OFFSTAGE: LeAnn Rimes, Billy Gilman Connect
(CMT Offstage keeps a 24/7 watch on everything that's happening with country music artists behind the scenes and out of the spotlight.)
Even though LeAnn Rimes is still on her honeymoon, she's up to something musical, I think. Remember Billy Gilman, the 12-year-old boy behind 2000's country hit, "One Voice," about asking God for help down here on earth? This morning, he tweeted Rimes, saying, "hey idk if ur following me but I got an idea that I need to run by you. Follow me so I can DM u." And she replied back ten minutes later saying, "done friend." So now they can direct message each other about whatever his idea is. Maybe he's looking for a duet partner? I do think he's working on an album, because a note on his website has a loquacious but heartfelt apology to fans who wanted to see him at CMA Music Festival. "The harsh reality is that advancing a career in the music industry requires a colossal amount of pressure, painstaking work, and a tedious process that involves legal counsel and the like to absolutely ensure this is being done the correct way in the best interest of my higher career goals -- which I'm currently in the midst of. The unfortunate end-game is a hugely irreconcilable scheduling conflict that all-but-physically confines me for the month of June," he writes. Hopefully he can pencil Rimes in, though, because those two voices could sound great together.