Country Update BILLBOARD.COM/NEWSLETTERS SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 | PAGE 1 OF 20 INSIDE BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE [email protected] Ballerini Charts 2020 Insight: The 55th ACM Fall Collection Page 4 Awards Show Is A Sign Of The Times ‘Cry Pretty’ Since COVID-19 struck in March, many — if not most — kling effects in the fan-less balcony at the Grand Ole Opry House. This Christmas Americans have spent large chunks of their lives alone, a state Miranda Lambert’s collaboration with co-writers Luke Dick Page 10 of being that brings up issues from the interior of the soul. and Natalie Hemby on “Bluebird,” swathed in a royal palette It’s an often uncomfortable situation, and as we’ve watched at the Bluebird Café, made use of the barren tables at the foot a series of national horrors during this time — a death toll that and the side of the stage. has exceeded 200,000 people, the killing of numerous Black It sent a subtle message to viewers — your entertainers are Andress, Combs: citizens at the hands of police, historic blazes in the West and just as isolated as you — even as they collected hardware for their Hillbillies Deluxe four tropical storms lacing the Gulf Coast — it’s natural to want mantels in a night with several surprises. Thomas Rhett and Page 11 to escape the isolation and the emptiness that 2020 has wrought. Carrie Underwood tied for entertainer of the year, an unprec- When the Academy of Country edented occurrence in the ACMs’ 55- Music (ACM) became the first awards year history. When Maren Morris col- show to move forward on TV during lected female vocalist of the year, she Urban, Brown, Rhett: the pandemic on Sept. 16, it would called it “an award I thought I would Virtually iHeart have been tempting to hide the empty never get to win” during a flustered ac- Page 11 seats in the three Nashville venues ceptance speech. featured in the CBS telecast. Instead, Morris had grown accustomed to dick clark productions (a subsidiary Lambert owning the category: She Makin’ Tracks: of MRC Entertainment, which won it nine years in a row, a streak that also owns Billboard) embraced the ended in 2018. And Morris’ experi- Old Dominion’s RHETT UNDERWOOD ‘Sorry’ circumstances, making best use of the ence during this calendar year has not Page 17 visual landscape to share in the sorrows always felt like a winning one. and bring a little vibrancy at the same time. “I am just so humbled that my Nashville community, my in- Old Dominion’s performance of a medley that included “One dustry peeps, think that my year has been big because part of it Man Band” — which won song of the year for writers Matthew has been in 2020, which has been kind of a shit show,” she told Country Coda: Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Brad Tursi and Josh Osborne — used media in a virtual press room. “Someone saying that I had a good ‘Real Fine’ Sara Evans concert-level production to hold attention, but also captured the year is so much validation.” Memory floor of the Ryman Auditorium with lighting effects that created Most-validated honors went to several acts that took home Page 20 engaging shadows against the arms of the vacant, wooden pews. two trophies. Old Dominion pocketed its third straight vocal Kane Brown’s rendition of “Worldwide Beautiful” relied on a group award, in addition to the song of the year honors. Luke supporting choir performing at safe social distances amid spar- Combs claimed his first two ACMs: male vocalist and album MUSIC COUNTRY OF ACADEMY IMAGES/COURTESY GETTY BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 | PAGE 2 OF 20 of the year, for What You See Is What You Get. And Rhett added music video, for “Remember You Young,” to his entertainer accolade. Lambert’s record-setting 35th career ACM — music event of the year for “Fooled Around and Fell in Love,” announced days ahead of the awards — made two of her five collaborators double winners: Morris added it to her female vo- calist victory, and Tenille Townes clutched it alongside new female artist of the year. Ashley McBryde, Elle King and Caylee Hammack also earned music event awards. The night’s other winners included Dan + Shay, who repeated as vocal duo; Blake Shelton, who claimed single of the year, for “God’s Country”; and two other pre-show victors: new male artist Riley Green and songwriter of the year Hillary Lindsey. Warner Music Nashville executive vp A&R Cris Lacy conducted a virtual The ACMs offered a series of invigorating performances, but the most pow- Q&A with Michael Ray and dozens of broadcasters and media outlets on erful moments came when the show addressed the difficulties faced by the Sept. 15 to promote Ray’s forthcoming single, “Whiskey and Rain.” people onstage and the audience watching at home. “We are in the middle of trying to fight two pandemics, COVID-19 and so- cial injustice,” said Urban in his opening comments as host. “Far too many lives have been lost to both.” The memoriam segment, delivered as Trisha Yearwood sang “I’ll Carry You Home,” included coronavirus victims Joe Diffie and John Prine among the industry’s losses. Brown’s “Worldwide Beautiful,” featuring multicolored lighting and multicultural voices, advocated for love and sensitivity over preju- dice. Tim McGraw, after a vulnerable reading of his current “I Called Mama,” segued into a historic performance with #MeToo significance. “As a son, a husband and a proud father of three daughters — as a human being — I am enlightened and inspired by women every day,” said McGraw. “Their strength changes me for the better, and every opportunity in life should Runaway June used clear plastic face shields to protect against the be available to women. This next song speaks to the questions we face while we’re coronavirus during a virtual press room conversation from the Grand trying to create the change to let our daughters be whomever they want to be.” Ole Opry House during the 55th annual Academy of Country Music Mickey Guyton, backed only by Urban on piano, launched into the big-voiced Awards on Sept. 16. From left: group members Natalie Stovall, Naomi ballad “What Are You Gonna Tell Her?,” a risky acknowledgement of the in- Cooke and Jennifer Wayne. equities that hold women back. In the process, Guyton became the first Black female country singer to perform at the awards. She told media later that she never would have pursued country if she had not discovered Rissi Palmer, a Black singer who charted three singles on Hot Country Songs in 2007-2008. “If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be here,” said Guyton. “So me standing on that stage representing women of color, period, it shows them that they have the op- portunity and that they can sing whatever kind of music they want to sing. It doesn’t just have to be just R&B.” Many of the difficulties Americans have faced during the pandemic are directly tied to abuses of power, in government, in business and in daily life. The ACMs did substantively what its audience has been forced, sometimes unwillingly, to do for the past six months: face up to systemic injustice in modern- day America. It didn’t necessarily have answers, but it demonstrated that the Mickey Guyton performed her ballad “What Are You Gonna Tell Her?” genre at least recognizes the world in which its listeners live. It served as a flashy during the 55th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Sept. 16 reminder in hard times: You may be by yourself, but you are not alone. with host Keith Urban accompanying on piano. MUSIC. COUNTRY OF ACADEMY IMAGES/COURTESY GETTY GUYTON: BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 | PAGE 4 OF 20 ON THE CHARTS JIM ASKER [email protected] Kelsea’s Ballerini Bows; Rodgers, Shelton, Stefani And Hardy Hit Top 10; Jannakos Makes Fast Start Kelsea Ballerini scores her fourth top 10 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums ‘HAPPY’ COUPLE Blake Shelton’s “Happy Anywhere,” featuring Gwen Ste- chart as Ballerini (Black River) begins at No. 9 on the list dated Sept. 26. In fani (Warner Music Nashville/WMN), climbs 11-9 on Country Airplay (19 mil- its first week, ending Sept. 17, the set earned 9,000 equivalent album units, lion, up 11%). It marks the pair’s second top 10 collaboration, and Stefani’s according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. second top 10 on the chart, after “Nobody but You” led for two frames in May. Ballerini is the follow-up and companion album to Kelsea, which opened at Shelton scores his 35th top 10. No. 2 with 28,000 units on the survey dated April 4, marking her highest rank- ing. For the new release, Ballerini returned to all 13 tracks HARDY HOISTS ‘BEER’ Hardy nets his first Country and reinterpreted them in a more stripped-down fashion. Airplay top 10 as an artist as “One Beer” (Big Loud), The singer-songwriter previously reached the Top featuring Lauren Alaina and Devin Dawson, ascends Country Albums top 10 with Unapologetically, which 12-10 (18.3 million, up 13%). debuted and peaked at No. 3 in November 2017 (with Hardy reaches the chart’s top tier in his second appear- 44,000 units, her strongest one-week total to date), and ance, after “Rednecker” peaked at No. 26 in August 2019. her debut LP, The First Time, which began and peaked at Alaina notches her third top 10, following two No.