2026 in country music

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This is a list of notable events in country music that will take place in 2026.

Events

• January 13 – "Tennessee Whiskey" by Chris Stapleton becomes the first country song in history to be double diamond certified by the Recording Industry Association of America. ^[1]
• January 14 – Sarah Trahern, CEO of the Country Music Association announces that she will retire at the end of 2026 after twelve years in the role. ^[2]
• January 16 – Suzy Bogguss is inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry by Reba McEntire, who was also celebrating her 40th anniversary as an Opry member that night. Bogguss was invited on October 11, 2025 by Kathy Mattea, Terri Clark, and Trisha Yearwood. ^[3]
• January 17 – Blake Shelton scores his 30th number one single on the Billboard Country Airplay chart with "Stay Country or Die Tryin'", placing him second to Kenny Chesney's 33 for the most number one singles on that chart since its inception in 1990. ^[4]
• January 24 – Paul Brandt makes a post on X using lyrics from his 2005 single "Alberta Bound" that leads to a controversy, with some viewing it as an endorsement of the Alberta separatism movement ^[5]
• April 24–26 – The 2026 edition of Stagecoach Festival takes place at Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, featuring headline performances from Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson, and Post Malone. ^[6]

Top hits of the year

The following songs placed within the Top 20 on the Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay, or Canada Country charts in 2026:

See also: List of Billboard number-one country songs of 2026

Singles released by American and Australian artists

Songs	Airplay	Canada	Single	Artist	References
3	4	16	"20 Cigarettes"	Morgan Wallen	[7]
8	2	1	"6 Months Later"	Megan Moroney	[8]
25	7	17	"Ain't a Bad Life"	Thomas Rhett featuring Jordan Davis	[9]
8	5	6	"Amen"	Shaboozey and Jelly Roll	[10]
16	25	51	"Beautiful Things"	Megan Moroney	[8]
7	10	3	"Better Me for You (Brown Eyes)"	Max McNown	[11]
18	24	52	"Brunette"	Tucker Wetmore	[12]
1	2	1	"Choosin' Texas"	Ella Langley	[13]
15	11	21	"Days Like These"	Luke Combs	[14]
20	15	44	"Ends of the Earth"	Ty Myers	[15]
11	13	38	"The Fall"	Cody Johnson	[16]
14	1	4	"Favorite Country Song"	Hardy	[17]
10	9	36	"House Again"	Hudson Westbrook	[18]
13	3	25	"How Far Does a Goodbye Go"	Jason Aldean	[19]
3	14	32	"I Ain't Comin' Back"	Morgan Wallen and Post Malone	[7]
31	16	44	"I Dare You"	Rascal Flatts and Jonas Brothers	[20]
20	3	31	"It Won't Be Long"	George Birge	[21]
—	23	18	"Making Good Time"	Old Dominion	[22]
—	20	54	"Me & a Beer"	Chris Janson	[23]
2	—	—	"Plastic Cigarette"	Zach Bryan	[24]
7	—	—	"Say Why"	Zach Bryan	[24]
4	26	40	"Sleepless in a Hotel Room"	Luke Combs	[14]
30	17	38	"A Song to Sing"	Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton	[25]
22	1	8	"Stay Country or Die Tryin'"	Blake Shelton	[26]
27	8	28	"Time's Ticking"	Justin Moore	[27]
2	40	—	"Travelin' Soldier"	Cody Johnson	[16]
31	19	35	"Turn This Truck Around"	Jordan Davis	[28]
29	12	34	"What He'll Never Have"	Dylan Scott	[29]

Singles released by Canadian artists

Songs	Airplay	Canada	Single	Artist	References
—	—	10	"Drink Around"	Dean Brody	[30]
—	18	10	"Golden Child"	Meghan Patrick	[31]
—	36	1	"Hate How You Look"	Josh Ross	[32]
—	—	11	"I'm Leavin' You"	High Valley	[33]
—	—	18	"Shooting Star"	Sacha and Restless Road	[34]
—	—	2	"Somebody I Know"	James Barker Band	[35]
—	—	10	"Taillight This Town"	Owen Riegling	[36]

Top new album releases

See also: List of Top Country Albums number ones of 2026

See also: List of UK Country Albums Chart number ones of 2026

US	Album	Artist	Record label	Release date	Reference
1	With Heaven on Top	Zach Bryan	Belting Bronco/Warner	January 9	[37]

Upcoming

Album	Artist	Record label	Release date	Reference
Cloud 9	Megan Moroney	Sony/Columbia	February 20	[38]
Steel Town	Morgan Evans	Solrise	March 20	[39]
The Way I Am	Luke Combs	Columbia Nashville
Heavy On The Soul	Ty Myers	RECORDS	March 27	[40]
Dandelion	Ella Langley	Columbia Nashville	April 10	[41]
Songs About Us	Jason Aldean	Broken Bow	April 24	[42]

Deaths

• January 6 - Jim McBride, 78, American songwriter ("Chattahoochee") ^[43]
• January 19 - Billy Parker, 88, American country music singer and DJ. ^[44]

References

1. Leimkuehler, Matthew (13 January 2026). "How Chris Stapleton's 'Tennessee Whiskey' Became A Record-Breaking Hit". Forbes .
2. Sharpe, Josh (14 January 2026). "Country Music Association CEO Sarah Trahern to Retire at the End of 2026". BroadwayWorld .
3. Reiher, Andrea (18 December 2025). "Reba McEntire to Induct '90s Country Icon Into the Grand Ole Opry". Parade .
4. Penuell, Russ (January 9, 2026). "Blake Shelton Marks Milestone 30th Country Airplay Chart Leader". Billboard. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
5. Hunt, Stephen (January 25, 2026). "Singer Paul Brandt teases support for Alberta separatist movement". CTV News Calgary. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
6. "Stagecoach Festival 2026 Lineup Announced: Post Malone, Lainey Wilson, and More". Pitchfork . 25 September 2025.
7. "Morgan Wallen - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
8. "Megan Moroney - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
9. "Thomas Rhett - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
10. "Shaboozey - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
11. "Max McNown - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
12. "Tucker Wetmore - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
13. "Ella Langley - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
14. "Luke Combs - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
15. "Ty Myers - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
16. "Cody Johnson - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
17. "HARDY - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
18. "Hudson Westbrook - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
19. "Jason Aldean - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
20. "Rascal Flatts - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
21. "George Birge - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
22. "Old Dominion - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
23. "Chris Janson - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
24. "Zach Bryan - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
25. "Miranda Lambert - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
26. "Blake Shelton - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
27. "Justin Moore - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
28. "Jordan Davis - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
29. "Dylan Scott - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
30. • "Drink Around": "Canada Country: Week of January 31, 2026". Billboard Canada. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
31. • "Golden Child": "Canada Country chart for March 8, 2025". Billboard Canada. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
    • "Golden Child" (US): "Billboard Country Update" (PDF). Billboard . January 30, 2026. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
32. • "Hate How You Look": "Canada Country: Week of December 13, 2025". Billboard Canada. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
    • "Hate How You Look" (US): "Billboard Country Update" (PDF). Billboard . January 30, 2026. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
33. • "I'm Leavin' You": "Canada Country: Week of January 21, 2026". Billboard Canada. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
34. • "Shooting Star": "Canada Country: Week of January 3, 2026". Billboard Canada. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
35. • "Somebody I Know": "Canada Country: Week of January 24, 2026". Billboard Canada. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
36. • "Tailight This Town": "Canada Country: Week of January 10, 2026". Billboard Canada. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
37. Paul, Larisha (2026-01-09). "Zach Bryan's New Album, 'With Heaven on Top,' Is Here". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
38. "Megan Moroney Steps Into Her Most Confident Era Yet With New Album, 'Cloud 9'". Country Now. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
39. McNamara, Lauren (October 10, 2025). "Morgan Evans Announces New Album, Shares Single". Rolling Stone Australia. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
40. Daykin, James (January 14, 2026). "Road to C2C 2026: Ty Myers Announces new sophomore album 'Heavy On The Soul'". Entertainment Focus.
41. "Ella Langley Announces Sophomore Album, 'Dandelion', Reflects On the Hearts and Stories Behind the Songs". Country Now. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
42. Black, Lauren Jo (November 7, 2025). "Jason Aldean Reveals 20-Track Songs About Us Album Featuring Wife Brittany, Luke Bryan, & More". Country Now. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
43. Javon Williams (January 7, 2026). "Alabama Music Hall of Famer, Huntsville native Jim McBride, dies at 78". WAFF. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
44. Legendary KVOO DJ Billy Parker dies at the age of 88