Country duo Sugarland played last night at the kickoff event for the Democratic National Convention in Denver. The high profile gig was not attended by Senators Barack Obama or Joe Biden.

"This is the first time that a political convention of any sort has been surrounded with the awareness of environmental issues," Nettles told The AP before playing. "So that feels like it's on the cutting edge."

"Regardless of what political affiliation you want to align yourself with, this is an issue," added Bush. "It's real, no matter which side you decide to attack it from."

The duo was cautious say whether either was affiliated with the Democrats. Political commentary became the catalyst to the backlash against the Dixie Chicks in 2003 when the lead singer publically spoke out against President Bush and the Iraq War.

Labels: Sugarland

Sugarland founder Kristen Hall has filed suit seeking more than $1.5 million from current members of the group, Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, who now have the nation's No. 1 selling album.

Hall created the name "Sugarland" and founded the band in 2002. After Bush and Nettles came aboard later that year, the trio entered into an agreement in which they were supposed to equally share profits and losses, the suit says.

But after Hall left the band in late 2005 to pursue her own career, she was excluded from her share of the partnership's profits, says the lawsuit.

The suit, filed July 29 in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, seeks more than $1.5 million in profits from the partnership, along with interest, attorneys fees and "a formal accounting of all partnership affairs and businesses."

By excluding Hall from the Sugarland partnership and failing to pay her share of the income and profits, Nettles and Bush "have acted in bad faith, have been stubbornly litigious and have caused [Hall] unnecessary trouble and expense," the lawsuit says.

Labels: Sugarland

Sugarland band members Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush can celebrate -- and relax. Their new album Love On the Inside sold 314,000 copies in its first week on shelves.

This is the Mercury Nashville act's best sales week and highest-charting album. The band's previous high came when its last album, Enjoy the Ride, debuted and peaked at No. 4 with 211,000. It's also the best sales week for any country act since Eagles' Long Road out of Eden shifted 359,000 in its second week of release last fall.

Sugarland has another reason to celebrate -- Love on the Inside is its first No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart. Its first two sets, Twice the Speed of Life and Enjoy the Ride, peaked at Nos. 3 and 2, respectively.

The debut single from Inside, "All I Want To Do," is also in a tight race with Keith Urban's "You Look Good In My Shirt" for the #1 spot on next week's Hot Country Singles chart.

Labels: Sugarland

Willy Wonka did it, so why not Mercury's Sugarland? When the releases their third album, Love on the Inside, on July 22, some fans may get more than bargained for. Five lucky winners who purchase the Deluxe Fan Edition will receive a platinum ticket inside the album announcing their status as a winner of the platinum ticket instant win game.

The five will receive a trip to Nashville for two including airfare and two nights stay accommodations. They will also receive 2 tickets to attend the 2008 CMA Awards, a "meet and greet" with Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, an intimate Sugarland performance, and a fan pack of select Sugarland merchandise.

The Deluxe Fan Edition will include 17 tracks (12 regular and 5 bonus) in special packaging with an expanded CD booklet, as well as access to download exclusive music video and "behind the scenes making of the album" footage.

"Love On The Inside Regular Edition" will consist of 12 songs and a regular CD booklet and hits stores a week later on July 29.

Labels: Sugarland

Some great new songs have been released to digital music retailers this week... download them now!

"Life In A Northern Town" [Live] - Sugarland, Little Big Town and Jake Owen

"All I Want To Do" - Sugarland

"Come On Over" - Jessica Simpson

"You Look Good In My Shirt" - Keith Urban

"Don't You Know You're Beautiful" - Kellie Pickler

Labels: Jake Owen, Keith Urban, Kellie Pickler, Little Big Town, Sugarland

After Country On-Demand reported first that there will be a Deluxe Fan Edition of Sugarland's new album Love On the Inside, we now have more details about the upcoming release.

Mercury Nashville today announced the album will include 17 tracks (12 regular and 5 bonus) in special packaging with an expanded CD booklet, as well as access to download exclusive music video and "behind the scenes making of the album" footage.

Here's the tracklisting:

Labels: Sugarland

Sugarland's new album, Love On The Inside will have two special editions available along with the traditional CD when it is released in July, however those fan editions will be available earlier than the regular release.

According to our sources, Sugarland's Love On The Inside Deluxe Fan Edition and 2 LP Deluxe Fan Edition will be available on July 22nd. The regular release will be available a week later, July 29th. The Deluxe Editions will be very limited edition, so be sure to get ahold of them quick! At left you can see the cover of the standard release. The deluxe edition cover, if different, will be forthcoming. Below we have some new photos from the album's photo shoot, taken by Kate Powers.

The new album features songs such as their current single "All I Want To Do", "Operation Working Vacation", and a song co-written with Bill Anderson. Bill notes in his online journal that the song is titled "Joey (I'm So Sorry)". The Deluxe editions will include five extra tracks, one of those being the version of "Life In A Northern Town" with Jake Owen and Little Big Town. More track details will be posted in the coming weeks. Also keep in mind, these details are always subject to change.

Their current single, "All I Want To Do" is available at radio now. The video for the single can be downloaded from iTunes here.

You can pre-order the standard edition of Sugarland's Love On The Inside now from Amazon.com.

Labels: Sugarland

Mercury Nashville's super duo Sugarland will release their third studio album entitled, Love On The Inside, July 22. Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush co-wrote all 13 tracks and have teamed up with Byron Gallimore again to produce.

Country On-Demand originally report this news last week.

Sugarland will premiere the album's debut single "All I Want To Do" live on the Academy of Country Music awards (ACM) which will air on CBS at 8/7C on May 18. The new single will ship digitally to radio across the country immediately following their performance, which promises to be a showstopper.

The world premiere of the music video for "All I Want To Do", which was shot in Hawaii and directed by Shaun Silva ("Stay"), will be featured on Yahoo! Music after their live ACM performance. The single will be available on iTunes Tues., May 20.

The video's first television broadcast appearance will debut on CMT and CMT.com, as well as GAC on Monday, May 19th

"We've been playing some of the new songs during our live shows," says lead singer Nettles. "The fans have been so responsive. We couldn't wait to get the whole album to them. I am more excited about this album than any other that I've recorded thus far," continued Nettles. "It is special to us and has a lot of emotion, heart, laughter, tears and love on the inside!"

"Love On The Inside is just that, it is a recording full of love," Bush says. "It's in the strings and wood of the instruments, in the vocal chords, in the hearts that beat behind them and in the words that flood out through them into microphones. Our hope is that new Sugarland fans and old ones alike will hear this album and feel like the soundtrack to their life is magically playing in front of them."

This third release is the follow up to their two previous, multi-platinum selling records Enjoy The Ride and Twice The Speed Of Life.

Labels: Sugarland

After enjoying the ride of their biggest year yet, Sugarland has just wrapped up recording their third album. Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush realize that, while past the "sophomore slump" fears, impressing their fans for a third time can be tricky. But Bush says they're confident the fans will love this new one just as much, even though it has a bit of a different sound.

"I would say that we've definitely crested into a brave new world," Bush said.. "I'm in awe of this record. I'm just shocked. I keep listening to it going, 'I can't believe it's us.'"

Bush says that he and Nettles drew on their musical influences, from Juice Newton to Rod Stewart to R.E.M., to create the new record. "It's pretty diverse," he says. "It's a beautiful record, and it's fun."

Sugarland's new album is expected in September. There's no word yet on its title. The band has been playing three of the new tracks in their live shows and is expected to debut the first single at the Academy of Country Music Awards in May.

Sugarland's two albums are both multi-platinum. Their last hit was "Stay" from Enjoy the Ride.

Labels: Sugarland

The Academy of Country Music today announced that country music superstars Rodney Atkins, Dolly Parton, Sugarland, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood will perform as part of the 43rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. The show, hosted by Reba McEntire, airs Sunday, May 18th, 2008 at 8:00 PM EST on CBS.

Last year's Top New Male Vocalist winner, Rodney Atkins is nominated for six awards including Top Male Vocalist. He is also nominated for Song of the Year and Video of the Year for "Watching You" and Album of the Year for If You're Going Through Hell. In addition, Atkins received nominations for writing "Watching You" and for producing the accompanying album.

The legendary Dolly Parton will also hit the stage at this year's show. Throughout her illustrious career, Parton has been nominated for 40 Academy of Country Music Awards and has won 8. She is currently celebrating the release of her latest album, Backwoods Barbie, Parton's first mainstream country album in 17 years.

Platinum-selling duo and former Top New Vocal Duo winner Sugarland is nominated in four categories including Top Vocal Duo, as well as Single Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Video of the Year for the #1 single "Stay." Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush both received nominations for producing the track and video, and Nettles for writing the single. The duo releases a third album in September and will debut a new single in May.

This year Taylor Swift received three nominations, which include both Top Female Vocalist and Top New Female Vocalist. She also received an Album of the Year nomination for her self-titled album Taylor Swift. Swift is currently on tour in support of that album.

Carrie Underwood is nominated for Top Female Vocalist. Last year, she took home this honor as well as Album of the Year for Some Hearts and Video of the Year for "Before He Cheats." Underwood has recently announced plans to extend her sold out Carnival Ride tour through June 2008.

The 43rd Academy of Country Music Awards will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sun., May 18, 2008 at 8:00 PM live ETon the CBS Television Network.

Labels: Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Rodney Atkins, Sugarland, Taylor Swift

CMT announces a star-studded line-up of performers for the 2008 CMT MUSIC AWARDS including chart-toppers Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Sugarland, Taylor Swift
and Toby Keith, with other performances soon to be announced.

Country music's biggest stars will rock Nashville's Curb Event Center at Belmont University when the 2008 CMT MUSIC AWARDS premieres LIVE on Monday, April 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET on CMT and CMT.com.

CMT's seventh annual awards show honors country music's elite for the year's most outstanding music videos and performances and continues to be the genre's only fan-voted awards. Tickets to the 2008 CMT MUSIC AWARDS at The Curb Event Center at Belmont University in Nashville go on sale Saturday, February 23 at 10 a.m., CT and are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 615-255-9600, online at CMT.com and ticketmaster.com. Belmont University students will be eligible for a ticket discount, and additional information can be found online at CMT.com.

Fan voting for the 2008 CMT MUSIC AWARDS is currently underway and continues through February 25, only at CMT.com, where fans will select the top nominees in each of the categories. On Thursday, March 6, CMT will announce the four finalists in each of the thirteen 2008 CMT MUSIC AWARDS categories, except VIDEO OF THE YEAR. Fans can then vote online at CMT.com through Friday, April 11 to determine the winners. The final nominees for VIDEO OF THE YEAR will be announced at the beginning of the live show, and fans can vote at CMT.com throughout the live broadcast (ET/CT only) to determine the night's big winner.

Labels: Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, CMT, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Toby Keith

CMA Duo of the Year Sugarland will be heading abroad according to singer Jennifer Nettles. This will be the first international trip for the duo. The short tour will head to Europe and Australia.

"We're gonna go across the old pond, as it may be, and try to visit some other folks that love country music in the world," Nettles said. "We're gonna come back [to the U.S.] and do every fair and festival on the planet, so there are lots of plans to be enjoyed and fulfilled."

The duo is expected to release a new studio album this year.

Their latest single "Stay" is at #2 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart this week and was deemed the most-streamed video of 2007 on CMT.com

Labels: Sugarland

A year removed from the release of its smash album, "Enjoy the Ride," Sugarland is nearly ready to begin recording its follow-up. The set is due sometime next year via Mercury Nashville.

"We're planning on recording in February, and if all goes well we'll see what we make," singer/guitarist Kristian Bush says. "As writers, you kind of let the songs dictate where you're going... but, rarely does the touring artist get a real chance to sit down and write.

Roughly 20 new songs are in the mix, including "Fall Into Me" and "Take Me As I Am," which are receiving stage time during the band's first headlining jaunt.

You can read more at Billboard.com

Labels: Sugarland

Country band Sugarland was the surprise hit at the American Music Awards when Beyonce joined them in a surprise bluegrass performance Sunday night.

Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles said the idea came about from the duo's publicist because they perform the song in their act.

Nettles said backstage that she was nervous going note-for-note with Beyonce. "We were face to face, and there were a couple times when she was looking at me and I was blushing because I thought I was going to turn to stone in her beauty. She is so talented and so grounded."

Nettles' musical partner Kristian Bush, who was on stage and witnessed it all, stated, "I was the luckiest man."

American Music Award Country Winners:

Favorite Male Artist
Tim McGraw

Favorite Female Artist
Carrie Underwood

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
Rascal Flatts

Favorite Album
Carrie Underwood/"Some Hearts"

T-MOBILE AWARD TEXT-IN AWARD
Carrie Underwood

Labels: Sugarland

CMA nominated Sugarland will re-release their platinum album Enjoy The Ride at Wal-Mart stores across the nation this fall. The release will contain an EP of holiday tracks recorded special for the project, as reported by On-Demand in late August.

The set is expected in stores November 6. More information is expected shortly.

Sugarland is currently touring the nation with Little Big Town as part of the CMT on Tour 2007: Sugarland Change for a Change tour. Their current single, "Stay," is climbing the charts at radio and CMT.

Labels: Little Big Town, Sugarland

The CMA has added more of country's hottest to its lineup of performers for the 41st Annual Country Music Association Awards show.

Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, Josh Turner, Brooks & Dunn, and Sugarland will perform at the show, which airs live on November 7 at 8/7C on ABC.

Reigning CMA "Female Vocalist of the Year", Underwood is up for the trophy again this year. Her sophomore album Carnival Ride comes to stores October 23. Underwood's "Before He Cheats" is up for "Single", "Song", and "Music Video Of the Year". The song comes from the songstress' six-time platinum album Some Hearts.

Paisley and Turner are both nominees for "Male Vocalist of the Year", with Paisley also up for "Entertainer of the Year", "Single of the Year" for "Ticks", and "Music Video of the Year" for "Online".

Brooks & Dunn will be challenged by Sugarland for "Duo of the Year". That's quite a challenge; Brooks & Dunn have won "Duo" every year since 1992, except for 2000 when Montgomery Gentry took the trophy home.

Labels: Brad Paisley, Brooks and Dunn, Carrie Underwood, Country Music Association, Josh Turner, Montgomery Gentry, Sugarland