Share
-
Trace Adkins is Keepin’ it Country:
Tag Archives: Sugarland
VIDEO: Gwen Sebastian Sings At Blake Shelton’s Concert
Say what you will about Blake Shelton‘s sometimes over-the-top humor, but you have to admit that he is an all-around good guy. After inviting eliminated Team Blake member Gwen Sebastian to be part of his touring family, he let the North Dakota native have her time to shine in her home-town last night during his “Well Lit & Amplified” tour. Gwen took center stage to perform a moving rendition of Sugarland‘s “Stay” with Blake’s band backing her up. She received a standing ovation at the end of her performance.
Watch Gwen’s performance of “Stay” in front of her home crowd and make sure to let us know what you think about Gwen joining Blake on tour:
Blake is nominated for the Academy of Country Music’s Entertainer of The Year. The fan voted award is up for votes right now at voteacm.com and fans can vote once a day!
Video Picks Of The Week: March 13, 2012
Hi friends…
It’s time for our “Video Picks of the Week.”
Music Video
This week’s music video is Jack Ingram, “Lips Of An Angel.” The song was originally sung and made popular by the rock band, Hinder. Ingram later gave the song his own spin and earned himself a country hit with his version. The track served as the lead single off of his album, This is It.
I have always enjoyed Ingram’s version and it introduced me to his music back in 2006.
Here is his website: http://www.jackingram.net/.
Continue reading for our live performance and cover videos…
Taylor Swift & Kenny Chesney Are Money Makers
Billboard magazine released its list of the top money makers last week, and country music’s own Taylor Swift and Kenny Chesney both represent country in the top three. Taylor earned more than $35 million in 2011, beating out rock super-group U2 who only made $32 million last year. Kenny made over $29 million in 2011, placing third on the list. Kenny made the top five along with Lady Gaga, and Lil’ Wayne. Jason Aldean found his place in the top ten at number nine with a little over $13 million, placing just one spot behind Celine Dion. See the full list on Billboard’s site.
Other country stars making the top 40 include Toby Keith at number fifteen, Rascal Flatts at number eighteen, Tim McGraw at number nineteen, Brad Paisley at number twenty-one, Lady Antebellum at number twenty-six, Keith Urban at number twenty-seven, Zac Brown Band at number twenty-eight, and Sugarland beats Justin Bieber at number thirty-four.
Billboard uses U.S. income from tours, album and single sales, and publishing royalties to calculate their rankings. They do not include sponsorships, merchandise sales or synchronizing deals to put together their impressive list.
VIDEO: Kelly Clarkson & Jennifer Nettles Duets Interview
Looks like Blake Shelton is rubbing off on Kelly Clarkson. The same week that she made her adviser debut on NBC’s The Voice, ABC announced that Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Nettles will be part of the cast for a brand new singing competition coming to ABC this Summer. “Duets” will star Kelly, Jennifer, Lionel Richie and Robin Thicke look for the newest talent in America to sing with them on the show. ABC is planning on taking the judges out of the chairs and on to the stage to do what they do best – sing and perform – with their two new proteges. It should be interesting to see how Kelly and Jennifer do.
Check out the first preview video sent to us from ABC and let us know what you think about the original American Idol and Sugarland‘s lead singer on this new competition. Will you tune in? Or are you still partial to The Voice, American Idol, or X-Factor? Let us know!
ACM Presents Lionel Richie Lineup Announced
The Academy of Country Music has announced their full line-up of artists for their Lionel Richie special. The all-star concert tapes on April 2nd in Las Vegas, a day after the ACM awards, but will be aired on CBS on April 13th. Lionel is celebrating the release of his country duets album “Tuskegee” in a big way by inviting some of his friends to perform with his at the special. Joining Lionel on-stage will be Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney, Kenny Rogers, and Tim McGraw. Singing some of Lionel’s biggest hits as a tribute to the singer will be The Band Perry, Lady Antebellum, Sara Evans, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean, Jennifer Nettles, and Luke Bryan.
“It has been so rewarding to have my songs embraced by country music artists,” said Lionel Richie. “Since Conway Twitty recorded ‘Three Times a Lady’ and Kenny Rogers sang ‘Lady,’ I have been welcomed into the country music family with open arms. It’s the ultimate compliment to have country artists record and perform songs that I’ve written. I’ve always felt right at home in country because I was raised just down the road from Nashville in Tuskegee, Alabama, where I was immersed in country, R&B, gospel and classical music. This show will be a homecoming and family reunion combined, and I’m so glad that viewers will be able to share these special moments with us. It will be a night that I will remember for the rest of my life.”
Tickets for “Lionel Richie And Friends In Concert” are on-sale right now at ticketmaster.com. Tickets start at $100 and benefit ACM Lifting Lives, which focuses on improving lives in the United States through music.
Lauren Alaina To Return To Idol On March 8th To Sing “Georgia Peaches”
Season 10 runner-up Lauren Alaina will return to the Fox hit show American Idol to perform her current single “Georgia Peaches” on March 8. As you can imagine, Lauren is excited to return to the stage that got her to where she is today.
“I think it’s gonna be such a great feeling to go back to Idol and be on the other side. It will be great to perform without the stress of the competition on my mind! I am excited to show the Idol viewers what I have been doing since last appearing on the show. It’s going to be like a homecoming,” says Lauren.
Lauren was just recently announced as one of two opening acts for select cities on the highly anticipated Sugarland “In The Hands Of The Fans” tour which kicks off in Toledo, Ohio, on April 6. So far Lauren is confirmed for four dates according to www.laurenalainaofficial.com – 4/5: Huntington Center - Toledo, OH, 4/6: Covelli Center - Youngstown, OH, 4/13: Eastern Kentucky Expo Center - Pikeville, KY and 4/14: KFC YUM! Center - Louisville, KY although there may be more to come!
Lauren, along with Luke Bryan, is currently on the Jason Aldean “My Kinda Party” Arena tour.
Sugarland Announces “In The Hands Of The Fans” Tour with Openers Lauren Alaina & Canaan Smith!
Reigning CMA and ACM Vocal Duo of the Year Sugarland has just announced their sixth consecutive headlining tour entitled “In the Hands of the Fans” which hits the road this April. The tour will rely solely on fan interaction and requests to determine the set list played in each city. Specific guidelines and instructions will be posted soon on www.sugarlandmusic.com. Pretty cool, huh?
The 25+ dates will feature openers Lauren Alaina and Canaan Smith (in select cities).
“This year’s tour is based around the concept of putting the show into the hands of the fans,” said Nettles. “THEY will make the requests that will help form the set list and guide the show. Through texts, handwritten signs, the Internet (Twitter, Facebook, etc) phone calls made during the show and selections directly from the stage, the fans will become the conductors as well as the audience. If it’s on one of our records or if we’ve played it on a stage it is fair game.”
The “In the Hands of the Fans” Tour dates are listed below:
VIDEO: Keith Urban Releases Video For “For You”
Today, the film Act of Valor debuts in theatres. Those going to check it out will be pleasantly surprised to hear a hunky, familiar voice singing out the film during the end credits.
Keith Urban wrote and recorded his first song for a film titled “For You.” He shared with his fans a brand new music video he recorded for the song.
The action-thrilled comes with a great soundtrack, available now on iTunes, featuring songs from other current country artists, including Hunter Hayes, Lady Antebellum and Sugarland.
We’ve got Keith’s video here for fans to check out. Let us know what you think!
Jennifer Nettles Shares Red Carpet Experience
We love when celebrities help out good causes! Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles recently walked the red carpet and catwalk for the Red Dress Collection Fashion Show hosted by The Heart Truth, an organization created to help raise awareness for women’s heart disease.
In her stunning red dress, Jennifer and others strutted their stuff for NY Fashion Week raising both money and awareness for this worthy cause. Nettles posted a recap of the event on their blog to share with fans, which we have also posted below:
“Hello My Sweets,
We have been enjoying a small break from the road. We’ve been writing and enjoying our families, and now we’re starting to gear back up for our new tour that kicks off in April. As we’re beginning to poke our heads through the ice of our winter hibernation, I made a fun outing at New York’s Fashion Week. I was invited to walk the catwalk for the Heart Truth charity.
Heart Truth hopes to raise awareness for women’s heart disease. (Incidentally, heart disease is the leading cause of death among women in the US.) So, in honor of this very worthy cause, I decided step outside my usual comfort zone on the stage and walk the catwalk for New York’s Fashion Week. (I mean hey, if you’ve never walked a catwalk before, why not start in NY for Fashion week right?!). I’ve included some highlights so you can see some of the photos from this fun and worthy event.
The Voice: Team Blake Recap – Week 1
Season two of NBC’s The Voice is underway and our favorite, Blake Shelton, is back representing country music!
Big Country, as he has been dubbed by fellow coach and Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine, has so far chosen three team members.
RaeLynn
We previously introduced you to Blake’s first team member, RaeLynn. The 17-year-old from Baytown, Texas auditioned with a song closely connected to Blake by going with a track by his wife, Miranda Lambert‘s, band. RaeLynn kicked off Season 2 by performing a really great cover of the Pistol Annies‘, “Hell On Heels.”
The team members are all keeping blogs on The Voice official website. You should check out the complete posts, but here is a snippet of what RaeLynn had to say about joining Team Blake:
Fast forward and here I am, on Blake Shelton’s team! I’m honored to be led by one of my musical inspirations. AND so excited about this opportunity and being on The Voice!
Follow RaeLynn on Twitter: @raelynnofficial
RaeLynn’s Audition:
Continue reading to check out Team Blake members Gwen and Jermaine…
