State Champ Radio Music News
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The 2023 NCAA March Madness Music Festival will offer up headlining sets from Lil Nas X, Tim McGraw, Keith Urban and Little Big Town. The free ticketed three-day event slated to take place at Discovery Green Park in Houston from March 31-April 2 will also feature performances from Maggie Rogers and Mickey Guyton.
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Fans can register for free tickets here now. The April 1 lineup will have Rogers tipping off the action on the Move by Coca-Cola Stage, with Lil Nas closing things out. The Next night’s Capital One JamFest will feature Little Big Town and Guyton opening for headliners McGraw and Urban; performers and registration information for the AT&T Black party on March 31 will be announced at a later date.
Capital One debit/credit cardholders will get exclusive early access to tickets for the JamFest beginning March 8 at 10 a.m. ET through March 10 at 10 a.m. ET, or while supplies last. Fans can stream Sunday’s live performances on NCAA.com and Bleacherreport.com.
Last year’s March Madness Music Festival at Woldenberg Park in New Orleans had sets from Lucky Daye, BIA, The Kid LAROI, Khalid, Imagine Dragons, Macklemore, Grouplove and Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue.
Warner Bros. Discovery Sports/ CBS Sports will broadcast all 67 games from the 2023 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV. CBS will air the Division I Men’s Final Four, beginning with the Division I Men’s National Semifinals on April 1, then the Division I Men’s National Championship on April 3 from Houston.
SZA opened up in a new profile on Monday (Feb. 27) about the reason she turned down an appearance on Carpool Karaoke early in her career.
Speaking to Alternative Press, the R&B sensation revealed she was once offered her own turn in the passenger seat of the popular The Late Late Show With James Corden segment, but declined because she was “scared of being on camera, looking bad, sounding bad and being perceived.”
However, she’s trying overcome those fears and insecurities in the wake of releasing her acclaimed sophomore album, SOS, which is currently spending its 10th nonconsecutive week atop the Billboard 200 (dated March 4). “I really have to remind myself this is my moment in the sun, and I have to take every opportunity because this s–t may never happen again,” she said.
Elsewhere in the interview, the Grammy winner also revealed some of the surprising influences that found their way into the 2022 studio set, including Fefe Dobson, Avril Lavigne, Good Charlotte, Green Day, Blink-182, Paramore and Nickelback — all rock acts she loved growing up. “I was hella moved by that in elementary and middle school,” she said. “It made me feel so many things. I was like, ‘I don’t know why I’m in my room with the lights off crying, but that’s how I’m gonna spend my day.”
On Wednesday evening (March 1), SZA will be on hand at Billboard‘s annual Women in Music, where she will be honored with this year’s titular award. Other artists being honored at the star-studded event include Kim Petras, Doechii, Becky G, Lana Del Rey, Rosalía, TWICE, Lainey Wilson and Ivy Queen.
A “bonfire” at Dolly’s! Ashley McBryde revealed during her Wednesday (March 1) appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show that she once accidentally set a fire while house-sitting for Dolly Parton.
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The “Bonfire at Tina’s” singer shared that when she was younger, she and Parton’s niece were in charge of looking after the country icon’s home while construction workers were remodeling its lake house, and she accidentally set fire to a microwave while trying to heat up Bagel Bites.
“We set the microwave on fire on accident in a newly wallpapered room. Bagel Bites are delicious … but you have to be careful. You don’t want to be that person! Like, ‘Oh you know that girl set Dolly’s house on fire.’ “I grabbed [the microwave], it was fully on fire, I grabbed it and took it outside,” McBryde told Hudson, who wouldn’t help but laugh.
Parton, however, wasn’t upset with McBryde over the incident. “Dolly is such a sweet person. When she found out about it, she gave me the microwave,” the 39-year-old shared. “She gave me the microwave because I just moved to town. I was broke, I didn’t have a microwave. It smelled like burnt bowling shoes. I used it for like a year and a half.”
McBryde previously opened up about the incident in an interview with Audacy’s Rob + Holly at the Faster Horses Festival. As it turns out, Parton’s niece was the one who put the Bagel Bites in the microwave that cause it to catch fire, not her.
“I do take the blame for [the fire] because I’m the one who removed the on-fire microwave out of the house, but it was honestly her niece,” she shared. “She stuck a whole box of Bagel Bites in there — like, in the box and then ‘beep,’ there it goes in a freshly wallpapered room.”
Watch McBryde talk about the incident above.
According to Ed Sheeran, his newly announced next album, Subtract, was written top to bottom in a little over a week. But considering the amount of life-changing events he experienced within a matter of months — one of which involved a major health scare in his family — it makes sense that inspiration flowed through him as quickly as it did.
While unveiling the title and May 5 release date for Subtract, which is stylized in standard Sheeran fashion as “-,” the 32-year-old pop star revealed that his wife, Cherry Seaborn, was diagnosed with a tumor while pregnant with the couple’s second daughter last year. “Within the space of a month, my pregnant wife got told she had a tumour, with no route to treatment until after the birth,” he shared in his album announcement, posted across his social media accounts.
Sheeran and Seaborn first met while growing up in Sheffield, eventually reconnecting in 2015, and getting married in 2018. After first becoming parents in 2020 with the arrival of their daughter Lyra, the couple welcomed their second baby in May last year.
“Want to let you all know we’ve had another beautiful baby girl,” Sheeran wrote on Instagram at the time. “We are both so in love with her, and over the moon to be a family of 4.”
Seaborn’s mid-pregnancy health complication was one of several inspirations for Subtract, on which the “Shape of You” singer says he spilled his “deepest darkest thoughts.”
“At the start of 2022, a series of events changed my life, my mental health, and ultimately the way I viewed music and art,” he wrote in his Wednesday (March 1) album announcement. “My best friend Jamal, a brother to me, died suddenly, and I found myself standing in court defending my integrity and career as a songwriter. I was spiralling through fear, depression and anxiety. I felt like I was drowning, head below the surface, looking up but not being able to break through for air.”
Sheeran also revealed that he’d scrapped a decade’s worth of work on -, which follows 2011’s +, 2014’s x, 2017’s ÷ and 2021’s =, and replaced it with a tracklist of songs written “in just over a week.” “Writing songs is my therapy,” he shared. “It helps me make sense of my feelings. I wrote without thought of what the songs would be, I just wrote whatever tumbled out.”
See Ed Sheeran’s vulnerable album announcement below:
A Los Angeles judge ruled Tuesday (Feb. 28) that Marilyn Manson‘s lawyers could not cite a recent bombshell recantation by Ashley Morgan Smithline, one of his former abuse accusers, in his ongoing defamation lawsuit against actress Evan Rachel Wood.
Last week, Smithline claimed in a court filing she had “succumbed to pressure” from Wood to make “untrue” accusations against Manson. The singer’s lawyers wanted to use that as evidence in their lawsuit against Wood, who they allege orchestrated an “organized attack” of false rape accusations against her ex-fiance Manson.
But Wood quickly fired back that she “never pressured or manipulated” Smithline. And her lawyers asked the judge to ignore the new filing, arguing that the “eleventh hour” reversal by Smithline was just a “bad-faith” effort to save Manson’s case from being dismissed.
In an order issued Tuesday obtained by Billboard, Judge Teresa A. Beaudet sided with Wood’s lawyers, refusing to allow Smithline’s statements to be admitted into the case record for now because they had been filed too late.
That means the judge won’t view those statements as evidence at a hearing next month over whether to dismiss Manson’s case or allow it to proceed toward trial. The ruling leaves open the possibility that the statement could be admitted if the case survives.
An attorney for Manson declined to comment. A rep for Wood did not return a request for comment.
Smithline and Wood are two of several women to accuse Manson of serious sexual wrongdoing over the past two years. After the Westworld star posted her allegations to Instagram in February 2021, lawsuits quickly followed from Smithline, Manson’s former assistant Ashley Walters, Game of Thrones actress Esmé Bianco and a Jane Doe accuser. Another Jane Doe case was filed last month.
Manson has denied all of the allegations, and the cases by Smithline, Walters and Bianco have since been dropped, dismissed or settled. Now, the rocker is pursuing his own defamation lawsuit, claiming that Wood and another woman, Illma Gore, had “secretly recruited, coordinated, and pressured prospective accusers to emerge simultaneously” with false accusations against him.
Last week, Smithline made her bombshell accusations about being “manipulated” by Wood in a sworn declaration submitted by Manson’s attorneys in the defamation case, stating: “I succumbed to pressure from Evan Rachel Wood and her associates to make accusations of rape and assault against Mr. Warner that were not true.”
The new claims came as Wood’s attorneys were seeking to dismiss Manson’s case by citing California’s so-called anti-SLAPP statute — a law that aims to make it easier to dismiss cases that threaten free speech. Wood’s lawyers say Manson’s case is exactly that: an effort to punish the actress after she chose to speak publicly about years of alleged abuse by a prominent musician.
“For years, plaintiff Brian Warner raped and tortured defendant Evan Rachel Wood and threatened retaliation if she told anyone about it,” her attorneys wrote. “Warner has now made good on those threats by filing the present lawsuit.”
Manson’s attorneys wanted to cite Smithline’s recantation as a reason for Beaudet to deny the anti-SLAPP motion. They argued that it was early proof that they could eventually win their case against Wood, meaning it was a legitimate lawsuit and not merely an effort to stifle her free speech.
But Wood’s lawyers said the window to file such evidence had closed more than three months prior and must be denied: “Plaintiff’s ex parte application is a bad-faith attempt to save his meritless SLAPP claim from dismissal by requesting leave to file an untimely declaration, containing provable falsehoods, made under unreliable circumstances.”
At a hearing Tuesday, the judge denied the request to admit Smithline’s declaration. As reported by Rolling Stone, the judge said at the live hearing that there “really is no explanation as to why this [declaration] is bubbling up at this time.”
A hearing is set for April 11 to consider Wood’s request to dismiss the case under the anti-SLAPP law.
Many months ago, the internet was in an uproar with questions regarding a convincing video taken at the Venice Film Festival that appeared to show Harry Styles spitting into the lap of his Don’t Worry Darling costar Chris Pine. And finally, we have some answers.
In a Wednesday (March 1) video interview with Esquire, Pine finally revealed what actually happened in that viral moment from Darling‘s world premiere. “Harry did not spit on me,” he began. “Harry’s a very, very kind guy.”
“I had no idea what happened,” he continued, recalling how his publicist woke him up in the middle of his flight home, insisting they needed to release a statement regarding the spit-cident. “She showed me the thing, and it does look, indeed, like Harry spitting on me. He didn’t spit on me.”
Pine had previously denied that the “As It Was” pop star spat on him, with his reps releasing a statement almost immediately after the video started going viral in September that it was simply an “odd online illusion.” This is the first time, however, that either costar has provided an explanation for what Styles really did in the clip, if not hocking a loogie on the Star Trek actor’s lap.
“He leaned down, and I think he said, ‘It’s just words, isn’t it?’” Pine revealed in the new interview. “‘Cause we had this little joke. We’re all jet-lagged, we’re all trying to answer these questions. Sometimes when you’re doing these press things, your brain gets befuddled and you start speaking gibberish. And we had a joke: ‘It’s just words, man.’”
The “Watermelon Sugar” singer has also previously addressed SpitGate, as it’s referred to by some corners of the Twitterverse, in his own way. At his first concert back from the film festival, Styles joked with his audience that he’d “just popped very quickly to Venice to spit on Chris Pine.”
Watch Pine explain what really went down with the Grammy-winning singer at the Venice Film Festival below:
Weezer has toured the globe, sold millions of albums and written some of the greatest pop-rock anthems of the modern rock era. But the one thing the Rivers Cuomo-led band has never done is get a thumbs-up from Simon Cowell. But on Tuesday night (Feb. 28) the band popped in for a guest slot on America’s Got Talent, where they ripped through two songs and got high praise from the notoriously cranky reality TV judge.
The mini-set kicked off with a run through the SZN: Autumn track “What Happens After You?,” with the group performing the charging track in front of a giant wall of TV monitors as the judges politely clapped along. Then, in a surprise shift, the iconic drumroll kick-off to the band’s 2005 hit “Beverly Hills” swelled up and the Detroit Youth Choir charged to the stage, clapping their hands and chanting, “gimme gimme, cuz we the next big thing!/ Can you feel me, I know you hear me/ DYC the next big thing.”
While Cuomo strummed and sang the song’s first verse the choir busted out some high-energy choreo and made the chorus swell with their gospel-y backing vocals as judge Howie Mandel said, “I love this song.” After the stage exploded in confetti streamers, Mandel, Cowell and Heidi Klum gave the combined group a standing ovation.
Cuomo told host Terry Crews that performing withe choir was “super fun,” calling their background vocals “beautiful.” Cowell could not have agreed more, dubbing the performance “absolutely brilliant,” while thanking the band for the “magic” they brought to the stage.
Watch Weezer on AGT below.
Audible is taking music contests and audio storytelling to a whole new level with Breakthrough, the first audio-only singing competition series developed and launched exclusively as a podcast.
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The company revealed exclusively to Billboard on Wednesday (March 1) that Grammy-winning superstars Kelly Rowland and Sara Bareilles have joined Breakthrough as judges. On the show, the duo will guide the contestants’ performances, as well as mentor the artistic development of five artists through a season of musical challenges. As expected with the “audio only” format, the physical appearance of the performers is concealed, so their music is the only thing to connect them to listeners (and the judges too).
Over the course of nine episodes, the artists will be challenged with covering tracks that mean the most to them, stretching to genres outside their comfort zones, and writing and recording hooks and full original songs — with one artist ultimately crowned the winner. Throughout the series, Daveed Diggs will guide listeners through the contestants’ journeys as the host.
“I am so thrilled to be joining this group of wildly talented people for Breakthrough,” Bareilles said in a press statement. “I love that the creative team are on the same journey as our audience – getting to know these artists without seeing them – developing a sense of their artistry through only their music and storytelling. These five incredible souls showed up to each challenge with courage and vulnerability that invited us all into a remarkably intimate space, and I learned so much from them. No matter where you are in your career it is always inspiring to witness someone reach for the deepest parts of themselves and be willing to share that tender space.”
Rowland added, “I am so happy to be a part of this series that highlights and gives a voice to emerging artists. Audible is an ideal space for this and Breakthrough is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to up-and-coming musicians. I’m rooting for them all!”
Breakthrough premieres June 1 on Audible. Before then, check out an exclusive audio teaser below.
Spotify is launching a R&B First Nights program to support and amplify the genre’s rising stars and connect them to their fans, Billboard can exclusively announce Wednesday (March 1).
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As part of R&B First Nights, Spotify will support four R&B up-and-comers’ live shows in U.S. cities, and invite their superfans to attend. The streaming service’s latest initiative is supported by Spotify’s Creator Equity Fund, which also recently supported the company’s GLOW program for LGBTQ artists.
Singer-songwriter Victoria Monét will kick off Spotify’s R&B First Nights in Los Angeles on March 31, while U.K. trio FLO will perform in Atlanta on April 13.
“To this day I’ve still never headlined my own show and it’s been a huge dream of mine, which is why this upcoming show with Spotify is so special and important to me!” says Monét in a statement to Billboard. “It’s more than a concert: It’s a celebration and kickoff to a new era of my music. Thank you so much to Spotify for what will be an unforgettable night in L.A.! My first headline show of many.”
Guys!!! Special announcement: My very first headlining show ever will be in LA on March 31st imma cry! 🥹 Come celebrate with me and let’s kick off the JAGUAR II era together. Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10AM PST. Hope to see you there 🤎Thank you @spotify @goldenvoice pic.twitter.com/FtK46cbtpl— Victoria Monét (@VictoriaMonet) February 28, 2023
Tickets for Monét’s L.A. show at the El Rey Theatre go on sale Friday, March 3, at 10 a.m. PT here.
“As Spotify continues its support of R&B globally by providing resources, visibility, and vehicles for storytelling, this series kicking off with Victoria Monét is just the beginning,” says Alaysia Sierra, head of R&B at Spotify, in a statement to Billboard. “R&B First Nights is a quarterly series in partnership with artists on their first-ever headlining show in select markets. A special moment for the artists (as a first can only happen once), but also one of the most memorable moments for a fan — we’re so excited to be giving this opportunity to R&B artists and fans. Since this is likely the first time many will be seeing their favorite artist live, we’ve been so intentional about who and where.”
Lizzo can’t get enough of Rammstein. A week after doing a playful a cappella run through the chorus of the German band’s 1997 single “Du Hast” at a show in Hamburg, Germany, the flute-loving rapper was at it again in Berlin at Mercedes-Benz Arena on Tuesday night (Feb. 28), where she did a beefed-up version of the industrial metal anthem.
Backed by her full band and dancers, Lizzo sang the song’s hypnotic refrain before warning the audience, “you better sing that s–t!” As she stalked the stage in a lime green unitard, she asked the crowd, “Y’all ready to go f–king crazy?”
Whether or not, here she came, jumping in time to the song’s aggro guitars, taking off her baseball hat for some hair-whip headbanging and throwing in a heavy metal twerk for good measure. She posted video of the moment, repeating the German phrase she uttered at the end of the cover: “Ich liebe dich Berlin,” which translates into “I love you Berlin.”
The second “Hast” came during a week in which Lizzo also re-created Ariana DeBose’s viral opening number from the 2023 BAFTA Awards, complete with the West Side Story breakout star’s shoulder shimmy and impassioned delivery of the infamous line “Angela Bassett did the thing!” The European leg of Lizzo’s The Special Tour will continue through the middle of March, with stops in Milan, Paris, Dublin and London before she heads back to the U.S. for a second North American leg beginning April 21 at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn.
Check out Lizzo’s cover of “Du Hast” below.
