Gretchen Wilson is giving one of the most iconic albums of the 2000s a fresh new twist.
Ahead of her CMA Fest performance at Nissan Stadium, Wilson caught up with Country Now backstage and revealed that she is re-recording her breakthrough debut album, Here for the Party, with an all-star lineup of duet partners.
“I decided to rerecord the first album and do it all as duets, every song on there, except for ‘Pocahontas Proud.’ That’s the final track on there because that one’s a little too personal. I couldn’t imagine asking someone else to sing that they’re from Pocahontas when I don’t even really want to sing that,” she shared.
Gretchen Wilson performs at Nissan Stadium on Thursday, June 4, 2026, during CMA Fest presented by SoFi in downtown Nashville; Photo Courtesy CMA
When it comes to collaborators, Wilson has recruited some of country music’s biggest names.
“I’ve got a big lineup of different people. I think I’ve got Travis Tritt on Holding You. I’ve got Ashley McBryde on one. I’ve got Miranda Lambert singing with me on one. Ella’s going to be on one…Cody Johnson,” she revealed.
Originally released in May 2004, Here for the Party launched Wilson into country music stardom and produced fan-favorite hits including the title track, “When I Think About Cheatin’,” and her signature anthem, “Redneck Woman.”
Now, revisiting the songs with duet partners has given Wilson a whole new appreciation for the project.
“And some of these songs now, doing them in a duet form. I don’t know how we didn’t think of this years ago. They were almost written to be duets.”
In addition to the reimagined album, Wilson is also working on new music. Her latest release, “Redneck Shit,” is already generating buzz, and she says fans can expect a mix of fresh material and duets in the months ahead.
“I’m kind of working on that and I’m simultaneously working on new music too. We’re trying to balance it out and maybe like come with one of the duets and then something new and then a duet,” she explained. “So once we get to a certain point, then we’ll probably drop the whole thing.”
Gretchen Wilson; Photo Provided
As for her next full-length project, the GRAMMY winner says she has a “best song wins” mentality.
“I can tell you that I’m listening to a lot of songs that I’m writing and even as a songwriter though, best song wins. I’m not one of those that has to write it. If somebody beats me, I’ll take that. So I’m listening to a lot. I got a lot of great songwriter friends and so they’re sending me a lot of stuff and just trying to narrow down what’s next.”
Fans can catch Gretchen Wilson on CMA Fest presented by SoFi, hosted by Riley Green and Lara Spencer of Good Morning America.
CMA Fest 2026
The three-hour concert special airs Thursday, June 25, at 8/7c on ABC and will be available to stream the following day on Hulu.
Bailey Zimmerman, Blake Shelton, The Band Perry, Brothers Osborne, Carly Pearce, Cody Johnson, Deana Carter, Ella Langley, Fetty Wap, Florida Georgia Line, HARDY, Jason Aldean, Jelly Roll, Jordan Davis, Keith Urban, Lainey Wilson, Luke Bryan, Michael McDonald, Molly Tuttle, The Red Clay Strays, Ricky Skaggs, Riley Green, Russell Dickerson, Shaboozey, Shay Morgan, Stephen Wilson Jr., Tim McGraw, Tucker Wetmore, and Zach Top will also perform.
Bailee Ann, the 18-year-old daughter of Jelly Roll, has shared a new statement, opening up about both the positive and negative messages that have been overwhelming her public profiles over the past few days as a result of the singer’s ongoing divorce from his wife Bunnie Xo.
As news of Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo’s divorce continues to circulate, the situation has sparked widespread discussion online, with many comments and opinions appearing across each of their social media accounts, including Bailee’s. The recent high school graduate took to TikTok stories to share a message that thanks those who have offered their support and also addresses the importance of compassion during this difficult time.
Photo Courtesy of Jelly Roll
Starting out on a positive note, she writes, “thank you to everyone who is showing me so much love and kindness through everything. At the end of the day, no matter what, we are all humans with feelings and that is worthy of compassion. Thank you for the kind messages, the words of support, and those of you who go out of your way to make me feel protected & seen. I love yall.”
She goes on to promise to never forget the people who have shown her empathy, especially amid all the hate. As for everyone else who has chosen to take the negative route by spreading criticism and unkindness, Bailee expressed her hope that “humanity can evolve to a place where kindness comes first.”
“I understand & respect opinions and that a public profile is a public profile, but that doesn’t have to mean we throw away our human decency. I love ALL of you,” she said in conclusion.
Photo Courtesy of Bailee Anne
Jelly Roll and Bunnie’s split comes after 10 years of marriage. According to TMZ, the country star filed for divorce in Tennessee in May, citing court records obtained by the publication. Bailee Ann is the first of her family to speak out and this wasn’t the first statement she’s made on the matter.
One day prior to sharing the more positive message, she took to Tiktok to express her frustration over the amount of people who are desperate to find out all details of what she deems to be a “private family matter.”
“Oh & one more thing I am disgusted at how invested everyone is in a very clearly private family matter,” she wrote. “It’s fkn crazy.”
“Go on somewhere yall,” she continued. “Worry bout your house- not mine. I’m not speaking on it – yet.”
There are dedicated fans, and then there are fans like Shane Gutormson. The diehard Luke Combs supporter, who many would consider to be the country star’s doppelganger, traveled across the country to attend every stop on the North American leg of Combs’ My Kinda Saturday Night Tour. Now, he’s looking back on the unforgettable journey following the tour’s conclusion.
In a new Facebook post, Gutormson revealed that he spent 12 weeks on the road attending all 12 of Luke Combs’ concerts. His journey began at the opening weekend in Las Vegas and continued all the way through the final shows in Toronto. And he didn’t just catch one concert in each city. Whenever Combs scheduled multiple nights at a venue, Gutormson made sure to be there for every single performance.
Photo Courtesy of Shane Gutormson
It was clear this was going to be no easy task, but with Combs’ ongoing mission to keep his ticket prices more affordable, Gutormson realized it wouldn’t be an impossible goal to accomplish.
“I am always in the pit, so money is always a factor for those tickets. He has always kept his prices low, so that really made it easy to do them all. He had a new album drop the week of his first show, so I knew throughout the tour we would get new songs. The Luke community (The Bootleggers) is also a big reason for me going to every show. I have met people at all of the shows previous to this tour, that I was able to meet up with along the way, making it much easier and more fun. Being able to share concert memories with close friends is one of the best feelings,” he told Country Now.
By the end of this impressive journey, he had racked up 10,700 total travel miles driven (155 hours), plus his roundtrip flight to Sin City.
“Still without words the journey I’ve been on since March 21st. I believe I’m the only person crazy enough to attend every single show (that isn’t on payroll!) of the tour,” he wrote in a new Facebook post. “When I told people I was gonna try for every show, I got weird looks and they asked why? At the time, I didn’t really have an answer, other than, I love Luke’s music.”
Now that the journey has come to an end, Gutormson says he’s realized it was about far more than just attending concerts and loving the music. It was about the community of people that he met along the way, from fellow fans all the way to Luke Combs himself and his team.
“Meeting other Luke fans all around North America, saying… ‘we follow you on Facebook!’ Or ‘hey there’s Shane!’ Them knowing who I am, only because Luke brought us all together, having crew members come up to me, saying hello, introducing themselves and saying THANK YOU, to me, just tells me Luke has created a culture backstage. The entire team is amazing and some of the nicest people I’ve ever met.”
Some of his other favorite moments include gifting signed items to younger fans, documenting his journey online, knowing that Combs knows him by his first name, and getting to watch an entire show side stage.
“So it’s not always just about the music, it’s about the people you meet along the way, and the memories that were made. Each night, was pretty much the same show, but each night was a totally different adventure!”
Photo Courtesy of Shane Gutormson
Due to the fact that he bares a close resemblance to Combs in his physical appearance, the fan pointed out that there were also many moments where people have stopped him and asked for a photo along the way.
“Funny enough, I get asked all the time. There have been a few times though that I have had to explain to someone that I am not actually Luke. I love interacting with people, so it is all in fun. I just tell them to not ask me to sing!”
One of his best memories of the entire journey was a very “magical” night when Gutormson got to meet the “Ain’t No Love In Oklahoma singer” inside the venue before a show.
“Being told, ‘you guys stay there, we are going to go get Luke and bring him to you’ are words I will never forget. We exchanged sports cards, talked about the tour and the setlist. I have now interacted with him about 8 times now, and each time I’m left speechless on how nice he really is,” he told us.
Photo Courtesy of Shane Gutormson
His appreciation for Luke Combs began in 2018 and the first time he attended a live show was at a festival in 2021.
“It was during that show, that he won me over,” the fan admits. “I was up front, and he pointed me over to him, and he poured his drink in to my cup and shared a little moment while he performed. After having that experience, realizing how nice he is, that made me really like him even more.”
The fan admits that while he is sad the My Kinda Saturday Night tour has come to an end in North America, he is eager to see what the future holds as he continues to follow Combs and meet even more members of his fanbase, the Bootleggers.
“It was the best 12 weeks I’ve ever had, I would do it again in a heart beat. (Maybe more flights),” he wrote at the end of his post. “Everyone I met on tour, I appreciate you all! Hopefully we can catch a show again next year!”
It appears Rhett Akins’ son Brody may have inherited the family’s love of performing, but he’s still learning that life on stage comes with a few rules. He recently revealed the hilarious moment that led to his 6-year-old getting “banned” from the Grand Ole Opry.
Akins told Country Now that he sees many similarities between Brody and his other son/fellow country star, Thomas Rhett, including their love for being a part of the action on stage.
“I never pushed my kids to do music or anything, but Thomas Rhett could not stay off the stage when he was five years old. He wanted to be out there and now my little boy doing the exact same thing,” the hit songwriter shared.
Rhett Akins with Family at Grand Ole Opry; Photo Courtesy Sonya Akins
Akins would regularly allow Brody to join him during performances at the Opry until one night when he had a bit of breakdown in front of the audience.
“We’ve had to ban him from the Opry so far,” Akins joked. “He used to come out and sing with me a few times. And the last time he had a little meltdown on stage. And so we’re having to retrain him for the Opry right now, but hopefully he’ll get it back together.”
The “That Ain’t My Truck” singer then recalled calling up Dan Rogers, Senior Vice President and Executive Producer of the Opry, and apologizing for his son’s behavior.
“I called Dan Rogers the next thing. I was like, ‘Dan, don’t ever have me back. Seriously.’ I’m so sorry. But he goes, ‘Buddy, that’s the least of our worries because we’ve seen so much more than that.’ He goes, ‘We ain’t worried about that at all.’”
Hopefully, one day, Brody will earn his way back into the coveted circle and stand beside his dad once again.
This conversation with Country Now took place backstage at Nissan Stadium during CMA Fest, where Rhett Akins helped kick off the first night of the 2026 festival with a special performance. He is certainly no stranger to CMA Fest. In fact, Akins has been attending the event since 1994, except back then it was called Fan Fair and it was held at the Nashville Speedway Fairgrounds.
“I played it for the first time in 1995. Used to have a booth that people would come line up for five hours to get your autograph,” he recalled. “It’s changed so much over the years and I’ve played all the stages during CMA Fest, but never in a many years did I think I was going to be playing at the stadium tonight.”
Rhett Akins at Nissan Stadium on Thursday, June 4, 2026, during CMA Fest presented by SoFi in downtown Nashville; Photo Courtesy CMA
Akins explains in that era of CMA Fest, the artists would each have their own booth that they would decorate in a way that was most fitting for them. The country hitmaker opted to lean into his Georgia roots and have baskets full of peaches at his booth as well as a map of where he was from and even the state flag.
“It was all about Georgia. And I still have a lot of those. I think I had old license plates from Georgia. And that was a big thing, man.”
He continued, “I used to sit in the booth…there would literally be people that you just saw last weekend in concert in Kansas. The Hardcore fans. And they drove to Nashville to stand in line to see you again. And then when this weekend’s over, they go to the next town that you’re in. ‘Y’all don’t have enough pictures of us together?’ But it’s so cool. And nowadays it’s gotten so worldwide. It’s not only just american fans, but they’re coming from England and Australia and everywhere.”
Next week, Fans will finally get the chance to relive all the fun and must-see performances of one of the biggest weekends in country music as the stars of the genre take over the small screen for CMA Fest presented by SoFi, hosted by Riley Green and Good Morning America’s Lara Spencer.
CMA Fest 2026
The star-studded concert special will feature performances from Bailey Zimmerman, Blake Shelton, The Band Perry, Brothers Osborne, Carly Pearce, Cody Johnson, Deana Carter, Ella Langley, Fetty Wap, Florida Georgia Line, Gretchen Wilson, HARDY, Jason Aldean, Jelly Roll, Jordan Davis, Keith Urban, Lainey Wilson, Luke Bryan, Michael McDonald, Molly Tuttle, The Red Clay Strays, Ricky Skaggs, Riley Green, Russell Dickerson, Shaboozey, Shay Morgan, Stephen Wilson Jr., Tim McGraw, Tucker Wetmore, and Zach Top.
Tune into the special Thursday, June 25 at 8/7c on ABC or stream it the next day on Hulu.
Eric Church’s journey from North Carolina to country music stardom is nothing short of inspiring, marked by hits and a loyal fanbase that keeps growing. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
Eric Church’s journey from North Carolina to country music stardom is nothing short of inspiring, marked by hits and a loyal fanbase that keeps growing. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
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In just over two years as a band, DEK of Hearts have gone from being music-loving college friends who cut their teeth on the Broadway circuit to one of country music’s fastest-rising acts. Comprised of Dylan John, Emily Clapp, and Kollin Bailey, the group has quickly built a reputation for their soaring harmonies, genre-blending sound, and undeniable onstage chemistry.
The trio’s momentum has only continued to grow in recent months. After winning the State of Tennessee’s 2025 Tennessee Songwriters Week competition and captivating audiences as finalists on Season 28 of NBC’s The Voice, the group reached another major milestone when they made their Grand Ole Opry debut on May 29, 2026. Their performances of “Dear Ole Whiskey” and newest single “Crazy Lady” earned two standing ovations from the crowd before they later returned to the stage to join Carly Pearce in singing “Boondocks.”
DEK of Hearts; Photo by Linden Stackley
With a name derived from the first letter of each member’s first name, DEK of Hearts are proving that they are just getting started. Fans can find the group bringing their growing catalog of music on the road throughout 2026 while serving as direct support for Carly Pearce, Brett Young, and Niko Moon.
Emily was on vocal rest during DEK of Hearts’ interview with Country Now, but her bandmates Dylan and Kollin opened up their early days as a trio, how their bond with Carly Pearce led them to fulfilling a huge dream, what that moment in the historic venue meant to them, new music and more.
How did you initially meet and decide to form a trio?
KOLLIN: We all met at Trevecca Nazarene University here in town. It’s so funny. We all came at different times. Dylan came as a freshman. Emily transferred to the sophomore and I transferred as a junior, but we were all the same year. And so our senior year we traveled on…The school had two traveling worship teams. So Emily and I traveled together on a team and then Dylan traveled with Emily’s now husband. And so we traveled kind of the South and did camps and played at churches. And then for our degrees, we had to have a senior recital. And so for my senior recital, I did a country concert with Rhonda Vincent and then I just asked them since they were my friends to sing backup. And we sang “What If I Never Get Over You” by Lady A and people were like, “Hey, there’s something there when all three of you are singing, you should chase it.” That was May of 2023. We didn’t form the trio or really talk about it for a couple months and then we formed and debuted as Dek of Hearts on April 24th of 2024. So we’ve been doing this for a little over two years.
At what point did you guys decide we’re going to take this to the next level and audition for The Voice?
DYLAN: Like Kollin was saying, after the trio started, we really did a lot of workshopping at the bars and stuff in Nashville. So as we continued to build a good set and build our chemistry together at…we loved to do movie nights together and Emily and I love to cook so we’ll go back and forth. But we were doing a movie night and we saw that you had a day or two left to audition for The Voice. So we sat down and did “Heads Carolina.” And honestly, we didn’t think much of it other than like, “Hey, this might be a good next step.” Not that this was ever the dream, but I mean it sure was beating like, Oh, the three, four hour stuff is great, but unless you’re really cut out for that and you want to do that, we wanted something more out of what we were doing, not just to stay, but how can we continue to grow and get better? So it was just a cool next step.
Whose idea was it to name your group DEK of Hearts?
KOLLIN: So we actually debuted as Good Hope Road for one show, which was the street my grandparents’ first house was on and they were living on love. And then as we got together, it was like, that’s only special to me, not for Dylan and Emily as well. And so somebody came to one of our bar gigs and they threw out Deco and then Art Deco and they’re like, “Something’s there.” And then we were like, “Dek.” And then Heart Street is the street that we would load in on and leave on at our school when we were on the worship teams. And so that made a whole lot more sense and was a little bit more fitting to all three of us.
What were you hoping to accomplish when you really started to gain traction as a trio?
KOLLIN: Looking back, we were so naive and had no clue what we were doing. We really thought we were making money once we got out of the tips only bars to the guarantee bars. And ignorance was bliss because if we would’ve known what we know now, we probably wouldn’t have kept going and been so encouraged while we were doing it. But I mean, obviously our dream when we started would be like, “Man, we would love to play the Grand Ole Opry.” And that was my biggest dream since I was a little boy. As we formed the trio, that was our biggest dream. It’s so funny with us just making our Grand Ole Opry debut, and they just asked us to come a second time. So that’s so exciting.
How have your dreams evolved since those early days?
KOLLIN: Now it’s like, okay, now what? We just went to CMA Fest and we’re like, Nissan Stadium would be awesome and we want to be nominated for a CMA and ACM award and all of the things. And it’s so interesting, as a group navigating the country scene, it’s actually so much different than solo artists. So that’s been fun to workshop and look at other artists. Obviously our hero is Lady A, they paved the way for trios like us. And so yeah, that’s been interesting. Our goals have definitely changed, especially with us reaching our biggest dream so quick. Now it’s like, “Hey, we can’t stop here. We got to keep going.”
What’s been the most challenging part about working and growing as a trio?
DYLAN: So we had always told ourselves right off the bat when we started, if it starts to affect the friendship, then we don’t want to keep doing music together because I was like, the friendship and the relationship is a lot more important than the music thing. It’s cool that we get to do it together, but also just staying rooted in our faith and making sure that we’re supporting each other, looking out for each other and encouraging each other. Don’t get me wrong, it’s really cool when we all moved to Nashville. We all wanted to do music, but it looked really different. And so I think just constantly when you have rough days or you’re upset or you’re just like, “I’m just tired. I’m tired of traveling. I want to be home.” It can start affecting people. I think just constantly coming back to remembering like, “Hey, let’s look back and see how the Lord has been blessing what we’re doing and being thankful.” And it kind of reunites and puts you back on the same vision. But yeah, it’s just been awesome. We’ve been together for a little over two years and to see how the Lord has fast tracked a lot of what we’ve been doing, just bumping us into the right people, us trying to grow those relationships, like meeting the bar managers, meeting agents, just everyone. You just never know who you’re going to run into again. So we’re just trying to make it work and be good to people along the way.
How did you react when Carly Pearce invited you to make your Grand Ole Opry debut?
DYLAN: So being on the road with Carly that last night in Canada, she’s like, “Hey, come sit down and let’s just talk.” It was really sweet of her to take the time to do that and kind of tell us more of her story. It just felt super casual and comfortable. But along that conversation, she had mentioned, “Oh, have you guys played the Opry?” We told her, “No, it’s our biggest dream.” And she just kind of looked at her bass player and was like, “Okay, okay.” And then so it was just a couple days later and they’re like, “Hey, we want you guys to come in for the WSM interview.” And Kollin had done this stuff before with his former boss, Rhonda Vincent and Kollin’s like, “It’s never that long. We’re not going to go into it thinking what it’s going to be, but something might happen.” So walking in there and then having her come in the room and surprise us, it was really cool that she just followed through with her word and she really believes in us.
She could say something and not do anything, but her actions were definitely speaking for that. But yeah, that night was just such a rush. It was great to have all of our families there to support us and be backstage and look at the history and just something really cool to experience, especially someone who didn’t grow up listening to the Opry. You’re just amazed to see how many different kinds of acts now with different people like Sabrina Carpenter and Steven Curtis Chapman. There’s just so much history in there. It’s really cool.
Kollin, since you had previously worked as a backstage tour guide at the Opry, what did that moment mean to you?
KOLLIN: I had seen a lot of Opry shows. I worked for a Bluegrass artist named Rhonda Vincent and I went into it like, “Kollin, manage your expectations because you’ve seen a lot of debuts and there are so many different things that can happen on your debut night.” I mean, something that we were just so honored and surprised by was the two standing ovations that we got. When I had dreamed about it, I never got to that point in the dream. We’re at the end of the song people stand up sometimes. And so I mean, what a surreal night it was. My family, we all talk about it and it’s like, seriously guys, Carly was the MVP that night. She tee’d it up so well to us, shared her platform with us. It was so sweet to us. I mean, it surpassed all of our expectations and I cannot think of a better night that we’ve ever had.
You performed your newest single, “Crazy Lady” while in the circle. Tell me a bit more about this song and the inspiration behind the story.
DYLAN: We’ve done a lot of cinematic stuff and Emily’s husband is really good and gifted with that. And so it’s a lot of fun to be able to try different things and see what the audience likes. But yeah, that song, it’s not anything that we’ve been through. Kollin and I haven’t really ever dated a “Crazy Lady,” not planning on it, but I just think it’s a fun song. We’ve done it all. We love “Dear Ole Whiskey” and we’ve done things that it’s super important to highlight and things that people go through, but also be like, “Hey, you can cry with us, but you can also have fun with us at our shows.”
DEK of Hearts; Photo by Linden Stackley
Is there anything you can tease in terms of new music?
KOLLIN: We’re super excited to be back at the Opry…It’s July 7th, which is so funny because that is, to the day, a year from our blind audition to now, which crazy. And Opry had no idea that was the date because that’s not necessarily public knowledge. I know that we will be teasing a new song there. It probably won’t be our next release. It’ll probably be the second release, but we have a single coming out in mid to late July and then we’ll be releasing more music every six to eight weeks and we’re super excited.
Since you are currently performing across the U.S as direct support for Carly Pearce, Brett Young, and Niko Moon, what has been one of your favorite moments in the live shows lately?
DYLAN: I mean, I think those collaborations are cool. I don’t know if it’ll ever get better than those moments with Carly. I’m not expecting that to happen a lot, but I also love too, we’re doing a lot more full-band stuff now and we have a great band and it’s nice to be able to rely on them and bring them into what we’re doing. But I do love like sometimes during the set, it’ll be just the three of us. I love those moments just because that’s where it started.
KOLLIN: I also love the storytelling aspect. If you come to a show, people are always like, “Man, you guys have the stories not just to tee up the songs, but getting to hear…” We talk about the good, the bad, the ugly. We want people to laugh and we want people to know that we’ve been through things and we want to give people hope. And so I love how versatile our stories can be and showing…I know we’re only like 25 years old, but we’ve lived quite a bit of life in 25 years. And so it’s been so fun to be able to share the stories of our lives and relate to people in really hard situations. So I love that. And of course, when we’re up there on stage, we’re sweating and we’re giving everything we’ve got. We love that so much. So yes, I am so excited about our live shows.
Imagine the surprise when Tim McGraw walked up to Russell Dickerson with a stack of cash tucked in his jeans—just another day in country music, right? Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
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