Music News

12 Sep 2023

JoJo Siwa Defends Tween Influencer Everleigh Rose After Viral ‘Like Taylor Swift’ Takes Hits: ‘Lose Your Ego and Grow Up’

JoJo Siwa knows exactly what it feels like to be a grade schooler in the crosshairs of the internet. Which is why it makes perfect sense that the 20-year-old former Dance Moms star, singer, actress and YouTube influencer is coming to the defense of 10-year-old YouTube star Everleigh Rose amid criticism of the latter’s viral hit “Like Taylor Swift.”

“Saying all of this with love,” JoJo wrote in a TikTok uploaded on Sept. 8 with the on-screen caption “to anyone who has said anything negative about this song… you need to calm down.” Siwa continued, “As the now 20 year old who once was the 10 year old growing up infront of the internet, I wanna say to anyone thats been saying negative things about this song or everleigh herself, lose your ego and grow up.”

The peppy pop song listing all the qualities Rose admires about the pop megastar was uploaded on Sept. 4, and since then has spawned its own sprawling Reddit thread. The majority of the arrows are aimed at the singer’s parents, YouTube influencers Cole and Savannah LaBrant, for what users claim is their “exploitation” of their daughter.

“It’s not her fault but the song is really bad cause of the auto tune and the lyrics. they could of done something so much better for her,” read one comment, while another wrote, “All of the blame should 100% be on Savannah and Cole Labrant. This poor child is EXHAUSTED you can tell.” Others took aim at the appropriateness of a girl Everleigh’s age referencing the grown-up lyrics and subjects of Swift’s songs.

“I cringed from begging to end, but ‘like a dear John’ ARE YOU SERIOUS? A 10 yo referencing a song where a 19 yo girl got played and taken advantage of by an older guy.. yeah, hella appropriate. Wtf is this?” read a Reddit comment about the lyrics to that track that has drawn comparisons to Rebecca Black’s divisive 2011 hit “Friday.”

“Mу hair іs blоwing through thе wind/ Taylor Swift on the radio all weekend,” Everleigh sings on the chorus of the country pop tune whose video finds Rose delivering Chik-Fil-A to her pals and posing on the hood of a pink Bronco while two other girls wave their arms from the front seat. “Ѕwеet teа, sixteen, on my trampоlіnе, yeah.” The bridge then goes on to name-check some of Swift’s biggest songs: “Every single dау all I wanna do iѕ this/ And dо іt like Taylor Swift,” Everleigh sings. “Like a love story/ Like а dеar Јohn/ Like a bad bloоd/ Аnd kind of like our song/ Like I knew you were trоuble/ You bеlong with me/ Are you ready for it?/ Are уоu 22?/ Mаdе you shake it off/ Or look at what yоu made me do/ Nevеr grow up/ Never fіnd а lover/ Sparkѕ fly, fifteеn/ Can I get a cruel summer?”

Siwa, who lip synchs along to Everleigh’s song in her TikTok, added, “First, this song is adorable (and insanely catchy). And second… Bullying isnt cool, it’s not funny, and it’s not trendy, ever… especially when it’s directed at a 10 year old and her first song by people much older than her. Some even adults. If you’ve posted something knocking this, you should be embarrassed.”

According to E! News, Siwa has previously appeared in LaBrant Family videos and posed with Everleigh on the red carpet at the Industry Dance Awards last year. “I also without a doubt can say that Everleigh is one of the kindest and hardest working kids I’ve had to joy of getting to be around and she absolutely deserves all the love an success she has,” Siwa wrote.

Watch the “Like Taylor Swift” video and Siwa’s TikTok below.

@itsjojosiwa

Saying all of this with love… As the now 20 year old who once was the 10 year old growing up infront of the internet, I wanna say to anyone thats been saying negative things about this song or everleigh herself, lose your ego and grow up… First, this song is adorable (and insanely catchy). And second… Bullying isnt cool, it’s not funny, and it’s not trendy, ever… especially when it’s directed at a 10 year old and her first song by people much older than her. Some even adults. If you’ve posted something knocking this, you should be embarrassed. I also without a doubt can say that Everleigh is one of the kindest and hardest working kids i’ve ever had to joy of getting to be around and she absolutely deserves all the love an success she has.??

♬ like taylor swift – liv (taylors version)

12 Sep 2023

Maren Morris Is Dropping New Tracks: ‘These Two Songs Deserved a Moment of Their Own’

Maren Morris is hard at work on a new album, but she’s not making fans wait for the album release to hear new music. The Grammy winner will release a duo of songs, under the collective project title The Bridge, on Friday (Sept. 15), she announced on Tuesday (Sept. 12).

The project contains the songs “The Tree” and “Get the Hell Out of Here.” Morris said in an Instagram post that the dual song release “honors where I’ve been and [sic] but also feels like a forward step into the sun.”

Morris added, “As I’ve been working on my record nonstop this year, I realized these two songs deserved a moment of their own – a story in their own right, written a day apart from each other – a tender duo and bridge to my next album. I welcome, celebrate and grieve the changes that have happened these last few years and these two songs say it better than I ever could in a caption or interview….hope you enjoy these. ‘Wherever I’m going, I hope I’m not the only one.’”

Based on the song title, it seems that “Get the Hell Out of Here” may be tied to an image Morris posted on Sept. 7, a visual that appeared may be positioned as a response to Jason Aldean’s recent controversial song “Try That in a Small Town.”

She captioned that post, “I’m done filling a cup with a hole in the bottom,” which was shared alongside a silent clip of a bucolic town with a billboard that reads, “Welcome to Our Perfect Small Town: From Sunrise to Sundown.”  (Her rep did not respond to Billboard‘s request for comment at the time.)

Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” garnered both support and criticism due to lyrics that advise people to refrain from burning the American flag, disrespecting police and committing robberies in small towns. (Sample lyric: “Cuss out a cop, spit in his face/ Stomp on the flag and light it up/ Yeah, ya think you’re tough?/ Well, try that in a small town/ See how far ya make it down the road.”) “Try That in a Small Town” was written by Kelley Lovelace, Neil Thrasher, Tully Kennedy and Kurt Michael Allison. The song’s video was pulled from CMT, a move that sparked both support and backlash.

Following CMT’s decision, Aldean posted a message to his Instagram Stories regarding the contrasting reactions that the song and video have faced. The controversy helped propel consumption of the song and its video. The visual for “Try That in a Small Town” now has over 35 million views, while the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in late July; it is currently in the top 10 on the Country Airplay chart.

Morris’ upcoming full-length album will follow her 2022 project Humble Quest and her 2019 album GIRL, which won a CMA Award for album of the year. GIRL‘s key song, “The Bones,” won Morris single and song of the year honors in 2020, while Morris also picked up her first CMA female vocalist of the year win.

See her new music announcement below:

12 Sep 2023

Beyoncé Thanks Diana Ross & Kendrick Lamar for Their Renaissance Birthday Show Appearances

From a seemingly endless list of celebrity attendees to a characteristically jaw-dropping performance, Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour birthday show (Sept. 4) was one for the history books, and now, the star is thanking two who made that concert extra special.

In a pair of Instagram posts on Monday (Sept. 11), Beyoncé expressed her personal thanks to Diana Ross and Kendrick Lamar for their surprise performances during the show. “Thank you again to the legend Kendrick Lamar for blessing the Renaissance World Tour,” she wrote in the caption for a picture of the pair performing the “America Has a Problem” remix. “I deeply appreciate you. What an incredible experience. Respect, ?.”

For the final show of her three-night Renaissance World Tour run at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., Beyoncé brought out surprise guest Lamar for a cinematic performance of their remix of “America Has a Problem,” a fan-favorite breakout song from her Billboard 200-topping Renaissance album.

In a message to Ms. Ross, Beyoncé quoted her own Billboard Hot 100 top 20 hit “Alien Superstar” (No. 19) writing, “Thank you to the incomparable Ms. Diana Ross. The 1 of 1, the number 1, the only one. Thank you from the depths of me, my Queen. ?”

The legendary performer had led the crowd in a performance of “Happy Birthday,” which was completed with a hug from a gobsmacked Beyoncé. The 79-year-old icon first appeared on stage in front of more than 60,000 screaming fans during one of the show’s regularly scheduled intermissions, which features Ross’ 1976 Hot 100 No. 1 single “Love Hangover” as an interlude between songs. Usually, it’s Bey’s backup singers who perform the transition, but this time, Ross herself was on hand to do the honors.

The “Cuff It” singer is gearing up for the final few shows of the North American leg of her tour. She returned to the stage on Monday night at BC Place in Vancouver, Canada. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, Beyoncé earned $141.4 million in the first 12 Renaissance shows in the U.S. and Canada, selling 553,000 tickets. That puts the tour’s figures at $295.8 million and 1.6 million tickets (as of Aug. 1), making it Beyoncé’s highest grossing tour yet, passing 2016’s The Formation World Tour ($256.1 million) and 2018’s On the Run II Tour alongside Jay-Z ($253.5 million).

Beyoncé’s latest worldwide trek is in support of Renaissance, her seventh solo studio album, which spawned the Grammy-winning Hot 100 top 10 hits “Break My Soul” (No. 1) and “Cuff It” (No. 6).

12 Sep 2023

Olivia Rodrigo Settles the Taylor Swift Feud Talk Once and For All: ‘I Don’t Have Beef With Anyone’

Olivia Rodrigo launches a fiery barrage of pinpoint lyrical missiles at unnamed targets on her laceratingly catchy second album, GUTS. But ask the Grammy-winning 20-year-old singer to go into specifics about who she’s put a bullseye on in her lyrics and the singer who snarls “I wanna meet his mom/ Just to tell her her son sucks” on the new album’s “Get Him Back!” is not going there.

Such as in a new Rolling Stone cover story, in which the interviewer attempts to get an answer to a burning question about whether Olivia is currently feuding with her musical inspiration Taylor Swift. “I don’t beef with anyone,” she said about the singer she said she was “in awe” of constantly in an 2021 interview with Ryan Seacrest; the pair also exchanged letters, Swift gifted Rodrigo a ring she word while recording Red and the singer later gave Taylor (as well as producer Jack Antonoff) co-writing credits on the Sour songs “1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back” and “Deja Vu.”

“I’m very chill. I keep to myself,” Rodrigo explained, despite heated rumors that the GUTS song “The Grudge” is about a Swift fallout. “I have my four friends and my mom, and that’s really the only people I talk to, ever. There’s nothing to say. There’s so many Twitter conspiracy theories. I only look at alien-conspiracy theories.”

Pressed further on how the co-writing credits on her debut happened — she also retroactively gave Paramore a co-write on “Good 4 U” — Rodrigo demurred. “It’s not something that I was super involved with,” she said, making it unclear if her hand was forced in the matter. “It was more team-on-team. So, I wouldn’t be the best person to ask.”

As for whether she might do the same to a young artist if they were clearly inspired by one of her songs, or if she’d slough it off as Elvis Costello did when the clear similarities between his “Pump It Up” and her “Brutal” were pointed out, Rodrigo said she doesn’t think she would. “But who’s to say where I’ll be in 20, 30 years,” she said. “All that I can do is write my songs and focus on what I can control.”

The profile also featured a co-sign from Katy Perry about the intense pressure to follow-up a debut album, with Perry recalling that she faced similar angst while recording 2010’s Teenage Dream. “You have your whole life to make your first record, and then maybe two years to make your second — while going through a real psychological change as well,” said Perry, who added that she offered to be Rodrigo’s pop music mentor and sounding board. “Like, ‘Oh, my God, I can buy my mom a car,’ and, ‘Oh, my God, I don’t have to have the stress from my past.’ But it’s a mental jungle out there.”

For the record, Olivia said, even though there’s a song on GUTS called “Teenage Dream” — and she calls Perry’s album of the same name one of her favorite sophomore collections — it was totally a coincidence. “We thought about changing the name,” she said. “If someone looks up ‘Teenage Dream’ on Spotify, there’s no way in heck that my song’s going to pull up first.”

Rodrigo also noted that the goal on GUTS was to make a more “playful” record than her debut, Sour, which she said was “definitely a breakup record, much to my chagrin.”

One of the pop third rails Rodrigo would also not touch was the speculation that her breakthrough hit from that album, “Drivers License,” was inspired by a love triangle that allegedly involved her, her ex, fellow High School Musical: The Musical: The Series co-star Joshua Bassett and another Disney actress/singer, Sabrina Carpenter.

“I mean, that’s a tricky one. I actually, genuinely did not read the article you’re talking about,” she said of an story from 2022 in which Bassett said he had a major health crisis as a result of the backlash from strangers about the alleged love triangle. “But, yeah, all that stuff was really crazy. It’s all been handled privately… Handled isn’t the right word, but it’s just not something I like talking about publicly. I take all that stuff seriously, but it happens in privacy. I’m not going to put out a statement. That’s phony. We’re all just people at the end of the day. I deal with it on a person-to-person level that people on Twitter don’t see.”

12 Sep 2023

Taylor Swift Extends Artist 100 No. 1 Record, Jimmy Buffett Returns at No. 3

Taylor Swift spends a record-extending 79th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated Sept. 16), thanks to nine albums on the Billboard 200, all in the top 50, and three songs on the Billboard Hot 100.

Leading Swift’s titles on the Billboard 200 are Midnights at No. 5, with 45,000 equivalent album units earned Sept. 1-7, according to Luminate, and Lover at No. 9 (41,000 units).

Here’s a recap of Swift’s current Billboard 200-charting albums.

Rank, Title:

  • No. 5, Midnights
  • No. 9, Lover
  • No. 11, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)
  • No. 12, Folklore
  • No. 14, 1989
  • No. 17, Reputation
  • No. 21, Red (Taylor’s Version)
  • No. 31, Evermore
  • No. 50, Fearless (Taylor’s Version)

Swift is the only artist in chart history to chart at least nine albums in the top 50 of the chart simultaneously. This is the 19th time she’s achieved the feat.

On the Hot 100, Swift charts three songs: “Cruel Summer” (up 5-4, after reaching No. 3), “Anti-Hero” (32-20, after spending eight weeks at No. 1) and “Karma” featuring Ice Spice (25-24, after hitting No. 2).

Jimmy Buffett re-enters the Artist 100 at No. 3, powered by catalog gains following his death on Sept. 1. He previously reached a No. 2 best on the chart in June 2020, when his album Life on the Flip Side opened at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. His seminal hit “Margaritaville” re-enters the Hot 100 at No. 38, marking its first appearance on the chart since its original run in 1977, when it climbed to No. 8. It also re-enters the Digital Song Sales chart at No. 1, becoming the top-selling song of the week with 16,000 downloads sold. Buffett additionally places two albums on the Billboard 200: Songs You Know By Heart: Jimmy Buffet’s Greatest Hit(s) re-enters at No. 4, a new high (52,000 units) — it’s also No. 1 on Top Album Sales — while Boats Beaches Bars & Ballads re-enters at No. 53.

Rounding out the Artist 100’s top five, Zach Bryan dips to No. 2, as his self-titled album tops the Billboard 200 for a second week (115,000 units); Morgan Wallen drops 3-4; and Luke Combs rises 6-5.

The Artist 100 measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay and streaming to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.

12 Sep 2023

Jamie Lynn Spears Joins ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Cast: ‘I’ll Donate My Weekly Salary to SAG, WGA’

Follow Jamie Lynn Spears into the ballroom, because the singer-actress is joining season 32 of Dancing With the Stars! Good Morning America revealed on Tuesday (Sept. 12) that the star will be showing off her dance moves to compete for the mirrorball trophy alongside pro hoofer Alan Bersten.

“I don’t know if one can be 100 percent ready to take on something this big,” she admitted to host Lara Spencer. “I didn’t realize what a commitment it is, but it definitely is. I’m ready to challenge myself, and also being able to do it for a reason that means a lot to me while everybody in my community’s on strike in SAG. I’ve had this unique opportunity where I was offered a chance to work when my community cannot work. So I figured, ‘I’ll do this, and I’ll donate my weekly salary to SAG, WGA — just give back to them in a time where they can’t even give to themselves.”

The writers’ strike has been going on for months, with the Writers Guild of America taking to the picket line on May 2, and SAG-AFTRA on July 14. Members are seeking fair compensation and better working conditions.

“Typically, I’d be working on different ventures, but I think it’s just important that I have this opportunity, and if I get up there, and even if I embarrass myself, I’m doing it for a good reason,” Spears, who found fame as a teen on Nickelodeon’s Zoey 101, said later in the interview. “Hopefully, [I’m] giving back to a community that’s literally given back to me since I was a little girl.”

The “Follow Me” singer, whose big sister is pop superstar Britney Spears, says she’s also looking forward to how the ballroom competition — which has been known to get contestants into fantastic physical shape during the competition due to the long hours of practice — will improve her physique. “I’m looking forward to that!” she shared. “Maybe when I come back here, I’ll be a dress size smaller!”

Bersten, who won the trophy in season 28 alongside The Bachelorette‘s Hannah Brown, said that the pair has already had their first rehearsal. “It’s been great,” he told Spencer. “Jamie Lynn is so hard-working and so dedicated. … We get along so well!”

Spears will go into the competition with a little bit of dance experience. “I grew up with the traditional sense of dancing. Like, everyone does tap, jazz, ballet,” the 32-year-old shared. “Then I went more of the cheerleader route, so it’s a different kind of dancing. And by the way, ballroom altogether, every little thing matters, and I think you have to fully commit from the top of your head to the tip of your toes.”

After their appearance on ABC’s long-running morning show, Spears and Bersten also shared a video of themselves in rehearsal on Instagram.

The singer-actress and Bersten are the first pair that Dancing With the Stars has announced for season 32. Previously, the show revealed that Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix will also be competing, but has not yet revealed who her pro partner is. The full cast will be revealed Wednesday (Sept. 13) on GMA.

Watch Jamie Lynn Spears’ announcement below:

Dancing With the Stars kicks off its new season Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. on ABC and Disney+.

12 Sep 2023

Megan Thee Stallion No Longer Part of 2023 Global Citizen Fest Lineup

Megan Thee Stallion is no longer part of the 2023 Global Citizen Festival lineup.

“Due to an unforeseen scheduling conflict, Megan Thee Stallion will no longer be available to perform at the 2023 Global Citizen Festival,” a source tells Billboard. At press time, a representative for the rapper had not returned Billboard’s inquiry about her performance status as part of Global Citizen Festival.

In early July, the Grammy-winning, Billboard Hot 100-topping rapper was announced as one of the fest’s headliners alongside Red Hot Chili Peppers and Ms. Lauryn Hill; down the road, Anitta was announced as an additional headliner, with Jung Kook of BTS joining Global Citizen as a co-headliner just last week. But it seems a scheduling conflict will prevent the Houston MC from hitting the stage on Sept. 23 at New York’s Central Park. But attendees will still be able to enjoy sets from the aforementioned headliners in addition to performances from Conan Gray, D-Nice, Sofia Carson and Stray Kids.

The Global Citizen Fest takes place in New York City’s Central Park on Saturday, Sept. 23, as a free, ticketed event; people can earn tickets by taking action to help end extreme poverty via the Global Citizen app and on the organization’s website. With this fall concert, Global Citizen is urging world leaders gathered in New York for the UN General Assembly to tackle climate crisis, equity for women and girls and the global hunger crisis.

Megan Thee Stallion will be hitting the stage at New Jersey’s Prudential Center on Tuesday (Sept. 12) night with Cardi B to give their collab “Bongos,” which dropped last week, its live debut at the 2023 MTV VMAs.

12 Sep 2023

George Strait, Chris Stapleton Extend Run of Stadium Shows Into 2024

For more than four decades, Country Music Hall of Famer George Strait has proven himself as one of country music’s most dependable, elite entertainers. In 2023, Strait’s stadium shows — featuring Chris Stapleton and Little Big Town — have set new attendance records in several stadiums, including ones in Seattle, Milwaukee and Columbus, OH.

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Now, Strait, eight-time Grammy winner Stapleton and special guests Little Big Town are extending their record-setting slate of stadium shows into 2024, adding nine new dates.

The new shows are set for May, June, July and December of next year and will visit cities including Indianapolis, Detroit and Chicago, in addition to setting the 37th installment of the Strait to Vegas show, with a Dec. 7 gig booked at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium.

“I’ve always said we have the best fans in the world, and to see so many of them show up for these shows just makes us want to keep bringing them more,” Strait said in a statement. “I’ve also missed performing in Las Vegas during NFR, so I’m happy to see that show come together in 2024. See you soon!”

Tickets to most shows go on sale on Sept. 22 at 10 a.m. local time via GeorgeStrait.com, with tickets to the Jacksonville show on sale on Oct. 20 at 10 a.m. local time. American Express® Card Members can purchase tickets before the general public beginning Friday (Sept. 15) at 10 a.m. local time through Sept. 21 at 10 p.m. local time.

See the full list of stadium shows below:

May 4 — Indianapolis, IN @ Lucas Oil Stadium

May 11 — Jacksonville, FL @ EverBank Stadium

May 25 — Ames, IA  @ Jack Trice Stadium

June 1 — Charlotte, N.C. @ Bank of America Stadium

June 8 — East Rutherford, N.J. @ MetLife Stadium

June 29 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Rice Eccles Stadium

July 13 — Detroit, MI @ Ford Field

July 20 — Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field

Dec. 7 — Las Vegas, NV @ Allegiant Stadium

12 Sep 2023

Drake Teases ‘For All The Dogs’ Single Release Date

Drake season is quickly approaching, as the 6 God nears the release of his forthcoming album, For All The Dogs. Slated to drop on Sept. 22, the OVO general announced during his Austin tour stop on Monday (Sept. 11) that the project’s first single will drop this week. 

“I’m even going to say something tonight in Austin, Texas I haven’t said yet,” Drake said from the stage of the Moody Center. “I know y’all excited to hear the album. I know it’s, like two weeks out. I’m a drop a song for y’all this week. Yeah, yeah. What a time, what a time. I appreciate y’all. Deeply, by the way, I do. It’s a lot of love in Texas.” 

Last week, Drake announced the once-elusive release date for For All The Dogs via Instagram. He posted an archival clip of his father, Dennis Graham, from the early ’90s, singing alongside a blues band on the local Toronto TV show Stormy Monday With Danny Marks. 

From a collaboration standpoint, Drake has given out a few nuggets, including a feature from his Young Money counterpart, Nicki Minaj. Minaj briefly spoke about the upcoming track during an Instagram Live session. “The song I did with Drake recently definitely put me in the feels, like when we used to be doing Nicki Minaj TV on the Lil Wayne tour and stuff,” she recalled. “Fun times, right?”

For All The Dogs will be Drake’s eighth studio album and his first solo offering since his 2022 dance-centric project Honestly, Nevermind. Last November, he partnered with 21 Savage for Her Loss. Both releases bowed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. 

Check out Drake’s post below. 

12 Sep 2023

Blake Shelton Executive Produces New Sawyer Brown Documentary: Watch the Trailer

Sawyer Brown was one of the most popular country groups of the ’80s and ’90s, charting such country No. 1s as  “Step That Step,” “Some Girls Do” and “Thank God for You” — and now, it’s getting a Blake Shelton-produced documentary.

As the band turns 40, the country star looks at Sawyer Brown’s compelling story in Get Me to the Stage on Time, a documentary Shelton executive produced that examines how the group left its mark on country music, despite reservations by the genre’s gatekeepers. Shelton has long professed his love for the band, noting the first concert he ever attended was by Sawyer Brown, and among the first singles he purchased was the group’s cover of George Jones’ “The Race Is On.”

The Joel Kraus/Madison Miller-directed movie, which will debut Oct. 1 at the Nashville Film Festival in Franklin, Tenn., features interviews with Shelton, Dolly Parton, Dierks Bentley and Mac McAnally, among others. As the title suggests, it also reflects on Sawyer Brown Band’s propulsive live performances, led by frontman Mark Miller.

“It’s pretty surreal to watch your life and memories and music play out in a film, but Get Me to the Stage On Time does an amazing job of capturing what this ride has been like,” Miller says in a statement to Billboard. “I think the film shows not only what it took to get our career going, but also what it took to keep the wheels from coming off a couple of times. It also shows why it means so much to us to be where we are now, still playing shows, with new music on the horizon. It’s a look at what it means to never give up, no matter what.”

The ACM Award-winning vocal group of the year’s journey started with winning Star Search in 1983, in an era before television talent competitions such as American Idol and The Voice became commonplace launching pads for country stars such as Carrie Underwood and Scotty McCreery. Though a fan favorite renowned for its live shows, even after a slew of hits, Sawyer Brown remained a polarizing force in Nashville and at country radio with some put off by their non-traditional, colorful presence.

In the trailer — which Billboard is premiering above — the band recounts being turned down by every label in Nashville before storming the Star Search stage with its high-octane performances. Even after winning and signing with a Nashville label and experiencing multiple hits, “the industry couldn’t really figure out why are these guys still here,” says Sawyer Brown keyboardist Gregg “Hobie” Hubbard. But the audience understood as the group played up to 250 concerts a year, entertaining fans with its vastly energetic show. The documentary attempts to answer “how a band turned 15 minutes of fame into 40 years.” For Miller, it simply boils down to “when you get us in front  of a live audience, we win.” 

Following the documentary’s premiere, Sawyer Brown, who are working on a new album produced by Shelton, will perform at the Franklin Theater. Distribution plans for the film are still pending.