Country Now News

During a recent appearance on the Impaulsive podcast with Logan Paul and Mike Majlak, Kane Brown revealed his intention to "rebrand" his sound and image towards a younger, fitter style. He referenced his new single, “2 Pair,” as representing his shift towards a more fun and youthful vibe on stage and in the studio. "I have three kids now, everybody's younger, and I just realised the other day that I'm still one of the youngest guys in country music,” the 31-year-old Brown said. "But working out has brought back my young mentality, so I'm trying to rebrand myself, basically.” His fitness regime includes a strict diet while working out and running a mile every day. "It's just the business that we're in, everybody's constantly competing with each other,” Brown added. When asked if he’s doing this to keep up with Morgan Wallen, Brown shared that Wallen reached out about working out together. "Morgan's my boy, he actually just hit me up about training. He's trying to get fit.” (Holler)

On Thursday (July 11), Luke Bryan announced that the 11th edition of his Crash My Playa Music Festival is set to take place in Riviera Maya, Mexico from January 15-18, 2026. "Every year I’m blown away by how special Crash My Playa has become," Bryan said in a press release. "From the beachside shows to the late-night hangouts, it’s one of the highlights of my year. I can't wait to be back in Cancún with our fans and kick off 2026 in the best way possible." The annual event features performances by top country music artists, daily pool parties, and more, with next year’s festival promising four more days of musical entertainment set in a tropical paradise. While the lineup for 2026 is yet to be unveiled, past performers have included country music superstars Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Lainey Wilson, Bailey Zimmerman, and Ella Langley. Alumni pre-sale begins on Friday (July 11), with packages on-sale Monday (July 14). (Taste of Country)

During her appearance on Wednesday’s (July 9) episode of Khloé Kardashian’s Khloé in Wonder Land podcast, Dolly Parton revealed that she has put her songwriting endeavors on hold following the recent passing of her husband, Carl Dean. When Parton was asked if she ever has writer’s block that prevents her from finishing a song, the country music legend shared: “My husband passed away three months ago. … Several things I’ve wanted to start, but I can’t do it. I will later, but I’m just coming up with such wonderful, beautiful ideas. But I think I won’t finish it.” Parton added, “I can’t do it right now because I’ve got so many other things that I can’t afford the luxury of getting that emotional right now. But I’ll write something else, though, if it comes. So I’m just putting that all on hold.” Despite this pause, Parton emphasized her deep connection to songwriting and its significance in her life, acknowledging that “it happens just to be my job, but is also my joy.” (Rolling Stone)

Ray Stevens is recovering after undergoing surgery following a minor heart attack in early July. The two-time Grammy winner's performances at the CabaRay Showroom in Nashville have been canceled through July while he focuses on his recovery. The 86-year-old country music star "complained of chest pain" on Friday (July 4) and went to a Nashville hospital, and he is now “in recovery after undergoing minimally invasive heart surgery yesterday morning," according to a press release shared on Tuesday (July 8). A subsequent Instagram post shared that “Ray is out of ICU and beginning to walk the halls as therapy with a nurse’s assistance as he is working towards recovering from this surgery.” Stevens, known for his Grammy-winning hit "Everything Is Beautiful," has recorded 45 albums and has had six Top 10 hits on the U.S. Pop and Country charts. He has sold over 40 million albums during his illustrious career,  and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2019. (People)

Zach Top humorously sports fake abs while taking part in Dierks Bentley’s Ice Plunge Challenge, joining the ranks of Parker McCollum, Travis Denning, Jordan Davis, and Riley Green who have all taken the icy bath while on tour with the country star. Negotiating his way into the challenge, Top reveals drawn-on abs for a humorous confidence boost, while proclaiming, “I need a fresh beer and a cigarette,” before he’s willing to immerse himself in the trash can filled with 29-degree ice water. Top even humorously jests at Green as he bests his previous time submerged  in the frigid water, exclaiming “Get f******, Riley Green,” while he laughs and quickly adds, “Just kidding, buddy. Love you.” Top is prepping to release his highly-anticipated new album, Ain’t In It For My Health, on August 29, which will follow-up his 2024 debut album, Cold Beer & Country Music, which was nominated for ACM Album of the Year. (Holler)

Robert Earl Keen, a Kerrville, Texas native, has a personal connection to the devastating floods that struck the area. The 69-year-old country music star’s two daughters both attended Camp Mystic, the summer camp where 27 campers and counselors perished. Despite the tragic events, Keen is planning an upcoming benefit concert, while also donating 100% of the proceeds from merchandise sales while he’s on tour to aid flood relief efforts. “We haven’t confirmed it yet, but we’re going to be putting on a show,” Keen said, saying that the benefit will be a “real solid musical event,” with details to be revealed in the coming days. The singer also revealed that his wife is back home helping first responders by offering one of their rental properties for them to stay in. “It’s an entire family effort. You can’t take away what happened,” he said. “You can only go forward, and do as much as you can, for as long as you can.” (Billboard)

Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Eric Church, Rissi Palmer, Randy Travis, Luke Combs, and Cody Johnson are among the honorees receiving special awards at this year's ACM Honors, with the ceremony set to take place on August 20 at The Pinnacle in Nashville. Jelly Roll will be honored with the ACM Lifting Lives Award, in recognition of his commitment to serving others. Wilson will be honored with the ACM Artist-Songwriter of the Year accolade, while Jessie Jo Dillon will be presented with the Songwriter of the Year award. Palmer will receive ACM’s Lift Every Voice award, Church and the late Ben Vaughn are the recipients of the ACM Icon award, Johnson will be honored with the ACM Spirit Award, Combs will receive the ACM International Award, while Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Mac McAnally will receive the ACM Poet's Award. Country Music Hall of Fame member Travis will receive the ACM Milestone Award, which recognizes artists for outstanding achievements in country music during the preceding calendar year. “This year’s ACM Special Awards honorees each have played an essential role in Country Music’s success,” says Kerri Edwards, chair of the ACM Special Awards committee. (Billboard)

Pat Green took to Instagram on Monday (July 7) to share the heartbreaking news that his brother, sister-in-law, and two nephews were victims of the recent flash flooding in Kerrville, Texas. The country singer expressed gratitude for the outpouring of love and prayers from supporters, as the family grieves and waits for news on their missing loved ones. “Over the weekend, during the devastating flooding that hit Central Texas, my family — like so many others — suffered a heartbreaking and deeply personal loss,” Green wrote. “We are grieving alongside countless Texans whose lives have been upended by this tragedy.” Green, a Texas native who affectionately sings about the Lone Star State, postponed his concert in Luckenbach, Texas on Saturday (July 5) in response to the devastating floods, which has so far claimed the lives of 110 people, while an additional 161 people have been reported missing. (Rolling Stone)

Riley Green reflects on how a fishing trip with Luke Bryan led to their collaboration, “Reel Problems,” which was featured on his 2024 album, Don’t Mind If I Do. Green co-wrote the song with Erik Dylan and Wyatt McCubbin, but the inspiration for the track comes from Green and Bryan’s first time hanging out together. “That was one of the first things we did together was go fishing in his lake, you know, down south in Nashville,” Green revealed. “We had a great time. He’s such an easy dude to hang out with, and him growing up in Georgia, we grew up the same way, so we immediately hit it off.” When it came time to collaborate on the track, Green reached out to Bryan directly and bypassed traditional industry channels. “I sent him a text,” Green explained. “Features like that are probably supposed to go through labels and management, but I just texted him and it worked out.” (Country Now)

During Ozzy Osbourne’s farewell concert in Birmingham, England, on Saturday (July 5), Dolly Parton sent the heavy metal legend a heartfelt video message that played during the day’s festivities. “I know you’re at home and what a wonderful place to be, right? Now, are we supposed to be saying farewell to you? Well, I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Parton said in the clip. “How about we just say good luck, God bless you, and we will see you somewhere down the road. Anyway, I love you, always have. And we’re gonna miss you up on stage, but you know what? I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t show up somewhere else — and I’ll be there.” The country icon’s appearance at a heavy metal show might have struck some fans as odd, but Parton – a 2022 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – just collaborated with Mötley Crüe on a reworked version of “Home Sweet Home,” while her 2023 album, Rockstar, featured collaborations with Judas Priest’s Rob Halford, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, and Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. (Rolling Stone)

Ella Langley has just achieved her first solo No. 1 at Country Radio with her current single, "Weren't For The Wind. " The country star co-wrote the track with her longtime friend and collaborator, Joybeth Taylor, and songwriter Johnny Clawson, and it was produced by Will Bundy. Langley first hit No. 1 last year with her duet with Riley Green, “you look like you love me.” Langley celebrated her milestone with an Instagram post that she captioned: “Weren’t for the wind is #1 on country radio baby!!!!! So proud of this song everything that it’s done and continues to do. Thank y’all for loving this song.” The singer also shared a separate post highlighting her creative partnership with Taylor, her “sister in song.” “Since that day on my back porch (the day we wrote our first song) we’ve dreamt about getting a #1 together,” Langley wrote. “Sitting on a plane flying back to Nashville with tears rolling out of my eyes thinking about how much we’ve talked about this moment and what it means to actually have it together. We did it JB.” (All Country News)

The 2025 Academy of Country Music (ACM) Honors ceremony is set to take place on August 20 at The Pinnacle in Nashville Yards. The event will celebrate winners of the ACM Industry Awards and Studio Recording Awards, including Dave Cobb's sixth ACM Award for Producer of the Year, first time winner Drew Bollman for Audio Engineer of the Year, Brent Mason’s 12th Studio Recording Award for Electric Guitar Player of the Year, and Ed Warm's 18th and 19th ACM Industry Awards for Club of the Year (Joe’s on Weed St.) and Festival of the Year (Windy City Smokeout). Previously announced Artist-Songwriter of the Year winner Lainey Wilson and Songwriter of the Year winner Jessie Jo Dillon will also be honored. This year’s Special Award recipients and performers will be announced later. Ticket pre-sale begins on Thursday (July 10), followed by general on-sale on Friday (July 11). (Billboard)

CMT is marking the 20th anniversary of its annual awards show with the premiere of CMT Music Awards: Ultimate Party Edition on July 17 at 9/8 CST. The 90-minute special will be hosted by Cody Alan, and is set to feature exclusive interviews with country music stars like Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini, and Luke Bryan as they reflect on their memorable show appearances and share untold stories. Fans can vote for the Ultimate Fan Favorite Performance award on CMT's Facebook and Instagram from July 11-14, with the winner announced during the premiere. “It’s been amazing to go back deep into our archives and re-live some of the show’s most iconic moments,” says Margaret Comeaux, Executive Producer & SVP, Production for CMT. “We can’t wait for audiences to relive the biggest and best moments from the past two decades of CMT Music Awards – and hear some never-been-told stories along the way.” (Music Row)

On Monday (July 7), Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton both took to social media to announce their upcoming duet, "A Song to Sing," which will be released on Friday (July 11). Lambert and Stapleton co-wrote the song with Jesse Frasure and five-time CMA Musician of the Year-winning fiddle player Jenee Fleenor, with the track drawing inspiration from Stapleton's relationship with his wife, Morgane. "To have someone so soulful and willing to go into the heart of the feelings, to share the pull of the road and creative life — and what that means when you love someone with every bit of your being is next level," Lambert says. "When we finished it, we both knew we wanted to release it, to share it with everyone." The single is set to impact country radio on Monday (July 14), and marks the duo’s second musical collaboration following Lambert's co-writing contribution to Stapleton's 2023 hit, "What Am I Gonna Do." (Taste of Country)

Zac Brown took to Instagram on July 2 to share photos of his beautiful palomino horse, revealing that he named it after his friend, Cody Johnson, following their collaboration on “Wild Palomino” back in 2021. “First time I heard the bones of Wild Palomino, I knew it had something special. @codyjohnson and I connected over it and what started as a song turned into a brotherhood,” Brown wrote in the caption. “And somewhere along the way, that bond showed up in the form of a real Palomino, named Cody of course. He’s got fire in his heart and peace in his eyes, just like the friend who brought him into my life. These kinds of full-circle moments don’t happen often, but when they do, you hold on tight.” In addition to spending quality time with his new horse, Brown is recording an album with his ZBB mates, and they just released a new single, “I Ain’t Worried About It,” back in June. (Holler)

Post Malone and Jelly Roll just finished up the North American leg of their Big Ass Stadium Tour together on July 1 at San Francisco's Oracle Park. While the duo will continue to tour together with a series of European dates scheduled throughout the summer, fans in the U.S. feared this might be their final chance to experience them together. But during their tour closing show, Posty revealed that he and Jelly are going to be tourmates again next summer. “There's only one motherfu**er I would ever want to take on my first stadium tour,” Post said ahead of his nightly collaboration with Jelly on “Losers,” before surprising the sold-out crowd by revealing, “And I learned as of a couple days ago, we get to go out and do this sh*t next f**king summer too.” Jelly also led the audience in a stadium-wide singalong of “Happy Birthday” for Post, who was set to turn 30 on July 4. (Holler)

Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” tops the Billboard Hot 100 once again, as his first career leader on the chart scores a fifth total week at No. 1. Meanwhile, Morgan Wallen notches his fifth week in 2025 with at least three songs simultaneously charting in the Hot 100’s Top Five, as “What I Want,” featuring Tate McRae, remains at No. 2, “Just in Case” rises one spot to No. 3, and “I’m the Problem” holds at No. 5. Wallen ties Kendrick Lamar for the most weeks with three or more concurrent Top Five hits in a single year among solo artists, with Lamar also posting three such weeks this year. Among all acts, only the Beatles have more such frames with eight, achieved during their historic breakthrough year of 1964.

The rest of the Hot 100 Top 10 is rounded out by Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” jumping up three spots to No. 4, Lamar and SZA’s “Luther” holding at No. 6, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild” drops four slots to No. 7, Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control” moves up one place to No. 8. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” drops one spot to No. 9 – marking the longest-charting song in the Top 10 ever by a woman artist at 45 weeks, while also surpassing The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” for the longest such stretch for a collaboration. While Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” returns to the Top 10 by jumping up one spot to reach No. 10. (Billboard)

Morgan Wallen secures his 18th career No. 1 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart with "Just in Case," marking his fourth chart-topping hit from his No. 1 album, I'm the Problem. The title track ruled for eight weeks beginning in April, “Love Somebody” topped the tally for three weeks in February, and “Lies Lies Lies” led for a week last November. Wallen's latest success marks his third No. 1 single of 2025, the only artist to record multiple chart-toppers this year. Elsewhere on the Country Airplay chart, Thomas Rhett earns his 25th career Top 10 hit with "After All the Bars Are Closed," while Luke Bryan achieves his 37th Top 10 single with "Country Song Came On." Bryan now ties Reba McEntire for the 10th most Top 10 hits on the Country Airplay chart, surpassing Garth Brooks’ total of 36. Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, and George Strait lead everyone with 61 career Country Airplay Top 10 hits each. (Billboard)

In a new interview with People, Lainey Wilson opens up about her relationship with fiancé Devlin "Duck" Hodges, while revealing the one thing that keeps their partnership going strong. "You have to definitely carve out the time," the 33-year-old country superstar says of her relationship with the 29-year-old former NFL player. "It has to be something that you're very aware of. 'Okay, I've got a day off here in 10 days. I've got to dedicate that day to spend time with my person.'” Wilson adds, "And we both need that and deserve that, and it's always great. We just try to soak up those moments as best as we possibly can." Wilson describes Hodges as her "best friend," while sharing that, "He is one of the purest hearts and people that I have ever met. He is my biggest cheerleader." The couple began dating in 2021, but only made their relationship public in May 2023 when Hodges accompanied Wilson to the ACM Awards. (People)

During a visit to Phoenix Children’s Hospital in May, Kelsea Ballerini continued her involvement with Musicians On Call, a music-based charity that brings live and recorded music to patients in healthcare environments. In a heartwarming TikTok video shared by the charity, Ballerini sang Justin Bieber’s 2010 hit, “Baby,” with a young girl in a hospital bed, playfully passing the “mic” back and forth between the two of them during their special duet. Musicians on Call captioned the clip, “Huge thanks to @kelseaballerini for bringing joy and brightness to patients by playing their favorite songs 🎶💛 Your talent brings smiles to many!” Ballerini has been a part of the organization for nearly ten years, after helping launch the program – which now has a roster of volunteers which includes Darius Rucker, Luke Bryan, Trisha Yearwood, and Dolly Parton – in Phoenix back in 2016. After her most recent visit, Ballerini said, “it’s a beautiful way to let music be what music is, which is powerful.” (Holler)