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Taylor Swift
Beth GarrabrantThe Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will highlight the achievements of Taylor Swift, Jimmie Allen, Brothers Osborne, Luke Combs, Mickey Guyton, Carly Pearce and more with the March 4 opening of the latest installment of the Hall’s “American Currents: State of the Music” exhibit.
The annual exhibit highlights notable music, artist achievements and events from the past year, as determined by the museum’s curators.
The exhibit will also feature Brandi Carlile, Jerry Douglas, John Hiatt, three-time CMA musician of the year winner Jenee Fleenor, the Grand Ole Opry, Walker Hayes, Wanda Jackson, Alison Krauss, Old Dominion, Allison Russell, Chris Stapleton and Billy Strings. Several of the artists highlighted in the exhibit are recent CMA Awards winners, including Fleenor, reigning entertainer of the year Combs, reigning female vocalist of the year Pearce, reigning new artist of the year Allen, reigning vocal duo of the year Brothers Osborne, reigning vocal group of the year Old Dominion and 2021 multi-award winner Stapleton.
The exhibit also includes a video compilation of important country music moments from 2021, and recaps the year’s chart-topping country albums, singles and highest-grossing tours as reported by Billboard and Pollstar.
Another portion of the exhibit, titled “Unbroken Circle,” will feature artists and their musical influences, including Breland and Keith Urban, Thomm Jutz and Tom T. Hall, Brittney Spencer and Reba McEntire, as well as Lainey Wilson and Lee Ann Womack.
“Through the annual American Currents exhibit, the museum documents the genre’s evolving history, diverse sounds and broad cultural influence,” said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “In another year characterized by the complexities of the pandemic, the continued pursuit of social justice and more, country music stood out as a microcosm of American culture. This exhibit offers perspectives on music and events that shaped the genre in 2021.”
The exhibit runs through Feb. 5, 2023.
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.
