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Axios
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Chris Stapleton's iconic "Traveller" turns 10
Some country music albums are so vital, so unforgettable, so iconic, that everyone should gather around the proverbial table and sing happy birthday to commemorate their release. Chris Stapleton's"Traveller," which hit the shelves 10 years ago this week, is one of those albums worthy of reflection and celebration. Why it matters: "Traveller" exceeded all expectations. It became a landmark, game-changing album for country music, and a colossal commercial success for his label Mercury, which is an imprint of Universal Music Group. The intrigue: Stapleton created "Traveller" at a time when hip-hop-infused bro country was the flavor of the moment. Artists like Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line and Sam Hunt led the way. "Traveller" focused on Stapleton's soulful vocals, traditional instrumentation and simple production by producer Dave Cobb. To promote the album, Universal decided to take an unconventional approach, relying on word-of-mouth marketing. Flashback: Cindy Mabe, then-president of UMG Nashville, laid out the label's plans to The Tennessean on the eve of the album's release in 2015. "Normally we'd service music to radio six months prior to releasing an album, but we believe with Chris that if we build organically and show the mainstream outlets how his music is connecting, we will continue to garner bigger partners and the word of mouth will snowball into a massive album," she said. The label believed that the more people who simply heard Stapleton sing the songs "Traveller," the better the album would sell. Indeed: Though the album's release was met with good reviews, it wasn't until months later that Stapleton caught lightning in a bottle when he performed the single "Tennessee Whiskey" with Justin Timberlake at the CMA Awards. That performance may be the most unforgettable in modern country music history. Artists like Luke Combs and Cody Johnson have followed in Stapleton's footsteps, and the genre has largely lurched away from the bro country sounds of a decade ago. What he said: At 37 years old, Stapleton was a grizzled veteran of Nashville's country music industry by the time "Traveller" came to be. At the time, the Vanderbilt dropout had carved out a workmanlike career that included songwriting for other artists and fronting the bluegrass band the SteelDrivers. The release of his first solo album had been delayed for years. "There's songs that are the 23-year-old me on this record, the 28-year-old me playing in bands, the 30-year-old who just got married," Stapleton told The Tennessean 10 years ago. "There's the 37-year-old with two kids and in-laws living close by, and my mother living down the street. "There's all those things on this record, and all those stages of my musical life are on this record. In a lot of ways, it's a little overwhelming and frightening to have that much of yourself laid out to the world." By the numbers: The album's sales numbers are staggering. Two weeks after the CMA performance, "Traveller" reentered the Billboard 200 all-genre chart at No. 1. It's the first country album to spend over 500 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart. Its global sales eclipsed 11 million albums sold, and it has been streamed over 11 billion times.
NBC News
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Pearl won 'The Masked Singer' — and her identity makes the judges' jaws drop
After months of decoding clues, fans of 'The Masked Singer' finally know the identities of the final four contestants. The singing competition aired its Season 13 finale on May 7 and unmasked four celebrities in a jam-packed episode. In the end, only one could take home the golden mask trophy, and the contestant known as Pearl stood out just a bit more than her competitors. In the final moments of the show, Pearl took off her mask and revealed herself as country singer Gretchen Wilson. Robin Thicke, one of the four celebrity judges on the show, was the only one of his colleagues to guess Pearl's identity. 'Good on you,' Wilson applauded Thicke after he explained that her 'individual, sounds like nobody else tone' led him to suspect she was Pearl. When the show's host Nick Cannon asked Wilson what inspired her to come on 'The Masked Singer,' she opened up about a 'rough couple of years' she recently experienced. 'I was injured. I was in a wheelchair. And there was a moment where I didn't think I'd ever get back to this place. And I worked really hard. I prayed really hard. And I got so far. But this opportunity has really proven to me that there's nothing I can't do,' she said. Earlier on in the episode, Pearl looked back on her journey on 'The Masked Singer.' 'Every time I've put on this Pearl costume I think it's so strange that I pulled off being this bejeweled princess,' she said in a video interview prior to her identity being revealed. 'It's so unlike me. I'd say the hoodie and sweatpants is more in line with who I am. What can I say? I'm gritty, raw, unapologetic. I've always been that way. And a lot of times, especially when I was first starting out, it stood in the way of my success.' Who else was in the Season 13 finale? Pearl wasn't the only big unveiling of the night. Boogie Woogie, Mad Scientist and Coral also made it to the finale and sang their hearts out while competing for the win. In the end, 'Zombies' star Meg Donnelly was unmasked as Coral. Celebrity judge Rita Ora correctly guessed her identity and congratulated Donnelly, saying she 'really stood her own' in the competition. While reflecting on her decision to join the cast of 'The Masked Singer,' Donnelly said, 'I did this show to kind of get more comfortable on stage, singing. It's something I'm always really nervous about and insecure about and it's just helped me immensely.' Mad Scientist turned out to be Brian Kelley, country singer and former member of Florida Georgia Line. Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg guessed his identity correctly. Kelley said he wanted to 'challenge myself' by signing on for the show. Boogie Woogie was unveiled as singer Andy Grammer, but none of the celebrity judges were able to guess his identity beforehand. 'It's been incredible to get to sing so many different songs and styles,' he said about his experience on the show.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'The Masked Singer' winner revealed: See who was under Pearl's costume
Season 13 of "The Masked Singer" came to a climactic end May 7. The reality singing competition, which spices up a well-worn format by putting its contestants in elaborate disguises, entered its final episode of the year with just four candidates left. Pearl, Boogie Woogie, Mad Scientist and Coral, all nicknames for the costumes the celebrities don for their performances, duked it out in one final showdown − the winner nabbing the Golden Mask trophy and being forced to reveal themselves. 'The Masked Singer' winner Vanessa Hudgens reveals if she plans on returning to music Pearl ultimately reigned triumphant, impressing judges with a rendition of "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree." Judges and viewers alike are kept in the dark on the identities of the masked singers, given clues on what (usually mid-profile) name they might be and tasked with recognizing their voice sight unseen. Pear turned out to be country star Gretchen Wilson, an early-2000s staple, whose song "Redneck Woman" became an anthem. Wilson, who stumped almost all the judges (aside from Robin Thicke), said after her win that she had done the show to build confidence after a difficult couple of years. "I've had a rough couple of years," she said. "I was injured, I was in a wheelchair and there was a moment where I didn't think I'd ever get back to this place. I worked really hard, I prayed really hard, and I got so far." "This opportunity has really proven to me that there's nothing I can't do," she continued. After Wilson's win, the other finalists also demasked. Boogie Woogie was singer Andy Grammer, Coral was "Zombies" actress Meg Donnelly and Mad Scientist was former Florida Georgia Line member Brian Kelley. Other masked stars this season included Flavor Flav, James Van Der Beek and Candace Cameron Bure. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Pearl on 'The Masked Singer?' See the winner reveal
USA Today
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
'The Masked Singer' winner revealed: See who was under Pearl's costume
'The Masked Singer' winner revealed: See who was under Pearl's costume Show Caption Hide Caption Carrie Underwood dishes on her first date at 16: 'It did not go well' In an exclusive "Idol To Icon" clip, Underwood admits she never heard back from her first date. "American Idol" airs Sundays/Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC. ABC Season 13 of "The Masked Singer" came to a climactic end May 7. The reality singing competition, which spices up a well-worn format by putting its contestants in elaborate disguises, entered its final episode of the year with just four candidates left. Pearl, Boogie Woogie, Mad Scientist and Coral, all nicknames for the costumes the celebrities don for their performances, duked it out in one final showdown − the winner nabbing the Golden Mask trophy and being forced to reveal themselves. 'The Masked Singer' winner Vanessa Hudgens reveals if she plans on returning to music Pearl ultimately reigned triumphant, impressing judges with a rendition of "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree." Judges and viewers alike are kept in the dark on the identities of the masked singers, given clues on what (usually mid-profile) name they might be and tasked with recognizing their voice sight unseen. Pear turned out to be country star Gretchen Wilson, an early-2000s staple, whose song "Redneck Woman" became an anthem. Wilson, who stumped almost all the judges (aside from Robin Thicke), said after her win that she had done the show to build confidence after a difficult couple of years. "I've had a rough couple of years," she said. "I was injured, I was in a wheelchair and there was a moment where I didn't think I'd ever get back to this place. I worked really hard, I prayed really hard, and I got so far." "This opportunity has really proven to me that there's nothing I can't do," she continued. After Wilson's win, the other finalists also demasked. Boogie Woogie was singer Andy Grammer, Coral was "Zombies" actress Meg Donnelly and Mad Scientist was former Florida Georgia Line member Brian Kelley. Other masked stars this season included Flavor Flav, James Van Der Beek and Candace Cameron Bure.
Express Tribune
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
'The Masked Singer' season 13 winner revealed after finale showcases season's top vocal performances
Country music star Gretchen Wilson was revealed as the winner of The Masked Singer season 13 after a tightly contested finale that aired on 7 May 2025. Competing as Pearl, Wilson delivered the final performance of the evening with a rendition of "I'll Stand by You" by The Pretenders before being crowned the champion. The finale opened with judge Rita Ora performing 'Pink Pony Club' by Chappell Roan, joined on stage by finalists Pearl, Boogie Woogie, Coral, and Mad Scientist Monster. Each contestant shared personal reflections in their clue packages before taking the stage for their performances. Pearl impressed with a powerful version of KT Tunstall's 'Black Horse and the Cherry Tree,' prompting judge Ken Jeong to call her 'the Meryl Streep of Masked Singer.' The first elimination was Mad Scientist Monster, who revealed himself as Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line. Coral, unmasked as Disney Channel actress Meg Donnelly, followed. The final sing-off featured Pearl and Boogie Woogie, with the latter performing Lewis Capaldi's 'Love the Hell Out of You.' After votes from the studio audience and panel, Pearl was declared the winner. Before removing her mask, Boogie Woogie revealed his identity as singer Andy Grammer. His clue—a breast cancer ribbon—was a tribute to his late mother. Pearl's clue came in the form of sparkly trousers gifted by Dolly Parton, marking a milestone performance with her idol. She was then unmasked as Gretchen Wilson. Reflecting on the victory, Wilson said, 'I almost hit the floor!' Season 13 of The Masked Singer is now streaming on Hulu.
