Trisha Yearwood has shared her cherished holiday traditions in a new interview with People, including a yearly cookie party where family and friends bring their favorite recipes from their childhood. The 61-year-old country star also says she waits to decorate the Christmas tree until the whole family is together – usually by her wedding anniversary on December 10, a date she marks as special since marrying Garth Brooks during the holidays. She keeps decorations up through January to enjoy the festive atmosphere, and bakes nostalgic treats like her mother’s cheese straws and a beloved green punch that she calls the "best in the world." Yearwood just released a new holiday album, Christmastime, featuring meaningful seasonal songs including a favorite from A Charlie Brown Christmas, and an original romantic duet with Brooks, “Merry Christmas Valentine.” Yearwood is also celebrating the festive season with her 12 Days of Christmas Tour across several US cities this December. (People)

Zac Brown Band launched a limited run of visually striking shows at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Friday (December 5). The performances are in support of the country band's eighth studio album, Love & Fear, which explores the duality of human experience through themes representing both pain and joy. The performance features powerful imagery, including a fiery skeleton with a crown of thorns during the dark song "Animal," a moment some fans found provocative but the visuals fit within the album’s narrative. Frontman Zac Brown says of his new project: “Love and fear push us, challenge us, and shape who we become. These songs reflect the highs, the lows and everything in between." The band continues their run at the Sphere with sold-out performances on Dec. 12 and Dec. 13, as well as a series of shows in the new year on January 9, 10, 16 and 17, 2026. (People)

Morgan Wallen has been named Billboard’s Top Artist of 2025, becoming the first male country act to achieve the honor in over 30 years, following Garth Brooks’ back-to-back year-end wins in 1992-93. The recognition was fueled by the massive success of Wallen’s 2025 album, I’m the Problem, which spent 12 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, as well as the continued popularity of his earlier albums, One Thing at a Time and Dangerous: The Double Album. Wallen also placed 41 songs on the Hot 100, including nine Top 10 hits and the No. 1 single, “What I Want” featuring Tate McRae. Meanwhile, Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl comes in at No. 1 on the year-end Billboard 200 Albums chart, marking her fifth time at No. 1 on the final tally, while also making her the Top Female Artist of 2025. Notably, Swift was the last country act to be crowned the overall Top Artist of the Year back in 2009, marking her first win in the annual recap at the time. (Billboard)

The first trailer for Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming film, EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert, premiered on Tuesday (December 9). The movie will offer rare, long-lost footage from Elvis’s legendary 1969 Las Vegas residency, along with archival 16mm and 8mm film from Elvis on Tour and Graceland, synced with restored audio including a 45-minute recording of Presley reflecting on his life. Luhrmann says of the project: “I wouldn’t call it a documentary, or a concert film; our aim here is to make something new in the Elvis canon … to bring something to the screen that befits the magnitude of Elvis as a performer but also offers deeper revelations of his humanity and inner life.” The film debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, and will have advanced screenings at Graceland on January 8, before releasing exclusively in IMAX on February 20 and widely on February 27. This project follows Luhrmann’s critically acclaimed 2022 Elvis biopic starring Austin Butler, which garnered eight Oscar nominations and grossed over $288 million worldwide. (NME)

Raul Malo, the soulful frontman of The Mavericks known for blending Latin flair and lively rock into ’90s country music, died on Monday (December 8) at the age of 60, following a battle with Stage 4 colon cancer. Malo, celebrated for his rich baritone and dynamic stage presence, co-wrote many of the band's hits and also enjoyed a diverse solo career and work with the supergroup Los Super Seven. Formed in 1989, The Mavericks gained fame with albums like 1994’s What a Crying Shame, and were known for their energetic performances and genre-blending sound. After a split in 1999, they reunited in 2011, touring and releasing new music including their 2024 album, Moon & Stars. “Anyone with the pleasure of being in Raul’s orbit knew that he was a force of human nature, with an infectious energy,” the band wrote in tribute to Malo on Instagram. “Over a career of more than three decades entertaining millions around the globe, his towering creative contributions and unrivaled, generational talent created the kind of multicultural American music reaching far beyond America itself.”

The Mavericks just played a series of tribute shows for Malo at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium over the weekend, where special guests like Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle, and Maggie Rose honored his musical legacy. Malo couldn’t attend the shows due to his failing health, but wrote in a heartfelt message: “Music has been the guiding force of my entire life. It carried me from my Cuban American childhood in Miami to stages across the world. It introduced me to my brothers, the Mavericks. It gave me a home in Nashville, Tennessee. It allowed me to raise my three incredible sons, Dino, Vincent, and Max, who are my greatest pride and joy. And it connected me to you fans whose love has sustained me through every chapter of this journey.” (Variety)

The Music City Rodeo will return to Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena from May 28-30, 2026, headlined by Miranda Lambert, Charley Crockett, and Jon Pardi. The three-day event, featuring professional rodeo competitions like bull riding and barrel racing, will also serve as an official Cinch Playoff Series Rodeo, showcasing top athletes including champion bullfighters Cody Webster and Dusty Tuckness. Three-time Grammy winner Lambert will perform on May 28, followed by two-time Grammy nominee Crockett on May 29, and CMA and ACM Awards winner Pardi on May 30. Co-founder Tim McGraw announced the lineup during his recent Las Vegas residency, following the successful inaugural 2025 event which raised over $292,000 in prize money and featured performances by McGraw, Reba McEntire, and Jelly Roll. A portion of proceeds will support Nashville’s Monroe Carell Jr Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, with tickets available starting on Friday, December 12. (Billboard)

Miley Cyrus shared a positive update on her godmother, Dolly Parton, following the country legend’s recent health challenges. While attending the Avatar: Fire and Ash premiere in Los Angeles, Cyrus said of Parton, “She’s always gonna keep the show going,” while adding that “the show must go on. She’s just excited to get back to work." Earlier this year, Parton faced issues including a kidney stone and an infection that led her to postpone her December Las Vegas residency until 2026, while assuring fans, “Don’t worry about me quittin’ the business because God hasn’t said anything about stopping yet.” A source close to Parton told People in November that, “Dolly is getting better every day,” while sharing that the 79-year-old icon is “at home taking care of herself while many friends and family visit her. In true Dolly spirit, she has already started decorating for the holidays — her favorite time of year.” (People)

During her show in Sydney, Australia on Saturday night (December 6), Kelsea Ballerini firmly shut down a heckler who shouted “Team Morgan!” – a reference to her ex-husband, Australian country artist Morgan Evans – while she performed her emotionally charged 2023 song “Penthouse,” which reflects on their divorce. Stopping mid-song, Ballerini responded with “F—k off,” and quickly added, “Team ‘everyone is happy’ here.” The 32-year-old country star later warned concertgoers on her Instagram Story by writing: “Respectfully, if anyone yells anything disrespectful to anyone during this song again, it will no longer be on the setlist.” She added, “Please let this be a song that matters to people and not a place to insert yourself into a world that doesn’t exist and was never yours to begin with. Team everyone’s happy or bust.” The incident comes as Ballerini tours Australia for the first time in seven years, promoting her 2024 album, PATTERNS, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and earned her a CMA Entertainer of the Year nomination. (People)

After 15 years performing and recording as the country duo Maddie & Tae, Maddie Font and Tae Kerr have announced they are ending their professional partnership. The pair are resisting the term "breakup" as they “are embarking on separate journeys,” with Kerr focusing on family life as a stay-at-home mom and Font pursuing a solo music career. “We’re leaving this so open-ended because we might make another record one day,” Font says, while adding, “We might go do some tour dates one day. But just in this season. it doesn't feel aligned for us to do it together.”

Both singers emphasize their enduring friendship and openness to future collaborations, with Kerr prioritizing her children and home while Font prepares to release solo music blending country, gospel, and R&B influences. The duo expressed gratitude for their fans as they plan a series of special final shows together while being careful to avoid calling it a farewell tour. The duo’s 2014 debut single, “Girl in a Country Song,” went to No. 1 when they were both only 19-years-old, and industry accolades quickly followed, with Maddie & Tae receiving 13 CMA nominations, including 11 for vocal duo of the year, 11 ACM nominations, including nine for duo of the year, and six CMT Awards nominations. (People)

During a recent appearance on The Upload with Brooke Taylor podcast, Conner Smith opened up about the deep grief and trauma he has endured since a tragic June accident in Nashville when he struck 77-year-old Dorothy Dobbins with his truck, resulting in her death. Reflecting on the incident, Smith described the experience as a devastating whirlwind of emotions that left him struggling to process reality. He received a misdemeanor citation for failing to yield, and has expressed ongoing sorrow for Dobbins and her family. Smith told Taylor that after the accident, he turned off his phone for a month “because it was so traumatic,” admitting that he “locked [myself]” at his parents’ house where he and his wife were staying. The 25-year-old country singer, who released his debut album, Smoky Mountains, in 2024, returned to performing with a July 31 concert at the Grand Ole Opry, but he currently has no shows scheduled as he continues to navigate the aftermath of the tragic accident. (Rolling Stone)

Megan Moroney was named the Storyteller of the Year at Variety’s Hitmakers event in Los Angeles on Saturday night. The 28-year-old country star credits her storytelling prowess to crafting relatable songs, like those featured on her gold-certified sophomore album, Am I Okay?, which led to her being named CMA’s New Artist of the Year in 2024, followed by a sold-out tour noted for its passionate, predominantly young female audiences. Moroney is preparing to release her third album, Cloud 9, on February 20, marked by a softer, more confident sound that still emphasizes detailed narratives in the songs which create deep emotional connections with listeners, even those who haven’t lived the exact experiences described in the lyrics. Moroney was honored to be named Variety’s Storyteller of the Year, admitting that “I gravitated towards country music at a young age because when you really pay attention to the lyrics, it puts you in that exact spot.” (Variety)

Parmalee claims their fifth No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart as “Cowgirl” climbs up three places to reach the top spot on this week’s chart, reaching 27.2 million audience impressions, an increase of 6% over the previous frame. The song was co-written by all four band members – Barry Knox, Josh McSwain, Matt Thomas, and Scott Thomas – and longtime collaborator David Fanning, who also produced the track. “Cowgirl” is the lead single from the group’s eighth studio album, Fell in Love With a Cowgirl, released in April. Parmalee is now tied with Lady A for the third-most No. 1s by groups since their 2012 debut, trailing only Old Dominion (seven) and Zac Brown Band (six) over that timespan. This also marks the group’s second time earning back-to-back Country Airplay chart-toppers, with “Cowgirl” following the success of “Gonna Love You,” which topped the chart in December 2024. Since their first No. 1 with “Carolina” in 2013, all 11 of Parmalee’s singles have reached the Top 40, including eight Top 10 hits. (Billboard)

Aerosmith and Yungblud have teamed up with country superstar Lainey Wilson on an updated version of “Wild Woman” from their newly released collaborative EP, One More Time. Originally a country-flavored ballad, the new version – which dropped Friday (December 5), along with an official music video – features Wilson’s vocals on the second verse, bringing new life to the titular “wild woman.” “I’m really hyped to have Lainey Wilson jump on this record with us,” Yungblud said in a statement. “I have been a fan of hers for a while. With this record, we really needed a female vocalist who could carry it with the level of authenticity that Lainey embodies. We needed a wild woman, and we for sure got one!” The reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year first met Steven Tyler when they performed Aerosmith’s “Dream On” together at Tyler’s 6th annual Jam for Janie benefit in February 2025, eventually leading to Wilson collaborating with Tyler, Yungblud, and Joe Perry, who added new guitar parts to the updated version. (Rolling Stone)

Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl returns to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart for the eighth nonconsecutive week, rising up two places from its previous ranking at No. 3, with 99,000 equivalent album units sold in the U.S. during the week ending December 4. The 12% increase was driven by Black Friday retail promotions and newly available signed CDs on Swift’s webstore. Of the total sales units, 53,000 were from streaming – while its 69.38 million on-demand streams  maintains its No. 2 spot on Top Streaming Albums chart –  and 46,000 were from album sales, up 121% from the previous tracking period.

Holiday music makes a significant impact on the Top 10 this week, as Michael Bublé’s former chart-topper, Christmas, climbs six places to reach No. 6, while Bing Crosby’s Ultimate Christmas rises nine spots to claim No. 7, and Vince Guaraldi Trio’s beloved soundtrack for A Charlie Brown Christmas returns to the  Top 10 for the first time in nearly three years, as it surges nine slots to reach No. 9. The upper tier of the Top 10 features a series of former No. 1s, as Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem rises two places to No. 2, while the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack jumps two spot to No. 3, and Stray Kids’ DO IT falls three places to No. 4 one week after debuting at No. 1. The Wicked: For Good soundtrack drops three spots to No. 5 in its second frame on the chart, while Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving falls one slot to No. 8, and Tate McRae’s So Close To What falls four places to No. 10. (Billboard)

President Donald Trump presented the 2024 Kennedy Center honorees – including KISS, George Strait, Gloria Gaynor, Sylvester Stallone, and Michael Crawford – with their medals during a ceremony on Sunday (December 6) in the Oval Office, praising them as “perhaps the most accomplished and renowned class” ever assembled. He lauded each for their significant contributions to American arts and culture, calling Strait the “king of country,” Gaynor the “disco queen,” Stallone a “true, great movie star,” Crawford a “great star of Broadway,” and KISS as an “incredible rock band,” and “among the greatest artists, actors and performers of their generation. The greatest that we’ve seen.” The President complimented this year’s honorees as a group of “incredible people” who represent the “very best in American arts and culture,” while adding, “This is a group of icons whose work and accomplishments have inspired, uplifted and unified millions and millions of Americans.” (NME)

On Thursday (December 4), Megan Moroney announced the dates and details of her extensive 2026 The Cloud 9 Tour. The 43-date arena jaunt kicks off on May 29 in Columbus, Ohio, and runs through October 1 in Belfast, with stops across the U.S., Europe, and the U.K., including major venues like Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, New York’s Barclays Center, Chicago’s United Center, Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena, and London’s Hammersmith Apollo. The tour supports Moroney’s upcoming album, Cloud 9, which is set for release on February 20, featuring hit singles “6 Months Later” and “Beautiful Things.” “I am so excited for my fans and I to dive into this new world of Cloud 9 together,” Moroney said in a statement. “Cloud 9 is a state of mind, and I have no doubt this will be the best chapter yet.” Ticket presale begins on Thursday (December 11), followed by a general on-sale on Friday (December 12). (Billboard)

Post Malone is set to headline Bud Light’s Super Bowl concert, "Bud Light Presents Post Malone & Buddies," in February at Fort Mason in San Francisco. The concert will take place on the weekend of Super Bowl LX, which is set to be held on February 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, about an hour from where Posty will be performing. The chart-topping country singer is promising fans he will "maybe, definitely" debut new music during the show, which continues Malone’s longstanding partnership with the NFL and Bud Light, having previously performed at the Cowboys 2025 Thanksgiving Day game, the 2024 Super Bowl pre-game, and various Bud Light events over the years, “We show up every year to provide football fans with bucket-list experiences,” Todd Allen, Bud Light’s SVP of marketing, said in a statement. “We’re pumped to run it back with Posty, our buddy of nearly a decade, for what will be one of the most electrifying shows of Super Bowl [weekend].” (Billboard)

HARDY led the American Cancer Society’s Country vs. Cancer benefit concert at The Pinnacle in Nashville on Tuesday night (December 2), raising over $350,000 to support cancer research and patient advocacy. Joined by stars like Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley, Lanie Gardner, McCoy Moore, Chase McGill, Luke Laird, Randy Montana, and Rocky Block, HARDY expressed gratitude for the generosity of his fellow musicians who care deeply about the cause. "I'm just lucky first and foremost to have a platform to stand on, to be able to support just through music," HARDY said, while adding, “I just stand on the shoulders of Nashville and the music industry for putting me in a place where I could do that." The event, co-partnered with Whiskey Jam, successfully raised money and awareness for the worthy cause, while showcasing the Nashville music community’s unity and commitment to making a meaningful impact in the fight against cancer. (People)

During an appearance on Howard Stern’s radio show on Tuesday (December 2), Kenny Chesney reminisced about Jimmy Buffett’s posthumous induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024. Buffett was honored with a heartfelt tribute performance of his 1974 song, “Come Monday,” by his close friends Chesney, James Taylor, and Mac McAnally, with McAnally secretly carrying Buffett’s ashes – given to him by Buffett's daughter Savannah – in his coat pocket on stage. “We were backstage warming up, trying to figure out our parts and stuff, and Mac comes up to me and he goes, ‘Look at this.’ And it was a small urn,” Chesney recalled. “And he had Jimmy’s ashes in his coat pocket. So Jimmy’s ashes were in Mac McAnally’s coat pocket on stage with us as he was getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So even after he passed, Jimmy found a way to join the party.” (People)

Trisha Yearwood hosted NBC’s Christmas in Nashville special on Wednesday night (December 3), performing a spirited rendition of the classic holiday song, “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” from the beloved 1966 animated film, How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Filmed at Luke Combs’ Category 10 bar, the special also featured performances by Bill Murray & His Blood Brothers, Lauren Alaina, Ne-Yo, The War and Treaty, and Trace Adkins. The Nashville holiday special aired after NBC’s annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center broadcast, which was hosted by country music icon Reba McEntire, with both events now streaming on Peacock. Yearwood released her new holiday album, Christmastime, on November 7, featuring her version of festive seasonal classics like “Candy Cane Lane” and Elvis Presley’s “Blue Christmas,” along with the original track, “Merry Christmas, Valentine,” which she recorded with her husband, Garth Brooks. This marks Yearwood’s first solo holiday album since 1994’s The Sweetest Gift, and a follow-up to her 2016 collaboration with Brooks, Christmas Together. (Billboard)