Tag Archives | CMT Awards

Sugarland To Debut Trailer For “Babe” Featuring Taylor Swift During CMT Music Awards June 6

Sugarland

Photo Credit: Shervin Lainez

The bold pairing of superstars SUGARLAND and TAYLOR SWIFT gets even BIGGER on Wednesday, June 6. For an unprecedented world premiere, CMT will debut the “Babe” music video trailer during the CMT Music Awards, which will air live at 8/7c.

Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush will first offer a live performance of “Babe” that morning during the 10 AM hour of NBC’s Today. Their appearance is part of a special segment live from Ole Red in Nashville with Hoda Kotb and Blake Shelton.

Rolling Stone Country described the Swift and Pat Monahan-penned track as, “…built on vivid, lived-in lyrics in classic Swiftian fashion, but contrasted by a relaxed, roots-pop feel that is 100 percent Sugarland.”

In addition to “Babe,” four other songs are also available now through the BIGGER album pre-order while NPR Music is currently offering a first listen here: https://www.npr.org/2018/05/31/615247730/first-listen-sugarland-bigger.

Sugarland produced BIGGER with Grammy-Award winner Julian Raymond and will be released June 8 through a joint venture with Big Machine Records and UMG Nashville. Fans can also experience the new music live as their STILL THE SAME 2018 TOUR rolls through 48 cities in the U.S. and Canada. For tour dates, visit https://sugarlandmusic.com/.

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Pepsi Hosts 1st Annual Pepsi Firehouse In Nashville

A few lucky music lovers were treated to a very special night of new music discovery by Pepsi, who was in town to partner with the CMT Music Awards.

Held at the Urban Cowboy, which is a beautiful mansion built in the 1800’s that is now a bed & breakfast, the event showcased several up and coming artists in Nashville like Maggie Rose and Lindsay Ell.  Guests mingled, ate some delicious food, drank some specialty drinks made with Pepsi’s new summer cola, Pepsi Fire, and explored the mansion’s many rooms to discover new music all night from the talented artists.

Each room was decorated in a different theme, and featured one up & coming artist whose music was played on that room’s sound system. Also, the artist featured was there to meet and mingle with the guests.

At the end of the night, guests were treated to an intimate performance in one of the main rooms of the Pepsi Firehouse by Warner Nashville’s Devin Dawson.

Devin Dawson has a bluesy & soulful sound infused with country.  Great vocals combined with an engaging stage prescence. Be sure to check out his music! He’s one to watch.

Enjoying the speciality drink mixed with Pepsi Fire served at Pepsi Firehouse.

As a summer treat, be sure to find Pepsi Fire in a store near you. It’s only available this summer, so don’t wait too long to try it. It’s the taste of Pepsi that has been loved by generations with just a hint of cinnamon for a refreshing blend for those who like something a little different with a little heat to it. Try it! You know you want to.

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Win Tickets To CMT Music Awards & Private Concert

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The beginning of June marks one of country music’s biggest weeks as the hottest talent travel to music city for the CMT Awards on June 8th.  This year, thanks to the official whisky of the CMT Awards, Crown Royal will give the ultimate fan experience with a trip of lifetime to Nashville.

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Flirty, Fit And Flare At CMT Awards

E! OnlineMary SarahMary Sarah, the artist “the country music world has fallen for” (American Songwriter), trended alongside Miranda Lambert and LeAnn Rimes in “E! Online” CMT Awards red carpet coverage.

The 18-year-old turned heads in a “very flirty fit and flare style” white dress accented by a pair of sassy violet platform heels.

Mary Sarah debuts ‘Bridges’ – a 12-song collection of duets with Country music legends including Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and the late Ray Price – on July 8.

Listen to her sing “Fightin’ Side of Me” with Merle Haggard here.

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[Video] Tyler Farr Reacts To 1st CMT Awards Nomination

A video of country artist Tyler Farr reacting to his 1st CMT Awards nomination.

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The Band Perry Nominated For Two 2014 CMT Music Awards

The Band Perry“IF I DIE YOUNG” CERTIFIED QUINTUPLE PLATINUM

THE BAND PERRY received two nominations yesterday for the 2014 CMT Music Awards. The superstar sibling trio is nominated for “CMT Performance of the Year” for their explosive performance of “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark” with Fall Out Boy from CMT Crossroads, as well as for “Group Video of the Year” for their Number One smash, “DONE.” The 2014 CMT Music Awards will air LIVE from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, June 4 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

“We were so thrilled to hear about our CMT Music Award nominations yesterday,” said The Band Perry.   “The ‘CMT Crossroads’ performance with Fall Out Boy was without question one of the highlights of 2013 for us, and it’s really exciting for a video like ‘DONE.’ to be nominated, where we feel like we pushed the creative envelope to a new level for the band. It’s great to see the video and its amazing director recognized.”

The recently crowned 2014 ACM “Vocal Group of the Year” also received another accolade this past week when their Number One single “If I Die Young” was certified quintuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for its sales of more than five million units. The song has been a staple in their live set throughout their career and on the WE ARE PIONEERS WORLD TOUR, with devoted fans often singing along to every word.
The Band Perry will continue their own tour throughout the year and will also join Blake Shelton this summer on his Ten Times Crazier Tour 2014. A full list of tour dates can be found by visiting: https://www.thefansperry.com/tour

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CMT Music Awards: Recap and Winners

CMT Awards

Hosted by Jason Aldean and Kristen Bell, the CMT Music Awards rocked Bridgestone arena last week. Florida Georgia Line continued their week of success with two buckles, even though this was their first official time at the awards. Bonified superstar Miranda Lambert also walked away with two, but it was Carrie Underwood who came away with the top prize of the night.

And since awards themselves have taken a backseat to performances during these broadcasts, CMT made sure they didn’t disappoint in that area either. Aldean opened the show with rockstar Lenny Kravitz, Keith Urban joined Little Big Town for a fantastic version of “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac, and Florida Georgia Line closed the show with their smash “Cruise” complete with an appearance from Nelly. Other performances included Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Hunter Hayes, Kacey Musgraves, Lady Antebellum, Luke Bryan and Taylor Swift. Additionally, Ashley MonroeThe Voice winner Cassadee Pope, Dustin LynchAmerican Idol runner-up Kree Harrison, Love and Theft and Randy Houser appeared on the Nationwide Insurance stage.

Yes, technical issues were a little pervasive, and yes, some people have trouble making reading teleprompers sound even remotely authentic (Jason Aldean), but it’s tough to argue with a party like this one. Below is the full list of nominees and winners:

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CMT Music Awards Nominations

CMT Awards

Luke Bryan, Eric Church and Miranda Lambert lead the list with four nominations each.

Video Of The Year

Brad Paisley – “Southern Comfort Zone”
Carrie Underwood – “Blown Away”
Eric Church – “Springsteen”
Florida Georgia Line – “Cruise”
Hunter Hayes – “Wanted”
Jason Aldean – “1994”
Kenny Chesney – “Come Over”
Little Big Town – “Tornado”
Luke Bryan – “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye”
Miranda Lambert – “Mama’s Broken Heart”
Taylor Swift – “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”
Tim McGraw – “One of Those Nights”

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CMA Music Fest 2012 Recap

We just finished up a week of the biggest country music party in the world. CMA Music Fest took over Nashville and broke records. That’s right; over 71,000 fans came to see over 450 artists perform more than 200 hours of concerts. And FOCUS was right in the middle of it!

It would truly be a novel to walk you through the week from my point of view, so I’ll give you some highlights:

 

Monday

Billboard Country Music Summit and CAA New Office Party

Luke Bryan at the 2012 Country Music Summit

Luke Bryan at the 2012 Country Music Summit

I could only make the first day of CMS, but it was still packed with information and fun. We got great insight from industry professionals on everything from touring to radio. We also got an insight into Luke Bryan’s career and examined his rise to stardom, straight from the man himself and his team.

That night we attended the Creative Artist Agency’s new office party in the penthouse of the Suntrust building downtown. Aside from the breathtaking views (from just about EVERY office), the cool technology they installed and the free drinks, we also ran into our friends Jesse Lee, Jana Kramer and Kip Moore. And apparently I met Hot Chelle Rae, but am embarrassed to admit that I had no clue what they looked like.

Highlight: Jana Kramer. Obviously.

 

Tuesday

Chevy Volt Country Music Tour and Country Music Gives Back

Tuesday was my big Chevy Volt excursion that I told everyone about. Don’t worry, the full article and (more importantly) the footage are coming! My friend Hannah and I had a lot of fun… and the footage will probably end up being PG-13, especially with me driving in Nashville traffic.

Then it was off to the Country Music Gives Back VIP Party sponsored by Muve Music. There we ran into Jana again, Rodney Atkins, Lee Brice, Josh Thompson, and got an interview with Thompson Square! Wonderful people; sickeningly adorable; and fun to interview, so watch out for that as well!

Highlight: An interview with country’s hottest duo… one of the highlights of the entire year, let alone Tuesday.

Thompson Square at Country Music Gives Back 2012

Thompson Square with Matt Williams at Country Music Gives Back

 

Wednesday

CMT Music Awards

If you watched the awards, you don’t need a recap. If you missed them, don’t worry; CMT will re-air them 32,598 times this month. I regret that I wasn’t doing my normal live tweeting, but hey, it’s hard to do while you’re there watching. CMT did it right with the two collaborations: Lady A and Hot Chelle Rae opened the show, and Journey joined Rascal Flatts to sing “Don’t Stop Believing.” Epic. We then went to the Warner Music after party where Gloriana performed. Love those guys!

Highlight: Lady A/Hot Chelle Rae killed it!

 

Thursday

CMA Music Fest Day 1 and Jana Kramer Album Release Party

Jana Kramer

Jana Kramer at her album release party!

Now on to the main event. I spent most of my time at the Chevy Riverfront stage. Today I saw Josh Thompson, Jerrod Neimann and Lee Brice. Great performances by all, and Jerrod even ran into the crowd.

After that, we had to go to aVenue for Jana Kramer’s album release party. The One Tree Hill fan base was prevalent, and Jana sang most of the songs off her debut self-titled album. If you haven’t yet, go pick up the album!

Then it was time for the nightly LP Field show. In case you don’t know, these shows feature SIX big-name acts performing each night, as well as the National Anthem and two acoustic performances. It all gets compiled into an ABC special sometime in the fall. Which means, every once in a while, a performance needs to be re-done, and it’s not uncommon for one of the hosts (this year Luke Bryan and Kimberly Perry) to get the crowd excited and make a throw to a band who played yesterday… just for TV.

Anyway, I’ll just run down the list of performances for Thursday: David Nail, legend Glen Campbell, Miranda Lambert, Lauren Alaina, Jason Aldean, Lady Antebelum, Zac Brown Band, Kellie Pickler and Brad Paisley. Not a bad night of concerts. And that was night ONE!

Highlight: Rhinestone Cowboy live.

 

Friday

CMA Music Fest Day 2

David Nail at CMA Music Fest

David Nail

Back to Riverfront to see Thomas Rhett, Jo Dee Messina, Gloriana, David Nail, Craig Campbell and The Farm. Jo Dee Messina performed “Don’t Stop Believing” (second time I heard that song live at CMA Fest… weird) and Brought. The. House. Down. When I say not a single person was sitting or silent, I mean it. It didn’t become one of the best karaoke and party songs in history for nothing, folks.

I’ve also never seen The Farm do a full set. I’ll just say it: Holy shit, these guys bring it! Maybe it’s because they are all crazy talented and seasoned veterans of performing, or maybe it’s their refreshingly eclectic sound (Damien Horne even broke into a beat box during one song), but I would pay serious money to see these guys in concert. I don’t want to say you heard it here first, but watch out for them!

The LP show featured Ronnie Milsap, Brantley Gilbert, Jake Owen, The Band Perry, Gwen Sebastian, Blake Shelton, Randy Houser and Carrie Underwood. I always liked “Barefoot Blue Jean Night,” but I never thought about how much of a stadium anthem it could be. How about 65,000 people ALL singing along, waving their hands and waving lighters (and by lighters I mean cell phones). I was actually thrilled to have nosebleed tickets to be able to watch the entire thing unfold.

Highlights: Krista Marie (from The Farm) blew me a kiss from stage then threw me her pick. Everyone else in the crowd, eat your hearts out.

 

Saturday

CMA Music Fest Day 3

Corey Smith at CMA Fest

Corey Smith

Riverfront again: Love and Theft, Kip Moore, Casey James, Heidi Newfield, James Otto and Corey Smith. Probably my favorite riverfront day as a whole. I’m calling it right now: watch out for Casey James. Next Keith Urban. You DID hear that one first. And many people don’t know who Corey Smith is, but the crowd sure did. That’s because Corey made a grassroots name for himself in the SEC circuit. A Georgia Bulldog alum, he has penned some of the greatest underground college anthems of all time. The crowd that was there all knew it, and was singing every word (as was I.) And we even got to see a proposal take place during Kip Moore’s “Hey Pretty Girl.” Congrats to Matt and Trish!

LP Field: Julie Roberts, Kenny Rogers, Hunter Hayes, Love and Theft (again), Little Big Town, Eric Church, Kip Moore (again), Faith Hill and Luke Bryan. Kenny is still orange, Hunter is still a child prodigy, Eric Church is one of the hottest names in country music right now and put on a show as such, Faith Hill was… there, and Luke Bryan is hilarious.

Highlight: Either singing along to “Drinkin’ Again” by Corey Smith or “Boyfriend” the Justin Bieber song Luke covered on piano.

 

Sunday

CMA Music Fest Day 4 and Exhaustion

Sunny Sweeney at CMA Fest

Sunny Sweeney

Quite honestly, after this entire week, I’m not sure I know what was going on on Sunday. Somehow I walked down to riverfront and got escorted backstage before Sunny Sweeney performed (I went with it), but I couldn’t hear or see, so I left and went back down front where I belonged. I love Sunny though. I also love Jana Kramer who performed later in the day (yeah, that’s no secret). In between though, was Lo Cash Cowboys, who I have never seen live. Talk about fun! At one point Preston Brust walked over to the truss (the big thing holding the stage up) which had a neon sign on it that said “Do NOT climb Truss!” Guess what happened next… he ended up re-taping that sign to the very very top of the truss. We cheered.

Last night at LP: A little subdued in comparison to the rest of the week. Sarah Darling, The Mavericks, Bill Anderson, Scotty McCreary, Dierks Bentley, Rascal Flatts, Alan Jackson, Steel Magnolia and Martina McBride. Through pure adrenaline I stayed and watched the entire thing, which ended with Martina bringing the house down.

Highlight: Martina singing “Broken Wing.” Flawless. And ending in a 5-minute standing ovation, complete with tears from the singer (and Matt).

So, what a week. I’m still recovering. Patrice I’m sure will have her own reflection on the week with her own highlights. If you were there what were yours? We’d love to know!

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Follow FOCUS on the 615 This Week for All Your Country Music Insight

The Billboard Country Music Summit, CMT Awards and Especially CMA Music Fest All To Take Place This Week

Who’s ready? If you’re a country music fan, there’s only one place you should be this week, and that is right here in the 615! But if you can’t make it down for all the festivities, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. CMA Music Fest is the biggest country music party of the year, and will be the highlight of the week, but that’s not all:

Monday and Tuesday is the Billboard Country Music Summit at Cannery Ballroom featuring keynote speakers Luke Bryan, Thompson Square and Willie Nelson. Tuesday morning, I (Matt) will be driving around in a Chevy Volt to all the country music hotspots (stay tuned for more on that), then Tuesday evening we’ll be attending the Muve Music’s Pre-Concert event, taking place before the “Music City Gives Back” concert with exclusive interviews. Wednesday is our friend Jana Kramer’s album release party (can’t wait!), then Wednesday night is the CMT Music Awards. We’ll be at all of these events and more, and will bring you exclusive footage and interviews!

Make sure to follow Focus on the 615 and Matt on twitter for live updates:
@FOCUSonthe615
@mattwilliams27

And keep checking back here for full interviews, photos and write ups. What a week it’s going to be. Here we go!

About the Billboard Country Music Summit

Billboard Country Music Summit
Conceived as the business-related kickoff for the weeklong celebration of Country Music that culminates with the 2012 CMA Music Festival, the Summit has quickly become known for hosting attendees and speakers that are the elite industry players, including established Country Music industry executives, up-and-coming entrepreneurs, and artists that are making a difference. The content and networking at the Summit is unmatched in the industry, focusing on the challenges and opportunities facing this vital genre.

Programming is customized to fit the needs of the Country Music business stakeholders today and tomorrow, touching on recording, touring, radio, publishing, finance, sponsorships, international, digital/social and artist development. Discussions are led by the executives who write the checks, write the songs, book the shows, program the singles, create the campaign and take the stage. In its first two years, the Summit has already hosted compelling artist discussions with such stars as Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Charlie Daniels, Gary Alan and others, with case studies and keynotes that break down the most successful artist development and superstar careers in the genre. There is nothing else in the country music business like it.

About “Music City Gives Back”
Music City Gives BackAward-winning and top-selling country star Rodney Atkins headlines Music City Gives Back with a host of other artists on Tuesday, June 7th in downtown Nashville. Josh Thompson, Thompson Square and others will join Atkins for a night of great music.

The concert will increase awareness, accept donations of needed items and raise funds for tornado victims for the American Red Cross Relief Fund through donation collection locations around the event. The public can make donations at the event or by visiting www.redcross.org.

The CMT Music Awards

CMT Music AwardsCMT kicks off the summer with country’s biggest stars and sizzling performances at the 2012 CMT Music Awards live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on June 6. It’s the only entirely fan-voted award show that recognizes country’s best video and musical achievements. Hosted by Toby Keith and Kristen Bell, this year’s performers include Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley, Eric Church, Zac Brown Band, Willie Nelson and many many others.

CMA Music Fest

CMA Music FestThe ultimate country music fan experience featuring hundreds of artists from up and comers, to legends and superstars performing on multiple stages. Thousands of fans from around the world come together in the epicenter of the Country Music community to party with countless opportunities to get close to the stars for a treasured autograph or priceless picture. This is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion to discover new artists before they hit it big, hear new music, and meet other fans who share your passion for Country Music in Music City USA

Created for the fans in 1972 and committed to the fan experience in 2012, CMA Music Festival brings it all together – artists, music, autographs, pictures, activities, and more – all for you, the most devoted fans in the world!

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