Music News

24 Apr 2023

SEVENTEEN Opens Up About the ‘Grand Sound’ of ‘Charming’ New Song ‘Super’

SEVENTEEN unveiled their brand new mini-album FML on Monday (April 24), and to celebrate, the 13-member group sat down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe to talk about the inspiration behind some of the project’s songs.

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“‘Super’ is the track makes you cheer up when you want to do fighting and it is a charming song with the grand sound,” Seungkwan shared, with S. Coups adding, “During listening to the all the tracks in this album, we hope to feel that SEVENTEEN and [fanbase] CARATs are one team.”

As for what they have planned for the rest of the year, Seungkwan kept it coy. “It would be hard to say exactly what is the plan for the rest of this year but we will present great performances to CARATs,” he shared.

Listen to the full interview here.

Six tracks appear on FML: “F*ck My Life,” “Super,” “Fire,” “I Don’t Understand But I Luv U,” “Dust” and “April Shower.” FML arrives via PLEDIS Entertainment almost nine months after SEVENTEEN’s most recent full-length project, SECTOR 17, which earned the act a career high on the Billboard 200 by peaking at No. 4. 

FML is the most pre-ordered album in K-pop history with 4.64+ million pre-orders, a press release for the new album says.

24 Apr 2023

Here’s How Taylor Swift Cut Her Hand Mid-Concert: ‘It Was My Fault Completely’

Taylor Swift saw that her fans were concerned about her literal “Death By a Thousand Cuts” moment, during which she somehow acquired a gnarly injury on her left palm during one of her recent Eras Tour shows in Houston. Don’t worry, though — she says she’s completely fine.

In a Monday (April 24) post on her social media accounts, shared one day after she finished out a weekend of three concerts at NRG Stadium, the 33-year-old pop star revealed what happened to her and her guitar chord-playing hand during her Saturday (April 22) concert. “Just got to play 3 insane shows in Houston and I’m waking up smiling reminiscing about how much fun we all had,” she began, captioning three dynamic, sparkly photos from the trio of performances.

“Loving this tour so much because of the passion these crowds put into it all – seriously can’t wait for Atlanta,” Swift continued, before revealing how she injured herself. “PS for those asking how I cut my hand, I’m totally fine and it was my fault completely – tripped on my dress hem and fell in the dark backstage while running to a quick change – braced my fall with my palm.”

“It was all very Mercury in retrograde coded,” she joked. “Don’t worry about me I’m gooooood.”

Swifties have been buzzing about the “Anti-Hero” singer’s endurance ever since photos of her hand injury cropped up online following the second Houston show. Fans couldn’t believe how the pop star was able to continue through the rest of her three-hour set without any indication that she was in pain, despite the chunk of missing skin on the bottom part of her palm.

One fan even traced back photos from the night to identify when the injury must have occurred: during a costume change in between the songs “Tolerate It” and “Ready For It.” Another Swiftie tweeted, “i cannot believe she performed with her hand THAT injured last night, without letting on that something was going on. we do not deserve her.”

24 Apr 2023

Young Man Dies From Suspected Drunk Driver After Leaving Taylor Swift Concert

20-year-old Jacob Lewis was killed by a suspected drunk driver on Friday night (April 21) after leaving the Taylor Swift concert in Houston, Texas, with his sister April Bancroft.

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According to KHOU-11, the two young fans were driving home from the show when they had car trouble on the freeway. Lewis began pushing the car and was struck and immediately killed by 34-year-old Alan Bryant, who fled the scene. Thankfully, a tow truck driver that saw what happened followed Bryant and he was eventually arrested by police.

Jacob’s father, Steve Lewis, shared the devastating news on his Facebook page over the weekend, noting that Bancroft survived, and suffered “only minor bruises and scrapes.”

Steve also shared photos of Jacob and gave insight into his passion-filled life, which included enjoying theater, dance, music and playing video games. “It was Jacob’s love of Pokémon that introduced this family to the Pokémon Trading Card Game, and he would qualify for the Pokémon World Championships 3 times. Jacob competed against players from all over the world in Vancouver in 2013, Boston in 2015, and San Francisco in 2016,” Steve wrote.

“Jacob will be remembered as a loving and faithful young man who was loyal to his family and friends,” he concluded his heartbreaking message. “His last act was to push his sister to safety on a dark street. There is no way to describe the magnitude of this loss and the emptiness left in our hearts.”

See Steve’s post here.

24 Apr 2023

Katy Perry’s ‘Wide Awake’ Video Hits 1 Billion Views on YouTube

Katy Perry‘s video catalogue has reached a major milestone once again. The “Chained to the Rhythm” singer’s video for “Wide Awake” has surpassed the one billion views mark on YouTube.

The visual takes place just after Perry films the confection-filled video for “California Gurls” — she heads back to her dressing room, takes off her bubblegum-pink wig with its matching headband and stares into the mirror of her vanity before falling into a dark, maze-filled wonderland. A much younger version of herself ultimately rescues her and guides her to a lush garden where a Prince Charming is waiting. But instead of running off with him, Perry chooses to bring light to the rest of the kingdom. The video concludes with the star preparing to sing “Teenage Dream” in front of a crowd during a concert.

“Wide Awake” was released as the final single from Perry’s Teenage Dream album cycle, appearing on the set’s 2012 deluxe reissue, Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection. The track peaked at No. 2 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, where it would chart for a total of 26 weeks.

“Wide Awake” also marks Perry’s sixth video to surpass one billion views on Youtube. “Roar” currently sits at 3.7 billion, while “Dark Horse” trails behind at 3.4 billion. “Firework,” “Hot n Cold” and “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” all have over one billion views each. (“The One That Got Away” is close behind at 968 million views.)

Revisit Katy Perry’s “Wide Awake” in the music video above.

24 Apr 2023

Lea Michele & Myles Frost to Announce 2023 Tony Nominations

Lea Michele, star of the hit revival of Funny Girl, and Myles Frost, a 2022 Tony winner for his portrayal of Michael Jackson in MJ, are set to announce the 76th Annual Tony nominations on Tuesday, May 2.

The nominations announcement will air live from Sofitel New York on the Tony Awards’ official YouTube Page at 9 a.m. ET. Selected categories will be read live on CBS Mornings at 8:30 a.m. ET. A complete list of the 2023 nominations will be available on the Tony’s website immediately following the announcement.

As a replacement (for Beanie Feldstein) in the revival of Funny Girl, Michele isn’t eligible for a Tony nomination. Barbra Streisand received a 1964 Tony nod for best actress in a musical for her performance in the original production.s a

In 2010, Michele received an Emmy nomination for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for her breakout role in Glee. She was named as one the most influential people of 2023 by TIME, on their TIME100 list.

Frost received the 2022 Tony Award for best leading actor in a musical for his performance in MJ. At 22, he became the youngest actor to ever win in that category. Frost will next be seen in Ava DuVernay’s feature film Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.

The Tony Awards eligibility cut-off date for the 2022-23 season is Thursday, April 27, for all Broadway productions that meet all eligibility requirements.

The 76th Annual Tony Awards, hosted by Ariana DeBose, will air live from United Palace Theatre in New York City on Sunday, June 11. The celebration will commence at 7 p.m., ET/4 p.m. PT, with one hour of exclusive content streaming on Paramount+, followed by the presentation of the 76th Annual Tony Awards from 8 to 11 p.m. ET live on CBS, and streaming live and on demand on Paramount+.

24 Apr 2023

Carrie Underwood Adds More Dates to Las Vegas Residency

Carrie Underwood has added three new shows to her Las Vegas residency, Reflection: The Las Vegas Residency at the 5,000-person capacity Resorts World Theatre. The trio of new dates are Dec. 13 and Dec. 15-16, 2023.

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The eight-time Grammy winner was the first artist to perform on the theater’s stage when she launched her Reflection residency in 2021. Her approximately 90-minute set, bolstered by an array of costumes and pyrotechnics, serves as a chronicling of her numerous hits from the past 15 years, as well as songs from her most recent album, Denim & Rhinestones.

These new shows join Underwood’s current slate of performances at the Resorts World Theatre, beginning June 21, including dates in June, July, September, November and December. The residency shows follow her recently wrapped, 43-city arena tour, The Denim & Rhinestones Tour, which featured opener Jimmie Allen.

“We had a blast on the road with The Denim & Rhinestones Tour,” Underwood said via a statement, “but it’s always nice to come back ‘home’ to Resorts World Las Vegas to continue Reflection. This show is truly a celebration of all my music, and I love having the chance to welcome fans from all over the world who come to see us in Vegas.”

Tickets for the new shows go on sale Friday (April 28) at 10 a.m. PT. American Express cardholders can purchase tickets to the new shows before the general public beginning Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at 10 a.m. PT through Thursday, April 27, 2023 at 10 p.m. PT.

See Carrie Underwood’s new shows announcement below:

24 Apr 2023

Jimmie Allen Reveals His ‘Wicked’ Pre-Show Ritual

Jimmie Allen has a unique pre-show ritual when he’s warming up for his concerts on the road –performing the song “Popular” from the 2003 musical Wicked. The tune is delivered by Glinda in the Broadway show.

“I’m a huge musical theater fan,” Allen revealed to Kelly Clarkson on The Kelly Clarkson Show‘s Monday (April 24) episode. “Before every show when I’m on my bus getting ready, I listen and I sing the song ‘Popular’ from Wicked. That’s my jam. I play it, I’m putting my jewelry on, got my skinny jeans on …”

From there, Allen offered up a few bars of the song’s verses, standing up and twirling as he continued singing. Returning to his seat, he was quickly asked by Clarkson whether he would ever want to take part in a movie-musical.

“One of my dreams is to play Aaron Burr in Hamilton,” Allen said. “I did theater all through high school. I want to go to Broadway … my boy Wayne Brady did it in Chicago, then my boy Leslie Odom [Jr.] did it in the original cast. I love theater. I listen to it while I’m driving. I listen to the whole soundtrack.”

Allen recently revealed a new track, “Be Alright (15 Edition),” and premiered the music video for the song during his appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

Allen also recently announced that he and his wife, Alexis Gale, have parted ways, and that they are expecting their third child together. The couple wed in May 2021, and share two daughters, Naomi and Zara. Allen also has an older son, Aadyn, from a previous relationship.

“Our number one priority is and always will be ensuring that our children are happy, healthy and loved,” Allen told fans via a message on Instagram on April 21.

24 Apr 2023

ENHYPEN’s 4th Mini Album ‘DARK BLOOD’ Is Coming Soon: Here’s When It Arrives

May is gearing up to be a busy month for ENHYPEN‘s Engenes, as the K-pop stars announced both the title and release date for its forthcoming mini album on Monday (April 24).

The group — which consists of Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, Jungwon and Ni-ki — shared via Weverse at midnight that their fourth mini album, DARK BLOOD, is scheduled to arrive on May 22. Accompanying the announcement was a moody and enigmatic logo trailer, which features classical string instrumentation as well as black and white imagery of text, drops of liquid and more before unveiling the album’s title.

Fans were also treated to a calendar of events pertaining to the album’s release. Concept trailers, films, photos and mood boards will arrive between May 1 and May 10. DARK BLOOD‘s tracklist and its respective title poster will arrive on May 17, with an album preview to follow on May 18. The video teasers for the yet-to-be titled lead single precede the album’s release on May 19 and May 21, with the album and full music video releasing one day later. ENHYPEN will also perform a special showcase for DARK BLOOD on May 22.

ENHYPEN’s previous mini album, Manifesto: Day 1, marked the group’s first No. 1 effort on the Billboard charts. The set crowned Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart dated Aug. 27 in its third week on the chart, following its No. 3 debut.

Watch the album trailer for DARK BLOOD in the video above, and see the schedule of events for the album below.

24 Apr 2023

Watch Lizzo Create a Custom ‘Kiss My %!#* A–‘ Butt Tattoo for Fan Mid-Concert

Lizzo just created an impromptu tattoo design for a fan, and it’s *chef’s kiss.* At a recent concert, the star rose to the occasion when someone sitting in the front asked her to design a custom tattoo, which the star did in the most Lizzo way possible.

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Captured in a video posted Sunday (April 23) to the “About Damn Time” singer’s Instagram, Lizzo first consulted the fan — who’d been holding up a poster reading “Lizzo, draw my next tattoo” — about where on her body the new ink would be placed. After both agreed that the most appropriate place for a Lizzo tat would be on the young woman’s rear end, earning thunderous applause from the rest of the crowd, the Yitty founder put her own spin on the request.

Instead of drawing a picture or writing something out for the fan to get tattooed, Lizzo instead asked a crew member to bring her some lipstick. Then, after applying a fresh coat, she stamped a kiss on the poster, leaving a perfectly shaped, pink print of her lips.

“I’ma put my lips on this paper, so you can have my lips on your a–,” the four-time Grammy winner told the fan, who got emotional under the star’s special attention. “So if you anyone tries to talk s–t, you can tell them Lizzo says to kiss my mothaf–kin’ a–!’”

“Was it even a Lizzo Show if nobody got a A– tattoo??? ????” Lizzo captioned the video.
TAG ME WHEN U GET MY LIPS TATTED BOO!”

Watch the sweet moment below:

24 Apr 2023

Grimes Totally Supports A.I.-Generated Vocals: ‘I Think It’s Cool to Be Fused w/a Machine’

While most of the music industry is scrambling to figure out how to combat fake A.I.-generated vocals, Grimes is running in the other direction. “I think it’s cool to be fused w a machine and I like the idea of open sourcing all art and killing copyright,” the genre-pushing singer tweeted on Sunday night (April 23).

The series of tweets found Grimes doubling- and tripling-down on her quest to blur the lines between humans and machines and reconfigure the traditional copyright guardrails that have been in place for more than half a century in the music industry.

In a follow-up tweet Grimes linked to a recent story about how a fake song featuring A.I.-generated vocals from Drake and The Weeknd, “Heart on My Sleeve,” had been pulled from streaming services after going viral. Rather than demanding takedowns, Grimes said she’s willing to go halfsies with her fans if they create something worthy with her vocals.

“I’ll split 50% royalties on any successful AI generated song that uses my voice,” she promised of her stance, which is in stark opposition to that of Universal Music Group, which acted quickly to condemn the “infringing content created with generative AI” that produced the phony superstar duet.

“Same deal as I would with any artist i collab with,” she continued. “Feel free to use my voice without penalty. I have no label and no legal bindings.” In addition, she said she feels like we “shouldn’t force approvals — but rather work out publishing with stuff that’s super popular. That seems most efficient? We cud use elf tech for it tho – but I think we’ll notice if a grimes song goes viral.”

Furthermore, apparently free of label contract constraints, Grimes said she and her team are working on a program that should simulate her voice pretty convincingly, but that they could also upload stems and samples for people to train their own A.I. vocal generators. As for a timeline for the Grimes A.I., the singer said her crew was “p far along last I checked. I sorta just spur of the moment decided to do this lol but we were making a sim of my voice for our own plans and they were almost done.” She also was open to taking suggestions and tips on technology from her followers as evidence by a series of back-and-forth tweets with supportive fellow AI supporters.

Fans have been eagerly awaiting an update on the status of Grimes’ next album, the as-yet-unscheduled BOOK 1, alluding to some unspecified personal and professional hang-ups before revealing that “music is my side quest now. Tbh reduced pressure x increased freedom = prob more music just ideally ‘Low key I’ll always do my best to entertain whilst depleting my literal reputation I hope that’s ok I love y’all.”

The musician’s most recent album was 2020’s Miss Anthropocene, which included the singles “Violence,” “So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth,” “My Name Is Dark” and “Delete Forever.” Since then, she’s also released one-off songs including 2021’s “Player of Games” and last year’s “Shinigami Eyes.”

Check out Grimes’ tweets below.