Martina McBride

[Kim]

Martina McBride Moves Out of Her Comfort Zone for New Album

Apr 21st 2011
by Donna Hughes
theboot.com



Rick Diamond, Getty Images


Martina McBride has made several changes in terms of her career over the last few months, including changes in management, record label, and even in the studio where she's recording. These decisions, she has said, were a long-time coming and they've infused her with "a burst of creativity and positive energy." They also came at a time when she really needed them and have given her career a whole new life.

"The people who are around me now on management level and the record company are so positive and passionate and have such great energy for my music and my career, and really encouraged me," Martina tells The Boot. "That kind of belief and confidence in me just really came at a really important time for me. You start doing this and you're in your 18th, 19th year, and you start to wonder, 'Hmmm, what's in the future for me, because it's not going to last forever?' So when you have people really believing in you, you start to go, 'Oh, yeah! I really do have a lot to say, and I want to do it in a way that my fans are going to love, and I'm going to love,' and 'Wow! I have people around me who love it, too. How amazing!'"

The country songstress left RCA Records, after being with them since 1991, having sold more than 15 million albums and scoring 34 Top 40 singles. She's now signed to Republic Nashville, part of the Big Machine Label Group.

Even though Martina and her husband, John, own the popular Blackbird Studios in Nashville, where she has made most of her last several records, she decided to get out of her familiar environment to record her upcoming as-yet-untitled album, due in August.

"The decision to go to Atlanta really came out of a conversation that I had with Scott Borchetta, the head of the label, who said, 'Maybe you should get out of your comfort zone. This is your home. Blackbird, especially, having your own studio, it's so comfortable here,'" Martina notes. "I wear a lot of hats when I'm here, not only to my children, my husband, my record company, I'm always getting pulled in all different directions, and the music really kind of comes second, honestly. I sort of have about three or four hours a day to really focus."

"So, it planted a seed of an idea. I thought, 'I've always said I really wanted to immerse myself totally in being able to make a record,'" the Kansas native continues. "And it's really a luxury for me having three kids, but I sat down and talked with them and I said, 'I'm thinking about doing this. I'll be close enough to get back if there's an emergency and it'll be just for four days [laughs]. It's not going to be for three or four weeks.' They were so supportive. They said, 'Mom, you should go and do it. You should do it. You should really focus on making this record.' So that was a really sweet thing to do, and it really gave me this freedom to go. I got up every day and all I could think about, all I had to think about, is 'what do I want to do today, musically? What do I want to create? What picture do I want to paint today?' It was awesome!"

Martina, who is racing up the country charts with 'Teenage Daughters,' joins Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, The Judds and Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles in being honored by the Academy of Country Music for the 'Girls Night Out: Superstar Women of Country - The Concert of the Year' airing Friday (April 22) at 9:00 PM ET/PT on CBS. She follows the television special with a performance at the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday (April 23).

[Kim]

Martina McBride Vents About ‘Teenage Daughters’ In New Behind-the-Scenes Video

By: Amanda Hensel
tasteofcountry.com

In Martina McBride‘s brand new ‘Teenage Daughters‘ video, we get a behind-the-scenes look at the ‘Wrong baby Wrong’ hitmaker in the recording studio and interacting with her own three daughters.

McBride knows the stresses of raising teenage girls all too well, because she has two. Delaney, 16, and newly 13-year-old Emma were inspirations for the song, which McBride will likely be singing for awhile, because she also has a 5-year-old, Ava.

McBride shows us that among the hustle and bustle of being a country music superstar, she’s still a mother underneath. In this video, we get four minutes of home video-style shooting, which shows the singer hard at work recording songs and touring, but also playing with her girls, laughing, and loving life.

‘Teenage Daughters,’ arguably the singer’s most autobiographical tune to date, has now been made into her most personal video — even if her daughters sometimes send her over the edge and force her to hit the bottle.

Watch the Martina McBride ‘Teenage Daughters’ Video

www.cmt.com/videos/martina-mcbride/645158/teenage-daughters.jhtml

[Kim]

Martina McBride Reveals Her Weakness: Shopping at Target

By: Nashville Kat
tasteofcountry.com


Ethan Miller, Getty Images


The very strong and in control Martina McBride has finally revealed her weakness: Target stores, nationwide. The country star’s restraint disappears completely once she enters the retailer. McBride admits, “I had to go in and get some stuff for a birthday party, and I walked in and as I’m walking in the parking lot, I’m thinking, ‘I am not gonna spend. I am not gonna get distracted.’”

“‘I’m gonna go in, I’m gonna go straight to the party section, I’m gonna get what I need to get, and I’m getting out of here,’” she continues. And I walk out with a cart full … it’s embarrassing, actually.”

The ‘Teenage Daughters’ singer’s one-time Target accomplice was her own teen daughter Delaney, but that might change after their last trip! McBride recalls, “Delaney went with me once, and she’s like, ‘Mom, we have to put some of this stuff back. This is crazy!’”

What her daughter was referring to is her dear mother’s excessive spending and lack of self-control when she steps into the store.

“If there was a way for me to pull two carts through the store, I would do that. I finally just have to always stop myself. I have to go, ‘You have to get out of here.’ I’d be in there for hours,” McBride says.

As previously reported, McBride’s new studio album — featuring the single ‘Teenage Daughters,’ which is cruising up the country charts — will be in stores on August 23. We’d say it’s a safe bet that McBride might pick up a copy or two for herself at Target!

[Mallrat]

OFFSTAGE: Martina McBride, a Dressed-for-It Housewife

06/6/11, 6:30 pm EDT

(CMT Offstage keeps a 24/7 watch on everything that's happening with country music artists behind the scenes and out of the spotlight.)

Sometimes, bad clothes happen to good people. And in the new video for "Teenage Daughters," Martina McBride takes you through all the styles that have come -- and thankfully gone -- with motherhood for decades. Yet she makes the good, bad and ugly all look fabulous. Maybe that's why director Roman White compared her to June Cleaver.

"We all went to Martina's house the night before the shoot and did a fitting from all the clothes from all the eras. We picked some of the most outrageous stuff. Big shoulder pads, jacked up hair," White told me. "She looked great in everything. And she was able to change her demeanor, too. Like in the first era, the 50s, she became very poised and soft spoken and eloquent in her movements. Very glamorous. Like June Cleaver."

I just love that she's wearing pearls and an up do while she's collecting laundry. White said the whole family took part in the video, with most of the teenage roles going to McBride's oldest daughter Delaney. "Poor Delaney," he said. "We'd be shooting and she was supposed to be snotty. Martina would be saying, 'She'd never be like that.'"

You can tell from the video they are all solid actors. Even McBride's husband, John, got into the act. He's in the 60s scene, in what White called a Mike Brady perm wig. My personal favorite is McBride's 80s outfit, when she's wearing what appears to be acid-washed stirrup pants, high-top Reeboks and Stiff Stuff in her hair. I think I wore that exact look to a Pat Benatar concert in 1982.

More than the style evolution, I love this video for the way it shows how having teenage daughters isn't ALL bad. So at the end, when McBride reprises an earlier line, "If were bein' honest, then honestly, I think I need a drink," she may just mean that mothering occasionally calls for a toast.

[Kim]

Martina McBride ‘Hits and More’ Album to Be Released in 2012


Courtesy of Sony Music Nashville


Martina McBride‘s former record label, RCA Records, is giving her fans something extra to look forward to in 2012. On Jan. 17, the label will release an album entitled ‘Hits and More,’ which will feature some of McBride’s career classics, as well as a few bonus tracks.

The 20-song collection will include the singer’s biggest hits, including ‘Independence Day,’ ‘Wild Angels,’ ‘A Broken Wing,’ ‘Valentine,’ ‘Wrong Baby Wrong’ and ‘Anyway,’ among others. In addition to the familiar tunes, the album will also feature three brand-new songs that have never been released: ‘Surrender,’ ‘Straight to the Bone’ and ‘Being Myself.’

McBride and RCA Records parted ways late last year after 18 years of making music together. During that time, McBride released nine studio albums: ‘The Time Has Come’ (1992), ‘The Way That I Am’ (1993), ‘Wild Angels’ (1995), ‘Evolution’ (1997), ‘Emotion’ (1999), ‘Martina’ (2003), ‘Timeless’ (2005), ‘Waking Up Laughing’ (2007) and ‘Shine’ (2009). McBride has sold more than 18 million albums to date, making her one of the highest selling female singers in the country music genre.

This past October, McBride released her latest album, ‘Eleven,’ with new label home Republic Nashville. The album has already produced two singles: ‘Teenage Daughters’ and her current Top 15 hit, ‘I’m Gonna Love You Through It.’

Martina McBride ‘Hits and More’ Track Listing:

1. ‘My Baby Loves Me’
2. ‘Independence Day’
3. ‘Wild Angels’
4. ‘A Broken Wing’
5. ‘Valentine’ (With Jim Brickman)
6. ‘Happy Girl’
7. ‘Whatever You Say’
8. ‘I Love You’
9. “Love’s the Only House”
10. ‘Blessed’
11. ‘Where Would You Be’
12. ‘Concrete Angel’
13. ‘This One’s For the Girls’
14. ‘In My Daughter’s Eyes’
15. ‘Anyway’
16. ‘Ride’
17. ‘Wrong Baby Wrong’
18. ‘Surrender’
19. ‘Straight to the Bone’
20. ‘Being Myself’

[grg_straitfan]

Martina McBride Makes Big Move on Country Chart

Martina McBride claims her best rank in eight years on Country Songs, as "I'm Gonna Love You Through It" gains 65,000 audience impressions and hops 6-4 -- her highest perch on the radio list since "In My Daughter's Eyes" peaked at No. 4 in March 2004.

Although she hasn't topped the chart since "Blessed" spent two weeks at the summit in March 2002, the new song marks the sixth time McBride has competed inside the top five since then. Her overall chart history includes five No. 1 songs, 11 others that peaked inside the top five, and four more that reached the top 10. Label sources tell Billboard that the third radio single from McBride's "Eleven" album will be "Marry Me." Lead track "Teenage Daughters" peaked at No. 17 last spring.

[Kim]

Martina McBride Dishes on ACM Awards Wedding Details


It’s truly one of the sweetest stories, and now Martina McBride is giving the details behind the live wedding that’s going to take place onstage at the ACM Awards while the country songstress and Train frontman Pat Monahan sing a live version of McBride’s single ‘Marry Me.’ The ‘I’m Gonna Love You Through It’ singer says the whole wedding plan was actually her own (admittedly crazy) idea.

“It was an idea that popped in my head out of nowhere after I was invited to sing ‘Marry Me’ on the ACM Awards,” she told The Boot. “My manager called and told me and I thought, ‘Of course, I’d love to sing on the show. Let’s do a live wedding on the show!’ I didn’t say it out loud because I thought it was a really crazy idea, then a couple of days went by and I thought, ‘It is a crazy idea, but it’s worth just throwing it out there.’ [laughs] I think it’s so special.”

As we reported earlier this week, the couple getting the honors of the ACM wedding are Christina Davidson and her fiance Frank Tucci, both of whom lost their spouses tragically in 2009 and had to learn to cope as a young widow and widower. Davidson lost her husband, Paul, in a drowning accident and Tucci’s wife, Danielle, passed away of thyroid cancer the same year. The two grieving single parents met when Davidson organized a support group for young widows and invited Tucci to come along.

“Their story is obviously tragic, but the fact that they’ve found each other, and the fact that both of their spouses died in the same year, and they both had small children … it was inspiring,” says McBride. “There is always hope that comes out of even the worst, most devastating situations.”

As for the wedding, McBride isn’t yet clear on all the details and how everything will go down logistically, but she is set on making sure the couple feel like they’re actually having a wedding and not just taking part of a TV show. Says the country star, “There is a whole TV show going on, but we all have to remember this is their wedding and I want it to feel really special. I don’t want people rushing them on stage and then off. It’s all still to be figured out, though.”

McBride says her rehearsal is this morning (March 31), which should give them some time to figure out exactly how this whole onstage awards show wedding with a live telecast will work. In the end, though, she’s going to leave it up to fate, just like Davidson and Tucci’s romance: ”It’s never been done before,” she admits. “So we’re kind of winging it!”

[Kim]

Martina McBride Embarks on Intimate Theater Tour

By Sarah Wyland
gactv.com



Martina McBride photo by Randee St. Nicholas, courtesy of Republic Nashville.



Martina McBride kicked off her tour of intimate theater performances on Thursday, April 12, in Panama City, Florida. After writing and recording her latest and most personal album to date, Eleven, Martina started thinking of ways to engage more closely with her fans.

“I believe the concert experience is about sharing,” she said. “It’s not just an artist up onstage singing songs for an audience. There has to be a connection for it to work, for both of us. I am so ready to share with my fans and make a memory.”

While Martina has played her fair share of arenas, she’s looking forward to the different atmosphere a theater presents. “In an arena, I always feel like my mission is to keep people up on their feet all night,” she said. “It’s go, go, go! These theater shows are going to be more about making memories with my fans by giving them a special, intimate performance I hope they never forget.”

Each night of the tour, Martina will change up her set to perform fan favorites from her 11 studio albums. She will also share the stories behind the songs on Eleven, including her current single, “Marry Me,” with Train’s Pat Monahan. The initial set of tour dates runs through August 25. More show dates and ticketing information will be announced soon at www.martinamcbride.com.

TOUR DATES:

April 12 Panama City, FL Marina Civic Center
April 13 St. Augustine, FL St. Augustine Amphitheater
April 14 Durham, NC Durham Performing Arts Center
April 28 Ivins, UT Tuacahn Center for the Arts
May 12 Clear Lake, IA Surf Ballroom
May 13 Wabash, IN Honeywell Center
May 17 Austin, TX Austin City Limits Live
May 18 Houston, TX Arena Theatre
June 13 Vienna, VA Wolf Trap Filene Center
June 14 Kettering, OH Fraze Pavilion
June 22 Interlochen, MI Kresge Auditorium
August 24 Wallingford, CT Toyota Presents Oakdale Theatre
August 25 Hyannis, MA Cape Cod Melody Tent
August 26 Cohasset, MA South Shore Music Circus

[Kim]

Martina McBride Plans 'Intimate' Theater Tour


Martina McBride is currently on the road with George Strait, but that won't be the only chance you'll have to see her live in 2012. The Grammy-nominated songstress has revealed that she'll be hitting the road by herself later this year.

"I'm going back out in April for my own tour, a theater tour," she tells Access Atlanta. "I'm excited. I'm looking forward to doing a more intimate show and slowing things down."

Fans who have the opportunity to see Martina with King George may not want to pass up this upcoming trek, since the Kansas native will have the opportunity to change up her set-list. Moving from an arena setting to theaters will allow her to choose different tunes.

"It is hard, and the ballads are the first to go, unfortunately," she says. "But in an arena, you want to keep the pace going. In a smaller venue, you can take your time. But I'm doing some songs from the new album and the classics. It's a mix of what I think people want to hear from the old stuff and the new songs."

Another notable difference will be that with the Texas icon, Martina has been performing in the round. "It's pretty simple, really, which is good," she says. "Being in the round, it's hard to do a whole lot of production, so it just focuses on George when he's on stage and me when I'm up there. You can really focus on the music."

Martina also recognizes that there's one other major component that's contributing to the success of her current tour. "A lot of hits, a lot of songs that people know," she acknowledges. "And longevity. [George and I have] both been at it a long time, and [for fans] it's comfortable and exciting to come and hear that many songs that you know. Even for me, watching his set, I hear all of these songs that take me back to so many places in my life."

[Kim]

Martina McBride Tour: Songstress Shares Inspiration Behind 'Intimate' Venues


Martina McBride is no stranger to big production tours. However, this little lady has decided to bring her big voice to smaller, intimate venues across the U.S., in order to give her fans a difference experience. She kicked off the trek last week (April 12) in Panama City Beach, Fla., but the inspiration came from farther north.

"I've been playing arenas for a long time, actually, and I had the opportunity to play some venues in New England that were about 1,500-2,000 seats and I loved it," Martina tells The Boot. "I went back to my manager and said, 'Can I play smaller venues? Please.' It's so intimate. You can see everybody you can hear everybody. You can pace your show differently."

When you're playing to 10,000 people, or more, that's a lot of people to keep happy at one time. "I'd gotten to the point where I was keeping people on their feet all night, and that wasn't really what it was all about for me anymore," she recalls. "I wanted to be able to play more ballads. I want people to listen and not worry about partying all night. The whole idea behind this show is a little bit slower paced. We're going to do some fun covers, new songs, album cuts and, obviously, hits."

That being said, if the uptempo, party scene is your thing, you might not enjoy this new format. "It will be more of a show ... I hate to say this, because I'm not sure how it will come off ... but real fans," admits Martina. "It's for fans who really know my music, who know the albums that might want to hear some obscure album cut that we'd never be able to play in an arena, because brings the show to a screeching halt. I really want to have the kind of show that if someone yells something out from the audience that isn't on our setlist, that we can play it.

It's going to be real simple and all about the music. I want it to be spontaneous. I'm over the 17 song set list and singing the same thing every night. I want it to be a conversation. The thing about touring, for me, is that it's so immediate. it's about creating a memory and sharing this moment. It's something you can't download or recreate. It's something you can tell someone about, but they can't really experience it unless they were there. It's really this intimate experience that you share with an audience. I want us all to walk out of there and feel like we've shared something."

As for guests, since the songbird's current single, "Marry Me," features Train's Pat Monahan, she has considered having him make an appearance onstage with her. "We've talked about that," she reveals. "They tour a lot. They tour like six nights a week. I don't know if that's going to happen much, but I have a plan for the presentation of 'Marry Me.' It's going to be special."

[Kim]

Martina McBride to Perform National Anthem at Indianapolis 500



Gentleman, start your engines! Martina McBride is scheduled to sing the "Star-Spangled Banner" during the pre-race ceremonies for the 96th annual Indianapolis 500 race on May 27. The highly anticipated event takes place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"I am extremely excited that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has invited me to this year's Indy 500," Martina says. "It is a huge honor to sing the national anthem at what is known as the 'Greatest Spectacle in Racing.'"

The crowd will be quite the switch up from the songstress' current tour, which is taking place in venues that hold less than 2,000 people on average.

"I'd gotten to the point where I was keeping people on their feet all night, and that wasn't really what it was all about for me anymore," she tells The Boot. "I wanted to be able to play more ballads. I want people to listen and not worry about partying all night. The whole idea behind this show is a little bit slower paced. We're going to do some fun covers, new songs, album cuts and, obviously, hits."

Martina and her stripped down show will be in Mahnomen, Minn., tonight (May 11) and Clear Lake, Iowa, tomorrow (May 12).

[Kim]

Martina McBride Credits St. Jude for Eye-Opening Experience


Martina McBride has always been a goodwill ambassador in the country music world, but the ‘Marry Me’ singer admits a recent visit to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. reinforced her commitment to helping others through charitable efforts.

“It was amazing,” McBride recounts (quote via Big Machine Records). “We got to visit the labs where they do the research right there on-site, and we got to talk to a couple of the scientists who are — you know — so excited with the research that they’re doing and the things they’re finding and sharing with the world.”

Above all else, McBride is most humbled by the level of hospitality the facility demonstrates toward the young patients and their families. “They were saying with the food, for example, sometimes it’s hard to get the kids to eat when they’re having treatment because they don’t have an appetite, so they’re like, ‘If they want a chocolate milkshake at three in the morning, we’re all about it,” she spills. “If grandma’s meatloaf is their favorite food, we call grandma and get the recipe and make it just like that.’”

When the superstar mother-of-three isn’t focused on her charitable efforts, McBride is on the road promoting her latest album ‘Eleven,’ which features the Top 5 hit, ‘I’m Gonna Love You Through It,’ as well as the singer’s current single, ‘Marry Me,’ with Train frontman Pat Monahan. Click here for tour dates and ticket information.

[Kim]

Martina McBride Says ‘Marry Me’ Makes Her Nostalgic About Her Wedding Day


Before last month’s ACM Awards, Martina McBride was asked to provide a photo from her wedding for a feature in People. The singer and Train‘s Pat Monahan sang a duet of ‘Marry Me’ at the April 1 red carpet event, during which a couple married live on stage. McBride says there would be a lot of do-overs if she were to plan to do her own wedding — 200-guest, spring ceremony — again.

“I was pretty easy going,” McBride says when asked if she was anything close to a Bridezilla. “I had the bridesmaids carry candles down the aisle… it was tacky. I’m telling you, my wedding, when I look back at it, it was fine for the day but looking back — I mean they carried little hurricane lanterns that were surrounded by fake flowers, and I don’t know. I would do things a lot differently now.”

Her three daughters giggle when they see the now 24-year-old photos. The singer joked with Taste of Country about her hair on her wedding day, but truth be told, it’s her husband John’s mullet that really catches one’s attention. “The thing was, that was before they even called it a mullet,” she says. “That was just a hairstyle. It didn’t have a name, it was so in the day.”

While it’s only been a single for six weeks, ‘Marry Me’ is already becoming a favorite choice for a wedding song among betrothed country music couples. McBride anticipates more and more fans wanting to propose, or perhaps even wed, during her current tour of theaters and smaller venues. “It’s an honor,” she says.

As for her tour, the nearly two-hour show features an expanded set list, including album cuts that many fans have never heard live before (part of the reason the singer begged to play smaller venues). When asked how much of her catalog she could sing unrehearsed, McBride admits that she’s no Marilu Henner when it comes to memory.

“I think I could do a lot of them, but there are a few that for some reason I kind of block out. There’s a song called ‘There You Are.’ Somebody asked me to sing it about a year ago, and I completely blew it,” she admits. “I didn’t even know how the song started. And I don’t know why that happens.”

‘Marry Me’ has become a favorite of hers to sing live, as it’s much simpler and softer than some of her more bombastic hits. Monahan is included in the stage show, although McBride wouldn’t say how exactly. While she hopes to perform with him again soon, Train’s touring schedule makes it very difficult.

As her daughters get older — Delaney is 17 with a serious boyfriend — McBride anticipates having conversations with each one about their weddings. She’ll encourage them to wait a little longer than she did, because a person changes so much between ages 20 and 28.

“I got really lucky and picked a great partner and a great person,” she says. “We have just grown closer over the years.”

John and Martina McBride are thinking about renewing their wedding vows for their 25th anniversary on May 15, 2013. She’s been keeping an eye on current trends and fashions for the event — things will definitely look different this time around.

“It was the ’80s … so mauve was a big color,” she says of the first go-round. “I would not choose that again.”

As for the Nashville couple’s wedding song? It was ”Til There Was You’ by the Beatles, and they rode away on horse and carriage. How romantic.

[grg_straitfan]

Martina McBride Concert review
Martina McBride concert review. Grandforks, ND. February/16/2013

Martina McBride took the stage full of energy wearing high heels, leather pants, black top, and a sparkly cardigan. Martina started the show off with "When God fearin women get true blues" the crowd was really into it. Was loving all the classic, fast songs. From there she moved on to "Wild Angels, My baby loves me just the way that I am, What you gonna do, Teenage Daughters" taking the beat down a notch or two she sang "I'm gonna love you through it" & "Do it anyway". Next came "Rose Garden". And here she paused a bit and was talking about doing cover songs. Don't quote me on this, but she said something along the lines if "We call them cover songs, but really they are just songs we wished we had recorded first!" And with that she sang "The first cut is the deepest/Free falling, King of the road (Trailer for sale or rent)". After that it was "Love's the only house, This one's for the girls, Whatever you say" ~What I really loved about "Whatever you say" was that almost at the end of the song the band stopped, and Martina belted out at the top of her longs ♫Oh I know you can hear me
But I'm not sure you're listening♫, and then the band started again. ~ after that it was "Broken wing, Independence Day". With "Independence Day" the crowd was standing and singing along with every word! ~If I ever get the chance to see her again, I will definitely go for it!

Martina sang a total of 16 songs!