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Fans first met a young Emily Ann Roberts on The Voice, where she finished Season 9 as runner-up. Since then, she has blossomed into a standout artist with deep roots in classic country and bluegrass, carving out a massive following on social media along the way. Her journey, which is still unfolding, is nothing short of inspiring.

While on the popular NBC competition show, Roberts received invaluable advice from her coach-turned-friend (and later tourmate), Blake Shelton. During a recent appearance on Southern Living’s Biscuits & Jam podcast, she reflected on his wise words, revealing that Shelton inspired her to stay true to herself, no matter what.

“When I was on the show, I sang a lot of traditional country music because that’s what I love… And Blake pulled me aside and was like, ‘Don’t let anybody change you. You know, the music that you make and what comes out of you naturally, that’s what you have to follow, and that’s what you have to honor,’” she recalled. “And that meant so much to me to have someone as successful as he is tell me to stay true to myself, you know, just the way that I am.”

Roberts says she has carried Shelton’s words of wisdom with her and continues to lean any time she’s tempted to stray from her roots.

“That was something that I pulled from for years when I got to Nashville because the music that I wrote didn’t sound like what Kelsea Ballerini was doing and what Maren Morris was doing. They were, like, huge at the time when I was in town for the first time. And so it was really tough because I had a lot of opinions and voices telling me like, ‘You need to sound more like this in order to be competitive,’ and all that. But it’s very cool how it seems like, 10 years later, things have come back around,” she explained. 

The East Tennessee native has since toured with Shelton on multiple occasions — including his Friends & Heroes Tour, making for a full-circle moment for the former Voice contestant.

With Shelton’s word still in the back of her mind, Roberts continues to stay on her path, never shying away from her true identity as an artist. Her debut album, Can’t Hide Country, was infused with traditional country and bluegrass roots, and her latest releases, “Scratching Out A Living,” “Easy Does It,” and “The Fence” continue to reflect her authentic style.

The post Emily Ann Roberts Reflects on Blake Shelton’s Advice That Changed Her Career appeared first on Country Now.

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Jordan Davis brings heartbreak to life in a unique way with the release of his brand-new music video for “Bar None.”

The video opens with Davis alone in a dimly lit bar, surrounded by moody neon lights and stained glass windows, seemingly reflecting on the pain of a recent breakup. As the emotion builds, so does the intensity of the video. Suddenly, the walls, floor, and ceiling begin collapsing inward, as if the weight of his heartache is literally closing in on him. 

“Bar none/ Now I’m getting goner than your long gone boots/ Nothing I’m working on works on you/ I’ve been breaking every bottle open/ Doing what a banged up broken heart does/ Gonna need three or four more/ Baby if moving on had a scoreboard/ It’d say you and your memory one/ Me and this bar none,” he sings while trying to escape the walls closing in on him.   

The Patrick Tracy-directed video comes to a climax as the bar explodes, leaving Davis standing in the middle of a parking lot with debris flying around him. 

“Bar None” is Davis’ current single from his highly anticipated new album, Learn The Hard Way, which arrives on August 15. 

Written by Ben Johnson, Hunter Phelps, and Lydia Vaughn, the song marks a bit of a departure from what fans have come to expect from the Louisiana native, but it appears the risk of trying something new is clearly paying off. The song is currently climbing the country charts and sits inside the Top 20.

“Bar None is a song that was sent to me, a song that truly from the demo just kind of stood out as different right off the bat. It kind of pulled me in, something I wanted to hear more of. Glad we cut it, love the way it turned out, Davis recently shared. “I think it’s something that’s a little different from me, but something I’m excited about to play live.” 

Davis opened up about the album-making process with Country Now and shared that is was born out of a desire to get back to his roots and the sounds of his debut album, Home State.  

“Not just going back and trying to make a record that I’ve already made, but going back and diving into the kind of the bluesy soul music that I listened to in college, the southern rock and roll that my dad grew me up on,” Davis explained. “I think that gave me something to aim for and it gave Paul [DiGiovanni] something to aim for in the studio cutting it. So I think that’s where we wanted to go back and be like, ‘Hey man, let’s not just talk about influences. Let’s actually try to show some of these influences through these songs.’” 

Fans will have the opportunity to catch Davis performing “Bar None” and the rest of his hits on his headlining Ain’t Enough Road Tour, with dates across the U.S. Mitchell Tenpenny and Vincent Mason will appear on the trek as special guests.

The post Jordan Davis Battles Heartbreak as the Bar Crashes Down in Explosive ‘Bar None’ Video appeared first on Country Now.

​Country Now

Dolly Parton is opening up about life after the loss of her husband, Carl Dean.

In a conversation with Khloé Kardashian on her podcast Khloé in Wonder Land, Parton revealed that she’s still grieving and has taken a break from songwriting in the wake of his passing.

“My husband passed away three months ago. … Several things I’ve wanted to start, but I can’t do it,” Parton told Kardashian. 

Dolly and Carl Dean were married for nearly 60 years before he passed away in early March. With a love that truly stood the test of time, it’s no surprise that the grieving process is still ongoing.

“I will later, but I’m just coming up with such wonderful, beautiful ideas. But I think I won’t finish it,” she explained. 

Amid her busy life, which includes serving as the “Dreamer in Chief” at Dollywood and running a full-blown empire, Parton continues to navigate her grief. She’ll get back to writing songs when she’s ready. 

“I can’t do it right now because I’ve got so many other things that I can’t afford the luxury of getting that emotional right now,” she said. 

Parton also opened up about her relationship with Carl Dean, who remained out of the spotlight during the nearly six decades they were married. 

“We were different people. He loved music, but he was a loner,” explained.. “He did not want a bunch of people around him except me. Of course he had friends, but he was also the same way. He’d rather be at the barn, be on the farm all day, and if he was gonna go sell a loader or buy a loader or have somebody come work on one of his trucks or tractors, he’d have to let people in.”

While they were very different, they were also very similar, Parton pointed out. 

“But I really think that there’s just certain personalities that are great for each other. And we were together 61 year. We were just so different, but we were so similar. We were perfect, as far as the temperature in the house. We didn’t fight over that ‘cause we both were comfortable at the same thing. Just so many things we were compatible about, and we just got along great.” 

Carl Dean passed away on March 3, 2025. He was 82 years old. 

“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,” Parton shared at the time. “Words can’t do justice for the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.” 

Following his death, Parton released a heartfelt new song, “If You Hadn’t Been There,” in his honor. 

The post Dolly Parton Opens Up About Grieving the Loss of Her Husband Carl Dean appeared first on Country Now.

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Greylan James has been chasing his country music dreams for as long as he can remember, and growing up in East Tennessee, he didn’t have to look far for inspiration. Right about the time he was taking an interest in music, fellow East Tennessee native Kenny Chesney was blowing up. It made the dream of becoming a country singer feel a little more within reach for Greylan.

“I grew up in East Tennessee, so there was always music around, and right when I was a kid, Kenny Chesney was becoming a massive superstar. And so, when I was starting to take guitar lessons, starting to take singing lessons, everybody had a story about how they saw Kenny Chesney come up. And they were like, ‘If you keep on, you’ll become the next Kenny Chesney.’” 

What happened next proved to be a life-altering moment for young Greylan James.   

“My parents got tickets when I was seven years old to Kenny Chesney at Neyland Stadium, and it was my first ever concert. So, I was two years removed from getting that first guitar, and seeing it in action, seeing somebody on that big of a stage was insane for me. And so, that was definitely the moment I was like, ‘Alright, that’s what I wanna do.’ It was a life changing experience,” he shared. 

When he was 10, Greylan had the chance to meet Chesney in what would become a moment he’s never forget. 

“I first met him briefly when I was about 10 years old. My bluegrass band was playing at a fundraiser. He was there. Peyton Manning was there too, and 10-year-old me was freaking out,” he previously revealed to Country Now. “I got to walk up to him with my dad. I had also just gotten my first C on a science test, which devastated my family. I remember telling my dad about my report card, and he was like, ‘No. That’s unacceptable.’ But I said, ‘It doesn’t matter. I’m going to be fine. I’m going to be a country music star.’ It just happened to be that night that I met Kenny.” 

When Greylan’s dad asked Chesney if he had any advice for the young singer, he told him a valuable message. 

“Kenny was like, ‘Two pieces of advice. Stay in school and learn to write songs because songwriting will be your ticket.’ I never forgot that,” Greylan promised. 

Greylan James experienced a full-circle moment when Kenny Chesney recorded “Happy Does,” a song he co-wrote. It’s a moment he’ll never forget,  and one he’ll always be grateful for.

Now, Greylan is continuing his journey as a solo artist with the release of “Greylan James • “Water At A Wedding”,” out this Friday. The song has already generated major buzz, racking up nearly 10 million views across platforms ahead of its release.

The post Greylan James Reveals How a Kenny Chesney Concert Sparked His Country Music Dream appeared first on Country Now.

​Country Now

Scotty McCreery and his family have suffered unimaginable loss. On Wednesday, July 9, both of his grandmothers, Janet Hunter Cooke and Paquita McCreery,  passed away just hours apart. 

The devastating news was shared by Scotty’s mother, Judy McCreery, in a heartfelt post on her public Facebook page. In her message, Judy opened up about the pain of losing both her mother and her mother-in-law on the same day. She shared details about their final moments and expressed her gratitude for the love and prayers being sent her family’s way.

“Here is a post I hoped I wouldn’t be making for several years. My precious mom, age 85, passed away yesterday at WakeMed, shortly after 1pm,” Judy began. “She had been battling norovirus & the flu, which led to dehydration and pneumonia. My heart is broken. I have to accept it was her time.”

Janet Hunter Cooke was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Perry, “R.P.” Cooke. 

She went on to reveal that her mother-in-law passed away on the same day, just a few hours later. 

“This is hard to fathom, but we also lost Mike’s mom, Paquita, yesterday, a few hours later at 4pm,” she wrote. “She was 93 and had been in declining health.” 

Paquita McCreery was preceded in death by her husband, Bill McCreery, who passed away in 2015. Scotty credits his grandad Bill for his deep voice. Fans were introduced to Paquita when she appeared on Celebrity Family Feud alongside the country star.

Judy shared that they plan to celebrate her mother’s life on Monday, July 14. Services for her mother-in-law, Paquita, are pending. 

“Thank you for your thoughts and prayers,” she added. 

Scotty McCreery Shares His Heartbreak

Following his mother’s post, Scotty McCreery soon took to social media to share the news and ask fans for their prayers.

“My heart is absolutely broken. Yesterday, both my Grandma Janet and my Grandma Paquita passed away. I think I am still in a bit of shock as I type this, but I’m choosing to remember the great memories we all made with both of them,” he wrote.

The North Carolina native admitted there are “too many” great memories to count when it comes to his beloved grandmothers.

“There really are too many to count. “From being on the farm in Elizabeth City or visiting the Outer Banks with Grandma Janet.. And then the incredible memories we made at the backyard pool in Pinehurst, all the way to visiting Puerto Rico with Grandma Paquita. Both of them truly taught me what love is all about,” he shared. “I will miss them dearly. If yall could keep my family in your prayers I’d appreciate it.”

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A post shared by Scotty McCreery (@scottymccreery)

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time.

The post Scotty McCreery Faces Heartbreaking Double Loss As Both Of His Grandmothers Die Hours Apart appeared first on Country Now.

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