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.”
NEWS
Lola Young has joined forces with Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) to release a new T shirt for the charity’s Lifelines collection.
The shirt supports CALM’s suicide prevention work, with proceeds helping to fund vital resources such as its helpline and CALMzone mental health app.
CALM introduced the Lifelines range last year, with Fontaines D.C., Blossoms and Inhaler also contributing their own designs to the collection.
Young’s design includes the words, “There’s a flicker of light. There’s always morning after the night”, taken from her track ‘Flicker Of Light’.
“I wrote this song about realising there is hope. I have often felt like there isn’t, but there is always a reason to keep going,” Young said. “That’s even when you don’t want to get out of bed, you do, and that is amazing, and you’re still here, and you’re still alive, and if anything, that’s something to be proud of.”
CALM CEO Simon Gunning also shared his appreciation for the collaboration, saying: “We couldn’t be more grateful to Lola for supporting ‘Lifelines’ and showing just how powerful music can be as a force for good.”
Priced at £30, the T shirts come in both standard and boxy fits and are available to purchase here.
Young has regularly spoken about her experiences with mental health. She returned to performing earlier this year after calling off her 2025 tour because of exhaustion. The decision followed her collapse during a performance in New York City. During her time away, she later discussed receiving support for addiction and attending AA meetings as part of her recovery.
In an interview with NME in May, Young explained that she believes “all healing journeys are never ending”, although she is now “definitely in a much better place”. She also said she feels “excited and ready to perform and to release music”.
Reflecting on the encouragement she received after publicly discussing those challenges, Young said: “My fans inspire me in the same way I hope to inspire them. I feel like I’ve never tried to be especially honest… it just comes very naturally to me.”
“I don’t really have any other choice but to be honest, so if people connect to that, and that’s amazing.”
Several musicians have also applauded the ‘Messy’ singer for honestly addressing the pressure placed on touring performers. Lily Allen said she was “in awe” of the BRIT and Grammy winner, while Victoria Canal credited Young with bringing greater attention to the damaging impact demanding tour schedules can have on artists’ mental wellbeing.
When NME asked whether musicians were beginning to establish firmer boundaries around their health, Young replied: “I never intended it to start a movement, but I hope that it does in some way.”
