Backstage Country: ‘American Idol’ Week
It’s American Idol week on Backstage Country and we are celebrating the upcoming season 7 premiere on Sunday, February 18 today (2/12) through Friday (2/16). Country superstar Luke Bryan is…
It's American Idol week on Backstage Country and we are celebrating the upcoming season 7 premiere on Sunday, February 18 today (2/12) through Friday (2/16). Country superstar Luke Bryan is back in the judge's seat this year alongside Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, as well as veteran host, Ryan Seacrest.
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Carrie Underwood
Underwood was crowned the winner during the original American Idol season 4 back in 2005. Since then, she has released nine studio albums, including Denim & Rhinestones, in 2022 which features the lead single, "Ghost Story," and the fan-favorite track, "Hate My Heart."
The 40-year-old is one of the biggest names in country music and is a 8x GRAMMY winner, a 5x CMA Awards winner for Female Vocalist of the Year, and a 3x ACM Awards winner for Entertainer of the Year.
Scotty McCreery
In May 2011, McCreery won the tenth season of American Idol and continues to make the country genre proud. The singer-songwriter is a new father, the latest country singer to be invited to join the Grand Ole Opry, has just embarked on his headlining The Cab In A Solo Tour, and is in the process of releasing new music, including his new single, "Cab In A Solo."
“I love this song. I loved writing the song, I love singing the song. It kind of takes me back to that music that I grew up on, you know, in the nineties and even listening to some stuff before the nineties. It’s just a storytelling song," McCreery said.
Gabby Barrett
Not only is Barrett an American Idol alum, but she is also fresh off the release of her sophomore album, Chapter & Verse. The 14-track collection follows her 2020 platinum debut Goldmine featuring “I Hope,” “The Good Ones,” and “Footprints On The Moon.”
Chayce Beckham
Beckham has been nonstop since his big win on the 2021 season of American Idol. The singer-songwriter has since toured with Bryan on his Country On Tour as well as his 2023 Farm Tour, made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry, and is preparing for the release of his forthcoming debut album.
Last month, Beckham released a brand new track titled "This Ol' Rodeo." He wrote the song with his good friend and one of his favorite people, country artist Stephen Wilson Jr. "It's about cowboys and cowgirls and we all have a little bit that in us," Beckham says.
HunterGirl
It's a special time for guest host HunterGirl as she was just announced as part of CMT's 'Next Women of Country' Class of 2024. She was the runner-up on American Idol in 2022 and has since made big moves on the country scene including the release of her powerful track, "Ain't About You."
"The song's about my life," HunterGirl said. "This has been my dream since I was a kid. This is what I've always wanted to do."
Luke Bryan is a superstar today with twenty-seven number-one country songs to his credit. He is also a TV star as he is placed firmly as a celebrated Judge along with Katy Perry and Lionel Richie on TV's American Idol.
Last month, Bryan was rehearsing for his "Country On Tour" in the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville during CMA Fest week. He had some of his people go out into the street, which was full of CMA Fest fans from all over the world, and gather about 30 of them inside for something unique. The fans did not know what or who to expect, and then Luke appeared. When he entered the room, he said, "Alright, you all ready?" The fans erupted into cheers and screams.
Bryan then sang his new song "Beer In My Hand" for the intimate crowd, walking around meeting the fans and taking selfies with them. Luke posted a video clip of what happened on Instagram; he captioned the post, "I've always wanted to do that. Anything can happen at #CMAfest! #BeerInMyHand."
As he currently tours the country on his summer dates for his "Country On Tour," he recently announced that he will headline his fourteenth "Farm Tour" this September during a break from his "Country On Tour." The Georgia native will set up stages in the fields of local farms from September 14-23, 2023.
Luke said of his Farm tradition, "One of the reasons we created these Farm Tour shows – to bring the big-city tour to the people. These nights are one-of-a-kind, and we really enjoy getting to know the farmers and their families; we love the whole atmosphere of playing on these incredible farms and watching entire communities come together and get excited about these shows."
FARM TOUR 2023
9/14 Shelbyville, KY Mulberry Orchard
9/15 Millersport, OH Miller Family Farm
9/21 Colfax, IA Schnell Family Farms
9/22 Brooklyn, WI Klondike Farms
9/23 Eyota, MN Gar-Lin Dairy LLC
Since 2009 when the Farm Tour began, Luke has granted 78 college scholarships to students from farming families to their local college or university near the tour stops. Over the years, event sponsors have donated money, food, and resources to the local communities and nationally.
Bryan celebrates his 47th birthday today (7/17), and to honor him, we ranked 17 of his finest songs.
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17. "Rain Is a Good Thing" (2010)
UMGOkay, the lyrics to this song are quite simple and give a simple recipe for making whiskey, but it’s a catchy tune and infectious. Luke also released the song during Nashville’s huge 2010 flood. At the flood relief concert Bryan told the press, “Okay, rain is a good thing but maybe not 17 inches of it.”
16. "Drink a Beer" (2013)
UMGWritten by Jim Beavers and Chris Stapleton, the song tells the story of a character who honors the recent passing of a loved one by watching the sunset on the edge of a pier; he drinks a beer, which is something they would have done together. Luke lost two siblings, who each passed away at a tragically young age. So Luke brings a lot of gravitas to this song.
15. "Kick the Dust Up" (2015)
UMGAnother party song for Bryan and it is also his thirteenth number-one single and his tenth consecutive chart-topper.
14. "What She Wants Tonight" (2019)
UMGLuke was a co-writer on this song, which he felt would appeal to female listeners because the girl in the song “controls the dynamic of the situation." He added, "I've been wanting to get a big, rocking tempo out for some time, and this is certainly it."
13. "The Only Way I Know" with Jason Aldean and Eric Church (2012)
BBRThis collaborative song is about hard work, loyalty, small-town values, and southern work ethic. The singers explain that they were raised in a small-town southern atmosphere and were taught to work hard to earn a living.
12. "Huntin', Fishin' and Lovin' Every Day" (2015)
UMGThis song reached number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, giving Bryan his fourteenth number-one hit on that chart. Thematically, the song is about a rural lifestyle in Luke's home state of Georgia.
11. "This Is How We Roll" (2014)
BMLGA great collaboration. The final single from Florida Georgia Line's debut album. The video of the song shows a biker named Kenny losing a bet and having to jump a tree. He fails, resulting in his dirt bike being stuck in the tree. When he, Travis Pastrana (a professional motorsports competitor), and some other guys are found stranded by Hubbard, Kelley, and Bryan as a result of the failed dirt bike trick, Kelley invites them to a party in the back of their semi-truck, which is revealed throughout the video to consist of dancing women and beer.
10. "Crash My Party" (2013)
UMGLuke debuted the song at the Academy of Country Music Awards in April 2013, which he hosted with Blake Shelton. It was released the same month as the first single and title track from Bryan's fourth studio album of the same name.
9. "All My Friends Say" (2007)
UMGOur introduction to Luke when it was released in January 2007 as his debut single and the first for his 2007 debut album ‘I'll Stay Me.’ The song became Bryan's first chart entry, spending more than 30 weeks on US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, where it reached number 5.
8. "Someone Else Calling You Baby" (2010)
UMGIn the song, the male narrator sees his lover in someone else's truck and wonders if she has left him for someone else. The song became Bryan's second number one hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in February 2011.
7. "Drunk on You" (2012)
UMGIt was released in February 2012 as the third single from his album ‘Tailgates & Tanlines.’ It was also his first single that Luke did not have a hand in writing.
6. "Most People Are Good" (2017)
UMGIn the song, Bryan sings about making "uplifting" statements about positive things in the world. At the time, Luke said that he was "captivated" the first time he heard the song, and that "It was something that I felt like that people always need to be reassured that there's way more good going on than negative."
5. "One Margarita" (2020)
UMGThe song we all needed to hear during quarantine and what fun it brought to so many. Bryan’s wife Caroline and mother appeared with him in the video.
4. “Home Alone Tonight” with Karen Fairchild (2015)
UMGBryan and Karen Fairchild performed the song live at the 2015 American Music Awards. The song was a groovy kind of ballad in which a man and woman meet in a bar and plot revenge on their former lovers together.
3. "That's My Kind of Night" (2013)
UMGThis tune is all about the beat and has a great one talking about catfish dinners, the Flint River, and where the corn rows grow. Oh, and love.
2. "Play It Again" (2014)
UMGIn the song, Luke sings about approaching a girl at a tailgate party. Suddenly, the girl's favorite song comes on, causing her to ask the protagonist to dance with her, and they both exclaim "play it again" when the song is finished. He drives her home that night, when the song comes on the radio, triggering a similar reaction."
1."Country Girl (Shake It for Me)" (2011)
UMGRoy Acuff (Grand Ole Opry star and considered one of the fathers of country music) had a saying, “Dance with the one who brought ya.” Acuff told many artists on the Grand Ole Opry to do just that when they performed. And like it or hate this catchy song is the one that brought Luke to the country music dance.
