Emily Yahr
@EmilyYahr
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Entertainment reporter @washingtonpost
Joined November 2008
Fate works in mysterious ways, and for me, fate made sure I was in LA when #Scandoval broke and sent "Vanderpump Rules" mainstream. Last night, I went to Schwartz & Sandy's to investigate the scene and contemplate life and reality TV and what it all means.
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As Luke Combs's hit cover of Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" dominates the country charts, it’s bringing up some complicated emotions in fans & singers who know that Chapman, as a queer Black woman, would have an almost zero chance at that achievement herself:
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I really liked @nprmonkeysee's metaphor (at a @conniebritton Q&A yesterday) about how pop culture fits into the world, so I transcribed it:
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The story of the Chicks exists in two universes: In one, they are a cautionary tale. In the other, they are outspoken heroes. They are also a lot more than just one moment. I talked to Natalie, Emily & Martie as they release their first album in 14 years:
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Conan O'Brien's last late-night episode airs tomorrow, so here are 30 anecdotes from his writers, staff & best celebrity guests on their favorite Conan memory. And yes it includes his international twin, Finland president Tarja Halonen! How could it not?
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A recent study from @data_jada and @jadiehm shows that fewer than 0.5 percent of songs played on country radio in 2022 were by women of color and LGBTQ+ artists, and were largely excluded from radio playlists for most of the two decades prior.
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"Jeopardy!" producers were. not thrilled that someone leaked "pirated" footage of the show's dramatic ending over the weekend. EP Harry Friedman says they think they know the culprit and that the show will take “very, very, very appropriate” action.
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The headline is excellent but something about seeing this byline/dateline in print is really sending me
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When #DWTS started this season, @mrBobbyBones had last-place odds. Now, he's in the finals. As my country music and reality TV worlds continue to collide (!), here's a look at how he made it this far:
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Talked to @TheTayMack about her unforgettable "Big Brother" win last year, life after the show and the support system among Black reality TV stars who make history:
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Carrie Underwood says that even she has trouble finding demos: “Songwriters aren’t writing for women. Why would they?” After all, songwriters need to pay the bills, and the reality is that “dude songs” are far more likely to become hits in country music. #CRS2020.
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@data_jada @jadiehm Extremely grateful for everyone who took the time to talk to me for this story, including @RissiPalmer, @_love_holly_, @literallytanner, @forked_queer, @tchapmanonline and Francesca Royster.
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Nostalgic TV re-watch podcasts are thriving, and I talked to @zachbraff and @donald_faison about what makes the "Scrubs" podcast ("Fake Doctors, Real Friends") work so well 20 years after the show debuted:
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T-Swift goes DEEP talking about the origins of "1989." Even a year after its release, some fascinating stuff:
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In an era where it seems like we can all agree on very little, it seems like we can (and should!) all agree that reading a celebrity's "personal life" entry on Wikipedia is one of the best parts of the Internet:
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On 10-yr anniversary of "Tim McGraw" release, talked to Liz Rose about what it was like writing with @taylorswift13:
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The relationship between country music and alcohol has always fascinated me: how Nashville celebrates it, how it's embedded in the concert culture, how artists feel pressure to sing about it. I'm so glad I got to spend so much time on this story:
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The Sacramento country radio station that canceled @lindsayell's show today says it was a "bad decision":
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"Humble and Kind" just won best country song at the #GRAMMYs -- here's why it was the hit song we needed in 2016:
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I happened to visit "The Kelly Clarkson Show" on a day of mild chaos (fire alarm, botched song lyrics, a brief choking incident, etc.) and her good-humored reaction to it all reinforced that Kelly Clarkson is *very* well-suited to host a daytime talk show:
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Miranda Lambert's last No. 1 song on country radio was in 2014. Until this year, when she was featured on Jason Aldean's "Drowns the Whiskey.". Asked about this, Miranda was candid: “Yes, I had to sing with someone with a penis to get a No. 1.".
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An image that I’ll always remember from these times: Ben Affleck, Ana de Armas and Dunkin’ iced coffee
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Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is winding down in the U.S., and a small but elite group has remained triumphant: The fans who still can't get tickets, but landed jobs at the stadiums so they could watch the shows. @JMaham and I talked to some of the lucky few:
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Honestly the wildest part of reporting this @taylorswift13 story was that she replied to my question about the origin of her CD booklet clues from her Nashville days! And her response invoked @thechicks "Fly" album which obviously I greatly appreciated:
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As #HowIMetYourMother nears the end, I talked to @JoshRadnor about why viewers connected so deeply with the show: http://t.co/pGmLfwtW8S.
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Ten years ago, Kanye West grabbed the mic from Taylor Swift at the VMAs, and in a surprising number of ways, nothing has ever really been the same. Reporting this story took me so many places I did not expect!
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Is that not only three women in a row on the country radio charts, but in the Top 10?? Definitely the first time I've seen that in years, if ever.
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Jimmy Kimmel was already in tears when his monologue started tonight
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Truly surprised this is still a story eight years after the fact
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One person I talked to today in Nashville said "It kind of feels like a day of reckoning" as hundreds of radio stations dropped Morgan Wallen as he faced shockingly swift consequences (in the country music world, anyway) for using a racial slur:
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Last month I went to Nashville to interview Garth Brooks for a Kennedy Center Honors profile. Where do I even begin?? First of all, his play-by-play of what went through his mind at Biden’s inauguration as he hugged all the former presidents is. amazing.
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Talked to a lot of people in Nashville this week who were genuinely stunned that Jason Aldean's PR firm dropped him, and about why the normally whispered, behind-the-scenes divides in country music are spilling out in public more than ever.
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I have been thinking about this idea for awhile, and it really crystallized with the success of @MaddieandTae’s “Die From a Broken Heart,” which just went No. 1 last week. Can we finally end the myth that country music fans don’t like ballads by women?
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I covered the first Eras Tour U.S. show in Phoenix and the last U.S. show (for now!) in LA, and it's very clear that everything Taylor Swift started building from her days in Nashville has all been leading to this:
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Spent two days on set with Conan O'Brien, now the longest-reigning late-night host on TV. Learned quite a bit!
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Even after a huge Grammy sweep, Kacey Musgraves can't get a hit on country radio — last week, "Rainbow" fell off the Billboard and Mediabase charts, peaking at No. 33.
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Karen Fairchild imploring country radio to support women and then reading the names of 35 acts was a pretty amazing moment — especially because that list is just scratching the surface of talented female singer-songwriters in Nashville.
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Why do these country singers seem embarrassed about their new songs?
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On the @Tennessean red carpet show, Jennifer Nettles explained her wardrobe choice: “When I found out that the CMAs were going to be celebrating women this year…I thought, what a fantastic opportunity to take the conversation beyond the applause tonight.”
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Two of the most important songs of the year are from the same artist: Country singer Mickey Guyton, who is having a breakout moment after nearly a decade in Nashville.
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I had way too much fun writing this. and also fell down a rabbit hole of early 2010s US Weekly covers, which I highly recommend.
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In one week, three generations of country singers challenged the genre’s conservative stereotypes
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Keith Urban says Nicole Kidman is here in the audience and everyone cheers. Then he announces that Blake Shelton is here and everyone FREAKS OUT.
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This is a story about how Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard represent a very specific time and place in culture, but it’s also a story of a 20-year friendship. Read the article that one Washington Post commenter said “was like a cup of coffee for my soul��� !!
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So honored to get this award! And also very grateful to work with the inimitable @Chris__Richards, who assigned me a review of WMZQ Fest back in 2010, which made me realize how much I wanted to start covering country music 🎵
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How a radio executive describes people who are upset that his country station hired David Mueller, the DJ found guilty of groping Taylor Swift: "Most of them need to get a life."
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@AmyJBrittain What an excellent excuse if you get pulled over for endangering the road! "Um, I have my own way of getting around the city.".
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On his show, @mrBobbyBones calls this "a microcosm of what's happening to females in country music":
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Meet Maren Morris, the winner for best country solo performance for her debut hit "My Church":
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So @WilliamShatner has been live-tweeting TV shows on @CW_network. We asked him why, and his response is delightful: http://t.co/UV4QF6wy6N.
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"Oprah best displayed her interviewing chops by relentlessly circling back to emotional or news-making comments like a heat-seeking missile." @Sulliview on Oprah, at the top of her game last night as the best celebrity interviewer of all time:
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Also, extremely excited I got to talk to @djgoor about the truly iconic "I Want It That Way" cold open from "Brooklyn Nine-Nine."
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Had a v interesting conversation with @JimmieAllen about his career & history-making single: “Hopefully a few years from now…a black guy comes into country music, it’s not ‘the first black guy to do this.’ It’s just ‘Cool, you’re another country artist.'"
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I know not everyone is a fan of Carrie Underwood's "Southbound," but I found her #ACMawards performance a refreshing departure from her songs that usually revolve around “love” or “vengeance” or “murder":
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Wrote about a side of country music fans don't usually see: The battle over which artist gets to record which song.
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Reporting live from the opening night of Taylor Swift’s #TSErasTour in Glendale Arizona, where at least 100 people are in line to take a photo with this sign! Here’s what to know about the tour that broke Ticketmaster:
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Talked to @IanHolljes of @DeltaRae about leaving Big Machine; the wild success of their Kickstarter; and despite the fact that the timing was entirely coincidental, how the band became an unexpected beneficiary of the Taylor Swift-Scooter Braun situation.
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Why stations are pulling Little Big Town’s ‘Girl Crush’ from the airwaves -- and what that says about country radio: http://t.co/M2aTZx9Ffs.
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They said on the red carpet their next single is "Babe," the song featuring (and co-written by) Taylor Swift
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Months ago, the wonderful @bethoniebutler asked if I wanted to collaborate with her on an in-depth story about what reality TV owes Black women. It was an amazing idea and I’m so excited that this project publishes today:
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The latest twist in Taylor Swift's #ErasTour: It has transcended stadium venues, where thousands of fans who can't get tickets cram into parking lots & nearby streets to experience the show. Even if they can't see her, they're certainly going to hear her.
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As "I Want It That Way" turns 20 tomorrow, I have a theory: If you walk up to someone and sing "You are. " they will be very confused for a second, but then inevitably reply "my fire." EVERYONE knows this song!!
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Obsessed with this earnest comment from a mom who watched "The Bachelorette" this season with her 17-year-old daughter.
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Fun fact: For the last 9 years (!), the #CMTAwards Video of the Year prize has only gone to either Carrie Underwood or Taylor Swift.
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‘The Bachelor’ casts Rachel Lindsay as the franchise’s first black star
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Thank you to ALL of the recent "Jeopardy!" contestants who very graciously opened up about what it was like to lose to James Holzhauer. (They all assured me he's not a robot, though I'm not quite sure I believe it.)
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My favorite part of country award shows is seeing all the musicians in the audience legitimately freak out when a veteran country star shows up and just kills it like Ricky Skaggs is doing right now. #CMAs.
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Andy Samberg’s Emmy monologue was actually hilarious: Here are some of the best jokes http://t.co/VKFWh7XKfO
http://t.co/LMhehfKcDI.
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Every time you say "radio tour" in Nashville, people have a LOT of thoughts. So I knew I wanted to write about it.
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Went to MetLife (Taylor's Version) to further investigate the pairing that has taken over the internet, and the most shocking thing was that the Jumbotron did NOT feature the Swift suite. until I remembered she was actively rooting against the home team.
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Little Big Town won best country duo/group performance tonight at the #Grammys for "Better Man" -- here's how they revealed that Taylor Swift wrote the song. (Because at first it was a secret.)
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In the last week, I've received an unusual amount of feedback from Nashville people about this story. A little bit surprised considering how many times this topic has been covered. But this, in particular, seemed to hit a nerve.
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“I personally, choose not live scared, especially of something that I can’t really control,” Chase Rice wrote on Facebook in March. Now, he’s seeing lots of backlash (including from other country singers) for playing a concert in front of hundreds:
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As the @BlackOpry Revue tour stops in DC next week, I talked to creator @_love_holly_ and singer @JettFueledMusic for a preview of the show and the story behind the community that launched less than a year ago and is already so important to so many artists
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Really perfect headline for Taylor Swift on the front of Style today
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Gun control is about as taboo of an issue as you can get in country music. I went to Nashville to ask about it.
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Another fun fact: His marketing team did NOT want to use this image on his career-making album, basically saying, “You can’t wear a hat because you have hair and you can’t wear sunglasses because you have pretty eyes.”
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How to explain this story?? Basically: I saw the NFL's TikTok post a thirst trap of Joe Burrow. I couldn't stop talking about it. And it turned into a reporting adventure involving science, economics, America's obsession with quarterbacks and so much more:
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Okay just noticed that "Girl, You Don't Need Makeup" got an Emmy nomination. So deserved. http://t.co/UmmxR8GILF.
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Spending so much time on country music social media means I've seen a lot of comments the past year from people who say they no longer want to listen to certain singers, or are wondering if they want to listen at all. I followed up with some of them here:
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Being on Taylor Swift watch and eclipse watch is VERY EXHAUSTING.
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Wrote about @walkerhayes's long Nashville journey, and how singing songs about his struggles is boosting his success
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E! officially announces that an 8-episode untitled docu-series featuring "Jenner living his life as a transgender woman" will debut July 26.
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Kelly Clarkson, when urging country singers NOT to choose Blake Shelton's team on "The Voice," always mentions her Nashville connections. And they can really pay off! I talked to @officialchevel and @jakehootmusic about the aftermath of winning the show:
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This story was inspired by @nprmonkeysee's amazing metaphor in January. Six months later, it is still quite timely.
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Pretty sure the most valuable lesson of this Brad Paisley special is that someone needs to cast Kimberly Williams-Paisley in a comedy ASAP (see: the last minute or so of this bit)
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I lost track of how many people sent me the link to the Taylor Swift reporter job yesterday, and it was fun to talk to @mimi_montgom about what a full-time job covering Taylor Swift (basically covering an entire economy) might look like:
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Talked to many people about what happened in country music over the last week — and about how you won't find the full story unless you go beyond the carefully-crafted corporate statements and look at Instagram comments, the iTunes charts, and so much more:
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Okay here is the FULL transcript of Maren Morris’s responses on the lack of representation for women in country music, which was a pretty amazing thing to see discussed on national television:
“I try to use my platform and just call on my sisters and give them the opportunities I was given by others.” -@MarenMorris #WomensDayTODAY
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"President Obama does not care about Postpartum Taylor Swift Disorder" "I'm pretty sure that's why the Democrats lost the Senate" #CMAawards.
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So THAT happened. Here's a recap of the #HIMYMFinale, likely to be one of the most divisive TV episodes ever: http://t.co/kOsFJtSHC8.
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Blake Shelton will be at the White House for the Obama's final state dinner tonight -- with Gwen Stefani, of course:
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I wrote about Charley Pride and country music's year in the pandemic, which has involved a lot of fear, anger and frustration playing out publicly and behind the scenes:
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Fake enemies/real life best friends Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have one last 'Colbert Report' interview: http://t.co/xuYzv4us20.
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