Keepin' it Country Media & Radio » Keith Urban

Kree Harrison To Make Opry Debut

Jeanna D. — Fri, 17 May 2013 22:32:43 +0000

It has been a huge week for Kree Harrison…

The American Idol finale was this week where she finished Top 2 and runner up to Candice Glover. Her debut single “All Cried Out” is available on iTunes. Today is her birthday (Happy Birthday, Kree). And earlier, she received some amazing news… she will be making her Grand Ole Opry debut!

The debut will take place on June 4th. Joining Kree on the Opry will be American Idol judge, Keith Urban. Other previous performers announced for that night include: Rascal Flatts, Kellie Pickler, and Lennon and Maisy from ABC’s Nashville. It sounds like it will be a great show!

The humbled singer was, of course, honored by the invitation:

“I’m speechless. It has been my lifelong dream to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. I am so honored to be invited!”

Congratulations, Kree! We are very excited for you and know you will have a great career. We look forward to following along.

“All Cried Out” iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/all-cried-out-single/id648665235 …

Video: Keith Urban Performs New Single on American Idol

Jeanna D. — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:39:35 +0000

Keith Urban was pulling double duty on American Idol tonight. Our country judge took the stage during the finale to perform his new single, “Little Bit Of Everything” and he sounded great! Check out the video below to watch the performance.

Urban joined the Idol panel this season, and while there have been rumors that the show is cleaning house, there is no official word yet on Urban’s status.

People.com reported that at a press conference on Wednesday, the country superstar stated that he wanted to return as a judge next year:

“I would. I mean, I literally enjoy coming to work every day, and that’s a rarity.”

We would love to see KU back at the judges’ table for Season 13! We hope Idol leaves the decision up to him. While Randy Jackson and Nicki Minaj will not be returning to the panel, there is no official word yet on Mariah Carey.

American Idol Finale ~ Keith Urban by HumanSlinky

Keith Urban will not return to American Idol

Lydia Picknell — Sat, 11 May 2013 20:13:00 +0000

Reports out this week are indicating that country superstar Keith Urban, along with the rest of the judge panel, will no longer be a part of American Idol’s next season. Keith had left Australia’s version of The Voice to join American Idol this season. Host Ryan Seacrest will remain with the show, becoming the only original member of the cast from the first season that crowned Kelly Clarkson. The 13th season of American Idol will undergo massive changes to try and bring back in the viewers that it has been losing through the last few seasons – including ratings being down 22% this season alone.

As well as the judge changes, FOX will also change how its weekly themed nights will operate. The only thing that may be left that will still resemble American Idol will be the audition episodes. FOX is trying to bring back its core audience, which is believes is younger viewers, and they don’t think that the current judges are doing that.

The show has kick started the careers of country stars Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler, Lauren Alaina, Scotty McCreery, Casey James, Danny Gokey, Bucky Covington, Josh Gracin, and Kristy Lee Cook, among others. Who is your favorite American Idol star?

VIDEO: Tim McGraw – Highway Don’t Care

Lydia Picknell — Tue, 07 May 2013 17:54:38 +0000

In case you missed the world premiere yesterday on his Google+ Hangout, Tim McGraw‘s brand new music video for “Highway Don’t Care” is available now!

Check out the video, which features a shirtless Tim, and appearances by Taylor Swift and Keith Urban.

Tim McGraw to debut Highway Don’t Care video on Google+

Lydia Picknell — Fri, 03 May 2013 13:06:26 +0000

Country music superstar Tim McGraw will premiere the video for his single, “Highway Don’t Care,” on Monday, May 6th, at 5 pm EST with Google+ Hangout. The single and video feature fellow country mega- stars Taylor Swift and Keith Urban. The music video was directed by Shane Drake.

About the video release, Tim said:

“This video is really more of a short film, and I think it will surprise everyone and hopefully leave a strong impression. Shane brought a lot of passion to the concept we worked on together, and it’s cool that we’ll be able to get an immediate live response from the fans when we introduce it.”

The hangout will be live streamed at YouTube.com/TimMcgraw.

Country stars react to George Jones’ passing

Lydia Picknell — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 13:56:05 +0000

It’s been a tragic few days for country music stars and country fans. The legendary George Jones passed away in a Nashville hospital, and country stars have reacted in shock and sadness over the loss of an icon. See what some of your favorite stars have said about the great George Jones:

Brad Paisley:

“George Jones’ life is an example of so many wonderful things. How someone’s God-given gifts can make this a richer, better place. How one human being can overcome adversity, addiction, and life threatening obstacles time and time again. That it is not the stumble or fall that counts, but the willingness to stand again. How a keen sense of humor and a twinkle in a person’s eye can still prevail even after all of life’s hard knocks. How mistakes, missteps, and bad choices are not the end of the world if a person chooses to turn them into something good. And George’s life is above all the strongest example of how the love of a great woman can get a man through anything. All of this made its way beautifully into every note of the greatest voice country music will ever know. And one of the greatest friends you could ever have.

We miss you already, George.

Brad”

Dolly Parton:

“My heart is absolutely broken. George Jones was my all time favorite singer and one of my favorite people in the world. My heart goes out to Nancy and all his family and friends.”

Gary LeVox of Rascal Flatts:

“He was the greatest country vocalist that ever lived! Through the years we have all tried to emulate the passion in his voice, but no one can fill his shoes.”

Merle Haggard:

“The world has lost the greatest country singer of all time. Amen.”

Easton Corbin:

“I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of one of my all time heroes, George Jones. Georges’ music was real and he was able to touch thousands through his songs. Not only was he a great singer, but he also had the ability to make you relate to every one of his songs, no matter who you are. He and his music will remain timeless in the world of country music. My thoughts and prayers are with his family through this difficult time.”

Blake Shelton (via Twitter):

Just landed in LA. Listened to “The King Is Gone” and “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes” over and over again just like always. Can’t accept it. Really REALLY bad news. We’ve lost a country music legend. And I’ve lost a hero and a friend. Goodbye George Jones…

Kelly Clarkson (via Twitter):

Sad to hear about George Jones passing. That man touched a lot of lives with his music. Thanks for setting the bar for the rest of us. #RIPGeorgeJones

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!

DVR Alert: Keith Urban to perform on Idol tonight

Lydia Picknell — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:04:41 +0000

Just after announcing that Oklahoman superstar Carrie Underwood will be performing on American Idol next week, Idol producers announced this morning that current Judge and superstar Keith Urban will perform TONIGHT on the hit reality program. Tonight’s episode starts at 8 pm EST on FOX.

Keith, who has been probably the best Judge on their panel this year, broke the news via Twitter:

“Psyched to play TOMORROW night on #IDOL… I hope RANDY and the girls put me through !!! -KU”

Are you excited for Keith’s performance tonight? How do you think he’s done so far this season?

Keith Urban & John Fogarty Record Song

Tia — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 20:40:58 +0000

John Fogerty is currently working on his upcoming album Wrote A Song For Everyone. This album features singers John loves singing his songs. One such song, “Almost Saturday Night,” is a meaningful and personal song to John, which prompted him to ask Keith Urban to join him on the track for the album.

“Almost Saturday Night” was written by John during what he calls “a really dark time.” Yet, the country star was able to craft this cheerful song during this period. Keith lends his instrumental talent to the track on both the guitar and the banjo. John noted that Keith “is an incredible monster musician, probably the greatest musician on this record.”

Keith was equally excited about the opportunity, having this to say about John:

“There’s nothing like being in the studio, you’ve got your headphones on, and suddenly there’s John’s voice. That was a real magical moment for me.”

The talent both artists have to offer is sure to make this song a hit. Be sure to watch the video below to gain a sneak peek into the creation of “Almost Saturday Night.”

Wrote A Song For Everyone is set to be released on May 28th. You can pre-order the album here, on iTunes or Amazon.