UK & Irish
News, UK Chart News, Album & Single Releases, TV, Country News (Awards, TV),
Music News, Press Releases, Gossip, Birthdays.
UK & IRISH News
For a full listing of 2018 UK Tour dates PLEASE check out our Tour Dates Page
On the BBC Radio 2 Playlist for the week commencing Saturday 19 May
2018
A Playlist:
Cam
- Diane
The Shires - Sleepwalk upgraded from the "B" to the
"A" Playlist
B Playlist:
Taylor Swift - Delicate
Catherine McGrath – Wild
UK CHART NEWS
Official UK Top
100 Singles Chart (Week Ending
24 May 2018)
18 May 2018 - 24 May 2018
Calvin Harris’ One Kiss collaboration with Dua Lipa
is not to be moved, spending its fifth straight week at the top of the chart.
Thus surpassing his first No.1 – 2008 Dizzee Rascal
& Chrome collaboration Dance Wiv Me – to have the longest uninterrupted run
at the summit of all his nine chart-toppers – it again does so with consummate
ease, heading up a top five that are all frozen in the same positions as last
week, while suffering declining sales. They are: One Kiss (1-1, 62,000 sales,
including 43,813 from sales-equivalent streams), Nice For What (2-2, 45,597
sales) by Drake, No Tears Left To Cry (3-3, 43,541 sales) by Ariana Grande,
Freaky Friday (4-4, 37,655 sales) by Lil Dicky feat. Chris Brown and 2002 (5-5,
35,572 sales) by Anne-Marie.
Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey with "The
Middle" fell 12-17 (19K estimated overall units)
"Meant To Be" By Bebe Rexha ft
Florida Georgia 15-36 (11K estimated units)
After finishing 24th out of 26 at The Eurovision Song
Contest, where she had to endure a scary stage invasion, UK entry Surie’s Storm at least had the
consolation of being the highest charting domestic entry for four years.
Opening at No.50 (7,949 sales) it is only the fourth UK entry to bag a Top 50
slot in the past decade following Jade Ewen’s It’s My Time (No.27, 2009),
Blue’s I Can (No.16, 2011) and, most recently, Molly’s Children Of The Universe
(No.23, 2014). Netta, who provided the fourth win in the competition for
Israel, goes one better with her winning song Toy debuting at No.49 (7,973
sales). Greek-born Eleni Foureira’s Fuego – runner-up representing Cyprus –
also charts (No.64, 6,376 sales).
Official UK Top
100 Albums Chart
(Week Ending
24 May 2018)
18 May 2018 - 24 May 2018
Six albums, six instant number ones – that’s the proud
record of Arctic Monkeys, whose
first album in nearly five years, Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino, storms to a
No.1 debut, while spinning off three simultaneous Top 40 singles chart entries.
Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino (86,359 overrall
units) is the first album ever to sell upwards of 20,000 copies on CD, download
and vinyl in the same week. It sold 86,359 copies last week, made up of 27,681
CDs, 15,679 paid-for downloads, 24,478 vinyl albums and 505 cassettes, with the
remainder of its consumption (18,016 sales) generated by sales-equivalent
streams. Tranquility Base accounted for 31.05% of vinyl album sales and 73.40%
of cassette sales in the week.
Kylie Minogue with GOLDEN
held at #13 (3.500 esitimated units)
in her 6th week.
The Shires with ACCIDENTALLY
ON PURPOSE fell 32-41 (2,000 sales; down 26%; 4-week total 24,100; chart
run 3-14-32-41). By comparison their last album MY UNIVERSE after 4 frames was at No.27 with a 4-week total of
31,000 Chart Run: 3-7-14-27
Official UK
Country Album Top 20 (Week Ending
24 May 2018)
18 May 2018 - 24 May 2018
The Shires with ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE held at #1 (4
weeks; #1 peak)
Kacey Musgraves with GOLDEN HOUR fell rose 3-2 (7 weeks;
#1 peak)
Willie Nelson with LAST MAN STANDING fell 2-3 (3 weeks;
#2 peak)
Brothers Osborne with PORT SAINT JOE held at #4 (4 weeks;
#2 peak)
Neil Young/ Promise Of The
Real with PARADOX - OST
rose 6-5 (5 weeks; #4 peak)
John Prine with THE TREE OF FORGIVENESS rose 8-6 (5
weeks; #2 peak)
Mary Chapin Carpenter with SOMETIMES JUST THE SKY rose 9-7 (7
weeks; #2 peak)
The Wandering Hearts with WILD SILENCE fell 5-8 (14 weeks; #1
peak)
Brothers Osborne with PAWN SHOP climbed 14-9 (50 weeks; #4
peak)
Jason Aldean with REARVIEW TOWN held at #10 (5 weeks;
#4 peak)
Outside the Top 10
Chris Stapleton with FROM A ROOM - VOL 2 rose 12-11 (24
weeks; #1 peak)
Keith Urban with GRAFFITI U fell 7-14 (3 weeks; #7
peak)
Brent Cobb with PROVIDENCE CANYON made a debut at #15
Ashley McBryde with GIRL GOING NOWHERE made a re-entry at
#18 (4 weeks; #4 peak)
Official
Americana Albums Chart Top 40 (Week Ending
24 May 2018)
18 May 2018 - 24 May 2018
1 NEW The Prodical Son Ry Cooder [Tagged Rock]
2 1 Be More Kind Frank
Turner [Tagged Alternative]
3 3 Ruins First
Aid Kit [Tagged Alternative]
4 2 Last Man Standing Willie Nelson [Tagged Country]
5 6 From The Fires Greta Van Fleet [Tagged Rock]
6 4 Songbook Frank
Turner [Tagged Alternative]
7 5 Isaac Gracie Isaac
Gracie [Tagged Alternative]
8 7 Nation of Two Vance
Joy [Tagged Alternative]
9 8 Find A Light Blackberry
Smoke [Tagged Rock Southern Rock]
10 19 The Lookout Laura
Veirs [Tagged Alternative]
Outside The Top 10
11 9 A/B Kaleo
[Tagged Alternative]
14 NEW Mark Kozelek Mark Kozelek [Tagged Rock]
23 NEW Providence Canyon Brent Cobb [Tagged Country]
COUNTRY ALBUM
& SINGLES RELEASES
(14 May 2018) Scott
Southworth - Hey Hillbilly Singer!
11 Tracks/Time: 37:43 Amazon
UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
(May 2018) Joni
Harms - LUCKY 13 (2018)
13 Tracks www.joniharms.com
That's right, Joni's has released her newest album! It
is called Lucky 13, since her dad was released from the military on November
13, he arrived home at Dock 13; Her daughter was born on June 13, in room 13,
at 1313. As Joni says, “That’s my lucky number.”
(16 May 2018) Sam
Hunt - Downtown's Dead (Single; MCA Nashville Release)
Debut: May 18: #2
UK iTunes Country Singles (#221 UK iTunes all-genre),
(15 May 2018) Nat
Frederick - Home to Me (EP; 2018 Nat Frederick)
5 Tracks/Time: 18:51 Amazon
UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Debut: May 18: #15 US Country Albums (#109 US iTunes
all-genre)
(16 May 2018) Laura
Aston - Bringing It Back (EP; 2018 Legacy Records) UK
Tracks: Who's Bed Have Your Boots Been Under, Tin Man,
Blue Moon of Kentucky, Blanket on the Ground, Walking After Midnight
(18 May 2018) Stephanie
Owens - Stephanie Owens (EP; 2018 Stephanie Owens)
5 Tracks/ Time: 18:15 Amazon
UK - UK iTunes - http://smarturl.it/StephanieOwensEP
Singer-songwriter, Actress, Model: Newcomer country
artist Stephanie Owens (Stephanie Bettcher Owens) is excited to share her story
with the world through her debut EP, a collection of songs that creatively
captures both the raw vulnerability and bold intentionality of her personality
and music.
Published
on April 26, 2018 “Little Girl
in the Mirror “(>> Official Music Video)
Each of the five songs on Stephanie’s upcoming EP, all
of which she co-wrote, highlight her dynamic voice and eclectic musical tastes.
Her debut single, “Heart Taker,” immediately captures listeners with its
1980s-throwback countrified groove. “Little Girl in the Mirror,” her second
single off the EP, is a poignant reflection on Stephanie’s teenage struggles
with body image and identity. She believes this song will resonate in today’s
culture. “Rest,” is a heartfelt ballad
whose storytelling nature reveals Stephanie’s trust in the Lord throughout all
circumstances, even when life does not seem to make sense. Stephanie’s spunky
nature and sense of humor shine through the swagger of “Behind the Wheel,” a
catchy tune with strong country musical roots.
https://www.facebook.com/stephowensmusic (1,200 likes)
(18 May 2018) Gretchen
Peters - Dancing with the Beast (2018 Proper Records)
11 Tracks / Time: 50:00 Country/ Singer-Songwriters Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
11 Tracks / Time: 50:00 Country/ Singer-Songwriters Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Debut May 18: #2
UK iTunes Country Albums, then #1 (#43, #42 UK iTunes all-genre) | Debut May
18: #3 US Singer/Songwriters (#179 US iTunes all-genre)
Dancing with the Beast, the new album from Gretchen
Peters, puts female characters at the fore, from teenage girls to old women.
And intentionally so. With the 2017 Women's March and the #MeToo Movement as
bookends to her writing time, Peters knew that a feminist perspective would be
the critical core of the record. She admits, "You can trace the feminist
DNA in my songwriting back to 'Independence Day' and probably before. The thing
that 2017 did is just put it front and center." Though Peters doesn't
consider herself a political writer, she is politically minded and, therefore,
knew she had to address the 2016 election and all that has happened since...
but in her own way.
(18 May 2018) Kelly
Willis - Back Being Blue (2018 Premium Records)
10 Tracks/Time: 31:28 Amazon
UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Debut May 18: #7 UK iTunes Country Albums, then #6
(#289, #300 UK iTunes all-genre) | Debut May 18: #9 US Country Albums (#74 US
iTunes all-genre)
“Willis steps
into the solo spotlight with her seventh full-length project, an enchanting
collection of self-penned tunes and impeccably chosen covers. Showcasing the
jagged, vulnerable vocals of a honky-tonk angel who's also freely dabbled in
rockabilly, power pop, new wave and R&B, it's that last genre that informs
the dazzling title tune” lauds Rolling Stone Country. Read HERE.
(18 May 2018) Trent
Harmon - You Got 'Em All (2018 Big Machine Label)
11 Tracks/Time: 36:56 Amazon
UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Debut May 18: #20 UK iTunes Country Albums (#1032 UK
iTunes all-genre) | Debut May 18: #2 US Country Albums (#15 US iTunes
all-genre)
Recorded in Nashville with producers Jimmy Robbins and
Scott Borchetta, Harmon cowrote eight of the 11 songs on his full-length album
debut, including the title track/first single, which was co-written with Justin
Ebach and Jordan Minton. Contributing songwriters include Jim Beavers and Chris
Stapleton (“Hold On”) and Dallas Davidson, Brett James and Keith Urban
(“Falling (Remix)”).
(18 May 2018) Jason
Boland & The Stragglers - Hard Times Are Relative (2018 Proud Souls
Entertainment) 11 Tracks/Time: 44:31 Amazon
UK -
UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Debut: May 18: #67 UK Country Albums | Debut May 18:
#1 US Country Albums (#13 US iTunes all-genre)
(18 May 2018) Jill
Jackson - Are We There Yet? (2018 Jill Jackson) SCOT
10 Tracks/Time: 36:21 Amazon
UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Debut May 18: #9 UK iTunes Country Albums (#548 UK
iTunes all-genre), then #4 (#135 all-genre) , then #3 (#135)
Scottish Country/Americana singer songwriter and
multi-instrumentalist based in Glasgow.
Scottish singer-songwriter, formerly of the band
Speedway and most recently The Chaplins. Her material covers rock, folk
americana, pop and alternative country music.
Are We There Yet? is the long awaited 5th solo album
by Paisley born singer songwriter Jill Jackson, a record that bears the
hallmarks of a 25-year musical journey that has taken her from Paisley to Top
of The Pops to playing in every State of America (50 States in 50 Days.....yes
really!)
Personal struggles and a bucket list hike of the Grand
Canyon saw the Celtic Connections award winning artist return over flowing with
lyrical and musical inspiration.
Produced by Boo Hewerdine (Eddi Reader, Emily Barker),
Are We There Yet? combines innovative, playful arrangements that would not
sound out of place in Lindy Hop, Harlem or the heart of the deep South. With an
unabashed embrace of gleeful, melodic choruses delivered in Jill’s
unmistakeable warm and heart-wrenching voice.
(18 May 2018) Bri
Murphy - Things We'd Rather Not Say
10 Tracks/Time: 43:27 Amazon
UK -
UK iTunes - Amazon.com
About: Americana/folk artist. "Flawless, soulful
voice" (PennLive)... "Folksy, Americana sound...raw voice...mindful
of every note and riff" (The Spectator). "A promising young
songstress" (PledgeMusic). Bri moved to Nashville in 2011 and has since
shared the stage with artists from Chris Stapleton to Tanya Tucker, and has toured
all over the U.S., Canada, and Japan as a fiddle player and background vocalist
for other artists. She took a break from the road in late 2015 to pursue her
solo career and released her debut record, "Throw Down My Heart,"
produced by Eli Beaird, in October 2016.
https://www.facebook.com/brimurphymusic (2,100 Likes)
(18 May 2018) Various
Artists - Outlaws & Armadillos: Country's Roaring '70s (2018 Sony Music
Entertainment/ Legacy Recordings) | Debut May 18: #66 UK Country Albums (# UK
iTunes all-genre)
36 Tracks/Time:
2:09:26 Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
(18 May 2018) Parker
Redmond - Parker Redmond (EP; 2018 YN Records)
5 Tracks/Time: 16:37 Amazon
UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Debut May 18: #10 US iTunes Country Albums (#75 US
iTunes all-genre)
Home Town: Bartlett, TN
Parker Redmond is a country singer/songwriter, born
and raised just outside of Memphis, TN. Music has always been an influence in
his life, so it just makes sense that this is the path he has chosen to follow.
Give God the glory, and keep on playin'.
WEBSITE | https://www.facebook.com/parker.redmond.kuhn/
(5,300 Likes)
(18 May 2018) Chance
McKinney - I (EP; 2018 Chance
McKinney)
4 Tracks UK iTunes
Debut May 18: #29 US iTunes Country Albums (#224 US
iTunes all-genre)
(18 May 2018) Patrick
Murphy - 19:03 P.M. Where I'm From (2018 Patrick Murphy)
10 Tracks/Time: 37:56 Amazon
UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Debut May 18: #44 US iTunes Country Albums (#384 US
iTunes all-genre)
Patrick has played piano since age three. He performed
his first live solo concert and won the 2010 Minnesota State Fair County Fair
Talent Contest at age 12 giving him the opportunity to perform Billy Joel's
"Piano Man" in front of 18,000 people. Patrick has recorded two
albums, a cover album and a Christmas album. He currently attends Belmont
University in Nashville, Tennessee. - WEBSITE
(18 May 2018) Skylar
McKenzie - Soar (EP; 2018 Skylar McKenzie)
4 Tracks/Time: 13:12 Amazon
UK - UK iTunes | https://www.facebook.com/Schylershadoanmusic/
(1,320 Likes)
May 18: #193 US iTunes Country Albums
(18 May 2018) Chantelle
Padden - Let's Begin (EP) IRE
6 Tracks UK iTunes
"9 To 5", "Jealous of the Angels",
"Diane", "You Were Mine", "My Church" &
"Girl Crush".
About: Glór Tíre Contestant 2018
"21-year old Country Music artist is set to take
the world by storm"
Singer/Musician Based in Co. Mayo, Ireland. Signed a
management contract with Legacy Records in May 2018
Reached No1 on Irish iTunes Country Album chart on May
21st. www.facebook.com/ChantellePadden
(18 May 2018) Suzy
Bogguss - Aces: The Definitive Capitol Collection (Humphead Records) 50 Tracks/Time: 2:53:22 Amazon
UK - UK iTunes
(19 May 2018) Karen
Nash - Love & Justice (2018 Karen Nash)
NEWS
(15 May 2018) Alison Abbey Joins Sounds Like Nashville As
Editor-In-Chief
NASHVILLE-based lifestyle and Country music
destination Sounds Like Nashville
has added ALISON ABBEY as
Editor-In-Chief, effective WEDNESDAY, MAY 30th. ABBEY joins from PARADE
MAGAZINE, where she served as Associate Editor, writing cover story interviews
with Shania Twain, Tim Mcgraw, Bruno Mars, and others.
"This is a thrilling time to join SOUNDS LIKE
NASHVILLE as its Editor-in-Chief," noted ABBEY. "NASHVILLE has become
a global destination, not just for Country music and its stars, but for the
community and culture that have grown out of the genre. The city is dictating
trends in music, food, fashion, and decor. I look forward to shining a light on
the artists, events, and brands that have made Country music, and NASHVILLE
itself, such a part of the pop-culture consciousness.
Billy Dean turned to social media on Thursday (May 17) to share a
song that he has written that was inspired by First Lady Melania Trump. Dean revealed
"Be Best" and shared the lyrics on Facebook
after performing the song at a very special luncheon.
According to a press release, Dean wrote the song in a
hotel room on Monday night (May 14), the day before he was slated to attend the
Congressional Club’s First Lady's Luncheon in Washington, D.C. "Be
Best" takes its title from Mrs. Trump's child welness initiative. He
performed the song at the luncheon the following day at the Washington Hilton
Hotel, though not for Mrs. Trump herself. The First Lady ended up being
hospitalized for emergency kidney surgery and had to miss the event.
(18 May 2018) Sony Music Nashville Signs Carlton Anderson
To Arista Imprint
SONY MUSIC NASHVILLE has signed Country
singer/songwriter Carlton Anderson to
its ARISTA NASHVILLE imprint. Anderson
is expected to release his debut album soon.
AWARDS
(20 May 2018) 2018
Billboard Music Awards
The 2018 Billboard Music Awards, with Kelly Clarkson hosting, took place at the MGM Grand Las Vegas on
Sunday (May 20) and saw everyone from Taylor
Swift to Shawn Mendes to BTS to
BBMA Icon Award winner Janet Jackson
in attendance.
Maren Morris stepped on the stage at the 2018 Billboard Music
Awards on Sunday (May 20) to specifically show off her pop chops. Her national
television debut of "The Middle" with Grey and Zedd
was a BBMAs highlight. Morris delighted the crowd with the song that has gone
and become one of 2018's biggest hits.
https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/bbma/8456842/billboard-music-awards-2018-winners-list-bbmas
Country Winners
Top Country Artist: Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Sam Hunt, Thomas
Rhett, Chris Stapleton -- WINNER
Top Country Male Artist: Sam Hunt, Thomas Rhett, Chris Stapleton -- WINNER
Top Country Female Artist: Kelsea Ballerini, Miranda
Lambert, Maren Morris -- WINNER
Top Country Duo/Group Artist: Florida Georgia Line – WINNER, Old Dominion, Zac Brown Band
Top Country Tour: Luke
Bryan – WINNER, Florida Georgia Line, Tim McGraw & Faith Hill
TV
(12 May 2018) Kacey Musgraves Performs On 'Saturday Night
Live'
MCA NASHVILLE's Kacey Musgraves appeared
on NBC-TV's "SATURDAY Night Live"
over the weekend to perform "Golden Hour" album cuts, "High
Horse" and "Slow Burn." Watch at www.nbc.com
(15 May 2018) Ashley Monroe made
her television debut of "Hands on You" on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Monday
(May 14) >> YouTube
MUSIC NEWS
(15 May 2018) CMA Presents 'The Country Consumer: The Next
Phase Of Streaming Growth' At Music Biz 2018
During the afternoon sessions at MUSIC BIZ 2018, the Country Music Association (CMA)
presented "The Country Consumer: The Next Phase Of Streaming Growth."
Introduced by CMA Sr. Dir./Research KAREN STUMP, the panel was moderated by UMG
NASHVILLE's Annie Ortmeier and featured AMAZON MUSIC's Emily Cohen, PANDORA's
BEVILLE DUNKERLEY, YOUTUBE/GOOGLE's Margaret Hart, and SPOTIFY's Brittany
Schaeffer.
During an overview of the panel, Stump presented
research slides from the CMA detailing five key insights about Country and
streaming. They were as follows: Country lags, however, there are positive
signs for successful opportunities today and going forward; Country trending
shows streaming consumption is making up a greater share of overall Country
consumption globally; current Country audience streamers recognize the value
proposition streaming offers; the Country audience is a core, monetizable
audience active on streaming today; and the Country audience presents a key
segment for targeting new subscribers, which can have a significant pay-off.
Additionally, data shows that Country is
still among the most loyal audiences to physical consumption, with 30% still purchasing physical albums via
CD.
The audience continues to be
slow to change, as they
also show in their streaming habits; only 28% of the Country music streamed is
current, while 72% is from artist catalogs. For radio, this equates to the
statement of nearly three-fourths of the audience preferring recurrent and gold
titles in rotation, though the streaming numbers are reflective of on-demand
listening.
Additionally, streaming companies are pouring
marketing dollars in to the Country marketplace currently to continue
converting new users. Schaeffer summed up the efforts at SPOTIFY by saying,
"How do we tell a consistent story on and off platform, utilizing all the
tools we have?" The same could be said of radio, as terrestrial continues
to work to earn and maintain loyal listeners in a crowded audio landscape.
(17 May 2018) A New Music Streaming Service, YouTube
Music, Is Coming Soon
Another Streamer: YOUTUBE is joining the music
streaming landscape with the launch of YOUTUBE
MUSIC. The free offering will get underway alongside Youtube Music Premium,
a paid membership that "gives you background listening, downloads, and an
ad-free experience for $9.99 a month." The company announced, "If you
are a subscriber to GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC, good news, you get a YOUTUBE MUSIC
PREMIUM membership as part of your subscription each month. And, if you use
GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC, nothing will change -- you’ll still be able to access all of
your purchased music, uploads, and playlists in Google Play Music, just like
always."
The company is rolling out the new YOUTUBE MUSIC
experience in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and South Korea. It
will expand more broadly in the coming weeks, adding Austria, Canada, Denmark,
Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
PRESS RELEASES
(14 May 2018) Dierks Bentley Will Perform His Ninth Album
The Mountain In Its Entirety: On the eve of the release of his ninth
studio album, award-winning entertainer Dierks Bentley will perform a late
night album release show on Thursday, June 7th at Nashville’s iconic Ryman
Auditorium with all money raised from ticket sales benefitting the Opry Trust
Fund. In a rare one-night-only event, Bentley will perform all thirteen tracks
from THE MOUNTAIN which Entertainment Weekly called “both earthen and
majestic.” Bentley’s 2018 tour opener LANCO will also join the lineup.
INTERVIEWS
(14 May 2018) Exclusive: Collin Raye Opens Up About 'Masterpiece' New Album, '25 Years,
25 Hits'
Collin Raye is back with
new music. The country music icon releases 25 Years, 25 Hits on Tuesday, May
15, celebrating Raye's more than a quarter-century in music.
"It seems like it was
really just yesterday," Raye told PopCulture.com of the release of his
debut album, All I Can Be, in 1991. "But then when you really start
counting the years back, and realize all that has transpired between then and
now, it does seem like an eternity ago." For more on Raye's new album,
check out Pop Culture's exclusive interview here:
To celebrate, Raye
performed on the Grand Ole Opry (May 15) and signed albums in-store at 9:15
p.m./CT, following his appearances on 650AM WSM Nashville Today from 4:00-6:00
p.m./CT,
(19 May 2018) EXCLUSIVE:
Interview With UK Country Singer Lisa Wright - Celebmix.com
WATCH
(18 May 2018) Danielle Bradbery Is Praise-Worthy In New
Video For "Worth It" >> YouTube
The compelling video directed by Shaun Silva, and
filmed at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, opens with Bradbery
navigating an empty theater, speaking to the journey of the song and the impact
of its powerful lyrics, "'Cause I'm worth it / You're crazy, baby, if you
think that I don't know it / I ain't afraid to walk away / If you can't see it,
believe it / And give me the love I'm deserving / 'Cause I know I'm worth
it." It culminates as she envisions herself performing on the empty stage
in a moment inspired by a similarly iconic scene in the popular film The
Greatest Showman.
COUNTRY FASHION
(15 May 2018) Under The Influence Of Style Western fashion's
auteur tastemakers are changing the way we shop. Cowgirl Magazine
COUNTRY GOSSIP
(18 May 2018) Bebe Rexha felt
"disrespected" by the backlash surrounding her, Rita Ora, Cardi B and
Charli XCX's new song Girls.
The quartet have come under fire for the tune, the
lyrics of which many sex rights activists have blasted as "dangerous"
and "belittling". Rita has apologized for the track, revealing she
counts herself as bisexual and had no idea the words, such as "Sometimes I
just wanna kiss girls, girls, girls/Red wine, I just wanna kiss girls, girls
girls", would upset others.
However, in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly
magazine, Bebe insisted she doesn't feel as though she should apologize for the
song because it reflects who she is.
"My sexual life is nobody’s business," she
said. "But we’re singing a song about kissing girls and that remains true
to who I am. It’s the life that I live and it’s honest to me.
"The question of whether (the song) was true to
us was completely dismissed. People automatically went for the negative instead
of saying: ‘Well maybe these girls do kiss girls, maybe Bebe is bi.’ You don’t
know about my sexual orientation, so I felt disrespected."
Opening up further about her sexuality, Bebe
continued: "I’ve kissed girls, you know what I mean? And I don’t do it
because it’s fun or whatever. Do you have to be fully lesbian to put out a song
about kissing girls? What if you’re bi? Isn’t the point of being supportive of
the LGBTQ community that you can love whoever you want and everything is fluid
and non-judgmental?"
The girls had also been accused of penning the song
and using controversial lyrics in a bid to chase a hit. However, Bebe hit back
at those claims, insisting: "That would be pretty f**ked up. And I’d agree
with where the critics are coming from (in that case). Everybody can have their
own opinion."
PHOTO
(24 May 2018) Say Goodnight, Gracie: Black River's Kelsea Ballerini performed at the 43rd Annual Gracie Awards Tuesday (May 22).
Pictured (l-r) are Cumulus’ Mike McVay, Warner Bros./WEA's Morgan Evans, Ballerini and the label's Bill Macky and Mike Wilson.
Pictured (l-r) are Cumulus’ Mike McVay, Warner Bros./WEA's Morgan Evans, Ballerini and the label's Bill Macky and Mike Wilson.
BIRTHDAYS
Birthdays in the week ahead
May 21: Victoria Boland
May 22: Doug Gray (Marshall Tucker Band) (1948)
May 23: Shelly West (1958), Mac
Wiseman (1925), Jewel
(1974)
May 24: Rosanne Cash (1955) Billy
Gilman (1988), Lisa
Redford
May 25: Tom T Hall (1936), Carrie
Newcomer (1958), Jessi Colter
(1943)
May 26: Richard Leigh (1951), Hank
Williams Jnr (1949), Keith Gattis
(1971), Brenn Hill (Ogden, Utah May 26, 1976)
May 27: the late Don Williams (May 27, 1939; died Sept 8, 2017 (aged 78))
R.I.P
(15 May 2018)
Family and friends of longtime CMA executive Helen Farmer are mourning her passing. She was 92. Farmer served as CMA
Dir./Special Projects for three decades, overseeing the CMA Awards and Fan Fair
(now CMA Fest), among other responsibilities. Services May 16, 2018 at
Congregation Micah in Brentwood, TN.
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