genre country

05 Feb 2025

Reba McEntire Gave Kelsea Ballerini Some Inspirational Words About Being a Coach on ‘The Voice’

As Kelsea Ballerini stepped into her new role as a coach on The Voice for its new season on Feb. 3, she got a sweet note of encouragement from the previous artist to fill that seat on The Voice–her fellow country artist Reba McEntire.

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In an Instagram Reel Ballerini shared, the Patterns hitmaker steps up to one of the iconic red coach’s chairs on the set of The Voice, and finds a letter rested against the red button.

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As Ballerini picks up and opens the note, McEntire’s voice can be heard in a voiceover reading the note, saying, “Dear Kelsea, I heard you would be the new voice coach this season and I’m just so excited for you. It’s up to you to keep country alive on this show, and I know you’ll do a terrific job. Now go out there and show those boys who’s the boss.”

McEntire’s note ended with a little surprise: “P.S. I left you a little good luck charm in case you need it. Love, Reba.”

From there, Ballerini looked at the red chair and saw a sparkling tiara rested on the seat. Ballerini sat the tiara on her head and said, “I feel so… fancy,” referencing McEntire’s 1991 hit version of the Bobbie Gentry song.

This season, Ballerini joins Michael Buble, John Legend and Michael Levine as a coach. Ballerini is also currently on her headlining Kelsea Ballerini Live On Tour 2025 trek, which recently visited Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

Last year, Ballerini released her latest album Patterns, which earned Ballerini her first No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.

05 Feb 2025

Toby Keith’s Daughter Krystal Pays Tribute to Her Father One Year After His Death

On the one-year anniversary of the death of Country Music Hall of Famer Toby Keith, his daughter Krystal Keith is paying tribute to her late father.

“It feels like yesterday we said goodbye and yet it somehow has also been the longest year without him,” Keith wrote on her Instagram page, captioning a carousel of photos of her father with his family through the years.

“I can’t help but find gratitude in all the time we had because we did all of life as a family unit. It’s hard to find a candid picture where he doesn’t have one of our babies in his arms. He was their favorite, and they were his. Our littles miss their buddy big time but we all know we will see him again someday. Until then, he will watch over us and walk beside us,” she wrote, adding, “Every sunset (and he LOOOOVED his sunsets) is a reminder that he wants us to live our best life and do good in the world. So that’s exactly is what we will do.”

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Keith died Feb. 5, 2024, at age 62 following a battle with stomach cancer. During his career, he earned 20 Billboard No. 1 Country Airplay hits, starting with 1993’s “Should’ve Been a Cowboy.” Songs including “How Do You Like Me Now?!” and his 9/11 response “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)” also crossed over to the pop chart. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2021. Also among his many accolades, Keith earned the Academy of Country Music’s entertainer of the year honor twice, and the ACM’s album of the year award for How Do You Like Me Now?! and Shock N’ Y’all. Keith launched a range of business ventures, including founding the label Show Dog Nashville, as well as the restaurant chain I Love This Bar and Grill and his Wild Shot Mezcal. Keith was also known for his fierce dedication to supporting the U.S. military, and for helping sick children and their families through The Toby Keith Foundation and the OK Kids Korral.

Members of Keith’s team also released a statement reflecting on Keith’s life and career on the one-year anniversary of his death.

“We can’t believe it’s been a year since the world lost Toby,” the statement read. “We have a hole in our heart and our lives. The love and support from the community that Toby created has left us all thankful and grateful. It has and continues to honor Toby. We know he would be proud of the legacy he left behind. Today we hope you will celebrate and listen to his music with us, where we know he is smiling down and raising his cup. A toast to a life well lived.”

In August, NBC aired the special Toby Keith: American Icon, which saw artists including Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Carrie Underwood and Darius Rucker paying homage to Keith.

05 Feb 2025

Orville Peck Might Be Dropping the Mask in New Photos From ‘Cabaret’ Rehearsals

For years now, fans of queer country crooner Orville Peck have waited for the day when they might sneak a peek at him without his iconic mask covering his face. On Tuesday (Feb. 4), they got just a little bit closer.

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In a carousel post to his Instagram on Tuesday, Peck shared a series of photos from his day-to-day life, including a few from rehearsals for his forthcoming role in the Broadway production of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club. While the first photo in the post showed the “Midnight Ride” singer with his mask on, one photo shows him seated in a makeup chair, wearing some smeared red lipstick with the upper half of his face cropped out of the photo. “Lots happening,” he wrote in his post.

Peck was announced as the next actor to take on the role of the Emcee in the ongoing revival of the Kander and Ebb classic after Adam Lambert’s run ends in March. In a statement released with the news at the time, Peck said that he was thrilled to make his Broadway debut in “one of my favorite shows and in probably my favorite role in all of musical theater,” explaining why he loved the character.

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“The nature of [the Emcee] allows for complete freedom of individual expression. It can be portrayed through such a vast range of emotions, perspectives, and performance styles,” he wrote. “That kind of freedom is every actor’s dream.”

Fans began speculating whether or not the actor would keep his mask on for the performance. Billboard reached out to representatives for the show after Peck’s casting for comment.

Check out Peck’s Instagram post below:

31 Jan 2025

New Country Airplay Top 10s for Cody Johnson & Carrie Underwood, Dylan Scott

Cody Johnson and Carrie Underwood’s “I’m Gonna Love You” climbs three spots to No. 9 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart (dated Feb. 8). It gained by 11% to 17.3 million audience impressions Jan. 24-30, according to Luminate.

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The team-up was authored by Kelly Archer, Travis Denning and Chris Stevens. It’s from the deluxe version, released in November, of Johnson’s 2023 album Leather. The set reached No. 5 on Top Country Albums, becoming his fifth top five title.

Johnson, from Sebastopol, Texas, adds his fifth Country Airplay top 10. His latest follows “Dirt Cheap,” which reached No. 5 last September; “The Painter” (No. 1 for one week, March 2024); “Human” (No. 8, June 2023); and “‘Til You Can’t” (No. 1, two weeks, March-April 2022).

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Underwood earns her 31st Country Airplay top 10 and first since “Ghost Story,” which peaked at No. 6 in October 2022. In between, she banked two top 20 hits: “Out of That Truck” (No. 18, April 2024) and “Hate My Heart” (No. 20, May 2023). She notched her 16th and most recent No. 1 with “If I Didn’t Love You,” with Jason Aldean, for three weeks in October-November 2021.

Underwood boasts the second-most Country Airplay top 10s among women dating to the chart’s 1990 launch. Reba McEntire leads the category with 37.

‘Good’ News

Dylan Scott scores his seventh Country Airplay top 10, and his fifth in succession, as “This Town’s Been Too Good to Us,” which he co-wrote, lifts 11-10 (17 million, up 9%).

Meanwhile, Scott claims concurrent top 10s for the first time, as “Boys Back Home,” with Dylan Marlowe, ranks at No. 6 after reaching No. 2. Scott’s active top 10 streak is rounded out by “Can’t Have Mine,” which led for a week in December 2023, becoming his third No. 1; “New Truck” (No. 1, one week, August 2022); and “Nobody” (No. 2, June 2021).

More ‘Love’

Meanwhile, Morgan Wallen’s “Love Somebody” rules Country Airplay for a second week (35.4 million, up 5%). Of his 16 chart-toppers, his newest marks his eighth to lead for multiple weeks.

28 Jan 2025

‘Dolly Parton: An Original Musical’ to Get Nashville Premiere at Belmont University This Summer

Dolly Parton’s upcoming musical, Dolly: An Original Musical, will be getting a Music City premiere this summer, before heading to Broadway in 2026.

The musical, which brings Parton’s life story to the stage, will launch a four-week limited engagement at Belmont University’s Fisher Center For the Performing Arts this summer. Preview performances start July 18, followed by the opening night on Aug. 8. The musical will run through Aug. 17.

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Parton made the announcement during a press conference held at Belmont’s The Fisher Center For the Performing Arts on Tuesday morning (Jan. 28). Parton is a native Tennessean and has lived in Nashville for 60 years.

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“It seemed natural and right for me to premiere the story of my life in Tennessee, because I’m Tennessee born and Tennessee raised,” Parton told the audience.

“I have always wanted to do my life story as a musical, and I just thought I wanted to see it done while I was still around to be able to oversee it and make sure that it’s done properly, the way I would want to see it,” Parton later added, explaining her motivations for working on the project.

The musical will feature music written by Parton, with a book by Parton and Maria S. Schlatter, and will be directed by Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher. Parton noted that in addition to some of her most famous songs, the musical will also feature new music she composed.

Parton is also a producer on Dolly: An Original Musical, along with Danny Nozell, ATG Productions and Gavin Kalin Productions. 

Parton revealed plans for the musical last year, and an open casting call has since been launched to search for the ideal performer to portray Parton. During the press conference, Parton noted that the cast would be revealed “soon.”

Additionally, Parton has launched the “Dolly U” program, an immersive educational partnership with Belmont University. According to a release, the initial Dolly U program will allow students “opportunities to participate in aspects of the production, working alongside the musical’s professional cast, creative, and producing teams, as it is developed and premieres at the Fisher Center this summer. In addition, new project-based courses are being offered during the spring semester in subjects such as marketing, brand partnerships, and merchandising, providing students hands-on opportunities with the musical while receiving course credit.”

“I’ve had a lot of my relatives and friends go to Belmont. We know that this is a great school…everybody loves to learn about the business end of the music business,” Parton said during the press conference, noting that her niece graduated from Belmont University.

Tickets for Dolly: An Original Musical are on sale at dollymusical.com and at Belmont’s Fisher Center Box Office.

28 Jan 2025

Chart Rewind: In 1995, Alan Jackson’s ‘Gone Country’ Went to No. 1

On Jan. 28, 1995, Alan Jackson’s “Gone Country” hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.

The track was solely authored by Bob McDill and produced by Keith Stegall. In 2017, Billboard described the song as, lyrically, “reflective of a time period where many artists were coming to Music City from New York, Los Angeles and all points in between. Jackson told the press that he definitely understood the appeal of the format to newcomers and welcomed them all to town. Even so, there was a little bit of gently-placed sarcasm on this one, which helped to make it yet another No. 1.”

“Gone Country” was released as the third of five singles from Jackson’s album Who I Am, which yielded four Hot Country Songs leaders: “Summertime Blues” (three weeks), “Livin’ on Love” (three), “Gone Country” (one week) and “I Don’t Even Know Your Name” (one). Fourth single “Song for the Life” hit No. 6. Who I Am became his second of 14 No. 1s on the Top Country Albums chart.

“Gone Country” marked Jackson’s ninth of 26 No. 1s on Hot Country Songs. Dating to his first, “I’d Love You All Over Again,” in March 1991, he and Tim McGraw boast the most leaders: 26 each.

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Jackson was born Oct. 17, 1958, in Newman, Ga., and moved to Nashville in 1985 to follow his dreams. He became the first artist signed to Arista Records’ then-new country division in June 1989. His first of 84 Hot Country Songs entries, “Blue Blooded Woman,” peaked at No. 45. He followed with his first of 51 top 10s, the No. 3-peaking “Here in the Real World.”

In 1979, Jackson married his high school sweetheart, Denise Jackson (yep, same last name). The couple has been married for 45 years and has three daughters.

On Sept. 28, 2021, in an interview on NBC’s Today with Jenna Bush Hager, Jackson revealed that he had been diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), a degenerative nerve condition which limits his ability to perform. Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2017, he released his 21st studio set, Where Have You Gone, in May 2021. It arrived at its No. 2 best on Top Country Albums, becoming his 28th and most recent top 10.