Category: Music

Dasha joins us for a special edition of The Pupdate, in partnership with MuttNation Foundation, to shine a light on shelter dogs who are often overlooked. On a gorgeous spring day, the country/pop breakout star visited the Williamson County Animal Center to spend some quality time with Thumper, an 11-month-old mixed breed pup who has already endured a difficult start to life.

Thumper was rescued from a landfill, and after medical evaluation, staff learned that he is both hearing and vision impaired. Despite those challenges, the team at Williamson County Animal Center quickly discovered that his heart works just fine. Sweet, affectionate, and full of joy, Thumper immediately won Dasha over during their walk together.

After greeting Thumper inside and getting him leashed up, Dasha headed out for a walk with the energetic pup, who was eager to explore the outdoors. While she admitted she grew up in more of a “cat family,” Dasha shared that she has always had a soft spot for dogs and reflected on her childhood pup, Chella, who was named after Coachella.

According to Dasha, Chella was a “tiny little yappy dog,” but her family loved her “so much.”

Although her life is currently packed with tour dates around the world, Dasha revealed that she dreams of one day owning property where she can “adopt all the dogs” though she admitted that chapter may still be a little ways off.

The California native has been riding a whirlwind few years following the massive success of her now 55x platinum single “Austin (Boots Stop Workin’),” a sold-out world tour, and appearances at some of the country’s biggest festivals. Next up, she’s heading to Las Vegas for the 61st Annual ACM Awards, where she earned a nomination for ACM New Female Artist of the Year. While Avery Anna took home the trophy ahead of the show, Dasha says the nomination alone feels surreal.

“It’s such an honor. I’m so proud of Avery Anna for winning. I’m so, so happy for her, but just being nominated is so crazy. There’s so many amazing up and coming females in this category,” she shared.

As Thumper sniffed every inch of the ground during their walk, Dasha reflected on the support she received from fellow nominees, including Avery Anna and MacKenzie Carpenter, who immediately texted her after the nominations were announced. She explained that the camaraderie between female artists is often very different from the competitive narrative fans may expect.

Dasha is also looking forward to walking the ACM Awards red carpet and seeing one of her longtime musical heroes, Shania Twain, host the show.

“The only time I’ve met her is when I won the People’s Choice Country Award for…Female Song of the Year, and she gave me the award.”

Dasha recalled hugging Twain onstage and joked, “I think I hugged her for longer than you’re supposed to hug the person giving it to you. I was just like, ‘Shania, holy sh**. This is awesome!’”

In addition to catching up with friends and fellow artists in Las Vegas, Dasha said she also hopes to squeeze in a little blackjack, although she admitted, “I will probably lose.” There’s even a chance she may check out a Magic Mike show while she’s there.

Stay tuned for more from Dasha in Part Two of The Pupdate, coming next week.

Dogs with special needs like Thumper are often among the most overlooked in shelters, despite having just as much love to give. If you’re considering adding a new member to your family, Thumper is still available for adoption.

The post Dasha Bonds With Special Needs Shelter Dog In Special Pupdate Episode Ahead Of ACM Awards Weekend appeared first on Country Now.

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The day is finally here: Lainey Wilson is officially a wife.

The country music superstar announced that she and her fiancé, former NFL player Devlin “Duck” Hodges tied the knot in a stunning ceremony that took place at the Ruskin Cave in Dickson, Tennessee.

Vogue reports that the couple said “I do” on Sunday, May 10.

Wilson recalls driving down the backroads of Tennessee when they spotted a billboard for the venue. In the moment the first stepped onsite and saw the serene setting, she knew that was where they were going to start the next chapter of their life together.

“Duck said, ‘You wanna get married there?’ I said, ‘Done deal.’ We dropped by, saw the venue, and fell in love with the natural beauty of the cave and the simplicity of the property.”

Once the venue was secured, the wedding planning was in full swing. The couple made sure that their day included nods to both of their lives, like the Cajun dinner cooked by the chefs from Wilson’s Nashville bar, Bell Bottoms Up to represent her Louisiana roots. They also danced the night away to a 12-piece jazz band called Rebirth.

 “We wanted it to be special and beautiful, but really welcoming and comfortable for our guests,” she says. “We tried not to take ourselves too seriously.”

When the moment finally came for the big moment, the lovebirds to met at the end of the aisle on a cobblestone ledge at the foot of a waterfall, while friends, loved ones and fellow country stars sat surrounded by the sound of rushing water.

“You could hear the water trickling down and birds singing, and we had a nice spring breeze,” Wilson recalled.

The “Somewhere Over Laredo” singer arrived to the ceremony in a white horse-drawn carriage and walked down the aisle with her dad on her arm. Fans are used to seeing Wilson donning bell bottoms, but for this very special occasion, she opted for a custom white gown that featured small Japanese cherry blossoms around the neckline and cascading throughout. The dress came together with the help of her stylist, Alexandra Mandelkorn, and the Oscar de la Renta team.

“The cherry blossom represents living in the moment, and that’s exactly what we did,” she explains.

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Hodges also turned heads in his bespoke suit by D. Lacquaniti. The look was elevated with a custom bolo, cufflinks, a hat pin created in collaboration with Mud Lowery, custom boots by Golden West Boots and a cowboy hat by Charlie 1 Horse. His entire ensemble was styled by close friend Raina Gir.

His bride eventually made her way to the end of the aisle, where the couple was married by Wilson’s friend and mentor, Wes Williams. She admits she has never seen Dodges smile as big as he did in that moment.

“It made me feel giddy about turning the page into this next chapter of marriage. We were both anxious to say ‘I do,’” shared Wilson.

Once the ceremony was complete, the couple made their way back down the aisle for the first time as husband and wife while “Where Is My Husband!” by Raye played through the speakers.

Their New Orleans band then led all the guests to cocktail hour, where guests found their table numbers through a display of small cowboy hats with each name written on the feather.

“It was so lovely to have that touch of my home in Louisiana up here in Tennessee,” said Wilson.

To kick off the reception Wilson’s mom led the dinner prayer before guests enjoyed a delicious meal while taking in the views of the set up, which looked like it was straight out of a fairytale. They were surrounded by family, members of Wilson’s team, her dog Hippie, and a few artist friends including Luke Bryan, Ian Munsick, Lauren Alaina, Ella Langley, Miranda Lambert, Wynonna Judd, Ashland craft, Drew Baldridge and Jelly Roll.

“Our family and friends know how to have a good time, and the dance floor was packed all night. To close out a perfect evening, Duck and I followed the band through a send-off line of sparklers and cheering loved ones, climbed into an old white Ford truck, and drove off!”

This epic wedding ceremony took place a little over a year after Hodges proposed to Wilson on the doorstep of George Jones’s renowned estate in Franklin, Tennessee in February of 2025. Their first love story began in 2021 when they were set up on a blind date. The two had dinner in Nashville at Moby Dicky’s and later ended up at the bar, Silverado’s.

“We’ve been pretty inseparable since,” Wilson admitted.

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The excitement continues this weekend as Lainey Wilson heads into the 61^st ACM awards a seven-time nominee, which includes a nod for Entertainer of the Year. The evening will unfold live from Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Arena and will air exclusively on Prime Video.

The post Lainey Wilson Marries Devlin ‘Duck’ Hodges In Serene Waterfall Wedding appeared first on Country Now.

​Country Now

Congratulations to the happy couple! Continue reading…​Country Music News – Taste of Country

Congratulations to the happy couple! Continue reading…​The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs

Zach Top is receiving major backlash online following comments he made about sobriety during an appearance on Bert Kreischer’s Bertcast.

While sitting down with comedian Bert Kreischer, the country singer opened up about his days on the road and the lifestyle changes that have come with being a touring artist full-time. The conversation eventually shifted toward sobriety culture, where several of Top’s remarks quickly sparked criticism across social media.

Top explained that after he went from working construction to being a singer/songwriter in spring 2024, he began drinking more as a result off of having access to alcohol on his bus “24/7.”

Still, he insists he doesn’t “need” to drink but instead sees it as a “want” because it makes everyday moments more enjoyable.

“I don’t need it. I’m not waking up at a venue and having a beer at 10:00 AM because I need it. It’s because it’s like, oh it’s sunny out, we’re playing pickleball in the parking lot. Let’s have a beer while we’re doing it. And it just makes everything better in my mind.”

“It’s a little sparkle,” Kreischer noted.

Things took a more controversial turn when the Washington native shared his opinion on sobriety, calling it a “fad” and a “trendy thing right now” in today’s society with the growing number of people choosing to eliminate alcohol from their life. He went on to suggest that as long as people are able to keep themselves healthy, they can continue to drink all their life and be “fine.”

“The next person I hear say they got sober…It’s just like, I want to hit ‘em in the head. We don’t need that. Just be a normal guy and just drink a normal amount and you can do it all your life and you’re fine,” Top stated.

In his eyes, sobriety is all part of a “disease” going around that involves people doing stuff just to get recognition for it.

“There’s a difference between doing something just for the love of doing it and then doing it so that you can post a video and get a bunch of affirmation and a bunch of likes,” he shared. “And the affirmation and the likes are great. We all like that. It’s awesome. But you got to do it just for the love of doing it. And if you’re doing it for the love of doing it, you don’t have to talk about it as much with the sobriety thing and whatnot.”

Once the clip began to circulate the internet, the comments immediately drew backlash with many arguing that Top’s remarks dismissed the realities of addiction and sobriety struggles. Some pointed out that sobriety is often a personal decision necessary to improve mental health, to control substance abuse issues or even save a life, rather than simply being another social media trend.

One user wrote, “Can never knock someone for putting down alcohol and to stop poisoning their body. It’s the healthiest thing you can do.”

“Sobriety is the only thing keeping some people alive today, my friend. Don’t minimize what you haven’t lived through.”

“Zach Top just kinda lost his cool with this comment,” said an upset user.

Another person added, “Some of us can’t drink a normal amount… and that’s the problem I’m sober 11 years in Aug it’s not a fad!! It literally saved my life!!”

In addition to sharing his honest thoughts on drinking, Zach Top also discussed his smoking habits. While he admitted that cigarettes are “bad for you,” he doesn’t seem overly worried about them shortening his life, noting that he’s seen plenty of people who smoked their whole lives and still lived to be “100 years old.”

“I probably smoke five or six a day…I feel like I’ve tried to intentionally dial it back just a little bit because when I was working construction, I’d smoke a pack a day easy,” he shared. “I’d like to smoke cigarettes forever till I die when I’m a hundred…I think when the habit starts when it’s like you don’t actually want a cigarette or hit a nicotine, but it’s just the routine so you just do it. And so I’ve tried to just be like, no, just smoke it when you actually [want it]. That first one of the day with a cup of coffee or something, nothing feels like that.”

Top has become known for leaning into a more old-school country image, making it no surprise that he and his bandmates are often seen smoking cigarettes on stage while performing.

The country act is currently gearing up to launch the next leg of his 2026 “Cold Beer & Country Music Tour” with numerous dates scheduled across the U.S. and Canada through summer 2026. Plus, he is confirmed to perform at the 61^st ACM Awards, airing this Sunday live on Prime Video from the MGM Grand Garden Arena at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT 

He is headed into the star-studded night a nominee in the categories of Male Artist of the Year, Album of the Year for, ironically, an album titled “Ain’t In It For My Health,” as well as Single and Song of the year with “I Never Lie.”

The post Zach Top Sparks Backlash Online After Calling Sobriety a ‘Fad’ appeared first on Country Now.

​Country Now

It was one of the funniest moments in ACM history! Continue reading…​The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs

Jordan Davis’s iconic beard has been around for well over a decade. What keeps him attached to those facial locks? Continue reading…​Country Music News – Taste of Country

Jordan Davis’s iconic beard has been around for well over a decade. What keeps him attached to those facial locks? Continue reading…​The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs

Ella Langley gets her toughness from how she was raised. Continue reading…​Country Music News – Taste of Country

Ella Langley gets her toughness from how she was raised. Continue reading…​The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs