Rural King

Raul Malo, the Miami-born vocalist who reshaped modern country and Americana through his work with The Mavericks, has died in Houston at age 60. Malo passed away on 8 December 2025 after a prolonged battle with colon cancer. His death brings to a close a career that spanned more than three decades and produced one of the most distinctive voices in American music.

Tenille Arts has entered the next phase of her career with the release of her new single Don't Ruin Flowers, delivered through a fresh global partnership between Dreamcatcher Artists and ONErpm. The track marks the first taste of her forthcoming album, scheduled for announcement in mid-2026, and signals a confident expansion of her creative world after several milestone years on the international stage.

Lainey Wilson has opened the festive season with a new animated video for her version of Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! with Bing Crosby. The clip presents Wilson and Crosby as stylised characters who inhabit a nostalgic winter scene that aligns with Crosby's long legacy in seasonal music. Crosby helped define the modern Christmas canon with White Christmas, which became one of the most successful singles in history. Wilson's new version links two eras of country and pop tradition while embracing her growing international reach.

Ella Hooper will open 2026 with a return to the road, as the acclaimed singer releases her new single Growing Up Is Hard To Do and confirms dates for her Australian Summer Tour '26. The tour starts on Saturday 10 January in Mansfield, then moves through Tamworth, Sale, Archies Creek, Newcastle, Mangrove Mountain, Bathurst, Boyup Brook, Ocean Grove and Balnarring Beach, with each show designed to showcase her current creative phase, shaped by country influences and personal reflection.

Nashville delivered another milestone in Country Music history as The 59th Annual CMA Awards took over the Bridgestone Arena with a night built on legacy, drive and standout achievement. Country star Lainey Wilson guided the broadcast with a confident presence shaped by years of hard touring and a growing catalogue of acclaimed work. The broadcast reflected a genre still expanding its reach while honouring the players who shaped its past.

Alexandra Kay's rise from social media favourite to one of Nashville's most talked-about new voices has reached another milestone, with her debut country radio single Straight For The Heart hitting stations today. The track, powered by fierce conviction and emotional punch, launches just as her sophomore album Second Wind enters the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and tops iTunes Country.

Jelly Roll's long-awaited debut tour of Australia and New Zealand came to a sudden halt in Auckland, with the US genre-bending star forced to cancel the final show due to illness, moments before he was due to take the stage.