Latest news with #CMAEntertaineroftheYear
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Country Comeback Story Drew Baldridge Finds Himself on the Cusp of Another No. 1 with 'Tough People' (Exclusive)
Drew Baldridge's latest single, "Tough People," is currently circling the Top 10 on the Mediabase charts He became the first self-released artist to hit No. 1 on the country charts last year Now, Baldridge is gunning for a second shot at the top spot Country music's rising star Drew Baldridge currently finds himself on the cusp of perhaps another No. 1 hit with his current Top 15 single 'Tough People.' And certainly, he has Luke Combs to thank. "Luke recorded 'Tough People' first,' Baldridge remembers in a recent interview with PEOPLE about the impactful song he wrote alongside Combs, Adam Sanders and Jordan Walker that was released last October. "I was looking for a second single and I had always loved 'Tough People,' but I just felt like the song was already his." Nevertheless, Baldridge decided to call the two-time CMA Entertainer of the Year anyway. "I remember Luke saying, 'Dude, you wrote it, and you should sing it,'" recalls Baldridge. "'It's your song and I'll root you on all the way to No. 1.'" And that is now looking like the trajectory that 'Tough People' is going to take — and Combs knows it. "I saw him in Nashville when 'Tough People' had just reached the Top 15 and I thanked him and he was like, 'Shut up, man,' Baldridge, 32, recalls with a laugh of the moment he shared with Combs while out on tour with Cody Johnson. "He said, 'Don't say thank you. This is your moment. This is your song. I'm so happy for you.' And he was so kind. And it's just been another one of those things where you see why when you take a chance on yourself, you never know what might happen." He draws in a deep breath. "It's just been the roller coaster of a ride for me for the last 18 months,'"continues Baldridge, who also launched The Tough People Fund earlier this year to "highlight those individuals, families and communities that are experiencing the toughest of times." "Being in town for 13 years and being at the point of giving up … to scoring a No. 1 record." Related: Drew Baldridge's Song 'She's Somebody's Daughter' Is Experiencing a Resurgence — 5 Years Later (Exclusive) Indeed, Baldridge's first No. 1 hit "She's Somebody's Daughter" catapulted the Illinois native to new heights not only in the eyes of fans, but perhaps more importantly, within the country music industry as a whole. "Picking the second single was almost harder than picking the first, because I wanted to make sure I didn't end up a one-hit wonder," Baldridge says quietly. "I love 'She's Somebody's Daughter,' but I didn't want to be the 'She's Somebody's Daughter' guy forever. I wanted to be more than that." Having become the first self-funded artist to reach No. 1 on country radio with their debut single, Baldridge's newfound fame not only left him in awe of what he had accomplished, but all that he and his wife Katherine had accomplished together. "A lot of people don't realize how many sacrifices she had to make and how big of the story that she was," says Baldridge of his wife of almost four years, with whom he shares a 2-year-old son, Lyric Lee. "I was running a label and booking my shows and doing this all alone. And she was almost like a single parent sometimes because I was gone so much. She was drained. But she stayed with me through all of that and supported me. It takes a special partner in your life to do the life that we have." Related: Drew Baldridge and Wife Katherine Welcome a Baby Boy, Lyric Lee: 'Best Gift for Christmas' It's also taken the love of Baldridge's fans to get him to where he stands today — especially the fans who stuck by him long before he found himself as a constant on the country music charts. "Awhile back, I went around the country and played all of these people's backyards and it was those people that kept me going," Baldridge remembers. "It wasn't Nashville, and it wasn't radio in that moment. It was the actual people I was making music for. That's when everything changed. I realized that I was making music for real hearts and souls." And it's those stories that Baldridge says he hopes to continue to tell. "We're all struggling,' concludes Baldridge, who will head out on the road this summer with fellow country music hitmaker Bailey Zimmerman on his New to Country tour. "But let's put a light on these tough times that we're going through. We're all tough people. We all have a scar. We all have a story, and I think that's what I want my music to say." Read the original article on People
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Morgan Wallen Jokes He Wishes He Were Drunk for ‘SNL' 3 Months After Being Sentenced to DUI Classes
Morgan Wallen joked that he wishes he was drunk for 'Saturday Night Live' in a promo for his musical guest appearance this week — the irony being that the country star was just sentenced to DUI classes and two years of probation in December after pleading guilty to two misdemeanor charges of reckless endangerment. The bit began with 'SNL' cast member Chloe Fineman boasting that she loves spring in New York City — and that she's currently drunk — at the top of the promo. 'Anora' Best Actress Oscar winner Mikey Madison chimed in that she was drunk, too. 'I wish I was,' Wallen lamented. Watch the promo, which premiered Thursday, below: In December, the 2024 CMA Entertainer of the Year pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment after he threw a chair from a rooftop in downtown Nashville in April 2024. Included in his sentence is a week of DUI education and supervised probation for the next two years. The chair-throwing incident was witnessed by two officers, as well as staff members of the six-story honky tonk bar called Chiefs. Video footage also showed Wallen 'lunging and throwing an object off the roof.' Fortunately, no one was injured by the thrown object. The 'Cowgirls' singer posted his $15,250 bail and was released the following morning. He shared this apology to his X account at the time: 'I didn't feel right publicly checking in until I made amends with some folks. I've touched base with Nashville law enforcement, my family and the good people at Chief's. I'm not proud of my behavior, and I accept responsibility.' Wallen was previously arrested for public intoxication in 2020. This weekend will mark the country singer's 'Saturday Night Live' debut. He was scheduled to perform in October 2020, but was replaced after he violated the show's COVID protocols at the time. His new album, 'I'm the Problem,' drops May 16 before he hits the road on a national tour with Miranda Lambert in June. The post Morgan Wallen Jokes He Wishes He Were Drunk for 'SNL' 3 Months After Being Sentenced to DUI Classes | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Morgan Wallen Jokes He Wishes He Were Drunk for ‘SNL' 3 Months After Being Sentenced to DUI Classes
Morgan Wallen joked that he wishes he was drunk for 'Saturday Night Live' in a promo for his musical guest appearance this week — the irony being that the country star was just sentenced to DUI classes and two years of probation in December after pleading guilty to two misdemeanor charges of reckless endangerment. The bit began with 'SNL' cast member Chloe Fineman boasting that she loves spring in New York City — and that she's currently drunk — at the top of the promo. 'Anora' Best Actress Oscar winner Mikey Madison chimed in that she was drunk, too. 'I wish I was,' Wallen lamented. Watch the promo, which premiered Thursday, below: Mikey Madison hosts with musical guest @MorganWallen THIS SATURDAY! — Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) March 27, 2025 In December, the 2024 CMA Entertainer of the Year pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment after he threw a chair from a rooftop in downtown Nashville in April 2024. Included in his sentence is a week of DUI education and supervised probation for the next two years. The chair-throwing incident was witnessed by two officers, as well as staff members of the six-story honky tonk bar called Chiefs. Video footage also showed Wallen 'lunging and throwing an object off the roof.' Fortunately, no one was injured by the thrown object. The 'Cowgirls' singer posted his $15,250 bail and was released the following morning. He shared this apology to his X account at the time: 'I didn't feel right publicly checking in until I made amends with some folks. I've touched base with Nashville law enforcement, my family and the good people at Chief's. I'm not proud of my behavior, and I accept responsibility.' Wallen was previously arrested for public intoxication in 2020. This weekend will mark the country singer's 'Saturday Night Live' debut. He was scheduled to perform in October 2020, but was replaced after he violated the show's COVID protocols at the time. His new album, 'I'm the Problem,' drops May 16 before he hits the road on a national tour with Miranda Lambert in June. The post Morgan Wallen Jokes He Wishes He Were Drunk for 'SNL' 3 Months After Being Sentenced to DUI Classes | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Fox News
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Kenny Chesney's country music success was sparked by childhood moment that lit a 'fire' in his soul
Kenny Chesney revealed the moment that sparked a "fire" in his soul and sent him on his path to career success. Chesney, 57, will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in October – cementing his status as a country music legend. Despite all the accolades, the "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems" singer is still humble. "I promise you, I did not see this coming," he said at the public announcement, People magazine reported. The singer-songwriter opened up about a childhood memory that changed his future. "I went with my mom and my stepfather to a field about 10 miles from my house to see this group, Alabama, that was going to play," he said. "I couldn't believe they were going to play just right down the road from my house … Something happened to me that night. There was a fire lit. Something happened in my soul that set me on this path." "If you'd have told that kid that night … that this [the Hall of Fame] was going to happen, I would've told you that you were crazy." Chesney said he never dreamed he'd achieve hall of fame status. "That's just something you don't dare to imagine," Chesney said in a press release shared with Fox News Digital. "I would never have even thought about being here, because it's almost too much. Just walking past so many of these bronzes, realizing how many are friends or whose music I've listened to my whole life, this is an honor that extends beyond anything my heart would dare think." The "Big Star" singer explained the "beauty" of country music is "that even though it tells some pretty strong truth, country music runs on dreams." "For me, this is beyond a dream. I keep thinking I'm gonna wake up on my couch back at [East Tennessee State University]. But standing here, this is more than real, it's surreal. I couldn't be more thankful or humble." Chesney got serious about his music career while attending East Tennessee State University. While enrolled in classes, the country music star joined a college band and played at local bars. He later became a songwriter, signing a publishing deal with Opryland Music Group in 1992. Chesney signed his first record deal with Capricorn Records the following year. Chesney released his first album, "In My Wildest Dreams," in 1994 before signing with BNA Records. The "American Kids" singer went on to release 20 studio albums in total, earned four CMA Entertainer of the Year awards and hit the top of the charts with 23 singles. Chesney eventually signed with Warner Music Nashville in 2018 and released his most recent album, "Born," on March 22, 2024. Now, Chesney joins Alabama, Chet Atkins, Garth Brooks, Brooks & Dunn, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Patsy Cline, Emmylou Harris, Loretta Lynn and more in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Each election class is voted on by the Country Music Association. The first members, Jimmie Rodgers, Fred Rose and Hank Williams, were inducted in 1961. Chesney opened up about what changed his career in a 2023 interview at Country Radio Seminar. The musician admitted he was trying to be the next George Strait when he was first starting out. "I was a lot like a lot of artists, honestly," he recalled, via Billboard. "I was trying to be the newer version of George Strait. I think Garth [Brooks] would tell you the same thing: He loved George. That was the bar. I wore a belt buckle. I was trying to be that." "Everybody knew the songs, but they didn't know me," Chesney explained. "I had 16 songs in a Greatest Hits package, and then I would go play a fair or whatever and people would go, 'Oh, that's the guy that sings that song. Oh, he sings that, too.' So they hadn't really connected yet. But the moment I stopped trying to be George Strait, that was the moment my life changed. I started really writing songs. And my life in the Virgin Islands, I spent a lot of time writing out there." Chesney's private estate on St. John was also the location of his wedding to actress Renée Zellweger. The two met in January 2005 at NBC's Concert of Hope and married in May of that year. After four short months, Zellweger filed for an annulment and cited "fraud." Speculation was quick to follow, and the two were forced to release statements on their short-lived time together. Zellweger first clarified that the term "fraud" was "simply legal language and not a reflection of Kenny's character." They later released a joint statement through their representatives: "The miscommunication of the objective of their marriage at the start is the only reason for this annulment. Renée and Kenny value and respect each other and are saddened that their different objectives prevent the success of this marriage." Now, 20 years later, Zellweger is dating British TV star Ant Anstead, while Chesney has kept his romantic life private.
