Pretty cool flex to say that astronauts have used one of your song’s as an alarm clock in space. Last week, NASA launched a mission to perform a lunar flyby for the first time in 50 years. Commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, and pilot Victor Glover are currently up in space, and are now in the midst of their four-day journey back to Earth after reaching the far side of the moon just a couple of days ago. The four astronauts are playing a critical role in the Artemis program, which was established in 2017 with the goal to return humans to the moon since 1972 (yeah, it’s been that long). The hope of the program is to eventually build a permanent base on the moon. If all goes well, then the next step would be a human mission to explore Mars. Technically, this is the second mission of the Artemis program. The first was an unmanned launch. This second mission, Artemis II, was a manned launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. By the end of the mission, the four crew members aboard will have spent a total of 10 days in space aboard the Orion spacecraft. They are set to splash down on Friday, April 10 in the Pacific Ocean. Thanks to advanced technology, we here on Earth have been able to stay very connected to the brave men and women manning the Artemis II mission. They’ve done a handful of interviews and many other things to stay in touch with those following along with the mission. And one of the more popular ways they’ve provided updates is through NASA sharing the “Wake-Up Songs” that the astronauts aboard the spacecraft have woken up to every day of the mission. Today, on Day 9 of the Artemis II mission, some country was cued up, and the four space cowboys aboard the Orion awoke to “Lonesome Drifter” by Charley Crockett: “Charley Crockett’s ‘Lonesome Drifter’ marks the beginning of flight day 9 for the Artemis II astronauts.” https://twitter.com/nasa/status/2042268423770521679?s=46&t=sK4ZxpXri80bfkXt_M8Cog NASA actually misspelled Crockett’s name there, but everyone gets the point. The Wake Up Songs have been, as the kids say nowadays, “on point” (the kids probably don’t say that anymore, actually). A song about a lonesome drifter traveling on a lonely highway? As astronauts drift through space on their way back to Earth? That’s what I call a Chef’s kiss. No notes whatsoever. Charley Crockett proudly shared through his Instagram story that his 2025 song was played up in space, and pretty much everyone in the reply section of NASA’s post commended the song selection: waking up to country music in a vacuum is a vibe. — Hershal Dinkar Rao (@Hershal0_0) April 9, 2026 lonesome drifter for space wake-up? that’s some poetic vibes — アサミー (@krell_sophia) April 9, 2026 Well they are space cowboys, so it makes sense pic.twitter.com/F8Rn5nkdGn — Kosisochukwu Mbanugo (@Certifiedksd) April 9, 2026 There’s something surreal about that. Drifting past the Moon… and waking up to country music. Space got a little more human. — Shantun Singh Parmar (@ParmarShantun) April 9, 2026 Waking up to “Lonesome Drifter” while drifting home from the Moon on the final stretch, NASA’s wakeup song selection has been peak storytelling this entire mission — Atlasis (@AtlasisZephyr) April 9, 2026 The post Charley Crockett’s “Lonesome Drifter” Was Artemis II’s Wake Up Song For Day 9 Of Their Lunar Flyby Mission first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Finally getting some well-deserved recognition. The Academy of Country Music announced the nominees for the 61st Annual ACM Awards today, and Emily Ann Roberts was one of several artists who scored their first ever nomination. The up-and-coming country star is up for New Female Artist of the Year, alongside Avery Anna, Mackenzie Carpenter, Dasha and Caroline Jones. And it’s a well-deserved recognition for Roberts, whose incredible voice and traditional country sound have positioned her for her breakout moment over the past couple of years. If you’re not familiar with Emily Ann, she’s been one of my favorite new artists out there since going viral with her bluegrass-inspired “Whole Lotta Little” a couple years ago, and she’s also showed off not only her songwriting prowess but her vocal talent with both her 2023 album Can’t Hide Country and her most recent project, Memory Lane. Emily Ann appeared on The Voice way back in 2015, but most recently has built up a strong following on TikTok not just for her music, but for her videos showcasing her country lifestyle: @sasserhouse Up-potting my 400 baby plants Part 1 ♬ original sound – Sasser House Well with her ACM nomination today, Emily Ann also took to social media to share the emotional moment when she found out she had scored her first nod – and was able to break the news to all of her family: @sasserhouse MY WIFE IS NOMINATED FOR AN @ACM Awards IS THIS REAL LIFE!??? I’m so proud of you @Emily Ann Roberts ♬ original sound – Sasser House (I love her husband Chris’s reaction: “If you start winning awards we’re going to need a bigger house. We got nowhere to put awards in this house.”) She also shared the call she had with her family: @emilyann_music I’ll remember this morning forever. Thank you Jesus and thank you @ACM Awards ♬ original sound – Emily Ann Roberts That’s what it’s all about – recognizing deserving artists for all the hard work they put in. While Emily Ann says she’s just happy to be nominated and doesn’t think she’ll win, I know who I’m rooting for in this category. The 61st Annual ACM Awards will stream live on Amazon Prime from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 17 at 8 PM eastern/7 PM central. ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR Luke Combs Jelly Roll Cody Johnson Megan Moroney Chris Stapleton Morgan Wallen Lainey Wilson FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR Kelsea Ballerini Miranda Lambert Ella Langley Megan Moroney Lainey Wilson MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR Luke Combs Riley Green Cody Johnson Chris Stapleton Zach Top GROUP OF THE YEAR 49 Winchester Flatland Cavalry Old Dominion Rascal Flatts The Red Clay Strays DUO OF THE YEAR Brooks & Dunn Brothers Osborne Dan + Shay Muscadine Bloodline Thelma & James NEW FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR Avery Anna Mackenzie Carpenter Dasha Caroline Jones Emily Ann Roberts NEW MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR Gavin Adcock Vincent Mason Shaboozey Hudson Westbrook Tucker Wetmore ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)] Ain’t In It For My Health – Zach Top Producer: Carson Chamberlain Record Company-Label: Leo33 Cherry Valley – Carter Faith Producer: Tofer Brown Record Company-Label: Gatsby Records / MCA Don’t Mind If I Do (Deluxe) – Riley Green Producer: Dann Huff, Michael Knox Record Company-Label: Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment I’m The Problem – Morgan Wallen Producers: Joey Moi, Charlie Handsome, Jacob Durrett Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records Parker McCollum – Parker McCollum Producers: Frank Liddell, Eric Masse Record Company-Label: MCA SONG OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)] A Song To Sing – Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton Songwriters: Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, Jenee Fleenor, Jesse Frasure Publishers: I Wrote These Songs; Pink Dog Publishing; Songs for the Munch Music; Songs of Influence; Sony/ATV Tree Publishing; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp Am I Okay? – Megan Moroney Songwriters: Megan Moroney, Luke Laird, Jessie Jo Dillon Publishers: Big Ass Pile of Dimes Music; Big Music Machine Choosin’ Texas – Ella Langley Songwriters: Ella Langley, Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert, Joybeth Taylor Publishers: Bada Bing & Bada Langley Publishing; Little Louder Songs; Sony Music Publishing I Never Lie – Zach Top Songwriters: Zach Top, Carson Chamberlain, Tim Nichols Publishers: Music and Magazine Publishing; Rio Bravo Music Inc; Sony/ATV Tree Publishing; Too Broke to Quit Music; Zach Top Music Somewhere Over Laredo – Lainey Wilson Songwriters: Lainey Wilson, Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson, Andy Albert, Harold Arlen & Yip Harburg Publishers: Concord Sounds; Dtown Boogie Music; Emi Feist Catalog Inc; Songs Of Riser House; Songs Of Wild Cat Well Music; Sony/ATV Countryside; Story Farmer; Tacklebox Music Publishing SINGLE OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)] 6 Months Later – Megan Moroney Producers: Kristian Bush Record Company-Label: Sony Music Nashville / Columbia Records Choosin’ Texas – Ella Langley Producers: Ella Langley, Miranda Lambert, Ben West Record Company-Label: SAWGOD / Columbia Records I Never Lie – Zach Top Producers: Carson Chamberlain Record Company-Label: Leo33 Somewhere Over Laredo – Lainey Wilson Producers: Jay Joyce Record Company-Label: BBR Music Group / BMG Nashville / Broken Bow Records The Fall – Cody Johnson Producers: Trent Willmon Record Company-Label: CoJo Music / Warner Records Nashville MUSIC EVENT OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)] A Song To Sing – Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton Producers: Dave Cobb Record Company-Label: Republic Records Amen – Shaboozey & Jelly Roll Producers: Danny Majic, Nevin Sastry, Sean Cook Record Company-Label: Empire Don’t Mind If I Do – Riley Green feat. Ella Langley Producers: Dann Huff, Michael Knox Record Company-Label: Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment Trailblazer – Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson Producers: Tony Brown, Reba McEntire Record Company-Label: MCA You Had To Be There – Megan Moroney & Kenny Chesney Producers: Kristian Bush Record Company-Label: Sony Music Nashville / Columbia RecordsThe post Watch The Emotional Moment Emily Ann Roberts Told Her Family She’s Nominated For Her First (Well-Deserved) ACM Award first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

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