The country superstar is opening up about her marriage to Brendan McLoughlin — and the one quality she says has made all the difference. Continue reading…
The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
Category: Music
Cody Johnson’s worlds collide in the new music video for his current hit single “The Fall.” Tapping into his passion for professional bull riding, his country music career and his gift for storytelling, the CMA Entertainer of the Year nominee delivers a cinematic experience that brings to life the song’s reflective, bittersweet journey through life’s highs and lows.
The tune, penned by Ray Fulcher, Bobby Pinson and Jeremy Stover serves as the second single from the deluxe version of Johnson’s Leather album. In the video directed by award-winning director Dustin Haney, world champion bull fighter Cody Webster takes the lead as a rider who faces brutal round in the arena but repeatedly gets back on, embodying the song’s message of resilience and perseverance.
Viewers will see the clips alternating between Johnson performing in a dark field as rain pours down around him and Webster’s intense bull-riding scenes. Even though Webster continues to fall down and get beat up by the sport, he doesn’t let his moments of failure define him. This is the same message that Cody Johnson brings forth with the powerful tune.
With his signature vocals on full display, the COJO Music / Warner Music Nashville artist reminds listeners that every one of their experiences, both good and bad, shapes the journey and contributes to a life well lived. “The Fall,” he refers to throughout the tune is ultimately a celebration of life’s imperfection and enounces one to cherish the journey that comes, no matter how many obstacles get in the way.
He sings, “The ride was worth the fall/ The fall was worth the smiles/ The smiles were worth the tears/ Tears were worth the miles/ Miles were worth the pain/ Pain was worth it all/ It’s all worth this life/ Life is worth the ride/ The ride is worth the fall.”
Following the launch of the new music video, fans who tuned in had the chance to take part in a YouTube after party premiere that offered exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the making of the video.
The video arrives shortly after Johnson’s second-annual COJO Championship Event, presented by Tractor Supply Company. The event was held in Benton, Texas last week, however, the “I’m Gonna Love You” singer was unable to attend due to his emergency surgery.
Johnson took to social media last week to share with fans that after battling a “severe upper respiratory and sinus infection,” he burst his eardrum. This meant he had to undergo immediate surgery and was unable to attend the Championship Event.
Despite his absence, the competition highlighted top team roping and breakaway athletes from across the country, with proceeds supporting the Texas FFA Foundation. Funds were raised both during the event and through the Champs for Charity: Cowboy auction and dinner, reflecting Cody’s ongoing dedication to empowering the next generation of agricultural and rodeo leaders.
Along with missing the event, Johnson revealed he would be canceling the rest of his 2025 tour dates in order to heal properly. Johnson hopes that by having the procedure, he will avoid having to take even more time off from performing and potentially doing further damage.
He wrote, “Without the surgery my downtime could be months. I pray for full healing so I can get well and return to doing what I love. Thank you COJO Nation for the love and support, now, and always.”
It’s unclear exactly when he will be able to return to the road, but until then, fans will be able to cheer Cody Johnson during the“The 59th Annual CMA Awards.” He is going into the coveted evening a four-time nominee in the categories of Entertainer of the Year, his first-ever with the CMA’s, Male Vocalist of the Year as well as Music Event and Video of the Year with Carrie Underwood for their two-week No. 1 hit “I’m Gonna Love You.”
The CMA Awards will be broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Wednesday, November 19 on ABC and the next day on Hulu.
The post Cody Johnson Blends Country Music and Rodeo in Powerful ‘The Fall’ Music Video appeared first on Country Now.
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Lainey Wilson is gearing up for her first solo hosting gig at the 2025 CMA Awards. With this responsibility, she’s hoping to bring some fun to the stage.
Last year, she got her first taste of hosting the major event alongside Luke Bryan and former NFL star, Peyton Manning, who were known for having a few clever jokes in their scripts. Now with Wilson leading the charge, she says she wants to continue that tradition by incorporating some unrestricted roasts aimed at her friends in the industry.
“If I can poke fun at people, hey, we good,” she said during an appearance on Rolling Stone‘s Nashville Now podcast. “I tried to get them to let me do it last year and they were like, ‘whoa, whoa, whoa… that’s too far.’ But I go way back with these people. Let me make fun of Luke Combs, please.”
When the “Somewhere Over Laredo” singer takes the stage of the CMA Awards on November 19, she will make history as the first woman to host the awards show solo since Reba McEntire in 1991. Wilson admitted she couldn’t believe it was true at first, but knowing that she has McEntire’s support makes the milestone even more meaningful.
“I looked it up too and I was like, there’s no way. I let Reba know I was doing this and she was so excited,” Wilson shared. “It’s been a long time since a woman has done it solo. I’m glad they trust me. I like to run my mouth and I love country music.”
Wilson added that she has “no clue” why CMA producer Robert Deaton made the decision to make her the solo host. Luckily, it seems there are no hard feelings over the fact that Luke Bryan is not returning to reclaim his duties this year.
“…I guess Luke ain’t mad at me ’cause I’ve talked to him since,” she said.
“Honestly, he was probably happy to have a year off. And Peyton too, because they’ve been doing that for a while now…. Those guys are such genuine people that I think they’re happy for me. I really do,” she continued.
Having grown up watching the CMA Awards to the extent that she calls it her “super bowl,” Wilson revealed it is a “true honor” to get to return to the stage where some of country music’s biggest moments are celebrated and host for her second year.
“I’m humbled that CMA has trusted me with this role, and I can’t wait to love on this genre that has given me so much.”
The Louisiana native will also enter the night as a six-time nominee, tying with Ella Langley and Megan Moroney as the top nominees at the 59th annual CMA Awards. Among her nominations, Wilson is in the running for the night’s top honor, CMA Entertainer of the Year, alongside to- Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton, and Morgan Wallen.
The 59th Annual CMA Awards will broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 19 from 8 to 11 p.m. ET on ABC, and will stream the following day on Hulu.
The post Lainey Wilson Reveals Plans To Poke Fun At Fellow Country Stars While Hosting 2025 CMA Awards appeared first on Country Now.
Country Now
The Band Perry has made another change to its trio. As of Monday, October 13, Reid Perry is no longer a part of the group, meaning his sister, Kimberly Perry, is now the only original member to remain.
Reid has served as the bassist and background vocalist for The Band Perry since the group formed in 2005. Per his latest announcement, Reid has now decided to step away from their venture together to pursue his passion in artist management.
He addressed a heartfelt note to fans, sharing an update on his decision.
“To the fans, you’ve always been my favorite part of this. I’ve decided to leave TBP. I’ll be missing seeing you in the crowd at a Band Perry show but I’ll be around,” he wrote on Instagram. “For me it was and will always be about making great country music, with and for the hardworking people who love it and live it. Thank you for every memory, I’ll see you back in the saddle. I wish Kimberly and TBP the best as they move forward into the future.”
Kimberly took to Instagram to show her support for Reid’s decision to embark on his own journey on Instagram. Shew commented, “Reid! Wishing you the most wonderful successes in your new era! Love you, brother!”
This news comes just a few months after The Band Perry revealed that Reid and Kimberly had joined forces with Kimberly’s husband, Johnny Costello, to form the new The Band Perry. The original trio consisted of Reid, Kimberly and their brother Neil Perry, however he broke off from the band to pursue a solo career.
The newly formed trio also signed a management deal with Make Wake Artists (home to Luke Combs, The Castellows, Meghan Patrick, and more) and a label deal with their former label home, Big Machine Label Group.
At the time, Kimberly stated that rejoining the label felt like coming home.
“Coming back home to our Big Machine / Nashville Harbor family feels like a beautiful full-circle moment for us,” Kimberly Perry shared. “To bring the foundation of everything we’ve built together into a new season of creativity means the world. This reunion feels like a second chance, a deeper chapter, and we’re just so grateful to be writing it with the family who believed in us first.”
Back Row (L-R): Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment’s Ryan Dokke, Make Wake’s Shelby Marvel, Make Wake’s Sophia Sansone, Big Machine Label Group’s Scott Borchetta, Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment’s Jimmy Harnen, Make Wake’s Chris Kappy, Big Machine Label Group’s Allison Jones, Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment’s Dexter Bensman
Photo by Eden Gerlock For Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment
The Band Perry earned breakout success in 2010 with their No. 1 hit “If I Die Young,” which helped earn them honors at the ACMs, CMAs and CMT Awards; they also won the 2015 Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Gentle on My Mind.”
In 2015, they stepped away from country music to explore a pop sound and in 2023, took a break altogether to pursue individual musical paths. During that time, Kimberly dropped her solo EP, Bloom.
They announced their official return to their roots country music earlier this year as members Kimberly, Reid and Johnny. Fans celebrated their reunion alongside a a remastered version of their self-titled breakthrough album to mark its 15th anniversary.
It’s unclear what the future holds for The Band Perry, but the group currently has tour dates set through the spring of 2025. Their next performance is currently slated for November 7 in Isle of Palms, SC.
The post BREAKING: Reid Perry Exits The Band Perry, Leaving Sister Kimberly As The Group’s Sole Original Member appeared first on Country Now.
Country Now
Eric Church recently did something he’s never done before, and showed a side of himself fans rarely get to see. During his stop at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, MI, on October 10, the country star went incognito at his own concert after making a bet with friends to see if anyone would recognize him without his signature stage look and sunglasses.
Ditching his usual all-black attire, Church swapped into his own merch, including a “Chief” hat and a T-shirt with his own face on it, and traded his iconic Ray-Bans for a simple pair of eyeglasses.
In a video recapping the hilarious stunt, Church explained, “Tour life during the day can be incessantly boring. Last night over too much JYPSI [whiskey], we were talking about whether or not I could take my sunglasses off and go to my own show. I said I could and people around me said I could not. We had a little bet and we’re going to see if I was right or they were right.”
He then set off to make a full lap around the crowded concourse, greeting fans with casual “hi theres” and “how you doings” along the way. At one point, he admitted, “It’s getting crowded,” but pushed through to finish his loop.
In the end, only one person in the entire arena recognized the Chief, proving his disguise was a little too good.
@ericchurch Chief went undercover in Grand Rapids… would you have recognized him?
Church’s incognito adventure came just after the announcement of his upcoming IMAX release, Evangeline vs. The Machine Comes Alive, debuting exclusively in IMAX theatres across the U.S. and Canada beginning Friday, February 13, 2026.
In a first-of-its-kind collaboration between IMAX, MCA, Mercury Studios, and Q Prime South, the limited theatrical release captures Church performing his eighth studio album in full before diving into his biggest hits. The project was filmed over two nights at The Pinnacle in Nashville, Tenn.
“I’ve played a lot of shows. I’ve never had two nights like these where the room felt literally transported. We went to a different plane, musically, artistically, emotionally,” Church shared upon the announcement. “It was unforgettable and I’ll remember it the rest of my days.”
Church is currently in the midst of his 2025 Free The Machine Tour, which he recently extended into the new year.
The current run is set to wrap up on November 15 in Inglewood, California and the next leg will pick up in the new year on January 22.
The post WATCH: Eric Church Goes Incognito At His Own Concert, And Hardly Anyone Notices appeared first on Country Now.
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Jordan Davis is celebrating his ninth No. 1 at country radio this week and took a moment to thank everyone who helped make it happen.
“Grateful to get to call this a job and grateful to get to do it with some awesome people…Thank you to everyone that helped make ‘Bar None’ the No. 1 song at Country Radio…Mostly thanks to the best fans in the world for loving this one from the first time we played it live, y’all are the best…Thank you,” Davis shared.
Written by Ben Johnson, Hunter Phelps, and Lydia Vaughn, “Bar None” appears on Davis’ latest album, Learn The Hard Way. The track was released earlier this year ahead of the album’s debut, giving fans a taste of what was to come.
Davis also gave a shoutout to the songwriters, saying, “Y’all wrote a hell of a song.”
The breakup anthem finds Davis wrestling with the emotional aftermath of losing “the best thing I ever had.” As he tries to drink away the pain, he realizes that if moving on were a game, he’d be losing.
The song’s emotional weight is perfectly captured in its cinematic music video. Directed by Patrick Tracy, the clip opens with Davis sitting alone in a dimly lit bar, surrounded by moody neon lights and stained-glass windows. As the heartbreak builds, the walls begin to close in (literally) before the entire bar explodes in a dramatic climax, leaving Davis standing alone in the wreckage.
“‘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,” Davis explained. “It kind of pulled me in, something I wanted to hear more of. Glad we cut it, love the way it turned out. I think it’s something that’s a little different for me, but something I’m excited about to play live.”
Fans can catch Davis performing “Bar None” as well as a slew of other his on his Ain’t Enough Road Tour.
Next up, Jordan Davis is set to release the fan-favorite track “Turn This Truck Around” to country radio. The Louisiana native says it’s one of his favorites on the album and that he’s excited to showcase a different side of his sound.
“‘Turn This Truck Around,’ I was able to kind of get into my Southern rock feels. Man, probably my favorite song off this album,” he shared. “I just feel like we haven’t done anything like this, and I feel like y’all are gonna hear that.”
Co-written by Davis alongside Devin Dawson, Jake Mitchell, and Josh Thompson, “Turn This Truck Around” officially goes for adds at country radio on October 27.
The post Jordan Davis Scores Ninth No. 1 With ‘Bar None,’ Preps New Single ‘Turn This Truck Around’ appeared first on Country Now.
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Eric Church Went Undercover at His Own Show
He made just one small change — and almost nobody recognized him. Continue reading…
Country Music News – Taste of Country