Country music

Beyoncé is getting candid about what led to the creation of Act II: Cowboy Carter, which is a continuation of her record-breaking album Renaissance. The 2022 Grammy-winning album has long been rumored to be a part of a trilogy, with the upcoming album being the second installment. The artist announced Act II in a Super Bowl commercial and dropped two songs: “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages.” Beyoncé shared the cover art for the album on Instagram, along with a lengthy caption, celebrating the…

Beyonce‘s “Texas Hold ‘Em” has topped Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, the publication announced on Monday, marking the singer’s ninth time atop the chart as a solo artist and the 13th in total when including her songs with Destiny’s Child. “Texas Hold ‘Em” dethroned Jack Harlow’s “Lovin On Me,” which had spent much of 2024 at Number One —  save for Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” at the start of the new year and for the debuts of Ariana Grande’s “Yes, And” and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Hiss.” “Texas…

In 2017, I ended my marriage of almost 12 years. It wasn’t one big betrayal. No one was a villain, not really. What happened was the oppressive weight of being a wife and mother and the burden of heterosexual marriage broke me. Three years later, in 2020, I realized I wasn’t alone. That the cultural weight of society keeps slipping onto the shoulders of mothers and wives. We are breaking. My book This American Ex Wife examines the way marriage is inherently unequal, and the way our culture defines love as misery, and…

T-Pain says he plans to continue to write country music songs as a ghostwriter. The singer-songwriter-producer recently made headlines when he revealed that he stopped taking credit for the country songs he’s worked on because of the “racism” he dealt with in the genre.  “I wrote a lot of country songs, and the country songs that I get credit on — I wouldn’t say backlash or anything like that — but was a lot of criticism of, ‘Why did they let a Black person be a part of this?’ or things like…

Country star Zach Bryan recruited Western film legend Matthew McConaughey for his “Nine Ball” music video, released on Monday. The video, directed by Matthew Dillon Cohen, tells the story of a boy whose father is a gambling addict. McConaughey plays a pool shark who brings his young son to the bar while he bets cash against his opponent, played by Scott Shepherd. In an alternate timeline, Tye Sheridan plays an older version of McConaughey’s son, who grows up to play billiards in the same pool…

After the news of Toby Keith’s death broke overnight, reactions from the stars of the country music world and beyond followed, as some legendary figures and admirers of the late Nashville star began to share tributes online. Keith “passed peacefully last night on Feb. 5, surrounded by his family,” read his official website’s announcement of his death; he was 62. The news came two years after the singer posted about his stomach cancer diagnosis on his official Instagram page. His Instagram page is…

Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk has dismissed charges against country singer Chris Young after he was arrested earlier this week. “Regarding the Chris Young incident – After a review of all the evidence in this case, the Office of the District Attorney has determined that these charges will be dismissed,” Funk said in a statement. Young was arrested on Monday following an altercation at DawgHouse Saloon in Nashville, Tennessee, and charged with disorderly conduct, assaulting an officer and…

CMT introduced the 14 up-and-coming artists named this year’s Next Women of Country during a showcase event at City Winery Nashville. For more than a decade, the program has been spotlighting and supporting developing female talent. The 2024 class of rising stars is: Anne Wilson, Denitia, Ella Langley, Emily Ann Roberts, HunterGirl, Karley Scott Collins, Kylie Frey, Lauren Watkins, Madeline Merlo, Mae Estes, Tanner Adell, The Castellows, Tigirlily Gold and Twinnie. This year’s lineup was…

History has shown that rap and R&B artists will dominate in Grammy nominations but never take home the coveted prize of album of the year. Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, Drake, Kanye West, Mariah Carey and John Legend are some of the acts who have played the role before — big Grammy contender, but top award loser. This year, that artist is SZA, who scored nine Grammy nominations Friday, including album of the year for the record-breaking, critically acclaimed SOS. But, what are her real…