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10 Jan 2023

‘Life’s So Fun’: Muna Announces Dates for Spring North American Tour

Life’s so fun, life’s so fun … because Muna is hitting the road! The indie pop trio backed by Phoebe Bridgers has announced plans to tour North America this spring, sharing a list of 15 concert dates Tuesday (Jan. 10) on social media.

Titled after the catchiest line of Muna’s breakthrough single “Silk Chiffon,” the Life’s So Fun Tour kicks off midway through April at Seattle’s Showbox Sodo, and will see bandmates Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin and Naomi McPherson making stops in San Francisco, Austin, Atlanta, Boston, New York City and more through May. On the 14th of that month, they’ll play one show in Toronto, Canada, before making their way through Chicago, Denver and St. Paul, Minn.

As it stands, the tour will conclude June 16 when Muna performs at Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tenn. The group’s appearance was announced along with the rest of the festival’s lineup on Tuesday as well, with Muna slated to play on the same day as Kendrick Lamar, Baby Keem, Rina Sawayama and more.

The Nova Twins will open for Muna on all of the non-festival tour dates. Presale begins at 10 a.m. local time Wednesday (Jan. 11), and the general on-sale begins at the same time on Friday (Jan. 13).

“Back at it again except this time, two of us are 30,” joked the band in an Instagram announcement for the tour. “The implications of this cannot be understated. support from the great @novatwinsmusic.”

The tour news comes after a run of sold-out shows Muna performed in the U.K. In addition to the Life’s So Fun Tour, the group also has plans to open for a few shows in Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour this year — as does Bridgers, who founded the label Muna is signed to, Saddest Factory Records.

See the full list of dates for Muna’s Life’s So Fun Tour below:

10 Jan 2023

Cindy Mabe Named Chairman/CEO of Universal Music Group Nashville

One day after Universal Music Group Nashville (UMGN) announced chairman/CEO Mike Dungan’s retirement in March, the company has officially named the label’s current president, Cindy Mabe, as his successor, effective April 1. 

Mabe was named president of UMGN in 2014. With her ascension, she becomes the first woman to serve as chairman/CEO of a Nashville-based major-label group. 

“We’re thrilled to have Cindy step into this role,” said Universal Music Group chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge in a statement. “She is a transformational executive, who has a distinguished track record of designing and implementing innovative strategies to help build artists’ careers and bring their music to fans around the world. Cindy’s credibility in the artist community and her deep experience will help us deliver countless additional artists’ successes going forward.”

Mabe joined UMGN in 2012 as senior vp of marketing, leading marketing initiatives across Capitol Records Nashville, EMI Records Nashville, MCA Nashville and Mercury Nashville — UMG’s expanded suite of country labels following its acquisition of EMI. Prior to that, Mabe spent five years at Capitol Records Nashville as senior vp of marketing. 

Mabe said in a statement, “For the past 15 years, Mike Dungan has been my mentor and partner. He has built one of the most enduring and impactful legacies in country music history. He’s also been my friend. I’m grateful for the chance he took on me and so very proud of what we have built together over those 15 years with our staff and the most enviable roster in music.   

“To now be in a position, as Mike’s successor, to advance the musical and cultural impact of Universal Music Group Nashville into the future is truly a humbling honor. Country music has been my life’s passion. It’s my childhood and my future. It’s the heartbeat that speaks truth to all walks of life in the best and worst of times. It’s truly a gift to get to honor, protect and build the next era of country music history with UMGN … I want to thank Sir Lucian Grainge for his belief in me, his brilliant leadership and for building this incredible culture that puts artists and music first.”

Mabe is known as a fierce advocate for artists. As Keith Urban said of Mabe when she was named Billboard’s Country Power Players executive of the year in 2019: “Cindy is the quiet oracle. She has her antenna tuned in to things I often can’t see at the time, but she proves time and time again to be spot on.”

In addition to Urban, UMGN is home to such artists as George Strait, Chris Stapleton, Little Big Town, Carrie Underwood, Jon Pardi and Dierks Bentley. UMGN finished 2022 at No. 1 on Billboard‘s year-end Top Country Labels chart.

A North Carolina native, Mabe attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and graduated from Belmont University in Nashville with a B.S. in business administration. She began her music career as promotions coordinator at RCA Nashville, before shifting to sales and then artist marketing and development, during which time she worked with artists including Clint Black, Martina McBride and Alabama. She later served as senior director of marketing and artist development at Arista Records Nashville from 1999-2007, working with the likes of Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, Underwood, Brooks & Dunn and Diamond Rio before joining Capitol Records Nashville in 2007.

10 Jan 2023

Logic Teases New Album Featuring RZA, Norah Jones & More in ‘College Park’ Trailer: Watch

Logic is gearing up to make a splash in 2023 with a little help from his friends. On Monday (Jan. 9), the “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind” rapper shared an animated teaser for new album College Park, using a short to reveal that a host of musicians will lend their talents to his next set.

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The animated video features Logic at the beginnings of his rap career in 2011, with several notable moments including a shocking one where his friend is held at gunpoint by a robber, and his first big show. “I just wanna thank y’all for coming out tonight. I’m so excited to see where this journey takes us. I’m always gonna do this s–t from my heart. Imma do it for my fans,” the rapper says in audio from a live show. “This s–t is a f—ing dream come true.”

Logic shared the list of artists who will be included in his next album, including RZA, Norah Jones, Lucy Rose, C Dot Castro, Andy Hull, Big Lenbo, Fat Trel, Phil Ade, Redman, Seth MacFarlane, Statik Selektah, Joey Bada$$, Jordan Harris, Lil Keke and Bun B. The rapper also confirmed on his Instagram Stories Monday, “Yes, Seth MacFarlane is singing.”

Fans also get treated to new material throughout the trailer. One snippet features Logic rapping, “When I grip the mic it’s like I’m looking through the face god/ I can’t even begin to understand why I’m so high.” By the second half of the teaserk the rapper goes acoustic and sings, “Now I’m here/ Light years away from where I was/ Thought I had to be a certain way/ Thought I had to act a certain way/ It took a light year.”

Logic’s College Park project is set to arrive on Feb. 24. It follows the June 2022 release of Vinyl Days, which peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard 200.

Watch the teaser for College Park above.

10 Jan 2023

Kenneth Petty, Nicki Minaj’s Husband, Tries To Get Off NY’s Sex Offender Registry, Fails Miserably

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Kenneth Petty Fails To Get Name Off NY Sex Offender Registry

Source: Robert Kamau / Getty / Kenneth Petty

Nicki Minaj’s husband, Kenneth Petty, will still be on New York’s sex offender registry.

Spotted on The Daily News, Kenneth Petty tried and failed miserably to get off New York’s sex offender registry, according to documents from the Brooklyn Federal Court.

Minaj’s husband was convicted of attempted rape in 1995 by a then 16-year-old Jennifer Hough. In a Brooklyn Federal Court lawsuit, he tried to argue that he never got the opportunity to contest his status as a medium-risk sex offender.

Per The Daily News:

Petty, 47, his lawyer, Alan Gerson, contended that he was never notified about a 2004 hearing to challenge that status and that someone forged his signature on a document about the proceeding. Plus, he claimed he couldn’t have possibly been told about the hearing because he was in state prison.
There was one big problem, though — a court transcript showed that Petty was not only present at the hearing he said he didn’t know about but that he also didn’t object to being listed as a level 2 sex offender.

Petty asked Judge Eric Komitee to withdraw the lawsuit after the state Attorney General’s office came with receipts in the form of court transcripts in a court filing.

“We’re not going to contest it,” Petty’s attorney Jennifer Michaelson said during the December 14, 2004 hearing in Queens Supreme Court. “I have spoken to the defendant, and I’ve explained to him what’s happening here, and he is satisfied with the Level 2.”

So much for that excuse.

Kenneth Petty Was Allegedly Confused

Gerson told The Daily News that he expects the case to be withdrawn “in the next week or two.”

Israel Dov, a paralegal at Gerson’s firm, claims Petty was probably “confused” about whether he was there or not at the hearing and what exactly it was about.

“We were just going according to his statement, what he’s telling us, that he wasn’t present,” Dov said. “He still says that he wasn’t there, and maybe someone is putting this together just to get him. I don’t think that he purposely lied to us. I just believe maybe he forgot.”

Right.

Before announcing they got married, Nicki Minaj spoke about her baby daddy’s rape conviction and defended him, saying, “He was 15, she was 16 … in a relationship. But go awf Internet.”

In an exclusive interview with The Real in 2021, Petty’s victim, Hough, shared the painful details of the rape, where he shoved an object into her and took her to a nearby house where the sexual assault took place.

Last year Petty was sentenced to three years probation for failing to register as a sex offender when the couple relocated to California.

—

Photo: Robert Kamau / Getty

10 Jan 2023

Allen Iverson Partners With Authentic Brands Group To Grow His Reach In Entertainment

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Allen Iverson x Authentic Brands

Source: Authentic Brands Group / Reebok

Authentic Brands Group (Authentic), a global brand owner, development and entertainment platform, today (Jan. 10) announced that it has partnered with Allen Iverson to further develop his brand.

The basketball legend is looking to advance his reach globally. Authentic Brands Group will focus on growing Iverson’s entertainment business, securing new endorsements and strategic partnerships, as well as consumer products that are as electrifying and original as the man himself. Early in his career, Iverson’s outspoken nature and winning mentality earned him the nickname “The Answer,” which became the foundation for his longstanding relationship with Reebok.

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Through Reebok, which it acquired in February 2022, Authentic has an inherent link to Iverson who is in the 26th year of his lifetime partnership with the brand.

“Authentic and I share a commitment to being number one and accepting nothing less,” said Iverson via a press statement. “Our shared values and their relentless drive to disrupt the branding industry make Authentic the ideal partner to take my brand to the next level.” Marc Rosen, President at Authentic, shared his enthusiasm via a formal statement. “Allen is a Hall of Famer and one of the most recognizable basketball players of all time,” he said. “A trailblazer both on and off the court, Allen paved the way for professional athletes today and we see significant opportunities to build on that success.”

Spanning 14 seasons and seven All-NBA teams, Iverson had a long-term tenure with the NBA. He is regarded as one of the best scorers in NBA history, is an 11-time NBA all-star, won Most Valuable Player in 2001 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.

10 Jan 2023

John Nemeth, Shemekia Copeland & More Lead 2023 Blues Music Awards Nominations (Full List)

Blues and soul harmonicist, singer, and songwriter John Németh is the top nominee for the 2023 Blues Music Awards. Németh received five nominations – song of the year, traditional blues album, band of the year, instrumentalist – harmonica, and instrumentalist – vocals.

Trailing Németh in the nomination count are Shemekia Copeland, Rory Block and Eric Gales, with three nods each. The 44th Annual Blues Music Awards are set for May 11 at Memphis’ Renasant Convention Center.

Three past winners of the B.B. King entertainer of the year award are nominated in that category again this year – Tommy Castro, who won last year; Sugaray Rayford, who won in 2020; and Bobby Rush, who won in 2015. This year’s other two nominees are Gales and Mr. Sipp (Castro Coleman).

Tedeschi Trucks Band and Rick Estrin and the Nightcats, both two-time winners of band of the year, are nominated again in that category, along with Anthony Geraci & The Boton Blues Allstars, John Németh and the Blue Dreamers and Southern Avenue.

Buddy Guy’s The Blues Don’t Lie, which is nominated for a Grammy for best traditional blues album, is nominated here for contemporary blues album. Copeland’s Done Come Too Far is nominated in the contemporary blues album category at both awards shows.

Charlie Musselwhite’s Mississippi Son, which is nominated for a Grammy for best traditional blues album, is nominated here for acoustic blues album. Gales’ Crown, which is Grammy-nominated for best contemporary blues album is nominated here for blues rock album.

Willie J. Campbell, who died in December, is posthumously nominated for instrumentalist – bass. 

In a nice touch, three awards are named after late blues legends. As noted, the entertainer of the year award is named after B.B. King, who died in 2015. The award for traditional blues female artist is named after Koko Taylor, who died in 2009. The award for instrumentalist – piano is named after Pinetop Perkins, who died in 2011.

The Blues Music Awards are presented by The Blues Foundation. Tickets range from individual seats for $150 to premium tables (seats 10) for $1,800. Ticket sales are now open.

On May 10, the night before the BMAs, the Blues Foundation’s Blues Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place at Memphis’ Halloran Centre at the Orpheum. Tickets, which include ceremony and reception admission, are $75 each. The 2023 class of inductees will be announced in the coming weeks.

The complete list of Blues Music Award nominees can be found below and on The Blues Foundation’s website (www.blues.org). The ballot will be open for current Blues Foundation members until 11:59 P.M. CST on Friday, March 20. To become a Blues Foundation member, visit www.blues.org to learn about the different membership levels and how to join. Upon membership confirmation, new and renewing members will be sent instructions on how to access the 2023 Blues Music Awards ballot.

The Blues Foundation is a Memphis-based organization whose mission is to preserve blues heritage, celebrate blues recording and performance, expand worldwide awareness of the blues, and ensure the future of this uniquely American art form. Founded in 1980, the Foundation has approximately 4,000 individual members and 173 affiliated blues societies representing another 50,000 fans and professionals worldwide.

Here’s a complete list of the nominees for the 2023 Blues Music Awards.

B.B. King entertainer of the year 

Sugaray Rayford

Tommy Castro

Eric Gales

Bobby Rush

Mr. Sipp (Castro Coleman)

Band of the year 

Anthony Geraci & The Boton Blues Allstars

John Németh and the Blue Dreamers

Rick Estrin and the Nightcats

Southern Avenue

Tedeschi Trucks Band

Song of the year

Altered Five Blues Band “Great Minds Drink Alike” (Jeff Schroedl)

Buddy Guy “The Blues Don’t Lie” (Tom Hambridge)

Eric Gales “I Want My Crown” (Eric Gales, Joe Bonamassa)

John Németh “The Last Time” (John Németh)

Shemekia Copeland “Too Far to Be Gone” (John Hahn/Will Kimbrough)

Best emerging artist album

Blue Moon Marquee / Scream, Holler & Howl

DaShawn Hickman / Drums, Roots & Steel

Dylan Triplett / Who Is He?

Jose Ramirez / Major League Blues

Yates McKendree / Buchanan Lane

Acoustic blues album

Charlie Musselwhite / Mississippi Son

Corey Harris / The Insurrection Blues

Duwayne Burnside / Acoustic Burnside

Harrison Kennedy / Thanks for Tomorrow

Rory Block / Ain’t Nobody Worried

Blues rock album

Albert Castiglia / I Got Love

Bernard Allison / Highs & Lows

Colin James / Open Road

Eric Gales / Crown

Tinsley Ellis / Devil May Care

Contemporary blues album

Buddy Guy / The Blues Don’t Lie

Diunna Greenleaf / I Ain’t Playin’

Janiva Magness / Hard to Kill

Larry McCray / Blues Without You

Shemekia Copeland / Done Come Too Far

Soul blues album

Kat Riggins / Progeny

Kirk Fletcher / Heartache by the Pound

Sugaray Rayford / In Too Deep

The Love Light Orchestra / Leave the Light On

Trudy Lynn / Golden Girl

Traditional blues album

Kenny Neal / Straight From the Heart

Bob Corritore / Bob Borritore & Friends: You Shocked Me

Duke Robillard / They Called it Rhythm & Blues

John Németh / May Be the Last Time

John Primer / Hard Times

Acoustic blues artist

Doug MacLeod

Guy Davis

Harrison Kennedy

Rhiannon Giddens

Rory Block

Blues rock artist

Walter Trout

Albert Castiglia

Tommy Castro

Joanne Shaw Taylor

Tinsley Ellis

Contemporary blues female artist

Ruthie Foster

Beth Hart

Janiva Magness

Teresa James

Vanessa Collier

Contemporary blues male artist

Selwyn Birchwood

Chris Cain

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

Ronnie Baker Brooks

Mr. Sipp (Castro Coleman)

Soul blues female artist

Annika Chambers

Trudy Lynn

Thornetta Davis

Kat Riggins

Vaneese Thomas

Soul blues male artist

John Németh

Johnny Rawls

Curtis Salgado

Don Bryant

Billy Price

Traditional blues female artist (Koko Taylor award)

Dietra Farr

Diunna Greenleaf

Rhiannon Giddens

Rory Block

Sue Foley

Traditional blues male artist

Billy Branch

Duke Robillard

John Primer

Johnny Burgin

Sugar Ray Norcia

Instrumentalist – bass

Bob Stronger

Danielle Nicole

Larry Fulcher

Michael “Mudcat” Ward

Willie J. Campbell

Instrumentalist – drums

Chris Layton

Cody Dickinson

Derric D’Mar Martin

Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith

Tony Braunagel

Instrumentalist – guitar

Chris Cain

Christoffer “Kid” Andersen

Joanna Connor

Kirk Fletcher

Laura Chavez

Instrumentalist – harmonica

Billy Branch

Bob Corritore

Jason Ricci

John Németh

Dennis Gruenling

Instrumentalist – horn

Deanna Bogart

Gregg Piccolo

Jimmy Carpenter

Mark Kaz Kazanoff

Sax Gordon Beadle

Instrumentalist – piano (Pinetop Perkins piano player award)

Anthony Geraci

Ben Levin

Dave Keyes

Jim Pugh

Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne

Instrumentalist – vocals

Curtis Salgado

Danielle Nicole

Diunna Greenleaf

John Németh

Shemekia Copeland

10 Jan 2023

MAGA Ye Re-Emerges From Hiding With Mystery Woman In Tow

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Celebrity Sightings In Los Angeles - October 28, 2022

Source: MEGA / Getty

Ye fka Kanye West is apparently out of hiding, having been spotted driving with a mystery woman recently over the weekend.

According to reports, the controversial artist was captured in public for the first time in several weeks on Sunday (Jan. 9th). Photographs captured Ye driving a Maybach automobile in Beverly Hills, California while in the company of an unidentified blonde woman. Both were then seen exiting the vehicle at the Waldorf Astoria hotel on Wilshire Boulevard. The rapper was also recently spotted attending a church in the area over the past weekend. He was apparently having a conversation with another church attendee, who was unidentified.

There was speculation about Ye’s whereabouts after his former business manager, Thomas St. John, declared that he had gone missing. St. John was looking for the 45-year-old because he intended to serve papers suing Ye for unpaid fees amounting to $4.5 million, but he didn’t have an address. He first attempted to serve the YEEZUS rapper in late December and was in court seeking an extension until March. Further revelations from the filing state that “we were advised about a new law firm for defendants, but not a specific point of contact.”

These sightings come as Ye is still mired in controversy over his string of antisemitic comments which began in October of last year. His spiral continued as he was seen in the company of white supremacist Nick Fuentes, leading to an infamous dinner with former President Donald Trump at his Mar-A-Lago estate in late November of last year. The dinner would later be described by Ye as “tense” because Trump made disparaging comments about Kim Kardashian, his ex-wife. Adding to that, Ye publicly declared an affinity for Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler while appearing on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ podcast a week later which drew more outrage. 

10 Jan 2023

Selena Gomez Steals Christmas Back With Hilarious ‘Grinch’ Lip Sync: Watch

Move over Cindy Lou, there’s a new Who in town! Selena Gomez proved she’s not quite ready to put the Christmas decorations away on Tuesday (Jan. 10) with a lip sync from How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

On TikTok, the star and a couple of pals channeled a young Taylor Momsen by lip syncing to “Where Are You Christmas” from the 2000 live-action holiday classic, complete with their noses taped up to look like the Whos in the film. “Where are you Christmas?/ Do you remember?” the trio mouth along to the then-seven-year-old’s warbled vocals.

Gomez’s fans couldn’t get enough of the funny video, with one commenting, “She’s so real for this.” Another chimed in, “Healing our inner child today i see” while a third wrote, “Selena in her active era. We Love to see it.”

The singer’s Christmasy clip comes just as “Calm Down,” her recent collaboration with Rema ascends to the top spot on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart (dated Jan. 14). The triumph marks her first No. 1 on the worldwide tally while Rema becomes the very first African artist to reach the chart’s peak.

Last month, Gomez nabbed her very first Golden Globe nomination for her role as Mabel Mora in the hit Hulu comedy series Only Murders in the Building opposite Steve Martin and Martin Short. Sharing a throwback video of an old interview to celebrate, the Wizards of Waverly Place alum showed that she had, indeed, manifested the nomination, claiming she was “more of a Golden Globe or Oscar girl” than having her heart set on winning a Grammy.

Watch Selena and her friends do their best Cindy Lou Who impersonations below.

10 Jan 2023

Kaya Jones Says She Regrets Having 3 Abortions & Felt Like a ‘Slave’ While in Pussycat Dolls

Kaya Jones considers herself pro-life, and in a sensitive new interview, the 38-year-old singer has explained why. Speaking with Students for Life on Jan. 5, the former Pussycat Dolls member revealed that she has had three abortions in her lifetime — all of which she says she deeply regrets — and claimed that she was once pressured to seek out the procedure back in her girl group days.

Jones started out by revisiting a statement she’s made before — that being a Pussycat Doll was like being in a prostitution ring — and compared her alleged experiences to Britney Spears‘ conservatorship. Specifically, Jones referenced how Spears once likened her conservatorship, which was terminated in 2021, to being sex trafficked.

“It feels like you’re a slave, literally, to your dream,” Jones said. “You have no access to personal thoughts, space, choices, decision. You are an owned commodity. What you eat has been decided for you, where you live is gonna be decided for you. Ultimately, you can’t have a child. The level of control is to the point of, ‘Who am I?’”

According to Jones, she experienced an epiphany during a Pussycat Dolls performance, during which she says she spotted two little girls in the crowd watching her with adoration. “At that moment, I was going through an abortion,” she recalled. “I’m losing my child in real time. Nothing on me in that moment said, ‘Caution: this is a lie.’ And I was a lie in that moment. There was nothing beautiful about me. I was tainted. I was living in my worst self.”

“I was basically saying: you can be sexually overly-perverse, doing things that you’re not happy about,” she continued, describing the message she felt she was sending to those two girls in the audience. “Low self esteem leads to promiscuity ultimately, which leads to you having an abortion that you wish you’d never even encountered because it’s painful beyond measure.”

“Do you ever get over it? Never,” she added. “It is something that you will live with for the rest of your life.”

The National Diversity Coalition for Trump ambassador went on to outline her three abortion experiences. The first happened when she was 16 or 17, which she says desensitized her to the gravity of the procedure. When she found out she was pregnant while still in the Pussycat Dolls, she says she was “told to get rid of it.”

Long after she left the Pussycat Dolls in 2004, Jones said she became pregnant at 30 after being sexually assaulted by someone she trusted at the time. She said the assault was caused by poor self esteem she developed “going through these forms of abuse in my earlier life.” Due to the stress of the situation, Jones says there were complications with the pregnancy that led to another abortion.

Abortion has, of course, been a particularly hot button issue since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year. Many of Jones’ fellow musicians spoke out against the decision, with artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Halsey even sharing personal stories of how abortion had at one point been a beneficial or life-saving form of healthcare for them.

Jones sees abortion differently, though. “Children are a blessing from God,” she concluded. “I hope to one day be able to be a mom, I hope to be a wife and get to to be able to share what I do believe is the greatest gift, and ultimately the greatest job you’ll ever have on this planet as a woman, to be a mother.”

See Kaya Jones’ interview with Students for Life below.