Happy New Music Friday! The weekend is here, which means more streaming, new playlists and the best that music has to offer — and ET has you covered for everything in between.
Dolly Parton made an announcement today in Newport, Tennessee that she, along with officials from Dollywood Parks & Resorts, The Dollywood Foundation, Dolly Parton’s Stampede, Pirates Voyage, and Walmart, will make significant donations to flood relief. Dolly announced a $1 million donation to the Mountain Ways Foundation and in addition, Dolly’s East Tennessee businesses are combining efforts and have pledged to match her donation with a $1 million contribution of their own. Dolly shared “these are special people here; they’re my people.” She continued “I can’t stand to see anyone hurting, so I wanted to do what I could to help after these terrible floods. I hope we can all be a little bit of light in the world for our friends, our neighbors—even strangers—during this dark time they are experiencing.”
Eric Church announced he is signing over all of his publishing royalties for his new song to the people of North Carolina to provide immediate relief. Today he released his first new solo release in over three years, “Darkest Hour,” which he says is “dedicated to the unsung heroes, the people who show up when the world’s falling apart.”
Earlier this week, Morgan Wallen and the Morgan Wallen Foundation donated $500,000 to Red Cross for Hurricane Helene Relief. The donation will help those on the ground now in the areas affected by Hurricane Helene, including his beloved East Tennessee.
In award show news, J Balvin will be receiving the Billboard Spirit of Hope Award and perform at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards airing October 20 on Telemundo. Travis Scott was announced as the recipient of this year’s I Am Hip Hop Award at BET Hip Hop Awards 2024. The awards hosted by Fat Joe will air October 15 on BET.
American Music Awards will be celebrating its 50th anniversary with a two-hour special airing October 6 on CBS. The evening will celebrate half a century of unforgettable performances and iconic moments. Performers include Mariah Carey, Gladys Knight, Jennifer Hudson, Kane Brown, Green Day, Brad Paisley, Stray Kids, and RAYE, and there will be special appearances by Kate Hudson, Jennifer Lopez, Reba McEntire, Smokey Robinson, and more.
ET sat down with ten-time AMA winner Mariah Carey who will perform hits from The Emancipation of Mimi to celebrate its 20th anniversary. And while it’s not time for Christmas yet, she is starting her new tour Mariah Carey’s Christmas Time on November 6. She shared that preparations are “going very well” and she is finishing up her set list and getting the stage together. She also hopes her twins join her on stage.
