Country Update BILLBOARD.COM/NEWSLETTERS APRIL 19, 2021 | PAGE 1 OF 19 BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE [email protected] INSIDE ACM Awards Anticipate National Renewal And Reassert Multicultural Support Taylor Swift’s Now that half of U.S. adults have received at least one jab of a ment presented during the COVID-19 era, and precautions ‘Fearless’ Chart COVID-19 vaccine, the nation is officially in recovery mode, abounded. Many nonsinging musicians wore masks, and seats Move and on April 18 the Academy of Country Music provided them in multiple Nashville venues were mostly unoccupied. One ex- >page 4 an awards show to match. ception was at the Grand Ole Opry House, where Vanderbilt Women continued to recover strength after the bleak “bro health-care workers were scattered at safe distances. country” years with two females — Thomas Rhett, who performed and Maren Morris and Carly Pearce, who reclaimed male artist of the year for the ACM Radio shared her awards with duet partner third time in five years, gave a shout-out Lee Brice and the late producer bus- to those front-line professionals during Stations Win bee — winning in two categories. Luke his acceptance speech. In Triplicate Bryan, who returned to American Idol “My wife graduated from Tennes- >page 11 after a bout with the coronavirus, recov- see with a nursing degree,” he told the ered the entertainer of the year trophy six media later, demonstrating an affin- years after his victory in the ACM’s top ity for caregivers. “It almost made me category. Blanco Brown took another cry, honestly, looking up into the stands Makin’ Tracks: step in his return from a near-fatal mo- and seeing people that are putting their torcycle accident by making his first pub- health and their lives on the line. Getting Darius Rucker’s lic appearance to present an award. And to give them live music for the first time “Masterpiece” Black performers continued to regain vis- in a long time was one of the most spe- >page 16 ibility in the format, which was heavily cial things I’ve gotten to do in a minute.” influenced by African Americans in its Bryan, who won his third entertainer formative years: Mickey Guyton became trophy, revealed that his COVID-19 diag- MORRIS the first Black female to co-host, while nosis was rough, but only for a few days. Country Coda: Kane Brown, Darius Rucker, Jimmie “I was very fortunate to not have a Allen, Americana duo The War & Treaty and gospel singer long set of symptoms,” he said. “It was still quite challenging McGraw’s One CeCe Winans all made appearances. for a couple of days, but thank God for health.” Of A “Kind” Hit “Tonight is just a continuation of country music being more Morris collected three trophies in her two trips to the podium. >page 19 inclusive,” said Rucker in the virtual press room. “You see the She snagged her second female artist victory and earned two whole genre working toward that.” more for “The Bones” — one as artist, the other as songwriter th The 56 annual ACM Awards were the second install- — while co-writers Laura Veltz and Jimmy Robbins shared HARRINGTON/CBS BRENT BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE APRIL 19, 2021 | PAGE 2 OF 19 the song honor in absentia. Pearce and Brice took single of the year for “I Hope You’re Happy Now” during the telecast, after the same recording won musical event two days prior to the show. Pearce wrote the song as a sort of apology to an ex when she was 29, then endured a difficult personal stretch while the tune emerged as a hit. “I keep saying that I think 29 and 30 were the years that really tested my faith,” she told reporters. “I think that God takes things and sometimes has to break it down to ashes in order to make something beautiful out of it. I feel like 31 and hopefully 32 is all the good. He uses our pain sometimes for good.” Dan + Shay won their third straight duo of the year award, and Old Dominion walked off with the band’s fourth con- secutive group of the year honor. Chris IMAGES WYATT/GETTY TERRY Stapleton picked up his second album of Carly Pearce and Lee Brice received the Academy of Country Music’s the year award, winning trophies as both music event of the year award for “I Hope You’re Happy Now” during an artist and producer for Starting Over — a interview with People magazine on April 16. title that embodied the same spirit of re- vival that the ACMs represented. New female Gabby Barrett and new male Jimmie Allen performed during the broadcast, days after their victories were announced. Kane Brown also received advance recognition for video of the year STAPLETON JON MORGAN/CBS JON with “Worldwide Beautiful,” a song that encourages multiculturalism. “This song to me just shows where the world’s leading,” Brown told report- ers. “It’s in the future of our children’s hands.” The music was designed to bear that out with numerous biracial perfor- mances. Allen was surprised by Brad Paisley’s arrival to perform “Freedom Kane Brown (right) learned he won the Academy of Country Music’s Was a Highway” from The Bluebird Cafe. Winans teamed with Carrie Un- video of the year award for “Worldwide Beautiful” during an on-air derwood on a big-voiced version of “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” amid a gospel conversation with CBS This Morning host Anthony Mason on April 15. medley of songs from Underwood’s My Savior album. Brown teamed with Chris Young for a run-through of their single “Famous Friends.” Guyton shared co- hosting credits with Keith Urban. And Dierks Bentley collaborated with The War & Treaty on a bluegrass cover of U2’s “Pride (In the Name of Love),” an appropriate choice for the evening as it references Martin Luther King Jr., whose civil rights work is receiving its own sort of renewal in the Black Lives Matter movement. All of those performances were a warmup for Nashville’s artists as they contemplate a return to touring, and to connecting face-to-face with fans, in the months ahead. “There’s nothing I’m looking forward to more than seeing the faces of people out in the crowd and hearing them sing back to me,” Stapleton said backstage. “I can write a song, and I can record a song, and I can sing it in a room by my- KNUDSEN ZACK self, but it doesn’t mean a whole lot until it goes out to somebody ... That’s Frankie Ballard (left) and Garrison Starr (center) guested on Drake when it gets meaning.” White’s weekly Wednesday Night Therapy livestream on April 14. AUTHORITATIVE INTELLIGENCE. DELIVERED DIGITALLY. CLICK HERE FOR FREE DELIVERY DIGITAL NEWSLETTERS BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE APRIL 13, 2020 | PAGE 4 OF 19 ONBILLBOARD THE CHARTS COUNTRY JIM ASKER UPDATE [email protected] APRIL 19, 2021 | PAGE 4 OF 19 ON STHEa CHARTSmH JIMunt ASKER’ [email protected] Southside Rules Top Country ATaylorlbums; Swift’s Brett RerecordedYoung ‘Catc hFearless’-es Fifth Flies In Airplay At No. 1Lea der;on Top Travis Country Denning Albums, Makes As History 18 Of Its Tracks Enter Hot Country Songs Sam Hunt’s second studio full-length, and first in over five years, Southside sales (up 21%) in the tracking week. On Country Airplay, it hops 18-15 (11.9 mil- (MCATaylor Nashville/Universal Swift soars in at No.Music 1 on Group Billboard Nashville),’s Top Country debuts at Albums No. 1 on chart Billboard (dated’s lionfirst audience week in March impressions, 2019. Morris up 16%). helped hand over the mark: She’s featured TopApril Country 24) with Albums Fearless chart (Taylor’s dated April Version) 18. 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