On Friday (January 17), Morgan Wallen shared a new behind-the-scenes clip taken from his music video shoot for “Smile.” In the video, Wallen shares his personal thoughts about his current hit single, with the country superstar admitting that he had a good feeling about “Smile” right from the start, similar to how he felt about his record-setting No. 1 smash hit, “Last Night.” “There’s been a couple songs where I have a feeling that they’re gonna do well, and ‘Last Night’ was the last one that I had that feeling on. My feeling was right, you know?,” Wallen admits. “And I have that same feeling with this song [“Smile], and I actually like this song better. It’s just one of those songs where, no matter how many times I’m singing it or listening to it, I get goosebumps at some point in the song. Those songs don’t come around very often, so I’m super excited about it.” (Holler)

During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Kenny Chesney recounted a story about his planned tour with Taylor Swift in her early days that never materialized. The 56-year-old country star said that Swift was set to open for him back when she was a rising 17-year-old country singer, but because the tour was sponsored by a beer company, Swift couldn’t take part because she was a minor. "I had to call Taylor personally and tell her she couldn’t go on tour with me, which now seems absurd, right?" Chesney recalled, saying he felt bad because “she was going to lose some money.” So Chesney personally wrote Swift a check to make up for it. Later that year, both singers were nominated for CMA Entertainer of the Year. "Well, she won," Chesney said. "So backstage I went up to her and gave her a big hug. I said, 'Congratulations but give me my money back.’” (People)

Jelly Roll’s current single, “Liar,” jumped up five spots this week to reach No. 8 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. That move helped Jelly secure his seventh consecutive Top 10 on the Country Airplay chart in as many tries. “Liar” is the second single drawn from Jelly Roll’s recent album, Beautifully Broken, which debuted as his first No. 1 on both Top Country Albums and the Billboard 200 charts last October. Jelly co-wrote “Liar” with the award-winning songwriting team of Ben Johnson, Ashley Gorley, and Taylor Phillips, and the track was produced by Zach Crowell. All six of Jelly Roll’s previous Country Airplay entries have gone on to reach No. 1, most recently with “I Am Not Okay,” which topped the chart for three weeks back in November of 2024. Jelly’s debut Country Airplay entry was “Son of a Sinner,” which hit No. 1 back in January of 2023. Koe Wetzel and Jessie Murph’s smash hit “High Road” is No. 1 on this week’s Country Airplay chart for a fifth consecutive week. (Billboard)

Ahead of the 67th annual Daytona 500 on February 16, the Great American Race will have a distinctive country music flavor in 2025. Chris Stapleton has just announced that he is partnering with Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports to field the group’s inaugural entry into the Daytona 500. Stapleton and JRM joined in a partnership with Buffalo Trace Distillery to enter their No. 40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet for its debut appearance in the race, with reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion Justin Allgaier behind the wheel. “Traveller Whiskey joining JR Motorsports for their inaugural entry into the Cup Series at the Daytona 500 feels like a very natural partnership,” Stapleton said of his new venture. “I'm honored to be a part of this historic moment with Dale, and excited to see Justin race the No. 40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet in Daytona.” (Holler)