Dasha is celebrating her breakthrough hit, “Austin (Boots Stop Workin’),” becoming only the second solo female country song to reach 1 billion streams – joining Taylor Swift’s "Love Story" – with the track achieving the milestone within only two years. The 25-year-old California-raised, Nashville-based artist’s first major single was released in November 2023, with the platinum-certified track emerging from a place of personal heartbreak. "I realized how much this song is about empowerment and turning so much anger and hate into such an incredible, beautiful thing," Dasha says. The triumph of “Austin” was fueled by a combination of her gut instincts and key creative partnerships with Version III and her major label, Warner Records, who helped spread the track on the radio and online. "This is my first moment, and I recognize how rare and f---ing insane this is,” Dasha says of the song’s success, while admitting, “You don't usually get this for your first one. This song has brought me my entire career and so much incredible fans.” (People)

Todd Snider, a beloved singer-songwriter known for his candid storytelling and wit within the Americana music scene, has died at 59. News of Snider’s death was announced on Saturday (November 15) on his official social media accounts. His passing follows a recent battle with walking pneumonia that was discovered after a troubling incident in Salt Lake City where the singer was the victim of a “violent assault” outside of a hotel before his show, which led to his arrest following his refusal to leave the hospital after the incident. Snider’s abbreviated final tour was in support of his new album, High, Lonesome and Then Some, which was released on October 17 on his Aimless label through Thirty Tigers, with all dates immediately cancelled due to the injuries he sustained from the attack.

A worrying follow-up statement on Facebook updating fans on his condition stated that after “Todd returned home to recover last week, he began having trouble breathing and was admitted to the hospital in Hendersonville, TN.” This came less than 24 hours before the announcement of Snider’s death, which led to tributes from a series of music contemporaries like Jason Isbell, who wrote, “Freak flags at half-staff for the Storyteller and all the songs he still had left to write. I sure did love him.” Celebrated for albums like East Nashville Skyline and The Devil You Know, which led to Snider being nominated for Artist of the Year at the 2006 Americana Honors & Awards, he was also respected for his honest social commentary in his music, and his distinctive songwriting style. Snider’s tragic passing was met with shock and grief from fans and fellow musicians, who praised his enduring influence and kindness. (Variety)

Jelly Roll has shaved off his beard for the first time in 10 years, revealing a dramatically changed look to match his extreme weight loss. "You guys, I have been with my husband for going on 10 years now, [and] I have never seen this man without his facial hair. Not one freaking time," Bunnie XO, 45, revealed in an Instagram video shared on Thursday (November 13) that captured Jelly’s transformation. The Dumb Blonde podcast host shared her reactions while the Grammy-nominated country singer trimmed his facial hair off camera, with Bunnie seeing his look evolve to a goatee down to a "cop stache," before he finally revealed his fully clean-shaven face. Bunnie covered her mouth in shock, but said reassuringly, "The total naked face, it's not terrible." Although fans are eager for the official reveal, Bunnie shared that Jelly Roll will share his new look in due time. "Hey guys, he will show y’all when he’s ready ❤️," she wrote in the caption. (People)

Megan Moroney has scored her third Top 10 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart with “6 Months Later,” with the track rising one spot to reach No. 10 following a 6% increase to 18.3 million in audience over the past week. Moroney co-wrote “6 Months Later” with Rob Hatch, David Mescon, and Ben Williams, and the track continues Moroney’s recent chart success following June’s No. 2 hit, “Am I Okay?,” and her debut entry, “Tennessee Orange,” which peaked at No. 4 in June 2023. Since May 2023, Moroney now joins Ella Langley in a tie for second most Top 10 Country Airplay hits among women over that span, trailing only Lainey Wilson’s mark of five, with those three singers also coincidentally the leading nominees at the upcoming CMA Awards. Moroney’s other new single, "Beautiful Things," also gained momentum by climbing to No. 37 on this week’s chart, with both tracks set to feature on her upcoming third album, Cloud 9, due February 20. (Billboard)

On Sunday (November 16), the NFL announced that Jack White and Post Malone will headline the halftime shows of their scheduled Thanksgiving Day games. White will perform during the Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers game at Ford Field, while Post Malone will launch The Salvation Army’s annual Red Kettle Kickoff by performing at the Dallas Cowboys vs. Kansas City Chiefs matchup. White is a Detroit native and a 12-time Grammy winner, who was just inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last week as the guitarist/lead singer of The White Stripes, while Malone is a Texas native and avowed Cowboys fan, who has received 18 Grammy nominations as a multi-genre artist but has yet to win. His 2024 country record, F-1 Trillion, topped the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums charts, receiving a 2025 Grammy nomination for Best Country Album. Malone, who previously sang “America the Beautiful” before the 2024 Super Bowl, will continue his world tour in support of the album shortly after Thanksgiving. (New York Times)

Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl tops the Billboard 200 chart for the sixth consecutive week, earning 110,000 equivalent album units in the week ending November 13. This marks only the second album this year to spend its first six weeks at No. 1, following Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem, which spent its first eight weeks atop the chart. Showgirl becomes Swift’s third album to lead the chart for its first six weeks or more, joining The Tortured Poets Department, which dominated for 12 straight weeks in 2024, and Folklore, which spent the first six of its eight total weeks at No. 1 in 2020.

Other significant moves in this week’s Billboard 200 Top 10 feature two strong debuts, as Rosalía earns her first career Top 10 as LUX launches at No. 4, while TOMORROW X TOGETHER member YEONJUN’s debut solo album, NO LABELS PART 01, enters at No. 10. Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving reaches a new peak this week as it rises two spots to claim No. 5. The rest of the Top 10 is filled with all former chart-toppers, as Wallen’s I’m the Problem rises one spot to No. 2, while switching spots with the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack, which drops one slot to No. 3. Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend holds at No. 6, SZA’s SOS rises one place to No. 7, Cardi B’s AM I THE DRAMA? jumps up two spots to No. 8, and Wallen’s One Thing at a Time remains at No. 9. (Billboard)

During a recent interview on Lon Helton’s Country Countdown USA, Cody Johnson revealed that he and his wife Brandi welcomed their third child and first son, Jaycee Daniel Johnson, on October 21, joining their daughters Clara Mae (10), and Cori (8). Johnson admitted that at this point in his life, he is “a lot better off now as far as career and financially, than I was when we had [our daughters]," teasing that Jaycee is "gonna get a horse a little quicker than my kids did. He’s going to get to do some things a little quicker than my daughters did.” Despite recently canceling the remainder of his 2025 tour dates due to a ruptured eardrum that required surgery, Johnson is nominated in four categories at the upcoming CMA Awards. Johnson is up for the night’s most prestigious award, Entertainer of the Year, and Male Vocalist of the Year, as well as Music Video and Musical Event of the Year for “I’m Gonna Love You” with Carrie Underwood. (Billboard)

More performers have been added to the lineup for the 59th Annual CMA Awards, which will air live on ABC from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on November 19. The show will now feature performances by Kelsea Ballerini, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Riley Green, Patty Loveless, Old Dominion, and The Red Clay Strays, among others. Ballerini will debut her new song "I Sit in Parks," Chesney will perform in honor of his Country Music Hall of Fame induction, Lambert and Stapleton will duet on "A Song to Sing," while Vince Gill will receive the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award, highlighted by a tribute performance. Lainey Wilson, who will solo host the event and is tied for the most nominations with six nods, will also perform along with previously announced artists including Luke Combs, Megan Moroney, and Zach Top. (People)

Three years after closing, the legendary Ernest Tubb Record Shop in Nashville is set to reopen with a revitalized four-story space that honors the late country icon’s legacy. The newly restored venue preserved original elements from the iconic space like the exposed brick and various memorabilia, including letters from Johnny Cash and artifacts from Tubb’s celebrated career. Owned by Tusk Brothers Entertainment co-founders Jamie and Bryan Kenney – who partnered with Tubb’s grandson Dale Tubb to oversee the restoration – the space now features a honky-tonk with two stages (including the original Midnite Jamboree stage), a record shop, private event spaces, and a rooftop bar, aiming to revive the spirit of community, live music, and artist camaraderie that made the shop a historic country music hub since 1947. The reopening celebrates not only the shop’s musical heritage but also its evolving role as a gathering place for both legendary and emerging artists, with the Midnite Jamboree set to return to WSM radio on Saturday night (November 15). (Billboard)

An artificial intelligence-generated country song has reached the top of Billboard's Country Digital Song Sales chart. "Walk My Walk" by Breaking Rust claimed the number one spot for the week of November 8, 2025. The track was created using AI by Aubierre Rivaldo Taylor, according to Spotify credits. Breaking Rust is not a real person but an AI-generated artist. The song features raspy vocals from a "rough" character who sings "ain't selling my soul for a seat at your table." The track also ranks in iTunes' top 10 all-genres chart. Breaking Rust's Resilient EP sits in the top 10 albums on iTunes. The AI artist has over 2.3 million monthly Spotify listeners, with "Walk My Walk" earning over 3.6 million streams. Taylor also creates songs under the AI artist name Defbeatsai. Both Breaking Rust and Defbeatsai hold verified artist status on Spotify. (Story URL)

Riley Green will honor U.S. service members with three special performances at military bases in Japan and Hawaii next spring, including shows at US Navy Base Fleet Yokosuka on March 9, Naval Air Facility Atsugi on March 10, and Joint Base Pearl Harbor on March 22. Fittingly announced on Veterans Day, these concerts reflect Green’s ongoing support for veterans through his music and the Buford Bonds Charitable Fund, which aids veteran organizations. “Honored to be able to perform for the heroic men and women of our nation next year,” Green wrote. Ahead of his 2026 headlining Cowboy As It Gets Tour and a high-profile appearance at the Stagecoach Festival, Green continues a successful year marked by the release of the deluxe edition of his album, Don’t Mind If I Do, and four CMA Award nominations, including Single of the Year and Song of the Year for his hit collaboration with Ella Langley, “You Look Like You Love Me.” (Country Now)

Country stars Morgan Wallen and Eric Church, part of the investor group that acquired outdoor lifestyle brand Field & Stream in 2024, are launching Field & Stream TV in partnership with Outdoor America. Set to debut in late January 2026 by rebranding Outdoor America’s free ad-supported streaming channel, the network will offer original programming focused on hunting, fishing, camping, and outdoor cooking, distributed across streaming platforms and broadcast TV while reaching 90 million households weekly. This new 24-hour channel expands Field & Stream’s media presence alongside its print, digital, and podcast offerings, aiming to deliver authentic outdoor content with input from Wallen, Church, and top outdoor storytellers. A formal launch event for the channel is planned at the 2026 SHOT (Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade) Show held in Las Vegas from January 20-23. (Variety)

After recently postponing her Las Vegas residency due to self-described "health challenges," Dolly Parton is said to be recovering at home with support from her family and friends, and is “getting better every day,” a source tells PEOPLE. The 79-year-old country legend, who just released her new memoir, Star of the Show: My Life on Stage, on Tuesday (November 11), admitted that she neglected her health following the death of her husband, Carl Dean, in March. That ultimtely led to Parton suffering a kidney stone-related infection and caused the residency delay, which has now been rescheduled for September 2026. Despite these setbacks, Parton remains optimistic about her future, embracing her upcoming 80th birthday on January 19, while looking ahead at what’s next. “Look at all I’ve done in 80 years. I feel like I’m just getting started,” Parton says. “I say, ‘I ain’t got time to get old!’ I ain’t got time to dwell on that.” (People)

On Wednesday (November 12), Caroline Jones announced that she will release her new album, Good Omen, on February 13, marking her debut with Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment. Jones, a member of the Zac Brown Band, also revealed that the title track will come out on Friday (November 14). “This project has my most raw and empathetic storylines yet, set to a backdrop of rich, dark, bluegrass infused tracks,” Jones shares. “This being my first album as a mother, I’ve channeled the intense empathy that motherhood affords you, which, it turns out, is a superpower as a songwriter and artist.” The album includes 12 tracks co-written with collaborators Eric Paslay, Sarah Buxton, Emily Weisband and Liz Rose, and co-produced by Julian Raymond. Jones will support the release with a 17-date headlining tour beginning February 17 in Nashville and hitting major music markets in the U.S. through May. (Music Row)

To honor Veterans Day, Luke Combs shared a poignant clip of him performing his unreleased song, “Ever Mine,” which the country superstar co-wrote with Charlie Worsham and Hailey Whitters. In the caption of the video, which Combs shared on Monday (November 10), he wrote: “In honor of Veterans Day tomorrow, here’s “Ever Mine.” We wrote this from the perspective of a soldier writing a letter to his wife during war without knowing if he’ll ever see her again. Love this one a lot.” Combs first performed a spare, acoustic take on “Ever Mine” in 2020 during lockdown, with the deeply emotional track clearly holding a special place in his heart, even though he has yet to release an official version of the song. With an upcoming studio album expected in early 2026, hopefully this stunning song will find its way onto the tracklist of Combs’ highly-anticipated new project. (Holler)

Darius Rucker and fiancée Emily Deahl, who announced their engagement on October 8, are taking a laid-back approach to their wedding plans. The 59-year-old country star revealed during an appearance on the Today Show on Monday (November 10) that they aren't planning anything formal and will "just get married and have a big party somewhere." The couple have been together for several years, but kept their relationship private in order to protect their love, with Rucker proposing on Pawleys Island, South Carolina, describing the special occasion as "a great day." Deahl, 33, a lifestyle content creator and singer-songwriter, said that “somewhere along the way of loving him I discovered how sacred love is to me. And all I wanted to do was protect it." Rucker was previously married to Beth Leonard from 2000 to 2020, and they share two children together, daughter Daniella, 24, and son Jack, 21, with the Hootie & the Blowfish frontman also a dad to daughter Carolyn, 30, with ex Elizabeth Ann Phillips. (People)

On Tuesday (November 11), Megan Moroney shared the details of her upcoming album, Cloud 9, which is set for release on February 20, 2026. Her new project features 15 tracks spread across three sides, including the title song, “Beautiful Things,” and “6 Months Later,” which earlier this year reached the Top 10 on the Hot Country Songs chart, and cracked the Top 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. “I am so excited for my fans and I to dive into this new world of Cloud 9 together,” Moroney said in a statement. “These songs were written by the strongest, most confident version of myself I’ve ever been. Cloud 9 is a state of mind, and I have no doubt this will be the best chapter yet.” Moroney, the reigning CMA New Artist of the Year, is gearing up for a standout performance at the 59th annual CMA Awards on November 19, where she is tied for the most nominations with six, including single, song, and album of the year, as well as female vocalist of the year. (Billboard)

During a recent interview with Adriana Trigiani on the You Are What You Read podcast, Kenny Chesney reflected on his new book, Heart Life Music, by sharing the touching story of the first time his mother heard him sing. “The first time was at school, actually. I was in a music program,” Chesney recalled. “It was the first time my mom ever heard me sing, and she was so nervous because she goes, ‘You're going to do what? You're going to get up and sing in front of the student body and all their parents?’ And I went, ‘Yeah, I think so’. It was such a different thing for both of us. I remember driving home with her and my stepfather, and they were stunned. And I was stunned! Because I'd never done it.” Chesney’s solo vocal debut was a defining moment for the future country music star, an experience that revealed his talent and sparked a new passion. Chesney will conclude his book tour at the Miami Book Fair on Sunday (November 16). (Holler)

Drake Milligan released his sophomore album, Tumbleweed, on Friday (November 7), with the 27-year-old Fort Worth native blending traditional Texas country, Western swing, and modern Nashville sounds on his new material. Recorded in Nashville with producer Trent Willmon, the album features the standout track, “Old Flames, Old Whiskey,” which he released as a single on October 17. After making his name opening for a variety of country superstars after taking third place on America's Got Talent in 2022, Milligan is excited to embark on his own headlining Tumbleweed World Tour, which kicks off November 11 in Nashville and continues with stops across the U.S. and Europe in 2026. “After a year of opening for legends like Lainey Wilson, Luke Bryan, and Blake Shelton, it feels amazing to step out and headline these shows,” Milligan says. “I can’t wait to see the fans singing these new songs back to me in the crowd.” (People)

CMA New Artist of the Year nominee Stephen Wilson Jr. has just announced his 2026 Gary The Torch Tour. The 17-date run kicks off on March 6 in Columbus, Ohio, and hits major music markets like Toronto, Boston, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, and Denver, before concluding on April 25 in Chicago. The Indiana-born, Nashville-based rising country star won over fans during his acclaimed two-year søn of dad tour, alongside notable appearances supporting Eric Church and HARDY. Wilson Jr. will start 2026 with additional shows opening for Church and some high-profile festival appearances, before launching his headlining tour. Ahead of his scheduled performance at the CMA Awards on Nov. 19, Wilson Jr. will also be the musical guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Nov. 18, while also making his headlining debut at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville with two sold-out shows on Nov. 23 and 24. Ticket pre-sales for the newly announced shows start on Tuesday (November 11), with general on-sales beginning Friday (November 14). (All Country News)