Music

Ashley McBryde is one of the most-nominated artists at the upcoming 55th Annual CMA Awards, competing for Female Vocalist of the Year, as well as Single and Song of the Year for her top-10 hit “One Night Standards.”

But the “Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega” hitmaker is not just sitting back waiting for her next trophy. She’s already hard at work on the follow-up to last year’s Never Will.

“We jumped back in the studio August 8th,” she recently told ABC Audio backstage at the Opry. “So this is our first time to make a record this way.”

“We usually get everything together,” she explains, “get our ducks in a row, go rehearse it, talk to [producer] Jay [Joyce] about it, select which ones we’re gonna keep, and go cut ’em. And we’re not able to do that right now ’cause we’re on the road.”

That means historic venues like the Grand Ole Opry are often testing grounds for the new tunes from Ashley and her band Deadhorse.

“We’re using soundchecks to kind of test and arrange a song, and then we may throw it in the set that night and see if it sinks or swims,” she says. “And that’s how we’re choosing what’s going on this record right now. So it’s a little bit nerve-racking, but the first three I’m very happy with.”

She adds, “We’re gonna do one of them tonight. We’re gonna do ‘Whiskey and Country Music’ tonight.”

This fall, you can listen for new music from Ashley as she’s on tour with longtime pal Luke Combs. Meanwhile, the Grand Ole Opry is counting down to its mammoth 5000th show on October 30.

 

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The 2021 MTV Video Music Awards celebrated another year in music during the pandemic era, with the celebration rolling out the red carpet and inviting the industry’s finest to Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Doja Cat hosted the main event and helped dole out statues to the night’s big winners, which included Lil Nas X, Olivia Rodrigo and Justin Bieber. 

Lil Nas X was the night’s biggest winner, taking home the most awards with four wins. The “Industry Baby” rapper collected the night’s top prize, Video of the Year, for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name).” He also won Best Direction, Best Visual Effects and Best Art Direction.

Rodrigo, who collected the second-most awards of the night, walked away with three Moonpersons: Song of the Year — for her emotional debut single “Drivers License” — as well as Best New Artist and Push Performance of the Year.

Bieber, who was this year’s leading nominee, returned to the VMA stage for the first time in six years, where he was crowned Artist of the Year and awarded Best Pop for his “Peaches” collaboration with Daniel Caesar and Giveon.

 

Here’s a list of this year’s winners:

Video of the Year
Lil Nas X “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”

Artist of the Year
Justin Bieber

Song of the Year
Olivia Rodrigo “Drivers License”

Best New Artist
Olivia Rodrigo

PUSH Performance of the Year
Olivia Rodrigo “Drivers License”

Best Collaboration
Doja Cat ft. SZA “Kiss Me More”

Best Pop
Justin Bieber ft. “Peaches”

Best Hip-Hop
Travis Scott ft. Young Thug & M.I.A.”FRANCHISE”

Best R&B
Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic “Leave the Door Open”

Best K-Pop
BTS “Butter”

Best Latin
Billie Eilish & ROSALÍA “Lo Vas A Olvidar”

Best Rock
John Mayer “Last Train Home”

Best Alternative
Machine Gun Kelly ft. blackbear “my ex’s best friend”

Best Group
BTS

Video For Good
Billie Eilish “Your Power”

Best Direction
Lil Nas X: “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”

Best Cinematography
Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, SAINt JHN, WizKid “Brown Skin Girl”

Best Art Direction
Lil Nas X “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”

Best Visual Effects
Lil Nas X “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”

Best Choreography
Harry Styles “Treat People With Kindness”

Best Editing
Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic “Leave the Door Open”

For the full list of winners and nominees, check out MTV.com.

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edding bells are ringing for Britney Spears, who announced Sunday that Sam Asghari, her boyfriend of nearly five years, proposed… of course she said yes!

The “Toxic” singer shared a video Sunday of her waving around her massive diamond sparkler, captioning it, “I can’t f****** believe it!!!!!!”  She also spammed six diamond ring emojis and a heart exclamation point emoji in the description. 

The video, which shows Spears rocking some new cherry-red highlights, also includes an adorable exchange between the lovers when Asghari asks his future bride, “Do you like it?”

Spears, 39, gushes back through a wide grin, “Yes” and enthusiastically clasps her hands together.

Asghari, 27, also celebrated his engagement on Sunday and shared a cheeky photo of Britney’s gorgeous ring blocking the view of their kiss.

In a statement to ABC News, Asghari’s talent agent, Brandon Cohen of BACtalent, reacted to the fitness instructor’s upcoming nuptials, saying he is “proud to celebrate and confirm the engagement.”

“The couple made their long-standing relationship official today and are deeply touched by the support, dedication and love expressed to them,” added Cohen. 

The agent added that Britney’s four-carat sparkler was made by master jeweler Roman Malayev, founder of Forever Diamonds NY.

In a statement to ABC News, Malayev said, “We couldn’t feel more honored to create this ring for such a special couple. Their journey together has touched people around the world and we’re so excited to be a part of their forever.”

Malayev said Britney’s ring is engraved with the word “lioness,” which is a nickname Asghari affectionately calls Spears.  The jeweler has since named the ring’s setting, “The Britney” to honor the couple’s story.

Spears and Asghari first met when filming her 2016 music video “Slumber Party.”

 

 

 

 

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Musicians and singers including ex-Yes frontman Jon Anderson, Michael McDonald of The Doobie Brothers  and former Allman Brothers Band guitarist Warren Haynes, are featured on Jake & Friends, new collaborative album by Hawaiian ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro that’s due out on November 12.

Other artists who contributed to the 16-track collection include Moon Taxi, Jack Johnson, Kenny Loggins, Jimmy Buffett, Jesse Colin Young, Ziggy Marley, Willie Nelson, Bette Midler and Vince Gill.

“I have to pinch myself when I see those names on my own album,” Jake says of the duets project. “It’s like, ‘Did that really happen?’ Making the album was a real challenge, but I’m deeply honored that all of the artists agreed to record with me.”

Anderson appears on a version of The Beatles‘ “A Day in the Life,” McDonald contributes to a rendition of the early Moody Blues hit “Go Now,” and Haynes lends his talents to “On the Road to Freedom,” a song by late Ten Years After frontman Alvin Lee.

Young, meanwhile, is featured on a new version of the folk-rock classic “Get Together,” popularized by his old band The Youngbloods.

Jake & Friends also includes two other Beatles covers — “All You Need Is Love” sung by Marley, and “Something,” a duet featuring Gill and his wife, Amy Grant.

Two songs have been released as advance singles from the album: a new version of Moon Taxi’s 2017 hit “Two High,” and an updated rendition of one of Willie Nelson’s signature tunes, the 1920s standard “Stardust,” featuring the country legend.

Jake & Friends can be pre-ordered now. Here’s the album’s full track list:

“A Place in the Sun” — featuring Jack Johnson and Paula Fuga
“Sonny Days Ahead” — featuring Sonny Landreth
“All You Need Is Love” — featuring Ziggy Marley
“Why Not” — featuring Kenny Loggins
“Smokin’ Strings” — featuring Billy Strings
“Find Yourself” — featuring Lukas Nelson
“On the Road to Freedom” — featuring Warren Haynes
“Come Monday” — featuring Jimmy Buffett
“Something” — featuring Vince Gill and Amy Grant
“Two High” — featuring Moon Taxi
“A Day in the Life” — featuring Jon Anderson
“Go Now” — featuring Michael McDonald
“Wrapping Paper” — featuring Ray Benson & Asleep at the Wheel
“Stardust” — featuring Willie Nelson
“The Rose” — featuring Bette Midler
“Get Together” — featuring Jesse Colin Young

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Iggy Pop has released a cover of The Velvet Underground‘s “European Son.”

The track was recorded in collaboration with guitarist Matt Sweeney — formerly of the Billy Corgan-led band Zwan — for an upcoming compilation paying tribute to The Velvets’ 1967 debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico. You can listen to it now via digital outlets.

Other artists featured on the tribute, titled I’ll Be Your Mirror, include Michael Stipe of R.E.M., St. Vincent, The National‘s Matt Berninger, Kurt Vile, and Courtney Barnett. The album will be released September 24.

Meanwhile, you can also hear Iggy on a new version of  “I Wanna Be Your Slave,” the viral rock track from Italian band Måneskin.

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Alicia Keys released a seductive new collabo with Swae Lee from Rae Sremmurd, titled “LALA,” on Friday.

“This song is the beginning of a world you’ll never want to leave,” the 15-time Grammy winner commented on Instagram.

Alicia and Swae sing in unison, “I’m ready when you’re ready/Someone watchin’ would be so jealous/I try not to think but you made me/All in my satin sheets, you’re layin’.”

Keys will appear Sunday on the MTV VMAs, and promises “a showstopping performance.” 

Following a series of recent freestyles, DaBaby dropped his new single, “Lonely,” featuring Lil Wayne. He calls Weezy the greatest rapper of all time, and he posted an Instagram video of Wayne recording his verse.

On the track, DaBaby reacts to the backlash from his recent homophobic comments that led to him being banned from several events. “People try to, you know, assassinate your character, man, assassinate who you are, man, and everything you put that hard work in for,” he raps. “Sometimes you gotta demonstrate, you know, that’s how I came in. I don’t mind demonstrating. I don’t mind exercising, you dig what I’m saying?”

Chloe Bailey from Chloe x Halle makes her solo debut with “Have Mercy.” 

“It feels like a dream. Love you guys, can’t wait to perform it at the VMA,” 23-year old singer posted on Instagram.

Chloe will perform the song live for the first time Sunday on the MTV Video Music Awards. She’s signed to Beyoncé‘s Parkwood Entertainment, and she recruited Queen Bey’s mom, Tina Lawson, for a cameo in the ultra sexy video.

Finally, Ari Lennox dropped her new single, “Pressure,” produced by Jermaine Dupri, with a video she says was “inspired by Diana Ross, Donna Summer, and every fine a** woman in the 2000s.”

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The restraining order filed against Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme on behalf of his two sons has been denied, TMZ reports.

According to the site, Homme’s ex-wife, Brody Dalle of The Distillers, brought the request to judges in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, California, and was denied in both cases.

As originally reported by TMZ, and confirmed by Rolling Stone, Homme and Dalle’s sons Orrin, 10, and Wolf, 5, alleged that their father physically and verbally abused them. They claimed that Homme hit and threw things at them, grabbed them inappropriately, and threatened in front of them to kill Dalle’s boyfriend. The kids also allege that Homme drove them while drinking alcohol. 

The restraining order request, which was submitted by Dalle, asked that a judge require Homme to stay 100 yards away from Orrin and Wolf.

In a statement to Rolling Stone, Homme’s lawyer called the allegations “categorically false,” adding “In order to protect the children, we will not be making any further statements.”

Rolling Stone notes that the possibility of restraining orders could be discussed at an upcoming court date, taking place September 13.

Both Homme and Dalle have issued restraining orders against each other since divorcing in 2019. Orrin and Wolf also have an older sister, Camille.

For anyone affected by abuse and needing support, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or if you’re unable to speak safely, you can log onto thehotline.org or text LOVEIS to 1-866-331-9474. 

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Dan + Shay are back, and better than ever. The duo, made up of Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney, celebrated the return of their highly-anticipated The (Arena) Tour with a sold-out show at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena, in Greenville, SC.

“Just wanna say thank y’all for the love tonight,” Dan + Shay said after the show. “We needed it more than you know.”

Dan + Shay were one of the first acts last year to announce they were canceling their tour, as cases of COVID-19 began to rise, vowing even then to make their shows better than ever in 2021.

“This tour is so important to us,” Dan said on Twitter at the time. “We’ve worked our entire lives to get to this position … We promise when we come back in 2021, the shows will be even bigger and even better than they were before.”

It’s a big week for Dan + Shay. In addition to resuming life on the road, they also received a CMA Award nomination for Vocal Duo of the Year, a category they share with Brothers Osborne, Florida Georgia Line, Brooks & Dunn and Maddie & Tae.

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