Country Now News

In her first interview with People in nearly 30 years, Anne Murray shared insight into her surprising new album, Here You Are, which was released back in September in celebration of her 80th birthday. The 11-track album is compiled from previously forgotten recordings discovered by a dedicated fan, and features contributions from her daughter and nephew, blending country, pop, and adult contemporary sounds. "It was so fun to get back in the studio again after all these years. It was just a labor of love that was totally unexpected," says the Canadian music legend, who adds that while this album “was a real surprise" she admits “it will be my last foray into the music business.” Coinciding with the album’s release, she was honored at the Grand Ole Opry on Monday (October 27) with The Music of My Life: An All-Star Tribute To Anne Murray, celebrating her lasting impact on country music featuring performances by Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride, k.d. lang, and many more, which served as a testament to the Grammy, Juno, and CMA Award winner's enduring legacy. (People)

During a recent interview with Southern Living’s Sid Evans for an episode of the Biscuits & Jam podcast, Lainey Wilson recalled a time when Miranda Lambert invited her to rest at her Nashville farm during an extremely busy year for the singer. Wilson ended up sleeping for 13 hours, prompting concern from Lambert and her husband. "They had to go knock on the door. They're like, 'Is she alive?,'” Wilson revealed. The invitation came amid the country superstars’ collaboration on the song ,"Good Horses," which was featured on Wilson’s 2024 album Whirlwind, with the duo collaborating again on the 2025 hit, “Trailblazer,” along with Reba McEntire. Wilson says her and Lambert have "so much in common," especially their shared "love for the Western way of life," while adding, "Also our love for coming home and planting our feet and filling our cups back up so we can go back out and pour 'em out." (People)

Reba McEntire became emotional on Monday night’s (October 27) episode of The Voice while remembering her late stepson, Brandon Blackstock, who died at 48 on August 7 from melanoma, a form of skin cancer. After Team Reba contestant Aubrey Nicole performed Martina McBride’s song, "I'm Gonna Love You Through It," which is about a couple facing a cancer diagnosis, McEntire tearfully reflected, "I lost my oldest son because he did not win with cancer." The 70-year-old country superstar went on to praise the performance by adding, "That was a real reminder that life goes on, and we sing songs about it so we can remember the ones around us that we love so much, that we lean on at times like this. You did a great job." Nicole chose McBride’s song to honor her own father, who was previously diagnosed with cancer but is now thankfully in remission. (People)

Jason Isbell has announced an extensive 2026 U.S. tour with his longtime band The 400 Unit, which will take place between a series of dates from his previously scheduled solo run. The newly announced tour kicks off with a two-night stand in Seattle on January 23-24, and includes stops in major cities like Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston, Minneapolis, and Chicago, before culminating on July 30 in Washington, D.C. The tour also includes a high-profile show at Colorado’s legendary Red Rocks Amphitheater on May 2 with special guests Gillian Welch & David Rawlings. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday (October 31), with an artist pre-sale starting Wednesday (October 29). Isbell released his solo album, Foxes in the Snow, in March, and he will continue to blend solo and full band performances throughout his 2026 tour dates, with one final 2025 solo show scheduled on November 7 in Houston. (Consequence of Sound)

On the one-year anniversary of the deadly Eaton Fire that devastated Altadena and the Los Angeles area, Dawes is organizing A Concert for Altadena at the Pasadena Civic Center on January 7, 2026. The benefit show will support recovery efforts through the Altadena Builds Back Foundation, and will feature performances by Brad Paisley, Brandon Flowers of The Killers, Aloe Blacc, Jackson Browne, Judith Hill, Jenny Lewis, Mandy Moore, Stephen Stills, Everclear, and more, with proceeds aiding rebuilding of homes destroyed in the wildfires. Dawes bandmates/brothers Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith both personally suffered severe losses in the fires, including homes and recording equipment, with the band writing about the benefit concert: “January 7th marks a year to the day that our sweet town got ravaged by the Eaton Fire. It’s gonna be a heavy night, but it’s going to be a beautiful one too.” (Billboard)

During her final show of 2025 on Sunday (October 26) at the Ridin’ Hearts Festival in Melbourne, Australia, Megan Moroney surprised fans by bringing out longtime friend Avery Anna for a lively, confetti-filled duet of "Am I Okay?" The two also shared a playful backstage moment by taking part in the current viral trend of lip-syncing to 4 Non Blondes’ 1993 hit, "What’s Up," with both link-ups hinting at a potential future collaboration from the two country singers. As Moroney wraps up her wildly successful Am I Okay? era, and teases her upcoming third album – which is believed to be titled Cloud 9 – fans are hopeful that Anna will be featured on the highly-anticipated new project. Moroney has confirmed during recent interviews that her third album is completed, and is currently in the process of being mixed and mastered, with a release expected sometime in 2026. (Holler)

Billy Ray Cyrus and Elizabeth Hurley have been happily dating for over six months, with their relationship still “going strong” since they first made it public in April 2025. Despite initial skepticism, a source close to Hurley says their connection was genuine from the start, and they've quickly formed a close bond while blending their families seamlessly. "They're very different, but it works. They're so cute together," the source adds. "It's the kind of connection that surprises people but makes perfect sense when you spend time with them. Liz's very happy." They first met in 2022 on a Christmas movie set, but began dating after Cyrus’s 2024 divorce. Hurley, 60, describes their life near Nashville as beautiful and likens the surroundings to parts of her home country of England, while Cyrus, 64, praises Hurley as “a great human being” and credits their relationship for his renewed happiness. (People)

During a recent Riley Green concert, fellow country singer Annie Bosko’s sister, Katie Boskovich, unexpectedly ran on stage while he was performing despite not being invited by Green or his team. Security quickly escorted her off, and Bosko apologized for the unplanned stage invasion on Instagram. She humorously labeled the clip, “When your sister hears ‘There Was This Girl’ and decides she IS the girl,” while captioning the post: “She said she wanted to ‘support my career’… didn’t know she meant onstage. FYI @rileyduckman didn’t invite her up — tequila did. God help me. Apologies team Riley. 🙏🫣”  Katie defended her actions in the comments, saying she simply wanted to support Green’s career and joked about being his backup dancer. Green continues his 2025 Damn Country Music Tour into November, while his viral hit with Ella Langley, “You Look Like You Love Me,” is up for four awards at the 2025 CMAs. (People)

During a recent interview on CBS Sunday Morning, Kenny Chesney recalled the first song he ever wrote while he was a student at East Tennessee State University and had a crush on a classmate. "She sat right beside me. It was six months trying to get her to go out with me," Chesney recounted. "I'm like, 'Okay, I'm gonna write her a song.'" Chesney was starting to play shows in local bars, and was working towards writing his own material at the time. "This was the first song I ever wrote, and ironically enough, it was in a class called Persuasion," he shared. He recorded the song on cassette and gave it to her, only to have to wait until the next class to hear what she thought. "I came in, like, 'Okay, this is it,'" Chesney says. "She was sitting as far back in the corner of the room as she could sit." While the relationship didn’t work out, Chesney used the experience as a formative lesson in connecting with an audience. (Taste of Country)

Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” tops the Billboard Hot 100 for a third consecutive week, while her album, The Life of a Showgirl, simultaneously leads the Billboard 200 for the third straight week. This marks another historic achievement for Swift, as she becomes the first artist to debut at No. 1 on both charts while maintaining that dominance for three consecutive weeks. This milestone adds to Swift’s record as the only artist to achieve seven simultaneous No. 1 album and single launches. Swift also places three other songs in this week’s Top 10, as “Opalite” drops two spots to No. 4, while “Elizabeth Taylor” remains at No. 5, and “Father Figure” holds at No. 6. With those multiple Top 10 hits, Swift sets a record by claiming her seventh career week with at least four of the Top 10 songs on the Hot 100 chart, topping Drake’s mark of six.

In other significant moves in this week’s Hot 100, two acts crack the Top 10 for the first time in their career, as Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need” jumps nine spots to reach No. 8, and Leon Thomas’ “Mutt” surges eight slots to claim No. 10. Elsewhere in the Hot 100 Top 10, HUNTR/X’s “Golden,” from the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack, rises one spot to No. 2, Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” moves up one slot to No. 3, Justin Bieber’s “Daisies” vaults up eight places to No. 7, and Morgan Wallen’s “I Got Better” surges seven spots to No. 9. (Billboard)

During a new interview with Taste of Country, singer Alexandra Kay denies rumors linking her friend Maggie Baugh romantically with Keith Urban. “Honestly, I was heartbroken for them because the media scrutiny is insane and the things that people say,” Kay shared about the speculation Urban is dating Baugh, his touring guitarist. “They're stirring up rumors about Maggie Baugh, and I'm like, 'She's a good friend of mine and I know that's absolutely not true.'" The speculation arose after Nicole Kidman filed for divorce from Urban after 19 years of marriage, with the country star playfully changing lyrics inspired by his ex-wife to reference Baugh instead, which sparked rumors among fans about a possible romance. Kay shuts down any talk of a relationship by saying of Baugh, "I've met her boyfriend, and she's very happy, and she has nothing to do with that whole relationship [with Urban]." (People)

During a recent Human School podcast interview with Miles Adcox, Jelly Roll revealed that he is already working on his 11th studio album, while teasing a “bold” new sound for his upcoming project. The Grammy-nominated singer shared that he is still in the “early stages” of the creative process, but promises to fans that he is “taking us on a ride,” while adding that he has “always been bold when it was time to be bold musically, and it's time to be bold.” Reflecting on his evolving career – from rap and hip-hop roots to rock and then country – he hinted that this next project will be another creative curveball, possibly incorporating elements of Contemporary Christian Music, given his recent faith-driven collaborations and personal spiritual journey. Jelly Roll also shared that his current happiness will influence his upcoming music, as he admits, “I think the art will reflect that. The music's always met me where I was...We're gonna take a bold swing.” (Holler)

Luke Combs has scored his 19th No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart with “Back in the Saddle,” which surged up three spots to the top on the November 1 chart, driven by a 23% increase to 30.8 million audience impressions. The single is expected to be featured on Combs’ upcoming sixth studio album, which will likely be released in early 2026. Combs’ current chart-topper continues his impressive streak of 19 straight country radio hits since his 2017 debut No. 1, “Hurricane,” while also tying him with Morgan Wallen for the most Country Airplay leaders. “Back in the Saddle” also marks Combs’ 18th Country Airplay No. 1 as a co-writer and eighth as a co-producer, with his only chart-topper that he didn’t write being his beloved 2023 cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.” In addition to Combs recent domination of Country Airplay, he also has six No. 1s on Billboard’s multimetric Hot Country Songs chart, four chart-toppers on Country Streaming Songs, and 11 leaders on Country Digital Song Sales. (Billboard)

Dwight Yoakam, Shooter Jennings, Jackson Browne, Marshall Crenshaw, and Fountains of Wayne were among the artists who honored the late singer-songwriter Warren Zevon at the United Theater in Los Angeles on Friday night (October 24). The tribute concert, titled Meet Me in L.A.: The Songs of Warren Zevon, was presented by Wild Honey Foundation and the Zevon Family. The event featured performances of classic Zevon tunes like Yoakam’s tender rendition of “Carmelita,” and Browne’s aching version of “Life’ll Kill Ya,” while Crenshaw tackled “Sentimental Hygiene,” and the recently reunited Fountains of Wayne covered “Poor Poor Pitiful Me.” The event coincides with Zevon’s upcoming posthumous induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a receipient of the Musical Influence Award, with his son, Jordan, telling Rolling Stone of the honor, “There’s this undercurrent of his influence in a lot of musicians and a lot of people’s lives.” (Rolling Stone)

Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl notches a third consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, following 194,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States over the past seven days, down 43% from the previous week. The Life of a Showgirl becomes only the second album in 2025 to spend its first three weeks at No. 1, following Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem, which spent its first eight weeks atop the chart beginning in May. Another notable move in this week’s Top 10 is the strong debut of Tame Impala’s first new album in over five years, Deadbeat, which launches at No. 4, giving the Kevin Parker-led project its third Top Five charting record, following 2020’s The Show Rush (No. 3) and 2015’s Currents (No. 4).

The rest of this week’s Billboard 200 Top 10 is rounded out by the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack holding firm at No. 2, followed by Wallen’s I’m the Problem remaining at No. 3, Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend sticking at No. 5, Cardi B’s AM I THE DRAMA? dropping two places to No. 6, Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving falling one spot to No. 7, SZA’s SOS staying at No. 8, Wallen’s One Thing at a Time rising one slot to No. 9, and Alex Warren’s You’ll Be Alright, Kid sliding down one place to No. 10. (Billboard)

Lainey Wilson is set to be the sole host of the 59th annual CMA Awards on November 19, making her the third woman ever to solo host the event after country legends Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire. Having cohosted the event last year with Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, the nine-time CMA winner shared a new promotional video where she is preparing to put her unique stamp on "Country Music's Biggest Night," which will be broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Wilson – who is tied with Ella Langley and Megan Moroney for the most nominations this year with six – has previously said that she “grew up watching the CMA Awards like it was the Super Bowl, so to be hosting for a second year is a true honor.” The CMA Awards, the longest-running annual music awards on network TV since 1967, will soon announce its performers and presenters, with nominees selected by over 7,000 industry professionals. (Billboard)

Jason Aldean’s career retrospective, 30 Number One Hits, has debuted at No. 4 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. The country collection also reached No. 21 on the all-genre Billboard 200, on the strength of selling 22,000 equivalent units. This marks Aldean’s 13th Top 10 album on the country chart since first making the tally with his 2005 self-titled debut. Hits was solely released on streaming and digital platforms on October 10, with vinyl and physical formats arriving in late October and November. Even with the limited release, the compilation still ranks among the highest-charting country Greatest Hits collections, matching the No. 4 spot claimed by Dolly Parton’s 2022 compilation, Diamonds & Rhinestone. Since 2015, only Garth Brooks, Kenny Rogers, Blake Shelton, and George Strait have seen their Greatest Hits collections open higher on the Top Country Albums chart, with all those releases debuting in the top three. (Billboard)

Reba McEntire will host the 2025 Christmas in Rockefeller Center special for the first time, which will air live on December 3 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. "I'm really excited to get to go to New York City in December. I've never been there in December," McEntire said. "To see all the Christmas decorations and to get to be a part of the tree lighting ceremony, Rockefeller Center, it's something that I've always wanted to do and I'm honored that they asked me to do it." In addition to hosting, the 70-year-old country music superstar will also perform throughout the event, with additional artists and special guests to be announced at a later date. As for her plans to combat the cold winter weather in New York City, McEntire says she will "bundle up," while adding, "I'm going to triple, quadruple layer. I'll probably have my heated vest on, and all the clothes I can.” (People)

Post Malone has finally announced the release date of his first online collection with his new clothing brand, Austin Post Apparel. The line, titled "The Permanent Collection," will officially launch on Thursday (October 23). It’s unclear if this drop will include items from his "At First Light" Paris runway show in September, or the recent New York pop-up. A promotional mailer for the brand states: “Introducing The Permanent Collection - the foundation of Austin Post. Denim, fleece, shirting, outerwear, and accessories built with integrity and balance, intended to endure. Each piece is made to be lived in, worn hard.” The new collection focuses on durable clothing and accessories designed with a modern Western aesthetic that emphasizes quality and wearability. The brand reflects Post Malone’s country music influences, with the release teased through clips of the musician collaborating directly on designs. (Holler)

Kenny Chesney is set to return to Las Vegas's Sphere for a series of immersive concerts in June 2026, following a hugely successful residency in 2025. “My first summer at Sphere was so special,” Chesney wrote on social media. “Watching you guys experience the magic gave me so many ideas — reworking some songs from last year and adding a few that deserved this 4-D treatment. There are a lot of ways to play this venue, but I’m pretty sure nobody’s had more fun or brought more joy than No Shoes Nation.” Promising an even bigger sensory experience with reimagined songs and vibrant technicolor visuals, Chesney aims to deliver high-energy performances that celebrate his fanbase as well as the venue's unique atmosphere, which includes the lively floor-level Sandbar. Chesney’s newly announced shows are scheduled to take place on June 19, 20, 24, 26, and 27, with ticket presale beginning Friday (October 24), followed by a general on-sale on October 31. (All Country News)