Comment all you want on Elizabeth Nichols’ posts… she’s gonna read every last one of them. The country singer and songwriter recently sat down with us on Whiskey Riff Raff, and she’s one of the many young artists who have rose to fame in the social media age of music discovery. She initially went viral thanks to her clever country song “I Got A New One,” and she’s rode that wave all the way to her first ever headlining tour. Much of our conversation with Elizabeth Nichols revolved around her love for country music, and more specifically, Toby Keith. She’s doing what she can to bring funny, storytelling songs back to the genre, and Nichols credits her songwriting abilities with studying accounting and law in college. She actually dropped out of law school to focus on her music career, and she vividly remembers the very moment her songs started taking off: “Going viral, I remember especially at first when I’d get like 10,000 views on a video, I’d be like, ‘This is so cool.’ I couldn’t get off my phone. I’d just be on my phone refreshing and reading comments and reading comments. Thank God, I think you get used to that, because it’s definitely not healthy. There was a long period of time where that’s how I was.” And to be clear, Nichols still enjoys diving into the comment section of her post. We asked if the “Little Birds” singer still took time to look at the discourse going on below her videos and pictures, and she answered that question with a resounding yes. The way Nichols sees it… the fact that people are feeling anything – one way or the other – is an honor for her as an artist: “I see them all. I love it. I think it is such an honor that people have an opinion about something that I made. Whether that is, ‘I love it’ or ‘I hate it, and I hate you,’ it’s like… well thank you. It is evoking emotion and that is such an honor for me. I love conversations. I wanted to be a lawyer. I love disagreeing. We can disagree all day. You can hate my music. It’s okay.”  Nichols does all she can to make sure that everyone one of her fans, and her haters, are heard. The rising country artist told us that she takes time out of her day to go through filtered out TikTok comments and make them visible to the masses once more. Nichols also said that if you dive into the collection of comments, you’ll probably see someone out there fighting the trolls on behalf of her: “TikTok filters your comment section, and you have to go through and accept comments that are really hateful. I literally go through all of my videos and I hand accept all of the comments. Because I’m like, ‘This is freedom of speech. We have freedom of speech on my page. Y’all can dislike this.’ I never really do (clap back). My brother, sometimes I’ll see my brother – if you ever see John Nichols in the comments section, that’s my little brother coming to fight, coming to fight for me.” @whiskeyriff @Elizabeth Nichols #whiskeyriff #whiskeyriffraff ♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff While other artists out there are growing weary of the social media aspect of being an artist (and understandably so), Elizabeth Nichols is embracing it… and then some. You can hear about all of that and more (like a Talladega Nights star being in her band, or Dog The Bounty Hunter coming to her house for Easter) by checking out the interview on YouTube or making sure to download the podcast on Apple Podcasts by searching “Whiskey Riff Raff” or by clicking here. We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts. Cheers, y’all. Audio Video The post Rising Country Star Elizabeth Nichols Says She Manually Approves Hateful Comments On Her Posts: “Freedom Of Speech” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

He has a whole new set of 3rd grade fans now. A third-grade class at Carmel Elementary in Maine has been listening to Luke Combs to help them focus during their writing time, and their teacher, Molly Dalton, shared a video of them singing along to “Days Like These,” which caught Luke’s attention: @1234abcdxyz8 Writing becomes so much better when you play @Luke Combs music! #lukecombs #teacher @Luke Combs HQ ♬ original sound – Molly It’s just adorable… And according to WABI 5, her love for his music started after she saw him in concert with her sisters: “I have three sisters, and those three are really loving Luke Combs. So, when he came to Bangor a few years ago, they got tickets, and I was feeling a little left out. So, I got tickets as well. And from there, we just started loving him.” She started playing his music for students as a way to help them focus when doing their writing assignments, and they’ve all become big fans: “During our writing, sometimes having music in the background helps them focus and getting their jobs done. And just having Luke Combs, it’s definitely a favorite among them. So, building that classroom community as well with having a mutual love for country music and Luke Combs especially has really made them enjoy learning, too, I hope.” And Luke wanted to send them a gift as a way to say thank you, and encourage them to keep working hard. He sent them a record player and a signed vinyl of his most recent album, The Way I Am. Dalton shared another precious video of them singing “Days Like These” with the new record spinning. It’s just too cute: @1234abcdxyz8 Replying to @KurtOzan251 @Luke Combs we can’t thank you enough!! My 3rd graders admire you! You have made some fans for life! #lukecombs #countrymusic #teachersoftiktok @Luke Combs HQ @NICOLE COMBS ♬ original sound – Molly The students talked about how much they’ve enjoyed getting into his music, and one of them in particular had a hilarious take. He says his “mind was blown” at how good Luke’s song and video for “Back in the Saddle,” which “After they played ‘Back in the Saddle’ on the TV, it blew my mind of how good it was. We have a Siri at home, so I’m like, wow, I want to play this song at home and get better at it.” The kid’s got taste… Dalton says she was shocked to see Luke reaching out, but now, her students were actually sad to get out of for the summer because they couldn’t listen to the record with her anymore. Sounds like they all need their own record player to take home… “I couldn’t believe it when I first saw the message directly from Luke in my TikTok, and he asked me to reach out to his team. So when I did, I still was a little hesitant, but then we received a package from him directly. We received a signed record of his most recent album as well as a record player so we can listen to it in our classroom.” Luke is one of the good ones, and surely this sweet gesture made these students year, and hopefully, they’ll all be country music fans for life… they’ll definitely be Luke Combs fans for life. You can check out more about the story here: The post Luke Combs Gifts Record Player To Class Of 3rd Grade Students Who Listen To His Music During Writing Time first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Quite a few surprises here. There’s no denying that country music has gotten bigger than ever before in the past decade. Spearheaded commercially by the likes of Morgan Wallen, Zach Bryan, Luke Combs and more, we’ve seen a plethora of records broken by country artists recently. Whether it’s Wallen setting numerous records from most songs charted on the Billboard Hot 100 in a single week to becoming the third-highest-selling artist in U.S. history, Bryan scoring the most-attended concert in U.S. history with his show at Michigan University last September or artists such as Megan Moroney, Ella Langley, Shaboozey and more breaking into the pop scene, it’s quite easy to argue that the genre is the most popular it’s ever been. After experiencing years of irrelevance, generally speaking, from an all-genre chart perspective, the 2020s have already proven to be one of the best decades in history for country music. In fact, there have already been more songs to go #1 on both the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Country Songs chart over the last five years than the 80s-2010s combined. Diving deeper into the discrepancies from the 2020s compared to the 90s and 2000s/2010s in particular, there were only two songs, Lonestar’s “Amazed” and Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” (which can hardly be considered a country song), that topped both charts. In comparison, 2023 and 2024 alone saw eight unique country songs top them. Of course, there are a few songs present here that can hardly be considered country, with both Swift’s aforementioned hit as well as Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” being the most contestable. With that being said, however, there’s a fascinating mix overall. From all-time classics such as Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5,” Glen Campbell’s “Rhinestone Cowboy” and Marty Robbins’ “El Paso” to new smashes like Zach Bryan’s “I Remember Everything” and Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” to one-hit wonders like Oliver Anthony with “Rich Men North of Richmond,” there are quite a few surprises on this list. Taylor Swift’s new song from Toy Story 5, “I Knew It, You Knew It” has her back on at the top of the country charts, as well as the all-genre Billboard Hot 100… marking her as the newest entry to this exclusive list. Here’s all 32 #1 hits, from most recent to oldest. 1. “I Knew It, You Knew It” – Taylor Swift Release Date: June 5, 2026 Hot Country Songs: 1 week Hot 100: 1 week 2. “Choosin’ Texas” – Ella Langley Release Date: October 7, 2025 Hot Country Songs: 28 weeks Hot 100: 10 weeks 3. “What I Want” (feat. Tate McRae) – Morgan Wallen Release Date: May 16, 2025 Hot Country Songs: 20 weeks Hot 100: 1 week 4. “Love Somebody” – Morgan Wallen Release Date: October 18, 2024 Hot Country Songs: 1 week Hot 100: 1 week 5. “A Bar Song (Tipsy) – Shaboozey Release Date: April 12, 2024 Hot Country Songs: 45 weeks Hot 100: 19 weeks 6. “I Had Some Help” (feat. Morgan Wallen) – Post Malone Release Date: May 10, 2024 Hot Country Songs: 7 weeks Hot 100: 6 weeks 7. “Texas Hold ‘Em” – Beyoncé Release Date: February 11, 2024 Hot Country Songs: 10 weeks Hot 100: 2 weeks 8. “I Remember Everything” (feat. Kacey Musgraves) – Zach Bryan Release Date: August 25, 2023 Hot Country Songs: 20 weeks Hot 100: 1 week 9. “Rich Men North of Richmond” – Oliver Anthony Release Date: August 8, 2023 Hot Country Songs: 2 weeks Hot 100: 2 weeks 10. “Try That in a Small Town” – Jason Aldean Release Date: May 22, 2023 Hot Country Songs: 2 weeks Hot 100: 1 week 11. “Last Night” – Morgan Wallen Release Date: January 31, 2023 Hot Country Songs: 25 weeks Hot 100: 16 weeks 12. “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” – Taylor Swift Release Date: November 12, 2021 Hot Country Songs: 1 week Hot 100: 1 week 13. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” – Taylor Swift Release Date: August 13, 2012 Hot Country Songs: 10 weeks Hot 100: 3 weeks 14. “Amazed” – Lonestar Release Date: March 22, 1999 Hot Country Songs: 8 weeks Hot 100: 2 weeks 15. “Island in the Stream” – Kenny Rogers with Dolly Parton Release Date: August 15, 1983 Hot Country Songs: 2 weeks Hot 100: 2 weeks 16. “I Love a Rainy Night” – Eddie Rabbitt Release Date: November 10, 1980 Hot Country Songs: 1 week Hot 100: 2 weeks 17. “9 to 5” – Dolly Parton Release Date: November 3, 1980 Hot Country Songs: 1 week Hot 100: 2 weeks 18. “Lady” – Kenny Rogers Release Date: September 29, 1980 Hot Country Songs: 1 week Hot 100: 6 weeks 19. “Southern Nights” – Glen Campbell Release Date: January 17, 1977 Hot Country Songs: 2 weeks Hot 100: 1 week 20. “Convoy” – C.W. McCall Release Date: November 1975 Hot Country Songs: 6 weeks Hot 100: 1 week 21. “I’m Sorry” – John Denver Release Date: July 1975 Hot Country Songs: 1 week Hot 100: 1 week 22. “Rhinestone Cowboy” – Glen Campbell Release Date: May 26, 1975 Hot Country Songs: 3 weeks Hot 100: 2 weeks 23. “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” – John Denver Release Date: March 1975 Hot Country Songs: 1 week Hot 100: 1 week 24. “Before the Next Teardrops Falls” – Freddy Fender Release Date: January 1975 Hot Country Songs: 2 weeks Hot 100: 2 weeks 25. “(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song” – B.J. Thomas Release Date: January 1975 Hot Country Songs: 1 week Hot 100: 1 week 26. “I Can Help” – Billy Swan Release Date: July 1974 Hot Country Songs: 2 weeks Hot 100: 2 weeks 27. “The Most Beautiful Girl” – Charlie Rich Release Date: August 29, 1973 Hot Country Songs: 3 weeks Hot 100: 2 weeks 28. “Harper Valley P.T.A” – Jeannie C. Riley Release Date: August 1968 Hot Country Songs: 3 weeks Hot 100: 1 week 29. “Honey” – Bobby Goldsboro Release Date: February 17, 1968 Hot Country Songs: 3 weeks Hot 100: 5 weeks 30. “Big Bad John” – Jimmy Dean Release Date: September 1961 Hot Country Songs: 3 weeks Hot 100: 5 weeks 31. “El Paso” – Marty Robbins Release Date: October 26, 1959 Hot Country Songs: 7 weeks Hot 100: 2 weeks 32. “The Battle of New Orleans” – Johnny Horton Release Date: April 6, 1959 Hot Country Songs: 10 weeks Hot 100: 6 weeksThe post Only 32 Country Songs Have Ever Gone #1 All-Genre, Here’s The Full List first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

He’s got a lot going on. As first reported by TMZ, Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, filed for divorce from his wife Bunnie Xo, whose real name is Alisa DeFord, back on May 18 in Williamson County Chancery Court, just outside of Nashville. News broke earlier this week, and it’s made headlines and become a national news story at this point. They were married for nearly ten years, and while neither of the two have publicly addressed the separation, though TMZ reported that it was a “mutual decision” and a “private family matter.” Whiskey Riff obtained a copy of the divorce complaint that was filed by the “Save Me” singer, which reveals that the couple separated on May 9, a week and a half before the request for a divorce was filed. He cites “irreconcilable differences” as the grounds for the divorce, which in Tennessee is a no-fault grounds for divorce that means that the parties agree on the terms of the separation. Jelly Roll has hired Rose Palermo, a high-profile divorce attorney to the stars who has represented other celebrities like Kelsea Ballerini, Kristin Cavallari, Conway Twitty, Wynona Judd, and many, many more. For her part, Bunnie is represented by Neil Campbell of Campbell Perky Johnson, PLLC, a Nashville-based divorce firm. The couple were married back in 2016 before renewing their vows in 2023, and have been incredibly transparent about their relationship, including their struggles along the way. In an interview just a couple months ago with E! News, Bunnie explained that they were in a “beautiful place,” but things weren’t always sunshine and rainbows between them: “I want people to know, ‘Hey, it took a lot of work, guts and grit to get to where we are, Everything’s beautiful now, but it wasn’t in the beginning. Just us being together was just two souls that were merging that were broken and just formed a whole piece. And we helped each other heal, and we have continued to elevate and grow in these past 10 years. I couldn’t be happier. That dude’s my best friend.” Obviously, something changed, and their daughter, Bailee, has also spoken out, posting a story on her TikTok addressing the situation. The 18-year old Bailee made clear that the family plans to stay quiet on the situation – at least for now: “I am disgusted at how invested everyone is in a very clearly private family matter. It’s fkn crazy. Go on somewhere yall. Worry bout your house – not mine. I’m not speaking on it – yet.” It’s especially sad for her, and divorce is incredibly difficult and I’m sure they’re all going through it right now. And as this news has come out, Jelly has been on the road opening for Post Malone, which kicked off in Charlotte, North Carolina last week. Jelly actually made an unexpected visit to the hospital ahead of the show, explaining in a video on Instagram that he got treated at Novant Medical Center for a really bad sinus infection: “So I went to Novant Health last night in Charlotte, North Carolina. Shoutout to that whole hospital. They literally got me on my feet for the show.” He says he was in bad shape before that, and they gave him steroids to help him feel better, but it was the first night he didn’t go sing “Losers” with Posty because he just couldn’t rally after his opening set: “I was puffy-faced. It was just bad. It was the first night, as long as I’ve been touring with Post, that I didn’t get to come out and sing Losers with him because I just barely got through my show.” Post sent him flowers as a “feel better soon” gesture: “When I say on stage every night that Post Malone is the nicest human in the world, I’m not making that up. I love you, Post.” It’s never fun to get sick, and considering how much he’s got going on in his personal life, it sounds like he could use a break, though I don’t think that’s gonna happen anytime soon considering he’s not only on tour with Post Malone but has his own headlining tour this summer too. View this post on Instagram Big A** Stadium Tour Part Two Tour Dates Tue Jun 09 – Charlotte, NC – Bank of America Stadium Fri Jun 12 – Indianapolis, IN – Lucas Oil Stadium Tue Jun 16 – Toronto, ON – Rogers Stadium Sat Jun 20 – Wildwood, NJ – Barefoot Country Music Festival* Mon Jun 22 – East Hartford, CT – Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field Thu Jun 25 – Cleveland, OH – Huntington Bank Field Sat Jun 27 – Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest* Tue Jun 30 – Nashville, TN – Nissan Stadium^ Sat Jul 11 – Fayetteville, AR – Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Wed Jul 15 – Kansas City, MO – Kauffman Stadium Fri Jul 17 – Ames, IA – Jack Trice Stadium Tue Jul 21 – Missoula, MT – Washington-Grizzly Stadium Fri Jul 24 – Edmonton, AB – Commonwealth Stadium Tue Jul 28 – Salt Lake City, UT – Rice-Eccles Stadium *Festival appearance ^ Without Jelly RollThe post Jelly Roll Had To Go To The Hospital Ahead Of Opening Night Of Post Malone’s Stadium Tour first appeared on Whiskey Riff.