Country Music News – 08/24/2025
Luke Combs Extends Reign With “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” Leading Airplay Charts
Luke Combs has done it again. His single “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma,” a blistering piece of country-rock swagger lifted from the *Twisters* soundtrack, just notched another week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. It’s the kind of dominance that recalls his earliest breakout years—radio programmers locked in, playlists saturated, stadium crowds singing back every word. For Combs, already country’s reigning blue-collar poet of heartache and grit, the feat doubles as proof that his cross-media tie-ins can hold the same weight as his studio staples. Nashville may be flooded with festival-ready newcomers, but Combs’ brand of gruff vulnerability continues to tower above the noise.
Lainey Wilson’s “Hang Tight Honey” Climbs as She Expands Arena Tour
Lainey Wilson’s rise shows no signs of slowing—her single “Hang Tight Honey” surged into the Country Airplay top ten this week while she announced additional dates for her 2025 Wildflowers & Wild Horses arena run. Wilson’s blend of Southern grit and modern polish has made her the rare artist equally at home on the Opry stage and late-night television, and fans are buying in wholesale. The track’s earthy ode to devotion cuts straight to working-class reality, a tone that’s fueling her quick ascension to headliner status. With Wilson taking bigger stages, she’s positioning herself not just as a breakout star, but as one of country’s new fixtures at the top tier.
Nate Smith’s “Bulletproof” Rockets Into Top Five
Nate Smith planted his flag in the upper reaches of Hot Country Songs this week as “Bulletproof” shot into the top five, powered by heavy streaming and consistent radio traction. The track, steeped in scars-and-steel resilience, cements Smith’s reputation as a voice of contemporary resilience—country anthems for anyone clawing through the ashes. It’s a mode resonating deeply with younger fans who see him less as a traditionalist and more as a genre line-blurrer in the Morgan Wallen era. In a summer stacked with power players, Smith’s surge proves there’s still space for fresh voices to carve out their own corner of country’s fast-changing mainstream.