Zara Larsson has quietly notched yet another hit. Following a placement during a key sequence in the Netflix film Work It, her single “WOW” recently lit up streaming platforms. Cumulative worldwide numbers jumped exponentially over 2,300% from 17K streams-per-day to a whopping 447K streams-per-day. In the United States alone, the song exploded from 7K streams-per-day to 120K streams-per-day. On
Music
When Old 97’s singer Rhett Miller was a kid in the Seventies, he worshipped Roger Staubach, the quick-on-his-feet quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. Staubach was so much of a figure in Miller’s life that he even haunted his subconscious. He remembers vividly a surreal dream he had one humid day as a nine-year-old while on
Jason Nix drew inspiration for his new song ”Made for Me” from a love story for the ages: that of his mawmaw and pawpaw, Audra and Homer. The upbeat, blues-influenced track premieres exclusively on The Boot; press play below to listen. “No, it don’t get better than you and me together / Like two names in a
On Aug. 23, 2013, Linda Ronstadt announced in an interview with AARP that she had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and, as a result, “can’t sing a note” anymore. Ronstadt told the publication that she had been officially diagnosed with Parkinson’s in early 2013, but had been having trouble with her voice for years before
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are one of country music’s most famous power couples, but they share more than their great artistry in music. The superstars also have exquisite taste in real estate, as photos of their former mansion in Nashville demonstrate. McGraw and Hill married in 1996, and in 2004, they purchased a home
Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson team up for the video to “Lonely Alone,” a track off Crow’s latest album Threads, which was released a year ago this month. “I wrote the song, ‘Lonely Alone,’ with Willie in mind,” Crow said in a statement. “It’s was written as kind of a barside cowboy noir with romantic
Clay Walker‘s return to country radio will rely on a timeless country feeling: The need for drink. “Need a Bar Sometimes” embraces his twang, but adds just the smallest amount of contemporary production to make a mix that fits 2020. Lyrically Walker, Jaron Boyer and Josh Mirenda list the more meaningful reasons you might pull up a
Brothers Osborne are trying to suss out someone’s secrets in their new song “Skeletons.” The sibling duo released the title track of their forthcoming album on Friday (Aug. 21); readers can hear it above. There’s a thing or two in the past that the someone in question in “Skeletons” isn’t fessing up to — except,
The Mavericks leader Raul Malo doesn’t consider the band’s new album, En Español, a political statement — but, he admits with a laugh, their timing is impeccable. “That’s not the original intent,” the singer tells The Boot over the phone. “At least, I don’t see it that way.” It’s not that Malo, the son of Cuban immigrants, is
“I heard you been creepin’ round/’Bout the time that sun goes down,” sings TJ Osborne in Brothers Osborne’s thumping new song “Skeletons.” The country duo’s third studio album, also titled Skeletons, will be released October 9th. Opening with trippy, hypnotic keyboard pulses and throbbing bass, “Skeletons” surges just shy of the 30-second mark as John
The title track of Lauren Alaina‘s forthcoming EP Getting Over Him is an upbeat look at a rebound from both sides of the relationship. The country star enlisted her fellow artist and good friend Jon Pardi for the new duet, which readers can hear above. Alaina co-wrote “Getting Over Him” with Paul DiGiovanni and Emily Weisband. She’s been cheated
The Chicks turned in a pitch-perfect rendition of the National Anthem on the final night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention (Aug. 20). The country trio’s performance was remote, as those from other artists have been throughout the event’s four days. Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer performed all of “The Star-Spangled Banner” together,
Ross Ellis‘ single “Love Blind” is a prayer about his real-life relationship, with his girlfriend Brittany. The couple met at a festival in 2019 — Ellis was playing, and while her friends headed off to watch another artist’s set, she stuck around to see him — and despite the distance between his home in Nashville and
“The only B.S. I need is beer and sunshine,” Darius Rucker sings in his escapist new country single, “Beers and Sunshine.” Rucker’s been getting a lot of the latter during quarantine on the golf course — “It’s so easy to social distance there,” he says — but he’s also been holing up in the writing
Singer-songwriter Katie Pruitt shares childhood home movies in the new music video for her song “Normal.” The clip juxtaposes what appears to be the fairly typical kid’s life with the artist’s internal struggles, expressed in the song’s lyrics. Throughout “Normal,” Pruitt examines her struggle with her sexuality, religion and fitting in. While the verses speak directly to
“Pretty Heart” singer Parker McCollum has tested positive for COVID-19 and will have to miss a pair of shows scheduled for this week as he quarantines. The Texas-bred singer revealed the news on social media, adding that he’s feeling well for the most part. The message was apologetic, as a frustrated McCollum had been looking
Darius Rucker and Charles Kelley of Lady A are close friends and golfing buddies, so the ”Beers and Sunshine” singer was plenty available to discuss the trio’s name change earlier this year. Talking to Taste of Country Nights, Rucker reveals that Kelley did reach out to get his advice, but he stopped short of sharing the details of their
Donovan Woods has announced plans for his new album, Without People. The Canadian singer-songwriter’s follow-up to 2018’s Both Ways, the full-length project will be released November 6th. Recorded remotely by Woods and backing musicians during quarantine, Without People shows Woods exploring various aspects of human connection. The first release, “Grew Apart,” is a looser, funkier
Cam‘s new song “Classic” wraps a very progressive pop-country hook up in an old cozy sweater and offers it with a wide smile. The unmistakable feel-good song from her upcoming album will bring back memories if you let it. Or, it will just suck you in with a final modulation. There’s no key change after
The ’90s changed everything about country music. Stars including Garth Brooks and Shania Twain permanently altered the sound of the radio, while traditionalists such as Alan Jackson and George Strait kept their style rooted in the classics. How well do you know the many quirks of the songs, the artists and the offstage lives of the biggest
As a songwriter, RaeLynn is constantly walking the fine line of getting personal — but not too personal — with her lyrics. With “Me About Me,” from her 2020 EP Baytown, the singer does it by weaving her own character traits into a song about a more universal experience: a one-sided relationship. RaeLynn co-wrote “Me About Me” with Bob
On Tuesday, Apple announced the launch of two new streaming radio stations, Apple Music Country and Apple Music Hits. Both are live now alongside the flagship station Beats 1, which has been renamed Apple Music 1. Originally launched alongside Apple Music in 2015, Beats 1 built its reputation on a combination of in-depth interviews and
Music City is making it hard for Brandon Collins to get over an ex. The country up-and-comer premieres his new song “Blame It on Nashville” exclusively with The Boot; press play below to listen. Written by Collins and produced by Steve Freeman, “Blame It on Nashville” finds Collins reflecting on a relationship he was in
A new, country-focused talent search show is coming to Apple streaming services. There’s some star power behind it, too: Reese Witherspoon is an executive producer on the project. Dubbed My Kind of Country, the new show “will feature a global search for country music talent,” per Variety. The series will also include documentary-style footage, sharing producers’ efforts to find
Miley Cyrus has released “Midnight Sky,” her first song of 2020. Cyrus self-directed her brazen new music video, which dropped alongside the track. The new clip and song was inspired by female music icons including Stevie Nicks, Joan Jett and Debbie Harry, according to a statement. “Midnight Sky” marks Cyrus’ first new music since 2019,
At long last, Tim McGraw‘s next studio album is coming soon. It’s about time: The country star has been teasing a new project since late 2018. Yup, it’s taken us two years to get to this point! McGraw’s latest release is 2017’s The Rest of Our Life, a collaboration with Faith Hill, his wife and fellow country star.
Whether it’s coming out of Nashville, New York, L.A., or points in between, there’s no shortage of fresh tunes, especially from artists who have yet to become household names. Rolling Stone Country selects some of the best new music releases from country and Americana artists. Drew Parker, “While You’re Gone” Modern-day cowboy Drew Parker is
Aspiring country singer-songwriter Priscilla Block has gone viral on TikTok, catching the attention of fans and the country music industry alike. The artist has been making headlines since her new song “Just About Over You” was released on Aug. 5. Block’s videos on TikTok have since drawn upward of a million views, making the Nashville (by way of
“I Hope” singer Gabby Barrett and her husband Cade Foehner have revealed that they’re expecting their first baby. The couple found out they’re going to be having a baby girl in May, but kept the news from fans until sharing on Sunday (Aug. 16). That puts an expected due date in late 2020 or early
Linkin Park shared a rare demo called “She Couldn’t,” one of several previously unreleased tracks set to appear on the 20th-anniversary edition of the band’s debut album, Hybrid Theory, out October 9th via Warner Records. Bootleg versions of “She Couldn’t” have been floating around fan circles for some time, although this marks the first official