2019 ACM Awards: Luke Bryan, Old Dominion, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban added to performer lineup; presenters announced

April 2, 2019

ACM Awards

The following is a press release from the Academy of Country Music:

The Academy of Country Music has announced that Luke Bryan, Old Dominion, Blake Shelton and Keith Urban have been added to the exciting lineup of live performances for the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards and will be joined by a star-studded list of presenters including Lauren Alaina, Beth Behrs, Clint Black, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Jessie James Decker, Hunter Hayes, Jay Hernandez, Lady Antebellum, Midland, Nancy O’Dell, Danica Patrick, Carly Pearce, Dennis Quaid, Michael Ray, Cole Swindell, and Wilmer Valderrama. The awards telecast, hosted by Reba McEntire, will air LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 7, 2019 at 8:00 PM ET / delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

As previously announced, Country Music’s Party of the Year® will also feature performances by Jason Aldean (ACM Dick Clark Artist of the Decade Award honoree), Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Brothers Osborne, Kane Brown, Brandi Carlile, Eric Church, Kelly Clarkson, Luke Combs (ACM New Male Artist of the Year), Dan + Shay, Florida Georgia Line, Khalid, Miranda Lambert, LANCO (ACM New Group of the Year), Little Big Town, Ashley McBryde (ACM New Female Artist of the Year), Reba McEntire, Maren Morris, Thomas Rhett, Chris Stapleton, George Strait and Carrie Underwood.

Tickets for the ceremony are available for purchase now at www.axs.com. For more information on the ACM Awards and all ACM events including ACM Party for a Cause®, visit ACMcountry.com. You can also like Academy of Country Music on Facebook or follow on Twitter and Instagram for more immediate updates.

2019 iHeartCountry Festival: Tim McGraw, Florida Georgia Line, Dan + Shay among performers

January 29, 2019

The following is a press release from iHeartMedia:

iHeartMedia, the leading audio company in America which also has a greater reach in the U.S. than any other media outlet, announced today the return of the iHeartCountry Festival on Saturday, May 4, 2019. For the sixth straight year, Country music’s biggest superstars will perform at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas in a live celebration of all things Country.

The 2019 iHeartCountry Festival lineup will feature Country music’s hottest artists including Tim McGraw, Florida Georgia Line, Dan + Shay, Luke Combs, Little Big Town, Lauren Alaina, Old Dominion, Chris Janson, Bobby Bones & The Raging Idiots and Tenille Townes. The festival will also feature a special live performance music collaboration featuring today’s emerging Women of iHeartCountry. In addition, one of iHeartMedia’s nationally-syndicated top on air personalities, Bobby Bones, will return as the official host of the iHeartCountry Festival main stage.

“I look forward to the iHeartCountry Festival every year,” said Bobby Bones, Vice President, Creative Director of iHeartCountry and Executive Producer and Host of iHeartMedia’s The Bobby Bones Show. “It’s always special to have so much of the Country music community together in one place, including some really talented new artists we have been supporting on Women of iHeartCountry.”

iHeartCountry has more than 150 Country stations across the U.S. reaching more than 110 million Country music listeners per month on broadcast alone, making it the largest Country broadcast radio group in America. The iHeartCountry Festival is part of iHeartMedia’s roster of nationally-recognized events including the iHeartRadio Music Festival, the iHeartRadio Music Awards, the nationwide iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Concert Tour Presented by Capital One®, iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina, iHeartRadio ALTer Ego, iHeartRadio Wango Tango and the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards.

The iHeartCountry Festival is an iHeartMedia Production. Proud partners of this year’s event include Delta Dental and Tito’s Handmade Vodka, with more to be announced. For more information visit iHeartRadio.com/countryfestival.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, February 8 at 12:00pm CT via TexasBoxOffice.com. iHeartMedia’s Country music radio stations will broadcast the event live in their local markets and at iHeartRadio.com.

About the Frank Erwin Center:

Located in the heart of downtown Austin, the Frank Erwin Center has served Central Texans with the best in live entertainment, including concerts, theatrical performances, family shows and sporting events since 1977. The multi-purpose facility, which celebrated its 40th Anniversary in November 2017, is owned and operated by The University of Texas at Austin and serves as thehome court for the Texas Longhorns Men’s and Women’s basketball teams.

 

About iHeartMedia

iHeartMedia is the number one audio company in the United States, reaching nine out of 10 Americans every month – and with its quarter of a billion monthly listeners, has a greater reach than any other media company in the U.S. The company’s leadership position in audio extends across multiple platforms including 850 live broadcast stations; streaming music, radio and on demand via its iHeartRadio digital service available across more than 250 platforms and 2,000 devices including smart speakers, digital auto dashes, tablets, wearables, smartphones, virtual assistants, TVs and gaming consoles; through its influencers; social; branded iconic live music events; and podcasts as the #1 commercial podcast publisher globally. iHeartMedia also leads the audio industry in analytics and attribution technology for its marketing partners, using data from its massive consumer base. iHeartMedia is a division of iHeartMedia, Inc. (PINK: IHRTQ). Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.

New Year’s Eve specials ringing in 2019 will feature Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, Sting and more

December 27, 2018

by Carla Hay

Watching a New Year’s Eve special on TV is a tradition for millions of people around the world. After taking a break from a New Year’s Eve Special in 2017, NBC is back with its star-studded party in New York City’s Times Square. Here’s what is planned for the four biggest New Year’s TV specials in the United States:

Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2019 

Ryan Seacrest and Jenny McCarthy (Photo by Lorenzo Bevilaqua/ABC)

Celebrating its 47th year, “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” (which is produced by Dick Clark Productions and airs in the U.S. on ABC) is still the most high-profile televised New Year’s Eve event. Mariah Carey headlined the show from New York City’s Times Square in 2018 and 2017. In 2018, another Grammy-winning diva—Christina Aguilera—is taking the headlining spot. Ryan Seacrest will once again host the show, which begins airing from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET, followed by 11:30 p.m. to 2:13 a.m. ET. Jenny McCarthy will provide on-site reporting. Other performers in Times Square include Bastille, Dan + Shay and New Kids on the Block. Airing just after midnight Eastern Time, Post Malone will perform from a stop on his current tour in Brooklyn, New York, marking the first television performance of the new year. Meanwhile, the special has partnered with YouTube Music for the first time this year for cross-promotional programming.

Ciara will once again host the Los Angeles segments of the show that will feature performances that were mostly previously recorded. Artists in the show’s Los Angeles segments will include Lauren Alaina, Kelsea Ballerini, Bazzi, Kane Brown, Camila Cabello, The Chainsmokers, Ciara, Foster the People, Halsey, Dua Lipa, Ella Mai, Shawn Mendes, Charlie Puth and Weezer, as well as collaborations from Brown featuring Alaina; Macklemore with Skylar Grey; and The Chainsmokers featuring Ballerini.

Meanwhile, actress Lucy Hale (former star of “Pretty Little Liars”) will host the show’s second annual Central Time Zone celebration from New Orleans. Florida Georgia Line and Maren Morris will perform from the Allstate Fan Fest, leading up to the midnight countdown and fleur-de-lis drop near Jackson Square.  “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2019” is produced by Dick Clark Productions with Seacrest, Barry Adelman and Mark Bracco serving as executive producers. Larry Klein is producer.

Fox’s New Year’s Eve With Steve Harvey: Live From Times Square

Steve Harvey (Photo by Brian Bowen Smith/Fox)

After televising its New Year’s Eve show (hosted by Pitbull) in Miami from 2014 to 2016, Fox changed locations and hosts in 2017, with the show now taking place at New York City’s Times Square with comedian/talk-show host Steve Harvey and former E! News personality Maria Menounous. This year, Harvey and Menounous return to co-host the show, which airs on Fox from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET and 11 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. ET live; CT/MT/PT tape-delayed. Performers will include Sting, Snoop Dogg, Robin Thicke, Florence + the Machine, Jason Aldean, Juanes and Why Don’t We. Additionally, the special will include celebrity cameo appearances by comedians Ken Jeong and Kenan Thompson, as well as “Fox NFL Sunday” commentators Curt Menefee, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Michael Strahan and Jimmy Johnson. “Fox’s New Year’s Eve With Steve Harvey: Live From Times Square” is produced by IMG Original Content and Done + Dusted. Guy Carrington, Katy Mullan, Mike Antinoro, Dave Chamberlin and Orly Anderson serve as executive producers; and Eddie Delbridge serves as co-executive producer. IMG also produces Harvey’s self-titled talk show, as well as the Miss Universe Pageant and “It’s Showtime at the Apollo,” which have been hosted by Harvey over the past several years.

[December 30, 2018 UPDATE: Dierks Bentley has been added to the lineup performing in Times Square.]

NBC’s New Year’s Eve

Carson Daly, Chrissy Teigen, Leslie Jones, Keith Urban
(Photo courtesy of NBCUniversal)

Stars from NBC’s “The Voice” are all over “NBC’s New Year’s Eve” special, which begins airing at 10 p.m. ET from New York City’s Times Square. Not only is “The Voice” host Carson Daly hosting the New Year’s Eve show (with Chrissy Teigen and assistance from Leslie Jones), but “The Voice” coaches Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton and John Legend are also performing on the special. Other performers include Jennifer Lopez, Bebe Rexha, Diana Ross and Andy Grammer.  Keith Urban and  Brett Young will perform at Jack Daniel’s Music City Midnight: New Year’s Eve in Nashville. “NBC Nightly News” and “Dateline NBC” anchor Lester Holt will also appear on stage before the iconic ball drop. “NBC’s New Year’s Eve” will be televised from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET, followed by the New Year’s countdown segment 11:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. ET. “NBC’s New Year’s Eve” is executive produced by Daly, Teigen and John Irwin through NBCUniversal Television Studio and Irwin Entertainment. It is co-executive produced by Casey Spira.

New Year’s Eve Live With Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen

Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper (Photo courtesy of CNN)

For the second year in a row, longtime friends Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen will co-host CNN’s New Year’s Eve celebration, which begins at 8 p.m. ET. CNN’s 11th annual New Year’s Eve Show, which is telecast live from New York City’s Times Square has a more star-studded lineup this year than in previous years. Gwen Stefani is scheduled to perform from her Las Vegas residency, while Keith Urban (who also appears on NBC’s New Year’s Eve Special), Dave Chappelle, Patti LaBelle and Jack Black also round out the show’s celebrity lineup.  New Year’s Eve Live With Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen will also spotlight Broadway musicals such as “The Band’s Visit,” “Wicked,” “Tootsie” and “Come From Away.” CNN’s New Year’s Eve Show begins at 8 p.m. ET, and will end at approximately 1:05 p.m. ET. CNN anchors Don Lemon and Brooke Baldwin will host a countdown from New Orleans at 12:30 a.m. ET. In 2017, Cohen replaced Kathy Griffin, who was notoriously fired from the show in May of that year for publicly posting a photo of herself holding up a fake bloody head of President Donald Trump. Griffin and Cooper had co-hosted CNN’s New Year’s Eve Show since 2007, but the Cooper/Cohen duo brought in the show’s highest ratings so far. Cooper and Cohen have an established rapport, since they have done numerous speaking engagements together.

Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve: Camila Cabello, Weezer, Shawn Mendes, Kane Brown, Halsey, Ciara, Lauren Alaina, Bazzi added to Los Angeles lineup to ring in 2019

December 10, 2018

The following is a press release from Dick Clark Productions and ABC:

Dick Clark Productions and ABC today announced performances from chart-topping artists Lauren Alaina, Bazzi, Kane Brown, Camila Cabello, Ciara, Halsey, Shawn Mendes, Weezer and a collaboration from Kane Brown featuring Lauren Alaina have been added to the lineup for the West Coast celebration of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2019.” These artists join previously announced West Coast host, multi-platinum music superstar Ciara, and performers Kelsea Ballerini, The Chainsmokers, Foster the People, Dua Lipa, Ella Mai and Charlie Puth, as well as a performance by Macklemore with Skylar Grey presented by Planet Fitness and a special collaboration from The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini. Airing just after midnight, Post Malone will perform from a stop on his current tour in Brooklyn, NY, marking the first television performance of the New Year. America’s biggest celebration of the year will take place on MONDAY, DECEMBER 31 beginning at 8:00 p.m. EST on the ABC Television Network.

Ranked as the #1 music special of last year, “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2019” marks the 47th anniversary of America’s biggest celebration of the year and will include 5 ½ hours of special performances and reports on New Year’s celebrations from around the globe.  Ryan Seacrest will host the primetime festivities and lead the traditional countdown to midnight from Times Square in New York City, as he has for the last 13 years, with live onsite reporting from actress and comedian Jenny McCarthy. Award-winning actress Lucy Hale will return to host the 3rd annual Central Time Zone celebration from New Orleans, providing viewers with exclusive performances and celebrity and fan interviews leading up to the midnight countdown and stunning fleur-de-lis drop near Jackson Square at the dawn of the New Year.

“Our lineup in Hollywood this year is truly outstanding, featuring artists across multiple genres and some incredible crossover hits,” Said Mark Bracco, Executive Producer and Executive Vice President of Programming & Development, dick clark productions. “Music brings people together and we look forward to rockin’ in the New Year with some of the biggest hits of the year.”

Country star Lauren Alaina’s critically-acclaimed sophomore album, “Road Less Traveled,” landed on multiple “Best Of” lists including Billboard, Rolling Stone and Amazon, and it became the top-streamed female country album release of 2017. Praised as “full of life lessons and uplift” (People), the collection of 12 songs all written by the young star includes Lauren’s first No. 1 smash on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, “Road Less Traveled,” the Top 25 hit “Doin’ Fine,” and the deeply personal and inspiring, “Three.” The “sassy Southerner with killer pipes” (PARADE) has shared the stage with superstars including Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Martina McBride and Jason Aldean, and the Georgia native is currently on tour with Cole Swindell and Dustin Lynch. In addition to earning nominations for ACM Vocal Event of the Year, CMA New Artist of the Year, and Billboard Music’s Top Country Song awards, Lauren took home this year’s ACM New Female Vocalist of the Year Award and CMT Collaborative Video of the Year Award for “What Ifs,” the four-time platinum selling No. 1 hit with childhood friend, Kane Brown. Lauren is one of CMT’s Next Women of Country and she received her first CMT Music Award for Breakthrough Video of the Year with her No. 1 hit “Road Less Traveled.”  Following the release of Road Less Traveled, Lauren has received nominations for the ACM Awards, CMA Awards, CMT Music Awards, Teen Choice Awards, Radio Disney Awards and Billboard Music Awards.

Bazzi, one of the biggest breakout artists of 2018, catapulted into mega-status with his massive hit “Mine.” The track, now certified two-times platinum, climbed to #1 on Billboard‘s Pop Songs airplay chart and top 3 on the Rhythmic Songs airplay chart. Bazzi solidified his spot as Pop’s most promising newcomer with his follow-up hit “Beautiful,” which included a collaboration with multi-platinum global chart-topping singer/songwriter Camila Cabello. Both tracks are featured on Bazzi’s breakthrough debut album, “Cosmic,” which has been streamed more than a billion and a half times globally. Written predominantly by Bazzi and produced by Rice N’ Peas and Bazzi, “Cosmic” has received ecstatic critical applause, with Billboard praising its “slinky, R&B-infused pop” and Playboy hailing the collection as “genre-bending,” praising Bazzi’s “warts-and-all approach to songwriting.” “Bazzi’s ‘Cosmic’ seems primed to linger near the top of the albums chart for quite a while,” wrote Stereogum, while USA Today echoed, “Bazzi’s career is just getting started.” Bazzi recently performed during The 92nd Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, continuing his recent streak of high profile TV appearances including Jimmy Kimmel LIVE!, two performances on the “Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “Today,” “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and The 2018 MTV Video Music Awards – as a Best New Artist nominee. Bazzi has spent much of the past year on The Cosmic Tour, including a sold-out headline run, a special guest role on Camila Cabello’s sold out “Never Be The Same” North American tour, and support on the European leg of Justin Timberlake’s blockbuster “Man Of The Woods Tour.”

Released November 9, Breakthrough star Kane Brown’s second album, “Experiment,” debuted #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, marking only the third country album release to top the Billboard 200 all year and the first time in 24 years a solo country act debuted atop the all genre chart for the first time with a sophomore album. Brown has continued to make history since first releasing his #1 debuting, Platinum-selling self-titled debut album in December 2016. In addition to Platinum and Multi-Platinum RIAA certifications, more than two-billion career audio and video streams, and sold-out concerts, Brown recently won 3 AMA awards, marking the most award wins for any first-time country nominee in the award show’s history. Noted by The New York Times as “one of Nashville’s most promising young stars and also one of its most flexible,” the 25-year-old Georgia native “distinguished himself with an unorthodox path and unvarnished lyrics” (Billboard) and “ultimately bring(s) folks together.” Brown topped the Billboard Top Country Albums chart with his Platinum-certified “Kane Brown,” and again with his “Deluxe Edition” reissue of the albumwhich also sent the set into Top 5 on the all-genre Billboard 200. That same week (October 28, 2017), Brown made history by becoming the first artist to top all five of Billboard’s main country charts with his No. 1 Top Country Album; a No. 1 debut on Country Digital Song Sales with the Double-Platinum “Heaven,” and No. 1s on Country Airplay, Hot Country Songs, and Country Streaming Songs with the Triple-Platinum “What Ifs” featuring Lauren Alaina.  Kane Brown held 12 weeks on Billboards Top Country Albums Chart at No. 1, and his multi-week, 3X Platinum No. 1 song “Heaven” was recently featured by Variety Magazine as the only “pure country” hit to be honored as one of the most streamed songs of the year. Additionally, Brown’s 4X-Platinum No. 1 hit “What Ifs” recently became the third most-streamed country song of all time. For more information including touring information, visit KaneBrownMusic.com.

Multi Grammy nominated Cuban born singer/songwriter Camila Cabello (Epic Records/Syco) released her debut solo album, “Camila” in January 2018 to rave reviews. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart at the same time as her single “Havana” Reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making Camila the first soloist in nearly 15 years to reach the #1 spot on both the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 charts in the same week for the first time. The RIAA gold-certified album “Camila” launched its debut at #1 on over 100 iTunes charts around the world, breaking the record for most #1 positions for a debut album in iTunes history. At the end of 2018, Camila was nominated for two Grammy awards, “Best Pop Vocal Album” for her album”Camila” and “Best Pop Solo Performance” for “Havana” (Live). Earlier this year, she took home awards for Artist of the Year and Video of the Year for her hit “Havana” at the 2018 Video Music Awards. Beginning her official solo career after four years in Fifth Harmony, Cabello released her RIAA 7x platinum smash hit “Havana,” in August 2017 where it obtained the #1 spot on the pop radio chart, marking her second top 40 #1 as a solo artist. Furthermore, “Havana” hit #1 on iTunes overall top songs chart, #2 on the Spotify Global chart and hit #1 in 80 countries around the world. “Havana” is the first song by a female artist to reach No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary, Pop Songs and Rhythmic Songs charts in 22 years, has earned 101 billion on-demand U.S. streams, according to Neilsen Music, and attained the longest run at No. 1 on Pop Songs for any song by a female artist since 2013. Her double-platinum single “Never Be The Same,” was released in January 2018 and peaked in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Cabello had already earned a chart-topping smash with her recent double platinum-certified hit “Bad Things” with MGK. The track generated over 400 million on-demand streams. As a result of its success, she became the fifth female artist to hit #1 on the Pop songs chart with and without a group. In November 2018, Camila was named the new ambassador for Save the Children.

Ciara is a Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter, producer, model and actress. Over her thirteen-year career, she has sold over 23 million records and 16 million singles worldwide, including chart-topping hits “Goodies,” “Ride,” “Oh,” “1, 2 Step,” “Body Party,” and “I Bet.” Most recently, Ciara has been scorching this summer with her new song “Level Up” which has transformed into a defining moment for the culture with the subsequent movement it has incited. Beyond clocking over 100 million views on YouTube, the song spent several weeks at #1 on the iTunes Top R&B/Soul Songs Chart and top 10 on iTunes overall, and attracted Missy Elliott and Fatman Scoop for a high-profile remix which also shot up the iTunes charts. Its high-powered dance initially inspired fans to shoot their own videos with the hashtag #LevelUpChallenge—stirring up a viral buzz that has seen over 2 million posts across social media and launched the video to a #1 trending topic on YouTube. Known for her incredible visuals and stellar dance abilities, Ciara’s videos have been viewed over 1.4 billion times accurately earning her the moniker of “Queen of Dance.”  Ciara continues to captivate with her social media prowess reaching over 50 million fans across her platforms and channels. Ciara is not only known for her vocal talent and dance moves, but she is signed with IMG Models and Vogue previously named her the “new fashion icon.” Most recently, she became a Global Brand Ambassador for Revlon.  As longtime muse for several high-fashion designers, Ciara has not only been the face of various campaigns but she has graced the covers of numerous fashion and lifestyle magazines. Ciara is a devoted wife and mother of two as well as a philanthropist who is dedicated to improving the lives of children and empowering women across the globe.

Grammy® Award-nominated multi-platinum alternative pop maverick Halsey claimed the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 with her second release, “Hopless Fountain Kingdom,” an album Rolling Stone called “bold” in a 4-star review, claiming that “Halsey could go anywhere from here.” Indeed, since storming on the music scene in 2015, she has garnered over 7 billion streams globally and nearly 6 million global sales, graced the covers of magazines from Nylon to Billboard to Forbes, among others – a far cry from the New Jersey teen who’d escaped her suburban existence for New York, writing poetry, and scrounging money for concerts and her next slice of pizza. Halsey shows no signs of slowing down. This fall she released her new single, “Without Me,” which came on the heels of the summer hit “Eastside,” with Benny Blanco and Khalid, which garnered 300 million streams worldwide in just 2 months.  The track was the follow up to the platinum-certified smash with G-Eazy “Him & I,” which reached #1 on Billboard’s Pop Songs Airplay Chart and #1 at Top 40 radio—marking her second #1 since accompanying The Chainsmokers’ on “Closer,” which dominated for 11 weeks and has been certified Diamond by the RIAA. “Him & I” has accrued over 750 million streams worldwide and been certified platinum in several countries.  In addition her own two double-platinum-certified singles, “Bad At Love” and “Now Or Never” which also peaked in the top 3 on the Pop Songs Airplay chart. In addition, Halsey pushes creative boundaries expanding her influence and impact beyond music.   Earlier this year, Halsey spoke at the 2018 women’s march advocating for equality.  Her speech has been viewed millions of times and has moved people from around the world. As her star continues to rise, Halsey uses her voice to speak up for causes she passionately believes in, including disenfranchised youth, women’s rights, mental health and the LGBTQ community, proving that both she and her music can affect meaningful change, and that, yes, the 23-year-old can go anywhere from here. Yves Saint Laurent recently tapped her as a brand ambassador of YSL Beauté where she will help create and share makeup looks that speak to today’s millennial. After making her film debut in the animated 2018 summer movie “Teen Titans Go! To the Movies” as the voice of Wonder Woman, she can be seen this fall in “A Star Is Born,” starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. Halsey went from putting songs on SoundCloud to having her first full length album, “Badlands,” land at #2 on the Billboard 200 and become certified platinum by the RIAA within one year of its release, from couch surfing to witnessing her first tour sell out in minutes to touring globally with sold out dates on five continents (including a sold-out Madison Square Garden performance) and performing for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Norway.  In 2017 she earned a 2017 Grammy nomination in the category of “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance” for “Closer,” her Diamond Certified megahit with The Chainsmokers.

Grammy nominated Toronto born singer/songwriter Shawn Mendes released his highly anticipated self-titled third album in May 2018. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart as well as multiple additional worldwide markets, including Australia, Canada, Mexico, Belgium, Holland & more. “Shawn Mendes” made Shawn the third youngest solo artist to ever have three #1 albums on the Billboard 200 and became one of the top best-selling album debuts of 2018. The album shot to #1 on iTunes upon release in over 80 countries around the world. At the end of 2018, Shawn was nominated for two Grammy awards; “Song of the Year” for “In My Blood” and “Best Pop Vocal Album” for his self-titled album, “Shawn Mendes.”  Leading up to the album, he released multiple tracks including “Youth” Featuring Khalid, “In My Blood” and “Lost In Japan.” Both “In My Blood” and “Lost In Japan,” the first two songs released off the new album, experienced massive success, soaring to the #1 and #2 spots on the overall iTunes chart in the U.S, Top 5 on iTunes in 50 countries, and held the #1 and #2 spots on Spotify’s “New Music Friday” playlist. With “In My Blood,” Shawn became the first artist to ever have had four #1 singles on Billboard’s Adult Pop Songs airplay chart before the age of 20 In April 2017, Shawn released his 3x Platinum hit “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back.” The track scored Shawn his second #1 single on Billboard’s Pop Songs chart, joining 7x Platinum single “Stitches.” Throughout his career, Shawn has achieved 3 consecutive #1 album debuts, 2 Platinum albums, and 8 consecutive platinum and multi-platinum singles. Worldwide, he has sold over 15 million albums, 100 million singles, and has amassed over 16 billion song streams and 5 billion YouTube views. Shawn has completed two sold-out world tours with over one million tickets sold, selling out legendary arenas including NYC’s Madison Square Garden, Toronto’s Air Canada Centre, and London’s O2 Arena in minutes. Shawn Mendes: The Tour begins in March 2019, with over 60 dates currently announced across Europe, North America and Australia, with more to be announced soon. He topped Billboard’s “21 Under 21” in 2017 and 2018 and has been featured on Forbes “30 Under 30,” Spotify’s “25 Under 25,” and Time Magazine’s “Time 100 Most Influential”. In February 2018, ROI Influencer Media recognized Shawn as the #1 Most Influential Artist and #1 Most Influential Teen across all social media platforms.

Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, CA in 1992, currently consisting of Rivers Cuomo (lead vocals, lead guitar), Patrick Wilson (drums), Brian Bell (rhythm guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), and Scott Shriner (bass, backing vocals).  Weezer has sold 10 million albums in the U.S., and over 35 million records worldwide.  Their catalogue has included such megahits as “Buddy Holly,” “Undone (The Sweater Song),” “Say It Ain’t So,” “El Scorcho,” “Hash Pipe,” “Island In The Sun,” “Beverly Hills,” “Pork and Beans,” and more.   Weezer has won Grammys, MTV Video Music Awards, and more throughout their career.  Following massively acclaimed album releases in 2016 and 2017 (Weezer [The White Album] and Pacific Daydream, respectively), and two sold out amphitheatre tours with Panic! At the Disco (in 2016) and Pixies (in 2018), Weezer released a fan-inspired cover of Toto’s “Africa.”  The cover propelled the band back into the charts across the board, giving Weezer their FOURTH #1, TENTH Top 5, and FIFTEENTH Top 10 on Billboard‘s Alternative Songs chart, in addition to landing Top 5 on the Adult Pop Songs chart.  Weezer will release their highly anticipated twelfth album, Weezer (The Black Album), in 2019.

YouTube Music is the presenting sponsor of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2019.”

“Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2019” is produced by dick clark productions with Ryan Seacrest, Barry Adelman and Mark Bracco serving as executive producers. Larry Klein is producer.

The complete lineup airing Monday, December 31 on ABC is:

8:00-10:00 p.m. ET – “Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2019 – Part 1”

10:00-11:00 p.m. ET – “Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2019 – Part 2”

11:30 p.m.-1:09 a.m. ET – “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2019 – Part 1”

1:09-2:13 a.m. ET – “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2019 – Part 2”

For additional photos, please visit www.disneyabc.com.

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About Dick Clark Productions 
Dick Clark Productions (DCP) is the world’s largest producer and proprietor of televised live event entertainment programming with the “Academy of Country Music Awards,” “American Music Awards,” “Billboard Music Awards,” “Golden Globe Awards,” “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” and the “Streamy Awards.” Weekly television programming includes “So You Think You Can Dance” from 19 Entertainment and DCP. DCP also owns one of the world’s most unique and extensive entertainment archive libraries with over 60 years of award-winning shows, historic programs, specials, performances and legendary programming. DCP is a division of Valence Media, a diversified media company with divisions and strategic investments in premium television, wide release film, specialty film, live events and digital media. For additional information, visit www.dickclark.com.

About ABC Entertainment
ABC Entertainment airs compelling programming across all day parts, including the new dramas “A Million Little Things” and “The Rookie,” starring Nathan Fillion; new comedies “The Conners,” “The Kids Are Alright” and “Single Parents”; and the new prime-time talk show, “The Alec Baldwin Show.” The ABC Television Network is also home to the groundbreaking dramas “The Good Doctor,” “How to Get Away with Murder” and “Grey’s Anatomy”; the Emmy® Award-winning “Modern Family” and trailblazing comedy favorites “black-ish,” “American Housewife,” “Fresh Off the Boat,” “The Goldbergs,” “Speechless” and “Splitting Up Together”; hit game shows “The $100,000 Pyramid,” “Celebrity Family Feud,” “Match Game” and “To Tell the Truth”; star-making sensation “American Idol”; reality phenomenon “Shark Tank,” iconic “The Bachelor” franchise, long-running hits “Dancing with the Stars” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos”; “General Hospital,” which has aired for over 50 years on the network; and late-night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” The network also boasts some of television’s most prestigious awards shows, including “The Oscars®,” “The CMA Awards” and “The American Music Awards.”

ABC’s multiplatform business initiative also allows viewers to watch current episodes of their favorite ABC shows anytime, anywhere on ABC.com and the ABC app for desktop, smartphone, tablet or connected TV devices.

About YouTube Music 
YouTube Music is a completely re-imagined streaming music service with music videos, official albums, singles, remixes, live performances, covers and hard-to-find music you can only get on YouTube. It’s ALL here! YouTube Music serves music based on your tastes and what’s moving the community around you. Discover something new or keep up with what’s trending. Basic functions such as playing music and watching videos are totally free, but you can upgrade to YouTube Music Premium to explore the world of music ad-free, offline, and with the screen locked. Available on mobile and desktop.  For additional information, visit www.youtube.com/musicpremium.

2018 CMA Awards: Brad Paisley, Maren Morris, Chris Stapleton, Lauren Alaina, Mavis Staples, Ricky Skaggs added to lineup

November 9, 2018

The following is a press release from the Country Music Association and ABC:

Lauren Alaina, Brad Paisley, Ricky Skaggs, and Chris Stapleton with Maren Morris and Mavis Staples have been added as performers for “The 52nd Annual CMA Awards,” as well as just added special appearances by Lindsay Ell, Vince Gill, Sierra Hull, Chris Janson, Ashley McBryde, David Lee Murphy, Jon Pardi, Carson Peters, Marty Stuart and Cole Swindell. Country Music’s Biggest Night, hosted for the 11th consecutive year by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, will air live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Wednesday, November 14 (8:00–11:00 p.m. EST), on The ABC Television Network.

Previously announced performers for the CMA Awards include Jason Aldean with Miranda Lambert, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley with Brothers Osborne, Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, Florida Georgia Line with Bebe Rexha, Midland, Kacey Musgraves, Old Dominion, Pistol Annies, Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and Brett Young. Presenters will be announced next week.

Alaina is a two-time CMA Awards nominee. She returns this year with a nomination for New Artist of the Year.

Ell made her CMA Awards performance debut in 2016, playing guitar during Underwood’s all-female performance of “Dirty Laundry.”

Gill is a 54-time CMA Awards nominee and 18-time winner. He holds the record for most wins in the Song of the Year category. He is also tied for most wins in the Male Vocalist of the Year and Musical Event of the Year (previously Vocal Event of the Year) categories. He returns this year with his 12th nomination for Musical Event of the Year.

Hull, McBryde and Peters will all make their CMA Awards performance debut at “The 52ndAnnual CMA Awards.”

Janson is a first-time CMA Awards nominee, receiving nominations in the Music Video of the Year and Song of the Year categories for “Drunk Girl,” as well as New Artist of the Year. This year marks his performance debut on the CMA Awards stage.

Morris is a 10-time CMA Awards nominee, receiving her first win in 2016 for New Artist of the Year. She returns this year with her third Female Vocalist of the Year nomination and second Musical Event of the Year nomination for “Dear Hate” with Vince Gill.

Paisley is a 14-time CMA Awards winner, including a win for the coveted Entertainer of the Year award. He is also the current record holder for most wins (4) in the Music Video of the Year category and tied as the record holder for most Musical Event of the Year wins (4).

Pardi is a two-time CMA Awards nominee, taking home his first win in 2017 for New Artist of the Year.

Skaggs is a five-time CMA Awards winner with 21 career nominations. He received his first CMA Awards nomination in 1982 when he was nominated for both the Horizon Award, which recognized new artists, and the coveted Entertainer of the Year award. Additionally, Skaggs was nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year and Single of the Year, winning the Horizon Award and Male Vocalist of the Year award. Skaggs was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame last month.

R&B/Gospel legend Staples, previously of the group The Staple Singers, continues to carry on her family’s name as a solo artist. This year marks Staples’ CMA Awards debut. The Staple Singers were nominated for Album of the Year in 1994.

Stapleton is a seven-time CMA Awards winner with 16 total career nominations. He is the reigning Male Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year winner. He returns this year as the most nominated artist of the night with nods in the Album of the Year, Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Single of the Year and Song of the Year categories.
Stuart is a seven-time CMA Awards nominee, bringing home his first award in 1992 for Vocal Event of the Year. He has performed at the CMA Awards twice before including “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” in 1989 and “Mandolin Rain” in 1996.

Swindell, a two-time CMA Awards nominee, first took the CMA Awards stage in 2014, the same year he was nominated for New Artist of the Year.
“The 52nd Annual CMA Awards” is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the executive producer; Gary Halvorson is the director, and David Wild is the head writer.

For more information on “The 52nd Annual CMA Awards,” please visit CMAawards.com and follow CMA on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Fans can listen to music featuring the CMA Awards nominees and performers, on Amazon Music, Apple Music, Pandora, Spotify, and Vevo. To celebrate “The 52nd Annual CMA Awards,” the official merchandise line featuring tees, sweatshirts and other gifts is now available online.

About CMA Awards
The first “CMA Awards Banquet and Show” was held in 1967. The following year, the CMA Awards was broadcast for the first time – making it the longest-running, annual music awards program on network television. The CMA Awards have aired on ABC since 2006. ABC is the network home of the CMA Awards and CMA’s other two television properties, “CMA Fest” and “CMA Country Christmas.”

Facebook: @cma
Twitter: @CountryMusic
Instagram: @cma
Hashtag: #CMAawards

November 13, 2018 UPDATE: Eric Church has been added to the lineup of performers.

2018 CMT Music Awards: Blake Shelton is the top winner

June 6, 2018

The following is a press release from CMT:

The loudest night in country music kicked it up a notch as the biggest stars in the genre and beyond took on Nashville for the “2018 CMT Music Awards.” In a night of firsts, Blake Shelton won his first-ever Video of the Year Award for “I’ll Name The Dogs;” Little Big Town hosted for the first-time; and Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Florida Georgia Line, Kelly Clarkson, Little BigTown, Sam Hunt and Backstreet Boys seized the moment to debut new music for the first-time anywhere. A slew of new artists walked away with their first buckles, including Dan + Shay (Duo Video of the Year), Carly Pearce(Breakthrough Video of the Year), Kane Brown (Collaborative Video of the Year with Lauren Alaina), Backstreet Boys (CMT Performance of the Year with Florida Georgia Line) and Ludacris (Female Video of the Year with Carrie Underwood). Carly Pearce and Kane Brown won the first awards  of their careers. Carrie Underwood’s win for “Female Video of the Year” extends her record for most “CMT Music Awards” wins with a grand total of 18.

The show kicked off with a star-studded tongue-in-cheek sendup that has the royal family in Nashville to escape the prying paparazzi, only to find themselves engulfed in the bachelorette party capital of the country. The sketch featured Kelly Ripa, Ryan Seacrest, hosts Little Big Town, Blake Shelton, Kelsea Ballerini, Midland, Dustin Lynch, Jake Owen, Jon Pardi, Trace Adkins, Darius Rucker (as the Queen, no less), and Florida Georgia Line as Princes William and Harry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqBl2Or3cG0

Little Big Town got the crowd jumping with their first-ever live performance of the danceable “Summer Fever” surrounded by large gold orbs, while Blake Shelton took to the rooftop of his new restaurant, Ole Red, in downtown Nashville for an intimate performance of his hit “Turnin’ Me On.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNdKDEeE6Do

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqaHsLCpmuE

Bordered by a dramatic white curtain, Jason Aldean delivered a stirring rendition of his hit “Drowns the Whiskey,” while Kelsea Ballerini offered a beautiful twist on love with her hit, “I Hate Love Songs.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkuBGRp7jO0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8c5Gra87Ps

Dierks Bentley and Brothers Osborne shared the stage surrounded by fire for a hard-rocking version of Bentley’s single, “Burning Man.” Luke Bryan performed his summer anthem “Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset” aptly at dusk on the crowd-filled outdoor stage.

Florida Georgia Line turned the Bridgestone Arena into a cozy backyard get-together with the first-ever-live performance of their new single “Simple,” while Carrie Underwood dazzled the audience with her soaring power ballad “Cry Pretty.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpHbBLPiyMg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ9difnqsYM

Sam Hunt roamed the streets Nashville’s famed Broadway before taking the outdoor stage in front of thousands of country music fans and fireworks for first-ever-performance of “Downtown’s Dead,” while Dan & Shay, in their first-ever CMT Music Awards appearance, delivered a sobering sweeping rendition of their smash, “Tequila.”

Chris Stapleton’s unmistakably powerful voice boomed through the streets of downtown Nashville for a priceless performance of “Millionaire,” while pop royalty Backstreet Boys got the entire house dancing with an electric first-time-ever performance of their new single, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” proving that great music transcends genres.

Accompanied by an all-female choir, Kelly Clarkson made her CMT Music Awards debut by reclaiming the classic “American Woman” as a fiery female-empowerment anthem from the forthcoming series “American Woman,” starring Alicia Silverstone, Mena Suvari and Jennifer Bartles, premiering tomorrow night, Thursday, June 7 at 10pm ET/PT on Paramount Network.

The evening concluded with a bang as Darius Rucker and The Troublemakers – Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and Charles Kelley – turned the Bridgestone Arena into a local honky tonk with their first-ever-live performance of the seminal Drivin’ N Cryin’ classic, “Straight To Hell.”

Furthering its commitment to new artists, CMT’s Ram side-stage featured performances of CMT Next Women of Music artists Carly Pearce and Lindsay Ell, as well as CMT Listen Up Artists DevinDawson, LANCO and Russell Dickerson.

The A-list roster of presenters from music, television and film includes Backstreet Boys, Brett Young, Bobby Bones, Carly Pearce,Chrissy Metz (“This Is Us”), Cody Alan (Radio and TV Personality), Courtney Force (NHRA racing), Dustin Lynch, Garrett Hedlund (“Mudbound,” “Country Strong”), Hoda Kotb (“NBC’s TODAY”), Joel McHale (“The Joel McHale Show”), Jon Pardi, Kaitlin Doubleday (“Nashville”), Katie Cook (TV personality), Keith Urban, Lauren Alaina, Leon Bridges, Lennon Stella (“Nashville”), Lindsey Vonn (US Ski Team), Luke Combs, Maisy Stella (“Nashville”), P.K. Subban (Nashville Predators), RaeLynn, Rascal Flatts and Sugarland.

Here are the nominees and winners of the 2018 CMT Music Awards

*=winner

VIDEO OF THE YEAR 
Best video of the year; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration). Final nominees announced the morning of the show, with final voting held on social media during the live telecast.

  • Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line –“Meant To Be”
  • Blake Shelton – “I’ll Name The Dogs”*
  • Brett Young – “Mercy”
  • Brothers Osborne – “It Ain’t My Fault”
  • Carrie Underwood feat.Ludacris – “The Champion”
  • Dan + Shay – “Tequila”
  • Jason Aldean – “You Make It Easy”
  • Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton – “Say Something”
  • Kane Brown featuring Lauren Alaina – “What Ifs”
  • Kelsea Ballerini – “Legends”
  • Luke Combs – “When It Rains It Pours”
  • Thomas Rhett – “Marry Me”

MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a male artist; awarded to the artist

  • Blake Shelton –“I’ll Name The Dogs”*
  • Dustin Lynch – “Small Town Boy”
  • Jason Aldean – “You Make It Easy”
  • Jon Pardi – “Heartache on the Dance Floor”
  • Luke Bryan – “Light It Up”
  • Thomas Rhett – “Marry  Me”

FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a female artist; awarded to the artist

  • Carly Pearce – “Every Little Thing”
  • Carrie Underwood featuring Ludacris – “The Champion”*
  • Kelsea Ballerini – “Legends”
  • Lauren Alaina – “Doin’ Fine”
  • Maren Morris – “I Could Use a Love Song”
  • Miranda Lambert – “Tin Man” From 2017 ACM Awards

DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a duo; awarded to the artists

  • Big & Rich – “California”
  • Brothers Osborne – “It Ain’t My Fault”
  • Dan + Shay – “Tequila”*
  • Florida Georgia Line – “Smooth”
  • High Valley – “She’s With Me”
  • Tim McGraw & Faith Hill – “Speak to a Girl”

GROUP VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a group; awarded to the artists

  • Lady Antebellum – “You Look Good”
  • LANco – “Greatest Love Story”
  • Little Big Town – “When Someone Stops Loving You”*
  • Midland – “Make a Little”
  • Old Dominion – “No Such Thing as a Broken Heart”
  • Rascal Flatts – “Yours If You Want It”
  • Zac Brown Band – “My Old Man”

BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video from an artist’s major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist (male, female or group/duo)

  • Carly Pearce – “Every Little Thing”*
  • Danielle Bradbery – “Sway”
  • Devin Dawson – “All on Me”
  • LANco – “Greatest Love Story”
  • Russell Dickerson – “Yours”
  • Walker Hayes – “You Broke Up With Me”

COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video from a collaboration; awarded to the artists

  • Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line – “Meant To Be”
  • Carrie Underwood featuring Ludacris – “The Champion”
  • Cole Swindell featuring Dierks Bentley – “Flatliner”
  • Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton – “Say Something”
  • Kane Brown featuring Lauren Alaina – “What Ifs”*
  • Thomas Rhett featuring Maren Morris – “Craving You”

CMT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

Musical performance on a television show, series or variety special on CMT; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo)

  • From 2017 CMT Artists of the Year: Andra Day, Common, Little Big Town, Lee Ann Womack and Danielle Bradbery – “Stand Up For Something”
  • From CMT Crossroads: Backstreet Boys and Florida Georgia Line – “Everybody”*
  • From 2017 CMT Music Awards: Charles Kelley, Jason Aldean, Darius Rucker and Derek Trucks – “Midnight Rider”
  • From CMT Crossroads: Earth, Wind & Fire and Lady Antebellum – “September”
  • From 2017 CMT Artists of the Year: Jason Aldean, Keith Urban, Chris Stapleton and Little Big Town – “I Won’t Back Down”
  • From 2017 CMT Music Awards: Keith Urban featuring Carrie Underwood – “The Fighter”

About CMT

CMT is the leading authority on country music and lifestyle, offering a mix of original series, music events and specials. CMT is everywhere its fans are including two cable channels (CMT and the 24-hour music channel, CMT Music), radio (CMT Radio), digital (CMT App, CMT.com) and social (CMT on Facebook, CMT on Instagram and CMT on Twitter). CMT is a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).

2018 CMT Music Awards: presenters, world premiere performances announced

June 5, 2018

Backstreet Boys
 Backstreet Boys (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for iHeartRadio via Freeform)

The “2018 CMT Music Awards” announced today the list of presenters featuring everyone from music industry icons to sports legends and Hollywood stars. The A-list roster includes Backstreet Boys, Bobby Bones, Brett Young, Carly Pearce, Chrissy Metz (“This Is Us”), Cody Alan (Radio and TV Personality), Courtney Force (NHRA racing), Dustin Lynch, Garrett Hedlund (“Mudbound,” “Country Strong”), Hoda Kotb (“NBC’s TODAY”), Joel McHale (“The Joel McHale Show”), Johnny Knoxville (“Action Point”), Kaitlin Doubleday (“Nashville”), Katie Cook (TV personality), Lauren Alaina, Leon Bridges, Lennon Stella (“Nashville”), Lindsey Vonn (US Ski Team), Luke Combs, Maisy Stella (“Nashville”), P.K. Subban (Nashville Predators), RaeLynn, Rascal Flatts and Sugarland. The “2018 CMT Music Awards” will premiere LIVE from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, June 6 at 8:00 pm ET/ PT.

Country music’s loudest night will be hosted by three-time nominees Little Big Town, who willalso join the list of knockout performers including Blake Shelton; Carrie Underwood; Chris Stapleton; Dan + Shay; Darius Rucker featuring Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and Charles Kelley; Dierks Bentley featuring Brothers Osborne; Florida Georgia Line; Jason Aldean; Kelly Clarkson; Kelsea Ballerini; Luke Bryan and Sam Hunt. Breakthrough artists Carly Pearce, Devin Dawson, LANCO, Lindsay Ell, Russell Dickerson and Walker Hayes will perform on the Ram Trucks Side Stage.

The “2018 CMT Music Awards” nominations announcement made history, as pop sensations Bebe Rexha, with her record-breaking, chart-topping collaboration “Meant to Be” with Florida Georgia Line, and Justin Timberlake, with “Say Something” featuring Chris Stapleton, received first time nods for the highly coveted “Video of the Year.” The additional lineup of country stars vying for the title include Blake Shelton, Brett Young, Brothers Osborne, Carrie Underwood featuring Ludacris, Dan + Shay, Jason Aldean, Kane Brown featuring Lauren Alaina, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs and Thomas Rhett. Up for four nominations each, Carrie Underwood (who also currently holds the title of most “CMT Music Awards” wins), Florida Georgia Line and Jason Aldean are tied for most nods.

Fans have until the end of the day today, June 4th, to vote for their favorite artists via CMT.com for categories including “Video of the Year,” “Male Video of the Year,” “Female Video of the Year,”, “Duo Video of the Year,” “Group Video of the Year,” “Breakthrough Video of the Year,” “Collaborative Video of the Year” and “CMT Performance of the Year.”

CMT also revealed that some of music’s biggest stars will perform brand-new songs for the first time ever on television when the “2018 CMT Music Awards” premieres LIVE from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena tomorrow, June 6 at 8pm ET/PT. The performances will not only feature the newest songs that will become the soundtrack to the summer, but they will use the CMT stage to introduce their new music to the world.

“CMT music fans have an unquenchable thirst for music discovery. This show features the freshest and most exciting summer songs ever presented on one stage,” said Margaret Comeaux, executive producer, CMT Music Awards.

The line-up of world television premiere performances includes:

  • Darius Rucker featuring Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and Charles Kelley – “Straight to Hell”
  • Dierks Bentley featuring Brothers Osborne – “Burning Man”
  • Florida Georgia Line – “Simple”
  • Kelly Clarkson – “American Woman”
  • Little Big Town – “Summer Fever”
  • Sam Hunt – “Downtown’s Dead”
  • Backstreet Boys – “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”

The performers join previously announced performers Blake Shelton, Chris Stapleton, Jason Aldean and Kelsea Ballerini to round out the ultimate night of country music in Nashville.

The latest announcement follows renewed ratings growth and critical acclaim for CMT music specials and events due in part to a creative refresh featuring current and genre-bending artist pairings and pro-social elements. In October, “CMT Artists of the Year” notched its highest rating to date and now ranks as one of the fastest growing award shows, while “CMT Crossroads” recently garnered its highest ratings in five years with an episode featuring Backstreet Boys and Florida Georgia Line. The network recently finished its highest-rated quarter since 2014 and notched its fifth consecutive quarter of year-over-year ratings growth. April 2018 was CMT’s best April performance in 4 years, extending to 17 the channel’s streak of consecutive months of year-over-year ratings growth among Adults 18-49 and Women 18-49. (L+SD, CMT Total Day)

Follow @CMT on Twitter and Instagram, use hashtag #CMTawards and like the CMT Music Awards on Facebook.

Tickets are still available at TICKETMASTER.

About CMT

CMT is the leading authority on country music and lifestyle, offering a mix of original series, music events and specials. CMT is everywhere its fans are including two cable channels (CMT and the 24-hour music channel, CMT Music), radio (CMT Radio), digital (CMT App, CMT.com) and social (CMT on Facebook, CMT on Instagram and CMT on Twitter). CMT is a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).

 

2018 ACM Awards: performers and presenters announced

April 9, 2018

ACM Awards

Carrie Underwood at the 52nd Annual ACM Awards at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on April 2, 2017.
Carrie Underwood at the 52nd Annual ACM Awards at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on April 2, 2017. (Photo by Francis Specker/CBS)

The following is a press release from the Academy of Country Music:

The Academy of Country Music® revealed today that thirteen-time ACM Award® winner Carrie Underwood will perform the world television premiere of her soon-to-be-released single live on the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards™, joining a star-studded lineup of performers and presenters.

Underwood is nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year as well as Vocal Event of the Year for “The Fighter” with Keith Urban. The 53rd ACM Awards, hosted by Reba McEntire, will broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 15, 2018 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on the CBS Television Network.

Previously announced ACM Awards performers include Lauren Alaina, Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Kelly Clarkson, Florida Georgia Line, Alan Jackson, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Midland, Maren Morris, Jon Pardi, Bebe Rexha, Thomas Rhett, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban and Brett Young. Previously announced presenters include David Boreanaz, Drew Brees, AJ Buckley, Cam, Sam Elliot, Eve, Ashton Kutcher, Dustin Lynch, Nancy O’Dell, Rebecca Romijn, Max Thieriot and Lindsey Vonn.

Tickets to the ACM Awards are now on sale at www.axs.com. For more information on the ACM Awards and all ACM events including ACM Party for a Cause®, visit www.ACMcountry.com and www.PartyForaCause.com. You can like Academy of Country Music on Facebook or follow on Twitter at @ACMawards and Instagram @ACMAwards for more immediate updates.

About the Academy of Country Music Awards
The 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards™ is dedicated to honoring and showcasing the biggest names and emerging talent in the country music industry. The show is produced for television by dick clark productions and will broadcast LIVE from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 15, 2018 at 8:00 PM live ET/PT on the CBS Television Network. Allen Shapiro, Mike Mahan, R.A. Clark, Barry Adelman and Mark Bracco are executive producers. Pete Fisher is executive producer for the Academy of Country Music.

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