Latest news with #SpotifyHouse
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why Kelsea Ballerini Is Pressing Pause to ‘Sit in the Moment'
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission. Kelsea Ballerini is ready to take a breather. The country star spent the weekend performing at CMA Fest and reflected on choosing to step away from the spotlight during an intimate Q&A for SoFi Plus members. More from Rolling Stone Kelsea Ballerini Surprises With Noah Kahan During Headlining CMA Fest Set Carin Leon Covers Chris Stapleton, Journey During Surprise Spotify House Set Bailey Zimmerman Announces Album 'Different Night Same Rodeo' 'The next right thing for me is to just be… be quiet for a bit,' she told SoFi CMO Lauren Stafford-Webb over the weekend. 'I think I'm in this season of rest, where I start to find what actually excites me creatively and what I want to do. I've been in a sprint, and it's been beautiful… but I'm going to [waves goodbye] for a while and see what happens.' Ballerini recently linked up with SoFi to help empower the next generation of Tenneseans by investing $2 million in financial education and grants to support over 60,000 high school students in her home state. The initiative, titled the Rising Stars Program, grants between $5 and $1000 in stock to students in the state of Tennessee between [ages] 18 and 24. 'It's so important to invest in your education or invest in your hobbies, and invest in your dreams, it's also important to invest in yourself and in your future,' she told the intimate group before an acoustic, a cappella performance of 'Baggage,' following her Nissan Stadium soundcheck. She also caught up with Rolling Stone about taking a break, her first pair of Louboutin shoes, and why she's talking about finances. Why was it important for you to collaborate with SoFi on this Rising Stars program? I love being able to talk about things that sometimes feel taboo to talk about for whatever reason. For me, understanding investment and even finances was something that was just not really talked about growing up. I think it's really important for the younger generation to invest in themselves in every way that they can. The first step of that is just knowledge and understanding that it's really important. The earlier you can, the better for you and your future. And then obviously, partnering with Tennessee Achieves, whether you get $5 or $1000, it will pay dividends in the long run. It's just an amazing incentive to get our youth to be educated and do something good for themselves. What was the first thing you invested in? It took me a minute! I was really scared because I didn't understand it. I don't share my investment portfolio, but I know the first thing that I invested in for myself was a pair of Louboutin shoes. And I'll never forget it. I told myself that if I won a CMA one year that I would buy myself my first pair of red bottoms, and I lost that CMA. The next day, hungover, I went to the Green Hills Mall and I bought my first pair. They could have been my winner shoes, and instead, they're my loser shoes, and I wear them all the time. I won in the shoe department! As an artist, I'm wondering what advice you have for young artists in getting into the industry. Ask a lot of questions, and ask questions to the right people. In that same breath, I think trusting yourself and your compass and your gut, whether that comes to artistic decisions for yourself, but also think in financial decisions. Even just navigating your personal and work life balance… That's like the most important thing you can do. When you're a new artist, especially if you're young, you kind of have this ability to put blinders on and just get into the work. And I would say, don't leave your real life behind. You said you're t for a second and take a break. Why so? It's been a really busy last few years, and especially doing The Voice and coming off my first arena tour. I don't want to keep going in a sprint and not take a breath after that and enjoy what that was, because I never knew if I'd get to do with either of those things, and the fact that we did them, and they were so wonderful, like, I just want to sit in that for a minute. And I also have no idea musically what I'm doing next, and I'm not gonna know that until I just park it for a second. I can't make a shitty album. I need to take a breath and cook a meal and, like, learn to play tennis or something, and then pick up a guitar. Are there any artists that you're really enjoying right now? I think Carter Faith is such a badass. She has a song called 'Grudge' that I'm obsessed with, and she just has this beautiful, angelic tone to her voice. But then her lyrics are so witty and sharp, and I just think she has such a really identifiable artistry. She's really cool. You had Aly & AJ out at your LA show! During that sound check, when they came up on that lift, I had to just be out of my body, I was so excited, because before I'm an artist, I'm a fan. That Disney Channel era was my childhood. That was right when I started falling in love with music. Just to have two incredible like artists and women and now friends show up for that was a big deal. And we sang 'Potential Breakup Song.' Get real! Best of Rolling Stone The Best Audiophile Turntables for Your Home Audio System
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
5 shows not to miss at CMA Fest on Friday: Marcus King, Ian Munsick, Carter Faith
On Friday, the second day of 2025's CMA Fest will bring another flock of talented artists to downtown Nashville for a jam-packed day of country music. Now in its 52nd year, the event has drawn nearly a million concertgoers to Nashville over the past decade. Throughout the day June 6, country artists will perform on five outdoor stages downtown, where no ticket is required for entry. The concerts are free to attend, featuring both country music greats and emerging stars. In the evening, Nissan Stadium will host four nights of ticketed concerts with stacked country star lineups. With over 300 performers on CMA Fest's docket, it's difficult to navigate which shows are the ones not to miss each day. We've got you covered. Here are five shows to try and catch on Friday morning and afternoon, the festival's second day. The "Wildflowers & Wine" singer will perform from 11 to 11:30 a.m. at the Chevy Riverfront Stage. King's CMA Fest set comes ahead of a Bonnaroo performance for the Southern rocker, as well as a summer tour and upcoming shows alongside Chris Stapleton, Cody Johnson and Eric Church. He released his latest tune, "Honky Tonk Hell," on May 9. McNown will perform on Friday from 12:40 to 1:10 p.m. at the Chevy Riverfront Stage. In the evening, he will also appear at Ascend Amphitheater for Jake Owen and Friends. On June 7, he'll appear at Spotify House. The Oregon singer-songwriter known for songs "A Lot More Free" and "Better Me For You" continues to gain momentum after going viral in 2023. More: Nashville's Max McNown goes from busking on a Cali pier to sold-out tour: 'It's all happened pretty fast' McNown released his EP "The Cost of Growing Up" in May. Barber will hit the stage at the Chevy Riverfront Stage from 1:30 to 2 p.m. Later in the evening, he will perform on the Nissan Stadium Platform Stage at 9:35 p.m. Barber, who is known for tunes "Indigo," "Straight and Narrow" and "Dancing in the Sky," released his record "Restful Mind" in 2024. The Missouri singer-songwriter is known for his country-rock fusion. Munsick will perform at the Chevy Riverfront Stage from 3:10 to 3:40 p.m. The Wyoming country-Western singer dropped his album "Eagle Feather" in April, which follows his 2023 record "White Buffalo." Later this year, he'll be touring alongside Cody Johnson. Faith will perform at the Good Molecules Reverb Stage from 5 to 5:25 p.m. In the evening, she'll appear at Ascend Amphitheater for Jake Owen and Friends. Saturday evening, she will hit the stage at Nissan Stadium from 9:40 to 9:50 p.m. The North Carolina-born singer-songwriter, known for tunes "Greener Pasture" and "Cowboys & Dreamers," released her singles "If I Had Never Lost My Mind..." in February and "Grudge" in April. To learn more about stage locations and performance times, visit Audrey Gibbs is a music reporter at The Tennessean. You can reach her at agibbs@ This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: 2025 CMA Fest: Friday performances to catch at the Nashville festival
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Spotify House: See Lainey Wilson, Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini, Shaboozey for free at CMA fest
The "Spotify House" pop-up at Lower Broadway's Ole Red will feature more than a dozen artists during the 52nd CMA Fest. Access is free, but capacity is limited; admission is first-come, first-served, for ages 18 and up, from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. each day of the festival. Like Spotify's well-regarded "Hot Country" collection of 50 songs, its pop-up roster will include both established superstars and rising acts on the stages of the main floor and rooftop of the 26,000 square foot venue. Artists scheduled to perform include Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini, Shaboozey, Lainey Wilson, Bailey Zimmerman, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, Parker McCollum, Brothers Osborne, Zac Brown Band, Rascal Flatts, Little Big Town, Midland, Carly Pearce, Cole Swindell, Warren Zeiders, Dylan Scott and Ashley Cooke. "It's a real honor to be returning to Spotify House this year. Spotify and Hot Country have been behind me since the jump, helping my music reach fans everywhere," Wilson said in a conversation with The Tennessean. "Streaming has brought so many new people into the country fold. I can play a show anywhere in the world now and the crowd is singing along." The Spotify country playlist "Fresh Finds" inspired the selections for the rooftop line-up. Acts scheduled to perform there include 2025 Tennessean artists to watch, Noeline Hofmann and Chandler Walters. Spotify launched the "Hot Country" playlist 10 years ago and has had a presence at CMA Fest for the past six. "Country's ability to use its core of authentic storytelling has appealed to every cultural and social shift since COVID-19's quarantine," said Spotify's Claire Heinchen. "The result? It's removed barriers of entry into being someone (for whom) a country inspires and soundtracks their lives." Wilson exemplifies how Spotify's "Hot Country" playlist opens a door for pop crossover success. After signing to Nashville's BMG office in Sept. 2019, she released her debut major label EP "Redneck Hollywood." One year later, her eventual first No. 1 country hit "Things A Man Oughta Know" followed. Those releases coincided with the success of a pair of streaming-beloved No. 1 sales hits — her label mate Blanco Brown's "The Git Up" and Dan + Shay's "10,000 Hours." As well, Lil Nas X's country hit "Old Town Road" topped the all-genre Hot 100 for nineteen consecutive weeks. The COVID-19 pandemic era followed, resulting in a more than 700% increase in monthly American country music streams, according to Spotify data. 'Lainey didn't let the pandemic stop her from engaging with fans on social media and industry professionals in the Nashville and country communities,' BMG president Jon Loba said in a 2021 interview. The year also saw Wilson added to its inaugural "Hot Country Artists to Watch" list. The growth of streaming super-spiking country artists impacted the genre, as it churned out three-dozen different chart-topping radio and sales stars in 2021 alone, Wilson among them. Other venues where Wilson has headlined in the past 12 months include New York City's Radio City Music Hall and London's O2 Arena. J.J. Italiano is responsible for Global Music Curation and Discovery at Spotify. Yes, he's aware that Hot Country has added 33 percent more listeners in the past five years, but the Nashville country industry's impact on playlists like all-genre New Music Friday and Today's Top Hits has him the most intrigued. "Taking an early bet on songs is exciting, but discovering how country organically impacts people's lives has made those songs grow (on the platform)," he said. Watching acts, including rapper BigXThaPlug pairing with Bailey Zimmerman and country stars like Morgan Wallen collaborating with pop acts like Tate McRae, embrace their fans' desires to hear them work with artists from genres whose vibes they enjoy. "Streaming allows for country to embrace a moment where the genre's emerging voices, superstars and various musical influences and tastes have a seat at country's mainstream table," Heinchen said. "Spotify House allows artists, fans and country's industry to accept and celebrate what the genre is becoming." This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How to see Lainey Wilson, Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini, Shaboozey for free during CMA fest
UPI
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- UPI
CMA Fest: Kelsea Ballerini, Keith Urban among Spotify House performers
1 of 4 | Kelsea Ballerini is scheduled to perform on the Spotify House mainstage at the June 5-7 CMA Fest 2025 in Nashville. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo May 21 (UPI) -- Country stars including Kelsea Ballerini, Keith Urban, Shaboozey, Lainey Wilson and Bailey Zimmerman have been announced as Spotify House mainstage performers at the June 5-7 CMA Fest 2025. Spotify announced on social media that Spotify House will return to Nashville's Ole Red during this year's festival, with 37 performers announced and the promise of "more surprise guests." Performers on Thursday, June 5, include Zimmerman, Urban, Noah Cyrus, Parker McCollum, Riley Green and the Zac Brown Band. Friday performers are set to include the Brothers Osborne, Dasha, Dylan Scott, Little Big Town and Cameron Witcomb. Dust off your boots and grab your denim because Spotify House is BACK See you at Ole' Red in Nashville from June 5th - June 7th with some of your favorite artists. Spotify (@Spotify) May 21, 2025 Country stars scheduled to hit the stage Saturday include Ballerini, Shaboozey, Wilson, Rascal Flatts and Carly Pierce. "We're thrilled to return to Nashville and bring back the beloved Spotify House at Ole Red, as we celebrate a decade of Hot Country -- our flagship country music playlist," Jackie Augustus, Spotify's lead of country and folk artist partnerships, said in a statement provided to
