People
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Country singer Darius Rucker was surprised this week with the news that his song “Wagon Wheel” was certified eight times platinum, making it one of the top five most popular country singles ever.
On Wednesday, Rucker stopped by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to see his items in an exhibit, but his label, Universal Music Group Nashville, surprised him with a plaque featuring eight platinum-colored records. After repeating the word “Wow!” over and over, Rucker muttered to himself, “That can't be true,” as he inspected the plaque in his hands.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America, “Wagon Wheel” now joins other multiplatinum hits among country music's biggest songs in RIAA's 60-year history, including Taylor Swift's “Love Story,” Lady Antebellum's “Need You Now,” Florida Georgia Line's “Cruise,” and Lil Nas X's “Old Town Road.”
“It's amazing to me because I came here to make country music, and I didn't expect success and I didn't expect to be on the radio,” said Rucker, who had already had a highly successful rock career as lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish.
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NEW YORK — Justin Bieber admits getting back in the studio to record his first album in five years wasn't easy.“I was dealing with a lot of fear,” the singer told Zane Lowe in an interview with Apple Music released on Thursday. “Just was afraid of, at that point, just even the process; what am I going to talk about again, is it gonna be received. I'm starting to compare with other artists.”Bieber releases his first album of new music since 2015 on Friday with “Changes,” the follow-up to his Grammy-winning, multiplatinum album “Purpose.” Bieber has talked about several challenges in the past few years, including dealing with depression, recovering from past drug use, and contracting Lyme disease.
