Tag: Country Music

Will Country Welcome Beyoncé? That’s the Wrong Question.

With the release of “Cowboy Carter,” Beyoncé’s eighth solo album and the one that finds her exploring — and testing — the boundaries of country music, much of the early conversation has centered on whether the country music industry would rally around her. Beyoncé is one of the most commercially successful and creatively vibrant pop […]

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Tennessee Makes A.I. an Outlaw to Protect Its Country Music and More

The floor in front of the stage at Robert’s Western World, a beloved lower Broadway honky-tonk in Nashville, was packed on Thursday afternoon. But even with the country music superstar Luke Bryan and multiple other musicians on hand, the center of attention was Gov. Bill Lee and his Elvis Act. And Mr. Lee did not […]

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Beyoncé Joins a History of Black Pop Artists Going Country

When Beyoncé confirmed that she would be going all-in on country music with “Cowboy Carter,” the second part of a project that began with her 2022 album “Renaissance,” conversation about pop artists turning to the genre — and how Black artists are received in Nashville — began to heat up. Country remains a cloistered segment […]

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The Real Racist Story Behind Beyoncé’s Upcoming ‘Cowboy Carter’ Album

Ever since Beyoncé showed up at the Grammys last month rocking a pristine cowboy hat and followed up a week later with a Beyhive-breaking album announcement and surprise two-piece release at Super Bowl LVIII, the internet has been alight with conjecture on why she took a very unexpected foray into Country music. Music Producer & […]

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Dissecting Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ Album Cover

As Beyoncé gears up for the release of her next solo album, “Cowboy Carter,” she teased fans on Tuesday with the new record’s cover, which, like her previous album, shows her sitting on a horse. But unlike on that record, “Renaissance,” this time she’s in full rodeo gear, riding a white stallion, kicking off a […]

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Beyoncé Sets the Record Straight on Upcoming New Music

It’s not everyday that Beyoncé takes to social media to send us commoners a message, but that’s exactly what we got on Tuesday when the “Texas Hold’em” singer posted new art for her upcoming new album, “Cowboy Carter” to her Instagram and X/Twitter. Music Producer & Beyoncé Collaborator, Dixson, Plays That’s So Random Off English […]

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Toby Keith Will Be Inducted Into the Country Hall of Fame This Year

The country music star Toby Keith, who died last month after battling stomach cancer, has been selected for the Country Music Hall of Fame despite a rule against electing artists in the year of their death, the Country Music Association said on Monday. The induction is moving forward on a technicality: The vote closed on […]

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Twice’s ‘With You-th’ Tops the Billboard Chart

The nine-woman K-pop group Twice leads the Billboard album chart for the first time this week with its latest mini-LP, thanks to collectible CD and vinyl sales, while Morgan Wallen marks a full year of blockbuster streaming numbers. Twice’s “With You-th,” a six-song EP, opens at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with the […]

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Is ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ Country Music? Beyoncé’s New Single Sparks Genre Controversy

NewsOne Featured Video Source: James Devaney / Getty Beyoncé fans are forcing country radio stations to play her new country single, “Texas Hold ‘Em.” One particular Oklahoma-based radio station was moved to play it after initially denying it on their airways. Read more about the Beyhive’s impact inside. One fan emailed KYKC requesting Beyoncé’s new […]

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Here’s What The Beyhive Did When This Country Music Station Refused to Play Beyoncé’s Newest Country Songs

The devil may work hard, but Beyoncé’s beyhive works harder. And if you needed more proof of that, look no further than their latest move that got a local radio station to do an about face regarding Bey’s latest singles. I’ll explain. In Rev Run’s Run-D.M.C. & Simmons Family Story, Queens, NY Is The Central […]

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Beyoncé Fan’s Radio Request Reignites Country Music Debate

In Oklahoma, a small country music station that refused a listener’s request to play a new song by Beyoncé was forced to change its tune after an uproar from fans who say that Black artists are too often excluded from the genre. On Tuesday morning, Justin McGowan requested that the D.J.s at KYKC, a country […]

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Black Country Music Singers Beyoncé Should Feature On ‘Renaissance Act II’ And Why

Tanner Adell – Luke Combs (Official Video) If you’re looking for an artist who seamlessly combines the swag of Latto with the sweetness of Taylor Swift, look no further. Whether she’s invoking first love on “Luke Combs,” or telling the world exactly who she is on “Buckle Bunny,” Tanner Adell is exactly what country needs […]

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The Queen Goes Country

Feb. 8, 2024, 11:11 a.m. ET Feb. 8, 2024, 11:11 a.m. ET Oscar Bait is The Point’s series of conversations about films nominated for the Academy Award for best picture. Today, Christopher Orr, an editor in Opinion and a former film critic, discusses “The Zone of Interest” with Annie-Rose Strasser, Opinion Audio’s executive producer. Christopher […]

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Toby Keith’s Pre-Partisan Politics

Toby Keith already had a string of country hits before he wrote the 2002 song that cemented his place in the then-burgeoning culture wars: “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American).” He later said the song was written in 20 minutes as an emotional response to both his father’s death and the […]

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Toby Keith’s Music and Politics Were More Complicated Than You Might Think

It is important to note right from the beginning that Toby Keith, when presented with the opportunity to become the music industry’s jingoist-in-chief, leaned in. At the turn of the millennium, just after the Sept. 11 attacks, Keith, who died Monday at 62, released a string of songs that were notable for their political stridency, […]

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A Timeline of Toby Keith’s Biggest Songs and Career Moments

Toby Keith first drew recognition beyond country music as the artist behind the divisive post-9/11 rallying cry “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American).” But the singer-songwriter, who died Monday at the age of 62 after a battle with stomach cancer, appeared to view himself as a unifying force. “As far extreme […]

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Toby Keith, Popular Country Music Singer-Songwriter, Dies at 62

Toby Keith, the larger-than-life singer-songwriter of No. 1 country hits like “Who’s Your Daddy?” and “Made in America” and one of the biggest stars to come out of Nashville in three decades, died on Monday. He was 62. His death was announced on his official website, which said that he passed “peacefully” surrounded by his […]

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Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs Gave America a Rare Gift: Harmony

When a beloved artist who has not performed live in some time returns to the stage, we often expect them to appear fragile, unsteady, ill at ease. But during Sunday night’s Grammy Awards, when the camera first pulled back from a tight shot of a woman’s fingers picking a familiar riff on an acoustic guitar […]

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White Folks Have Been Listening to T-Pain’s Country Music, But It’s A Secret: ‘I’ll Just Take The Check, Bro’

Photo: Matt Jelonek (Getty Images) It looks like someone needs to buy T-Pain a drank after he shared a disheartening revelation on social media. The infinitely talented singer/songwriter has dominated various genres of music from rap to pop to country for years, but most people probably don’t know it. “It Was Intimidating” At First Says […]

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Grammys 2024: How to Watch, Time and Streaming

The 66th annual Grammy Awards, taking place on Sunday at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, is poised to be a big night for young women. SZA is the top nominee, with nine nods for her album “SOS,” which topped the Billboard 200 for 10 straight weeks. Taylor Swift, who rocked the entertainment world with […]

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How Did These Strange Songs Hit No. 1?

When Melanie’s “Brand New Key” debuted in 1971, some people were confused. What did the singer, who died on Tuesday at 76, mean when she sang about having a brand-new pair of roller skates and someone else having a brand-new key? Melanie told one interviewer that she wrote the song in 15 minutes, after ending […]

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How ‘Insomniac’ Became an a Cappella Sensation

In high school, I joined Rebel Yell, an a cappella group named after the Billy Idol song. I mostly beatboxed or sang background vocals. But one year, my chorus teacher gave me a lead vocal. It was on a song called “Insomniac,” by a folk rock duo called Billy Pilgrim. Our audiences didn’t know the […]

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Look What We Made Taylor Swift Do

There’s no way of knowing what could have happened if Ms. Swift’s masters hadn’t been sold. All we know is what happened next. In early August, Ms. Swift posted a rainbow-glazed photo of a series of friendship bracelets, one of which says “PROUD” with beads in the color of the bisexual pride flag. Queer people […]

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Jelly Roll on the Grammys, Crying and His Rap Past

Few artists had a more unexpected 2023 than Jelly Roll, the face-tattooed former Southern rapper turned country singer who became one of the year’s most promising new crossover pop stars. His album “Whitsitt Chapel,” which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard all-genre chart in June, is a collection of pop-rock anthems with flourishes of […]

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What Do You Hear in Jason Aldean’s ‘Try That in a Small Town’?

Last summer, politics, country music and cultural grievance collided with the growing popularity of a new song from recording artist Jason Aldean. Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalk Carjack an old lady at a red light Pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store Ya think it’s cool, well, act a fool if […]

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Former Dixie Chicks Member Laura Lynch Dies

Laura Lynch, a founding member of the country music group the Dixie Chicks, died in a car crash on Friday, according to the authorities. She was 65. The death and Lynch’s identity were confirmed by Nikol Endres, a justice of the peace in the area. Lynch, of Fort Worth, was driving east on Route 62 […]

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10 New Christmas Albums for 2023

Jon Pardi, ‘Merry Christmas From Jon Pardi’ For the past decade Jon Pardi has been, quite successfully, a country singer mindful of how the country singers before him conducted themselves. He’s a lightly unruly traditionalist, with an ear that favors Texas and Bakersfield and the, um, funkier sides of honky-tonk Nashville. So naturally, his first […]

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Best Songs of 2023

Jon Pareles | Jon Caramanica | Lindsay Zoladz Jon Pareles Fumbling Toward Ecstasy The album may be imperiled; people have been saying so for decades, even though the form has resisted extinction. Meanwhile, songs flourish, whether or not they’re destined for albums, and are ever more flexible. Some maintain the pop conventions of verse-chorus-verse; others […]

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Scottish Country Music Venue Ends Display of Confederate Flag

A country and western music venue in Scotland, nearly 4,000 miles and 150 years removed from the Civil War, voted this week to end its controversial display of the Confederate flag. Until recently, a night of live music at the Grand Ole Opry in Glasgow, a members’ club that holds public events, would end with […]

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Black Folk Musicians Are Reclaiming the Genre

THE CAROLINA CHOCOLATE Drops and many others have now ensured that future generations can see themselves onstage but, once up there, such Black performers rarely see themselves in the crowd. Do Black artists need a Black audience? It’s a longstanding debate that sometimes pits the artistic against the sociopolitical functions of song. The writer Amiri […]

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