Jasmine Rae, Kasey Chambers, Keith Urban, Shane Nicholson and Troy Cassar-Daley have been nominated for 2011 ARIA Awards With just over six weeks until the 25th Anniversary ARIA Awards, the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) today announced the Nominees of the 2011 ARIA Awards to be held on Sunday, 27 November, 2011.

Australian country music was well represented in the list of nominees, with Kasey Chambers nominated for Best Female Artist for her album Little Bird and Keith Urban nominated for Highest Selling Australian Album and Most Popular Australian Artist for Get Closer.

Both country artists were also nominated for Best Country Album, alongside Jasmine Rae for Listen Here, Shane Nicholson for Bad Machines and Troy Cassar-Daley for Live.

Source: www.ariaawards.com.au

Last night the winners in the CMC Music Awards 2011 were annoucned at a special event held at The Great Cask Hall, Hope Estate Winery in the Hunter Valley. 2011 was the first year that the annual CMC Oz Artist of the Year award was expanded into an award series and the winners of the four categories were voted entirely by CMC viewers.

Adam Brand's, position as one of Australia’s leading country music artists was solidified with him being crowned CMC Oz Artist of the Year for the fifth time in a row. Unable to attend the awards as he is in Nashville, Brand said that he was humbled to win the prestigious award again. “This award is the most special of all awards because it’s voted by the most important people in the world; the fans,” Brand said in a video acceptance.

Darling of country music, Taylor Swift was voted CMC International Artist of the Year. In a special video she thanked her Australian fans for their ongoing support and sent a message of encouragement to those who have been affected by the recent natural disasters in this country. Swift also hinted that she would be visiting Australia very soon.

Taking home CMC Music Video of the Year was Australian mega star Keith Urban for the video 'Til Summer Comes Around' from his fifth studio album Deying Gravity. Urban thanked his fans and CMC via a video acceptance.

Rising Australian stars, McAlister Kemp were awarded CMC New Oz Artist of the Year. The duo were scheduled to perform at the event, but had to pull out at the last minute after they were added to the Alan Jackson line up when Miranda Lambert cancelled her Australian tour earlier in the week due to illness.

The awards ceremony included performances by Canada’s Dean Brody and the evening’s hosts O'Shea. Guests included, Rob Hirst, The Sunny Cowgirls, Victoria Baillie, Amber Lawrence, channel host Steve Forde, Headline Country's Storme Warren and Jayne Denham.

Australian's Keith Urban has won his fourth GRAMMY award. Today he won the award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.

Urban's Australian tour kicks off on April 8 at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. The tour is being supported by Lady Antebellum who had a huge night at the GRAMMYS.. winning Song of the Year (All Genres), Record of the Year (all genres) and three other awards.

Keith Urban's Get Closer 2011 World Tour will kick off in Australia next April, with the multi-platinum selling Lady Antebellum joining Urban for the Australian tour as the opening act.

Beginning in Adelaide, the 'Get Closer 2011 World Tour' will then head to Melbourne, Tamworth, Sydney and Brisbane. It's said to the first time that Australia has been the starting place for a Keith Urban tour and follows the recent release of Get Closer, which has already reached gold sales.

Urban is in Australia this week for a short promotional visit which includes an appearance on one of Oprah's Australian filmed shows. Tickets for the Get Closer 2011 World Tour are on sale Friday 21st January, 2011, 9am.

KEITH URBAN: GET CLOSER 2011 WORLD TOUR

Friday 8th April
Adelaide - Entertainment Centre 

Saturday 9th April
Melbourne - Rod Laver Arena

Tuesday 12th April
Tamworth - Regional Entertainment & Conference Centre

Thursday 14th April
Sydney - Entertainment Centre

Friday 15th April
Brisbane - Entertainment Centre

Keith Urban’s Get Closer, to be released on November 12^th, is the sixth studio recording and follows his two previous top 5 ARIA album’s Defying Gravity (#3) and Love, Pain And The Whole Crazy Thing (#5).  In the USA, Get Closer follows both these #1 Billboard country and pop albums, as well as five previous solo efforts all of which have been certified platinum or multi-platinum. 

On Get Closer, Urban dives even deeper into the explorations of love and relationships that have served to establish him as one of the world’s biggest country music stars – while also extending his rock & roll side, as his hard-charging guitar work reaches new heights.

"On Defying Gravity I started touching upon the theme of the courage to love," he says. "It’s all well and good to say, 'I can’t find anybody to love, I wish I could find someone to love.' But do I have the courage to love? Am I willing to open my heart and give the sword to my partner and go, 'All right, I trust you, absolutely and completely?'”

But the ambition for Get Closer is made explicit right on the cover. “For me the title is multi-faceted,” says Urban, “because my instincts have always been to run from the things that are good for me, to run from love.  I have always run from intimacy, and marriage has been a real awakening for me in looking at that very differently.  That’s what the title refers to.”

The general retail release of Get Closer is contained in ten songs produced with long-time collaborator Dann Huff.  It blends such chugging rockers as 'Long Hot Summer,' 'You Gonna Fly' and the CDs first single, 'Put You in a Song,' with more emotionally complex and nuanced compositions like 'Right on Back to You' and 'Georgia Woods.'  

Superstar Keith Urban has released a new single, 'Put You In A Song.'  It's the first single from his upcoming new album Get Closer, schdeuled for release in mid November. The track was written by Sarah Buxton and another Australian, Jedd Hughes.

"I've always loved songs about the guy in love with the unattainable girl and the idea that the only chance that this poor guy is ever going to have to get close to the object of his affection is to put her in a song, just struck me" says Urban. 

Check out this short clip where Urban discusses the new track...

It was one for the record books when the final list of nominees for The 44^th Annual CMA Awards were announced today with fresh faces layered throughout the field of finalists vying for a coveted crystal trophy on what they call "Country Music's Biggest Night." 

Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood and broadcast live in Australia on CMC from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville at midday on Thurdsay November 11.  When the final nominations were tallied, Miranda Lambert led the list of finalists with nine nominations - the most for any female artist in the history of the CMA Awards. Alan Jackson received 10 nominations in 2002. Prior to that, Merle Haggard held the record with nine in 1970. 

Lambert received nominations for Entertainer; Female Vocalist; Album for Revolution; two for Single, 'The House That Built Me' and 'White Liar' Song for 'White Liar,' which she wrote with Natalie Hemby; Musical Event, for 'Bad Angel' with Dierks Bentley and Jamey Johnson; and two for Music Video of the Year for 'The House That Built Me' directed by Trey Fanjoy, and 'White Liar' directed by Chris Hicky. Lady Antebellum garnered the second highest number of CMA Awards nominations with five including Entertainer of the Year. Third on the list of nominees was Zac Brown Band and Blake Shelton with four nominations. 

In a major surprise, 2009 Entertainer of the Year and 2010 Grammy Album of the Year winner Taylor Swift was not nominated for the Entertainer of the Year award this time around.

Australia's Keith Urban received two nominations for Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year. Urban won Entertainer in 2005 and Male Vocalist of the Year three times (2004, 2005, and 2006).  The CMA Awards nominees and winners are determined by the 6,000 industry professional members of CMA. They include international voters. 

Click Here To See The Full List of 2010 CMA Awards Nominees

The highlight of night two of the CMA Music Festival at LP Field was Keith Urban's performance with special guests of the classic track 'The Times They Are A-Changin' in front of a sold out crowd.

Urban performed the song with Sarah Buxton, the female members of Little Big Town and an all-star brass band in celebration of the spirt of the people Nashville following the horrible floods just over a month ago.

Urban and wife Nicole Kidman have pledged money personally to the cause as well as performing a number of charity gigs in support of flood vicitms.

Other performers on the star-studded evening included Reba McEntire, Kid Rock, Julianne Hough and Miranda Lambert.

Photo provided by the Country Music Association (USA).

Hit Country – Hits Of The Decade (2001 – 2010) features the best of the best! It’s a celebration of the last ten years of great country music globally.

Songs for this compilation have been selected on the basis of major chart success, music sales, industry awards and general impact on the music market.

With so many great artists recording so many great songs, the HitCountry.TV team's job of selecting the final 40 tracks was extremely tough!

We could have selected another 40 songs that could have been considered "Hits Of The Decade" but we could only fit 40 tracks on the two CDs, and the 40 on there are simply sensational! 

Country's biggest artists from the last decade from Australia and world are featured including Keith Urban, Lee Kernaghan, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney, Kasey Chambers, George Strait, The McClymonts, Adam Brand, Jasmine Rae, Beccy Cole, Melinda Schneider, Brad Paisley, Steve Forde, Sugarland, Brooks & Dunn and many many more.

The compilation is released on June 11, 2010.

Tracklisting:

Disc 1

1. Planet Country - Lee Kernaghan
2. Wrapped Up Good - The McClymonts
3. Born To Survive - Troy Cassar-Daley
4. You’ll Think Of Me - Keith Urban
5. Jesus Take The Wheel - Carrie Underwood
6. Like A River - Kasey Chambers
7. I Go Back - Kenny Chesney
8. Redneck Woman - Gretchen Wilson
9. Bring Me Down - Miranda Lambert
10. Believe - Brooks & Dunn
11. Beer For My Horses - Toby Keith (with Willie Nelson)
12. I’m A Road Hammer - The Road Hammers
13. Country Singer - Jasmine Rae
14. There’s No Limit - Deanna Carter
15. Alcohol – Brad Paisley
16. Best I Ever Had – Gary Allan
17. All Kinds Of Tough - McAlister Kemp
18. Moments – Emerson Drive
19. Stronger – Melinda Schneider
20. Poster Girl (Wrong Side Of The World) – Beccy Cole

Disc 2

1. Summer’s Little Angel - Steve Forde
2. Best Days Of Your Life - Kellie Pickler
3. Blame It On Eve - Adam Brand
4. In Colour - Jamey Johnson
5. What I Did Last Night - Catherine Britt
6. Beautiful Life - Doc Walker
7. What Was I Thinkin’ - Dierks Bentley
8. Austin - Blake Shelton
9. Stay - Sugarland
10. Tim McGraw - Taylor Swift
11. Fast Car - The Wilkinsons
12. I Saw God Today - George Strait
13. Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy - Big & Rich
14. Love Is A Beautiful Thing - Phil Vassar
15. I Hope You Dance - Lee Ann Womack
16. Acting Stupid - The Sunny Cowgirls
17. What You Give Away – Vince Gill (featuring Sheryl Crow)
18. Song For The Old Rake - Paul Kelly & The Stormwater Boys
19. Boondocks - Little Big Town
20. Don’t Chase Me - Shea Fisher

You can buy the two CD compilation now at  

Pop act, The Jonas Brothers performed at the Housten Rodeo recently and did a cover of Keith Urban's 'Somebody Like You'.

Take a look at their attempt...