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Day in Pop Report for 03/08/2016


Today's Top Stories


Country Stars Pay Tribute To Joey Martin Feek

A who's who of country music have taken to Twitter to pay tribute to Joey Martin Feek of the husband and wife duo Joey+Rory, who died last week after a nearly two year battle with cancer.

Carrie Underwood tweeted, "Praying for the family & friends of Joey Feek. A beautiful soul moved into heaven today. A beautiful legacy she left behind. @joeyandrory".

Brad Paisley wrote, "God bless you Joey,& prayers for Rory and family tonight. There's never been a more courageous battle or inspiring example. Heaven awaits."

Zac Brown of the Zac Brown Band tweeted "Joey Martin Feek was an angel and we were lucky for the time we had her. Please send prayers to Rory and family."

Luke Bryan wrote in a post on Saturday, "Country Music lost a great soul this week. Prayers to #JoeyFeek and family." And Toby Keith tweeted "Sweet soul. Never met #JoeyFeek but she seemed humble and salt of the earth. RIP girl. No more pain. God bless - T."

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Kenny Chesney In The Studio For 'The Big Revival' Follow-Up

(EBM) Country music star Kenny Chesney has teamed up with longtime co-producer Buddy Cannon (Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard) in the studio in Los Angeles and Nashville to work on the follow up to his hit album "The Big Revival". We were sent the following details:

"There's a moment you feel a record grab hold, and take shape," Chesney says. "You can have great songs and not have an album. You can have a killer record that won't move people on the radio. The idea is to balance both, then hopefully create something that does both, that also says something as a whole. I think we're on our way."

Drawing on David Lee Murphy ("Living In Fast Forward," "Pirate Flag"), Josh Osborne ("Wild Child," "Come Over," the GRAMMY-winning "Merry Go 'Round") and Shane McAnally ("Somewhere With You," "American Kids," "Come Over") Chesney has also mined Matraca Berg ("You & Tequila"), the Oscar-nominee Allison Moorer and Americana Artist of the Year nominee Hayes Carll, as well as a few surprises.

"There are a few writers who get me, who get my life and my soul," Chesney says. "And I was lucky enough to have time to write with them. But I also got to hear a lot of great songs, some different writers, so there was a lot of music this time to draw from and be inspired by."

"When we came off the road and I listened back to The Big Revival, all I could think was, 'Man, we covered a lot of ground, went pretty cool, as well as new places musically,'" continues the man who's notched 28 No. 1s. "I knew we couldn't repeat, but I also wanted to find more new ways and new things to record!"

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The 1975 Score No. 1 Album Debut, Expand Spring Tour

The 1975 have debuted at the top of the album charts across the world with their new studio effort "I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it."

The new album landed the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 Album chart in the U.S., as well as debuted at No. 1 in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The group has also announced additional dates for their North American spring tour which will be kicking off with an appearance at this year's Coachella festival on April 17th.

The band's previously announced dates conclude on May 25th in St. Paul but they have now add a new string of dates in mid-June including a performance at the Firefly Music Festival. See all of the dates here.

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Adele Invites Singers From Viral Mash-Up Video Onstage

(Radio.com) Irish singers, and mega Adele fans, Ronan Scolard and Glenn Murphy uploaded a viral video that casts some of Adele's biggest hits in a more somber light.

In the video, Ronan and Glenn mash-up Adele's 'Someone Like You," 'Hello," and 'All I Ask" by using just their voices and a piano. When the fans posted their video to YouTube, they couldn't in their wildest dreams have guessed how spot on their description for the video would become.

"Ronan Scolard and Glenn Murphy threw together some of Adele's most well known songs to mark her visit to Ireland as part of her world tour," the duo captioned their clip. Three days later, part of her world tour is what they would become. Watch it here.

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Dolly Parton Announces North American Tour, New 2-CD Set

County music legend Dolly Parton had big news for fans on Monday. She announced her plans to launch her first major North American tour in over 25 years as well as her plans to release a new hits compilation.

Parton revealed that she will visiting over 60 cities during the upcoming trek of the U.S. and Canada this summer in support of her forthcoming greatest hits collection. The dates for the tour have not yet been announced.

The new double disc hits collection will be entitled "Pure & Simple" and feature new songs as well as some of the best loved hits from Dolly's iconic career. She's expected to announce the track details and release date soon.

She had this to say about the upcoming tour, "We're so excited to get out there and see the fans again. I'm really looking forward to singing songs the fans have not heard in a while, as well as the hits, while debuting a few new ones off Pure & Simple."

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Alan Jackson Announces Keepin' It Country DVD

(Kayos) Eagle Rock have announced a May 6, 2016 release date for a new DVD and digital video release from country music star Alan Jackson called "Keepin' It Country - Live At Red Rocks." We were sent the following details:

Keepin' It Country - Live At Red Rocks was filmed on May 17, 2015 before an at-capacity crowd at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO, in the midst of Jackson's 25th Anniversary Keepin' It Country tour. With a career spanning 23 albums deep (including two Christmas collections, two gospel albums, and his highly acclaimed The Bluegrass Album), Jackson's insightful lyrics and inspired songwriting reflect the feelings of everyday life. That honesty has earned him the adulation of generations of fans.

The 26-song rich set features performances of timeless classics from across his career ("Gone Country," "Good Time," "Small Town Southern Man," "Chattahoochee," "Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)," "Remember When," "Where I Come From," "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere," "Mercury Blues"), as well as songs from Jackson's 2015's smash album Angels And Alcohol, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Country chart and #5 on the Top 200 ("You Never Know," "Angels And Alcohol"). See the tracklist here.

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Rascal Flatts Announce North American Summer Tour

Rascal Flatts have announced that they will be following up their successful Las Vegas residency by launching a North American tour this summer that will feature support from Kelsea Ballerini and Chris Lane.

Rascal Flatts: Rhythm And Roots Tour is scheduled to kick off on June 17th in Charlotte, NC and visit cities across the U.S. and Canada before wrapping up on September 17th in Indianapolis.

Jay DeMarcus had this to say, "It's really important to us that each year our shows are fresh and exciting for our fans. We put a lot of thought into how to do that this year and mixing it up in Vegas was really fun so we decided to continue with this new change of pace out on the road this summer." See the tour dates here.

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Randy Houser Scores Fourth No. 1 Single With We Went

Randy Houser has landed his fourth No. 1 single with the song "We Went," the lead single to his brand new studio album "Fired Up," which will be released this Friday (March 11th.)

Houser had this to say about topping the chart, "This is just so cool to have our fourth number one the same week that our album is coming out. It's always humbling when you have a song that really connects like that, and I'm really looking forward to getting our new music out there and playing it live on the road this summer."

Fans across the United States will have the opportunity to watch Houser perform "We Went" live on ABC's Good Morning America this Wednesday, March 9th.

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Shawn Mendes Debuts New Song 'Ruin'

(Radio.com) Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes is no stranger to the road. After all, he did open for Taylor Swift during her 1989 tour in 2015. But the 17-year-old officially kicked off his first headlining tour on March 5th at Radio City Music Hall, where he used that opportunity to debut a new song, "Ruin."
A fan captured the performance, which shows Mendes standing front and center on a darkened stage. Holding an electric guitar, the slow-paced songs differs from his pop hit "Stitches," relying more heavily on a stripped down singer-songwriter delivery than any flashy production-heavy hit. The real showcase remains Mendes' vocals, which strain with emotion as he sings, "But darling, don't you know I'm the only one for ya."

In addition to "Ruin," Mendes also performed two other new songs: "Like This" and "Three Empty Words." Next up, Mendes will head over to Europe before he heads back Stateside in July to continue his tour. Watch the performances here.

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Zendaya Lands Leading Role in 'Spiderman' Reboot?

(Radio.com) Zendaya may soon be swinging around with Spidey. The singer reportedly landed a leading role in the upcoming series reboot produced by Sony and Marvel Studios, according to reports in Deadline.

Playing a character named Michelle, Zendaya will appear opposite Tom Holland, who has been cast as Peter Parker/Spiderman. There's no word yet on who Michelle is in this new Spiderman universe, or what her specific relationship to Parker will be.

Traditionally, Mary Jane Parker and Gwen Stacey have served as Parker's love interests in the comic book series, but who's to say the reboot doesn't go in a new direction with Zendaya's Michelle? Read more here.

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Alessia Cara Releases 'Wild Things' Video

(Radio.com) Alessia Cara and her friends discover their version of "wild" in the music video for her song "Wild Things," which is a track from her 2015 album Know-It-All.

In the video's opening moments, Cara narrates, "To me, 'where the wild things are' is a place that exists in our minds. It's a place of liberty and shamelessness. It can take a split second of our lifetime to find it, but once you do you'll be free."

The anthem for friendship does away with the idea that fun revolves solely around the cool kids. Instead, it encourages listeners to find their own wild version of fun and acceptance, just like Cara and her friends have done.

To mirror that theme, the video follows her and her friends around as they hang out at home, draw tattoos on one another's fingers, take photos, play music and more. It's an Instagram-toned look at the millennial generation's younger component, and how they don't ascribe to any version of cool, but instead make their own. Watch it here.

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Justin Bieber Reveals Support Acts For North American Tour

(AEG) Justin Bieber has announced that he has tapped Post Malone and Moxie Raia to support him on the North American leg of his Purpose World Tour, which kicks off this week. We were sent the following details:

Post Malone gained major recognition with the release of his single "White Iverson" on SoundCloud in February 2015 which is quickly approaching double platinum status.

The song reached No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and its music video has amassed more than 125 million views since its July 2015 release. He is currently signed to Republic Records.

Moxie Raia just released "On My Mind" ft. Pusha T. The single is the first off her upcoming mixtape, 931, which will be released on March 23.

The 64-date tour, promoted by AEG Live, will travel through arenas across North America hitting cities such as Denver, Las Vegas, Dallas, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Chicago, Boston and Miami as well as all throughout Eastern and Western Canada. See the dates here.

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'The Story of Brett Eldredge' Comedy Video Goes Online

(Radio.com) Brett Eldredge is known for making fun video clips to share with his fans. In "The Story of Brett Eldredge" the singer chronicles his musical past, or at least a fictitious rending of it.

He begins with "Leave it to Brett," a play on the quintessential 1950s sitcom Leave it to Beaver. "I learned at an early age that if I started singing I could get through life a lot easier than speaking," Eldredge says in the clip. "So I just sang. I still sing all the time. I love to sing."

The scenes exaggerate what could have likely been Eldredge's upbringing as they move from his childhood to college and to his pre-show business jobs. Watch it here.

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Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris Celebrate Swiftiversary

(Radio.com) Taylor Swift may have filed to trademark "Swiftmas," but Sunday marked her official "Swiftiversary" with boyfriend Calvin Harris and shared some of her celebrations with fans online.

The duo of hitmakers were pictured together last month celebrating Taylor's GRAMMY win for Album of the Year, and she shared celebratory Snapchats and Instagrams to commemorate their twelve months of togetherness.

On Snapchat, Taylor captured a rustic homemade cake bearing the words "1 Year" with the caption "1 year�that was easy." Later, she shared an Instagram snap of a beautiful locket bearing the date when she and Harris became official: "3.6.15." Read more here.

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Nas Invested In Company That Makes Protein Bars From Crickets

(Radio.com) Nas has invested in a company that makes protein bars from crickets. Including the Brooklyn rapper's investment, Exo has raised $5.6 million from investors in order to produce protein bars made from "cricket flower," among other ingredients.

According to Business Insider, the company's New York-based co-founders Greg Sewitz and Gabi Lewis started experimenting with cricket-based food when they were seniors at Brown University.

Sewitz and Lewis claim flour made of mashed up crickets is much better for the environment than other animal sources. The duo also claims bug-based bars are 2.2 times more iron rich than spinach; offer 1.6 times more calcium than milk and is 20 times more resource-efficient than cows. Read more here.

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