Music

Cirque du Soleil and Universal Music Group Nashville have teamed up for a country music-themed tour.

The fresh trek will meld acrobatics with the melodies of beloved country tunes and pay tribute to the genre with delightful, breathtaking performances.

“Our collaboration with Universal Music Group Nashville presents an exciting opportunity for us to expand our creative horizons and reach new audiences, as we delve into the vibrant world of country music entertainment,” says Stéphane Lefebvre, president and CEO of Cirque du Soleil.

“We are thrilled at the idea of joining forces with Cirque du Soleil to offer a one-of-a-kind show celebrating classic and modern country music,” shares Cindy Mabe, chair and CEO of Universal Music Group Nashville. “Cirque du Soleil is a shining example of making the impossible, possible through creativity, collaboration, and emotion.”

“The opportunity to highlight our incredible catalog and bring the history of country music to life in a live theatrical setting, will allow our music to live on with a new generation of audiences and country music fans,” she adds.

The North American Tour kicks off in July at Nashville’s Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Tickets go on sale December 6. To register for presale access and additional updates and information, visit CirqueCountry.com.

Auditions for singers and musicians will take place from December 4 to December 7. For more information, visit casting.cirquedusoleil.com.

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Lainey Wilson is grateful to be the biggest winner at the 57th CMA Awards.

The “Heart Like a Truck” hitmaker walked home with five awards, including the coveted Entertainer of the Year, her first win in that category.

“The ride just keeps getting wilder,” Lainey captions an Instagram carousel shared after her celebratory night. “Country music has wrapped its arms around me in ways I could’ve never imagined. This is the dream y’all.”

“It all feels so divinely lead,” she adds. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you, thank you.”

During the awards show, Lainey performed her brand new single, “Wildflowers and Wild Horses.”

“This one is a nod to my family, it’s a nod to the folks who raised me and the place who raised me,” Lainey told ABC Audio of the song’s inspiration. “It’s one of those songs that talks about the kind of people that I come from, and they are tough, hardworking and give you the shirt off your back kind of people.”

“Wildflowers and Wild Horses” arrives at country radio November 13. The track is the third single off Lainey’s CMA Album of the Year-winning record, Bell Bottom Country.

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Lady Gaga is proving her theater kid energy for good.

The superstar attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2003, where she was a classmate of The Bachelor contestant Carly Waddell.

On the most recent episode of the Trading Secrets with Jason Tartick podcast, Carly spoke about her time in college – specifically, what it was like to learn alongside Lady Gaga, known then as Stefani Germanotta.

“I was not a fan,” Carly said.

It seems Lady Gaga’s lunchtime activities were less than “Popular” with the Bachelor Nation star.

“During lunch, she would play on the piano,” Carly said. “She would sit at the piano every single day and just play and sing [songs from] Wicked at the top of her lungs every day. And we were all just trying to eat lunch.”

Carly went on to say that while she thought the singing sounded great, she just wanted to enjoy her lunch break.

“We were all forced to listen to her,” Carly said. “I just wanted to eat my sandwich. So, I used to just eat in the hallway, because she was driving me crazy.”

News of this story reached Kristin Chenoweth, who originated Wicked‘s Glinda on Broadway. She responded on X, formerly known as Twitter, letting Lady Gaga know she’s ready to duet.

“I’m ready to sing FOR GOOD with our girl Gaga,” Kristin wrote.

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K. Michelle is relishing the moment that was her country music debut at the 57th annual Country Music Awards, which aired live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday.

The Tennessee native, who’s long recorded as an R&B singer, closed the show by performing “Love Can Build a Bridge” by The Judds alongside country star Jelly Roll.

“I’m Soooooo blessed and happy,” she wrote on her Instagram Story, adding that a post-show moment called for some White Castle and a party. 

While her attendance at the awards show marked her first CMAs performance, her break into the country world is a long time coming. 

As part of the release of her final R&B album in September, the singer, who goes by the country music alter ego Puddin, previewed “Tennessee,” the album’s bonus country track. 

“Being a true Southern Lady and coming back home to my roots is a truly unexplainable feeling,” she wrote of the official music video. 

In a special Instagram tribute message shared in October, K. Michelle opened opened up about being inspired by The Judds. 

“We must give flowers to the people who have impacted us,” she wrote. “All of you that know me know from the very beginning how important The Judds are to me, they shaped my entire musical being.”

Adding that all she “ever wanted to do was be a country singer,” K. Michelle said she now gets to thank the icons through her country music. 

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Rage Against the Machine‘s Tom Morello will be among the celebrity participants for the 2023 Bowl for Ronnie tournament.

The annual bowling event, held in honor of the late metal icon Ronnie James Dio, will take place this year on November 16 at PINZ Bowling center in Studio City, California.

Morello will be part of a team including Anthrax‘s Frank Bello, Sebastian Bach guitarist Brent Woods and radio personality Eddie Trunk, as well as the winner of an eBay bid that reached over $7,500.

Other rockers taking part include Lita Ford, ex-Guns N’ Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke, Eagles of Death Metal‘s Jesse Hughes, Ozzy Osbourne bassist Rob “Blasko” Nicholson and ex-Fuel singer Brett Scallions. 

Bowl for Ronnie benefits the Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund, which raises money for cancer prevention and research in honor of Dio, who died of stomach cancer in 2010 at age 67.

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The judge presiding over the trial of rapper Young Thug, who is facing gang-related charges in Atlanta, Georgia, ruled Thursday that rap lyrics can be admitted by prosecutors as evidence in the case on a conditional basis.

Judge Ural Glanville ruled that 17 sets of lyrics mentioned in the indictment – lines that are performed by Young Thug and other co-defendants – can be preliminarily admitted in the trial, denying a motion filed by Young Thug’s attorney last December arguing against the use of lyrics in the sweeping RICO indictment.

“I’m conditionally admitting those pending lyrics, depending upon – or subject to a foundation that is properly laid by the state or the proponent that seeks to admit that evidence,” Glanville said.

Glanville added that if prosecutors intend to include additional lyrics as part of the alleged evidence in this case, they can be submitted for the judge’s review before the trial begins later this month.

The judge’s decision comes one day after attorneys for Young Thug and two other co-defendants argued that the use of lyrics as alleged evidence, in this case, violates the artist’s freedom of speech and effectively denies rap music the status of art.

“[Prosecutors] are targeting the right to free speech,” Young Thug’s attorney Brian Steel said during arguments on Wednesday. But prosecutors argued that the lyrics are relevant to the alleged crimes laid out in the indictment.

Young Thug was among 28 individuals named in the indictment who are allegedly associated with the Atlanta-based Young Slime Life, a gang that prosecutors allege Young Thug founded in 2012.

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Kenny Chesney is ushering in a new music chapter with his upcoming single, “Take Her Home.”

Slated to drop November 10, Kenny says the track captures “everything life is made of in less than four minutes.”

“Every now and then, you find a song that just feels right. There’s an honesty about life that you can’t just churn out. Finding songs that ring true? When you hear one, you grab it – and that’s a lot of how this song happened,” shares Kenny.

“We were trying to decide what to lead with, and someone sent me this demo… and I knew. No more discussion. We had the song – and a great time turning it into a record real life? There’s nothing like it,” he continues.

“It’s amazing how simple figuring life out can be. I look around, and I see people in every state of this song every day,” Kenny adds. “I can’t wait to hear people singing this one back to us, because it’s going to be one of those moments. I just know.”

Most recently, Kenny and Mac McAnally performed “A Pirate Looks at Forty” as a tribute to Jimmy Buffett at the 57th CMA Awards.

Kenny’s latest album is 2020’s Here And Now.

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The new trailer for Inside Out 2 is going off the rails with some help from Ozzy Osbourne.

The sequel to the 2015 animated Disney/Pixar film reintroduces us to the mind and emotions of Riley, led by Amy Poehler‘s Joy. However, as Riley enters her teen years, a demolition crew storms Riley’s internal “control room” as Ozzy’s solo classic “Crazy Train” blares in the background.

When the chaos is over, we meet a new emotion: Anxiety, voiced by Stranger Things star Maya Hawke.

Inside Out 2 opens in June.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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