The “Die a Happy Man” singer shares how fame and pressure led to a ‘double life’ that almost ended his marriage to Lauren Akins. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
Category: Music
The Academy of Country Music is teaming up with the Grand Ole Opry for an exciting pre-ACM Awards event.
Announced today, ACM Next Wave: Country’s Beach Bash will showcase several members of the Opry NextStage Class of 2026, including Willow Avalon, Graham Barham, Tyler Braden, Alexandra Kay, Vincent Mason, Emily Ann Roberts, and Hudson Westbrook.
This reimagined, fan-favorite outdoor concert experience will take place at the iconic Mandalay Bay Beach and Wave Pool, giving rising country stars a one-of-a-kind stage. Country’s Beach Bash is set for Saturday, May 16, 2026, in Las Vegas, just one day before the 61st ACM Awards.
Tickets are now available at AXS.com, with General Admission starting at $75 and VIP packages at $150.
Other previously announced ACM Awards week events include “ACM Lifting Lives Country on the Green: Riley Green & Friends” on Friday, May 15 at Topgolf Las Vegas. The event will transform the venue’s outfield into an intimate live music experience, with Riley Green headlining and additional performers to be revealed. The show kicks off at 8:00 PM (subject to change), with General Admission tickets at $150 and VIP early access at $200.
A portion of proceeds from both events will benefit ACM Lifting Lives®, the charitable arm of the Academy of Country Music, dedicated to enhancing lives through music and supporting those in need.
The weekend will culminate with the 61st ACM Awards on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. This year marks the show’s return to Las Vegas and the Sunday evening time slot.
The ACM Awards will once again be the first major awards show to livestream exclusively, available live on Prime Video.
While the full list of nominees has yet to be revealed, it has already been announced that Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson, and Riley Green will perform during the star-studded event. Additional details about the show will be announced in the coming weeks.
The post ACM Country’s Beach Bash To Spotlight Opry NextStage Artists Including Emily Ann Roberts, Vincent Mason, and Alexandra Kay appeared first on Country Now.
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Ashley McBryde is getting ready to unload a brand-new collection of personal stories and powerful tunes on her upcoming album, Wild. Adding to the excitement, she also dropped the official track list and teased what to expect from this chapter.
To help fans prepare for the project’s arrival next month, we have compiled everything you need to know about Wild, from the creative process and standout tracks to the themes shaping the songs and more.
Release Date
Starting off with one of the most important pieces of information, the record will be dropping on May 8 via Warner Records Nashville. This marks McBryde’s fifth studio album. Along with sharing the release date, the country star also revealed the track list with a bit of help from her fans.
Wild is Made Up of 11 Tracks
In the week prior to the announcement, 11 unique patches were mailed around the world to some of McBryde’s most devoted fans and members of her official fan club known as The Trybe. Each patch included a passcode and instructions for unlocking the title of a different song from Wild. Fans were told to enter their code on McBryde’s official website, causing the coordinating patch to light up on a jean jacket matching the one she wears on the album cover, and reveal the song title.
With every patch collected, the Trybe worked together to unlock the full album tracklist, unveiling all 11 songs to the world. Those same fans now have the chance to re-enter their password to hear an early preview of each track.
The Tracklist is Built on Over 15 Years of Stories
Now that that information has been shared with the public, we can see that Ashley McBryde served as a co-writer on six songs and chose five outside cuts bringing the total to 11. The Arkansas native also explained that when selecting songs for this record, she took a different approach, one that found her diving back into songs that she once feared were too honest and “unvarnished” to ever be released.
Wild came together during a pivotal moment in Ashley McBryde’s life. Even after years of success during which she achieved great recognition, like 2020’s Never Will becoming one of the only LPs ever to garner Country Album of the Year nominations from the ACM, CMA, and GRAMMY®s all in the same awards season, she found herself questioning her path.
As she attempted to find her footing and move forward in her music career with more confidence, McBryde began to revisit songs she had kept on the shelf for way too long, some have lived only in her live shows up until now.
That time allowed her to gain a new perspective on the unpolished songs. Between the co-writes and outside cutsWild gradually took shape with stories that were written over the course of 15 years.
“At the time I was told I needed to be more palatable than what those songs were offering,”McBryde explains. “I’ve kept them in my live show over the years, and I’m so thankful that I never cut them before this album. When I hear myself playing them now, I can finally believe the woman who’s singing.”
John Osborne of Brothers Osborne Produced The Entire Album
To help bring these tunes to life, McBryde recorded the songs with her live band, Deadhorse and tapped Lindeville collaborator and member of the award-winning country duo Brothers Osborne, John Osborne, to act as producer.
She continued, “We brought an entirely new approach to the studio every day, where we cut what spoke to us in that moment. No plan for an album, no timeline, no pressure – just me, John, the boys and a feeling…These songs that have lived with us for years, and new songs that found their way to us and immediately felt like mine, they all started to outline the shape of a story I knew too well. They fell together to tell my story; I think that’s what happens when you let the Wild back in.”
McBryde Digs Deep Into Her Sobriety Journey
Based on the tracks released so far, including “Rattlesnake Preacher,” “Arkansas Mud,” current single to country radio, “What If We Don’t” and her latest release, “Bottle Tells Me So,” it’s clear that this collection takes fans on a raw and honest journey leading up to the moment McBryde quit drinking nearly four years ago.
“Bottle Tells Me So” was penned by the Grand Ole Opry member with Shelly Fairchild and Terri Jo Box, and illustrates the aftermath of a drunken night that left the person at hand struggling to gain control. McBryde’s lyrics paint a vivid picture of the morning after a night spent drinking when the confusion, regret, and the realization that the consequences hit all at once. With a mix of self-reflection and honesty, the song marks a pivotal turning point in McBryde’s life.
“When I was drinking, it was much easier to turn off my inner critic as I was creating,” McBryde admits, who got sober in June 2022. “But over time I learned I needed to acknowledge that voice, tell her she’s no fun to work with, and then try to tap into the younger version of me—the one who couldn’t handle all the things she left behind in Arkansas, and who ended up drinking to soothe herself. I had to tell her, ‘Okay, the alcohol’s gone and you’re scared—so, do it scared. You’ve been through worse, and you made it out all right.’”
GRAMMY®, CMA, and ACM award-winning singer-songwriter Ashley McBryde will celebrate her new chapter of vulnerability tonight and tomorrow for the second installment of her sold-out Redemption Residency. Her solo acoustic “Just Me and My Shadow” shows will feature fan favorites, deep cuts, and previously unheard tracks from her catalog.
Wild Tracklist
1. Rattlesnake Preacher (Randall Clay)
2. Arkansas Mud (Ashley McBryde, Jessie Jo Dillon, Chris Tompkins)
3. Water in the River (Randall Clay, Blue Foley, Roger Hodges)
4. Creosote (Ashley McBryde, Lisa Carver)
5. Bottle Tells Me So (Ashley McBryde, Shelly Fairchild, Terri Jo Box)
6. What If We Don’t (Ashley McBryde, Terri Jo Box, Randall Clay)
7. Lines In The Carpet (Lauren Hungate, Caroline Watkins, Lori McKenna)
8. Behind Bars (Jeff Hyde, Jessie Alexander, Jon Randall)
9. Hand Me Downs (Ashley McBryde, Jessie Jo Dillon, Laura Veltz)
10. Wild (Jeremy Spillman, Makayla Lynn, Matraca Berg)
11. Ten to Midnight (Ashley McBryde, Travis Meadows)
The post Everything We Know About Ashley McBryde’s Upcoming Album, ‘Wild’ appeared first on Country Now.
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![<a href="https://theboot.com/ixp/204/p/dasha-country-music-mental-health-interview/" target="_blank">Dasha Reveals What Led to a Total Emotional Breakdown [EXCLUSIVE]</a>](https://townsquare.media/site/204/files/2026/03/attachment-dasha-oh-anna-interview.jpg?format=natural)
Rising star Dasha is finding her way through fame’s spotlight, but it’s not all glitz and glamour — there’s a deeper story beneath her success. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
Rising star Dasha is finding her way through fame’s spotlight, but it’s not all glitz and glamour — there’s a deeper story beneath her success. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
Ella Langley is giving fans a more stripped-back look at one of her most personal songs yet. The rising country star just announced that she recorded a more intimate rendition of “Loving Life Again” as part of her Back Home Sessions, which is now available on YouTube.
The country star has recently opened up about finding comfort in spending more time at home, especially when life starts to feel overwhelming. “Loving Life Again” came from a season where she stepped back from the music scene, spent time with loved ones, returned to her Alabama roots, and leaned into her faith. On the other side of that, she became a better version of herself and it feels fitting to honor that chapter with the Back Home Sessions.
The video captures her in a peaceful open space surrounded by nothing but the greenery, horses roaming in the background and her band members. Langley stands in front of the mic barefoot while donning a flowy long sleeve dress with a patchwork design while the musicians around her all sported the same ensemble consisting of brown boots, blue jeans, a white button-ups and black suspenders.
Langley truly looked right at home as she effortlessly delivered the soft, uplifting tune backed by a delicate, layered array of instruments that brought the stripped-back performance to life.
The song opens with a reflective tone, as the Alabama native compares life’s ups and downs to seasons that come and go. She captures that feeling of getting stuck in her own thoughts and finds herself leaning on comforting memories to escape when the world feels too overwhelming to handle.
“Seasons come like seasons go, I guess/ Ain’t it just like me, making all this mess/ Of my head again?/ I got memories I like to think of/ When this big old world gets a bit too much/ When days are long, I drift away/ I play that song I used to play/ When skies are always summertime blue,” Langley sings.
Later in the song she even adds a subtle nod to the memories of hearing her grandma call out from inside her home, the sounds of the front porch swinging in the wind. Upon reaching the chorus, Langley explains the pure and joyful shift that she feels when going back to those comforting days.
The imagery of drifting away while playing a familiar song and basking in endless “summertime blue” skies instantly sets a nostalgic, peaceful mood—inviting listeners into a space of quiet reflection and gentle joy.
Langley’s gritty but soulful vocals deliver, “Just like that, I’m back to loving life again/ Dreaming dreams about back home riding on the wind/ When I close my eyes, I find some peace in the back of my mind/ In between them pines where I’m jumping on that quarter horse, and then/ Just like that, I’m back to loving life again.”
It wasn’t just fans that admitted they were loving the Back Home Sessions version of “Loving Life Again.” Fellow country artist Tucker Wetmore also offered her praise as he took to the comment section and simply wrote, “This is good.” She also received a compliment from current Idol contestant, Hannah Harper who said “That DRESSSSS.”
Penned by Ella Langley with ERNEST and Devin Dawson, “Loving Life Again” marks the last single to be unveiled before her Dandelion album drops on April 10. It follows previously released tracks from the complete collection, “Choosin’ Texas,” “Be Her,” and the title track.
In support of the sophomore project, she will also embark on The Dandelion Tour, kicking off on May 7 in Toledo, Ohio, and running through August 15 in Fort Worth, Texas.
The post Ella Langley Drops Stripped-Down Rendition Of ‘Loving Life Again’ With ‘Back Home Sessions’ appeared first on Country Now.
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Adam Doleac and his wife, MacKinnon, are officially parents of two! The couple took to social media on Thursday, March 26 to announce the arrival of their baby girl, Madley.
A carousel of photos helped break the news and showed fans a look inside this milestone moment with sweet Polaroids and hospital snapshots to the newborn’s first meeting with big sister Jack, who just turned 2 on March 23, and their journey home as a family of four.
Madley was born on March 22, 2026 and as Doleac pointed out in the comment section, she weighed in at 10 lbs.
The excited and proud parents wrote, “We love you, Madley 🩷 3.22.26”
Doleac jokingly added, “All 10 pounds of you… 🤯🩷.”
Fans swarmed the comment section with congratulatory messages and wished the family well on their next chapter together.
One user wrote “She’s perfection! Congrats to the whole fam!”
Another exclaimed, “ITS A GIRL! Congratulations you two!”
A few of Doleac’s fellow country singers also jumped in to share their excitement. Madeline Merlo wrote, “🥹🥹🥹 congrats she’s precious!!!” while Alana Springsteen said, “😭😭😭 congratssss she’s so beautiful.”
This is a day that the lovebirds have been counting down to since they announced their second pregnancy exclusively with Country Now last October. Doleac confirmed the news in the music video for the title track of his latest album, Dream House. The video features a clip of the family of three plus a “big bro” t-shirt hanging clearly within the shoot. On top of that, he also He also tucked a hidden teaser for “Big Day in Our Little World” into its visuals at the time.
Doleac proposed to his wife in February 2022 after almost five years of dating. On that unforgettable day, the Mississippi native’s soon-to-be fiancé was under the impression that she was heading out on a girls night at the Franklin Theater in Franklin, Tennessee to see her favorite movie, The Parent Trap. However, when she arrived, Doleac was there down on one knee in the midst of a romantic set up.
“To be honest, I can barely remember what I said,” he recalled to PEOPLE. “I had something prepared, but as soon as I saw her, that all went out the window. I do remember what she said though — yes! Three times.”
The pair of lovebirds said “I do” just 10 months later in a ceremony in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida in December 2022.
As he enters each new chapter of life, Adam Doleac finds more inspiration for his music. “Dream House” is among several songs on the project that hone in on Adam Doleac’s personal experiences and milestones, and now, he is diving even deeper into the power of love with his new single, “Broken Record.”
Penned by Doleac with Andy Skib and Matt Willis, the tender tune offers a raw, heartfelt ode to a love between a couple that persists despite any flaws or challenges thrown at them. The lyrics reveal a man’s vulnerability and imperfection before showing how that strong connection between him and his other half has the power to heal, and it only gets better with time.
He sings, “I can’t stop lovin you lovin you/ Lovin’ you on repeat/ My heart it’s skipping’ it’s skipping/ It’s skipping/ Skippin’ a beat I know you know you know it/ But I’mma say it forever/ I love you like a broken/ Love you like a broken record.”
Explaining the sentiment behind the new release, Doleac shares, “‘Broken Record’ is built around the double meaning of broken. The guy in the song starts off pretty beat up — scratches, scars, stuck in the same bad habits. His life was like a record he didn’t like the sound of — until she showed up. Just like that, the needle finally found the right groove. All of a sudden, the only thing on repeat is how much he loves her.”
The release of “Broken Record” also signals an intentional creative shift for the singer/songwriter. Along with offering fresh visuals to really bring the story to life, the song’s cover art helps usher in a new chapter of storytelling that reflects an evolution in his artistry.
“He went from being ‘broken’ to being a ‘broken record,’ saying those three words over and over, forever and ever, in a million different ways,” he continues. “Perfect love doesn’t exist, but forever love does — and it sounds a lot like a broken record. I also wanted it to feel like a broken record musically. The pulsing guitar at the top, the repetition in the chorus, the bridge, the outro — it’s all intentional. The song doesn’t just talk about a broken record; it actually sounds like one, too.”
After sharing the stage with some of country’s biggest names as well as leading his own shows in 2025, Adam Doleac has plans to build even stronger connections with his fans in 2026.
The post Adam Doleac and Wife MacKinnon Welcome Second Child, Baby Girl Madley appeared first on Country Now.
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It’s been quite the journey for Parker McCollum; his latest album is less about numbers and more about pure passion for music. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
It’s been quite the journey for Parker McCollum; his latest album is less about numbers and more about pure passion for music. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
Think that only fun, upbeat songs can become crossover hits? Think again. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs