NEWS
Granger Smith
Jeremy CowartPremiere Networks will conclude a seven-year affiliation with CMT after Dec. 31, 2021, a rep tells Billboard. Premiere Networks will end its syndication of the nightly radio program CMT Radio Live after Dec. 31, a move that coincides with the upcoming departure of media personality Cody Alan from CMT After MidNite With Cody Alan at the end of 2021 (After MidNite will also drop its CMT branding after Dec. 31, 2021).
Billboard has also learned that CMT Radio Live will be put on hiatus, pending a rebranding of the show.
Beginning in January, Premiere’s After MidNite will welcome BBR Music Group artist Granger Smith as the new host and will rebrand as After MidNite With Granger Smith.
“I’m incredibly honored to take the reins of After MidNite!” Smith said in a statement. “The unique opportunity to bring great music and speak to such a wide variety of listeners from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. can have a profound impact on people’s lives and that responsibility is not lost on me. I’m so excited to get started!”
In addition to his new role on After MidNite, Smith will continue to host and produce his Granger Smith podcast and his family YouTube show The Smiths. He also oversees the apparel/lifestyle brand Yee Yee Apparel that he launched with his brothers Parker and Tyler.
“We couldn’t be happier to welcome a multi-platform talent of Granger’s caliber to our Premiere family,” said Julie Talbott, president of Premiere Networks. “His unique point of view as a country music artist will undoubtedly resonate with our loyal listeners, and we’re confident he’ll bring a new level of energy and excitement, and a connection with people that will really shine on After MidNite.”
Alan announced his upcoming departure from After MidNite via Instagram on Tuesday, stating, “I’ll be hosting my last After MidNite Show for iHeartRadio on New Years Eve—excited to bring you something new in 2022!”
After MidNite, which has 200 affiliates, launched in 1993 and was hosted by Blair Garner through 2013. The show then rebranded as CMT After MidNite With Cody Alan following a partnership between Premiere parent company iHeartMedia and CMT.
As part of that agreement, Premiere also began syndicating CMT Radio Live With Cody Alan. After MidNite airs Monday through Sunday, from midnight to 6 a.m., as well as on the American Forces Network and the iHeartRadio app.
A rep for CMT stated, “Cody Alan is a valuable member of the CMT family, most notably remaining as host of the top-rated weekend show CMT Hot 20 Countdown, with a just-announced contract renewal into 2022. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Cody into the new year and beyond on a variety of projects.”
Fontaines D.C. have teamed up with Rosalía for their new collaboration, Where Is Gone?.
The song features on the Irish rock band's forthcoming album, Dopamine Chamber, which arrives on Friday (16.10.26). For guitarist Carlos O’Connell, working with the Spanish superstar is particularly special because of his own Spanish roots.
He explained: “I’ve admired Rosalía ever since her debut album, which I thought was absolutely beautiful.
“What excited me most was the way she continued to preserve Spain's musical traditions, something that felt spiritually connected to what we've been trying to achieve with Irish music. Having roots in both countries, it's been really special to witness. "She's an artist who has continued to amaze me at every point in her career.”
Frontman Grian Chatten has also described the collaboration with Rosalía as one of the most memorable achievements of his career.
He revealed that he felt "humbled" when she agreed to lend her voice to the band's album.
Speaking to NPR, Grian said: “I've always felt there's something almost like a single big idea that I'm personally trying to communicate to the world before I get old and die, if that makes sense. There's one thing I think I'll spend my life trying to express. I have a feeling she has a similar outlook. … I mean, she's an amazing arranger, composer and lyricist. It means so much that she wanted to sing on something we'd put together. It's definitely one of the highlights of my career.”
Rosalía's links to Irish rock music extend beyond Fontaines D.C. She also offered inspiration and helped develop the Spanish lyrics for U2's The Mirror Maker (Rosalía), a track from their forthcoming album, Carnaval de Luz.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last week, she spoke about frontman Bono, saying: “I don't know him personally, but he sent me a text explaining that he was working on a new project and had written a song called The Mirror Maker."
Rosalía joked that Bono had invented a few words of his own.
She recalled telling him: “I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I told him he could create his own language if he wanted to.”
She described the opportunity to collaborate with the 66 year old music veteran as a real privilege.
She added: “Bono is a legend.
“It's amazing.”
Bono recently revealed that he was worried about seeming like a stalker when he reached out to Rosalía to ask whether he could name the song after her.
