Music News

14 Dec 2022

Blake Shelton Explains Why Gwen Stefani Was ‘Literally Sobbing’ During ‘The Voice’ Finale

That’s a wrap! Season 22 of The Voice concluded on Tuesday night (Dec. 13) and saw contestant Bryce Leatherwood Tuesday night’s (Dec. 13) finale marked Stefani’s last appearance on the show. and add yet another victory notch to Blake Shelton‘s belt. But when the cameras stopped rolling, fellow coach Gwen Stefani — who is married to the country star — was inconsolable, and not because she lost.

“I walked over to Gwen’s chair after the cameras went off and she’s over there literally sobbing,” the country singer told Entertainment Tonight of the No Doubt singer, who has coached on and off since season seven. “She was like, ‘This is our last time that we’re going to do this together.’”

Shelton added, “It will be the last time she and I do this together, and it is crazy to think of how the show changed my life.” The couple met on the show in 2014 during season seven. “I was so wrapped up in this that I didn’t even think about that.”

Earlier in the month, the “Hollaback Girl” singer spoke with ET about how bittersweet it has been working with Shelton on season 22 of The Voice has been, as the upcoming season 23 will be the country star’s last as a coach. “It’s just been a really amazing season, too short,” the 53-year-old said on Dec. 6 just before the show’s semifinals, getting teary-eyed. “It’s mine and Blake’s last season … I can’t even get the words out of my mouth ’cause it sucks.”

Following the show wrapping on Tuesday night, Stefani took to Twitter to celebrate the end of season 22. “Aaand that’s a wrap!!! forever thankful to @NBCTheVoice, this show has changed my life in more ways than i can count. szn 22 forever !!!! ❤️ gx #TheVoice,” she wrote, later adding “tonight is so bittersweet” in a massage to a fan.

See Stefani’s tweets below.

14 Dec 2022

Kate Hudson Opens Up About ‘Taking Accountability’ After Matt Bellamy Breakup

Kate Hudson has learned a lot about herself thanks to her relationships with others. That especially goes for her difficult breakup from Muse frontman Matt Bellamy, which the Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery actress opened up about in a recent appearance on Josh Smith’s Reign podcast.

Things got deep when Smith asked Hudson about the ways she is similar to an onion, a funny reference to the title of her newest film, which arrives on Netflix Dec. 23 following a one-week theatrical release in November. “I’m still peeling back those layers,” she laughed.

“I think we all are,” continued the actress, who landed a spot on Billboard‘s Digital Song Sales chart in September 2012 when her feature on the Glee cast’s song “Americano/Dance Again” peaked at No. 61. “We all have to figure out what’s at the core of our own little onion. I think that’s when things started changing for me — when I started taking far more accountability for my own s–t.”

When Smith pressed the Almost Famous star for a life moment that prompted her to start taking accountability — something she said is “liberating” — Hudson brought up her split from Bellamy, with whom she shares 11-year-old son Bing.

“After my second failed baby-daddy relationship,” she said. “That moment for me was like, ‘Now I have to figure this out.’”

Hudson welcomed her first child, now 18-year-old son Ryder, in 2004 with The Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson, to whom she was married from 2000 to 2007. She was engaged to Bellamy from 2011 to 2014.

“That was really hard for me because I didn’t want that to end,” she said of her relationship with the Muse singer. “I need to figure out what this is in my life, this pattern I keep repeating, and take accountability for it. I think the issue is when people blame everybody else for any challenges or hardships. I don’t want to be friends with that person.”

The Bride Wars star is now engaged to Danny Fujikawa, and the two share 4-year-old daughter Rani.

14 Dec 2022

The Exploited Cancel Remaining 2022 Dates After Singer Wattie Buchan Collapses on Stage

Veteran Scottish punk band The Exploited have canceled their remaining 2022 tour dates following an onstage health incident that affected singer Wattie Buchan during a show in Bogota, Colombia on Saturday. “Yesterday, December 10th, 2022 during the end of the set Wattie collapsed on stage in Bogota, COL and was rushed into hospital by ambulance,” the band wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday.

“Thankfully Wattie is feeling better now and is resting in a hotel in Bogota… Due to doctor’s orders all remaining shows for 2022 have been cancelled, including tonight’s performance in Cali, COL,” the band continued, noting that they were preparing to return home to the UK while also offering an apology to fans and promoters for the sudden cancellation; the group’s planned show on Friday (Dec. 16) in London has also been scotched.

“We are sorry about this but Wattie is exhausted and told to cancel all upcoming gigs for this year,” they added alongside a video from the Bogota show in which Buchan, 65 — rocking his signature towering liberty spike hairstyle — is seen doubling over with his hands on his knees before collapsing to the stage and being attended to by stagehands. An Instagram post featured pictures of Buchan in the back of an ambulance with an oxygen tube in his nose.

Back in Feb. 2014, Buchan collapsed on stage during a show in Lisbon, Portugal after suffering a heart attack and was hospitalized in Belgium in 2017 after suffering a heart issue while on tour. A band spokesperson reportedly told Scottish broadcaster STV that, “Wattie had another suspected heart attack. He tried playing on but had to actually stop a couple of songs until he eventually collapsed. He got taken away to hospital in an ambulance but over 900 people refused to leave the venue until he heard he was alright. The Exploited are held as idols over here, and Wattie is seen as the king of punk. He has kept the punk movement alive when everyone in the press said it was dead. He is actually a living legend.”

Back in March 2020, the hard-touring band steadfastly refused to cancel their planned 40th anniversary tour in the midst of the then-exploding COVID-19 pandemic. “F–k coronavirus! I have had five heart attacks, a quad heart bypass and a heart pacemaker fitted,” Buchan told tour promoter DRW Entertainment, who shared the rocker’s thoughts in a Facebook post at the time. “Cancel gigs for a virus? We ain’t f–king Green Day — we are the real deal. No danger will we be canceling our upcoming gigs. Punk’s not dead!”

The beloved punks formed in Edinburgh in 1979 and released their full-length debut, Punks Not Dead, in 1981; Buchan is the sole remaining original member.

See the band’s post below.

14 Dec 2022

‘Grammy Salute’ to Paul Simon Will Feature Dave Matthews, Brad Paisley & More Performances

UPDATE (Dec. 14): CBS will air Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon on Dec. 21 from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET/PT. The show will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+. Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, Eric Church, Susanna Hoffs, Jonas Brothers, Sting and Stevie Wonder performed on the show, in addition to the previously announced artists.

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Jimmy Cliff joined the previously announced Shaggy for a performance. Brandi Carlile, originally announced as a performer, is not included in the final lineup. Presenters and special appearances include Sofia Carson, Herbie Hancock, Woody Harrelson, Dustin Hoffman, Elton John, Folake Olowofoyeku and Oprah Winfrey.

PREVIOUSLY (March 24): On April 6, three days after the 2022 Grammy Awards telecast in Las Vegas, the Recording Academy will tape a salute to the songs of Paul Simon at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood.

Brandi Carlile, who was in the first batch of performers announced for the April 3 Grammy telecast, will also perform on this concert special, which is titled Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon. Other performers set for the show — all current or past Grammy nominees — are Rhiannon Giddens, Angélique Kidjo, Little Big Town, Dave Matthews, Brad Paisley, Billy Porter, Shaggy, Take 6, Irma Thomas and Trombone Shorty.

Simon will make a “special appearance” at the tribute, which joins a long line of Grammy salutes, including The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to The Beatles, Let’s Go Crazy: The Grammy Salute to Prince, Stayin’ Alive: A Grammy Salute to the Music of The Bee Gees, and We Will Always Love You: A Grammy Salute to Whitney Houston.

The Simon salute is produced by Ken Ehrlich Productions. Ehrlich, who was producer or executive producer of the Grammy Awards telecast for 40 years, from 1980 through 2020, is executive producer.

Tickets will go on sale to the public on Saturday March 26 at 10 a.m. PT. The public link to purchase tickets will be active here on that date.

The show will air on CBS later in 2022.

The Hollywood Palladium was the home of the first live Grammy telecast in 1971 – which was the year Simon & Garfunkel‘s Bridge Over Troubled Water swept the major awards. Simon won seven Grammys that night, which set a new Grammy record which stood until Michael Jackson won eight Grammys at the show in 1984. (Santana tied Jackson’s record in 2000.)

Simon was the first recipient of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2007. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1982; received that organization’s highest honor, the Johnny Mercer Award, in 1998; and its Towering Song award for “Bridge Over Troubled Water” in 2010.

Simon has been voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice – with Simon & Garfunkel in 1990 and as a solo artist in 2001.

He has won 16 Grammys, including a record three awards for record of the year, a record-tying three awards for album of the year and one award for song of the year. Simon & Garfunkel received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2003.

Billboard reported on March 18 that Simon is shopping his master recording royalties from his recorded works with Simon & Garfunkel. Simon sold his song catalog to Sony Music Publishing a year ago.

14 Dec 2022

Red Velvet & Aespa Spread Holiday Cheer in ‘Beautiful Christmas’ Video: Watch

SM Entertainment label mates Red Velvet and aespa knew exactly what their fans wanted for Christmas — a song collaboration. The K-pop groups delivered on Wednesday (Dec. 14), releasing a glimmering new track titled “Beautiful Christmas” to celebrate the most wonderful time of year.

The festive visual for the song kicks off with the viewer being given an all-access ticket to the 2022 Winter SMTOWN: SMCU Palace, a holiday party where girl groups that exist in the SM Entertainment Culture Universe convene for some Christmas fun. Red Velvet and aespa, naturally, are the stars and first appear in the “Beautiful Christmas” video decorating an all-white Christmas tree with ornaments, exchanging gifts, and relaxing near the fireplace decked out with candles.

As the song nears its upbeat chorus, the girls then take the fun outside, interacting with snow-covered trees, sitting atop a snowman and happily inspecting ornaments before an energetic group dance number.

“Everybody come have yourself a/ Beautiful Christmas/ One year of flat-out sprinting/ It’s the home stretch now, enjoy/ Everybody come have yourself a/ Beautiful Christmas/ This day we get to be together/ The best time of the year,” the girl groups sing in English and Korean during the chorus.

“Beautiful Christmas” marks the first collaboration between Red Velvet and aespa. Though the groups are label mates, they have been up to very different projects as of late. Red Velvet — which consists of members Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, Joy and Yeri — recently released The ReVe Festival 2022 – Birthday EP on Nov. 28. Aespa — which consists of members Karina, Giselle, Winter and NingNing — dropped its latest EP, Girls – The 2nd Mini Album, in July.

Watch “Beautiful Christmas” in the video above.

14 Dec 2022

Taylor Swift Spent Her 33rd Birthday ‘In the Studio’: ‘Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way’

Does Taylor Swift ever take a day off? On the day of her birthday Tuesday (Dec. 13), the newly 33-year-old pop star revealed that she’d celebrated the occasion by doing what she does best: working hard in the studio.

In a photo posted to Instagram on the night of her birthday, Swift sits on the floor in front of stacks of keyboards and control panels, holding up three fingers on each hand in honor of the third year of her third decade of life. Lying across her lap is a huge upright bass, while none other than her go-to producer Jack Antonoff sits to her right, holding an acoustic guitar.

“Thanks for all the beautiful wishes today!!” wrote the “All Too Well” singer in her caption. “I spent my 33rd birthday in the studio of course ? Wouldn’t have it any other way. Love you!”

In the past three years, Swift has released five albums, two re-releases (Fearless and Red) and three brand new LPs (Folklore, Evermore and Midnights). Add to the mix her one-off song “Carolina,” written this year for the Where the Crawdads Sing movie, and her collaborations with Big Red Machine and Ed Sheeran (“Renegade” and “Joker and the Queen,” respectively), and it’s just about impossible to predict exactly what type of project she’s recording next.

That’s exactly how Swift likes it, though — at least, that’s what the sly side-grin emoji she used could imply.

Four days prior to her birthday, it was announced that the 11-time Grammy winner would be making her debut as a feature-length film director for Searchlight Pictures. Few details about the film have been released, but Swift has already written its original script.

Then, one day before her birthday, Swift gave a gift to her fans rather than the other way around. Several Swifties who felt duped by Ticketmaster last month after walking away from the singer’s Eras Tour presale empty-handed despite receiving a special Verified Fan code by the ticketing service, woke up that morning to find that they’d been selected for a special second round of Verified Fan ticket sales.

“Taylor swift going out of her way to make sure ticketmaster gives ALL fans who got a verified boost a chance to get tickets…,” tweeted one happy fan on Monday (Dec. 12). “This is why we love her.”

14 Dec 2022

Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss, Former ‘Ellen DeGeneres Show’ DJ Dies at 40

Former Ellen DeGeneres Show DJ Stephen “tWitch” Boss has died at 40. The news of the death of the positivity spreading turntablist who first rose to fame on MTV’s The Wade Robson Project in 2003 before earning the runner-up spot on So You Think You Can Dance in 2008 and joining DeGeneres’ daytime show as guest DJ in 2014 was shared by his wife, Allison Holker Boss.

In an exclusive statement sent to People, Boss said, “It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us. Stephen lit up every room he stepped into. He valued family, friends and community above all else and leading with love and light was everything to him. He was the backbone of our family, the best husband and father, and an inspiration to his fans.”

No cause of death had been announced.

“To say he left a legacy would be an understatement, and his positive impact will continue to be felt,” continued Boss, 34. “I am certain there won’t be a day that goes by that we won’t honor his memory. We ask for privacy during this difficult time for myself and especially for our three children. Stephen, we love you, we miss you, and I will always save the last dance for you.”

Over the weekend, the couple posted an Instagram video in which they joyfully danced in unison to Alicia Keys’ “December Back 2 June,” just a day after Boss posted a sweet ninth anniversary message to his wife featuring pictures from their nuptials.

After joining DeGeneres’ show as the house DJ, he became a permanent part of the crew and was promoted to co-executive producer in 2020.

14 Dec 2022

From ‘Goo Goo’ to Gaga: ‘Wednesday’ Brings ‘Bloody Mary’ to Top 40 of Billboard Global Chart

In a banner year for Netflix series reviving decades-old tracks into chart hits, Lady Gaga is finishing out the year with a bump for a 2011 deep cut. Born This Way’s “Bloody Mary” leaps into the top 40 of the Dec. 17-dated Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart on the heels of a swirl of TikTok activity surrounding the popularity for the Addams Family spin-off series Wednesday. All of that despite not even being featured in the series.

A dance sequence from the record-breaking show caught the eye of social media users. In the show, the titular character dances to The Cramps’ 1964 single “Goo Goo Muck.” Then, fans took the clip and replaced “Goo Goo” with “Bloody Mary” and the revamped dance sequence took off. On the latest global charts, the Gaga track jumps from No. 168 to No. 35 in its second week on Global Excl. U.S., while it debuts at No. 54 on the Billboard Global 200.

All episodes of Wednesday premiered on Nov. 23, and its spin-off effect on “Mary” was almost immediate. In the week of Nov. 25-Dec. 1, the gothic pop track rocketed by 509% in official on-demand global streams and 1,133% in sales, according to Luminate. The following frame, the tracking week ending Dec. 8, which informs the current charts, it shot up another 144% and 201%, respectively.

The week before its stratospheric leap, “Mary” drew 1.8 million global streams, less than one-fifteenth of its latest update. But even before Wednesday, Gaga’s song was inching up week by week, consistently building from its 561,000 streams the week ending Aug. 18. The track’s budding popularity made it a prime target, ready to explode with one well-synchronized dance routine.

Not only has “Mary” risen in total streams in the last two weeks, its international profile has widened. The song’s international streaming count has risen by 537% and 144% in the last two weeks, compared to its still-more-than-robust 412% and 140% bumps in the U.S. Of its global total, the domestic share quickly cut from 22% to 18%, while its international share spiked from 78% to 82%.

The song’s slightly-sharper rise outside the U.S. is perhaps due the broadly global popularity of Wednesday, No. 1 on Netflix in 89 countries. Despite not even appearing in the show, the series’ omnipresence on social media around the world has blown out Gaga’s success beyond her home base.

“Muck,” the track actually used for Wednesday’s dance performance, sees similar, if not more dramatic, gains. Its stream count doubled in the latest tracking period, after shooting by 3,786% last week. Over just three weeks, the once-obscure cult-classic has grown from 44,000 weekly global streams to 5.4 million.

“Mary” is just the fourth Lady Gaga title to hit both global charts. And while the rankings didn’t launch until September 2020 – a decade-plus removed from her pop-chart breakthrough – the song’s rarified space within her catalog is still significant since it was never even released as a single, sitting idly while six other tracks from Born This Way impacted the U.S.-based Billboard Hot 100 in 2011.

Not only is it just her fourth entry, its No. 35 placement on Global Excl. U.S. immediately gives it a higher peak than “Shallow,” with Bradley Cooper, which topped out at No. 52, and this year’s “Hold My Hand,” which reached No. 43 in June. Only 2020’s “Rain on Me,” with Ariana Grande, has gone higher, spending the charts’ first three weeks in the top 30, then only a few months removed from its release.

Even more, “Mary” is surging in a competitive season. As they did in 2020 and ’21, holiday songs are beginning to clog the global charts. At No. 35, Gaga sits behind 11 of them on Global Excl. U.S., translating to a would-be rank of No. 24 in any other month. Further, 19 holiday titles block “Mary” on the Global 200, not to mention nine debuts from Metro Boomin.

Chart action for “Mary” spreads to Billboard’s Hits of the World charts, ranking in the top 20 on Poland Songs (No. 13), Slovakia Songs (No. 14), and Hungary Songs (No. 18) and hitting the top 10 (at No. 10) on Czech Republic Songs. And at No. 4 on the Hot 100’s Bubbling Under chart, it inches toward becoming Born This Way’s seventh Hot 100 hit, 11 years after its sixth.

14 Dec 2022

Chris Lorenzo to Headline Monster Energy’s 2023 Up & Up College Festival Series

Chris Lorenzo will serve as headliner for Monster Energy’s annual Up & Up College Festival series.

Launching in the spring of 2023, the series is meant to function like the Final Four college basketball tournament, with student ambassador teams representing more than 100 U.S. colleges leading marketing and influencer campaigns to rally their school to buy pre-sale tickets (with no date or location) to earn the opportunity to produce a festival with Chris Lorenzo.

The top six schools with the most pre-sale tickets after the 48-hour campaign score the opportunity to collaborate with Up & Up producers to produce a Chris Lorenzo show at a nearby venue. Previous winning schools include the University of Alabama, ASU, CU Boulder, Florida State, LSU, University of Oregon, Penn State, San Jose State and many others.

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The Up & Up series has happened annually since 2016 (except in the pandemic years), with previous headliners including TroyBoi, Alan Walker and Slushii. UK producer Lorenzo is a mainstay of the underground house scene and scored a pair of hits in 2022 with his remix of The Mama & The Papas’ “California Dreamin’” and his edit of J Balvin’s “In Da Getto.”

“Ever since I started touring North America, the whole college system has been a big part of my journey,” Lorenzo says. “Whether playing unofficial after parties or the official frat shows over the years, I’ve always loved the energy the crowds have. It reminds me of when I started DJing back in the UK. So, to be able to have 70 colleges in America pitch for me to come play and then actually get to play six huge shows will be a lot of fun. I’m excited to see who wins and then come and smash the shows for the fans.”

14 Dec 2022

Blake Shelton Doesn’t Know Who Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper Are in New ‘The Voice’ Promo

With a record nine wins on the board, The Voice coach Blake Shelton is feeling pretty confident about making it an even 10. In fact, in a new promo video for the show’s upcoming season 23 shared by EW just hours before Shelton’s season 22 charge country singer Bryce Leatherwood took home the title on Tuesday night (Dec. 13), Shelton pretended that he didn’t even know who one of his new co-workers was.

“Do you think I’ve got a chance of beating you in your final season,” asks Niall Horan in the video teasing the season slated to kick off in March 2023. “No,” says Shelton confidently to a gobsmacked Horan. “Strong words from a big man,” says the former One Direction star while brushing some stage make-up onto Shelton’s cheeks in what seems like a new guy hazing ritual.

Next up is fellow newbie Chance the Rapper, who asks returning coach Kelly Clarkson to asses his odds on the singing competition. “Do you think I have a chance of beating you?” he asks the singer and daytime talk show host. “A chance?” Clarkson says with a stage laugh as she and the MC joyfully dance it out together.

“I think my biggest competition is probably Kelly,” Chance adds. “But I’mma still win, though.”

The 30-second sneak peek ends with Kelly asking Blake to share his thoughts about the new kids on the block, which Shelton answers with his typical tall guy confidence. “Who are they again?” he quips as Chance and Niall point to themselves in another frame. “Blake is now my dad… no offense to my dad,” Horan says while hugging his new TV pops. Clarkson posits the upcoming season as “the vets versus the newbies,” as Horan promises that no matter what they’re going to have a lot of fun next year.

The sole remaining original coach, Shelton announced in Oct. that the upcoming season will be his final spin in the show’s signature red captain chair. He’ll be flanked by Clarkson, who appeared on seasons 14-21, with her sibling trio, Girl Named Tom, taking home the trophy during season 21. And while Horan will be making his Voice debut, he, of course, began his career as a contestant on the UK’s The X Factor, where he was teamed up with the rest of the One Direction gang.

The upcoming season of The Voice will premiere on March 6 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Click here to watch the promo.