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'It wasn't an easy decision': Country star Hardy axes European dates at last minute
'It wasn't an easy decision': Country star Hardy axes European dates at last minute

Perth Now

time3 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • Perth Now

'It wasn't an easy decision': Country star Hardy axes European dates at last minute

Hardy has axed his European tour at the last minute. The country star was set to kick off the run at Copenhell festival in Denmark on Thursday (19.06.25), and was later due to play Birmingham, London, Manchester, Glasgow, Belfast and Dublin. Without giving an explanation, he stated it "wasn't an easy decision" to make. He penned on Instagram on Monday (16.06.25): "I have decided to cancel the European leg of the JIM BOB TOUR. "It wasn't an easy decision but one I had to make for my band, crew and my family. "Please know that I love you all and I will be back as soon as I can. "Refunds will automatically be issued by your point of purchase." The tour was in support of his 2024 LP Quit!!. The 34-year-old star - who first made his name as a songwriter for Florida Georgia Line - is due to continue his North American leg on July 18 at Country Thunder Wisconsin. Hardy's recent work includes contributing to Post Malone's upcoming follow-up to 2024 chart-topper F-1 Trillion. Malone told Billboard of working with collaborators including Ernest, Thomas Rhett and Hardy in Nashville: 'We just have fun. We just sit and f***ing talk and make songs. And so I'm pretty excited for the new record already.' Malone noted how he'd 'made probably 35 songs; it's just a matter of which one's rock, and which one's sock." He continued: "I sit there and listen to these songs, and I usually hate listening to my music, but listening to the band play, I get so excited.' Speaking about how he incorporates all his different styles – also including rock and pop - into one seamless set, the Circles hitmaker said: 'You put a twist on the instrumentation and the musicianship of it. We have Lillie [Mae] playing the fiddle and Cheese [Chandler Walters] playing the steel [guitar] and incorporating that into the old songs and then transitioning into the new s***… that's always been the thing about me, is it's all just f****** music.'

‘Stronger than the storm' Franklin-Southampton County Fair returns after severe storm last year
‘Stronger than the storm' Franklin-Southampton County Fair returns after severe storm last year

Yahoo

time13-06-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Yahoo

‘Stronger than the storm' Franklin-Southampton County Fair returns after severe storm last year

COURTLAND, Va. (WAVY) — The Franklin-Southampton County Fair combines the perfect blend of country music, rides and food every year. 'We have had on this little stage in this little county Brad Paisley, Florida Georgia Line, Lady Antebellum [now Lady A], Jason Aldean on these stages because they were so good. We got them early,' said LeeAnn Williams, Franklin-Southampton County Fair Board. 'We are known for our bands. We're very blessed to have them. That's a big draw.' The Franklin-Southampton County Fair will return August 6-9, 2025. The food court looks a lot different this year following the first fair cancellation in over 40 years. 'We had to shut down early because of the weather, but never had we not started one that I know of,' said Glenn Joyner, President of the Franklin-Southampton Fair. NWS: Straight-line winds caused damage to Southampton Co. Fairgrounds On August 4, 2024, the National Weather Service reported straight-line wind, as strong as a minor tornado, damaged trees and the concession stand. 'The good Lord saved us. We're all OK' Franklin-Southampton County Fair canceled following Sunday storm Joyner tells 10 On Your Side that he was at the Franklin-Southampton County Queens pageant when he got the call from Midway and set up crews. 'He said, 'Glenn you need to get out here! You need to get here quickly,' said Joyner. 'We got here as quick, as safe as we could. I didn't believe it when I pulled in. The building was turned upside down. There was a sink that we had in the kitchen. It was actually stuck up in the trees. The first couple of weeks, it was just devastation. Sheriff Josh Wyche Sr., Southampton County Sheriff's Office adds, 'It's one thing when you hear about it and you're coming to it. But when you get here on the grounds, you see the devastation that came through.' 'I'm going to look out for them': The Graceful Baker will donate 10% of proceeds to Southampton Co. Fair On May 31, 2025, the first-ever 'Fair Jam' celebration showcased the new food and meeting building. 'It means a lot more than just a food court. It was disappointing that we were able to have a fair last year but gave us an opportunity to see something that we'd never seen before. So many local businesses stepped forward and paired up with the fair and helped us when they didn't have to. It was amazing to see the community come together like that. That was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,' said Bunn. Longtime Board Member Williams said the new features excite her the most including a new bathroom with air conditioning. 'Now we have a real kitchen with appliances. The building has been painted,' said Williams. 'We're all volunteers. We do it because we love it. If you don't love it, then you don't do it. You know a lot of people, they've come and gone, but us old people, it's probably time for me to go. It's just in my heart!' Joyner concludes, 'It's been a long, long year on my part because I'm doing a lot of, I've been the middle person getting everything playing, getting everything laid out, getting the contractors lined up. But I never doubted once that we wouldn't have our fair this year because of it!' 'The good Lord is willing. We have good weather this year. We have a good turnout for this year!' To buy tickets visit Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Chris Stapleton's iconic "Traveller" turns 10
Chris Stapleton's iconic "Traveller" turns 10

Axios

time09-05-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Axios

Chris Stapleton's iconic "Traveller" turns 10

Some country music albums are so vital, so unforgettable, so iconic, that everyone should gather around the proverbial table and sing happy birthday to commemorate their release. Chris Stapleton's"Traveller," which hit the shelves 10 years ago this week, is one of those albums worthy of reflection and celebration. Why it matters: "Traveller" exceeded all expectations. It became a landmark, game-changing album for country music, and a colossal commercial success for his label Mercury, which is an imprint of Universal Music Group. The intrigue: Stapleton created "Traveller" at a time when hip-hop-infused bro country was the flavor of the moment. Artists like Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line and Sam Hunt led the way. "Traveller" focused on Stapleton's soulful vocals, traditional instrumentation and simple production by producer Dave Cobb. To promote the album, Universal decided to take an unconventional approach, relying on word-of-mouth marketing. Flashback: Cindy Mabe, then-president of UMG Nashville, laid out the label's plans to The Tennessean on the eve of the album's release in 2015. "Normally we'd service music to radio six months prior to releasing an album, but we believe with Chris that if we build organically and show the mainstream outlets how his music is connecting, we will continue to garner bigger partners and the word of mouth will snowball into a massive album," she said. The label believed that the more people who simply heard Stapleton sing the songs "Traveller," the better the album would sell. Indeed: Though the album's release was met with good reviews, it wasn't until months later that Stapleton caught lightning in a bottle when he performed the single "Tennessee Whiskey" with Justin Timberlake at the CMA Awards. That performance may be the most unforgettable in modern country music history. Artists like Luke Combs and Cody Johnson have followed in Stapleton's footsteps, and the genre has largely lurched away from the bro country sounds of a decade ago. What he said: At 37 years old, Stapleton was a grizzled veteran of Nashville's country music industry by the time "Traveller" came to be. At the time, the Vanderbilt dropout had carved out a workmanlike career that included songwriting for other artists and fronting the bluegrass band the SteelDrivers. The release of his first solo album had been delayed for years. "There's songs that are the 23-year-old me on this record, the 28-year-old me playing in bands, the 30-year-old who just got married," Stapleton told The Tennessean 10 years ago. "There's the 37-year-old with two kids and in-laws living close by, and my mother living down the street. "There's all those things on this record, and all those stages of my musical life are on this record. In a lot of ways, it's a little overwhelming and frightening to have that much of yourself laid out to the world." By the numbers: The album's sales numbers are staggering. Two weeks after the CMA performance, "Traveller" reentered the Billboard 200 all-genre chart at No. 1. It's the first country album to spend over 500 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart. Its global sales eclipsed 11 million albums sold, and it has been streamed over 11 billion times.

Pearl won 'The Masked Singer' — and her identity makes the judges' jaws drop
Pearl won 'The Masked Singer' — and her identity makes the judges' jaws drop

NBC News

time08-05-2025

  • Entertainment
  • NBC News

Pearl won 'The Masked Singer' — and her identity makes the judges' jaws drop

After months of decoding clues, fans of 'The Masked Singer' finally know the identities of the final four contestants. The singing competition aired its Season 13 finale on May 7 and unmasked four celebrities in a jam-packed episode. In the end, only one could take home the golden mask trophy, and the contestant known as Pearl stood out just a bit more than her competitors. In the final moments of the show, Pearl took off her mask and revealed herself as country singer Gretchen Wilson. Robin Thicke, one of the four celebrity judges on the show, was the only one of his colleagues to guess Pearl's identity. 'Good on you,' Wilson applauded Thicke after he explained that her 'individual, sounds like nobody else tone' led him to suspect she was Pearl. When the show's host Nick Cannon asked Wilson what inspired her to come on 'The Masked Singer,' she opened up about a 'rough couple of years' she recently experienced. 'I was injured. I was in a wheelchair. And there was a moment where I didn't think I'd ever get back to this place. And I worked really hard. I prayed really hard. And I got so far. But this opportunity has really proven to me that there's nothing I can't do,' she said. Earlier on in the episode, Pearl looked back on her journey on 'The Masked Singer.' 'Every time I've put on this Pearl costume I think it's so strange that I pulled off being this bejeweled princess,' she said in a video interview prior to her identity being revealed. 'It's so unlike me. I'd say the hoodie and sweatpants is more in line with who I am. What can I say? I'm gritty, raw, unapologetic. I've always been that way. And a lot of times, especially when I was first starting out, it stood in the way of my success.' Who else was in the Season 13 finale? Pearl wasn't the only big unveiling of the night. Boogie Woogie, Mad Scientist and Coral also made it to the finale and sang their hearts out while competing for the win. In the end, 'Zombies' star Meg Donnelly was unmasked as Coral. Celebrity judge Rita Ora correctly guessed her identity and congratulated Donnelly, saying she 'really stood her own' in the competition. While reflecting on her decision to join the cast of 'The Masked Singer,' Donnelly said, 'I did this show to kind of get more comfortable on stage, singing. It's something I'm always really nervous about and insecure about and it's just helped me immensely.' Mad Scientist turned out to be Brian Kelley, country singer and former member of Florida Georgia Line. Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg guessed his identity correctly. Kelley said he wanted to 'challenge myself' by signing on for the show. Boogie Woogie was unveiled as singer Andy Grammer, but none of the celebrity judges were able to guess his identity beforehand. 'It's been incredible to get to sing so many different songs and styles,' he said about his experience on the show.

'The Masked Singer' winner revealed: See who was under Pearl's costume
'The Masked Singer' winner revealed: See who was under Pearl's costume

Yahoo

time08-05-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Yahoo

'The Masked Singer' winner revealed: See who was under Pearl's costume

Season 13 of "The Masked Singer" came to a climactic end May 7. The reality singing competition, which spices up a well-worn format by putting its contestants in elaborate disguises, entered its final episode of the year with just four candidates left. Pearl, Boogie Woogie, Mad Scientist and Coral, all nicknames for the costumes the celebrities don for their performances, duked it out in one final showdown − the winner nabbing the Golden Mask trophy and being forced to reveal themselves. 'The Masked Singer' winner Vanessa Hudgens reveals if she plans on returning to music Pearl ultimately reigned triumphant, impressing judges with a rendition of "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree." Judges and viewers alike are kept in the dark on the identities of the masked singers, given clues on what (usually mid-profile) name they might be and tasked with recognizing their voice sight unseen. Pear turned out to be country star Gretchen Wilson, an early-2000s staple, whose song "Redneck Woman" became an anthem. Wilson, who stumped almost all the judges (aside from Robin Thicke), said after her win that she had done the show to build confidence after a difficult couple of years. "I've had a rough couple of years," she said. "I was injured, I was in a wheelchair and there was a moment where I didn't think I'd ever get back to this place. I worked really hard, I prayed really hard, and I got so far." "This opportunity has really proven to me that there's nothing I can't do," she continued. After Wilson's win, the other finalists also demasked. Boogie Woogie was singer Andy Grammer, Coral was "Zombies" actress Meg Donnelly and Mad Scientist was former Florida Georgia Line member Brian Kelley. Other masked stars this season included Flavor Flav, James Van Der Beek and Candace Cameron Bure. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Pearl on 'The Masked Singer?' See the winner reveal

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