Latest news with #Batson
Indianapolis Star
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
Meet Maddox Batson, rising teen star who went from TikTok to Lainey Wilson tour opener
NEW YORK – Maddox Batson's latest trip to New York City is going much better than the last one. In April, the 15-year-old singer was forced to postpone a sold out show at Irving Plaza due to illness. But about a month later, Batson is back in the Big Apple and in better health. He caught a Yankees game in the Bronx, visited the Empire State Building, ate pizza in Manhattan and made up the concert, performing for a capacity crowd of 1,200 adoring fans. "You want to have confidence, but in the back of your mind you're like, 'What if no one shows up?'" the country singer admits before headlining USA TODAY Acoustic, a new series that provides a stage for notable and rising talent across the USA TODAY Network. "But when I get out there and I finally get on stage and I see all my fans singing the words back to me, it's just like the coolest experience ever. I mean, blows my expectations out of the water." Coming off his March debut at the Grand Ole Opry and ahead of his tour dates supporting Lainey Wilson, Batson chats with USA TODAY about his songwriting, the artists who inspire him and how it feels to go viral. In March, Batson released his debut EP, "First Dance." The artist also dropped "First Dance (The After Party)" with three additional songs. He said he whittled down the 10 songs that went public from hundreds, and his key criteria involved checking three boxes before deciding on a song. "You got relatability (lyrics), just to like my fan base but can also branch out to other people that aren't necessarily fans of me yet," he says. "Then you have catchiness; how good the song sounds. Then you have sound and production. There are plenty of songs that have one or two keys, but not a whole lot of them have all three." As far as the relatability part, Batson admits he's not living a typical teenager's life as a touring musician, but he's still finding inspiration on the road. "Every night there's things that happen to me or just things that I see that just sparks that little, 'Hey, you should write about this,'" he says. "Sometimes you really got to dig deep and sometimes it's right there in front of you. But I love writing." What else is inspiring his music? Earlier this year Batson told The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network, that girls and his social media feed have provided that "spark" for studio sessions. Batson has 3.4 million followers on TikTok. Before becoming a sensation on the platform, his account was getting banned but was unclear as to why, he says. While there's no public knowledge of music artists being outright banned for performing on the platform, TikTok has run in to royalty disputes with publishers that have forced the removal of certain song catalog (one such dispute with Universal Music Group was resolved last year). Batson would go live on TikTok, performing with his father Dan. Then in August of 2023, he decided to post a cover of Zach Bryan's "Something in the Orange." The floodgates opened. He sat in his garage, refreshing his page and watching the views increase exponentially. "I remember it hitting 1 million views and I ran around my house," Batson recalls. "I thought I was on top of the world. I thought I was 'him.' I thought I just entered celebrity status." It currently sits at 5.4 million views. Batson is not at a loss when asked about artists who have impacted his young career. The first name he mentions his country singer Bailey Zimmerman, who Batson says has become a friend. He also lists Morgan Wallen and Justin Bieber. The comparisons to Bieber are not hard to draw: Both gained fame in their teens, both first saw success covering songs online (for Bieber, it was his YouTube channel), both gained the moniker of a "teen heartthrob" and both are from towns not exactly known as showbiz hotspots (Batson was raised in Birmingham, Alabama before his parents moved to Nashville; Bieber was raised outside Toronto in Canada). "Being so young, I feel like it's hard to navigate what you're doing (in the music business)," he responds when asked about Bieber. "Me and him started at very similar ages, so just keeping a good stable family unit or good stable team around you, I feel like is very helpful. Being 15, I think I know everything, but I really don't." Batson's self-awareness is beyond his years, but he still isn't taking himself too seriously.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Meet Maddox Batson, rising teen star who went from TikTok to Lainey Wilson tour opener
Meet Maddox Batson, rising teen star who went from TikTok to Lainey Wilson tour opener Show Caption Hide Caption Maddox Batson explains why he covered Justin Bieber's 'Love Yourself' Singer-songwriter Maddox Batson tells USA TODAY's Ralphie Aversa about his inspirations, including his parents and Justin Bieber. NEW YORK – Maddox Batson's latest trip to New York City is going much better than the last one. In April, the 15-year-old singer was forced to postpone a sold out show at Irving Plaza due to illness. But about a month later, Batson is back in the Big Apple and in better health. He caught a Yankees game in the Bronx, visited the Empire State Building, ate pizza in Manhattan and made up the concert, performing for a capacity crowd of 1,200 adoring fans. "You want to have confidence, but in the back of your mind you're like, 'What if no one shows up?'" the country singer admits before headlining USA TODAY Acoustic, a new series that provides a stage for notable and rising talent across the USA TODAY Network. "But when I get out there and I finally get on stage and I see all my fans singing the words back to me, it's just like the coolest experience ever. I mean, blows my expectations out of the water." Coming off his March debut at the Grand Ole Opry and ahead of his tour dates supporting Lainey Wilson, Batson chats with USA TODAY about his songwriting, the artists who inspire him and how it feels to go viral. Maddox Batson breaks down his songwriting process In March, Batson released his debut EP, "First Dance." The artist also dropped "First Dance (The After Party)" with three additional songs. He said he whittled down the 10 songs that went public from hundreds, and his key criteria involved checking three boxes before deciding on a song. "You got relatability (lyrics), just to like my fan base but can also branch out to other people that aren't necessarily fans of me yet," he says. "Then you have catchiness; how good the song sounds. Then you have sound and production. There are plenty of songs that have one or two keys, but not a whole lot of them have all three." As far as the relatability part, Batson admits he's not living a typical teenager's life as a touring musician, but he's still finding inspiration on the road. "Every night there's things that happen to me or just things that I see that just sparks that little, 'Hey, you should write about this,'" he says. "Sometimes you really got to dig deep and sometimes it's right there in front of you. But I love writing." What else is inspiring his music? Earlier this year Batson told The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network, that girls and his social media feed have provided that "spark" for studio sessions. Maddox Batson recalls his first 'viral' moment Batson has 3.4 million followers on TikTok. Before becoming a sensation on the platform, his account was getting banned but was unclear as to why, he says. While there's no public knowledge of music artists being outright banned for performing on the platform, TikTok has run in to royalty disputes with publishers that have forced the removal of certain song catalog (one such dispute with Universal Music Group was resolved last year). Batson would go live on TikTok, performing with his father Dan. Then in August of 2023, he decided to post a cover of Zach Bryan's "Something in the Orange." The floodgates opened. He sat in his garage, refreshing his page and watching the views increase exponentially. "I remember it hitting 1 million views and I ran around my house," Batson recalls. "I thought I was on top of the world. I thought I was 'him.' I thought I just entered celebrity status." It currently sits at 5.4 million views. Here's how Justin Bieber inspired Maddox Batson Batson is not at a loss when asked about artists who have impacted his young career. The first name he mentions his country singer Bailey Zimmerman, who Batson says has become a friend. He also lists Morgan Wallen and Justin Bieber. The comparisons to Bieber are not hard to draw: Both gained fame in their teens, both first saw success covering songs online (for Bieber, it was his YouTube channel), both gained the moniker of a "teen heartthrob" and both are from towns not exactly known as showbiz hotspots (Batson was raised in Birmingham, Alabama before his parents moved to Nashville; Bieber was raised outside Toronto in Canada). "Being so young, I feel like it's hard to navigate what you're doing (in the music business)," he responds when asked about Bieber. "Me and him started at very similar ages, so just keeping a good stable family unit or good stable team around you, I feel like is very helpful. Being 15, I think I know everything, but I really don't." Batson's self-awareness is beyond his years, but he still isn't taking himself too seriously. "I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed," he jokes. "But I'm trying, maybe second (sharpest)."
New York Times
05-04-2025
- Business
- New York Times
U.S. Soccer, NWSL see 2031 Women's World Cup as ‘catalyst' for growth and league expansion
LOS ANGELES — The United States has not yet formally won the bid to host the 2031 Women's World Cup but various figures from the U.S. Soccer Federation and the NWSL are already looking six years ahead to harness the power of hosting the tournament. 'It gives us something to work towards that we know from history can change the interest level in women's soccer,' NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman told The Athletic before the U.S. women's national team face Brazil on Saturday, a rematch of the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medal match. Advertisement FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Thursday that the U.S. submitted the only 'valid bid' to host the 2031 tournament before the governing body's deadline. FIFA later announced that the U.S. submitted a joint bid with 'other member associations from Concacaf (to be confirmed in due course).' The longer runway allows for significant planning time, especially with the potential to build upon hosting the 2026 men's World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada, and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. U.S. Soccer CEO J.T. Batson stressed that the bid includes growing the game across the region through Concacaf participation, and pointed to Friday's announcement of Washington Spirit owner Michele Kang doubling down on her investment in U.S. Soccer with a $25 million contribution. Batson said this will allow the federation to be better prepared for 2031. 'Your ability to use the World Cup as a catalyst is before, not after,' Batson said. 'So starting way early on, that is something that we're really excited about.' Details about what the bid includes are thin, with Mexico absent on paper after their previous co-host billing from the 2027 bidding process. However, Batson called the U.S. a 'co-host' rather than a host. Many of the details, he said, depend on the tournament potentially expanding to a 48-team endeavor, which he said is something U.S. Soccer has been 'passionate supporters for.' 'We think it would be incredible for growing the women's game,' Batson told reporters on Friday. 'One of the things we hear from folks who lead federations around the world is they view the Women's World Cup as an opportunity for them to 1. make a World Cup, and 2., really go compete in a way they wouldn't be able to on the men's side,' Batson said. With U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone now a member of the FIFA Council, it's another chance for the federation to advocate for tournament expansion. Advertisement Beyond U.S. Soccer, the NWSL stands to benefit from the third Women's World Cup on home soil — and the first with a professional league in a position to take advantage of the tournament bump. 'Hopefully, this will be a catalyst for a lot of cities,' Kang, whose Washington Spirit was a beaten finalist in the NWSL last year, said following the SheBelieves Summit at a small media roundtable. 'Even from an infrastructure perspective, I'm trying to convince our area that the World Cup is coming and Washington, D.C. could be the center of women's football, not just government and political power. We're trying to use that as an opportunity to expand the presence and get women's football squarely in the mainstream.' Angel City CEO and co-founder Julie Uhrman was enthusiastic about what hosting the World Cup could offer all levels of the sport. 'It's more visibility for women's football, it's more access to see incredible athletes,' Uhrman said. 'Then the idea that most of them play in the NWSL, and you can continue to see them every single month following the World Cup, it's a huge opportunity, not only for the league but to grow the sport from the grassroots level all the way to the professional level.' Existing and potential NWSL markets stand to benefit six years down the line, a landscape that Berman has aspirations to expand as large as the NFL. With Denver and Boston entering the league in 2026 before the men's World Cup, there are no signs that the NWSL will stop there. Berman said that while expansion plans have been based on the league's business, a 2031 World Cup in the U.S. could provide an additional filter for the league to consider. 'I'm very confident that our expansion will continue between now and then, so this will certainly give us even more reason to be bullish on our expansion plan,' Berman said. 'Seeing how the country reacts to the men's World Cup next year will be really important. We're already working closely with FIFA and the host committees, even though it's the men's World Cup, to capitalize on it being here. Through that, we can formulate a plan that will take us through 2031.'
New York Times
03-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
U.S., Canada and Mexico World Cup organizers react to Trump impact on 2026 plans
U.S. Soccer is forging new relationships with the Trump administration to ensure preparations for the 2026 World Cup run smoothly, its CEO has said. The tournament will be hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico following their successful joint bid in 2018 but relations between the countries have been altered in recent months following the election of President Donald Trump. Advertisement He has spoken about making Canada the '51st state' and is conducting an immigration crackdown at the border with Mexico. JT Batson, though, highlighted a 'long-standing relationship' with different government levels and the CEO of U.S. Soccer says Trump's second term should not affect progress to a common goal. 'Any time there's a transition in (Washington) D.C., we have to build new relationships with new folks in leadership positions across the State Department, Treasury, the White House,' he said. Batson is joined by organizers from the tournament's other host nations in a special episode of The Athletic FC podcast called A World Cup Divided: Trump and 2026, which focuses on the political backdrop to next year's global event. Last month, Trump announced the formation of a World Cup taskforce alongside Gianni Infantino, the president of world soccer's governing body FIFA, to provide governmental support. The official announcement highlighted that it will 'co-ordinate with executive departments and agencies to assist in the planning, organization and execution' of the tournament. 'A lot of the things that are very important for a World Cup — like visas, tourists and safety — are things we work with the government all the time on,' said Batson at an event in Los Angeles called The Business of Soccer. 'I know there's very deep and broad commitment to ensure that '26 is a huge success.' Peter Montopoli is Canada's lead World Cup organizer and has watched Trump's Canada position with interest. 'We're very passionate about who we are, and we've seen in recent times that we have to stick up for ourselves,' he said. 'Sometimes we don't have to be the nice Canadians. We can get our elbows up. It's OK.' Interviews with Concacaf president Victor Montagliani — who is also from Canada — and the nation's American head coach Jesse Marsch also feature in the hour-long documentary alongside Montopoli. All staunchly defend the nation's independence from the U.S.. Advertisement 'I think the world needs more of Canada and we're here to show the world what we are,' said Montopoli. 'So June 12, 2026 (when Canada plays its opening World Cup match in Toronto) is one of the most important days in the history of our country, and I hope all Canadians embrace that and show the world we're here. We're good for the world.' Canada beat the U.S. 2-1 to claim a bronze medal in the Concacaf Nations League finals. 'I'm a proud Canadian and representing this badge in our country is not something we take for granted,' said Canada goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, who acknowledged the 'stakes are a little bit higher' in the current climate. The soccer team followed in the footsteps of Canada's ice hockey squad, who beat their American counterparts in the 4 Nations Face-Off final in February. 'Seeing the hockey between Canada and the U.S. and those fights inspired us to fight for our country,' St. Clair added. Trump's policies include a strong stance on immigration from bordering Mexico. The head of that nation's World Cup organizing committee is Jurgen Mainka and he calls the country's hosting of the tournament a 'brand-building exercise' capable of 'repositioning the way the world sees Mexico'. 'Every time I turn the TV on in the U.S. or anywhere around the world, you hear about Mexico, but you hear about the violence, the drug cartels,' he said. 'While that's a reality of the country, I think it's like five or seven per cent of what the country is all about.' Former Mexico international and LAFC striker Carlos Vela says 'it will be a great opportunity to show our football, our culture and make a big party for the the people' but acknowledges the political undertones present challenges. 'The world is in a really tough situation, but we are out of sight of that,' he said. 'We don't focus on that situation because it's not in our hands. We have to enjoy life and try to make life easy for everybody.' Hear more from all of the above in an hour-long documentary on The Athletic FC podcast called 'A World Cup Divided: Trump and 2026'. It also includes a trip over the US-Mexico border to Tijuana to speak to Mexican citizens about the tensions, plus contributions from former MLS star and ex-Montreal Impact head coach Thierry Henry, Fox analyst and Trump supporter Alexi Lalas, fans from the respective nations and many more.
