CMA Announces All-Star Lineup and Not-To-Be-Missed Moments During “CMA Summer Stay-Cay – In just one week, the Country Music Association brings your favorite Country stars together for “CMA Summer Stay-Cay presented by Budweiser Nitro Gold,” a brand new, multi-hour live stream variety event. On Wednesday, July 1, “CMA Summer Stay-Cay presented by Budweiser Nitro Gold” sees more than 50 Country acts coming together (while safely apart) for a CMA Fest-inspired fun and collaborative summertime celebration. Hosted by chart-topping Country artists Jimmie Allen and Lindsay Ell. Performances: Women of Summer” performance featuring Lauren Alaina, Lindsay Ell and Cassadee Pope; “Say It With A Song” Game with Lauren Alaina, Devin Dawson and HARDY; Performance from Scotty McCreery; Quick Chat with Gabby Barrett hosted by Radio Disney Country; “Super Easy Trivia” with Bobby Bones featuring Blanco Brown, Kristian Bush, Jordan Davis, Gone West’s Colbie Caillat and Nelly Joy, Caylee Hammack, Scotty McCreery, Carly Pearce and Rita Wilson. It starts at 5:00 PM/CT on CMA’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. For full list of appearances, check CMAWorld.com
Raleigh’s Clay Aiken, host of a new politics podcast, talks monuments, singing and Trump – Politicon, not to be confused with Politico, started as a Comicon-style convention that melds the worlds of entertainment and politics. As someone who straddles those worlds, Aiken sat on panels at Politicon conventions for several years, and was approached by the creators (coincidentally, two former “American Idol” producers) to host the podcast. He says they knew he would not “demonize the people I disagree with.” “I grew up here and a lot of my family and I disagree and vote for different people, and I realize from that — and from running in a very red district a few years ago — that I can very adamantly disagree with people from a different party from me and also realize that they are not evil,” said the Raleigh native, a registered Democrat. – Read more at NewsObserver
Jordin Sparks on the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement and why this was her first protest – American Idol winner Jordin Sparks tells Yahoo Entertainment why it was the right time for her to join the Black Lives Matter protest. “It was really a beautiful experience,” she says. “It was great to be out there with everybody knowing that this is a movement not a moment.” Sparks admits that she has been nervous to speak out publicly in the past but “I can’t just sit here and not speak on it.” She also reveals how she and her husband have been so emotional about what’s happening to the Black community in this country. “You can’t escape it right now,” she explains. “We can’t ignore it anymore, and if we ignore it, we’re consciously making a choice to do so.” – Read more at Yahoo.com
Owen Danoff Reminisces About Family On “Wax Museum” – Owen has a history of adding his own style and flare to music to make his sound more unique to him. After college, he was a contestant on NBC’s “The Voice.” While on the show, he became the first contestant to play bass. Since the focus of this song is on Owen’s family and old memories, he decided to add a distinctive sound. This sound allows listeners to take a trip down memory lane of their own. “The track was produced, mixed, and mastered by Mike and Nick Squillante, based on a demo I made. Between the three of us, we covered all the parts. My favorite aspect of the recording is the typewriter sound we use for percussion – Mike actually played a typewriter, which we thought would give a nice nostalgic feel to the track. Mike and Nick Squillante are in a band called Running Lights – I also co-wrote a song that they released earlier this year.” – Read more at American Songwriter
‘It’s been a whirlwind’: Jasmine Trias reflects on life after ‘American Idol’ – “I was so young trying to deal with something so big. So now that I am older, I just appreciate the moments of just being on stage and just appreciating it and taking it all in and remembering it,” she added. When asked what advice she would give her 16-year-old self which was the age she joined the competition, Trias said: “I would have told myself that everything was gonna be okay.” “I think I was just so stressed. I felt so much pressure. I just felt that so much was expected of me that pressure was really getting to me. I didn’t really have anyone to talk to about it. I was internalizing a lot of it because I didn’t know how to express it and communicate it at that time. I would just like to tell myself, ‘Hey, look at this opportunity. It’s amazing. Enjoy it. Have fun. You’re 16, don’t worry. People will give you a pass because you’re 16,’” she explained. – Read more at ABS-CBN
‘Songland’ EP Audrey Morrissey On Challenges Of Shepherding Songwriting Competition Series & ‘One World: Together At Home’ Special – Once guest artists signed on, it was critical to get their creative teams involved, in deciding on a set of songs to feature on their episode. “The artists don’t hear anything [prior to filming], but their trusted counterparts have helped us vet the material, so we’re at least in the ballpark. It would be terrible if we presented four songs that were just not creatively anywhere the artist wanted to be. I mean, that would just be a really big mess,” Morrissey says. “So, we needed to come up with a process, so that the artist has some creative safety net, if they’re going to go on a show, and basically sign up for saying, ‘Yes, I’m going to cut and release a song from the show.’” – Read more at Deadline
