Carly Pearce’s life these days looks a whole lot different than it did when she was writing songs for her last album, 29: Written in Stone.

And that’s a good thing: Much of that project was inspired by her highly public divorce from fellow artist Michael Ray, and the grief she experienced after the unexpected death of her longtime producer, Busbee.

Now, a few years later, Carly’s in a happier place. She’s got a new man in her life, and her career has skyrocketed to the tune of accolades, number-one hits, hosting gigs and even an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry.

As she looks ahead to her next musical chapter, Carly says that there’s one big thing that hasn’t changed.

“I think what fans have shown me is they want to see how I see the world,” she explains in an interview with her record label. Though life may be “much fuller and richer now,” it’s still not without its challenges.

“You don’t just wake up one day and say, ‘Everything’s great, and yay!’” Carly goes on to say. “So I think this one is more…navigating, to me, the best season of my life, honoring what I have been through, honoring that some of those things will live on with me as I carry through my life. And celebrating that I made it through in such a wonderful way.”

Carly recently shared some in-the-studio snapshots with fans on social media, revealing that she’s started cutting her new album.

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AWOLNATION is setting “Sail” into 2023 with plans for new music.

In a tweet Monday, the Aaron Bruno-led outfit revealed, “New record coming next year.”

Alongside the news, Bruno reflected on AWOLNATION’s fall tour, which concluded last Friday.

“Without a doubt, this tour had the loudest singalongs I’ve ever heard!” Bruno wrote. “You are beautiful, inspiring, and unforgettable.”

AWOLNATION has premiered two new songs over the past few months: “Freaking Me Out” and “We Are All Insane.” Those followed Bruno and company’s guest-filled covers album My Echo, My Shadow, My Covers and Me, which dropped in May.

The most recent original AWOLNATION record is 2020’s Angel Miners & the Lightning Riders.

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Van Morrison is ready to bring some Christmas cheer to his home city. The singer is set for two very special performances in Belfast, Ireland.

The intimate “jazz club” shows, dubbed Life Ain’t No Dress Rehearsal, are set for December 4 and 5 at Belfast’s Europa Hotel. Morrison is set to perform his many hits as well as tunes from his most recent albums. 

The shows are the last two Morrison has booked for 2022. He does have 2023 dates set to kick off March 13, in support of his upcoming album Moving on Skiffle, which drops March 10 in Milton Keyes, England.

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Thomas Rhett’s career is coming full circle.

2022 marks a decade since the release of his debut single, “Something to Do With My Hands,” and just before the end of the year, he notched another big accomplishment: his 20th number-one country single as an artist, “Half of Me,” a duet with Riley Green.

“It’s pretty quick, you know?” TR marvels in an interview with his record label. “I’m 32 years old. I feel so blessed to just have accomplished what we’ve gotten to do in the last 10 years, which is absolutely insane.”

The song is special, too. Not only is it a collaboration with his buddy Riley, but he also co-wrote it with his songwriter dad Rhett Akins, who’s been writing songs with Thomas since the very beginning.

“It is nuts,” the singer continues. “This is one of the simplest songs about beer that I think has ever existed.”

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Sam Smith shared more why they chose to call their new studio album Gloria.

Speaking to Michelle Visage’s Rule Breakers on Tuesday, Sam opened up about how the concept of self-love and acceptance was somewhat foreign to them as a child.

Sam explained they came out as gay when they were 10 and spoke about feeling alone, despite living in an accepting community, because they didn’t know anyone else who was out. It wasn’t until Sam turned 19 and moved to London that they made friends in the LGBTQ+ space and started to explore who they were.

“I’ve always been non binary. I’ve always been queer. And I always felt that way,” Sam explained, but they didn’t know how to identify as such until they “found the words” much later in life. “It was magical. Very, very stressful and scary, but the minute I found those words and found this community, [I found] my inner peace.”

Inner peace, to Sam, is learning to accept who you are completely.

“With queeness, all you got to do is wake up every day and try to be kind to yourself. I feel like self love is such a scary word for me now and I feel like self acceptance is actually a little more where I come from,” Sam continued.

“There’s a fighter, a voice in all of us and you just gotta look after that. And my album Gloria — I’ve called it Gloria because I’ve called that voice in my body Gloria,” they revealed. “It’s like a voice in my head that just says, ‘You can do it.’ And kids have just got to access that voice and they’ve got to feed it.”

Gloria, their fourth studio album, arrives January 23.

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Diddy and his son King Combs are both dominating the R&B airplay charts.

Diddy topped Mediabase’s R&B Airplay chart with his Bryson Tiller collab, “Gotta Move On,” while King Combs – born Christian Combs – took the top spot on the Mainstream R&B Airplay chart with “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop” featuring Kodak Black.

“Seeing me and my son Christian climb the charts together is a dream come true and I’m so proud of all the hard work to reach No. 1, but this win is much bigger than music,” Diddy says in a statement. “This milestone is about carrying on the legacy of our family and showing the world that 30 years from now, we’ll still be on top.”
 
“Locking in my first #1 record is crazy. A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into getting this record to where it is, we’re finally here and we can’t stop now!” King Combs adds.
 
“Gotta Move On” also tops Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart this week, marking Diddy’s first number one on that tally.

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Eminem in a rap battle with…Spider-Man?

The rapper is featured on a new limited-edition variant comic book cover to celebrate the previous release of Marvel’s The Amazing Spider-Man #1, which hit stores back in April.

On the cover, a comic book version of Eminem is depicted on stage, mic in hand, engaged in a rap battle with Spidey himself.

“I’ve always been a huge Spider-Man fan since I was a kid – he’s definitely in my top 5…. so being on a cover battling Spider-Man is such a thrill and an honor,” Eminem says in a statement.

The issue is available for purchase now on Eminem.com, and additional copies will be for sale on TheHaul.com November 29.

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How Stella Got His Groove Back star Taye Diggs is back, taking turn as a reality dating show host and executive producer in the trailer to the forthcoming Hulu series Back in the Groove.

The producers tease: “Three single women in their 40s, all stuck in the grind of their everyday lives, will check out of their comfort zones and check into The Groove Hotel, a magical resort on the beautiful island of the Dominican Republic – where the goal is to rediscover their youth, live joyously, and hopefully find love with men half their age.”

To that end, the trio of lucky women — Sparkle, 43; Brooke, 42; and Steph, 41 — meet two dozen hot young guys who are all ready to test the ladies’ limits as they look for love.

Hulu teases the women will “take charge and break through the double standards older women face every day. And they’re going to have a lot of fun doing it!”

Back in the Groove debuts on the streaming service with two episodes on Monday, December 5.

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