Music News

05 Apr 2023

Selena Gomez, Harry Styles, Bad Bunny & More Nominated for 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards

Selena Gomez, Harry Styles, Bad Bunny, Austin Butler and Doja Cat are among the nominees for the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards. The show, hosted by Drew Barrymore, will air live May 7 from Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif., starting at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Gomez is up for best performance in a show for her role in Only Murders in the Building and best kiss for her smooch with Cara Delevingne in that show. In addition, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me is nominated for best music documentary.

The other nominees in the latter category are Love, Lizzo, The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean’s American Pie, Halftime (about Jennifer Lopez) and Sheryl (about Sheryl Crow).

Styles is nominated for best villain for his role in Don’t Worry Darling and best kiss for his smooch with David Dawson in My Policeman.

Bad Bunny is nominated for two awards for Bullet Train: breakthrough performance and best fight, for a confrontation with Brad Pitt.

A few of the nominees also received Oscar or Emmy nominations. Austin Butler, an Oscar nominee for his breakthrough role in Elvis, is nominated here for best performance in a movie, but his four rivals were not Oscar-nominated. They are Florence Pugh in Don’t Worry Darling, Keke Palmer in Nope, Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick and Michael B. Jordan in Creed III. (The latter film was released in 2023, so Jordan may land an Oscar nod next year.)

It’s a similar story in the nominations for best song. Lady Gaga’s “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick and Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, both of which were Oscar-nominated, are nominated here too, but the other four nominees here were not Oscar-nominated, for a variety of reasons. OneRepublic’s “I Ain’t Worried” (Top Gun: Maverick) and Taylor Swift’s “Carolina” (Where the Crawdads Sing) simply didn’t receive enough support. Doja Cat’s “Vegas” (Elvis) was ruled ineligible because it borrowed so heavily from the 1950s classic “Hound Dog.” Demi Lovato’s “Still Alive” is featured in a 2023 film, Scream VI.

The event, honoring work in both movies and television, across scripted and unscripted, will air on MTV internationally in more than 170 countries.

Top nominees for scripted programming are Top Gun: Maverick, Stranger Things and The Last of Us, with six nods each, followed by The White Lotus and Wednesday, with four nods each.

Top nominees for unscripted programming are Jersey Shore Family Vacation, RuPaul’s Drag Race, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Vanderpump Rules, with two nods each.

There are two new categories – best reality on-screen team and best kick-ass cast.

Beginning Wednesday (April 5), fans can vote for their favorites across 26 gender-neutral categories by visiting vote.mtv.com through April 17 at 6 p.m. ET.

Executive producers for the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards are MTV’s Bruce Gillmer, Wendy Plaut and Vanessa Whitewolf, along with Den of Thieves’ Jesse Ignjatovic and Barb Bialkowski. Jackie Barba and Alicia Portugal are executives in charge of production and Lisa Lauricella and Mike Ostolaza serve as the music talent executives.

Here’s the complete list of nominees for the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards:

Best movie

Avatar: The Way of Water
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Elvis
Nope
Scream VI
Smile
Top Gun: Maverick

Best show

Stranger Things
The Last of Us
The White Lotus
Wednesday
Wolf Pack
Yellowstone
Yellowjackets

Best performance in a movie

Austin Butler — Elvis
Florence Pugh — Don’t Worry Darling
Keke Palmer — Nope
Michael B. Jordan — Creed III
Tom Cruise — Top Gun: Maverick

Best performance in a show

Aubrey Plaza — The White Lotus
Christina Ricci — Yellowjackets
Jenna Ortega — Wednesday
Riley Keough — Daisy Jones & The Six
Sadie Sink — Stranger Things
Selena Gomez — Only Murders in the Building

Best hero

Diego Luna —Andor
Jenna Ortega — Wednesday
Paul Rudd — Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania
Pedro Pascal — The Last of Us
Tom Cruise — Top Gun: Maverick

Best villain

Elizabeth Olsen — Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Harry Styles – Don’t Worry Darling
Jamie Campbell Bower — Stranger Things
M3GAN – M3GAN
The Bear — Cocaine Bear

Best kiss

Anna Torv + Philip Prajoux – The Last of Us
Harry Styles + David Dawson – My Policeman
Madison Bailey + Rudy Pankow – Outer Banks
Riley Keough + Sam Claflin – Daisy Jones & The Six
Selena Gomez + Cara Delevingne – Only Murders in the Building

Best comedic performance

Adam Sandler – Murder Mystery 2
Dylan O’Brien – Not Okay
Jennifer Coolidge – Shotgun Wedding
Keke Palmer – Nope
Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary

Breakthrough performance

Bad Bunny – Bullet Train
Bella Ramsey – The Last of Us
Emma D’Arcy – House of the Dragon
Joseph Quinn – Stranger Things
Rachel Sennott – Bodies Bodies Bodies

Best fight

Brad Pitt (Ladybug) vs. Bad Bunny (The Wolf) – Bullet Train
Courteney Cox (Gale Weathers) vs. Ghostface – Scream VI
Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna) vs. Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven) – Stranger Things
Keanu Reeves (John Wick) vs. Everyone – John Wick 4
Escape from Narkina 5 – Andor

Most frightened performance

Jennifer Coolidge – The White Lotus
Jesse Tyler Ferguson – Cocaine Bear
Justin Long – Barbarian
Rachel Sennott – Bodies Bodies Bodies
Sosie Bacon – Smile

Best duo

Camila Mendes + Maya Hawke – Do Revenge
Jenna Ortega + Thing – Wednesday
Pedro Pascal + Bella Ramsey – The Last of Us
Simona Tabasco + Beatrice Grannò – The White Lotus
Tom Cruise + Miles Teller – Top Gun: Maverick

Best kick-ass cast

Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Outer Banks
Stranger Things
Teen Wolf: The Movie

Best song

Demi Lovato – Still Alive (Scream VI)
Doja Cat – Vegas (Elvis)
Lady Gaga – Hold My Hand (Top Gun: Maverick)
OneRepublic – I Ain’t Worried (Top Gun: Maverick)
Rihanna – Lift Me Up (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)
Taylor Swift – Carolina (Where the Crawdads Sing)

Best docu-reality series

Jersey Shore Family Vacation
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Family Reunion: Love & Hip Hop Edition
The Kardashians
Vanderpump Rules

Best competition series

All-Star Shore
Big Brother
RuPaul’s Drag Race: All-Stars
The Challenge: USA
The Traitors

Best host

Drew Barrymore – The Drew Barrymore Show
Joel Madden – Ink Master
Nick Cannon – The Masked Singer
RuPaul – RuPaul’s Drag Race
Kelly Clarkson – The Kelly Clarkson Show

Best reality on-screen team

Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, Vinny Guadagnino, Pauly D (MVP) – Jersey Shore Family Vacation
Tori Deal and Devin Walker – The Challenge: Ride or Dies
RuPaul Charles and Michelle Visage – RuPaul’s Drag Race
Ariana Madix, Katie Maloney, Scheana Shay, LaLa Kent – Vanderpump Rules
Garcelle Beauvais and Sutton Stracke – The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

Best music documentary

Halftime
Love, Lizzo
Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me
Sheryl
The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean’s American Pie

05 Apr 2023

Christina Aguilera Reveals She Lost Her Virginity ‘Later Than You Would Think’

Christina Aguilera knows “What a Girl Wants,” so she launched her own sexual wellness brand Playground aimed at empowering women. And in a revealing Wednesday (April 5) appearance on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, the 42-year-old pop legend promoted her products while diving deep into her life and career, touching on everything from the surprising age she lost her virginity to battling double standards as a young artist.

Though she didn’t reveal the exact time in life she lost her V-card, Aguilera shared that “it was later than you would think, given the girl that was doing ‘Dirrty’ and all this stuff.” “It’s so funny that I gave this persona because I probably was the last person to lose my virginity,” the vocalist said, referencing the explicitness of her earlier songs and music videos.

“[Sex] was something that was for me,” she added. “I guess that’s why my messages went the way they did, too, because I owned it first, maybe.”

Speaking of her early days, the five-time Grammy winner opened up about feeling misunderstood by the public and villainized by the media when she was promoting her album Stripped in 2002, which she said is her favorite era in her decades-long career. “I was like, ‘I have to do songs that mean something to me and are valid to who I am and being fearless and talking about anything,’” Aguilera told Cooper. “And that includes sexuality! I felt that there was a lot of shame and fear around the subject … so I just wanted to be who I was and make a safe space for everyone to feel food — and make it a conversation.”

“Growing up in this business, they’re gonna see you as a teenager, kid, they’re gonna see you as a young woman coming into your body, expressing yourself,” added the star, who as a young performer was on The All New Mickey Mouse Club in the early ’90s. “They’re gonna see you pregnant. They’re gonna see you go through the gambit of different places and stages in your life where you’re different kinds of weights. It’s so hard to just be inundated with different opinions.”

In addition to reflecting on growing up in an abusive household and giving pointers on her favorite X-rated activities, Aguilera also spoke about why she’s such a fan of her own Playground products, sharing that she prioritizes “defending or celebrating or opening conversations and doors for women to feel safe enough to talk about their sexuality and what that means for them.” “Everybody is so different and there is no shame in the game,” she added.

Listen to Christina Aguilera’s episode of Call Her Daddy below:

05 Apr 2023

Talia Smith Got Eliminated From ‘The Voice,’ But Won the Night With Her Surprise Pregnancy Reveal

Talk about turning an L into a W. After Team Niall’s Jerome Goodwin III and Talia Smith dueled it out on stage during the final night of Battle Rounds on The Voice on Tuesday night (April 5), the newbie coach had to make a very hard decision about who did Sam Smith’s “Like I Can” justice, with Smith shocked the world with her breaking news.

Kelly Clarkson was impressed with Godwin’s control, as well as Smith’s range and capability. “I could not take my eyes off of you,” she said. And though it wasn’t her tough choice to make, Clarkson said she was going to be “bummed to see either one of you go.” Coach Horan admitted there were “some pitch issues across the board” before saying Godwin won the day with his “composure.”

Smith took the elimination in stride, though, because she had her own wild card to reveal. “This whole journey started with a sad story and now I’m standing here and my whole life has changed, so I’m just grateful,” she said. “Thank you for the opportunity, I’m just happy to be here.”

Then, patting her belly, she added, “I want my future baby to look onstage and be like, ‘That was my mommy!’”

Mother of two Clarkson was gobsmacked by the Beyoncé-like baby bump reveal . “Did she just say baby?” she asked Horan, who jumped up to hug Smith. “Oh my God, that’s incredible!” Speaking to camera after the elimination, Horan called Smith “such a lovely lady, and an amazing singer,” adding, “I’m sad to see her go.”

Season 23’s next episode, “Best of the Blinds, Battles and Blake,” will air on Monday (April 10).

Check out the video of the blessed moment below.

05 Apr 2023

Tanya Tucker Announces New Album Following Her Country Music Hall of Fame Induction

On Monday (April 3), Tanya Tucker was announced as one of the Country Music Hall of Fame’s newest inductee-elects, alongside Patty Loveless and songwriter Bob McDill. The two-time Grammy winner Tucker wasted no time adding to the heralded moment, revealing her upcoming album, Sweet Western Sound, will release June 2 via Fantasy Records.

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The 10-song set will reunite Tucker with producers Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings, who helmed her 2019 album While I’m Livin’, the project that garnered Tucker her first Grammy wins for best country album, as well as best country song, for its single “Bring My Flowers Now.”

“Sweet Western Sound is another revelation and I’m excited to see what folks think of our new endeavor,” said Tucker said via a statement. “It’s ALWAYS a trip working with Brandi and Shooter. I didn’t know if we’d be working together again on a new album after While I’m Livin’!! But we did it! Lots of new things we did this time and I even co-wrote some of the songs, which means a lot to me. Brandi says we’re MAGIC together, and I’m starting to believe her!!!!”  

The Phil and Tim Hanseroth-written track “Kindness” leads the project, which also features contributions from Elton John’s longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin, Allison Russell’s Birds of Chicago bandmate JT Nero, Billy Don Burns and Craig Dillingham. A voicemail-generated rhyme from Tucker’s hero and friend, the late Billy Joe Shaver, opens and closes the album.

In addition to contributing production and co-writing four songs on the project, Carlile lends her voice to the track “Breakfast in Birmingham,” which Carlile co-wrote with Taupin. Sweet Western Sound also includes the previously released song “Ready As I’ll Never Be,” which also served as the closing song to Tucker’s 2022 documentary, The Return of Tanya Tucker, Featuring Brandi Carlile.

Tucker is also slated to headline two concerts at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, set for June 3-4.

See her announcement and the tracklist for Sweet Western Sound below:

  1. “Tanya” (written by Billy Joe Shaver, Tanya Tucker)
  2. “Kindness” (written by Tim Hanseroth, Phil Hanseroth)
  3. “Breakfast In Birmingham,” featuring Brandi Carlile (written by Brandi Carlile, Bernie Taupin)
  4. “Waltz Across a Moment” (written by Shooter Jennings)
  5. “Ready As I’ll Never Be” (written by Brandi Carlile, Tanya Tucker)
  6. “The List” (written by Brandi Carlile, Tanya Tucker)
  7. “Letter to Linda” (written by Tanya Tucker, Shooter Jennings)
  8. “City of Gold” (written by JT Nero)
  9. “That Wasn’t Me” (written by Brandi Carlile, Tim Hanseroth, Phil Hanseroth)
  10. “When the Rodeo Is Over (Where Do the Cowboys Go?)” (written by Billy Don Burns, Craig Dillingham)

05 Apr 2023

Jason Isbell Shoots Back at Kid Rock’s Anti-Bud Stance With Bad News About Bob’s Favorite Beer

Pretty soon, Kid Rock might be a devil without a case… of beer. After the conservative rapper-turned-country crooner posted a video earlier this week in which he blasted three cases of Bud Light using a semi-automatic AR-15-style rifle while intoning, “f– Bud Light and f–k Anheuser-Busch,” Jason Isbell had some bad news for the MAGA hat-wearing Bullgod.

“This is finally how we get him,” Isbell wrote. “Leave no bigoted beers to drink.” The comment came above a re-tweet of a post in which a user noted that Robert Ritchie’s beer of choice — Coors Light — is “guilty too!” The post featured an infographic noting that Coors “has had an anti-discrimination policy including sexual orientation since 1978, one of the first American corporations to do so.”

The image also said that the company “has financially supported its GLBT employees group since 1993,” while listing a number of LGBTQ-friendly bars where you can enjoy the brew that Rock promoted in a 2003 Super Bowl ad.

Rock’s rifle video came shortly after trans activist Dylan Mulvaney teamed up with Anheuser-Busch to promote the brand’s Easy Carry Contest, posting a video of herself talking about the campaign and even receiving “possibly the best gift ever” — a commemorative can of Bud Light with her face on it.

Mulvaney’s video immediately sparked outrage from right-wing commentators, who lambasted the brand for working with a transgender influencer. Anheuser-Busch responded to the backlash first in a statement to Fox News, which they reiterated to Billboard, saying the company works with “hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics and passion points,” and adding that Mulvaney’s commemorative can “was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public.”

The clip also came just weeks after a mass shooting at a private Nashville elementary school in which an assailant using a semi-automatic military-style rifle murdered three nine-year-old children and three adult staffers. Rock’s beer rant raised the ire of Fred Guttenberg, the father of a child who was killed during the Parkland shooting in Florida in 2018.

Guttenberg — who has turned into an outspoken gun control advocate in the wake of the massacre in which 14 teenagers and three staffers were killed — lambasted Rock for glorifying the kinds of war weapons often employed in mass shootings.

“Hey @kidrock, this dad is ‘feeling a little frisky today,” Guttenberg tweeted, mimicking Rock’s playful tone in a post that showed his late daughter trying to evade the murderous school shooter. “Let me be ‘as clear and concise’ as I can with you. This is my daughter Jaime (under the black oval) and these are the students running over her for safety to avoid getting shot by the AR 15 that killed her. F–K YOU!!!

Billboard has reached out to Kid Rock and Dylan Mulvaney for comment.

Rock’s video — which did not specifically mention Mulvaney or the LGBTQ-friendly Bud campaign — came amid amid a nationwide targeting of transgender people by conservative state legislatures around the U.S. Kentucky became the latest state to pass anti-trans legislation into law last week when lawmakers overrode Gov. Andy Beshear‘s veto of a bill banning gender-affirming care for anyone under the age of 18, while also compelling physicians to cease any ongoing gender-transition care for minors.

See Isbell and Guttenberg’s tweets below.

05 Apr 2023

Whitney Houston’s ‘I Go to the Rock’ Debuts on Top Gospel Albums Chart

Whitney Houston’s I Go to the Rock: The Gospel Music of Whitney Houston arrives at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart dated April 8.

The set, released March 24, earned 4,000 equivalent album units in the tracking week ending March 30, according to Luminate.

The 14-track collection, which includes six previously unreleased songs, marks Houston’s second entry on the Top Gospel Albums chart. Her first faith-based LP, the soundtrack to the film The Preacher’s Wife, entered at No. 1 in December 1996 and proceeded to dominate the list for 26 frames. It has charted for 158 weeks and was most recently on the ranking this January.

Houston co-starred in the comedy-drama, which was directed by Penny Marshall, and whose cast also featured Denzel Washington and Courtney B. Vance (plus Lionel Richie).

I Go to the Rock comprises studio recordings and live performances. The six songs not available until now: “He Can Use Me,” “I Found a Wonderful Way,” “Testimony,” “This Day,” “He/Believe” and a live version of the Simon & Garfunkel classic “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” which ruled the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks in 1970. Houston’s take on the ballad was recorded with gospel star CeCe Winans in June 1995 at a VH1 Honors special.

Houston, who passed away Feb. 11, 2012, at age 48, posted 11 No. 1s among 23 top 10s on the Hot 100. On the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart, she has scored four No. 1s, among eight top 10s. The Preacher’s Wife generated one of those top 10 singles: the No. 4-peaking “I Believe in You and Me,” as well as the No. 15 hit “Step by Step” (written by Annie Lennox).

05 Apr 2023

Meek Mill Points Out That He and Indicted Donald Trump Share a Lawyer: ‘Trump Graduated From the Streets’

The image of a grim-faced Donald Trump at the defendants’ table on Tuesday (April 4) during the former president’s arraignment on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records to cover up hush payments to a porn actress made history for a number of reasons.

But amidst the avalanche of coverage of the first former commander in chief to be criminally arraigned — Trump pleaded not guilty to all the charges — one thing you may have missed was an Instagram Story from Meek Mill about another bizarre wrinkle to the tale.

“Trump graduated from the streets… sharing criminal lawyers [with us]… Joe Tactical,” Meek wrote below the now-iconic image of a glum Trump seated in a Manhattan court room flanked by his lawyers, according to Complex. Meek was moved to weigh in because the man to Trump’s left was none other than lawyer Joe Tacopina, who was part of Mill’s legal team during the rapper’s successful bid to overturn his sentence for violating probation form a decade-old gun and drug case.

Another slide in the Story printed up the receipts tying Meek to twice-impeached Trump, depicting the MC standing next to Tacopina after a hearing. The two worked together when Tacopina — a tough-talking attorney known for representing rapper YG on suspicion of robbery, Sopranos actor Lillo Brancato on murder/weapons charges and actress Taryn Manning on assault charges — helped get Meek sprung from jail after serving five months on the probation violation.

Trump has denied the claims that he personally wrote checks to reimburse his former fixer, Michael Cohen, to pay for the silence of two women the former Apprentice star allegedly had affairs with during the 2016 presidential election. Trump, who is running for president for a third time, is due back in court in December.

05 Apr 2023

Donald Glover Says ‘This Is America’ Was Originally a Drake Diss Track

Childish Gambino‘s “This Is America” was praised upon its 2018 release as a searing, poignant commentary on race and police brutality in the nation. But, honestly, according to a new GQ cover story interview with Donald Glover, the song started as something much less noble: a jokey Drake diss track.

“I had the idea three years before. I told [director] Hiro [Murai] the idea, and he’s like, ‘I really want to do that.’… The idea for the song started as a joke,” he said in a video accompanying the interview in which the actor/rapper broke down his most iconic roles, including Lando Calrissian in Solo, Earn in Atlanta and Troy Barnes in Community. “To be completely honest, ‘This is America’ — that was all we had was that line. It started as a Drake diss, to be honest, as like a funny way of doing it. But then I was like, this s–t sounds kind of hard though. So I was like, let me play with it.”

Glover’s Gambino heated up a mostly one-sided feud with Drizzy in 2014 when he said during an Australian gig this his rapper alter ego was better than Drizzy, Kendrick Lamar and ScHoolboy Q combined. He later said his bravado was just part of the gig, no hate intended and the two have reportedly become friends in he years since.

He said he and Murai studied Michael Jackson’s iconic 1983 “Thriller” video for a long time to figure out “how do you make something… how do you make people care about anything anymore?… Well, you have to have a moment in real time.” What informed the song that went on to win record and song of the year at the 20919 Grammy Awards, he said, was all the Black Lives Matter social protests at the time, which inspired him to make what he described as a “‘We Are The World,’ like for trap [music.]”

And, in addition to shooting it on film for added drama, he said it was three total takes to give it that “continuous” feel.

The interview also touched on Glover meeting Ludwig Göransson when the future Oscar-winning composer (and Gambino collaborator) was working on the music for Community while describing their “amazing chemistry.” Glover also talked about how not getting a shot at Saturday Night Live — pal Amy Poehler reportedly told him his edgy stand-up is what scotched the deal — was probably a good thing.

“I dodged so many bullets. Me being on SNL would’ve killed me,” he said. “I got friends who made it on SNL and, at the time, I was like, damn. But if I got on SNL, my career wouldn’t have happened. Thank God I didn’t get some of those pilots. I wanted so desperately to be on Parks and Rec because it was the cool, hipster show.”

The interview about Glover’s new production company Gilga, included news of Glover mentoring former first daughter Malia Obama on her first short film. “The first thing we did was talk about the fact that she will only get to do this once. ‘You’re Obama’s daughter,’” he recalled telling her. “So if you make a bad film, it will follow you around.”

His longtime collaborator and Gilga creative partner, Fam Udeorji, said the plan was to support Malia in her creative endeavors however they can.  “Understanding somebody like Malia’s cachet means something,” he said. “But we really wanted to make sure she could make what she wanted — even if it was a slow process.”

Watch the GQ interview below.

04 Apr 2023

Bunnie XO Offers Heartfelt Message to Husband Jelly Roll After His 3 CMT Music Award Wins

Jelly Roll took home three accolades during Sunday’s CMT Music Awards, becoming the winningest artist of the evening. The rapper-turned-singer won male video of the year, breakthrough male video of the year (both for his “Son of a Sinner” music video) and CMT digital-first performance of the year for his performance of “Son of a Sinner” on CMT All Access.

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After the show, Jelly Roll’s wife, model and podcast host Bunnie XO, posted a sweet tribute to her husband on Instagram. She included a photo showing Jelly Roll with his head resting against his head as he held onto the railing in front of him.

“An anomaly: Something that deviates from what is standard, normal or expected,” she wrote in an Instagram post in tribute to Jelly Roll. “You my sweet other half, are just that. A man that was told no every corner he turned only to hit ‘em with that Nashville shuck & come out on top every time. I always tell you you have a horseshoe stuck up your ass, but that isn’t it baby. This is sheer will to spread light, to move mountains, to touch broken souls with your voice, to break generational traumas & set examples for the future. In short, you are the game changer papas. You were sent here to destroy stereotypes & blaze the trail for all the have nots.

“Saying I’m proud of you has to be so redundant after all these years, so tonite, per usual- I stand in awe of you. The pied piper of lost souls, the melancholy maestro.. tonite was your night. Hell if we’re being honest, 2023 has been your YEAR. You filled their hearts with love & brought ‘em to church handsome. Can’t wait to see what’s next.”

Jelly Roll performed his new single “Need a Favor” on Sunday’s CMT Music Awards, backed by a gospel choir. “Need a Favor” is currently at No. 32 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart. Jelly Roll was also among those featured in the New Faces of Country Music Show during this year’s Country Radio Seminar. On June 2, he will release his new album Whitsitt Chapel.

04 Apr 2023

Here’s Why Harry Styles Turned Down the Role of Prince Eric in ‘The Little Mermaid’

(Not) part of your world. The director of the upcoming live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid explained in a new interview on Tuesday (April 4) why Harry Styles didn’t end up playing Prince Eric.

“We met with him. He was lovely. What a wonderful guy,” director Rob Marshall confirmed to Entertainment Weekly. “But at the end of the day, he really felt like he wanted to go off and do the movies that he ended up doing, which were sort of darker.”

The movies Marshall referenced included the pop star’s leading roles in the 2022 sci-fi thriller Don’t Worry Darling opposite Florence Pugh and Chris Pine, directed by Styles’ former girlfriend Olivia Wilde, and the LGBTQ drama My Policeman.

Marshall also posited that the former One Directioner’s choice to turn down the Disney musical may have been an intentional strategy on his part. “For a lot of young musical people like Harry, you’re trying to carve your way and you don’t wanna be seen as a singer, necessarily,” he stated. “That’s why he was really looking to do something not in the musical genre, to really stretch himself. It was really a fun idea to play with, but in the end, I always think things happen for a reason. I’m so happy to have two young, new people in the film.”

Instead, British actor Jonah Hauer-King will portray Prince Eric in the film, which opens in theaters May 26 and stars Halle Bailey as Ariel, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder and more.