LUKE BRYAN ON HIS NEW SINGLE
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Luke Bryan might be country music’s fastest rising star. He was just nominated for seven American Country Awards. That’s more than established stars like Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum. He’s up for the night’s top honor, artist of the year and has nominations in the male artist, album, video and single of the year categories. Bryan says his new single, “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye” is a song that plenty of people should be able to relate to. It’s about a couple confronting the end of their relationship.
KEITH URBAN TO RECEIVE NASHVILLE SYMPHONY’S HARMONY AWARD
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Keith Urban will be receiving the Nashville Symphony’s 2012 Harmony Award – a nice way to celebrate his 20th anniversary in his adopted hometown. Urban left Australia and arrived in Music City in 1992. The new “American Idol” judge is being honored for his commitment to music and community. Among Urban’s charitable work is his “All for the Hall” annual concert which has raised millions for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The award will be presented to Urban on December 8.
“X FACTOR”
UNDATED (AP) – Justin Bieber says one of the country guys on “The X Factor” has a great voice. Bieber is a guest mentor and made the comment about Tate Stevens. That was after Stevens performed “Back At One” on last night’s show. So far, Stevens is still in running. But so is everyone else. Twenty-four hopefuls started the episode and the same number finished. There were no eliminations on last night’s program.
SUGARLAND’S KRISTIAN BUSH SELLS OUT SOLO SHOWS, ADDS ANOTHER
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Sugarland’s Kristian Bush says he’s “happy to keep on playing for as long as people want to listen.” After selling out two solo shows he’s added a third at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, Georgia. The encore by popular demand performance will be Monday, November 26. Eddie’s is where Bush got his start and he says he’s “thrilled” that so many fans want to ring in their holiday season with his show. Bush is nominated for CMA Vocal Duo of the Year with Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland.
BILLBOARD ANNOUNCES NEW FORMULA FOR TRACKING HIT SONGS
NEW YORK (AP) – Billboard has a new way of computing its weekly hot country songs chart. The publication announced yesterday morning that from now on chart positions will incorporate digital download sales and streaming data along with traditional radio airplay figures to determine the weekly chart. The changes will also apply to the hot R&B/hip-hop songs and hot Latin songs charts and will match the qualifications for the publication’s all-genre chart, the Billboard Hot 100.
LUKE BRYAN ANNOUNCES FIRST HEADLINE TOUR
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Luke Bryan has had a pretty good year. His latest album “Tailgates and Tanlines” sold over one million copies, he co-hosted the CMA TV special “Country’s Night to Rock,” he took home trophies at both the ACM Awards and CMT Music Awards, and he opened up concerts for a handful of country superstars including Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts and Tim McGraw. Now, Bryan is getting ready to headline his own major tour. He says he’s “dreamed about this day for a very long time” and has tried to learn from all the artists he’s been on the road with. His “Dirt Road Diaries Tour” will kick off in January of next year. The 20-city first leg will go through March and feature Thompson Square and Florida Georgia Line as openers.
OAK RIDGE BOYS CELEBRATE 40 YEARS WITH A TOUR
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The Oak Ridge Boys have been harmonizing for 40 years. And to help celebrate four decades in the music business the quartet will be kicking off “The Oak Ridge Boys 40th Anniversary Tour” early next year. The group also plans to release a commemorative album and a network television special is also in the works. The first concert of the U.S. and Canadian tour will be held January 19 at the historic Opera House in Galveston, Texas.