Music News

Woman Dies After Asake Concert Crush at Brixton Academy in London

A woman injured in a crush outside a London concert venue has died, police said Saturday (Dec. 17).

London resident Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, was one of eight people hospitalized after being caught in mayhem outside the O2 Brixton Academy on Thursday night, where Nigerian singer Asake was due to perform.

The Metropolitan Police force said she died on Saturday morning. Two other women, aged 21 and 23, remain in critical condition.

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Asake said he was “overwhelmed with grief” at Ikumelo’s death.

“My sincerest condolences to her loved ones at this time. Let us please keep her family in our prayers. I have spoken to them and will continue to do so,” he wrote on Instagram.

The police force said emergency services were called after “a large crowd attempted to gain entry without tickets” and they found people suffering from crush injuries.

It urged people with photos or video of the scene to submit it to help the police investigation.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was “heartbroken” by Ikumelo’s death.

“Rebecca had her whole life ahead of her and on behalf of all Londoners, I would like to extend my condolences to her family, friends and loved ones at this extremely difficult time,” he said.

“My thoughts remain with everyone affected by this dreadful incident. It’s vital that the investigation into what happened concludes as soon as possible.”

The Brixton Academy in south London is one of the city’s most famous music venues. Built as a movie theater in the 1920s, it has a capacity of just under 5,000.

Rihanna Gives First Glimpse of Her Baby Son With A$AP Rocky in Adorable TikTok Video: Watch

The superstar singer took to TikTok on Saturday (Dec. 17) to share an adorable video of her son, whom she welcomed with partner A$AP Rocky in May. In the 45-second clip, RiRi and her little one are riding in the back of a car while the infant smiles and coos at his fawning mom.

Rihanna is giving a first look at her 7-month-old baby boy.

“You tryna get Mommy’s phone?” Rihanna asks affectionately to her son.

Rihanna first announced her pregnancy at the end of January, after she and the “Fashion Killa” rapper were spotted hand in hand on a casual, snowy stroll in New York City. Since then, she spent several months elevating maternity style by turning out ensemble after ensemble of runway ready looks at Milan Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week and beyond.

The singer is still fresh off releasing her first pieces of new music in six years with “Lift Me Up,” which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November, and “Born Again” as part of the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. She’ll also headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show in February.

See Rihanna’s first video of her baby boy below on TikTok.

Watch BTS Send Jin Off to Military Camp & Rub His Newly Buzzed Hair in Heartwarming, Intimate Video

Even before BTS‘ official debut, the group was recording and sharing personal and intimate moments with their fans so, naturally, ARMY got a glimpse into Jin‘s big day of enlisting in South Korea’s military service.

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All six of Jin’s band mates came to send him off to the Yeoncheon army base, located north of Seoul and just a few miles 10 miles from the Demilitarized Zone separating South and North Korea. BTS managed to avoid the crowds gathered at the base (which reportedly included dozens of journalists and security staff, plus a handful of fans) and enjoyed some quiet time with Jin.

Soundtracked to BTS’ new Proof song “For Youth,” the three-minute clip shows the stars cracking jokes, posing for photos and selfies, and the guys getting a kick out of rubbing their hands through Jin’s newly buzzed hair

Of course, Jin shared a message for fans before heading off: “Health is a top priority so I won’t get sick, and I hope you stay healthy too, ARMY.”

Viewers then saw RM, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook proudly watch Jin join his fellow recruits and give the first salute of his military service.

RM shared some additional thoughts at the end of the video that spoke to his nurturing side as the group leader. “Jin hates the cold so I’m a bit worried,” the “Wild Flower” star said. “But we’ll follow him soon. I don’t feel great sending him off, but he always does well wherever he is, so I’m sure he’ll do well. It’s sad, but this is everyone’s duty.”

Per South Korean law, all able-bodied men must serve in the armed forces for at least 18 months with varying lengths of service time. The BTS members shared earlier this year that they will all serve in the coming months with plans to reunite in 2025.

Watch the heartfelt Jin’s Entrance Ceremony video as part of BTS’ BANGTAN BOMB YouTube series below:

Here’s Why Fans Think Dua Lipa Is Involved With Upcoming ‘Barbie’ Film

The long-awaited Barbie movie is finally hitting theaters on July 21, 2023, and the first teaser trailer was shared to the film’s new Instagram page on Friday (Dec. 16).

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And while it’s known that Margot Robbie stars as the iconic blonde doll, and Ryan Gosling will take on the role of her handsome boyfriend Ken, eagle-eyed fans noticed that the official Instagram for the film was following 15 people involved with the movie — including Dua Lipa.

Eagle-eyed fans who noticed began to speculate what the “Levitating” singer’s involvement in the film might be, with the most popular theory being that she’s contributing a song to Barbie‘s soundtrack. However, neither Lipa or the film confirmed any collaboration, and the Instagram account quickly unfollowed the pop star amid the buzz.

Director Greta Gerwig co-wrote the script for the Warner Bros. film with Noah Baumbach. Besides Robbie and Gosling, the jam-packed cast also includes Will Ferrell, Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa and America Ferrera.

The new, 75-second teaser pays tribute to Stanley Kubrick’s iconic 1968 outer space drama 2001: A Space Odyssey. “Since the beginning of time, since the first little girl ever existed, there have been… dolls,” says a narrator over sunrise scenes in the desert, as a group of girls play with their baby dolls in the dusty expanse. Our narrator continues, “But the dolls were always and forever baby dolls… until,” at which point we see the first glimpse of the towering Barbie posing in white sunglasses and a striped one-piece bathing suit, tilting her shades down to give the girls a wink.

Watch the new teaser for Barbie below.

Kendrick Lamar Enlists a Very Famous Therapist in ‘Count Me Out’ Music Video

Kendrick Lamar is known to largely keep his personal life outside of the public eye–except when it comes to his music. On Friday (Dec. 16), he released the music video for his Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers deep cut, “Count Me Out,” depicting the Compton artist in a piano-side therapy session with Oscar award-winning actress Helen Mirren.

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Directed by Lamar and pgLang cofounder Dave Free, the video begins with a skit about Lamar taking a woman’s parking spot, before presenting a three-way split screen, showing the “HUMBLE” rapper rattling off his innermost thoughts on one side, Mirren with a steady gaze of empathy on the other, and in the middle, the scenes he describes playing out, including shots of Lamar’s partner, Whitney Alford.

The video and lyrics touch on themes of frustration, growth, infidelity and ego, staying true to the color scheme surrounding Lamar’s Big Steppers tour — black, white and red — as well as themes of life and death. Mirren’s vocals were also used in transitional moments during Lamar’s tour set.

Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers released in May and debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart, with 295,500 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending May 19, according to Luminate. The album earned Lamar Grammy nominations for both album of the year and best rap album, with “Die Hard” with Blxst and Amanda Reifer up for best best melodic rap performance. He also received a whopping four nominations for “The Heart Part 5” in categories including record of the year and song of the year.

Olivia Rodrigo Shares Adorable Christmas Song She Wrote & Performed at Just 5 Years Old

Olivia Rodrigo shared a Christmas surprise Friday (Dec. 16) in the form of “The Bels,” the original holiday song she wrote when she was just 5 years old.

Even as a kindgartener, the pop sensation shows she had an early knack for rhyming as she sings, “Red and green is the Christmas queen/ Make the holidays special to me/ Oh, see the dancing gingerbread dance in your head/ Wait, wait, wait for the bells to ring there” over a beat perfect for sugar plum fairies.

Rodrigo also shared a note to her fans on her website along with the cute track, writing, “Hi guys!!! Hope everyone is doing well! I miss you guys! It’s been getting cold in LA & things are slowing down for the holidays. I put my little silver Christmas tree up in my living room & it makes me super happy. I’m so excited for the new year & everything that’s in store! I hope you guys have a holiday season filled with love & relaxation. Thinking of you always! All my love, Liv.”

For the past month, fans have been buzzing online that new music could be on the way from Rodrigo in the new year, based on the fan message she sent her top Spotify listeners as part of Spotify Wrapped 2022.

In November, the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star performed “You’re So Vain” at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony to induct Carly Simon as part of the Class of ’22.

Stream “The Bels” here.

Katy Perry Is the ‘Picture of Health’ in Ginger Root Costume

Sure, Halloween is long gone and we’re actually just nine days away from Christmas, but Katy Perry isn’t putting a good costume to waste.

The “Harleys in Hawaii” singer took to Instagram on Friday (Dec. 16) to share a series of photos, two of which she’s dressed in a life-sized ginger root costume and the third is a photo of a Bragg organic apple cider vinegar prebiotic shot that is filled with turmeric and, you guessed it, ginger.

“Picture of health,” Perry cleverly captioned the post, leading to confusion among fans in the comments section. “Why are you like this,” one fan joked, while another wrote, “u ate and left no ginger.”

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Some fans are also speculating that the photoshoot might be related to an upcoming music video. In September, the pop superstar joined Drew Barrymore on the actress’ eponymous talk show, where she hinted at making new music.

“I’ll probably go and make another record soon and write it and tour the world after this, which will be so great,” Perry shared as Barrymore let out a gasp. “But I’m pretty, like, even offstage. I’m more, like, businesswoman; I don’t talk a lot offstage. … I’m very, kind of, an observer. I really save my energy for when I have to go and turn it on. ‘Cause when I turn it on, it’s up to 11, girl.”

A new album would be a follow-up to the American Idol judge‘s sixth studio effort Smile, which was released in the summer of 2020 and contained the singles “Daisies,” “Smile” and “Not the End of the World.” 

Donald Glover to Star In & Produce Spider-Man Movie Based on Hypno-Hustler Villain

Donald Glover is finally getting a Spider-Man movie. It’s just not quite what you think.

Glover is attached to star and produce a feature set in Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man universe of Marvel Comics characters, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter

Myles Murphy, the son of actor and comedian Eddie Murphy, is on board to write the project, which has no title but is said to revolve on the Hypno-Hustler, one of the more obscure Spider-Man villains.

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Created by Bill Mantlo, the writer who also created Rocket Racoon, and artist Frank Springer, Hypno-Hustler was very much a product of the disco music scene when he first appeared in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man No. 24 in 1978. His real name was Antoine Delsoin, the leader of a band called the Mercy Killers and used hypnosis technology in his instruments on his audience in order to rob them.

Hypno-Hustler is not considered one of Spider-Man’s top villains — in fact, he regularly shows up on worst supervillains lists — but sources say Glover sparked to the musical aspect of the character and the fact that he has less Marvel canon baggage, freeing him to greater interpretations. The project could be anything from a disco period piece to a re-imagined modern hip-hop version or even a cyberpunk future play. Adding to the spark was Murphy’s take, whose details are being kept below the bass clef.

Glover’s name has circled Spider-Man for years, with fans clamoring for him to portray Spidey, particularly in 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man. That didn’t happen — Andrew Garfield landed the role as Peter Parker — but Glover did voice Spider-Man/Miles Morales in the Disney XD series Ultimate Spider-Man in 2015. He also appeared in a very brief role in Tom Holland’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. (A deleted scene from the movie pointed to him playing Miles Morales’ uncle.)

Sony, which owns the film rights to the Spider-Man and related characters, has a whole slate of film based on not just villains but also heroes that make up the Spider-Man family. With movies such as Venom and Morbius under its belt, the studio has Kraven the Hunter set for an Oct. 6, 2023 release. Hero projects in development include Madame Web and Spider-Woman.

Glover is repped by WME and Johnson Shapiro. Murphy is also repped by WME.

This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.

Danny Elfman ‘Surprised’ by ‘Wednesday’ Success, Thought It Was Going to Be ‘A Little Cult Thing’

Wednesday is officially a smash. The Netflix show, which premiered Nov. 23, has climbed the ranks since its release and has become the third most watched show on the streaming platform after Stranger Things and Squid Game, but for the show’s composer Danny Elfman, the success came as a major surprise.

Speaking alongside Phoebe Bridgers for an interview with NME published Friday (Dec. 16), the composer — well known and loved for his work on The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, Alice in Wonderland and more — spoke about what it was like working on Wednesday and how he feels about the show resonating with the masses.

Wednesday was just fun. I grew up on The Addams Family, but I really also dug the Charles Addams cartoons even more so, so for me, it was like a well known kind of character, so to do a variation [of Wednesday] it was just fun,” Elfman said.

When the interviewer asked if the show’s success came as a surprise to him, the composer replied, “Yeah, completely. But you gotta realize, I’m surprised by anything I do having any success. When Batman came out, I was composing to a cut that was so dark on the video I could barely even tell what was happening at the time. I thought this was going to be a little cult film at best, and so the fact that it was a big hit — that shocked me and surprised me. I thought Wednesday would be like Batman: I thought it was going to be a little cult thing.”

Wednesday has been quite the opposite of “a little cult thing” — the show’s synch of The Cramps’ “Goo Goo Muck” drove up on-demand streams of the track to more than 2 million in the U.S. in the week of Nov. 25 to Dec. 1, a more than 8,650% increase from the average 47 weeks before this year. And though Lady Gaga’s “Bloody Mary” was not featured in the show, it also gained 2 million streams thanks to the show’s corresponding TikTok dance trend.

Watch Elfman talk about Wednesday in the video above.

Alicia Keys Set to Host ‘Holiday Masquerade Ball’ on Apple Music

Apple Music announced Friday (Dec. 16) that Alicia Keys is bringing her first-ever Holiday Masquerade Ball to the streaming service later this month.

A trailer for the virtual event — which will stream Wednesday (Dec. 21) — shows the superstar performing a soulful cover of “Please Come Home for Christmas” on the Apple Music Live stage. “Bells will be ringing sad sad news/ Oh, what a Christmas to have the blues/ My baby is gone and I have no friends/ To wish me greetings once again/ Choirs be singing ‘Silent Night’/ Christmas carols by the candlelight,” she sings while pairing a bejeweled mask quite literally dripping in crystals with a sleek, tuxedo-inspired pantsuit.

With an assist from TikTok, the Masquerade Ball will feature music from Keys’ new holiday album, Santa Baby, and include appearances by JVKE and Jon Batiste.

“This is THEE Holiday party of the season,” Keys said in a statement. “I’m grateful to Apple Music and TikTok for helping me create a magic moment to showcase my first holiday album, in such a special way, for everyone around the world.”

Upon its November release exclusively on Apple Music and the iTunes Store, Santa Baby debuted in the top 20 on Billboard‘s Top Holiday Albums chart and has so far spent five weeks and counting on the tally. The studio set — a follow-up to 2021’s KEYS — was preceded by original holiday offering and lead single “December Back 2 June.”

Keys also stopped by Billboard‘s Pop Shop Podcast earlier this month to chat about the album, telling hosts Katie Atkinson and Keith Caufield, “It has a soulfulness, a rawness, it has that New York energy in it too, but it just feels like something you could play from top to bottom. And I recorded it like that; we recorded it very consistently over about seven days, and it all really feels cohesive and great. And so I love it. I think now is the time.”

Watch the trailer for Keys’ Holiday Masquerade Ball here.