Stars and Guitars

LOCASH Celebrates “Hometown Home” No. 1 With Rooftop Party in Nashville

starsandguitars — Fri, 08 Aug 2025 00:07:01 +0000

LOCASH turned the BMI rooftop into a celebration on Tuesday, Aug. 5, honoring their multi-week radio No. 1 hit “Hometown Home.” Friends, family, and industry partners gathered to toast the achievement — the duo’s first single and first chart-topper on their own Galaxy Label Group.

Written by Preston Brust, Chris Lucas, Zach Abend, and Andy Albert, and produced by Jacob Rice, the track spent two weeks at the top earlier this year. The event, hosted by BMI and ASCAP, opened with Father Ryan High School’s drumline before speeches from key industry figures praised the duo’s hard work, family values, and leadership.

Studio Bank marked the occasion with a donation to LOCASH’s I Love This Life Fund, while Rice, Abend, and Albert reflected on the joy of creating the song and the lasting friendships it sparked.

Taking the mic, Lucas recalled the laughter-filled writing sessions, while Brust encouraged both newcomers and long-time Nashville veterans to keep chasing their dreams.

The night ended with LOCASH, Abend, Albert, and Rice leading the crowd in singalongs of “Hometown Home” and their fan favorite, “I Love This Life.”

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Quality Control Music Ventures Into Country with Signing of The BoykinZ

starsandguitars — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 00:47:14 +0000

Atlanta-based Quality Control Music (QC), known for its impressive roster of rap and hip-hop stars, has taken a bold step into country music by signing The BoykinZ, a sister quartet that blends country, pop, rock, hip-hop, and soul. The BoykinZ have already captivated audiences, amassing over 80 million views on TikTok, and gaining national attention with appearances on The Kelly Clarkson Show and the 2023 CMT Music Awards. Although based in Atlanta, the group has spent the past two years immersed in the Nashville music scene, collaborating with top songwriters and producers.

Joining QC’s lineup, which includes artists like Migos, Lil Yachty, Lil Baby, City Girls, Lakeyah, Bankroll Freddie, Layton Green, Metro Mars, Kollision, and Duke Deuce, The BoykinZ bring a fresh and unique sound to the label.

“An act like The BoykinZ comes along once in a generation,” said QC co-founders Pierre “P” Thomas and Kevin “Coach K” Lee. “Their extraordinary talent, star quality, and dedication to their craft are truly special. They harmonize and perform with a bond only sisters can share, and we’re proud to introduce The BoykinZ as QC’s first country music act.”

The BoykinZ sisters expressed their excitement, saying, “This is a dream come true, and we’re incredibly humbled and honored to join the QC family. We owe so much to P, Coach K, the country music community, and everyone who has believed in us. Your support has fueled us to this moment, and we can’t wait to share our new music. Never give up on your dreams—LET’S GOOOO!”

The BoykinZ are managed by Craig King, CEO of The Gentle King Group, a full-service production and management company.

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Dolly Parton Says a Musical About Her Life Is Broadway Bound

starsandguitars — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 19:50:27 +0000

Dolly Parton announced to fans at CMA Fest in Nashville this morning (June 6) that a new Broadway musical inspired by her life and career, titled Hello, I’m Dolly, is set for a 2026 debut.

Parton is collaborating with ATG Productions to bring the musical to life and will co-produce it with ATG’s Adam Speers and her longtime manager, Danny Nozell of CTK Enterprises. The musical, named after Parton’s debut studio album released in 1967, will feature a score composed by Parton, including some of her greatest hits and new songs written specifically for the production. The book will be co-written by Parton and Maria S. Schlatter. Further details about the creative team and casting will be revealed later.

“Hello, I’m Dolly, and I’ve lived my whole life to see this show on stage,” Parton shared. “I’ve written many original songs for the show and included all your favorites as well. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll clap, you’ll stomp—it truly is a Grand Ol’ Opera. Pun and fun intended. Don’t miss it!”

Adam Speers recalled, “I first had the pleasure of working with Dolly Parton in 2019 when she trusted us to develop a new version of her musical 9 to 5 for London’s West End. I always knew she wanted to create a musical based on her life, so when she asked if I’d be interested in producing it, I was thrilled. As everyone knows, Dolly is a magical blend of talent, hard work, intelligence, charm, wit, and a gigantically big heart. I’m excited to bring her inspiring story to Broadway.”

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HARDY debuts new song “JIM BOB”

starsandguitars — Fri, 31 May 2024 14:45:58 +0000

HARDY debuts a new song, “JIM BOB,” today from his highly anticipated new album Quit!!. Listen here and watch the visualizer here. Quit!! also features “ROCKSTAR”—currently climbing at rock radio—“PSYCHO” and title track “QUIT!!.” The record is out July 12 on Big Loud Rock, pre-save/pre-order here.

“We all know a Jim Bob,” says HARDY.

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Maddie & Tae Heat Up “Sad Girl Summer” With New Track Out Now

starsandguitars — Fri, 31 May 2024 14:35:30 +0000

Multi-Platinum Mercury Nashville duo Maddie & Tae have somethin’ new cookin’ with their latest song “Sad Girl Summer” available everywhere today. The banjo-plucking, post-breakup banger showcases the pair’s signature harmonies, with an upbeat message for moving on. Featuring performance footage of Maddie & Tae on the road, watch the “Sad Girl Summer” (Official Audio Video) here.

“‘Sad Girl Summer’ was such a blast to write,” share Maddie & Tae. “We co-wrote this with Tae’s husband, Josh Kerr, wanting to create an empowering summertime anthem for our fans to jam to this year! This song is the first look at the bold, confident songwriting you’ll hear woven through this upcoming chapter of music for us.”

As summer heats up hot, hot, hotter than a hundred degrees, Maddie & Tae will continue on their headlining Here’s To Friends Tour across the country, with additional dates to be announced soon. Next weekend, they will take the stage during CMA Fest on June 8 for an exclusive fan club party at the UMG Nashville Takeover at Skydeck on Broadway, followed by a performance at Ascend Amphitheater for the sold-out Tracy Lawrence and Friends. For tickets and more information on all upcoming tour dates, visit www.maddieandtae.com. And to Stream “Sad Girl Summer” Click here.

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Shania Twain goes behind-the-scenes of “Man! I Feel Like A Women!”

starsandguitars — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 13:03:56 +0000

Country music trailblazer and icon Shania Twain takes viewers behind the scenes of the official music video for “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!” in the latest installment of Vevo Footnotes, in celebration of the song’s 25th anniversary.

In the video, Shania delves into the song and video’s influence, highlighting its transformation into an unexpected anthem that empowered women and shattered barriers in both country music and pop culture. She discusses the intentional decisions on fashion made for the music video, aimed at defying the expectations set for female musicians of that era. She talks about how her creative team was inspired by the iconic styling in Robert Plant’s “Addicted To Love” music video and aimed to take it to another level by reversing the gender roles and creating something unexpected with the high women’s coat and top hat with the veil.

Throughout the episode, Shania reveals how the music and video extended beyond the confines of country music and allowed her to reach new audiences. She also describes how Mutt Lange’s memorable guitar riff inspired her famous lyrics centered on “liberation, independence, and the human spirit.” Finally, she shares that she faced significant pushback on the creative side about wardrobe and concerns about being “too sexy” for her audience. However, in the end, the song became relatable to everyone, and she expresses her love for performing it today, as much as she did when it was first released.

FULL FOOTNOTES BELOW:

00:04 – If there’s any song that has ever affected culture, that I have written, it’s “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!” I can’t take credit for knowing that at the moment of writing it!

00:22 – I worked with record producer Mutt Lange on the song. He had this guitar riff he had been playing all morning. Finally, he stopped the ruff and I said…”Man, I feel like a woman!” When that statement came out of my mouth, it was so obvious that the song was going to be about liberation, independence, and the human spirit.

00:44 – I was standing up for myself through the song. I wasn’t being apologetic for all the things I had been criticized for in my life – “you can’t do that, you can’t wear that, that’s too tight, that’s too short” This was my song that really said you know what I love about being a woman! I’m feeling comfortable in my own skin! That’s awesome!

01:06 – It felt anthemic right off the bat. We were picturing a stadium setting, with crowds roaring, so we built the production around that feeling. We layered lots of backing vocals to give that crowd roaring feeling. Mutt and I did all the backing vocals.

01:27 – I wanted to go beyond country music and this song was pushing my genre boundaries, musically it was not limited to one genre. It’s rock, it’s pop, it’s country.

01:44 – The styling in Robert Palmer’s video was so iconic and strong. We wanted to take that idea and turn it on its head. We wanted to make something unexpected and the role reversal was the vision.

02:00 – Mark Bauer got to work on the wardrobe, with that idea in mind and dressed me in that amazing high women’s coat, the top hat, with the veil added for a touch of femininity, in what was a “typically” masculine outfit

02:20 – I wanted to evolve with the peeling away layers of clothes, like layers of this person coming off and revealing a different side of my inner self. I wanted it to show and say so much more than just man and woman – there’s a whole area in between!

02:38 – We got a lot of flack for doing what we did at that time, we were taking country music to a place it hadn’t been before and some people didn’t like that. As part of the role reversal, it was important to have the guys be really sexy and androgynous. All of the little details of the fashion were considered and on purpose. It’s a real credit to Mark and his talent.

03:05 – I remember the art department saying, “This is way too sexy! The women listeners are not going to like this! They’re going to feel threatened.” They told me I was going to alienate a huge part of my audience. I knew that women would totally get it.

03:25 – It’s everyone’s song and they all take ownership of it in a different way. It’s a signature song for my entire career and I adore performing it and singing it today as much as I did back then.

03:40 – We shot the music video in New York with director Paul Boyd, who I had shot “From This Moment On” and “That Don’t Impress Me Much” with, so we had a good working relationship going into the shoot.

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Carin León’s “My Opry Debut”

starsandguitars — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 21:18:49 +0000

Carin León‘s “My Opry Debut” video celebrating his landmark Grand Ole Opry performance is out now via the Opry Youtube channel, watch/share the piece HERE.

On February 23rd, the global Mexican superstar achieved a career milestone on country music’s biggest stage, opening a new chapter for Latin music and introducing his powerful ballads to a new audience.

Read the Billboard feature about the evening HERE.

“[León] received a joyous, prolonged and deafening 10-minute scream from [the] Opry crowd.” — The Tennessean

León performed his latest single, a duet with Kane Brown titled “The One (Pero No Como Yo),” which they premiered live at this year’s Premio Lo Nuestro awards. The track represents a career milestone for both artists and a landmark crossover between American country and música Mexicana. Listen/share HERE and watch/share the music video HERE.

This April, León will make history as the first Spanish-language act to play both Stagecoach and Coachella, followed closely by an opening performance for The Rolling Stones at their Glendale, AZ show on May 7.

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Keith Urban Joins The Voice

starsandguitars — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 21:08:35 +0000

Keith Urban is joining NBC’s The Voice as this season’s Mega Mentor. Beginning with next Monday’s (April 8th) episode, Keith will mentor the remaining artists who have made it through the battle rounds and get ready for the knockout rounds. Coaches Reba McEntire, John Legend, Chance the Rapper and Dan + Shay will choose the inner from their team to advance to the playoffs before the live shows start.

Keith spent a lot of his own time competiting in talent competitions on TV, even when he was just nine years old. While it was a bit of a brutal experience, it made him work even harder on his chosen craft.

“I was on a few singing talent TV shows when I was a kid, a bunch of them actually,” Keith recalls. “The first one I did I was nine-years-old and my Mom and Dad got me on to a TV show called Pot of Gold. It was a singing competition show with three judges, one of whom was just a really unfiltered, unapologetic, vicious, scathing kind of judge. (laughs) This was a long time before Simon Cowell’s template. This guy had it nailed, and at nine-years-old I was subjected to this, and I got kind of crucified by this judge. It didn’t faze me, you know? And then I went on other shows after that, but my experience with all of those was really loving good feedback, constructive feedback, even if it was something I needed to work on. I remember the judge telling me to kindly learn how to sing in tune. (laughs) I’m like, ‘Okay?!’”

Keith has been a coach on The Voice in Australia, a mentor on NBC’s The Voice here in the States and now a Mega Mentor. He also spent several years at the judges table for “American Idol.” The best part of this kind of job for Keith is the mentoring — helping contestants figure out what they need to work on to get better…in a nice way.

“Just getting good advice and honest advice was something I really loved and needed, so it was a no-brainer when I got asked to do it,” he says. “The first one I got asked to do was be a coach on The Voice in Australia on their first season, and I did it. I loved it. Then I did quite a few seasons of American Idol as a judge on American Idol and loved it. So, when The Voice here in the States asked me to come and be a mentor and now a Mega Mentor, whatever that means – I feel like a Transformer – I jumped at the opportunity, because the mentoring part I particularly love. I love that the most. I love being able to try and help an artist navigate some things they’ve got to work on and try and be constructive and helpful but also do it in a supportive way. Nobody wants to get humiliated in front of people, but you do need honest advice as well, so I love that opportunity.”

Keith previously appeared on The Voice as an advisor to Blake Shelton during Season 15 and also served as a coach in the Australian version of the competition show for Seasons 1, 10 and 11.

Keith recently released his new single, “Messed Up As Me,” and it’s currently closing in on Top 35 on the country charts.

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Stealing A Kiss with The War and Treaty

starsandguitars — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 21:02:00 +0000

“Stealing A Kiss” is now streaming on all platforms. Give it a listen and let us know what you think! Listen here: strm.to/StealingAKiss

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Sam Hunt “Locked Up” Get’s Release Date

starsandguitars — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 20:55:29 +0000

Sam Hunt announces his Locked Up EP coming out April 5th. The four-song project includes Hunt’s latest, the “Locked Up” title track released on Friday, his current Top 10 hit song “Outskirts,” plus two brand new songs. Hunt co-wrote three of the four tracks, and enlisted fellow songwriters Ross Copperman, Zach Crowell, Jeremy Flowers, Luke Laird, Michael Lotten, Shane McAnally, and Josh Osborne for the project. Fans can pre-save Locked Up HERE.

Locked Up EP Track List:

Locked Up (Sam Hunt, Zach Crowell, Jerry Flowers, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne)
Country House (Sam Hunt, Ross Copperman, Michael Lotten, Josh Osborne)
Last Hurrah (Luke Laird, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne)
Outskirts (Sam Hunt, Zach Crowell, Jerry Flowers, Josh Osborne)

Hunt makes his performance debut of new song “Locked Up” at the 2024 CMT Music Awards on April 7 airing Live on CBS from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

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