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Lee Brice and Tyler Hubbard, who you won’t see at this year’s CMAs in person.
Photo: CMA
Are country musicians doing well? The status of the upcoming CMA Awards raises doubts. Just under two weeks ago, one of the nation’s flagship ceremonies announced it was moving forward with an in-person event at the Music City Center in Nashville. “You won’t want to miss it!” Country Music Association CEO Sarah Trehorn promised in a statement to Billboard. Fast forward to today, when Lee Brice and Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line drop out of the festivities after testing positive for COVID-19. Brice was to perform “I Hope You’re Happy Now”, his duet with Carly Pearce; he will be replaced on this song by Charles Kelley, who already performs separately as a member of Lady A (yes, this Lady A). Hubbard announced his positive test on Instagram, revealing he was in quarantine away from his family on his tour bus down his driveway. The band will no longer play their song “Long Live” at the event. In a statement to Rolling stone on the positive tests of Brice and Hubbard, the CMA said: “It reassures us that our protocols are working. Our process allowed us to deal with every situation immediately and before either artist entered our setting. More importantly, it kept anyone from being exposed. People will continue to be tested before the awards, the CMA added, in addition to practicing social distancing and wearing personal protective equipment.
Coincidentally, Hubbard’s teammate Brian Kelley recently posted a photo of crowds celebrating Joe Biden’s election victory in his Instagram story, writing, “It’s time to get back to work in AMERICA. The reservation is displayed as soon as possible. Morgan Wallen, who was cut from SNL last month for partying without a mask before the show, the crowd also commented, writing about their own story: “If we can party on the streets without ‘social distancing’ we can book shows now. (Of course, the photos of the celebration were outside – like this summer’s anti-racism protests, which didn’t spike in COVID-19 cases. Meanwhile, some country musicians haven’t been the safest during the pandemic, with singers like Chase Rice and Chris Janson hosting maskless concerts earlier this year.)
Even outside of the pandemic of it all, the CMA found itself in hot water last week after making a statement encouraging artists to remain apolitical during the election. “It’s been a year, all of you. But for three hours next Wednesday on ABC, it’s a zone without drama, ”the group tweeted on November 4, before the race call for Biden. “Over 20 one-of-a-kind performances will help you forget the weight of the world for a little while. Country journalists and industry figures criticized the statement, including singer-songwriter Margo tweeted, “Once again, the CMAs censor / whitewash their program but who is surprised? anyone who still participates is a socially unconscious pawn. the pander artists have awakened authenticity when it is beneficial to them, then sit in silence as they collect their plastic trophies. The CMA then backtracked with an apology on November 5 Tweeter“While our intentions with our social campaign were to communicate to fans that the show will provide a brief escape, we recognize that our wording did not convey that message. We salute the right of every artist to express himself. During this time, the CMA Awards used Eric Church’s protest song “Stick That in Your Country Song” in advertisements for the ceremony.
On top of all that, Garth Brooks announced earlier this year that he will not be entering the Artist of the Year category at upcoming awards, where his dominance has been controversial. Thus, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban will compete for the top prize, Lambert also winning the most nominations. Reba McEntire will return to host alongside Darius Rucker. With so much drama before the show, yes we born want to miss it.
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