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Shaboozey and Stephen Wilson Jr. took the CMA Awards audience on an emotional walk Wednesday night (Nov. 19).
Standing on a set made to look like a lush field of wheat at dusk, both country stars’ voices sounded raw and gorgeous over an emotional accompaniment provided by the band on stage with them. ‘Boozey and Wilson took turns singing verses before joining together at the end, crooning, “So let’s stay out here for a while, my friend/ Let’s stay and walk the line ’til the end/ I know you’re tired, hell, so am I/ We can’t take the same road again.”
The ballad was featured in this year’s film adaptation of Stephen King’s The Long Walk, a harrowing tale about a dystopian society in which a selection of young men enter an annual contest in the hopes of winning fame and fortune, which they can only secure after outliving the rest of the competitors on a days-long walk across the country. “I feel so excited,” ‘Boozey told Billboard on the CMAs red carpet shortly before the show. “I think it’s going to be a really special performance, doing it with my boy.”
“Took a Walk” wasn’t the only performance Wilson delivered Wednesday night. Shortly before taking the stage with his duet partner, he did a solo, stripped-down rendition of Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” for the crowd at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
Have you played Billboard’s “A Little Bit Country” Crossword?Play now!
Also speaking to Billboard before the ceremony, Wilson explained how his two performances were linked. “I’m a big Stephen King fan,” he said. “I play this song called ‘Stand By Me,’ which I’m playing tonight as well, because of a movie called Stand By Me based off a Stephen King [story called The Body]. It’s been haunting me my whole life.”
“Fast-forward these years later, I get invited to sing this song and write this song with Shaboozey for a Stephen King movie called The Long Walk,” he added on the carpet. “The world is weird, life is weird and I’m just here for it.”
Both stars were nominated for the same award this year, receiving nods for new artist of the year. The prize ultimately went to Zach Top.
The ceremony comes as Shaboozey is working on a new album. In October, he exclusively told Billboard, “[It’s about] feminism, I’ll say that.”
“Femininity is probably the best word I can use,” he added at the time of the upcoming full-length, which he says is just about finished. “There’s a story there … It’s a Western concept album about femininity — I shouldn’t have told you that!”
Trending on Billboard Lainey Wilson has been all over Wednesday night’s (Nov. 19) CMA Awards. Not only is she hosting, and not only did she kick the awards into high gear with a big country covers medley, but she’s also one of the night’s big winners, taking home album of the year for her acclaimed […]
It’s safe to say anyone who hits the stage at the CMA Awards has seriously lived some life, but Stephen Wilson Jr. might have ‘em all beat at least in terms of strange paths to the country spotlight.
The Indiana-born Wilson has been a boxer, competing in the Golden Gloves of America amateur competition; 10 years ago, he was wearing a lab coat and working as a microbiologist; not long after that, he became a songwriter in Nashville, signed to Big Loud. But following the death of his comparatively extroverted father in 2018, something changed, and he began to warm up to the idea of stepping into his own spotlight. His debut album, søn of dad, dropped this year, and although he skews country, he’s covered everyone from Nirvana to Smashing Pumpkins.
Have you played Billboard’s “A Little Bit Country” Crossword?Play now!
At the 2025 CMA Awards on Wednesday (Nov. 19) night, Wilson appeared on stage, wearing mostly black but rocking a floral ball cap with the Virgin Mary on it. In his firm, raspy tone, Wilson slowly but surely captivated the Bridgestone Arena with a soul-rending cover of Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me.”
Ahead of his performance of “Stand By Me,” which turned heads when he brought it to the Atlanta-based YouTube series Live at the Print Shop in Oct. 2024, Wilson spoke to Billboard correspondents on the CMA Awards red carpet and explained how the 1986 film of the same name influenced his decision to trot out this iconic song.
“I’m a big Stephen King fan,” Wilson told Billboard. “I play this song called ‘Stand By Me,’ which I’m playing tonight as well, because of a movie called Stand By Me based off a Stephen King [story called The Body]. It’s been haunting me my whole life. I started playing this song after my dad died to kinda bring him back. I turned it into a hymn for me. And then fast-forward these years later, I get invited to sing this song and write this song with Shaboozey for a Stephen King movie called The Long Walk and here we are playing both of those songs. The world is weird, life is weird and I’m just here for it.”
Later in the evening, Wilson joined Shaboozey to perform that song, “Took a Walk,” on the CMA Awards stage, too.
Check out Billboard’s interview with Stephen Wilson Jr. on the CMA Awards red carpet below.
Trending on Billboard With 20 studio albums under his belt, country superstar Kenny Chesney had plenty of songs to choose from for his performance at the 2025 CMA Awards — so many, in fact, that he couldn’t pick just one. Hopping on stage at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, Chesney was introduced by host Lainey Wilson, who […]
Trending on Billboard Zach Top didn’t need anyone to hold his beer when he won big at the Country Music Association Awards on Wednesday night (Nov. 19) — he just took it right on up with him. Shortly after performing on stage at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, the 28-year-old singer-songwriter was crowned new artist of […]
Trending on Billboard Following a Luke Combs performance of “Back in the Saddle,” host Lainey Wilson properly kicked off the 2025 CMA Awards, with a medley of country favorites originally performed by some of the stars in the Nashville crowd. After some introductory remarks about how excited she was to be hosting the awards and […]
Trending on Billboard When it came time to kick off the 2025 CMA Awards on Wednesday night (Nov. 19), Luke Combs didn’t waste any time — he just hopped “Back in the Saddle.” Taking to the stage at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Combs — dressed in his usual short-sleeved button-up shirt and baseball cap — […]
Trending on Billboard 50 Cent’s film empire continues to expand. The G-Unit boss is on board as a producer for the upcoming crime drama Moses the Black, which will star rappers Wiz Khalifa and Quavo. The gangland flick is slated to come to U.S. theaters on Jan. 30, 2026. Omar Epps, Chukwudi Iwuji, Detroit rapper Skilla […]
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Venesti and Mike Bahía take “Difícile,” their first partnership, to No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart (dated Nov. 22), as the song rallies 13-1 in its 11th week.
“Difícil” soars to No. 1 on the overall Latin radio ranking with 8.24 million audience impressions earned in the United States during the tracking week of Nov. 7-13 (up 55%), according to Luminate. Leading the song’s radio surge are Univision stations KVVF in San José, Calif., KQMR in Phoenix, and KAMA in Houston.
“We are No. 1 on Billboard with Venesti!” Mike Bahía shared with Billboard. “Thank you for the invitation, my friend. I am grateful to Chappell [Warner Chappell Music Latin] for bringing us together, grateful to Luis Salazar, the producer, and Samantha Cámara, one of the composers I love collaborating with. Beyond happy, this is sooo cool, pure fuel.”
“I would like to thank God, first of, because we are No. 1 on Billboard,” Venesti adds. “Grateful to Billboard for their consistent love, my radio crew in the States, my incredible fans, my team, AP Global Music, and Mike Bahía for believing in the song.”
Bahía achieves his first No. 1 on the Latin Airplay chart with “Difícile.” Plus, he becomes the sixth act to earn their inaugural chart-topper in 2025, joining Kapo, benny blanco, The Marías, Gerardo Coronel ‘El Jerry,’ and Morat.
Venesti, meanwhile, banks his third champ, after “Umaye” and “No Es Normal,” with Nacho and Maffio, both one-week rulers in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Elsewehere, “Difícile” reaches new heights on Latin Pop Airplay, as the song climbs 3-1 for its week atop. This also marks Bahía’s first No. 1 there.
Trending on Billboard Doja Cat kicked off her Tour Ma Vie World Tour in New Zealand on Tuesday, and she’s responding to a few early critics of the global trek. It appears some fans weren’t thrilled with clips from Doja’s tour opener, as they took issue with the wardrobe changes, set design, visuals and storytelling […]
