State Champ Radio genre country
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Jelly Roll has been forced to cancel the final date of his debut Australia and New Zealand tour, citing illness, just hours before the headline show was set to kick off.
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The Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum artist announced via Instagram on Friday (Nov. 8) that he would not be performing at The Outer Fields at Western Springs in Auckland, New Zealand, as originally scheduled for tonight.
âDear Auckland, Iâve done everything I can,â he wrote on Instagram. âI just canât shake it. It breaks my heart, Iâve probably missed three shows in the last decade. I pride myself on showing up no matter what. Just couldnât do it this time. Please forgive me.â
Fans reported that they didnât discover news of the cancellation until arriving at the venue. The late notice left many frustrated and disappointed, particularly as some had travelled long distances to attend Jelly Rollâs first-ever New Zealand performance.
The cancelled concert was set to wrap Jelly Rollâs tour across Australia and New Zealand, which marked the country-rock starâs first-ever visit to the region. The run included back-to-back shows at Melbourneâs Rod Laver Arena (Oct. 28â29), a sold-out night at Sydneyâs Qudos Bank Arena (Nov. 4), and an Adelaide show at AEC Theatre (Oct. 26). He also headlined the inaugural Strummingbird Festival on the Sunshine Coast (Oct. 25), followed by dates in Newcastle (Nov. 1) and Perth (Nov. 2).
In 2023, his album Whitsitt Chapel peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and in 2024, his follow-up Beautifully Broken debuted at No. 1 â marking his first chart-topping release on the all-genre tally. He has also earned eight consecutive No. 1 singles on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, including fan favourites like âHeart of Stone,â âI Am Not Okay,â and âLiar,â the latter of which held the top spot for six weeks.
No official update has been issued yet regarding potential rescheduling or refunds for the cancelled Auckland date.
Trending on Billboard Ella Langleyâs âChoosinâ Texasâ is making waves on the Country Airplay chart, Sombrâs âBack to Friendsâ hit No. 12 on the Hot 100 â but can the two songs break into the top 10 of the Hot 100? Can Olivia Deanâs âMan I Needâ head into the top three of the chart? […]
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The Grammys have a country problem.
This is not new news, of course, but in another banner year for country music it was reinforced when the nominations for the 68th annual Grammy Awards were announced on Friday morning (Nov. 7).
Nowhere is the omission more obvious than in the best new artist category. To be sure, it was an extremely competitive race across several genres â but in a year when nascent country acts like Megan Moroney, Ella Langley and Zach Top were legitimate contenders with commercially and critically acclaimed breakthroughs, their names were nowhere to be found. Â No country artists made the cut.
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Looking further in the six general field categories, which, in addition to best new artist, include record, album, song, producer (non-classical) and songwriter ((non-classical) of the year only two country creators made the cut and both for songwriter of the year: Jessie Jo Dillon, who co-wrote songs for artists including Moroney, Jelly Roll, Russell Dickerson and Morgan Wallen that were released during the eligibility period and Laura Veltz, who had songs cut by BigXthaPlug, Jessie Murph, Josh Ross and Maren Morris, among others. (It must be noted that countryâs biggest artist, Wallen, took himself out of contention this year and did not enter, but given his past lack of nominations other than for his duet with Post Malone, the voters would likely have continued to ignore him).
This has been an ongoing issue. For the last 10 years, including todayâs nominations, only five country projects have received album of the year nominations among 74 contenders (and thatâs generously including efforts by Americana-leaning artists, like Sturgill Simpson and Brandi Carlile, and artists who have temporarily dipped into the genre, like BeyoncĂŠ). There have only been two winners: Kacey Musgraves for Golden Hour in 2018 and BeyoncĂŠ for Cowboy Carter earlier this year.
In song of the year, over the last 10 years the only country nominations have gone to the writers of Tanya Tuckerâs âBring My Flowers Nowâ and Beyonceâs âTexas Hold âEm.â
For record of the year, the outlook is even similarly bleaker: the only country nominations have gone to Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrusâs âOld Town Roadâ and Shaboozeyâs âA Bar Song (Tipsy).â Â
Despite todayâs goose egg, as country music has boomed over the last several years, country artists have fared best in the new artist category with eight artists receiving nominations over the last decade. However, there has been no country winner in 15 years since Zac Brown Band in 2010. And we know there wonât be one at the 2026 ceremony.
To state the obvious, the fans who have propelled countryâs popularity arenât voters. Grammy voting is a numbers game and until there are enough voters among country creators, itâs hard to see things changing. Itâs clear among the winners and nominees that many of them, such as BeyoncĂŠ and Shaboozey, had projects with crossover appeal, which likely garnered them votes from beyond the country community.
That brings up a broader point, unlike other genres, such as rap and alternative, country often still remains its own island and doesnât always cross over with other genres. That is changing, with artists like BigXthaPlug and Tate McRae collaborating with country artists and bringing new fans in, but there still seems to be a bigger divide: country listeners (including voters) likely listen to other genres of music, while fans of other genres donât necessarily listen to country.
The Recording Academy is well aware of the country lag, and even added a new country category this year, Best Traditional Country Album, which was the only new music category added for the 68th annual Grammy Awards.Â
âThe community of people that are making country music in all different subgenres came to us with a proposal and said we would like to have more variety in how our music is honored,â Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. told Billboard in June when the category was announced  âThey said, we think we need more space for our music to be celebrated and honored.âÂ
Thatâs a great move and puts the country categories in line with a number of the other genres that have both contemporary and traditional categories, but until the number of country creators who vote rises, there is very likely to be no change in the general field because the numbers just arenât there to cross a country artist or project over the mainstream finish line. Â
The Recording Academy has been on a massive drive over the last several years to diversify its ranks especially among women, younger voters and people of color, adding 2,900 new voting members this year alone. Total voting membership is now approaching 15,000, with 73% joining since the Academy introduced a new membership model in 2019. Tellingly, only 1% of this yearâs new voting members identified as being most aligned with the country genre.
Trending on Billboard Five years after Cody Johnson first recorded his version of The Chicksâ hit âTravelinâ Soldierâ during a livestream performance session, and three years after he released an acoustic performance rendition of the song, he has finally released his official version of the track. Explore See latest videos, charts and news In a […]
Trending on Billboard Chase Matthew lands his first No. 1 on Billboardâs Country Airplay chart with âDarlinâ.â The single tops the ranking dated Nov. 15 with a 3% gain to 31.3 million audience impressions Oct. 31âNov. 6, according to Luminate. The Sevierville, Tenn., native cowrote the song with four others, including Jake Angel and Alex […]
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A woman who has accused Garth Brooks of sexual assault is refusing to concede defeat in her fight to remain anonymous.
The allegations, which Brooks vehemently denies, were raised by the starâs former hairstylist, identified only as Jane Roe in court filings. But the country star won a ruling in September that she must use her real name as the litigation moves ahead.
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In a notice filed last month, Roe said she would ask a federal appeals court to reverse that ruling, saying that she was âappealing those portions of the order pertaining to her motions to maintain the confidentiality of her name and proceed using a pseudonym.â
A spokesperson for Brooks did not immediately return a request for comment on the case or the new appeal.
The legal battle kicked off last year, when Brooks filed a preemptive lawsuit under the name John Doe, claiming he was facing an âongoing attempted extortionâ by a woman falsely accusing him of sexual assault. Weeks later, Roe filed her own case in Los Angeles, accusing Brooks of assaulting her while she worked for him as a hairstylist.
Brooks has vehemently denied the allegations, saying in a statement that he had been threatened that the womanâs âliesâ would be released to the public unless he wrote âa check for many millions of dollars.â
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Since last year, much of the case has been shrouded in mystery because the entire court docket has been kept under seal, an unusual step in any federal lawsuit. The judge overseeing the case took that step after Brooks filed case documents last fall in which he publicly disclosed the accuserâs name.
That disclosure sparked outrage from Roeâs attorney, who vowed to re-hide her name and seek penalties against Brooks: âOut of spite and to punish, he publicly named a rape victim,â said her attorney, Douglas Wigdor. âWith no legal justification, Brooks outed her because he thinks the laws donât apply to him.â
In later court filings, attorneys for Brooks pushed back on that, arguing that the accuser âalready agreed to use her nameâ â citing earlier court filings in which her attorneys argued Brooks must use his.
In September, Judge Henry T. Wingate denied Roeâs motion to remain under the pseudonym, though his reasoning is unclear because the ruling remains under seal, like the rest of the docket. Her team then filed a motion for an interlocutory, or immediate, appeal of that ruling.
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Though the appellate case is underway, the accuser has not yet filed formal arguments. In a statement to Billboard, another of her attorneys, Jeanne M. Christensen, said they could not speak about the specifics of the appeal because of the judgeâs sealing orders.
âThe Mississippi action filed by Garth Brooks in a desperate effort to preemptively silence our client is currently under seal, and therefore, we cannot comment on the appeal,â said Christensen, a partner at Wigdorâs firm. âWe continue to applaud our clientâs courage in coming forward with her allegations of sexual assault against Brooks and are confident that he will be held accountable for his actions.â
Trending on Billboard Lainey Wilson continues to amass an array of impressive career accolades as an artist and entertainer, including trophies from the Academy of Country Music, Country Music Association, and the Recording Academy. Sheâs one of the most-nominated artists leading into this yearâs CMA Awards, where sheâs vying again for the coveted entertainer of […]
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Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson and Shaboozey are among the initial lineup of performers for the upcoming 59th annual CMA Awards.
The Country Music Association and ABC revealed the first round of performers for the Nov. 19 awards ceremony, with the lineup also featuring performances from Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, Shaboozey, Zach Top, Tucker Wetmore and Stephen Wilson Jr.
Wilson, the reigning CMA female vocalist of the year and a six-time nominee this year, will perform during and host the event, which will air live from Nashvilleâs Bridgestone Arena on ABC, and will stream the following day on Hulu.
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Combs will offer a rendition of his single âBack in the Saddle,â while six-time nominee this year Langley will perform her new song âChoosinâ Texas,â and reigning CMA new artist of the year and six-time nominee this year Moroney will perform â6 Months Later.â
Top, who has five nominations, will offer a performance of âGuitar,â while new artist of the year nominee Wetmore will perform his hit âWind Up Missinâ You.â Wilson Jr., also a new artist of the year nominee, will offer a rendition of Ben E. Kingâs âStand By Me.â
The evening will also feature plenty of collaborations, as Combs will join BigXthaPlug for their song âPray Hard,â while Shaboozey will team with Wilson Jr. to perform their collaboration âTook a Walk.â
More performers and presenters for the 59th Annual CMA Awards will be revealed leading up to the ceremony. This year, the nominees for the entertainer of the year trophy are Combs, Wilson, Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton and Morgan Wallen. Wallen is also the reigning CMA entertainer of the year.
Trending on Billboard Kelsea Ballerini is set to release her latest project, the six-song EP Mount Pleasant, on Nov. 14. Ballerini will preview the set via the release of her new song, âI Sit In Parks,â on Friday (Nov. 7). In the process, the singer-songwriter is ushering in her new creative era. Explore See latest […]
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As part of its year-long centennial celebration, the Opry will focus on the music that has made it so special with Opry 100: Countryâs Greatest Songs. Out Friday (Nov. 7), the Virgin Music Group-distributed double album features 20 previously unreleased live recordings from the Opry stage.
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The collection, which highlights songs from the fan-voted Opry 100 greatest songs list, spans more than 60 years of recordings, starting with Patsy Clineâs âCrazyâ captured live in 1962, as well as well-chosen covers like Ashley McBrydeâs âYour Cheatinâ Heartâ from 2024. Â There are also a pair of âFull Circleâ tracks, which are mixes of two live performances featuring artists of different eras, including a 1981 take of Marty Robbins singing âEl Pasoâ with a later performance of the same song by Marty Stuart.
Below, Billboard premieres a 2007 Opry appearance by Dolly Parton singing her classic, âI Will Always Love You,â to Porter Wagoner on his 50th anniversary of being an Opry member, accompanied by Patty Loveless and Marty Stuart.
âIf it hadnât been for Porter, I wouldnât have written this song. It was kind of my goodbye song to Porter,â Parton says of her former musical partner.
Dan Rogers, vp and executive producer at the Opry, tells Billboard how the 20 album choices were pared down from the Opry 100 greatest songs list. âWe began treating the selection process as if we were putting together a perfect night at the Opry. With every show, we seek not just to create a highly entertaining performance beginning to end, but also to celebrate the past, present, and future of country music and to showcase numerous styles under the country umbrella,â he says.
The selections are meant to take the listener on a journey. âWe wanted to ensure that as the listener continues, he hears about everything Opry audiences have experienced for 100 years: Jesus, whiskey, love, heartache, and more from Patsy Cline, George Jones, Vince Gill, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, and their contemporaries who have been stepping up to the Opry microphone for decades.â
The Opry owns the recordings of the live performances that take place on its stage, but Rogers says the Opry worked closely âwith artists, labels, and publishers to obtain any necessary rights that may be required for using the recordings. Like every piece of music being released, it takes a whole lot of communication and partnership to make it to release day with everyone on board.â
Even as the Opry looks back, Rogers says the 100th anniversary celebration is setting up the beloved institution for the next century. âOur 100th celebration, which will continue well into 2026, is about both celebrating the Opryâs past and paving a path for the next 100 years, and this project is an audio representation of that celebration,â he explains. âThe music included features some of the oldest, most authentic sounds from the Opryâs early days to contemporary sounds that help make the Opry relevant for younger fans with broad tastes.â
A number of promotions will surround the projectâs release, including Opry member Don Schlitz, who wrote Kenny Rogersâ âThe Gambler,â guest hosting on WSM Radio today (Nov. 6). On Friday, Â SiriusXMâs The Highway channel will celebrate they 100th anniversary during Music Row Happy Hour. On Nov. 8, Opry Live, which airs every Saturday, on the Opry Facebook and YouTube channels, among other outlets, will air a special, hosted by Old Crow Medicine Showâs Ketch Secor, that features performances of 10 songs on the album.
The Opryâs official 100th anniversary show is scheduled for Nov. 28 and will feature more than 20 members of the Grand Ole Opry, including Bill Anderson, John Conlee, The Gatlin Brothers, Vince Gill, Jamey Johnson and Ricky Skaggs.
 OPRY 100: Countryâs Greatest Songs Track Listing:
1.     âYour Cheatinâ Heartâ â Ashley McBryde (2024)2.     âEl Pasoâ â Marty Robbins and Marty Stuart (1981 / 2024) (Full circle mix)3.     âCrazyâ â Patsy Cline (1962)4.     âRing of Fireâ â Johnny Cash (1967)5.     âCoal Minerâs Daughterâ â Loretta Lynn (1985)6.     âKiss An Angel Good Morninââ â Darius Rucker (2021)7.     âI Will Always Love Youâ â Dolly Parton (feat. Patty Loveless and Marty Stuart) (2007)8.     âThe Gamblerâ â Don Schlitz (feat. Vince Gill) (2025)9.     âDevil Went Down to Georgiaâ â The Charlie Daniels Band (2015)10.  âElviraâ â The Oak Ridge Boys (1980)11.  âTennessee Whiskeyâ â Luke Combs (2016)12.  âHe Stopped Loving Her Today (Full Circle Mix)â â George Jones and Alan Jackson (1993 / 2013)13.  âI Was Country When Country Wasnât Coolâ â Kelsea Ballerini (2025)14.  âForever and Ever, Amenâ â Randy Travis (1989)15.  âDonât Close Your Eyesâ â Keith Whitley (1988)16.  âFancyâ â Reba McEntire (2017)17.  âChattahoocheeâ â Alan Jackson (2020)18.  âGo Rest High on That Mountainâ â Vince Gill (feat. Patty Loveless) (2015)19.  âJesus, Take The Wheelâ â Carrie Underwood (2018)20.  âMama Donât Allow / Will The Circle Be Unbroken?â â Old Crow Medicine Show, Dom Flemons, Billy Strings, and Molly Tuttle (2020)Â
