Music

Kix Brooks‘ passion for wine started in an unlikely way — trying to impress girls. 

The Brooks & Dunn member developed a love for wine while attending Louisiana Tech University as a way to impress the women he was courting. But the hobby soon developed into a true passion that led Kix to owning and operating his own vineyard in Tennessee. 

“I’ve always liked wine. I was like every other Romeo in college, it seemed like a great way to act sophisticated when you had a date who seemed a little out of your league,” he told Wine Spectator. Though his initial knowledge on wine was limited, Kix said that it slowly grew over time to the point where he was paying close attention to the wine he was drinking. 

“I didn’t really know much other than I liked it and that [wine brand] Mateus made a good candleholder. Before I knew it, I was really paying attention to taste and to labels and, of course, to price tags,” he said. 

Kix is now the proud owner of Arrington Vineyards in Arrington, Tennessee, just outside of Nashville. In 2004, the country legend purchased a cattle farm in the area and began converting it into a vineyard. It was opened to the public in 2007 and continues to host wine tastings, weddings, live music and more. 

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Luke Bryan is extending his stay in Las Vegas. 

The country superstar has added six new dates to his Vegas residency at the Resorts World Theatre and will close out the year with shows on November 30 and December 2, 3, 7, 9 and 10. 

The “One Margarita” hitmaker will also spend part of his summer at Resorts World, with previously scheduled shows on June 15, 17, 18, 22, 24 and 25 as well as three shows in August and September before hitting the road on his annual Farm Tour.

Among the hits Luke has performed since launching the residency in February are “That’s My Kinda Night,” “Crash My Party” and “Country Girl (Shake it For Me).” His elaborate set features an innovative stage that moves to the beat of his songs and a catwalk suspended above the ceiling.  

Tickets for the new shows go on sale to the public on June 20 at 1 p.m. ET. 

Carrie Underwood and Luke’s fellow American Idol judge Katy Perry also have residencies at the resort. 

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BTS‘ V is heading back to TV — to star in a spinoff of the popular South Korean reality series In The Soop. But, instead of starring alongside his famous bandmates, this series follows just him and four other celebrities.

NME reports that the four-part series, In The Soop: Friendship Trip, airs in July and sees V heading out on vacation with some of his best friends — actors Park Seo-joon, Choi Woo-shik and Park Hyung-sik as well as rapper Peakboy.  The group, which fans have dubbed the “Wooga Fam,” will embark on a four-day adventure.

In The Soop was created by BTS’ label Big Hit Entertainment, which follows the septet on vacation when they need to take a break from their busy schedules. Season one aired in 2020 and saw the “Butter” singers hanging out in a remote forest, while the second season, which aired in 2021, took them to a villa in the mountains.

For those who are curious about the show’s name, “soop” is the Korean word for “forest.” 

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Andy Grammer is known for his positive outlook on life, but the “Honey, I’m Good” singer admits the pandemic deeply affected his mental health.

Speaking to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Andy explained how difficult it was for him to stay positive over the past few years.  “I went down real hard and got into therapy, and that’s what brought me around,” he confessed.  “I wasn’t super positive. I broke down pretty hard.”

Andy’s mental health has improved since and now he’s using that past experience to “inform some of my art” and better connect with fans.  “I still come at it from a place where I think we’re here on Earth to grow,” he said of his songwriting process. “When terrible things happen, at the end of the day, no matter what, that’s a heavier weight in the gym that you’re supposed to lift. There’s always something that comes out of it.”

Speaking of how he creates his music, Andy says he starts with the lyrics first and builds his song around them.  “When lyrics are the main focus, I think it should work on a guitar. When the melody and the lyrics are good enough, then I’m really open to a lot of different ways to present it,” he detailed. “Until the lyrics and the melody are good, I don’t care about anything else.”

Andy has been open that he doesn’t care about making the next radio hit because his main objective is to make people feel something through his music.  He said that mentality developed when he was busking on the streets of Los Angeles, before he was discovered.

“It set the bar at the very beginning of my career really high. I bring that level of intensity into most things,” said Andy. 

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Halsey dropped by The Tonight Show on Monday, where the singer revealed that their son, Ender, who’ll turn a year old on July 14, is not a fan of their singing.

“He hates it…He’s my biggest critic,” the singer — who uses she/they pronouns — told host Jimmy Fallon.

“It’s funny, my mom can’t carry a tune in a bucket, it’s really bad,” they continued. “She sings, his eyes light up like she’s the stars and the moon, but when I sing, he’s not a fan. Not a fan”

Halsey also discussed their current tour, as well as their new single, “So Good,” written about their partner, filmmaker Alev Aydin, whom they met when he was hired to make a film about them in 2017.

“He kind of followed me around on tour and interviewed me,” Halsey recalled. “And after a couple of years of getting to know me, one day I kind of sat down and was like, ‘You know everything about me, I don’t know anything about you, I’m gonna start interviewing you back.’ And we found out that we had so much in common and after being friends for a long time, we fell in love.”

As for their Love and Power tour, Halsey declared, “Being back on the road and seeing people and the crowd coming alive…it’s incredible.”

The Love and Power Tour lands in Boise, Idaho on Wednesday.

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Fans spoke and Lizzo listened.

After receiving backlash over a lyric in her newly released song “Grrrls” being considered an “ableist slur,” Lizzo promptly updated the song and issued a statement.  

“It’s been brought to my attention that there is a harmful word in my new song “GRRRLS,” Lizzo wrote in a note shared to social media on Monday. “Let me make one thing clear: I never want to promote derogatory language. As a fat Black woman in America, I’ve had many hurtful words used against me, so I understand the power words can have (whether intentionally, or in my case, unintentionally).”

“I’m proud to say there’s a new version of “Grrrls” with a lyric change,” she continued. “This is the result of me listening and taking action. As an influential artist, I’m dedicated to being part of the change I’ve been waiting to see in the world. Xoxo, Lizzo.”

Lizzo released “Grrrls” on Friday, June 9 and in the song’s opening she raps, “Hold my bag, b****, hold my bag / Do you see this s***? I’m a spaz.”

Following the track’s release, users took to Twitter to call out her use of the term “spaz,” calling it an “ableist slur.” “Hey @lizzo my disability Cerebral Palsy is literally classified as Spastic Diplegia (where spasticity refers to unending painful tightness in my legs) your new song makes me pretty angry + sad,” one user expressed. “‘Spaz’ doesn’t mean freaked out or crazy. It’s an ableist slur. It’s 2022. Do better.”

The “Grrrls” lyrics have since been updated to read, “Hold my bag, b****, hold my bag / Do you see this s***?Hold me back.”

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Justin Bieber is leaning on his faith as he deals with his Ramsay Hunt syndrome diagnosis. 

Taking to Instagram Stories Monday night, Justin gave fans an update on how he’s been feeling since revealing on Friday that he’s been diagnosed with the rare neurological disorder.  

“Wanted to share a little bit of how I’ve been feelin,” he began. “Each day has gotten better and through all of the discomfort I have found comfort in the one who designed me and knows me.”

“I’m reminded he knows all of me. He know the darkest parts of me that I want no one to know about and he constantly welcomes me into his loving arms,” the “Honest” singer continued. “This perspective has given me peace during this horrific storm that I’m facing. I know this storm will pass but in the meantime JESUS IS WITH ME.”

The update comes after Justin shared his Ramsay Hunt diagnosis, which caused partial facial paralysis and resulted in the singer postponing his tour. 

Ramsay Hunt syndrome is a rare neurological complication caused by the varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox and shingles.

Dr. Leah Croll, MD, neurovascular fellow at NYU Langone Health, told ABC News, “Eventually, later on in life, the virus can reactivate and cause something like Ramsay Hunt syndrome. Certain situations that can be stressful…[and] other illnesses can trigger it. Sometimes, we don’t know why it happens.”

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It sounds like Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher‘s son Isaiah is quite the little helper at home! 

The country couple lives on a property in Franklin, Tennessee, just outside of Nashville, and their 7-year-old son has been getting his hands dirty on the farm.

“My son’s been doing chores around our farm trying to earn money,” she explains to Entertainment Tonight, adding that mom and dad do give him a stipend for his work, such as pulling weeds in Carrie’s garden. And like his mom, who’s donating $1 from every ticket sold for her upcoming Denim & Rhinestones Tour to Tunnels to Tower Foundation, Isaiah has a giving heart.

“He has quite the hefty savings, and he donates some,” Carrie shares of what her son does with his earnings.  

With Father’s Day just around the corner, the superstar singer is also encouraging her son to spend some of his cash on a gift for his dad. “You’re gonna buy your daddy a Father’s Day present, you earned that money,” Carrie laughs, adding, “He ain’t my daddy.”

Carrie and Mike are also parents to 3-year-old son Jacob.   

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