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Elleigh Marie Francom is a typical American girl, confronted by difficult circumstances.
The 20-year-old realized a years-long dream when she auditioned on American Idol Sunday night (March 19), and made fans everywhere with her appearance.
Francom is a full-time cosmetologist, a miliary daughter based in American Fork, Utah. Her mom, a singer who teaches theater and has tuned into Idol with Elleigh since the contestant was a kid, is battling multiple serious illnesses.
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“Dad was gone for much of the time,” she said in the prerecorded package. The youngster had to step up. “A lot of the responsibilities did fall on me,” she explained.
On the day of her audition, Elleigh learned that her dad will be deployed for a year, starting from April. How does she feel about that? “It really sucks,” she told the judges, as she burst into tears.
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Elleigh admitted she’s torn by choices. Chase the Idol dream, or go home and help out with her younger siblings when dad is away?
With her performance, the path ahead is now illuminated.
Elleigh channeled her emotions into a cover of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me”. And drained it.
As she completed the performance, the tears rolled. “Nobody’s ever hit that note at the end,” quipped Katy Perry. “It was great. You gave me the feels. You started off somewhat average, then you landed it. If you sang from that space every time, you would be in superstar territory.”
“I think she’s top 10,” Luke Bryan added. “There’s just really beautiful things going on in your voice.” When she slots into her groove, there were “classy” and “older than your years” tones. “I just loved it.”
Lionel Richie is a believer. “You went to a place that was so pure, so angelic, that it was really one of those moments where we couldn’t keep our eyes off of you.”
The family came out, the judges stood and applauded, Idol had a moment and Elleigh is going to “Hollywood Week.”
Watch below.
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Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” (via Columbia/Parkwood Ent) is still the one to beat in the U.K., where it clocks a fourth consecutive week at No. 1.
That’s a personal best streak for Bey, improving on the three-week peaks of 2003’s “Crazy In Love” with Jay-Z and 2007’s “Beautiful Liar” with Shakira. It also bests the two No. 1 singles she earned as a member of Destiny’s Child — 2000’s “Independent Women” and 2001’s “Survivor,” which both logged one week at the top.
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The leader at the midweek point, “Texas Hold ‘Em” is Bey’s sixth U.K. leader, and is housed by her forthcoming LP Cowboy Carter, due out March 29.
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The chart race had a tight finish, with Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” (Warner Records) finishing in second place, falling 1,700 chart units short.
Meanwhile, Ariana Grande completes the podium as Eternal Sunshine cut “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)” (via Republic Records), new at No. 3 for the week’s top debut. It’s Grande’s 22nd U.K. top 10 appearance.
With Eternal Sunshine debuting at No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, Grande lands a maximum three songs from it on the national singles survey, published Friday, March 15. Lead single “Yes, And?” lifts 11-6 while “Bye” bows at No. 13.
After claiming the Academy Award for best original song, and performing the song on the night, Billie Eilish former leader “What Was I Made For?” (Interscope) re-enters the top 40 at No. 16.
Up-and-coming U.S. R&B singer-songwriter 4batz makes his Official U.K. Chart debut with “act ii – date @ 8” (via 4batz OVO Sound) featuring Drake, new at No. 18, while California artist Dasha makes her U.K. top 40 debut country track “Austin,” up 57-25.
Also cracking the top 40 for the first time is Colorado indie-folk act Richy Mitch & the Coal Miners with “Evergreen” (via Richy Mitch & the Coal Miners) up 41-37.
Usher surprised fans when he got married last month. But they weren’t the only ones.The Grammy winner told Entertainment Tonight on Saturday that his wedding to Jennifer Goicoechea also took his family by surprise.“It was an incredible moment that we felt was great for us,” he said. “It was a button at the end of an incredible Las Vegas run. My mother was there, her mother was there, the kids were there, our immediate family was there. Matter of fact, everybody was surprised. I’m like, ‘No, no, no, we’re having a wedding right now. We’re gonna go have Elvis officiate us.’”The couple wed last month in Las Vegas only hours after he performed at the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show at Allegiant Stadium.This weekend, Usher was at the NAACP Image Awards, where he not only took home the top prize of entertainment of the year but also was honored with the President’s Award. During his speech, he gave a shout-out to his “beautiful wife, Jennifer” and his kids, saying “I’m a dad who’s just trying to get it right every day.”The President’s Award is “presented in recognition of special achievement and distinguished public service,” says the organization.Usher’s rep confirmed his wedding to The Hollywood Reporter last month.Surrounded by close friends and family, “they both look forward to continuing to raise their children together surrounded by love and thank everyone for the well wishes,” the rep said at the time.The couple’s whirlwind night saw them head from Usher’s lauded performance at Allegiant Stadium to The Fast Lane drive thru at Vegas Weddings, where they wed in an intimate ceremony. The pop star’s very busy week included the release of his ninth studio album, Coming Home, and the announcement that he is extending his Past Present Future Tour. His Usher: My Way Las Vegas residency ended in December after 100 performances.This marks Usher’s second marriage. The “Yeah” singer was previously wed to fashion designer Tameka Foster, with whom he shares sons Usher “Cinco” Raymond V, 16, and Navid Ely, 15.
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This article originally appeared in THR.com.
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Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine (via Republic Records) enjoys the brightest possible start in the U.K., where it opens its account at No. 1.
The leader at the halfway mark, Eternal Sunshine is the U.S. pop star’s fifth U.K. chart-topper after 2016’s Dangerous Woman, 2018’s Sweetener, 2019’s thank u, next and 2020 LP Positions, a feat that places her equal with the likes of Celine Dion, Prince and Green Day, each with five leaders.
The only Grande titles to miss the U.K. chart throne are her 2013 debut Yours Truly (No. 7 peak) and her sophomore album from 2014, My Everything (No. 3). Eternal Sunshine was the best-seller on wax during the chart week, the Official Charts Company reports.
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Meanwhile, British heavy metal juggernauts Judas Priest nab a new chart best with Invincible Shield (Columbia), their 19th studio album. That result eclipses the No. 4 peak for their 1980 collection British Steel.
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Also scoring a new personal best in the U.K. is Bleachers, with their self-titled fourth studio album via Dirty Hit. Jack Antonoff’s New Jersey alternative rock act land at No. 5 with their new album, for Bleachers’ first U.K. chart appearance.
Leicester, England protest singer and songwriter Grace Petrie scores her own highest-charting album with Build Something Better ( Robots Need Home). It’s new at No. 28 for her second top 40 appearance, besting 2021’s Connectivity which peaked at No. 37.
It’s a glorious seventh top 40 appearance for British girl group Bananarama on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, published Marc. 15. Their career retrospective Glorious – The Ultimate Collection (Polydor/UMR) starts at No. 30.
Finally, Girls Aloud return to the top 40, at No. 35, following the re-issue of 2004 set What Will The Neighbours Say. The LP is packaged with five previously-unreleased cuts, including works featuring the vocals of late bandmate Sarah Harding. The group’s second studio, What Will The Neighbours Say peaked at No. 6 following its initial release. The surviving members of Girls Aloud will support the 20th anniversary release with an arena tour of the U.K. and Ireland.
Cage the Elephant tops Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart for the first time in nearly four years, as “Neon Pill” rises to No. 1, from No. 2, on the survey dated March 23. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Neon Pill” is the act’s first No. 1 […]
The Black Keys snag their seventh No. 1 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart via “Beautiful People (Stay High),” which rises to the top of the March 23-dated tally. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The song becomes the duo’s first ruler since “Wild Child” led for two […]
It’s Friday, March 15th and there’s a ton of new music to run through. Justin Timberlake’s new album “Everything I Thought It Was” is finally here and *NSYNC is featured on a track. Cardi B keeps giving us new music. The rapper released her new song “Enough (Miami)” and is featured on Flo Milli’s “Never […]
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds will wield their dark art in arenas across the U.K. and Europe later this year in support of Wild God, the band’s 18th studio album.
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The alternative rock outfit will kick-off their months-long Continental European jaunt Sept. 24 at Rudolf Weber-Arena in Oberhausen, Germany, with a string of U.K. dates set for November. As it stands, the action will wrap up Nov. 17 at Accor Arena in Paris, France.
Cave and Co. will use a previously-announced tour of Australia this April and May as a launch-pad for the northern run.
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“I never think about how a record is going to go live, it never, ever occurs to me,” explains Cave in a statement. “The lyric writing process is way too hard to take ideas like that into consideration. But, when I listen to Wild God now, I think we can really do something epic with these songs live. We’re really excited about that – the record just feels like it was made for the stage.”
Wild God will drop Aug. 30 through Cave’s own label Bad Seed, via a new, exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with Play It Again Sam, an imprint of the independent [PIAS] label group.
Earlier, the ARIA Hall of Fame-inducted bandleader said of Wild God, “there’s no f—ing around with this record. When it hits, it hits. It lifts you. It moves you. I love that about it.”
Led by Cave, the current Bad Seeds lineup consists of Thomas Wydler, Martyn Casey, Jim Sclavunos, George Vjestica and longtime collaborator Warren Ellis, who produces the forthcoming album with Cave.
Wild God stretches across 10 tracks and was cut at Miraval Studios in Provence, France and Soundtree Studios in London, England, featuring contributions from Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood (bass) and Luis Almau (nylon string guitar, acoustic guitar).
It’s the followup to Ghosteen, the critically-lauded two-disc longplay from 2019, which explored Cave’s exposure to grief and pain, following the sudden death of his son Arthur in 2015.
Check out Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ 2024 U.K. and Europe tour dates here and below.
Sept. 24 — Rudolf Weber-ARENA, Oberhausen, GermanySept. 26 — Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, NetherlandsSept. 29 — Uber Arena, Berlin, GermanyOct. 2 — Oslo Spektrum, Oslo, NorwayOct.3 — Hovet, Stockholm, SwedenOct. 5 — Royal Arena, Copenhagen, DenmarkOct. 8 — Barclays Arena, Hamburg, GermanyOct. 10 — Atlas Arena, Lodz, PolandOct. 11 — TAURON Arena, Krakow, PolandOct. 13 — Papp László Sportaréna, Budapest, HungaryOct. 15 — Arena Zagreb, Zagreb, CroatiaOct. 17 — O2 arena, Prague, CzechiaOct. 18 — Olympiahalle, Munich, GermanyOct. 20 — Milan Forum, Milan, ItalyOct. 22 — Hallenstadion, Zurich, SwitzerlandOct. 24 — Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, SpainOct. 25 — WiZink Center, Madrid, SpainOct. 27 — MEO Arena, Lisbon, PortugalOct. 30 — Sportpaleis, Antwerp, BelgiumNov. 2 — First direct arena, Leeds, U.K.Nov. 3 — OVO Hydro, Glasgow, U.K.Nov. 5 — AO Arena, Manchester, U.K.Nov. 6 — Utilita Arena, Cardiff, U.K.Nov. 8 — The O2, London, U.K.Nov. 12 — 3Arena, Dublin, IrelandNov. 15 — Resorts World Arena, Birmingham, U.K.Nov. 17 — Accor Arena, Paris, France
Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine (Universal) enjoys the brightest possible start in Australia, where it debuts at No. 1, for her fifth leader.
All seven of the U.S. pop star’s album have landed in the ARIA top 10, including No. 1s for My Everything (in 2014), Dangerous Woman (2016), Sweetener (2018) and Thank U, Next (2019).
Eternal Sunshine also shines bright on the ARIA Singles Chart, yielding a string of new entries including “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love),” opening at No. 2 for the week’s top debut and her 20th top 10 appearance in these parts; “Bye” (No. 19); the title track (No. 22); “Supernatural” (No. 18); “True Story” (No. 39) and “Wish I Hated You” (No. 46), while her former No. 2 hit “Yes, And?” rockets 34-11.
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With her No. 1 start, Grande ends Taylor Swift’s weeks-long lockup of the top 5. Still, Swift dominates the pointy end of the albums chart, published Friday, March 15, with five of the top 10, led by 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (via Universal), holding at No. 2.
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Meanwhile, Australian singer and TV presenter Ricki-Lee bows at No. 3 with On My Own (AWAL), her fifth studio album and first in 10 years. That’s a new career peak for Ricki-Lee, whose albums have all impacted the ARIA top 40, with Fear & Freedom (from 2012) her previous best at No. 7. Ricki-Lee is host of Australia Idol, the long-running reality TV series on which she got her break as a contestant 20 years ago.
Controversial Australian rock act Sticky Fingers enjoy a new peak position for Caress Your Soul (Sureshaker/MGM), which reenters the chart at No. 11 following the release of a 10th anniversary edition. The album previously peaked at No. 39 back in 2013.
Legendary British heavy metal band Judas Priest bows at No. 16 with Invincible Shield (Columbia/Sony), their 19th studio album. Judas Priest has never cracked the top 10 on the ARIA Chart. The closest they got was with Firepower, which blasted to No. 12 in 2018.
Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, American viral star Benson Boone holds at No. 1 for a second week with “Beautiful Things” (Warner), ahead of Grande’s “We Can’t Be Friends” and Djo‘s “End of Beginning” (AWAL), respectively. “End of Beginning” lifts 5-3, a new peak position for Djo, the music project of Stranger Things star Joseph Keery.
SEVENTEEN is set to break ground this summer in the U.K., where they’ll become the first K-pop act to perform on Glastonbury Festival’s main stage.
The group is booked for Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage, joining a stacked bill that’s headlined by Dua Lipa, Coldplay, SZA and Shania Twain.
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The five-day festival is set to take place June 26-30, 2024 at the Eavis’ Worthy Farm in Pilton, south-west England.
Also making their Glasto debuts are Avril Lavigne, Cyndi Lauper and Camila Cabello, while stars of rock, pop, hip-hop and electronic take their places in the lineup, from Idles to Burna Boy, Little Simz, The Last Dinner Party, LCD Soundsystem, PJ Harvey, Janella Monae and more.
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The grandaddy of U.K. music festivals, Glastonbury, staged on Michael Eavis’ milk farm, will welcome more than 210,000 party-goers this summer, a mass of humanity that’s greater than the population of Norwich or Oxford. Tickets sold out before the lineup was announced Thursday.
Girl group Blackpink smashed through the barricades when, in 2023, they became the first ever K-pop band to headline a U.K. festival, performing for 65,000 spectators at London’s BST Hyde Park.
CARATs will also get a chance to see SEVENTEEN on Continental European soil, when the pop group headlines Lollapalooza Berlin later this summer– also a first for a K-pop act.
Set for Sept. 7-8 at Olympiastadion and Olympiapark in the German capital, Lollapalooza Berlin’s bill also features Sam Smith, Martin Garrix, Burna Boy, The Chainsmokers, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Shirin David and CRO.
The performances are pay-back, of sorts. SEVENTEEN slated to visit Europe during their ODE TO YOU WORLD TOUR in 2020, but those shows were scrapped due to the pandemic.
SEVENTEEN is coming off a banner year, during which the group shifted 16 million combined album units worldwide, including their 10th mini album FML (April 2023) and follow up SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN (October 2023).
FML topped the IFPI’s Global Albums Chart, with 6.2 million combined copies worldwide, based on streams, downloads and physical sales during the calendar year 2023. The collection was the most pre-ordered LP in K-pop history, landing at No. 1 in South Korea and Japan, and debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and helping SEVENTEEN to No. 2 on the federation’s Global Artist Chart, behind Taylor Swift, confirming the 13-piece act as the most popular band on the planet last year.