Music News

16 Mar 2023

Taylor Swift Drops Four New Songs Ahead of ‘The Eras Tour’ Launch: Listen

As if Taylor Swift beginning her long-awaited The Eras Tour wasn’t exciting enough, the superstar added to the hype on Friday (March 17) by releasing four new tracks.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“In celebration of The Eras Tour I’m releasing 4 previously unreleased songs tonight at midnight,” she revealed on her Instagram Stories a day prior. The four tracks include re-recordings of Swift’s dual contributions to the 2012 soundtrack to The Hunger Games — “Eyes Open” and “Safe & Sound” featuring Joy Williams and John Paul White — as well as “If This Was a Movie (Taylor’s Version)” and never-before-heard song “All of the Girls You Loved Before.”

The Eras Tour is set to begin on Friday (March 17) with back-to-back shows in Glendale, Ariz., which has temporarily been renamed Swift City in honor of Swift’s imminent arrival. Support on the tour will come via a rotating cast of opening acts including Paramore, beabadoobee, Phoebe Bridgers, girl in red, Muna, Haim, Gayle, Gracie Abrams and Owenn.

Since the Reputation tour wrapped in 2018, Swift has released four original studio albums — Lover, 2020’s Folklore and Evermore, and Midnights — as well as two re-recorded albums, Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version), both in 2021.

Listen to the four new songs below.

16 Mar 2023

The Chemical Brothers Return With First New Track In Two Years: Stream It Now

Two years after the release of their last new music, The Chemical Brothers are back.

The U.K. duo have today (March 17) released their latest single, “No Reason.” Their first song since 2021’s “The Darkness That You Fear,” the new output is classic Chemical Brothers — a textured and inventive (but never fussy) jam built around funk, bass, waves of percussion, and a precisely used voice shouting “whoo!” Jubilant and danceable, the song still maintains the hard edges the pair is known for. Watch the Smith & Lyall-created video for the track below.

The single comes ahead of the U.K.’s duo’s performances next month at Coachella, with The Chemical Brothers also playing shows in Santa Barbara, Calif. and Seattle, WA next month, along with festival sets throughout Europe for the remainder of the summer.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The pair — Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, have also been at work on a new album, which will be the followup to 2019’s No Geography. The album hit No. 3 on Dance/Electronic Albums and won the 2020 Grammy for best dance/electronic album. The guys have won seven Grammys in total during their nearly 30 year career, which launched with the 1995 release of their now classic Exit Planet Dust.

No Reason has also been mastered in Dolby ATMOS at Abbey Road Studios by Giles Martin, who has also previously overseen the remastering of The Beatles back catalogue. “No Reason” will also be available on April 28 as a limited edition red vinyl 12 inch with a previously unreleased b-side track, “All Of A Sudden.

16 Mar 2023

Fred Again.., Skrillex & Four Tet Release Collaborative Single: Stream It Now

The first collaborative single from dance music’s new favorite supergroup — Fred again.., Skrillex and Four Tet — is out. Released today (March 17) via Atlantic Records, “Baby, again..” was first heard during Fred again..’s Boiler Room set last July, a performance that has since been streamed 16 million times.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Indeed, the hype around this one is major, with both Fred and Four Tet appearing on Skrillex’s new album, Quest For Fire, released last month after a week’s worth of buzzy New York pop up shows from the trio that climaxed with a sold out show at Madison Square Garden on February 18. “Baby again..” was, in fact, the song playing during the climactic moment when the house lights at MSG finally went off midway through the five-hour show.

The five-plus minute song heavily samples Lil Baby and Da Baby’s 2019 track “Baby,” accelerating the BPM and adding layers of ravey production in line with the trio’s other recent output, with the track elevating to new plane of dancefloor headiness around the 4:30 mark.

“Baby again..” is already steeped in dance-world mythology, have been created during an impromptu studio session in Pangbourne, England where Fred, Skrillex and Four Tet came together to make music in the remote English countryside. (The backstory has earned the now apparently inseparable trio the nickname Pangbourne House Mafia among fans.) The song has since been a staple of all three artists’ sets. Listen to it below.

Meanwhile, Skrillex’s Quest For Fire (which, naturally, features Four Tet and Fred) is currently at No. 8 on Dance/Electronic albums, where it previously peaked at No. 2. Five Quest For Fire singles (including its lead single “Rumble” featuring Fred) are currently on Dance/Electronic albums, where Fred also currently has a pair of other singles “Mike (Desert Island Duvet)” and “Delilah (Pull Me Out Of This).”

Stream “Baby again…” below.

16 Mar 2023

Childish Gambino & KIRBY Team Up for ‘The Swarm EP’ in Time for New Prime Video Series: Stream It Now

After stepping away from music for the last three years, Childish Gambino — the 5-time Grammy-winning musical alter ego of Golden Globe-, Emmy-winning actor, producer and director Donald Glover — officially returns with The Swarm EP, a joint effort with singer-songwriter KIRBY that was released Friday (March 17) via RCA Records.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The six-song project is inspired by and arrives on the same day as Glover’s new Prime Video series Swarm, which follows a young woman named Dre (played by Dominique Fishback) who is obsessed with a fictional pop star that’s eerily similar to Beyoncé named Ni’jah, who’s voiced by KIRBY both in the new show and EP. Swarm was created by Glover and Atlanta writer and producer Janine Nabers, who is Swarm‘s showrunner. Chloe Bailey, Damson Idris and more are also starring in Swarm, while Gambino and Michael Uzowuru are executive producers of The Swarm EP, which Fam Udeorji co-produced.

Gambino’s latest project comes three years after 3.15.20, which was named after its release date at the top of the pandemic. The 12-track LP featured collaborations with Ariana Grande as well as 21 Savage, Ink and Kadhja Bonet and peaked at No. 8 on Billboard‘s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 13 on the Billboard 200.

At Billboard‘s Golden Globes After Party 2023, Glover spoke to Billboard about what he was looking forward to in 2023. “I just think it’s going to be a better year…. This year is the year of positivity,” he said. “We deserve happiness.”

Listen to The Swarm EP below.

16 Mar 2023

The Cure’s Robert Smith Negotiates Refunds From Ticketmaster on ‘Unduly High’ Fees

Robert Smith’s furious tweet spree on Ticketmaster’s fees “debacle” for the Cure‘s forthcoming North American tour has had the desired effect — a “gesture of goodwill” from the ticketing giant and the promise of some money returned.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Earlier in the week, Smith unloaded on Ticketmaster when the band’s fans complained that fees attached to the Lost World North American tour were most costly than the price of a ticket.

The problems emerged Wednesday (March 15) when tickets were made available to those who had registered for Ticketmaster’s “verified fan” sale.

Smith went on the attack when, in some cases, the added-on service fees, facility charges and order processing fees added up to more than the cost of entry, all despite the band offering reasonably-priced tickets for the trek and ensuring the tickets will be non-transferable to minimize resale and keep prices at face value.

“I AM AS SICKENED AS YOU ALL ARE BY TODAY’S TICKETMASTER ‘FEES’ DEBACLE,” Smith blasted in one all-caps broadside against Live Nation sister company. “TO BE VERY CLEAR: THE ARTIST HAS NO WAY TO LIMIT THEM. I HAVE BEEN ASKING HOW THEY ARE JUSTIFIED. IF I GET ANYTHING COHERENT BY WAY OF AN ANSWER I WILL LET YOU ALL KNOW.”

He got an answer, and he let them know.

“AFTER FURTHER CONVERSATION, TICKETMASTER HAVE AGREED WITH US THAT MANY OF THE FEES BEING CHARGED ARE UNDULY HIGH, AND AS A GESTURE OF GOODWILL HAVE OFFERED A $10 PER TICKET REFUND TO ALL VERIFIED FAN ACCOUNTS FOR LOWEST TICKET PRICE (‘LTP’) TRANSACTIONS,” writes Smith in the first of a new batch of tweets.

“AND A $5 PER TICKET REFUND TO ALL VERIFIED FAN ACCOUNTS FOR ALL OTHER TICKET PRICE TRANSACTIONS, FOR ALL CURE SHOWS AT ALL VENUES;” he continues. “IF YOU ALREADY BOUGHT A TICKET YOU WILL GET AN AUTOMATIC REFUND; ALL TICKETS ON SALE TOMORROW WILL INCUR LOWER FEES.”

In a separate tweet, Smith confirmed that “Verified Fan” ticket sales have now ended.

The legendary British goth-rock band’s Shows of a Lost World North American tour will span 30 dates, kicking off May 10 at New Orleans’ Smoothie King Arena.

The Cure took their place in the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2019, with Trent Reznor on hand to induct the group.

See Smith’s tweets latest below.

16 Mar 2023

Drake Adds 14 New Dates to It’s All a Blur Tour Due to High Demand

It’s been just three days since Drake announced his It’s All a Blur tour with 21 Savage, but the demand is so high that he has already added 14 additional dates to the upcoming North American trek.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

On Thursday (March 16), Drizzy added second shows in Houston, Dallas, Miami, Detroit, Montreal, Washington, DC, Seattle, Vancouver, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Las Vegas — as well as third shows in Brooklyn, New York City and Inglewood, bringing the tour to a massive 42 shows this summer. The tour will kick off on June 16 in New Orleans, and will wrap on Sept. 5 in Glendale, Ariz.

The shows in Drake’s hometown of Toronto, Canada, will be announced at a later date.

The tour is the “Jimmy Cooks” artist’s first since his 2018 trek, Aubrey & the Three Amigos. According to the press release, as the title suggests, the It’s All a Blur Tour is “a celebration of the last decade.”

Tickets for the new dates will be available at the general onsale, which kicks off Friday (March 17) at noon local time on DrakeRelated.com.

See the new list of dates below.

  • Fri Jun 16 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center
  • Mon Jun 19 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
  • Wed Jun 21 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
  • Thu Jun 22 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
  • Sat Jun 24 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
  • Sun Jun 25 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
  • Wed Jun 28 – Miami, FL – Miami-Dade Arena
  • Thu Jun 29 – Miami, FL – Miami-Dade Arena
  • Sat Jul 01 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
  • Sun Jul 02 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
  • Wed Jul 05 – Chicago, IL – United Center
  • Thu Jul 06 – Chicago, IL – United Center
  • Sat Jul 08 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
  • Sun Jul 09 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
  • Tue Jul 11 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
  • Wed Jul 12 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
  • Fri Jul 14 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
  • Mon Jul 17 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
  • Tue Jul 18 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
  • Thu Jul 20 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
  • Sun Jul 23 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
  • Tue Jul 25 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
  • Wed Jul 26 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
  • Fri Jul 28 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
  • Sat Jul 29 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
  • Mon Jul 31 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
  • Tue Aug 1 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
  • Sat Aug 12 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum
  • Sun Aug 13 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum
  • Tue Aug 15 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum
  • Fri Aug 18 – San Francisco, CA – Chase Center
  • Sat Aug 19 – San Francisco, CA – Chase Center
  • Mon Aug 21 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena
  • Tue Aug 22 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena
  • Fri Aug 25 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
  • Sat Aug 26 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
  • Mon Aug 28 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
  • Tue Aug 29 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
  • Fri Sep 01 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
  • Sat Sep 02 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
  • Tue Sep 05 – Glendale, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena

16 Mar 2023

Liam Payne Supports Louis Tomlinson at ‘All of Those Voices’ Documentary Premiere

Louis Tomlinson introduced a new side of him to the world at Thursday’s (March 16) London premiere of his upcoming documentary, All of Those Voices, and his One Direction bandmate Liam Payne was there on the red carpet to support.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

In videos shared by fans to Twitter, Payne is seen taking photos and waving to fans as he walks into the premiere, shortly after Tomlinson himself also made his appearance.

The Charlie Lightening-directed All of Those Voices, out in theaters on March 22, will delve into Tomlinson’s life and musical journey, complete with never-before-seen home video footage and behind-the-scenes access to the star’s 2022 world tour.

In a previously released first look, Tomlinson discusses his days in 1D and how he grew to be the member with the most songwriting credits. ““All of a sudden, I felt in control again. The first two and a half years, I just felt like I wasn’t in control of myself or certainly had an influence on the band,” he said of writing songs while in the group. “When I think about how proud I am of One Direction, I think of us as a collective. When I think about what makes me most proud as me as an individual in that band, is definitely having the most writing credits. That makes me feel important to the band, and that’s all I ever wanted when I was a lad.”

16 Mar 2023

Porter Robinson, Kevin Saunderson & Disclosure Among More Than 100 Artists to Be Featured in Daft Punk Book

Daft Punk‘s influence on electronic music is undeniable and unparalleled. Now, a cavalcade of artists will share their takes on the French legends’ sound and legacy.

The forthcoming book After Daft: The Rewiring of 21st Century Culture will include interviews with an A-list lineup of electronic artists, including Porter Robinson, Kevin Saunderson, Disclosure, The Blessed Madonna, DJ Minx, Madeon, Pedro Winter, Peaches, Junior Sanchez, Girl Talk and many more. See the complete list below.

Coming in March 2024, the book will be a deep dive into the Daft Punk universe, exploring the duo’s inner-workings and mass appeal. A press release notes that the book will go “deeper than ever before on the creative vision which established the French duo’s legend and the factors that precipitated their split. The project also takes a wide-angle lens to the past 30+ years of technological changes and musical evolution, with insight drawn from over 100 artists, DJs, studio specialists, filmmakers, designers, record labels and concert promoters who helped propel dance & electronic music’s surging influence within pop culture.”

After Daft is being written by Gabriel Szatan, a music and culture journalist whose work has appeared across publications including The Guardian, Pitchfork, DJ Mag and Dazed. (Szatan has also contributed to Billboard.) He formerly served as Tidal’s head of dance & electronic and Boiler Room’s former
editor-in-chief and senior curator.

“We went into the project wondering: what if there was a fresher and more compelling way to frame this transformative age in culture?” Szatan says in a press release. “That’s why After Daft is artist-led, to tell an authentic story through the eyes of those who shaped it: musicians from different backgrounds and disciplines whose lives interacted in fascinating ways, undersung creatives who oil the industry machine, as well as countless artists that thrived as the ceiling was raised on dance & electronic music’s creative possibilities and immense global popularity.”

Meanwhile, Daft Punk announced that an expanded edition of their 2013 classic Random Access Memories is coming this May. The project will include 35 minutes of additional material across nine tracks, including unreleased demos and studio outtakes

after daft, daft punk

Morgan Hislop

16 Mar 2023

Dina Lohan Says Lindsay Lohan’s Baby Bump Is Already Showing: ‘She’s Always Wanted Children’

Lindsay Lohan‘s mother, Dina Lohan, is beside herself with excitement that her oldest daughter is about to be a mom.

Speaking with People on Thursday (March 16), the Lohan matriarch — who already has one grandchild from son Michael Lohan Jr. — shared some of Lindsay’s thoughts, as well as her own, about the pregnancy.

While Dina shared that the due date will remain under wraps for the duration of Lindsay’s pregnancy — “I cannot tell, I will be in trouble!” she told the outlet — she did, however, reveal that the Mean Girls actress’ baby bump has already begun to show.

“Lindsay has always loved kids, because I love kids and my mother loves kids; I’m one of four,” Dina explained. “We have a big family, so she’s always wanted children. And she’s so maternal. Isabelle, her niece, just runs to her when she sees her.”

Lindsay’s pregnancy comes less than a year after she and husband Bader Shammas tied the knot. Dina says the baby could not have come at a more “perfect” time for the couple, as they had been hoping for a baby for a while.

“She’s been trying and then it happened, that little stick came up positive,” Dina said. “It’s the right time for her, and Bader is an angel. Her husband is so sweet and they’re just so happy. They’re just really happy and ready.” As for Shammas’ reaction to the news? “He’s so happy,” she added.

“I’m literally over the moon. I’m so happy, I can’t stop smiling,” said Dina, 60. “It’s incredible. We’re just so excited. It’s just such a beautiful thing for my child! And I love babies. Who doesn’t?”

The 36-year old actress revealed that she and Shammas were expecting via a Tuesday post on Instagram, in which she shared a photo of a white onesie with the words “Coming Soon …” in black printed on it. “We are blessed and excited!” Lindsay captioned the photo, ending her message with prayer hands, gray heart, baby face and baby bottle emojis.

Following Lohan’s baby announcement, several stars flocked to the comments section of her post to wish her well, including Paris Hilton, Donatella Versace, Quinta Brunson, Amanda Seyfried and more. Ex-girlfriend Samantha Ronson also reacted to the news, stating that she wished her “all the best.”

16 Mar 2023

Taylor Swift Is in Her ‘Eras Era’ With New Tour Rehearsal Photos

Taylor Swift‘s much-buzzed-about The Eras Tour is set to begin on Friday (March 17) with back-to-back shows in Glendale, Ariz., and the superstar gave fans a little peek into her rehearsals.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The “Anti-Hero” singer took to social media to share a series of photos of herself rehearsing her set onstage, dressed in olive-colored cargos, a black crop top and, of course, a red lip. “In my Eras era,” she captioned the post, which also included a photo of her multi-colored nails, which seems like each fingernail represents one of her 10 studio albums.

Swift also shared a sweet picture to her Instagram Stories of a hand-made “All Access” credential she made for her father. “D.O.H. Pass (Dad of Headliner),” the pass reads, as Swift jokingly wrote underneath, “We are a small family business.”

Her dad, wearing his new pass, then teamed up with Swift’s mom to put crystals on their famous daughter’s Fearless-inspired guitar “with super glue and a free afternoon.” Check out the multi-Grammy winner’s recap of her last rehearsal day on her Instagram Stories before they disappear here.

Earlier in the day, the “Blank Space” superstar surprised Swifties by announcing that she would be dropping four new songs ahead of her tour kickoff. “In celebration of The Eras Tour I’m releasing 4 previously unreleased songs tonight at midnight,” she revealed on her Instagram Stories. The four tracks include re-recordings of Swift’s dual contributions to the 2012 soundtrack to The Hunger Games — “Eyes Open” and “Safe & Sound” featuring Joy Williams and John Paul White — as well as “If This Was a Movie (Taylor’s Version)” and never-before-heard song “All of the Girls You Loved Before.”