Poor choice of words: Education Minister apologizes for remarks made to Sask. mother POSTED DATE:Apr 18, 2024
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Saskatchewan establishes partnership with France on strategic minerals POSTED DATE:Apr 15, 2024
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Sask. country artist sets May release date for new album Posted By: Emma Jackson On Mar 04, 2024
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A Saskatchewan-born country singer has plans to put out a new album this spring, describing it as “the breakup album I didn’t know I was writing.”
Tenille Arts, originally from Weyburn, posted online that her next album, titled “To Be Honest”, is set for release May 3.
Several of the tracks are already available on various music streaming platforms, including a duet with LeAnne Rimes titled “Jealous of Myself.”
“I owe you guys something real, and I owe myself something real,” Arts wrote in her announcement post. “I love you all and I cannot wait for you to hear these 14 songs.”
“To Be Honest” will be the 29-year-old’s fourth full-length album, and her first since 2021’s “Girl to Girl”, which was nominated for Country Album of the Year at the following year’s Juno Awards.
TOBY KEITH DIES OF CANCER AT 62 YEARS OLD Posted By: Connor Willson On Feb 06, 2024
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Country music lost a cowboy, Oklahoma lost a treasured son and the U.S. military lost an ardent friend Monday when Toby Keith succumbed to an extended battle with stomach cancer. He was 62 years old.
Toby Keith passed peacefully last night ... surrounded by his family, a statement shared to his website read. He fought his fight with grace and courage. Please respect the privacy of his family at this time.
Keith revealed in June of 2022 that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer in the Fall of 2021 and had already undergone chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. He performed his last three concerts at Park MGMs Dolby Live in Las Vegas in December but was forced to cancel an event with CMT in January.
The Shouldve Been a Cowboy singer was born Toby Keith Covel on July 8, 1961. He broke into country music with Shouldve Been a Cowboy in 1993, and the song became his first of 20 No. 1 hits. His other chart-toppers include How Do You Like Me Now?!, As Good As I Once Was, My List and his Willie Nelson duet Beer for My Horses. But some of his biggest hits – including Red Solo Cup – never went No. 1.
Keith was known for his passionate support of the U.S. military and made frequent trips to war zones to play for the troops. Post 9/11, he released his defiant, fist-pumping Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue, which also became a No. 1 hit.
Keith described himself to CNN as a third-generation Democrat but maintained there was nothing political about supporting the troops.
President Trump awarded Keith the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the United States government, in 2021.
The 64 singers other honors include two CMA Awards and 12 ACM Awards, including ACM Entertainer of the Year in 2003 and 2004 and special ACM Awards, including the Tex Ritter Film Award (2009), Career Achievement Award (2014), Poets Award (2017) and Merle Haggard Spirit Award (2021). He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2021. Throughout his career, Keith was nominated for seven Grammy Awards, and BMI honored him in 2022 with its prestigious Icon Award.
He performed at the 2023 Peoples Choice Country Awards in September and went viral with his Dont Let The Old Man In. Clint Eastwood inspired Keith to write the song in 2018, and it was featured in Eastwoods movie The Mule. Keith told The Tennessean then that writing it is one of my favorite things I ever did in my life.
2023 marked Keiths 30th year in country music – but worked toward country music success much longer than that.
Country Aircheck reported Keith received his first guitar when he was 8 years old. As he got older, the singer occasionally worked at his grandmothers Billie Garners Supper Club in Fort Smith, Arkansas, where he occasionally performed. He worked in the oil fields when he graduated high school and formed his Easy Money Band when he was 20. In the early 80s, Keith played semi-professional football for the Oklahoma City Drillers, and by the mid-80s, his band was popular on the honky-tonk circuit in Oklahoma and Texas.
Famed producer Harold Shedd heard about Keith and signed him to Mercury Records. His debut album produced four chart-toppers, including Shouldve Been a Cowboy. He hopped among record labels for years before founding Show Dog Nashville in 2005. In 2009, Show Dog merged with Universal South but went independent again six years later.
Keith was known as a philanthropist. In addition to his work with the military, he headed up a benefit concert to aid his fellow Oklahomans who were devastated by a tornado in 2013 and used his Toby Keith Foundation to build and fund the OK Kids Korral, a no-cost home for children and their families battling cancer in Oklahoma.
When someone I know passes away, I usually think of two things: my own mortality and what I learned from this person, said Garth Brooks, a fellow Oklahoman who played Keiths 2013 benefit concert. What I learned from Toby is what I hope I am able to do when its my turn to wear those shoes. He was ALWAYS Toby...all the way up to his passing.
Keith opened a chain of Toby Keiths I Love This Bar & Grill restaurants and grew his business to include a clothing line and alcohol brands. In 2013, Forbes featured Keith on the cover with the caption, Country Musics $500 Million Man.
Another of Keiths fellow Oklahomans, Carrie Underwood wrote: Saddle up the horses, Jesus, cause a true blue COWBOY just made his ride up to heaven!!! Introduce him to all the Okies and sign that boy up for the choir! Were gonna miss you, Toby, but my heart has no doubt that you are standing in the presence of our King right now!!! See you again someday, friend.
Keith is survived by his wife, Tricia, three children, Shelley, Krystal, and Stelen, his mother, and two siblings.
LUKE BRYAN SAYS HE WAS BORN TO DO COUNTRY MUSIC, TALKS DOWN DAYS AND BALANCING CAREER AND FAMILY Posted By: Lisa Wulff On Jan 21, 2024
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Thirty No. 1 songs, a hit television show, five Entertainer of the Year wins, a sold-out record-breaking Las Vegas residency, more than 14 million concert tickets sold and 22 billion streams are impressive drops in the deep ocean of accolades Luke Bryan has worked decades to accomplish.
Bryan, an affable, tender-hearted, devoted father and husband, moved to Nashville from his native Georgia to chase his country music dreams. Within six years, he co-wrote his first country chart-topper – Good Directions for Billy Currington. His debut album, Ill Stay Me, was released in 2007, but he didnt nab his first No. 1 as an artist until Do I in 2009.
When I moved to Nashville, I moved for all the right reasons -- just because I loved country music and I loved being on stage, Bryan said. From the second I got here … it just felt like Id finally found the place for me to be. I never really looked back. Then to kickstart the whole process and to have dreams of writing number ones and performing number ones and being an artist to present day, you look at that, and its kind of hard to wrap your head around.
Bryan, who recently wrapped his two-year Las Vegas residency at Resorts World in Las Vegas, will return as a judge alongside Lionel Richie and Katy Perry to American Idol on February 18.
Being on television is something Bryan admits hes had to get used to.
Im comfortable with all of that now, he said. I think my first year at American Idol, there was a lot of things I need to get comfortable with. Now Im comfortable with Idol and doing the TV spots and the commercials and some of the fun acting bits, and Im comfortable letting my emotions out on TV. I keep having anxiety about the crowds not showing up at the concerts, but all of our numbers (in 2023) touring-wise have been 20 – 30 percent better than ever.
While Bryan is among the most successful artists in country music history, his ride to the top wasnt smooth or a sure thing. His debut single, All My Friends Say, made it to the Top 5 on country radio. He followed it up with We Rode In Trucks in 2007, and he was convinced the song was a hit. We Rode In Trucks collapsed at No. 35.
It was probably the darkest artist headspace Ive ever been in because I thought We Rode In Trucks was going to propel my career onto a fast track, he said. I was pretty upset about it.
His third single, Country Man, was a Top 10 hit, but when he turned the next batch of songs into the record label, they were rejected.
I had a lot of bad news, Bryan said, remembering he was on his tour bus in a sour mood. At some point, I just kind of told myself, Dont be like that. I have my down days, and sometimes I get a little mad … but thats neither here nor there. For the most part, I think I just love doing this. I didnt ask to be born to do it, but I think I was born to do it.
Bryans first No. 1 song, Do I, launched his years-long chain of hit songs. Nashvilles country music community recently gathered to celebrate the singers 30 chart-toppers, and the evening included Bryans idols and friends performing some of his hits for him. Dave Haywood and Hillary Scott of Lady A were there, as were Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Shenandoahs Marty Raybon and more.
Bryan wrote Do I with Haywood and Charles Kelley of Lady A, and Scott sang background vocals on the song.
Luke, we love you, Scott said. Thank you for years of friendship and letting me sing harmony on your first No. 1 song.
Bentley, tongue-in-cheek, wasnt as kind to Bryan – but had the room rolling in laughter with a comedic roast. Bentley insinuated Bryan was old because the other artists in the genre who have also garnered 30 No. 1 songs include George Strait, Ronnie Milsap and Conway Twitty.
I only got 22 No. 1 songs, Im young, Bentley quipped. Luke can say (stuff) that if I said, Id get arrested on the spot. If I said some of the stuff he said, Id probably lose my record deal. Based on how slow my current single is going, maybe I already have. That was funny.
Then Bentley said he would sing Play It Again in a mans key in G because he cant sing as high as Bryan. Bentley comedically forgot many of the songs lyrics.
Bryans other chart-toppers include Drunk On You, Crash My Party, Drink A Beer, Most People Are Good, Down To One and more.
Its an astounding accomplishment to record 30 No. 1 songs; few artists will ever accomplish that, said Cindy Mabe, Chair and CEO of Universal Music Group Nashville. But the truth is that beyond hitting the top of the charts, Luke Bryan … changed the course of country music. He gave his heart, his lifestyle, his musical infusion, powerful charisma, and Elvis-like moves, and he forever changed the sound and reached for a new era in country music. Luke has always known who he was and who he represented, and you can find that in each of these No. 1 songs. Perhaps Lukes biggest gift of all is to teach us that even through trauma and heartbreak, we have to remember to enjoy life and each moment because you never know when it will be your last.
The singers sons are 13 and 15, and his nephew is 22. Bryan wants to balance his songs between light-hearted and mature to ensure they have depth but still appeal to younger audiences.
Im grounded more than ever in what I need to say as an artist, certainly for the rest of my career, Bryan said. I really feel blessed that I can still, after all this time, have a tangible role as being somebody high up in the business. At the end of the day … when Im on stage, I love every second of it. I still love connecting with the fans, and I still love hearing great songs.
Taylor Swift postpones Rio de Janeiro show, citing record heat a day after fan dies during concert Posted By: Dakota Cloutier On Nov 18, 2023
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Taylor Swift postponed an Eras Tour concert in Rio de Janeiro Saturday after a 23-year-old fan died during her Friday night show, according to a message posted on the singers Instagram.
Im writing this from my dressing room in the stadium. The decision has been made to postpone tonights show due to the extreme temperatures in Rio, the singer said in a handwritten note posted on her Instagram account. The safety and well being of my fans, fellow performers, and crew has to and always will come first.
The cause of death for Ana Clara Benevides Machado, the young woman who sought medical attention at Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium during Fridays show, has not yet been announced. The office of Rios public prosecutor opened a criminal investigation and said Benevides body was being examined.
Benevides death shook many people in Brazil. She had taken her first flight ever to travel from the countrys centre-west region to Rio to see her favourite musician. She also created a WhatsApp group to keep her family updated, sending photos and videos every step of the way, family members told online news site G1.
Fans and politicians reacted to her death with outrage, speculating it was linked to extreme heat.
Concertgoers complained they were not allowed to take water into the stadium despite the stifling weather. As temperatures continued to rise Saturday and with two more shows to go at the time, federal authorities announced that free water would now be made available at concerts and other large events.
One of Benevides friends, who also went to the concert, told local outlets they had both been given water while waiting to enter the stadium.
In a previous statement shared on her social media Saturday morning, Swift said she had a shattered heart.
Theres very little information I have other than the fact that she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young, the singer wrote of the young woman.
The shows organizer, Time4Fun, said on Instagram that paramedics attended to Benevides after she reported feeling unwell. She was taken to a first-aid center and then to a hospital, where she died an hour later, the statement from the Brazilian live entertainment company said.
Fans who attended the Friday show said they were not allowed to bring water bottles into the stadium even though Rio and most of Brazil have had record-breaking temperatures this week amid a dangerous and lasting heat wave. The daytime high in Rio on Friday was 39.1 degrees Celsius (102.4 degrees Fahrenheit), but it felt much hotter.
Apparent temperature -- a combination of temperature and humidity -- hit 59 C (138 F) Friday morning in Rio, the highest index ever recorded there.
Elizabeth Morin, 26, who recently moved to Rio from Los Angeles, described sauna-like conditions inside the stadium.
It was extremely hot. My hair got so wet from sweat as soon as I came in, she said. There was a point at which I had to check my breathing to make sure I wasnt going to pass out.
Morin said she drank plenty of water but saw a good amount of people looking distressed and others yelling for water. She said she was able to get water from the sidelines of the area she was standing in, but that water was a lot harder to access from other parts of the stadium, especially if you were concerned about losing your specific position.
During the show, Swift paused her performance and asked from the stage for water to be brought to a group of people who had successfully caught the singers attention, according to Morin.
They were holding up their phones saying `We need water, she recalled.
Two other concertgoers interviewed by The Associated Press said they witnessed people feeling unwell from the heat during the show.
On her way to Rio, Benevides sent a video to family members that was broadcast by TV channel Globo News, telling them: Mom, look at the plane, its moving. Mom, Im on the plane. My God in heaven! Im happy!
Then before the concert, she posted a video of herself on Instagram wearing a Taylor Swift T-shirt and friendship bracelets, seeking shade under an umbrella while waiting in line to enter the stadium.
Like her, thousands of fans waited hours in the sun before being allowed inside.
She told her followers while fanning her face that shed arrived at 11 a.m. -- the show began around 7:30 p.m. -- and was still in the mess.
Benevides friend, Daniele Menin, who attended the concert with her, told online news site G1 that her friend passed out at the beginning of the concert, as Swift performed her second song, Cruel Summer.
We always said that when (Taylor Swift) came to Brazil we would find a way to go. The ticket was very expensive, but we still found a way, Menin told G1.
Justice Minister Flavio Dino said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that going forward in Brazil, water bottles for personal use, in suitable material, will be allowed at concerts and festivals and that show producers must provide free and easily accessible drinking water.
Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes wrote on X that the loss of a young womans life ... is unacceptable and demanded more brigades and ambulances at future shows.
Still, the concert was postponed.
We are on the train. And everyone is so disappointed, said Hely Olivares, a 41 year-old Venezuelan who had travelled from Panama to see the artist.
Before postponing the concert, Swift wrote on Instagram that she would not address the death from stage because I feel overwhelmed by grief when I even try to talk about it.
I want to say now I feel this loss deeply and my broken heart goes out to her family and friends, she said.
Heres when Taylor Swift is coming to Vancouver and how to buy tickets Posted By: Paige Davis On Nov 02, 2023
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Swifties, mark your calendars.
Taylor Swift has added dates to the Canadian leg of her blockbuster Eras Tour – scheduling three shows in Vancouver.
The pop star will be playing BC Place on Dec. 6, 7, and 8, 2024.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be a part of bringing Taylor Swift, The Eras Tour, to Vancouver, giving fans the experience of a lifetime,” said Terrie Tweddle, spokesperson for Rogers Communications Inc., which is presenting the tour.
For those who want the chance to score tickets, registration for an online sale opened Thursday at 8 a.m. and runs through Saturday at 5 p.m.
On Wednesday, Nov. 8, registered fans will get an email telling them if theyve been added to a list of people who get first dibs at tickets or placed on a waitlist. The actual sale will start the following day, open only to those whose access has been confirmed.
The only other Canadian city Swift is set to visit is Toronto, where she will play six shows in November of next year.
Those shows were added earlier this year after an outcry over the fact that no Canadian dates had been scheduled. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was among those who posted to social media asking the star to reconsider.
B.C. Premier David Eby, who made a plea of his own in an Instagram story last month, weighed in shortly after Swifts announcement.
Welcome to Vancouver, we’ve been waiting for you! he wrote in Twitter.
I’m convinced it was my invitation that convinced Taylor Swift to come to BC. Not the sold-out venues worldwide, not that her biggest & best fans are in our province, not that she already planned to… Nope, can’t be any of those!
The provinces tourism minister, Lana Popham, issued her own invite back in July, and reacted to Thursdays news on social media – first by tweeting a series of exclamation marks, later following it up with, This is big!
BC Place has a capacity of 54,500, meaning the all-but-inevitably sold-out shows would bring upwards of 150,000 fans to the downtown core over three days. On average, Eras Tour fans are spending U.S. $1,300 – equivalent to more than $1,700 in Canada – on tickets, merchandise, alcohol, food, parking and hotels.
And if Swifts previous stop in the Pacific Northwest is anything to go by, the impact could be literally seismic. Over the summer, a show in Seattle generated activity equivalent to a 2.3 magnitude earthquake.
