Country music: The 12 hottest stars you need to know
By Clare Douglas
This Sunday, April 19, country music’s best and brightest
stars will invade the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, for the party of
the year – the
50th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.
Hosted by Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan, the ACM Awards celebrate the musicians that have captivated audiences with their from-the-heart lyrics and honky-tonk melodies. Leading the pack of nominees this year is Blake’s better half, Miranda Lambert, who is up for seven awards , including Female Vocalist of the Year. In order to take home the night’s biggest honour, Entertainer of the Year – for which she's the only female nominated – Miranda will have to beat out fellow heavyweights Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line and Jason Aldean.
CLICK THE IMAGE FOR OUR GALLERY OF COUNTRY STARS:
Taylor Swift might be taking a break from her country roots to concentrate on pop music, but stars like Hunter Hayes, Sam Hunt and Little Big Town are proving that country music is as hot as ever.
Taking the ACM Awards stage for what are sure to be moving and memorable performances are Reba McEntire (whose latest album just dropped!)and Garth Brooks, who along with the likes of Dolly Parton, Jimmie Rodgers, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, George Jones and Canada's Shania Twain, have helped shape country music into the colossal industry it is today.
To celebrate all things country, Hello! takes a look at 12 country stars, old and new, who are topping the charts and heating things up on the road with their songs about love, life and heartache.
CLICK ON THE PHOTO FOR OUR GALLERY OF COUNTRY STARS:
![At the Forum, Charles delivered <a href=https://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/speech/speech-hrh-prince-wales-world-holocaust-forum-yad-vashem-jerusalem>a moving and powerful speech</a> in which he said humanity "must never cease to be appalled, nor moved by the testimony of those who lived through [the Holocaust]." He also recognized his grandmother's work and Israel's recognition of it in his remarks, and said calling out hatred is always important.
<p>"All too often, language is used which turns disagreement into dehumanization," he said. "Words are used as badges of shame to mark others as enemies, to brand those who are different as somehow deviant. All too often, virtue seems to be sought through verbal violence. All too often, real violence ensues, and acts of unspeakable cruelty are still perpetrated around the world against people for reasons of their religion, their race or their beliefs.
<p>"Knowing, as we do, the darkness to which such behaviour leads, we must be vigilant in discerning these ever-changing threats; we must be fearless in confronting falsehoods and resolute in resisting words and acts of violence. And we must never rest in seeking to create mutual understanding and respect. We must tend the earth of our societies so that the seeds of division cannot take root and grow. And we must never forget that every human being is be-tselem Elokim - 'in the image of God' - and even a single human life is ke-olam malei - 'like an entire universe.'"
<p>Photo; © Abir Sultan/Pool/AFP via Getty Images](/images/stories/0/2020/01/23/000/754/933/thumb_featured_5_3.jpg)
