Keepin' it Country Media & Radio » Hunter Hayes

Hunter Hayes to Headline CMT Tour with Ashley Monroe

Nicole Piering — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 15:56:21 +0000

Hunter Hayes is about to join an exclusive club of country’s elite. He will be embarking on the 21-city CMT Tour this fall, a spot reserved for country’s fastest rising stars. Previous headliners have included the likes of Sugarland, Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean and more of the biggest names in country music.

CMT on Tour: Hunter Hayes Let’s Be Crazy Tour will kick off October 10 in Knoxville, TN. The tour will also feature rising solo artist and Pistol Annie, Ashley Monroe, as the supporting act.

“The fall is going to be a production, a show, an experience based on years of my dreaming about it,” Hayes tells USA Today. “It’s kind of like my first record — you have your entire life to make your first record, I’ve had my entire life to plan for this tour.

“This is my first chance to look at a stage and go, ‘What do I want to do?’ as opposed to ‘What can we do?’ I’ve got truck space, I’ve got a crew that can really put on a show, we’ve got a band that is more than capable.”

Tour Dates as follows:

Oct. 10: Knoxville Civic Auditorium, Knoxville, Tenn.

Oct. 11: Johnny Mercer Theatre, Savannah, Ga.

Oct. 12: South Carolina State Fair, Columbia, S.C.

Oct. 17: Fox Theatre, Atlanta

Oct. 18-19: Ryman Auditorium, Nashville

Oct. 24: Emens Auditorium at Ball State University, Muncie, Ind. (Ashley Monroe will not appear on this date)

Oct. 25: Rosemont Theatre, Chicago

Oct. 26: The Louisville Palace Theater, Louisville

Nov. 1: BJCC Concert Hall, Birmingham, Ala.

Nov. 2: War Memorial Auditorium, Greensboro, N.C.

Nov. 8: The Aiken Theatre at The Centre, Evansville, Ind.

Nov. 9: State Theatre at Playhouse Square, Cleveland

Nov. 10: Fox Theatre, Detroit

Nov. 14: Fox Theatre, St. Louis

Nov. 15: Orpheum Theatre, Sioux City, Iowa

Nov. 16: Orpheum Theater, Omaha

Nov. 20: Heymann Performing Arts Center, Lafayette, La.

Nov. 22: Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie, Dallas

Nov. 23: Brady Theater, Tulsa

Dec. 4-5: Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis

Dec. 6-7: The Midland by AMC, Kansas City, Mo.

For more information, visit CMT.com or HunterHayes.com

Teen Choice Awards country nominees announced

Lydia Picknell — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:20:13 +0000

The 2013 Teen Choice Awards nominees were announced yesterday, and there’s gotta be a few smiling faces in country music. Nominees for the fan-voted award show include Taylor Swift, Kacey Musgraves, The Band Perry, Hunter Hayes, Carrie Underwood, Jana Kramer and MORE! See the full list of country nominees below and let us know what you think – do teen voters have good taste?

The Teen Choice Awards will air live on FOX on Sunday, August 11th. Fans aged 13 to 19 are encouraged to vote at teenchoiceawards.com twice a day for their favorites in music and entertainment. Announcements with more nominees, presenters, and show host(s) will be made shortly.

Choice Male Country Artist:
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Eric Church
Hunter Hayes
Blake Shelton

Choice Female Country Artist:
Jana Kramer
Miranda Lambert
Kacey Musgraves
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Choice Country Group:
Florida Georgia Line
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
The Band Perry
Thompson Square

VIDEO: Hunter Hayes – I Want Crazy

Lydia Picknell — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:26:53 +0000

Country music’s wonder kid Hunter Hayes has just released his brand new music video for his single “I Want Crazy.” The talented young singer-songwriter shares the pain of a long distance relationship in his video, which you can check out below. It’s the first single from his upcoming sophomore album on Warner Music Nashville.

ACM: Single Record of the Year

Jeanna D. — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 16:18:29 +0000

Thank-you to everyone who has been voting in our ACM polls!

Here is “Single Record of the Year.” The nominees are: Even If It Breaks Your Heart – Eli Young Band; Over You – Miranda Lambert; Pontoon – Little Big Town; Springsteen – Eric Church; and Wanted – Hunter Hayes.

Who gets your vote?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Couples and Collaborations: A Look at ACM Fashion History

Jennifer Swirsky — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 02:34:43 +0000

The 48th annual Academy of Country Music Awards are taking place this Sunday, April 7th, in Las Vegas. As we all know, the red carpet and stage fashion choices are some of the most talked about items when it comes to award shows. Back, due to popular demand, is our very own pre-award show fashion reminiscent feature! This time, we take a look at the couples and collaborations of ACMs past … and, boy, have there been some questionably horrific and unquestionably sensational choices in ACM history!

Couples:

There is no better way to kick this thing off than by discussing the 48th Annual ACM Awards host, Blake Shelton, and his blonde bombshell of a wife, Miranda Lambert. On their own, each of these two artists (whom we here at Keepin’ It Country just adore!) looks sensational. Blake looks absolutely dapper in his gray jacket, black shirt, and charcoal tie, while Miranda’s dress is just the perfect amount of flash to go with her shining personality. However, we believe each forgot to consider his/her own best accessory on the red carpet — each other! Silver and gold = giant no no, unless we are talking jewelry … We girls always make exceptions for jewelry!

If you have eyes, you know that Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are gorgeous and insanely talented. Talk about a couple whose children who hit the DNA lottery! However, natural beauty and undeniable talent does not always equate to great decisions. This particular ACM orange carpet appearance leaves a bit to be desired. Is Tim wearing a blazer or a fleece hoodie from Aeropostale? Is his shirt a collector’s item from “Saturday Night Fever”? And Faith looks like a flapper who found out she was hitting the orange carpet and decided to show her love for the Miami Dolphins (Fins to the left! Fins to the Right!). Questionable choices aside, these two are still smokin’, regardless of what they pull off the hangers on any given awards show Sunday!

It was really nice of Madame Tussaud’s to donate these wax figures of Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman. Oh wait, it’s really them! Nashville’s favorite Australian duo hit the red carpet at the ACMs looking fabulous. With their matching hairdos and apparent affinity for all things crushed velvet, Nicole and Keith dazzled…and probably sweated up a storm in the Las Vegas dry heat.

The Collaborations:

Rascal Flatts teamed up with cross-genre sensation, Kelly Clarkson, to sing “What Hurts the Most” at the 2006 ACMs. No question about it, the fashion choices (and stellar performance) by this collaboration surely were not hurting on this night! Ladies first — Kelly always kills it when she wears red, and this night was no exception. The plunging front shows some skin, but leaves plenty to the imagination. Kelly looks classy, comfortable, and chic on the red carpet and on the arms of country music’s popular trio. The men of Rascal Flatts look a little bit country, a little bit rock ‘n roll in vests, blazers, and t-shirts, while sporting some chest. Here’s to you, boys! Here’s to you!

Wait, is this a country awards show? Yes, yes it is. And it looks like Jem has returned from the 1980s to investigate whether Janie really does have a gun. Steven Tyler (of Aerosmith … not of American Idol, youngsters) joined Carrie Underwood during the 2011 ACM Awards to entertain country music fans with his unparalleled voice, while Carrie, once again, showed off her incomparable leg muscles. Steven dons an all-white ensemble, including a long coat, that shows off his rocker side without leaving the country folk thinking he had gone “craaaaazy craaaaazy”. Carrie looks like she grabbed her red star earring, asked Synergy to change her into Jem so she and the Holograms could battle The Mizfits. However, because she is Carrie, and because she is a goddess, she somehow pulls off what looks like Black Swan meets Girl Interrupted flawlessly.

No, really. Is this a country awards show? Also in 2011, Rihanna joined Jennifer Nettles on stage at the ACM Awards, proving once again that different genres are becoming more and more accepting of our favorite music. Let’s start with Rihanna. Unlike Steven Tyler, Rihanna doesn’t quite pull off the all-white look. In fact, with that hairdo, she looks like a Q-Tip that was dipped in iodine (likely to soothe the pain of all of us who had to endure the length of her performance). We love Jennifer Nettles. A lot. And her outfit proves one very important thing to us…She is psychic and was foreshadowing her future as a “Duets” coach. Jennifer clearly was already planning the moment she took the stage with J. Rome to perform “You’re the One That I Want” from “Grease”. On the other hand, if she chose to break into some MC Hammer dancing in those pants, that would not be shocking either.

The Co-Host No More:

We will truly miss Reba hosting this year’s awards show. Reba has become a staple on the ACMs and, while we are excited for her that she has huge projects consuming her time, this installment of the awards will be an adjustment. Reba has had some amazing moments throughout the years, but discussing all of Reba’s awards, successes, and seamless performances is no fun; and we want to have fun! As such, here are some of Reba’s not-so-amazing fashion moments in ACM history.

Thumbs up, Reba? We think not. Bad color, bad fit, bad design. Oh, and the carpet DOES, in fact, match the drapes…

Cheeeeeese! Oh Reba, clearly someone just put a mirror in front of you for the first time right when the photographer was clicking the camera because you look like you’ve just seen a ghost. Or you really need to find the ladies’ room. And thank heavens the pixie do is no more!

We saved the best for last. We rarely render ourselves speechless, but we very well may be at a loss for words here. Considering a blog is meant for words, we will leave it at this: A picture is worth a thousand of them!

Who will we fall for and who will fall victim to us on the red carpet? Who will carry home the big awards and who will go home simply holding a flask? Whose performances will shine and who will be outshone? Don’t forget to tune in this Sunday, April 7th, at 8:00 p.m. EST on CBS to find out!

Other things to look forward to during this year’s ACMs:

Tim McGraw will perform “Highway Don’t Care” with Taylor Swift and Keith Urban;

Hunter Hayes will world premiere his new single “I Want Crazy” and then be joined later by legendary music icon Stevie Wonder;

Kelly Clarkson will perform “Don’t Rush”;

Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley and Hunter Hayes will perform together live from ACM Fan Jam;

Country superstar Reba will introduce the George Strait and Garth Brooks performance. As previously announced, Strait and Brooks will perform together for the first time ever to pay tribute to Dick Clark. Each will perform a version of one of their classic hits and then join together for a very special moment;

Jewel will partner with ACM Lifting Lives to perform a live mash-up of her chart-topping hit “Hands” combined with “Fill a Heart,” an original song written by singer-songwriter Tori Kelly. This special musical moment, presented by ConAgra Foods’ Child Hunger Ends Here campaign, will be performed at the 48^thANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS FAN JAM.

A Recap of our ACM Performance Announcements

Lydia Picknell — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:21:40 +0000

Yesterday we were part of a teleconference with CBS and Academy of Country Music producers for the upcoming ACM awards this weekend. We got to know quite a few exciting secrets for the award show this weekend, and of course we couldn’t wait to tell our fans and readers on Twitter! If you’re following us on Twitter (@keepinitblog) you will have already heard these really cool performances, but we are recapping them now so everyone can keep track of what might be the most-fun Academy of Country Music Award show ever.

Unfortunately, we were unable to make it to the ACMs this year because of budgetary reasons, so we’ll be live-tweeting them from home along with you! Make sure you join us Sunday afternoon for our exclusive KEEPIN’ IT COUNTRY PRESENTS… Jason Charles Miller stageit show at 3 pm EST, before the ACMs kick off live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas at 8 pm EST. Use hashtag #KIC to join in our fun!

The ACMs will kick off with a big opening performance of “Boys ‘Round Here” with Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, Pistol Annies, Sheryl Crow, and Brad Paisley.

Jewel will perform a special Lifting Lives segment with a mash-up of her hit single “Hands Clean” and “Fill A Heart,” an original song by singer-songwriter Tori Kelly.

Hunter Hayes will get two pretty cool performances – he’ll be debuting his new single “I Want Crazy” with Stevie Wonder, and will mix in one of Stevie’s big hits. Hunter will return later in the show with Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley live from the ACM Fan Jam. How did Stevie and Hunter get together? Turns out Hunter covers Stevie’s songs on tour, and Stevie discovered them and became a fan of Hunter.

Taylor Swift will have country superstars Keith Urban and Tim McGraw joining her for “Highway Don’t Care.”

Luke Bryan will be debuting a brand new single “Crash My Party” during the award show..

Kelly Clarkson will be performing her country single “Don’t Rush” with a special, announced guest. Is it Vince Gill? We don’t know, but we know he was approached along with someone else.

Reba will introduce a very special duet performance from Garth Brooks and George Strait who will be paying tribute to the late Dick Clark. It’s going to be a pretty emotional performance, so make sure you tune in for this one.

Do you have any questions about the ACMs? We’ll answer what we can on Facebook and Twitter!

Hunter Hayes to perform new music at ACM Awards

Lydia Picknell — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:04:39 +0000

Country’s hottest rising star in Hunter Hayes has a special surprise for his fans this weekend. He’ll be premiering his brand new single, “I Want Crazy,” at the Academy of Country Music Awards on April 7th. The news comes right after his latest single “Somebody’s Heartbreak” topped the Mediabase country charts, which measures airplay on American radio.

The 48th annual Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards will air live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 7th at 8 pm EST on CBS. Hunter’s Warner Music Nashville label mate Blake Shelton will co-host the awards with first-time host Luke Bryan. Will you be tuning in?

Brad Paisley Prepares for Album Release

Tia — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 16:32:59 +0000

This Monday (04/01), Brad Paisley will be testing out his anchor skills as he joins the anchors of Good Morning America as a special guest. This appearance is undoubtedly going to get fans even more excited for the April 9th release of his new album, Wheelhouse, as well as his Building A Wheelhouse Interactive Book.

To get fans revved up, Brad is holding a Wheelhouse Scavenger Hunt for his fans. This interactive contest aims to provide fans with a look into the making of Wheelhouse. Each day during the contest, the artist will post clues to the location of a hidden icon, photo or video via Twitter or Facebook. The first person to locate the hidden item will then win a prize after returning to the promotion site. All participants are eligible to win the grand prize – a flyaway for the winner and a guest to a Brad Paisley contest, as well as a meet and greet and accommodations.

Paisley’s second single off the upcoming album, “Beat This Summer,” is already #17 on the Billboard national airplay charts. The lead single, “Southern Comfort Zone,” recently became a number one hit, the 21st for the artist. “Beat This Summer” is available instantly when you pre-order Wheelhouse.The album includes special guests Dierks Bentley, Roger Miller, Hunter Hayes, Matt Kearney, Charlie Daniels and LL Cool J.

Fans can also pre-order Building A Wheelhouse, which offers an interactive look at the songwriting and production aspects of the album.

Blog Rodeo: Everyone Loves Country Music

Nicole Piering — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:07:01 +0000

It may be hard to believe, but once upon a time, you had to trek down to a record store if you wanted to purchase new music. You’d have to buy a full album and you could only listen to the radio stations that were broadcast in your area. There was no iTunes, no iHeartradio, no Spotify. Heck, there wasn’t even a Napster. Additionally, there were no camera phones, no gossip blogs, no reality television and certainly no Twitter. It’s crazy to imagine a world without all of these things, but once upon a time, it existed.

In that world, it would be nearly impossible for a kid from New York to be exposed to country music. While the mainstream scene was full of Backstreet Boys & Britneys, cowboy hats and boots would’ve seemed out of place. That “country western” music had no place on MTV, no one cared who Shania Twain was dating, and “Amazed” by Lonestar was the most country of country music we’d ever hear.

Fast forward less than fifteen years, and New York now has a country radio station, Taylor Swift‘s rotating boyfriends are national news & it’s no longer unusual for a country concert to sell out Madison Square Garden. Anyone anywhere in the world can go on iTunes to download that oddly catchy “merry go round song” they heard a snip of, and then they can pop on over to Spotify and stream the whole album. The world has evolved through technology, and likewise, so has country music’s role in the mainstream.

Nowadays, country music has become just as embraced by the mainstream as Sweet Brown, the Harlem Shake and Grumpy Cat. Maybe it’s a hot fad that will pass quicker than one can say Joe Diffie, but it seems much more likely that it’s here to stay. I have to admit that I waiver between being thrilled at its sudden popularity and availability, while battling a slight disappointment that everyone else has discovered my best kept secret. It was only a few years ago that I was able to show up an hour before showtime and grab a front row spot to see Luke Bryan at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom. Now, I’d have to sell my future firstborn to nab a similar spot.

There are many factors that have contributed to the mainstream public’s sudden love affair with all things Nashville. For one, Blake Shelton is now a household name, and although many country purists sneered at him being named “Entertainer of the Year,” in many ways, he’s country’s best and most well-known ambassador. When he started on “The Voice,” there were many people who had no idea who Blake Shelton was, but his aw-shucks personality and country boy charm have won over a whole new audience of teenyboppers, housewives and good ol’ boys alike. Taylor Swift has had a similar affect on preteen girls with her crossover schtick, and it’s not unusual to hear Carrie Underwood, Hunter Hayes or Lady Antebellum on your favorite Pop radio station.

On top of all of that, country music’s current leading men (Luke, Blake, Jason Aldean, etc) all have similar qualities that only serve to broaden country’s appeal. They are handsome, yet earnest, bringing in a plethora of female fans with their good looks and sweeping love songs. Yet, at the same time, they sing about trucks and partying and beer, making them appeal to men as well. They aren’t polarizing like boybands or hard rock bands, they’re safe enough for parents, yet edgy enough for college kids. They Bible thump enough to appeal to the conservatives, but seek revenge and party hard enough to appeal to those a little more liberal. They’re the best of every world.

With country music’s surge in the mainstream only hitting its stride recently, I think that it’s safe to say that it’s only just begun. In my last “Blog Rodeo” post, I predicted that this would be the year of the crossover, and I truly believe that will continue to be the case. We’ll continue to hear Hunter on pop, Kelly C. on country, Kellie P. on “Dancing with the Stars” and collaborations like Florida-Georgia Line and Nelly. Combine all that with Blake & Keith as reality show judges, Jason & Kenny playing stadiums, and country award shows pulling in huge ratings, and. it seems country is hitting its stride in a big way. It’s safe to say that country is more than being embraced by the mainstream, it has BECOME the mainstream.

Blog Rodeo Roundup: See What Everyone Else Is Saying!

CMchatLive: “Insight from Country Stars like Scotty McCreery, Sunny Sweeney, Tracy Lawrence and more!“

Urban Country News : “Why Country Music Is Like the Zombie Apocalypse“, “A Love Affair For The Ages“

For The Country Record: “TV and Nashille: It’s Merits and Implications for Country Music“

UKCountryMusic: “Is Country Music About To Be Mainstream In The UK?“

Country Music Tattle Tale: “For The Love of Country Music“

Country Music Pride: “Country Music Has A Little Something For Everyone, Traditional, Pop, Americana and More“

Keepin’ It Country Blog: “Everyone Loves Country Music“

Focus On The 615: “The Mainstream Hasn’t Fallen In Love with Country, Just The Opposite,” “Remember When Country Wasn’t So Cool?“

Country Music News Blog: “The Mainstream Has Fallen For Country and I Am The Mainstream,” “The Mainstream Adopts Country Music,” “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool“

Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood & More Added to ACM Awards Performers

Nicole Piering — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 01:31:13 +0000

The 48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards announced today that superstars Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum and Little Big Town will perform on the April 7th show.

Airing live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on CBS, the show will be hosted by Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan, who have become affectionately referred to as “Bluke” on Twitter.

The above artists join an already star-studded show that features performances by Luke Bryan, Kelly Clarkson, Hunter Hayes, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, George Strait and the Band Perry.