Last night’s 50th annual ACM Awards made the Guinness Book of World Records for being the most attended live awards show ever. Thousands of country stars and fans packed the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, and the crowd’s energy level was off the charts. Performances included everyone from George Straight and Garth Brooks, to newcomers Thomas Rhett, Sam Hunt and Best New Artist Winner Cole Swindell.
One highlight of the night was when Dan + Shay took the stage with Nick Jonas. They performed a special mashup of their hit “Nothin’ Like You,” along with Nick’s solo tracks “Jealous” and “Chains.” When we first heard they were performing together, we weren’t quite sure what to expect with such different sounds. But the mashup, produced by Dan Smyers, perfectly mixed the songs and genres together, with a stellar 3-part harmony. And of course there’s nothing like Shay Mooney’s voice (chills, every time.)
Watch the performance below!
Pickup a copy of Dan + Shay’s debut album “Where It All Began” on iTunes now!
The 50th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards air this Sunday, April 19th, on CBS! We’re especially excited about this year’s group of Best New Artist nominees, along with some more familiar faces. Don’t forget you can vote for Best New Artist and Entertainer of the Year at VoteACM.com up until the start of the show! Here are our favorite tracks from some of this year’s ACM Award Nominees.
1. Thomas Rhett – “Front Porch Junkies” Nominated for Best New Artist
We fell for Thomas’ funky country style, and after seeing him live he is one of our favorite performers, ever. We love all the Best New Artist nominees (really, you can’t go wrong), but we can’t help but root for the Home Team.
2. Dan + Shay – “What You Do To Me” Nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year
This is one of our favorite songs of all time, of any genre, and quickly made its way to the top of our most played tracks. We can’t wait to see Dan + Shay + Nick (Jonas) perform at this year’s show!
3. Cole Swindell – “Let Me See Ya Girl” Nominated for Best New Artist
Cole has written hit after hit for artists like Luke Bryan, Thomas Rhett, Florida Georiga Line, and more. His debut album has had 3 #1 singles and counting. It’s one of those albums where every song is your jam.
4. Sam Hunt – “Breakup In A Small Town” Nominated for Best New Artist
We. Are. Obsessed. With. This. Song. The perfect representation of Sam’s R&B / country mashup. Sam has been dominating the charts lately since “Montevallo” was released late last year, and we wouldn’t be surprised if he pulled off a win.
5. Kacey Musgraves – “Biscuits” Nominated for Song of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year
Kacy’s throwback music and sartorial style (she and her band are always on point) is a refreshing change. We can’t wait for Kacey’s upcoming album!
After weeks of teasing fans with snippets of a new song on his social media, Thomas Rhett finally released a brand new track off his upcoming album! “Crash and Burn” is the first single from his sophomore album, expected later this summer. The track was co-written by Chris Stapleton. In the vein of his current #1 hit, “Makes Me Wanna,” the new track is bringing a funky, soulful vibe to country music. Thomas has said his upcoming album is influenced by artists like Bruno Mars. Guess he wants to funk country music up! (Sorry, we had to)
Listen to Thomas’ new single “Crash And Burn” below and pickup a copy on iTunes now!
Thomas is nominated for Best New Artist at the 2015 ACM Awards, against fellow nominees Sam Hunt and Cole Swindell. Fan voting for your fave is open now at VoteACM.com (Don’t make us choose! Although, we can’t help but root for the Home Team…) The awards air on CBS on April 19th.
Following his performance of “Invisible” on the Academy of Country Music Awards, Hunter surprised us by releasing the title track from his sophomore album, “Storyline,” out May 6th! This is one of our most anticipated albums of the year, and we can’t wait to hear more from Hunter!
Check out the video below for behind-the-scenes photos of the making of “Storyline!”
You can pre-Order “Storyline” on iTunes now and get an instant download of “Invisible,” “Wildcard,” and “Storyline!”
Happy Friday! Last week we gave you our favorite imported bands. This week, we’re taking things a little closer to home and showing our favorite country artists at the moment. Make sure you tune in to the Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday April 6th! An open letter to all of you: there are lots of country fans in NYC, and we would greatly welcome any of y’all round these here parts.
1. Dan + Shay
This is a huge week for the duo – not only did their debut album, “Where It All Began,” come out on Tuesday, it’s been #1 on the iTunes country charts all week! Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney also made appearances on Good Morning America and Ellen this week, and will top it off with Sunday’s ACM Awards, where they are nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year. Pickup a copy of their album on iTunes or Amazon!
2. Kacey Musgraves
Kacey’s no stranger to country music fans, but she made a huge splash at this year’s Grammy Awards where won she performed her powerful song “Follow Your Arrow.” In light up country boots to boot. Her album, “Same Trailer, Different Park,” won Best Country Award at the Grammys. Get it now on iTunes!
3. Hunter Hayes
We have to give Hunter full credit for getting us into country music. His self-titled debut is on the top of our favorite albums of any genre, and he’s one of our favorite artists to see live! We can’t wait to catch him on the We’re Not Invisible Tour with Dan + Shay in May! You can catch Hunter performing his latest single, “Invisible,” at the ACM Awards! Pre-order his new album Storyline, out May 6th!
4. Sam Hunt The Georgia native played football for the University of Alabama before moving to Nashville to pursue a career in songwriting. He’s already co-written songs for Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban, and is working on his debut album due in 2014. His single “Raised On It” is on iTunes now! He’ll be playing a few shows with Hunter Hayes and Dan + Shay this summer! Check out his official website to download his “Between the Pines” acoustic mixtape for free!
5. Needtobreathe
They’re probably the most traditional country artist on our list, but when we saw them open for Taylor Swift on the Speak Now Tour a couple of years ago, we instantly loved their sound. Their new album, “Rivers in the Wasteland,” will be out on April 15th but you can pre-order it now and get 4 tracks instantly, including “The Heart!”
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