Lainey Wilson scores her first ever Top 10 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart for her fifth studio album, Whirlwind, and also racked up her best sales week ever in the process. Whirlwind debuts at No. 3 with 34,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the week. Wilson’s new album is the follow-up to her breakthrough, Bell Bottom Country, which was the country star’s only other charting record on Top Album Sales, peaking at No. 15 back in November 2022. Whirlwind also debuted in the top 10 across an array of Billboard charts, including the Billboard 200 (No. 8), Top Country Albums (No. 3), Independent Albums (No. 1), Vinyl Albums (No. 3), and Indie Store Album Sales (No. 10).

“I’ve been trying to sit down for a while now and talk about what this record means to me but the truth is I feel like this record says it all,” Wilson said on Instagram. “I’ve grown so much in the past few years and I have such a different view of love and life and loss. The highs and lows of the whirlwind have taught me a lot about what’s important and how to never give up on trying to find your inner peace.” (Billboard)

During a recent episode of Nova 96.9's Fitzy and Wippa with Kate Ritchie in Sydney, Australia, Keith Urban was busy praising Miley Cyrus when he paid the Grammy-winning singer a strange compliment. Urban had just performed a cover of Cyrus’ hit song, “Flowers,” on the show, and the 56-year-old country superstar then gushed about how he has "always loved Miley,” before going on to say this about her. "I love that voice, man, that voice. She sounds like an ashtray. And I mean that as a compliment. She sounds like the carpet at the RSL!” Later in the interview, Urban discussed the authenticity of some new country artists currently flourishing in Nashville. "It's a funny thing because you still need the support of the system in Nashville,” Urban said. “And if you go about it the right way, like Post [Malone] did, you'll see the love.” (People)

The 2025 Stagecoach Festival is set to take place from April 25-27 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, with headliners Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, and Zach Bryan. This will be the first time that Bryan and Jelly Roll will headline the main stage, while Combs will headline for the first time since 2022. Lana Del Rey is also featured on the lineup, and she famously joined Paul Cauthen at this year’s festival for a duet of “Unchained Melody.” LDR might even perform songs from her forthcoming country album, Lasso, at the fest.

The rest of the lineup features an eclectic mix of acts like Shaboozey, Sturgill Simpson, Backstreet Boys, Nelly, Creed, T-Pain, Brothers Osborne, Midland, and Sammy Hagar. “Last year I got to play Stagecoach for the first time and it was incredible,” Jelly Roll said in a statement. “And I didn’t just get to play. I got to hang out as a fan of artists I love and take my daughter to see some of the best entertainers in our format. Coming back to headline Stagecoach this year is a dream-but I’ll be attending as a fan this year as well, so get ready. See you in April.” (Billboard)

On Thursday (September 5), Blake Shelton announced the dates for his upcoming Friends & Heroes Tour 2025. The 12-date run will feature dates throughout North America, and include special guests Craig Morgan, Deana Carter, Trace Adkins, and The Voice alum Emily Ann Roberts. Shelton made the announcement with a clever Instagram video, featuring a car with an old-school tape deck playing snippets of songs from this year’s lineup.

Shelton enthusiastically captioned the post, “Friends & Heroes 2025!!!!! I'm so excited to be bringing back the Friends & Heroes Tour next year… this is one of my favorite tours and I can't wait for y'all to see what we've got up our sleeves!!! There's going to be special appearances by @cmorganmusic, @deanatunes, and @traceadkins, with @emilyann_music opening the show. Y'all are not going to want to miss it!!!” Tickets go on sale on Friday, September 13 at 10 a.m. ET, with pre-sale access available at blakeshelton.com. (People)