hold ‘Em’]. It also gave me an entrée into the Black community that I’ve never had, to be honest. Because of all the things I’ve been fighting for my whole life, it’s been difficult to be seen as a Black musician, especially since I’m mixed, all this sh–. But for the first time, I felt acceptance from the mainstream Black community, which made me weep.”

That said, Giddens said it was “really hard” to feel as though her talents were “treated as any other transaction in the music industry.” “Because I certainly didn’t do it for the money, I can tell you that,” she elaborated. “I did it for the mission. So, my idea of what the mission is and somebody else’s idea of what the mission is are not going to be the same thing. There’s a reason why I’m not a multi-millionaire. If you are a multi-millionaire, there are reasons why. No shade, whatever. It means you do things in a certain way.”

The folk musician went on to give an example of a mainstream artist whose mission she does resonate with: Kendrick Lamar, whom Giddens says uses his platform “in an intensely activist way.” “I don’t know how he does it, but he did it,” she said. “He’s unique. Most people aren’t like him. So I can’t expect everybody to be like him, and that’s fine.”

Released in March 2024, Cowboy Carter was one of the year’s most talked-about albums. Featuring collaborations with Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Miley Cyrus and Post Malone, the project sparked much discourse about the bounds of genre and whether Bey was “country enough” to make the pivot. The album was notably shut out by the Country Music Awards, receiving no nominations despite its success on the country charts (including the superstar becoming the first Black woman to ever top the Hot Country Songs chart). Cowboy Carter did, however, receive both best country album and album of the year at the 2025 Grammys.

At one point, Giddens herself even responded to the backlash Cowboy Carter faced from country music purists — whose dismissal of the album she said was “just racism” in an IMPACT x Nightline interview. “Nobody’s asking Lana Del Rey, ‘What right do you have to make a country record?’” Giddens said in March last year. “People don’t wanna say it’s because she’s Black. You know? But they use these … these coded terms, you know? And that’s problematic.”