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Stephen Wilson Jr. Reveals The Inspiration Behind ‘Stand By Me’ And Why the Song Holds Such A Deep Meaning For Him [Exclusive]

Stephen Wilson Jr. is opening up about the deeply personal inspiration behind “Stand On Me,” a track that has resonated with fans and helped him honor the memory of his late father.

Earlier this year, the country artist dropped the deluxe edition of his critically acclaimed debut album, ‘Son of a Dad’ via big loud records, which included 10 acoustic tracks and two new songs – “I’m A Song” and “Stand By Me.” The latter has already been streamed more than tens of millions of times.

Photo Courtesy of Stephen Wilson Jr.

While hanging out with Country Now backstage of the CMA Awards, Stephen explained the project serves as a “testament” and a “monument” to his father, who he claims helped catalyze his career in music and acted as his biggest supporter.

“I grew up boxing. A boxing ring was my first stage, and that’s where I learned how to be in front of people. And he’s been training me in that way for a long time. But when the music stuff came along, when all this started, he passed away,” the singer/songwriter acknowledged with a heavy heart. “So he never got to see any of this stuff. So I’ve been trying to get it to him. I feel like music crosses the membrane and crosses the veil, and so really, I’ve just been trying to keep him alive this whole time.”

“Stand By Me” also has deep roots in his childhood, as Stephen revealed it was inspired by the movie of the same name that’s based off a Stephen King book. After his father passed, Stephen began singing the song in his living room, and eventually, he naturally transformed it from a haunting tune into something more like a hymn. For him, it became a way to keep his father’s memory alive.

“It made him feel like a kid on my shoulders. And I’ve been back to what I said before, kind of chasing that feeling ever since. So it’s really wild that I’m playing it at the CMAs and it’s done what it’s done. It has wings that I can’t quite understand. My dad’s probably has a lot to do with that,” he shared.

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Stephen will get to put this song on display for the world in a whole new way on Wednesday night when he performs it at the 2025 CMA Awards. Later that night, he will team up with Shaboozey to perform “Took A Walk,” another song inspired by a Stephen King movie.

“We also wrote that for a Stephen King movie called ‘The Long Walk,’ which was, by the way, his very first book he ever wrote. He wrote it as a 19-year-old boy at the University of Maine in his dorm room. So I don’t know. I’m Steven with a ‘PH’ so there’s a lot of weird parallels going on that I couldn’t have planned if I tried.”

Along with these performances, the rising star is celebrating the milestone of earning his first CMA nomination for New Artist of the Year. He is vying for the win alongside Ella Langley, Shaboozey, Zach Top and Tucker Wetmore.

“It’s a strong club to be part of that I’m very humbled and honored to be a part of,” he said of the recognition. “I couldn’t really quite believe it when they told me about it. I just kind of went and looked at a wall for 10 minutes and tried to process it.”

This honor is even more impressive considering the fact that Stephen Wilson Jr. didn’t start singing until about 10 years ago. Prior to that, his main goal in life was to write songs for other artists to sing.

“I quit my job as a scientist to be a songwriter, and songs are everything for me. I never dreamt I’d be a singer in this capacity, but sometimes your dreams out dream you, and that’s what’s happened,” the Indiana native explained.

Stephen Wilson Jr.’s upcoming appearance at the 59^th Annual CMA Awards is set to air this Wednesday when the show broadcasts live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Fans can tune into the event hosted by Lainey Wilson on at 8:00-11:00 PM/ET on ABC. It will also be available next day on Hulu.

The performance will take place amid his Son of a Dad tour.

The post Stephen Wilson Jr. Reveals The Inspiration Behind ‘Stand By Me’ And Why the Song Holds Such A Deep Meaning For Him [Exclusive] appeared first on Country Now.

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Priscilla Block Reveals She And Boyfriend Elijah Will Make Their Red Carpet Debut at the 2025 CMA Awards [Exclusive]

Post author By alaskaadmin
Post date November 18, 2025
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Priscilla Block has recently started giving fans a glimpse into her relationship with longtime boyfriend Elijah, and now the couple is about to take a big leap into the spotlight. After keeping his identity and their love story mostly private, she’s beginning to share more—and on Wednesday, they’ll make their red carpet debut at the 2025 CMA Awards.

The songstress admitted to Country Now, “I can’t believe it. I am bringing him to the CMA Awards on Wednesday and he’s walking the carpet with me.”

Priscilla Block Boyfriend; Photos via TikTok

This will be the first time that Block will put her relationship on full display for the world. She joked that she’s not sure if her boyfriend, who grew up in a small town in West Tennessee, is quite ready for a night of fans and cameras following him everywhere.

“I’m like, I don’t know if you’ve ever seen as many lights that you’re going to see on the carpet, but there’s a lot. It’s going to be great,” she shared. “He’s like, ‘I feel like we’re going to prom together.’ I’m like, wait, I love this. It’s kind of giving prom night.”

It’s safe to say that it will be hard for Priscilla Block to top her grand entrance and ensemble for the 2023 CMA Awards, when she arrived on a dump truck carrying a traffic cone and sported a neon yellow look featuring a bright safety vest. However, she teased that people are likely going to be “shocked” by the looks she and her man will be sporting on this year’s red carpet.

“Like I said, I love to keep people guessing on what I’m going to do,” she admitted before reflecting back on that memorable moment of 2023. “That one, I don’t know if I’ll ever top it because how iconic is it showing up to the CMAs in a dump truck in a full hi-vis outfit. So that one’s going to be tough to beat, but I think I might beat it tomorrow because I got my man by my side. I’m ready for it…the fit is fitting, so I’m excited.”

@priscillablock All i can say is RUN to the gram for the pics… this ones for the fans #cmaawards ♬ Hey, Jack – Priscilla Block

In a recent string of videos shared to TikTok, Priscilla Block finally gave fans the full rundown on how she first met Elijah, their two-year separation and how they found their way back to each other.

It all began one night out on the town in Nashville in 2016, when the pair locked eyes at a bar called Crazy Town and felt love at first sight.

“We fell in love very fast. It was kind of crazy,” she admitted.

Block went on to say that their love quickly blossomed after that fateful night and went on to span two years. In that time, she attended his college graduation where she met his parents, and he became her number one supporter. Unfortunately, their love story eventually came to a halt, causing tremendous heartbreak on both ends.

“I remember we both just sobbed at his apartment rooftop and [it was] just one of those breakups…I felt like we were at this point where it was like right person, wrong time. I felt like we kind of just started arguing about stupid stuff and I kind of felt like we both just needed time away.”

@priscillablock
Highly requested story time 🙈

♬ original sound – priscillablock

But, they couldn’t stay apart for too long. Both Block and Elijah explored different avenues in their induvial lives for a period of time, however the country star says she never fell out of love with him. She admits she had reached her “lowest of lows” in 2020 and he came back into her life at just the right time.

“We run into each other one night at the bar and he comes up to me and he is like, ‘Hey, can we talk?’ And I’m like, ‘no, we’re not talking.’ I leave the bar not long after he leaves me a voicemail and he was like, ‘Hey, Priscilla, I’d love to talk…’

Before she knew it they were talking for hours on end and falling right back into place, almost as if no time has passed. So even though Block’s life was rapidly changing as her country music career began to take shape, Elijah was willing to wait until the moment was right for them to lean into their relationship fully. Even since they have been back in each other’s lives, the love has been strong and now, Block is ready to let the world know who has her heart.

“Y’all know how the internet can take something so beautiful and try and destroy it. So I don’t know. I’ve kind of just held onto this moment for a long time and let it be us. And I don’t know, I kind of just feel like I’m in a, I don’t care what anybody has to say about it now moment. So I think that’s kind of why I want to share it with everybody. Also, I did just release a song called ‘Elijah,’ so I kind of opened up the floor for the conversation,” she added.

Fans can catch Priscilla Block and Elijah making their CMA Awards red carpet debut on prior to the show airing this Wednesday at 8:00-11:00 PM/ET on ABC. It will also be available next day on Hulu.

The post Priscilla Block Reveals She And Boyfriend Elijah Will Make Their Red Carpet Debut at the 2025 CMA Awards [Exclusive] appeared first on Country Now.

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Bailey Zimmerman Teases What’s In Store For His Special Guest Appearance At The CMA Awards [Exclusive]

Post author By alaskaadmin
Post date November 18, 2025
No Comments on Bailey Zimmerman Teases What’s In Store For His Special Guest Appearance At The CMA Awards [Exclusive]

Bailey Zimmerman is closing out a huge year on a high note, having just been announced as a special guest for the 59th CMA Awards, which takes place this Wednesday night at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

When asked what it means to step into this role on such a coveted night, the rising country star teased “that is for me to know and everybody else to find out.”

Bailey Zimmerman; Photo by Masonn1k

The announcement comes as Zimmerman prepares to launch his 30-date headlining Different Night Same Rodeo Tour early next year. Named after his sophomore album, the tour kicks off in Estero, Florida on February 19 and will take him to cities including Knoxville, Boston, Atlanta, Fort Worth, Nashville, and Toronto, before wrapping in Ottawa, Ontario on June 20.

Since revealing the dates for the upcoming trek, fans have been flocking to grab tickets, eager to see Zimmerman bring his new music to the stage. The tour isn’t entirely sold out yet, however the Illinois native says the response has been unbelievable. He was excited to share that within the very first day of the sale, roughly 60 to 65% of tickets were sold.

Reflecting on the realization of his success and the massively supportive fanbase he’s building, he told Country Now, “I’m just a kid from a trailer park that started singing four years ago and now I’m on my own arena tour.”

He is set to be joined on the road in 2026 by Hudson Westbrook and Blake Whiten as support on select dates. Zimmerman particularly called out Westbrook and explained why he was the perfect fit for the tour.

“I honestly think that’s why I chose Hudson to come on tour with me because that dude is his own groove, his own vibe. He’s not trying, he don’t need to outdo or whatever I’m doing. He’s his own thing… He knows who he is and that’s what you’re really looking for. Confidence. I feel like that’s what’s gotten me just to where I’m even at today, is the confidence I’ve had. I really do see that in Hudson. The dude is just on his own wave, blinders on head down and I can’t wait to just see the show he brings because it’s going to be a different than mine.”

Bailey Zimmerman; Different Night Same Rodeo

Prior to announcing the tour, fans got a big dose of Bailey Zimmerman when he dropped his Different Night Same Rodeo project via Atlantic Records/Warner Music Nashville. This collection includes standouts like “Backup Plan” featuring Luke Combs, “Lost” featuring The Kid LAROI, “Holy Smokes,” “Holding On” and more.

The success of these songs has clearly fueled Zimmerman’s creativity and drive. In fact, he revealed that he’s already dedicating himself to songwriting in preparation for his next album.

“I’m actually working harder than ever right now, I’m not even going to lie,” he stated proudly. “I’ve been out in LA for three weeks. I’ve seen that almost a month. Seen. I’ve written probably, I don’t know, 30 songs or so…I don’t know what they are, of course, but I’ve just written a lot.

He continued, “Seeing the reaction from everybody with the album and seeing them love it so much is what gave me more confidence and to keep going and doing music that I love. The last album was a little experimental. There’s a lot of different sounds on there. It wasn’t so much like my first EP or my first album. So seeing all the love and seeing all that kind of sent me back into like, man, I’m going to not be so afraid to do cool stuff and try new things. So yeah, I’m excited. I’ve got a lot of cool stuff and we’ll just see what they think.”

“The 59th Annual CMA Awards,” hosted Lainey Wilson, will air live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 8/7c on ABC.

Fans can tune into the 59^th CMA Awards this Wednesday night to see what special surprises Bailey Zimmermna has in store. Hosted by Lainey Wilson, the show will broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena at 8:00-11:00 PM/ET on ABC. It will also be available next day on Hulu.

The post Bailey Zimmerman Teases What’s In Store For His Special Guest Appearance At The CMA Awards [Exclusive] appeared first on Country Now.

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