Music News

13 Jul 2023

OneRepublic, Bush, Midland & More Set for Bud Light Backyard Tour Summer Concert Series: Exclusive

Bud Light is launching its inaugural Bud Light Backyard Tour summer concert series, featuring headliners OneRepublic, Midland, Dashboard Confessional and Bush. The four-city tour, for fans 21 and older, launches in Nashville on Aug. 10 with headliner OneRepublic and opening act Lindsay Ell.

Country trio Midland will headline a concert in Oklahoma City, Okla., on Aug. 15; followed by Dashboard Confessional in St. Louis, Mo., on Aug. 17; and Bush on Aug. 29 in Charlottesville, Va. Dee Jay Silver will serve as the DJ for the dates in St. Louis, Oklahoma City and Charlottesville. Tyler Braden is also set as an opener on the concert series.

According to Todd Allen, Bud Light’s vp of marketing, the yet-to-be announced venues will range in capacity from 1,000 to 3,000. Tickets are free, and fans can enter to win tickets at budlightbackyard.com.

“We really want to deliver an intimate vibe, and deliver that backyard experience where you’re hanging out with your friends, your family, listening to your favorite artists. So we want try to bring these artists closer to fans through these shows,” Allen tells Billboard.

Allen also notes Bud Light’s history in the music space, referencing the brand’s previous Bud Light Dive Bar tours with artists including Post Malone in 2019, and Bud Light Sessions over the years with artists such as Brad Paisley, Jason DeRulo, Jack Harlow and Teddy Swims.

The tour news comes as Bud Light’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, has seen sales decline following backlash against the Bud Light brand after transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney posted a video to Instagram on April 1 showing a customized, commemorative Bud Light can featuring Mulvaney’s face sent to her by the company. Artists including Kid Rock, John Rich and Ted Nugent then called for a boycott of the brand or pledged to stop stocking it at their bars and backstage. As a result of the boycott, Bud Light fell from its position as the top-selling beer in America in June.

With the upcoming summer shows featuring performances from country music artists including Midland, Ell and Braden, Allen tells Billboard of Bud Light’s relationship with the country music audience, “First and foremost, we care deeply about all of our customers. I’ve been across this country, visiting with consumers, visiting with our wholesalers, visiting with partners. Consistently, the No. 1 thing people tell me about is the love and passion they have for this brand, and that what they want and expect from Bud Light is to get back to what we do best, and that’s being the beer of easy enjoyment, and that means bringing family and friends together over live music.

“That’s why we’re getting back to what we’re doing with the Bud Light Backyard Tour,” Allen adds, “and we’re going to do that with our country music fans, the same thing we’ve been doing for the past 40 years.”

Billboard reached out to teams for Midland and Ell for additional comments regarding the upcoming shows and the controversy that has surrounded the Bud Light brand. In a statement to Billboard, Ell said, “As an artist who always wants to use my voice for good, I have spent the past few years learning as much as I can about marginalized communities and how we, as humans, can work together to lift each other up. When deciding who to work with or what brands to partner with, I tend to lean into partnerships that encourage larger conversations surrounding the power of considering humanity before all else, including gender or race. Because of that, I recognize that we, as a nation, are in a phase of learning and that we’re inevitably not going to get it right every time. But I also know that doesn’t mean we should stop trying to teach ourselves how to love others better. I am looking forward to the Bud Light Backyard Tour in Nashville and hope that together, OneRepublic and I will bring both music and important conversation to fans there.”

Midland said via a press release, “We’re looking forward to showing up and rocking out for our fans at the Bud Light Backyard Tour. We can’t wait to perform for fans in Oklahoma City, reminding everyone that live music is even better when we can kick back in the backyard with an ice cold beer and all of our friends.”

13 Jul 2023

Jay-Z Lyrics Grace the Front of the Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Branch

Earlier this week, people in Brooklyn may have noticed that the popular Brooklyn Public Library’s Central branch had a different look to its exterior than usual. That’s because Jay-Z lyrics now grace its facade. 

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Video shows a group of workers outside of the library constructing the library’s newly designed face. The exterior — which resembles words from a newspaper article — depicts lyrics from Jay-Z’s extensive catalog, including “Hovi Baby,” “Sweet,” “Encore,” “Justify My Thug,” “Smile” and more. A story published by Hell Gate also revealed that the Brooklyn Public Library will close its doors Thursday (July 13) and prepare to honor Hov with an exhibit that will be open to the public the following day. Brooklyn Public Library’s website also notes that the Central branch “will be closed on Thursday, July 13, in preparation for a special event.”

Billboard has reached out to the library for comment.

Last June, the BPL held a celebration titled Night in the Library: The Philosophy of Hip-Hop, which featured Jay’s mother, Dr. Gloria Carter, as a guest speaker. “He was a very special child. He was that kid that was like, ‘Yo, ma. The sun is shining and I want to go outside.’ I’ll be like, ‘Baby, it’s cold out.’ He’d be like, ‘The sun is shining.’ I’d be like, ‘OK, I’m a let you go outside,’” Carter relayed to the night’s host Angie Martinez at the Hip-Hop 50 themed event. “Open the door, put him outside, and I’m looking out the door, and a couple minutes, he’s ringing the bell [shivering]. So I was like, ‘What happened?’ He was like, ‘It’s cold outside.’ That’s how a lesson is learned.”

Check out the BPL Central branch’s design below.

13 Jul 2023

Jimmie Allen Countersues Two Women Who Accused Him of Sexual Assault: Exclusive

Jimmie Allen is fighting back against a pair of lawsuits filed this spring that accused the country star of sexual assault, denying all the allegations and countersuing both women — claiming that one of them defamed him and that the other illegally swiped his cellphone. 

In documents filed Thursday (July 13) in Nashville federal court, Allen, 38, lodged his first formal responses to the two abuse lawsuits, which have seen the once-rising country star dropped from his label and removed from festival lineups. The first case claims he repeatedly assaulted an unnamed “Jane Doe” on his management team; the second claims he assaulted another woman in a Las Vegas hotel room and secretly recorded it. 

Allen’s lawyers went beyond simply denying those allegations in Thursday’s filings, bringing a countersuit against each accuser and seeking unspecified monetary damages. In the case of Allen’s former day-to-day manager, the attorneys claim that she defamed him by making “deliberate, intentional, malicious, and willful” statements to Variety beyond what is included in the lawsuit. Variety broke the news of her lawsuit in early May. 

“Throughout the Variety article, Jane Doe made several untruthful statements which painted Allen and Doe’s consensual affair as nonconsensual sexual misconduct,” his lawyers claim. “Allen’s reputation and relationships within the entertainment industry have also been severely damaged as a result Jane Doe’s statements in the Variety article.”

(Variety, which is owned by the same parent company as Billboard, is not named as a defendant or accused of any wrongdoing.) 

In responding to the second lawsuit, in which the woman claims that Allen surreptitiously filmed their sexual encounter, his lawyers say that she had explicitly consented to the recording — and that she then unfairly took his phone with her when she left the hotel. In technical terms, they accuse her of “conversion,” a civil tort similar to theft that involves someone taking property that doesn’t belong to them. 

“By taking his camera phone without permission, Jane Doe 2 wrongfully exerted a distinct act of dominion over Allen’s personal property,” his lawyers write. 

The attorney representing both of Allen’s Jane Doe accusers, Elizabeth Fegan of the law firm Fegan Scott, did not immediately return a request for comment on Thursday morning. 

In a statement, Allen tells Billboard that he has “engaged with a legal team to proceed with an appropriate course of action,” saying he has done so in order to “protect my reputation and refute these claims that have caused severe damage to my family, mental health, and business.” 

“As the son and brother of rape victims, and the father of daughters, these false claims are extremely hurtful to me and everyone around me,” Allen said. “These false allegations have caused me to lose a vast number of business and endorsement opportunities that I worked extremely hard for. These false allegations have also not only harmed me, but have caused severe financial damage to my band, my team, and their families.”

A Rapid Fall

In the wake of the two lawsuits, Allen’s once-flourishing career has cratered.  

After signing with BMG’s Stony Creek/BBR imprint in 2017, Allen’s first two singles, “Best Shot” and “Make Me Want To,” reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, while he scored a third No. 1 in 2021 with “Freedom Was a Highway” (with Brad Paisley). “Down Home,” the first single from his 2022 album, Tulip Drive, reached No. 2. He also performed for Garth Brooks at the superstar’s Kennedy Center Honors induction in 2021, and with Elton John on the legend’s 2021 album The Lockdown Sessions.

But following the accusations, his label, booking agency (UTA), former publicist (Full Coverage Communications) and management company (The Familie) have all suspended or dropped him. His live appearances have also dried up, including a June 11 performance during CMA Fest and several other summer festival gigs.

In addition to the career fallout, Allen has also separated from his wife, Alexis Gale, who is pregnant with their third child. The couple announced the news on social media, just weeks before the first lawsuit was filed and the accusations were made public. 

That first case, filed on May 11, alleged that Allen had “manipulated and used his power” over the plaintiff, who was employed by his then-management company Wide Open Management, in order to “sexually harass and abuse her” over a period of 18 months from 2020 to 2022. 

“Plaintiff expressed in words and actions that Jimmie Allen’s conduct was unwelcome, including pushing him away, sitting where he could not reach her, telling him she was uncomfortable and no, and crying uncontrollably,” the woman’s lawyers wrote in the complaint. “However, Allen made clear that plaintiff’s job was dependent on her staying silent about his conduct.”

Allen Responds

In Thursday’s response to those claims, Allen tells a different story — one of “a consensual sexual relationship” in which encounters were “initiated by both Allen and Doe,” an affair that he says he ended in the fall of 2022 to “focus on repairing his relationship with his wife.” He says the first time he heard any claim about “improper conduct” was in November 2022, when he was contacted by her attorney. 

In counter-suing for defamation, Allen’s lawyers focus on Doe’s statements made to Variety rather than the actual claims in her lawsuit — likely because it’s harder to bring such claims over statements made as part of a judicial proceeding. The article, Allen says, contained “several pieces of information that were not included in her complaint,” as well as statements that “disparaged” him, including calling him a “threat.” 

“The statements … caused great damage to Allen, including impairment of his reputation and standing in the community, personal humiliation, and mental anguish and suffering,” his lawyers write. In technical terms, they also accuse Doe of invasion of privacy, inflicting emotional distress, and interference with business relations. 

The second case against Allen, filed on June 9, was brought by a woman identified as Jane Doe 2, who accused him of battery, assault and other wrongdoing over a July 2022 incident at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas. Though she had “willingly joined Allen in the bedroom,” she claimed she had “repeatedly told him she did not want him to ejaculate inside her” because she was not on birth control, but that Allen had done so anyway. 

The June lawsuit also claimed that, after the sexual encounter, Doe 2 discovered a cell phone in a closet of the hotel room, “focused on the bed, recording the scene.” She alleged that she had “not consented to being recorded” and that, after failing to convince Allen to allow her to unlock the phone to delete the recordings, she had taken it with her and later passed it along to the Las Vegas Police Department.  

In his response to that lawsuit on Thursday, Allen admits to having “unprotected sex” with Doe, but claims that he “did not ejaculate during the encounter.”  He also acknowledged recording the incident but, crucially, alleges that he secured her explicit permission to do so while the pair kissed on a hotel balcony. 

“Before the encounter escalated further, Allen asked Jane Doe 2 if it was OK for him to set up his camera phone to record their encounter. Jane Doe 2 agreed,” Allen’s lawyers wrote of the incident. “Allen left the balcony and set up his camera phone in plain view at the foot of the bed. Allen and Jane Doe 2 began to engage in a consensual sexual encounter in view of the camera phone.” 

When he awoke to find that Doe 2 had “left the hotel room with his camera phone,” Allen claims that he texted her, to which she allegedly responded that she “did not approve of him recording their encounter.” When she “demanded the passcode to Allen’s camera phone” so that she could further delete the recording, he says he declined to offer it because the phone “contained several pieces of confidential personal and business information.” He says he offered to “delete the video to her satisfaction” if she returned the phone, but that she did not do so. 

“Allen still does not have possession of the camera phone,” his lawyers write. 

(When the second case was filed in June, a spokesperson for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department [LVMPD] confirmed to Billboard that “a report was completed” over the incident, but did not provide any additional information. A request for any public records linked to the report was unsuccessful.)

Former Manager Wants Out

Allen wasn’t the only defendant to file his response to the abuse lawsuits this week. On Tuesday, his former management company Wide Open Music filed a motion seeking to be dismissed from the first case, which claimed the company did not do enough to protect Allen’s day-to-day manager from his abusive behavior and had then fired her when she complained about it. 

In its response, attorneys for Wide Open Music (which parted with Allen in October 2022) expressed dismay at the woman’s allegations about Allen’s conduct, but said the company itself could not be held legally responsible. 

“Undoubtedly, if the actions she claims Allen took against her actually occurred, they are deplorable and clearly inappropriate,” the company’s lawyers wrote. “Despite the nature of the allegations, however, Plaintiff has not stated any plausible claims … that [Wide Open Music] should be held liable, either for its client’s misconduct or independently of it.” 

Following this week’s new filings, the Jane Doe plaintiffs will file their own responses in the months ahead, both to Allen’s new accusations and to Wide Open Music’s motion to be dismissed from the case. The case will then head toward more litigation and an eventual jury trial, but it could be years before such a courtroom showdown is reached. 

In his statement Thursday, Allen seemed intent on getting to such a trial: “As the legal process runs its course, I look forward to the opportunity to clear my name.” 

Stories about sexual assault allegations can be traumatizing for survivors of sexual assault. If you or anyone you know needs support, you can reach out to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). The organization provides free, confidential support to sexual assault victims. Call RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE) or visit the anti-sexual violence organization’s website for more information.

13 Jul 2023

Billie Eilish Is a Living Doll in Video For Emotional ‘Barbie’ Movie Soundtrack Ballad ‘What Was I Made For?’

Billie Eilish released her simmering contribution to the soundtrack of the summer’s hottest must-see on Thursday morning (July 13), the Barbie movie soundtrack ballad “What Was I Made For?” In the video for the dreamy track Eilish sports a Barbie-like high blonde ponytail and poofy bangs and wears a yellow dress (with matching shoes and earrings, of course) while seated at a child’s desk to open a Barbie-themed box, whose contents she carefully examines.

“I used to to float/ Now I just fall down/ I used to know, but I’m not sure now/ What I was made for/ What was I made for?,” Eilish sings in a breathy whisper over a gentle piano backing on the track co-written and produced by brother FINNEAS. “Takin’ a drive, I was an idea/ Looked so alive, turns out, I’m not real/ Just something you paid for/ What was I made for?”

The Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe-winning singer directed the clip, in which she meticulously tries to arrange the Barbie clothes on a tiny rack in a green void as wind and rain whip them around to her frustration. “Cause I, I/ I don’t know how to feel/ But I wanna try/ I don’t know how to feel/ But someday I might/ someday I might,” she croons on the chorus.

According to a release, the “intimate and heart-rending track exists as the sonic background for pivotal scenes through-out the film, while beautifully and poignantly highlighting the film’s important message and sentiment.”

In a statement accompanying the video’s release, Eilish said director Greta Gerwig showed her and Finneas a handful of unfinished scenes in January, admitting that the sibling collaborators had, “nooooo idea what to expect at ALLL… we were so deeeeeply moved.. that the next day we were writing and COULDNT shut up about it lolll andddddddddd ended up writing almost the entire song that night. to be real with you this all seemed to happen in a time when i really needed it. i’m so so thankful for that.”

She added that the video she created for it, “makes me cryyyyy.. it means so much to me and i hope it will mean just as much to you. don’t have much to say other than that, i think it will speak for itself? :’’’’) enjoy.”

The singer teased the emotional track earlier this week in a video in which a voice was heard telling Barbie (Margot Robbie), to “take my hand, close your eyes, now, feel,” backed by a gentle, melancholy piano and Eilish singing the title of the song. “absolutely over the MOOOOON excited for you to see this,” she captioned the post. Finneas and Eilish won the best original song Oscar in 2022 for their collaboration on the title track to the most recent James Bond film, No Time to Die.

The Mark Ronson-produced soundtrack for Gerwig’s candy-colored toy story will also feature contributions from Lizzo, Charli XCX, Karol G, Sam Smith, co-star Ryan Gosling (with Slash), Dominic Fike, Haim, the Kid LAROI, Khalid, PinkPantheress, Gayle, Ava Max, Fifty Fifty, Tame Impala and already released singles from Dua Lipa and Ice Spice with Nicki Minaj; the movie will hit theaters on July 21.

Watch the “What Was I Made For?” video below.

13 Jul 2023

Rema & Selena Gomez’s ‘Calm Down’ Hits No. 1 on Adult Pop Airplay Chart

Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” climbs to No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Pop Airplay chart (dated May 13).

The song, released on Jonzing World/Mavin/SMG Music/Virgin/Interscope Records, marks Rema’s first leader on the list.

Gomez also rules Adult Pop Airplay for the first time, following five top 10s: “Lose You to Love Me” (No. 3, 2020); “Back to You” (No. 5, 2018); “It Ain’t Me” with Kygo (No. 6, 2017); as featured on Charlie Puth’s “We Don’t Talk Anymore” (No. 9, 2016); and “Same Old Love” (No. 7, 2016).

“Calm Down” concurrently claims a third week atop the all-format Radio Songs chart, with 92 million audience impressions, up 2%, June 30-July 6, according to Luminate. It likewise became Rema and Gomez’s first No. 1 each on the survey.

Plus, the song rebounds for a fourth week atop Pop Airplay, having become Rema’s first No. 1 and Gomez’s fourth; it now stands as Gomez’s longest-leading No. 1 of her four chart-topping titles, after “Good for You” featuring A$AP Rocky and “Same Old Love” each ruled for two weeks, while “Hands to Myself” spent a week at the summit. (The three songs led in 2015-16.)

“Calm Down” also topped the Rhythmic Airplay chart for four weeks in May-June. It’s the first song to have achieved enough crossover appeal to lead Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay and Rhythmic Airplay since Lizzo’s “About Damn Time,” which dominated Pop Airplay for seven weeks, Adult Pop Airplay (two) and Rhythmic Airplay (one) last July-August. Before that, 24kGoldn’s “Mood” featuring Iann Dior paced all three charts in 2020-21, after Camila Cabello’s “Havana” featuring Young Thug tripled up in 2017-18.

Rema, from Nigeria, released the original version of “Calm Down” in February 2022 as a single from his debut solo LP, Rave & Roses. Its remix with Gomez arrived last August, and that version’s official video premiered in September.

“Calm Down” has topped the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for 45 weeks running, the longest command since the ranking began just over a year ago, in partnership with music festival and global brand Afro Nation.

On the all-genre, multimetric Billboard Hot 100, “Calm Down” has hit No. 3, becoming Rema’s first entry and Gomez’s ninth top 10, and second-highest-charting, after “Lose You to Love Me” led for a week in November 2019.

13 Jul 2023

Troye Sivan Sets Release Date For Third Studio Album, ‘Something to Give Each Other’

Troye Sivan has announced the release date for his upcoming third studio album, Something to Give Each Other. The collection described as a “celebration of sex, dance, sweat, community, queerness, love and friendship” will drop on Oct. 13.

The album was previewed on Thursday (July 13) with the ecstatic disco anthem “Rush,” which features the dizzying chorus, “You got my heartbeat racing/ My body blazing/ I feel the rush/ Addicted to your touch/ Oh, I feel the rush/ It’s so good, it’s so good/ I feel the rush/ Addicted to your touch/ Oh, I feel the rush/ It’s so good, it’s so good.”

In a statement about the song, The Idol co-star Sivan said, “‘Rush’ is the feeling of kissing a sweaty stranger on a dancefloor, a 2 hour date that turned into a weekend, a crush, a winter, a summer. Party after party, after party after after party. All of my experiences from a chapter where I feel confident, free and liberated. Independent, yet somehow the most connected to the music and community around me.”

The appropriately sensual, sweaty Gordon von Steiner-directed video for “Rush” is meant to evoke, “big groups of people feeling the joy of life and sex,” according to a release announcing the project. In the clip Sivan attends a hedonistic day party in which revelers pull off impressively choreographed dance routines in an abandoned warehouse, with Sivan getting in on the action by doing a keg stand and making out with a fellow party animal.

Sivan wrote the album with Oscar Görres (Taylor Swift, Sam Smith), Ian Kirkpatrick (Dua Lipa, Britney Spears), Leland (Selena Gomez, Ava Max) and Styalz Fuego (Khalid, Imagine Dragons). Something to Give Each Other is the follow-up to Sivan’s 2018 second full-length album, Bloom; he released the EP In a Dream in 2020.

The Australian-born singer/actor recently teased that he was prepping his first album in half a decade. “It’s not lost on me that some of you guys have been following along since i was the kid w the stye in my eye in that first video,” he captioned a series of videos posted to Instagram in June. “Btw — I didn’t mean to take 5 years to make this album.”

In addition to the album, Sivan is prepping the launch of Tsu Lange Yor, described as an “independent luxury lifestyle collection of fragrances and art-driven objects.”

Watch the “Rush” video below.

13 Jul 2023

Teacher Who Wanted to Feature Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton’s ‘Rainbowland’ in School Concert Fired

A Wisconsin elementary school teacher who got into hot water earlier this year for trying to include Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton‘s anthem of love and acceptance “Rainbowland” at her school’s spring concert has been terminated.

According to WISN, the School District of Waukesha Board of Education voted unanimously (9-0), on Wednesday (July 21) to end teacher Melissa Tempel’s employment at Heyer Elementary School in Waukesha, WI after saying she violated three school board policies. District officials said Tempel was place on leave on April 3, followed by a May letter in which Superintendent James Sebert said he would recommend to the Board of Education that her job be “terminated.”

During the hourslong termination hearing Tempel and school administrators testified, with lawyers for the school board saying that the teacher violated board policies by expressing her feelings on social media before she talked to her supervisors.

“Ms. Tempel deliberately brought negative attention to the school district because she disagreed with the decision as opposed to following protocol and procedure and I believe that behavior is intolerable,” said Waukesha School District Superintendent Sebert; Tempel’s lawyers argued that their client was exercising her free speech rights.

“I thought that the fact that the tweet that I made, that ‘Rainbowland’ wasn’t going to be allowed, was something that the public would be really concerned about and that they would be interested in knowing about it,” said Tempel during the hearing.

Back in March, language teacher Tempel called out the school’s administration after claiming that they vetoed the inclusion of a pair of rainbow-themed songs in the spring concert. “My first graders were so excited to sing ‘Rainbowland’ for our spring concert but it has been vetoed by our administration. When will it end?,” she tweeted at the time, along with hashtags for the school system, Parton, Cyrus and GSafe (which create safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth in Wisconsin schools) and civil rights.

Tempel also included the lyrics to “Rainbowland,” the Cyrus/Parton duet about acceptance that appeared on Miley’s 2017 album Younger Now. “Living in Rainbowland/ Where you and I go hand in hand/ Oh, I’d be lying if I said this was fine/ All the hurt and the hate going on here/ We are rainbows, me and you/ Every color, every hue,” they sing on the song.

On March 24, Tempel wrote, “The latest I heard is that the song was banned bc @MileyCyrus is controversial. D’oh, I thought for sure it was @DollyPartonvand her beautiful drag queen followers! Oh well, I can’t stop my students if they still sing ‘Rainbowland.’ It’s a fun, catchy song!” First grade teacher Tempel later speculated that the duet was pulled because of its “beautiful LYRICS. Because saying an ARTIST is controversial would be a very slippery slope and they wouldn’t want to go there. Amirite?,” she wrote.

When a commenter asked why the song was pulled from the concert Tempel responded, “no reason given.” A day later, Tempel reported that the administration had also banned the beloved Muppet Movie ballad “Rainbow Connection,” writing, “so it seems the reason is rainbows”; Tempel later clarified that “Rainbow Connection” had been unbanned after “parents sent emails to admin,” though at the time it appeared “Rainbowland” was still off the lineup.

The mother of a first-grader at the school said she was told the songs were pulled because they were too “controversial,” telling the Los Angeles Times that the local school board had undergone a “conservative flip” following COVID-19 mitigation strategies during the global pandemic. “One of those is a controversial topics policy saying that teachers can’t have any kind of signage that could be deemed political. … Discussion of pronouns with students was another thing that came up. And teachers aren’t allowed to wear rainbows,” parent Sarah Schindler said.

Another parent with a student enrolled in the district told the paper that the Waukesha school district has “really cracked down on anything LGBTQ… so this song being an ‘issue’ has not in any way come as a surprise.” The Board of Education reportedly said that the principal checked with the central office about district policy when the song was suggested and, “they determined that the song could be deemed controversial in accordance with the policy,” the board said in a statement in March.

The school’s principal, Mark Schneider, told the School Board at Wednesday’s hearing that he never said he thought the song should be vetoed or banned, according to Wisconsin Public Radio. Schneider also said that he was flooded with voicemails — some of which were threatening — which made him concerned for the safety of the school community, including “vulgar” messages that said he would “get what’s coming to (him).”

Superintendent Sebert also reportedly testified that he got a large volume of inquiries from parents, community members and people outside the district, which also included some threats. “I thought the way in which she disagreed with this decision was in direct violation of multiple board policies,” Sebert said at the hearing. Following a closed-door deliberation, the board voted unanimously to fire Sebert, saying she violated three different school board policies, including not following the chain of command by going to the media before airing her concerns to supervisors, engaging students on social media and making statement that “sowed disharmony among [the] staff.”

In the wake of the ruling, NBC reported that Tempel’s attorney said they believe they have a strong First Amendment case, with the teacher telling reporters she wouldn’t have done anything differently even if she’d known this would be the result. “And I really just want to say ‘hi’ to my students, because I haven’t been able to talk to them since March, and I really miss you guys,” Tempel said.

12 Jul 2023

Megan Fox Covers Up Tattoo of Ex-Husband Brian Austin Green’s Name

Megan Fox has officially covered a tattoo of her ex-husband Brian Austin Green’s name.

Tattoo artist Jesse Tattoo took to Instagram to share the new artwork he did on the Jennifer’s Body actress, which features a series of snakes and flowers down the side of her pelvic bone. “Coverup tattoo for @meganfox [snake emoji],” the artist wrote in the caption. “Was able to completely hide the old tattoo underneath the new snake and flowers she wanted… very grateful for all of the opportunity tattooing has given me and all of the cool people I’ve met along the way.”

See his post here.

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Fox was married to Green from 2010 to 2021, and the two shares three sons: 10-year-old Noah, nine-year-old Bodhi and six-year-old Journey. After their split but before the divorce was final, Fox met Machine Gun Kelly spring 2020 while they were filming the movie Midnight in the Switchgrass in Puerto Rico. The pair began officially dating that summer and later got engaged in January 2022.

In early 2023, rumors began to swirl that the couple’s relationship was on the rock after the actress deleted all of her Instagram photos with MGK and posted a video of a burning envelope with a caption quoting “Pray You Catch Me” from Beyoncé’s Lemonade, an album dedicated to the pain of being cheated on.

“There has been no third party interference in this relationship of any kind. That includes, but is not limited to…actual humans, DMs, AI bots or succubus demons,” Fox later clarified in another Instagram post. “While I do hate to rob you of running random baseless news stories that would have been much more accurately written by ChatGPT, you need to let this story die and leave all of these innocent people alone now.”

12 Jul 2023

2023 Emmy Nominations: All Program Categories

Numerous music-related shows were nominated in program categories for the 75th annual Primetime Emmy Awards. The nominations were announced on Wednesday (July 12). The awards will be presented on Monday, Sept. 18.

The Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show Starring Rihanna (Fox) is nominated for outstanding variety special (live), where it is competing with the Tonys (CBS), the Oscars (ABC), Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium (Disney+) and Chris Rock: Selective Outrage (Netflix). Last year, The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent became the first Super Bowl halftime show to win a top program Emmy.

These are the first Primetime Emmy nominations for Rihanna and Elton John. If the British superstar wins, he’ll become an EGOT. Chris Rock is a four-time Primetime Emmy winner, including a 1997 award for outstanding variety, music or comedy special for Chris Rock: Bring the Pain.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC) received its 12th nomination for outstanding talk series, which puts it in a tie with Real Time With Bill Maher for the most nods in the category without a win (yet). Competing with Kimmel’s show this year are The Late Show With Stephen Colbert (CBS, its seventh nod in the category), The Daily Show With Trevor Noah (Comedy Central, its sixth), Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC, its second) and The Problem With Jon Stewart (Apple TV+, its first).

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, which won for outstanding talk series the last seven years in a row, was moved to outstanding scripted variety series, where it is nominated. Its chief competition in its new category is Saturday Night Live, which has won here the last six years in a row. The Emmys have thus shaken up two categories where there was very little suspense. The scripted variety series category is rounded out by HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show, nominated for the fourth year in a row.

NBC’s The Voice is nominated for outstanding reality/competition program for the 12th time, which constitutes a new record for a music or dance program. It tops Dancing With the Stars (11 nods), American Idol (nine) and So You Think You Can Dance (five).

Dear Mama (FX), a program about Tupac Shakur and his mother, Afeni Shakur, is competing for outstanding documentary or non-fiction series. Another series about a rapper, jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy, about Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, was nominated last year, but lost to The Beatles: Get Back.

George & Tammy (Showtime), about country music legends George Jones and Tammy Wynette, is nominated for outstanding limited or anthology series.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (The Roku Channel) and Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas (NBC) are nominated for outstanding television movie. Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square won in this category two years ago. Other recent music-related movies to win in this category are Bessie (about gospel legend Bessie Smith, 2015) and Behind the Candelabra (about entertainer Liberace, 2013).

Carol Burnett: 90 Years Of Laughter + Love is nominated for outstanding variety special (pre-recorded). This is the seventh consecutive decade the TV icon has received a nomination. She landed her first nod in 1962 for her work on The Garry Moore Show.

The 75th Emmy Awards are set to telecast live coast-to-coast from Los Angeles on Monday, Sept. 18, (8:00-11:00 p.m. ET/5:00-8:00 p.m. PT) on FOX. Emmy winners Jesse Collins and Dionne Harmon and Emmy nominee Jeannae Rouzan-Clay of Jesse Collins Entertainment will executive produce the show.

Here are the nominees in all program categories.

Outstanding Variety Special (Live)

The Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show Starring Rihanna • FOX • Jesse Collins Entertainment, DPS and Roc Nation

Chris Rock: Selective Outrage • Netflix • Netflix / Tenth Planet

Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium • Disney+ • Disney+ Presents in association with Rocket Entertainment / A Fulwell 73 Production

The Oscars • ABC • Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

75th Annual Tony Awards • CBS • White Cherry Entertainment

Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)

Carol Burnett: 90 Years Of Laughter + Love • NBC • Silent House Productions

John Mulaney: Baby J • Netflix • Netflix

Lizzo: Live In Concert • HBO Max • HBO Max in association with LizzoBangers and Done+Dusted

Norman Lear: 100 Years Of Music & Laughter • ABC • Done+Dusted

Trevor Noah: I Wish You Would • Netflix • Bob Bain Productions, Day Zero Productions and Mainstay Entertainment for Netflix

Wanda Sykes: I’m An Entertainer • Netflix • Push It Productions for Netflix

Outstanding Talk Series

The Daily Show With Trevor Noah • Comedy Central • Central Productions, LLC

Jimmy Kimmel Live! • ABC • ABC Signature in association with Kimmelot

Late Night With Seth Meyers • NBC • Universal Television and Broadway Video

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert • CBS • CBS Studios

The Problem With Jon Stewart • Apple TV+ • Busboy / EDEN in association with Apple

Outstanding Scripted Variety Series

A Black Lady Sketch Show • HBO Max • HBO in association with For Better or Words, Inc., HooRAE, 3 Arts Entertainment and Jax Media

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver • HBO Max • HBO in association with Sixteen String Jack Productions and Avalon Television

Saturday Night Live • NBC • SNL Studios in association with Universal Television and Broadway Video

Outstanding Reality Competition Program

The Amazing Race • CBS • WorldRace Productions, Inc.

RuPaul’s Drag Race • MTV • World of Wonder

Survivor • CBS • MGM Television

Top Chef • Bravo • Magical Elves

The Voice • NBC • MGM Television and Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon and ITV Studios; The Voice USA, Inc.

Outstanding Television Movie

Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas • NBC • Warner Bros. Television in association with Magnolia Hill Productions and Sandollar Productions

Fire Island • Hulu • Searchlight Pictures Presents, a JAX Media Production

Hocus Pocus 2 • Disney+ • Walt Disney Pictures

Prey • Hulu • 20th Century Studios

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story • The Roku Channel • The Roku Channel, Funny or Die, Tango Entertainment

Outstanding Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary • ABC • Delicious Non-Sequitur Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and 20th Television

Barry • HBO Max • HBO in association with Alec Berg and Hanarply

The Bear • FX • FX Productions

Jury Duty • Amazon Freevee • Amazon Studios

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel • Prime Video • Amazon Studios

Only Murders in the Building • Hulu • 20th Television

Ted Lasso • Apple TV+ • Apple presents a Doozer Production in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television

Wednesday • Netflix • A Netflix Series / An MGM Television Production

Outstanding Drama Series

Andor • Disney+ • Lucasfilm Ltd.

Better Call Saul • AMC • High Bridge, Crystal Diner, Gran Via Productions and Sony Pictures Television

The Crown • Netflix • Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Television for Netflix

House of the Dragon • HBO Max • HBO in association with 1:26 Pictures, Bastard Sword, and GRRM Productions

The Last of Us • HBO Max • HBO in association with Sony Pictures Television Studios, PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint, and Naughty Dog

Succession • HBO Max • HBO in association with Project Zeus, Hyberobject Industries, Gary Sanchez Productions and Hot Seat

The White Lotus • HBO Max • HBO in association with Rip Cord and The District

Yellowjackets • Showtime • SHOWTIME Presents, Entertainment One

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series

BEEF • Netflix • A Netflix Series / An A24 Production

Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story • Netflix • Ryan Murphy Productions for Netflix

Daisy Jones & The Six • Prime Video • Hello Sunshine, Amazon Studios

Fleishman Is In Trouble • FX • ABC Signature

Obi-Wan Kenobi • Disney+ • Lucasfilm Ltd.

Outstanding Structured Reality Program

Antiques Roadshow • PBS • GBH

Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives • Food Network • Knuckle Sandwich and Citizen Pictures

Love Is Blind • Netflix • Kinetic Content for Netflix

Queer Eye • Netflix • Scout Productions Inc. and ITV Entertainment LLC for Netflix

Shark Tank • ABC • MGM Television in association with Sony Pictures Television

Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program

Indian Matchmaking • Netflix • The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC) for Netflix

RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked • MTV • World of Wonder

Selling Sunset • Netflix • Done+Done Productions and Lionsgate for Netflix

Vanderpump Rules • Bravo • Evolution Media

Welcome To Wrexham • FX • Boardwalk Pictures

Outstanding Game Show

Family Feud • ABC • Fremantle

Jeopardy! • ABC • Quadra Productions in association with Sony Pictures Television

The Price Is Right • CBS • Fremantle

That’s My Jam • NBC • Universal Television Alternative Studio in association with Electric Hog Dog

Wheel Of Fortune • ABC • Quadra Productions in association with Sony Pictures Television

Outstanding Animated Program

Bob’s Burgers • The Plight Before Christmas • FOX • 20th Television Animation

Entergalactic • Netflix • Netflix / Mad Solar / Khalabo Ink Society / Edelgang

Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal • Shadow Of Fate • Adult Swim • Cartoon Network Studios Rick And Morty • Night Family • Adult Swim

Rick and Morty LLC, Williams Street

The Simpsons • Treehouse Of Horror XXXIII • FOX • A Gracie Films Production in association with 20th Television Animation

Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special

Being Mary Tyler Moore • HBO Max • Hillman Grad Productions, Debra Martin Chase Productions, The Mission Entertainment and Good Trouble Studios; Ben Selkow, Produced by; James Adolphus, Produced by; Lena Waithe, Produced by; Rishi Rajani, Produced by; Debra Martin Chase, Produced by; Andrew C. Coles, Produced by; Laura Gardner, Produced by

Judy Blume Forever • Prime Video • Amazon Studios Meredith Kaulfers, Executive Producer; Sara Bernstein, Produced by; Justin Wilkes, Produced by; Davina Pardo, Produced by; Leah Wolchok, Produced by; Marcella Steingart, Produced by

My Transparent Life • Prime Video • Elysium Media; Serena De Comarmond, Executive Producer; Evan Jenkins, Producer

Pamela, A Love Story • Netflix • A Netflix Documentary / A Dorothy St Pictures, Tripod Media, and Colony Entertainment Production; Jessica Hargrave, Producer; Ryan White, Producer; Julia Nottingham, Producer; Brandon Thomas Lee, Producer; Josh Braun, Executive Producer

Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie • Apple TV+ • An Apple Original Film in association with Concordia Studio; Nelle Fortenberry, Executive Producer; Laurene Powell Jobs, Executive Producer; Nicole Stott, Executive Producer; Davis Guggenheim, Produced by. Annetta Marion, Produced by; Jonathan King, Produced by; Will Cohen, Produced by

Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series

Dear Mama • FX • FX Presents A Defiant Ones Media Group Production / An Amaru Entertainment Production in association with DreamCrew Entertainment, Interscope, MACRO, Polygram Entertainment; Lasse Järvi, Executive Producer; Nelson George, Executive Producer; Peter Nelson, Executive Producer; Jamal Joseph, Executive Producer; Ted Skillman, Executive Producer; Allen Hughes, Executive Producer; Stef Smith, Produced by; Loren Gomez, Producer; Joshua Garcia, Producer; James Jenkins, Producer

100 Foot Wave • HBO Max • HBO Presents, Topic Studios, Library Films, Amplify Pictures Maria Zuckerman, Executive Producer; Ryan Heller, Executive Producer; Joe Lewis, Executive Producer; Chris Smith, Executive Producer; Nancy Abraham, Executive Producer; Lisa Heller, Executive Producer; Bentley Weiner, Executive Producer

Secrets of the Elephants • National Geographic • Oxford Scientific Films LTD and Earthship Productions for National Geographic; James Cameron, Executive Producer; Maria Wilhelm, Executive Producer; Pamela Caragol, Executive Producer; Lucinda Axelsson, Executive Producer; Caroline Hawkins, Executive Producer; Jonathan Frisby, Series Producer; Dr. Paula Kahumbu, Producer; Kim Butts, Producer

The 1619 Project • Hulu • Onyx Collective, Lionsgate Productions in association with One Story Up Productions, Harpo Films and The New York Times; Nikole Hannah-Jones, Executive Producer; Roger Ross Williams, Executive Producer; Shoshana Guy, Executive Producer; Caitlin Roper, Executive Producer; Kathleen Lingo, Executive Producer; Helen Verno, Executive Producer; Oprah Winfrey, Executive Producer; Geoff Martz, Co-Executive Producer; Carla Gardini, Co-Executive Producer; Jonathan Clasberry, Producer

The U.S. and the Holocaust • PBS • Florentine Films and WETA; Sarah Botstein, Produced by; Lynn Novick, Produced by; Ken Burns, Produced by; Mike Welt, Produced by

Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking

The Accused: Damned or Devoted? • PBS • A 64th Street Media and Brook Lapping Production Mohammed Ali Naqvi, Produced by/Directed by

Aftershock • Hulu • ABC News Studios, Onyx Collective; Paula Eiselt, A Film by Tonya Lewis Lee, A Film by

Last Flight Home • Paramount+ • Interloper Films, MTV Documentary Films Ondi Timoner, Produced by; David Turner, Produced by

The Territory • National Geographic • National Geographic Documentary Films Presents a Documist and Associação Jupaú Film in association with Time Studios, Xtr, Doc Society Climate Story Fund / A Production of Protozoa Pictures, Passion Pictures, Real Lava; Alex Pritz, Produced by; Darren Aronofsky, Produced by; Sigrid Dyekjær, Produced by; Will N. Miller, Produced by; Gabriel Uchida, Produced by; Lizzie Gillett, Produced by; Txai Suruí, Executive Producer

Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special

The Light We Carry: Michelle Obama & Oprah Winfrey • Netflix • A Netflix Special in association with Higher Ground Productions & Jesse Collins Entertainment; Michelle Obama, Executive Producer; Jesse Collins, Executive Producer; Dionne Harmon, Executive Producer; Tanisha Whitfield, Supervising Producer; Tonia Davis, Produced by; Ethan Lewis, Produced by; Oprah Winfrey, Host

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman And Volodymyr Zelenskyy • Netflix • A Jax Media and Worldwide Pants Production for Netflix; Tom Keaney, Executive Producer; Mary Barclay, Executive Producer; John Skidmore, Executive Producer; Justin Wilkes, Executive Producer; Michael Steed, Executive Producer; Razan Ghalayini, Co-Executive Producer; Tommy Alter, Producer

Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy • CNN • CNN Original Series, RAW; Stanley Tucci, Executive Producer/Host; Shauna Minoprio, Executive Producer; Robin O’Sullivan, Executive Producer; Amy Entelis, Executive Producer; Lyle Gamm, Executive Producer; Jon Adler, Executive Producer; Katie Isaacson, Supervising Producer; Fiona Cleary, Series Producer; Nadya Mahdi, Series Producer; Francesco Ficarra, Producer

Taste The Nation With Padma Lakshmi • Hulu • Part2 Pictures, Delicious Entertainment; Padma Lakshmi, Executive Producer/Host; David Shadrack Smith, Executive Producer; Rachel Tung, Executive Producer; Lauren Budabin, Co-Executive Producer; Matthew Alvarez, Producer

United Shades of America With W. Kamau Bell • CNN • CNN Original Series, Zero Point Zero Production, Inc. W. Kamau Bell, Executive Producer/Host; Christopher Collins, Executive Producer; Lydia Tenaglia, Executive Producer; Sandra Zweig, Executive Producer; Morgan Fallon, Executive Producer; Amy Entelis, Executive Producer; Lyle Gamm, Executive Producer; Dwayne Kennedy, Supervising Producer; Crystal Isaac, Producer; Andrew Ford, Producer

Outstanding Emerging Media Program

For All Mankind Season 3 Experience • Apple TV+ • Apple TV+ in association with Tall Ship Productions Apple TV+ Tall Ship Productions Antibody Elastic

Gorillaz Presents • Google • Nexus Studios, Google, Eleven Management Nexus Studios Google Eleven Management

MLK: Now Is The Time • Oculus • Time Studios, Meta, Flight School Studio Amy Seidenwurm, Executive Producer Ian Orefice, Executive Producer Matthew O’Rourke, Producer/Executive Producer Sulivan Parker, Producer Limbert Fabian, Director

The Notorious B.I.G. Sky’s The Limit: A VR Concert Experience • Facebook & Meta Horizon Worlds • A Gunpowder & Sky Production Gunpowder & Sky The Notorious B.I.G. Estate Alex Coletti, Executive Producer Elliot Osagie, Executive Producer

You Destroy. We Create | The War On Ukraine’s Culture • Meta Quest TV • NowHere Media, Meta Quest VR for Good NowHere Media

Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series

Awkwafina Is Hangin’ With Grandma • Comedy Central • MTV Entertainment Studios, Comedy Partners; Nora Lum, Executive Producer; Teresa Hsiao, Executive Producer; Emily Moffatt, Executive Producer; Harika Manne, Executive Producer; Minnie Bennett, Supervising Producer

Better Call Saul Filmmaker Training • AMC • AMC Networks Content Room, Bacon & Sons Film Co.; Dan Appel, Executive Producer; Melissa Bernstein, Executive Producer; Peter Gould, Executive Producer; Ariel Levine, Executive Producer

Carpool Karaoke: The Series • Apple TV+ • CBS Studios in association with Fulwell 73 and Apple; Ben Winston, Executive Producer; James Corden, Executive Producer; Eric Pankowski, Executive Producer; David Young, Co-Executive Producer; Blake Webster, Producer

I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson • Netflix • Netflix; Tim Robinson, Executive Producer; Zach Kanin, Executive Producer; Akiva Schaffer, Executive Producer; Ali Bell, Executive Producer; Alex Bach, Executive Producer; Alice Mathias, Executive Producer

Only Murders in the Building: One Killer Question • Hulu • 20th Television; Dave Roth, Executive Producer; Zuriht Serna, Executive Producer; Trisha Choate, Executive Producer; Jillian Novak, Executive Producer; Xavier Salas, Executive Producer

Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series

House Of The Dragon: Inside The Episode • HBO Max • HBO in association with 1:26 Pictures, Bastard Sword, and GRRM Productions; Anthony Mauro, Executive Producer; Cristina Catanzaro, Co-Executive Producer; Mia Hildebrand, Co-Executive Producer; Dan Storey, Supervising Producer; Ashley Morton, Supervising Producer; Dana Froome, Producer

The Last Of Us: Inside The Episode • HBO Max • HBO in association with Sony Pictures Television Studios, PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint, and Naughty Dog; Emily Giannussa, Executive Producer; Julio Cabral, Executive Producer; Badger Denehy, Executive Producer; Eddie Maldonado, Executive Producer; Kathy Rocklein Sontag, Executive Producer

Saturday Night Live Presents: Behind the Sketch • NBC • SNL Studios in association with Universal Television and Broadway Video; Lorne Michaels, Executive Producer; Grace Shaker, Supervising Producer; Dina Moles, Supervising Producer; Dan D’Lauro, Producer; Matt Yonks, Producer; Mike Diva, Producer

Succession: Controlling the Narrative • HBO Max • HBO in association with Project Zeus, Hyberobject Industries, Gary Sanchez Productions and Hot Seat Productions; Chris Grasso, Executive Producer; Melora Soodalter, Executive Producer; Lindsay Nowak, Senior Producer; Jack Quinn, Producer

The White Lotus: Unpacking the Episode • HBO Max • HBO in association with Rip Cord and The District; Shanna Yehlen, Executive Producer; Jim Weiner, Executive Producer; Ximena Lopez, Co-Executive Producer; Katla McGlynn, Co-Executive Producer

12 Jul 2023

Some of Taylor Swift’s ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ Vinyls Accidentally Played British Electronica Music

A small number of Swifties got a major surprise when they received their vinyl editions of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), as the vinyls didn’t play Taylor Swift at all and treated listeners to British electronica music instead.

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The accidental mis-press of the vinyl was seen in action via a viral TikTok video posted by user @myschief_marauder. “Does anyone else’s ‘Speak Now’ vinyl not have Taylor Swift on it?” she says in her video before playing the record’s “Side A,” which ended up playing Cabaret Voltaire’s “Soul Vine (70 Billion People)” instead of “Mine (Taylor’s Version).”

“We are aware that there are an extremely limited number of incorrectly pressed vinyl copies in circulation and have addressed the issue. If you have purchased one of the affected goods, please contact customer service at your respective retailer for a replacement or refund,” Universal Music Group, which parents Swift’s label Republic Records, shared in a statement to Billboard.

Distribution company Above Board Distribution also addressed the mishap on Instagram, resharing @myschief_marauder’s original video with a Swift pun-filled caption. “Due to a delicate pressing blunder, some Taylor Swift fans received a misprinted copy of ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),’ which we have learned features audio of our in house compilation ‘Happy Land (A Compendium of Music from the British Isles 1992-1996),’” the company wrote. “Never in our wildest dreams could we imagine this situation. While we know all too well this error was beyond our control, we sincerely hope anyone who received what is Not Taylor’s Version of the vinyl is enchanted by the blissful electronica. Keep your eyes peeled for this special edition we’re sure it’s going to be a Discogs rare pressing classic in years to come.”

Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) was released on July 7 and earned over 575,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first four days of release (July 7-10), according to initial reports to Luminate — marking the biggest week for any album in 2023.