Music News

09 Dec 2024

Selena Gomez Tearfully Reacts to 2025 Golden Globe Nods, Cheers on Ariana Grande & Zoe Saldana

Selena Gomez has a lot to celebrate. In addition to receiving a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actress on Monday (Dec. 9), the 32-year-old singer-actress also has two friends up for the same category — Emilia Pérez costar Zoe Saldaña and fellow pop star Ariana Grande — whom she cheered on in a post on Instagram Stories.

Sharing a video of her tearfully hiding her face in her hands as the Globes nominations ceremony plays on her TV, Gomez typed, “I don’t even know what to write.”

“I’m so proud of @zoesaldana and I’m so grateful and honored @goldenglobes,” the Rare Beauty founder added.

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In the clip, Gomez also audibly reacts to announcers calling out the “We Can’t Be Friends” artist’s name for best supporting actress consideration. “Oh my god, Ari!” the Wizards of Waverly Place alum says before disappearing excitedly behind a blanket on her couch.

Both Gomez and the Avatar star are nominated for their performances in Emilia Pérez, which first premiered in May at the Cannes Film Festival. The project is also up for best motion picture, musical or comedy; best motion picture, non-English language; and more.

Grande is being recognized for her portrayal of Glinda in Wicked, while her costar Cynthia Erivo also scored a Globe nod Monday for best performance by a female actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy.

Gomez’s nomination follows an interaction where the “Lose You to Love Me” artist felt the need to defend her performance in Emilia Perez. After CODA star Eugenio Derbez called her portrayal of Jessi del Monte in the Jacques Audiard film “indefensible” due to her lack of proficiency with the Spanish language on the Hablando de Cine podcast, Gomez replied, “I understand where you are coming from. I’m sorry I did the best I could with the time I was given. Doesn’t take away from how much work and heart I put into this movie.”

Shortly afterward, Derbez walked back on his comments. “I truly apologize,” he wrote in a letter on TikTok. “As Latinos, we should always support one another. There’s no excuse. I was wrong, and I deeply admire your career and your kind heart.”

09 Dec 2024

Sabrina Carpenter Opens Up About ‘Please Please Please’ Being ‘Based on Real-Life Events’

She’s just kidding — but really. Sabrina Carpenter recently made a surprise appearance on vocal coach Eric Vetro’s BBC Maestro course Sing Like the Stars and opened up about the inspiration behind her smash hit “Please Please Please,” which she said is very much non-fiction.

While talking about her approach to songwriting with Vetro, the 25-year-old pop star shared that she, “was so excited when I wrote that song, because it felt like a fraction of me that I had been waiting to not only write, but to put out and then perform.”

“Then it just it [made] me so excited for the rest of the project, because it feels very aligned with all the music I grew up listening to that I love, but also very much myself,” she continued. “And that song was obviously based on real-life events.”

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The discussion of the song came just days after reports emerged that Carpenter and boyfriend actor Barry Keoghan have split after about a year of dating. The Saltburn star deactivated his Instagram account before posting a statement on X Saturday (Dec. 7), explaining that he “can no longer let this stuff distract me from my family and work.”

“My name has been dragged across the internet in ways I usually don’t respond [to],” added Keoghan, who is a father to a young son named Brando. “I have to respond now because it’s gettin to a place where there are too many lines being crossed … Absolute lies, hatred, disgusting commentary about my appearance, character, how I am as a parent and every other inhumane thing you can imagine.”

Many fans believe Carpenter penned “Please Please Please” about the Banshees of Inisherin actor, especially after he starred alongside his then-girlfriend in the Short n’ Sweet track’s music video. The Jack-Antonoff-produced Billboard Hot 100-topper finds the Tall Girl actress literally pleading with a love interest to act respectably, singing, “Heartbreak is one thing, my ego’s another/ I beg you, don’t embarrass me, motherf–ker.”

“Please Please Please” is also one of the closing numbers on Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet Tour, which wrapped its North American leg in November. The star — whose holiday special A Nonsense Christmas dropped on Netflix Dec. 6 — will hit the road again in Europe in March.

Watch Carpenter reflect on writing “Please Please Please” below.

09 Dec 2024

Keith Urban Launching ‘High and Alive’ U.S. Tour in May 2025

Keith Urban is set to bring his high-octane live show on the road in 2025, when his High and Alive World Tour launches May 22 in Orange Beach, Alabama, at The Wharf Amphitheater. Joining Urban on the tour will be Chase Matthew, Alana Springsteen and Karley Scott Collins. Following the Alabama kick-off, the tour will include stops in Chicago, Salt Lake City, Houston and Nashville, Tennessee.

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“Playing live is what I live to do,” Urban said in a statement. “Looking out from a stage and seeing people singing, forgetting about all the stress in their lives, cutting loose, and feeling ALIVE – that’s what it’s about for me. Lots of hits, new songs, things we won’t even think about until we’re onstage – and loads of guitar. We’re gonna make this tour the best night of your life!”

The tour takes its name from Urban’s latest album, High, which debuted at No. 10 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart following its September release. Tickets for Urban’s High and Alive World Tour will go on sale Dec. 13 at 10 a.m. local time, with additional North American show dates to be revealed in the coming months.

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Urban is slated to announce international dates for the High and Alive tour at a later date.

See the full list of 2025 tour dates below:

May 22: Orange Beach, AL @ The Wharf Amphitheater

May 23: Alpharetta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre

May 24: Charleston, SC @ Credit One Stadium

May 30: Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion

May 31: Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park Raleigh

June 12: Gilford, NH @ BankNH Pavilion

June 13: Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center

June 14: Wantagh, NY @ Northwell at Jones Beach Theater

June 19: Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion

June 22: Clarkston, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre

June 26: Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center

June 27: Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center

June 28: Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Music Center

July 17: Denver, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre

July 18: Salt Lake City, UT @ Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre

July 19: Nampa, ID @ Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater

July 24: TBA

July 26: Inglewood, CA @ Intuit Dome

Sept. 25: Chicago, IL @ United Center

Sept. 26: TBA

Sept. 27: Omaha, NE @ CHI Health Center

Oct. 2: Hershey, PA @ Giant Center

Oct. 3: Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena

Oct. 4: Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live

Oct. 9: Fort Worth, TX @ Dickies Arena

Oct. 11: Houston, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman

Oct. 16: Greenville, SC @ Bon Secours Wellness Arena

Oct. 17: Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena

09 Dec 2024

Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus & More Nominated for 2025 Golden Globe Awards: Full List

Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande are used to competing on the Billboard Hot 100. But now they’re squaring off against each other at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards as well. Gomez and Grande are both nominated for best performance by a female actor in a supporting role in any motion picture for their roles in Emilia Pérez and Wicked, respectively. Gomez has a second nomination for best performance by a female actor in a TV series, musical or comedy for Only Murders in the Building.

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Other music stars who got nods in the nominations announced on Monday morning (Dec. 9) include: Miley Cyrus, Maren Morris and Robbie Williams, all nominated for best original song – motion picture; Donald Glover, who has released music as Childish Gambino, for best performance by a male actor in a TV series, drama, for Mr. and Mrs. Smith; and Zendaya, best performance by a female actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy for Challengers.

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Cynthia Erivo is nominated for best performance by a female actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy for her as Elphaba role in Wicked. Timothée Chalamet is nominated for best performance by a male actor in a motion picture – drama for his performance as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. Edward Norton is nominated in the supporting actor category for his performance as Pete Seeger in that same film.

Clément Ducol and Camille have three nominations in the music categories for their work on Emilia Pérez. They are nominated for best original score and have two of the best original song nominees— “El Mal” and “Mi Camino.” They cowrote the former song with the film’s director/writer, Jacques Audiard.

Nine Inch Nails‘ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have two nominations in the music categories. They are nominated for best original score for Challengers and best original song for “Compress / Repress” which they wrote for that film with the film’s director, Luca Guadagnino.

Emilia Pérez was the most-nominated motion picture, with 10 nods, followed by The Brutalist (seven), Conclave (six), and Anora and The Substance (five each).

The Bear was the most-nominated TV show with five nods, followed by Only Murders in the Building and Shōgun (four each). Netflix was the top distributor for both film and TV. It had 13 nominations on the film side, followed by A24 with 12. It has 23 nominations on the TV side, followed by HBO/Max, with 14.

Actors Mindy Kaling and Morris Chestnut presented the nominees for the 2025 Golden Globes on Monday morning and the 82nd Annual Golden Globes will air live on Sunday, Jan. 5, at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on CBS and stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. The show will be held at its usual home, the Grand Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

This will be the second year the Globes have presented the cinematic and box office achievement category. The nominees are Alien: Romulus, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Deadpool & Wolverine, Gladiator II, Inside Out 2, Twisters, Wicked and The Wild Robot. In its first year, the award went to Barbie over such rivals as Oppenheimer and Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.

The Golden Globe Awards, which likes to call itself “Hollywood’s Party of the Year,” is the first major awards show of the season. It’s also the world’s largest awards show to celebrate the best of both film and television.

Comedian Nikki Glaser is set to host the show for the first time. Viola Davis and Ted Danson have been named as recipients of the Cecil B. DeMille Award and the Carol Burnett Award, respectively. They will be recognized on the Golden Globes telecast. In addition, they will be feted at a separate gala dinner on Friday, Jan. 3, also at the Beverly Hilton. This marks the first time that the Golden Globes will host a special evening dedicated to the recipients of these two honorary awards.

Multi-Emmy Award-winning producing duo Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner of White Cherry Entertainment will return as executive producing showrunners for the 82nd Golden Globes.  Dick Clark Productions will produce the show.

Best motion picture – drama

The Brutalist (A24)

A Complete Unknown (Searchlight Pictures)

Conclave (Focus Features)

Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Nickel Boys (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios)

September 5 (Paramount Pictures)

Best motion picture – musical or comedy

Anora (Neon)

Challengers (Amazon MGM Studios)

Emilia Pérez (Netflix)

A Real Pain (Searchlight Pictures)

The Substance (Mubi)

Wicked (Universal Pictures)

Best original score – motion picture

Volker Bertelmann (Conclave)

Daniel Blumberg (The Brutalist)

Kris Bowers (The Wild Robot)

Clément Ducol, Camille (Emilia Pérez)

Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross (Challengers)

Hans Zimmer (Dune: Part Two) 

Best original song – motion picture

“Beautiful That Way” –– The Last Showgirl; Music & Lyrics By: Andrew Wyatt, Miley Cyrus, Lykke Zachrisson

“Compress / Repress” –– Challengers; Music & Lyrics By: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Luca Guadagnino

“El Mal” –– Emilia Pérez; Music & Lyrics By: Clément Ducol, Camille, Jacques Audiard

“Forbidden Road” –– Better Man; Music & Lyrics By: Robbie Williams, Freddy Wexler, Sacha Skarbek

“Kiss The Sky” –– The Wild Robot; Music & Lyrics By: Delacey, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack, Ali Tamposi

“Mi Camino” –– Emilia Pérez; Music & Lyrics By: Clément Ducol, Camille

Best motion picture – animated

Flow (Sideshow / Janus Films)

Inside Out 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Memoir of a Snail (IFC Films)

Moana 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (Netflix)

The Wild Robot (Universal Pictures)

Cinematic and box office achievement

Alien: Romulus (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Deadpool & Wolverine (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Gladiator II (Paramount Pictures)

Inside Out 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Twisters (Universal Pictures)

Wicked (Universal Pictures)

The Wild Robot (Universal Pictures)

Best motion picture – non-English language

All We Imagine as Light (Sideshow / Janus Films) – Usa / France / India

Emilia Pérez (Netflix) – France

The Girl With the Needle (Mubi) – Poland / Sweden / Denmark

I’m Still Here (Sony Pictures Classics) – Brazil

The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Neon) – Usa / Germany

Vermiglio (Sideshow / Janus Films) – Italy

Best performance by a female actor in a motion picture – drama

Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl)

Angelina Jolie (Maria)

Nicole Kidman (Babygirl)

Tilda Swinton (The Room Next Door)

Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here)

Kate Winslet (Lee) 

Best performance by a male actor in a motion picture – drama

Adrien Brody (The Brutalist)

Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown)

Daniel Craig (Queer)

Colman Domingo (Sing Sing)

Ralph Fiennes (Conclave)

Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice)

Best performance by a female actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy

Amy Adams (Nightbitch)

Cynthia Erivo (Wicked)

Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez)

Mikey Madison (Anora)

Demi Moore (The Substance)

Zendaya (Challengers)

Best performance by a male actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy

Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain)

Hugh Grant (Heretic)

Gabriel Labelle (Saturday Night)

Jesse Plemons (Kinds of Kindness)

Glen Powell (Hit Man)

Sebastian Stan (A Different Man)

Best performance by a female actor in a supporting role in any motion picture

Selena Gomez (Emilia Pérez)

Ariana Grande (Wicked)

Felicity Jones (The Brutalist)

Margaret Qualley (The Substance)

Isabella Rossellini (Conclave)

Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez)

Best performance by a male actor in a supporting role in any motion picture

Yura Borisov (Anora)

Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain)

Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown)

Guy Pearce (The Brutalist)

Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice)

Denzel Washington (Gladiator II)

Best director – motion picture

Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez)

Sean Baker (Anora)

Edward Berger (Conclave)

Brady Corbet (The Brutalist)

Coralie Fargeat (The Substance)

Payal Kapadia (All We Imagine as Light)

Best screenplay – motion picture

Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez)

Sean Baker (Anora)

Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold (The Brutalist)

Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain)

Coralie Fargeat (The Substance)

Peter Straughan (Conclave) 

Best television series – drama

The Day of the Jackal (Peacock)

The Diplomat (Netflix)

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Prime Video)

Shōgun (FX/Hulu)

Slow Horses (Apple TV+)

Squid Game (Netflix)

Best television series – musical or comedy

Abbott Elementary (ABC)

The Bear (FX/Hulu)

The Gentlemen (Netflix)

Hacks (HBO | Max)

Nobody Wants This (Netflix)

Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

Best television limited series, anthology series or motion picture made for television

Baby Reindeer (Netflix)

Disclaimer (Apple TV+)

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (Netflix)

The Penguin (HBO | Max)

Ripley (Netflix)

True Detective: Night Country (HBO | Max)

Best performance by a female actor in a television series – drama

Kathy Bates (Matlock)

Emma D’arcy (House of the Dragon)

Maya Erskine (Mr. & Mrs. Smith)

Keira Knightley (Black Doves)

Keri Russell (The Diplomat)

Anna Sawai (Shōgun)

Best performance by a male actor in a television series – drama

Donald Glover (Mr. & Mrs. Smith)

Jake Gyllenhaal (Presumed Innocent)

Gary Oldman (Slow Horses)

Eddie Redmayne (The Day of the Jackal)

Hiroyuki Sanada (Shōgun)

Billy Bob Thornton (Landman)

Best performance by a female actor in a television series – musical or comedy

Kristen Bell (Nobody Wants This)

Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary)

Ayo Edebiri (The Bear)

Selena Gomez (Only Murders in the Building)

Kathryn Hahn (Agatha All Along)

Jean Smart (Hacks)

Best performance by a male actor in a television series – musical or comedy

Adam Brody (Nobody Wants This)

Ted Danson (A Man on the Inside)

Steve Martin (Only Murders in the Building)

Jason Segel (Shrinking)

Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building)

Jeremy Allen White (The Bear)

Best performance by a female actor in a limited series, anthology series, or a motion picture made for television

Cate Blanchett (Disclaimer)

Jodie Foster (True Detective: Night Country)

Cristin Milioti (The Penguin)

Sofía Vergara (Griselda)

Naomi Watts (Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans)

Kate Winslet (The Regime)

Best performance by a male actor in a limited series, anthology series, or a motion picture made for television

Colin Farrell (The Penguin)

Richard Gadd (Baby Reindeer)

Kevin Kline (Disclaimer)

Cooper Koch (Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story)

Ewan Mcgregor (A Gentleman in Moscow)

Andrew Scott (Ripley)

Best performance by a female actor in a supporting role on television

Liza Colón-Zayas (The Bear)

Hannah Einbinder (Hacks)

Dakota Fanning (Ripley)

Jessica Gunning (Baby Reindeer)

Allison Janney (The Diplomat)

Kali Reis (True Detective: Night Country)

Best performance by a male actor in a supporting role on television

Tadanobu Asano (Shōgun)

Javier Bardem (Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story)

Harrison Ford (Shrinking)

Jack Lowden (Slow Horses)

Diego Luna (La Máquina)

Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear) 

Best performance in stand-up comedy on television

Jamie Foxx (Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was)

Nikki Glaser (Nikki Glaser: Someday You’ll Die)

Seth Meyers (Seth Meyers: Dad Man Walking)

Adam Sandler (Adam Sandler: Love You)

Ali Wong (Ali Wong: Single Lady)

Ramy Youssef (Ramy Youssef: More Feelings)

The Golden Globes are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Corporation. PMC is also the parent company of Billboard.

09 Dec 2024

Rosé Is Making Her ‘Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon’ Solo In-Studio Debut This Week

Rosé is hitting the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon stage — on her own this time.

The star will be joining the show in-studio as a solo artist outside of BLACKPINK for the first time on Wednesday (Dec. 11), as she previously delivered a pre-taped performance of “On the Ground” in 2021 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rosé is fresh off the release of her solo debut album, Rosie. The 12-track set includes hit single “APT.” with Bruno Mars — which has spent six weeks so far at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 — and “Number One Girl.”

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She also recently dropped a third single from the project, “toxic till the end,” which was accompanied by a new Ramez Silyan-directed music video co-starring Evan Mock.

“I have poured my blood and tears into this album,” she wrote on Instagram when she first announced the project back in October. “I cannot wait for you to listen to this little journal of mine. Rosie – is the name I allow my friends and family to call me. With this album, I hope you all feel that much closer to me.”

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The performer’s solo exhibition comes a little over two years after BLACKPINK’s last album, Born Pink, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. After a year of touring, the girls dispersed to focus on solo projects, and a band reunion is expected to take place in 2025.

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon with Rosé airs on Wednesday (Dec. 11) at 11:35 pm ET on NBC.

09 Dec 2024

How Wunderhorse’s Jacob Slater Found His Voice and Made an Indie-Rock Breakthrough

It’s peculiar to hear Jacob Slater talk so effusively about “the quiet life” when he is renowned for one of the most intense, rib-shakingly loud live sets on the indie circuit. He’s the sort of artist, it seems, who is striving to find meaning in life’s simpler moments.

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“I haven’t had a break in a long while,” he says, eyes narrowing as he lights a cigarette. The smoke plumes drift towards a large Bob Dylan poster spread across the ceiling. “The sea is cold and there’s been waves here the past few days, so it’s been good to get back out there. I’m a little bit rusty, though, as I now spend so much time out of the water.”

The Wunderhorse frontman has been readjusting to the natural rhythms of life in his adopted locale of Newquay, Cornwall. It’s here where the 27-year-old trained as a surf instructor a few years ago, a solo venture that helped to relight his creative fire after burning bright and crashing out in the much-hyped but short-lived London punk band Dead Pretties. Recently, he has spent his time sleeping in, listening to records, and catching up with friends over coffee. Best of all, Slater says in a blissed-out tone, there is little to no mobile phone signal. The temptation to go off-grid clearly looms large.

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Returning to the coast has become an outlet for Slater’s newfound sense of lightness. Rarely at home, he’s spent much of 2024 insulated inside a touring bubble, playing shows across Europe with Fontaines D.C. and racking up huge British festival appearances at the likes of Reading & Leeds and TRNSMT. In August, Wunderhorse’s second LP, Midas (Communion Records), hit No.6 on the Official U.K. Charts upon release; a major feat, given that 2022 debut Cub failed to crack the Top 40.

On his birthday, Slater got a call from his manager saying they had booked a gig at London’s 10,000-capacity Alexandra Palace next spring. In November, the group supported Fontaines D.C. throughout Europe, and now, through December, the band are opening for Sam Fender at arenas across the U.K. and Ireland, capping off an extraordinary year.

Though often mired in themes of self-destruction and volatility, the music of Wunderhorse is uplifting, cathartic, and compassionate. The four-piece are cult stars at the threshold of mainstream crossover, a reality that they are now encountering on the road. Each night, they come eye-to -eye with a predominantly young fanbase that has recently ballooned in size as a result of “unexpected” TikTok popularity. “Not to sound like an old man, but I really don’t know how that whole ‘online thing’ works. Yet it seems to be a real beast,” says Slater, speaking over video call.

It was after a headline show at Glasgow’s Barrowlands venue last month that Slater realized the band’s profile was changing. Combating a disrupted sleep schedule that had left him feeling like “a nocturnal creature,” he ventured out, alone, to walk off all the adrenaline he had worked up on stage. What he found was a city gradually revealing itself through characterful people, foggy images of bars shuttering up for the night, and the distant expanse of the M8 motorway. 

Only an hour earlier, with sweat beads lining his forehead, he had been growling into the mic, stomping as each song reached its soaring climax. Video footage of the performance circulated on social media the following day, with clips of gig-goers crying and barking doing the rounds. Wunderhorse may have already inspired fan tattoos and custom trainers, but this felt like a new level of visibility altogether.

“Recently, the audience has solidified a bit more in its demographic,” Slater explains. “At first, I didn’t quite know how to take it when people were telling us that we had young fans. But I remember when I was younger, music meant so much to me. It still does, of course, but music has a particular potency when you’re a teenager. If people are connecting with us at that age, then that’s amazing.”

Initially a one-man endeavour, the first seismic shift in Wunderhorse’s trajectory took place when Slater decided to expand the project to a full band in the early days of creating Midas. He brought Harry Tristan Fowler (guitar), Peter Woodin (bass) and Jamie Staples (drums) into the fold, having met each of them at gigs in London and their native Hertfordshire. Slater figured out early that the best way to approach music was to build his own world and invite people in; he and his bandmates soon honed their bluesy, expansive, emotionally-weathered sound after bonding over seminal records from Neil Young and Joni Mitchell.

The release of Cub, meanwhile, had left Slater feeling as though he was treading water as a lyricist. Much of the album’s writing resonated because of its unvarnished frankness about a dark personal history, traversing selfishness (“Purple”), nihilism, and traumatic teenage experiences (“Butterflies,” “Teal”). For its author, however – who was in recovery from addiction issues at the time – having to accept the circumstances of his previous life for what they were became too much of a mental burden to bear.

“This is probably not the stuff you’re meant to say in interviews, but I think every artist has songs they wrote when they were younger and now struggle with,” Slater says, grinning beneath a big, raggedy scarf. “You start to realize that, whatever you write, you’re going to have to live with it for a long time. If people are singing songs back to you and you don’t like the words that you’ve written, then you end up standing on stage feeling like you’ve deceived yourself.”

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Slater notes how his record contract stated that Cub was meant to see him “deliver 18 songs at a minimum.” Only 11 tracks made the final cut, and he put “any leftovers that didn’t fit into the Wunderhorse world” onto 2023 solo LP Pinky, I Love You. Curiously, eagle-eyed fans noticed that, a few weeks back, the earliest Wunderhorse music videos had been removed from YouTube; they responded by creating a Google Drive folder with all the newly missing clips. Today, Slater admits this was his doing: “If I had it my way, there would be no promo, there’d be no videos. I find it all really difficult because it’s not the way that my brain works.” 

Releasing Midas didn’t banish Slater’s feelings of alienation towards the music industry entirely, but it did explore a more peaceful coexistence within it. It seems as though the search for salvation he sings of on “Silver” is starting to bear fruit. Despite it all, Slater thinks that aspects of his life today would astound his younger self: he is thoughtful yet steadfast in describing how publications describing Wunderhorse as “generational,” only two albums in, can be disorienting for a musician still coming to terms with his changing stature. 

“Worrying whether you’re going to become this ‘grand thing’ that people are saying you are will only cause you to get in the way of yourself. Nobody even knows what such titles mean,” he says. “Any songwriter who has stood the test of time has managed to stay true to who they are. Like, did Bob Dylan wake up one day and go, ‘I’m gonna be generational?’ No.”

It’s clear that Slater sees a gap between his intentions and the public’s reaction to his musical output. He’ll later mention how Midas’ “Superman” was “completely misunderstood” by listeners, but he’s also trying to let go of these things which are out of his control. “Nobody’s ever going to feel what you felt when you wrote the song as everyone is at the center of their own universe,” he says. “And that’s part of the magic.” True self-acceptance: Slater is steadily getting there, inch-by-inch, wave-by-wave, song-by-song.

09 Dec 2024

Rolling Stones Releasing ‘Hackney Diamonds’ Special Anniversary Edition Vinyl With Live Recordings

The Rolling Stones are celebrating the one-year anniversary of their Hackney Diamonds album with a special 2-LP vinyl re-issue. The legendary band’s 24th studio album dropped last October, marking their first new full-length LP of original material since 2005’s A Bigger Bang.

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The special edition on “clear blue splatter” vinyl features the original 12-track album — featuring the singles “Angry,” “Mess It Up” and “Sweet Sounds of Heaven” with Lady Gaga — plus seven additional live tracks recorded at a record release party at Racket in New York. That bonus disc features a mix of new tracks from the album (“Bite My Head Off,” “Angry,” “Whole Wide World”), as well as such classics as “Shattered,” “Tumbling Dice,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and a live version of “Sweet Sounds of Heaven” with Gaga.

The collection comes with a 24-page booklet, including photos from the Oct. 19, 2023 Racket club show by famed celebrity photographer Kevin Mazur. The LP — which featured collaborations with Paul McCartney, Elton John, Gaga, Stevie Wonder and the Stones’ final recordings with late drummer Charlie Watts — has been nominated for best rock album at the upcoming Grammy awards.

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In addition to celebrating the album’s anniversary, the Stones also had corks to pop about the biggest summer tour of their career with the 18-dates Hackney outing, which grossed $235 million and sold 848,000 tickets; though they’ve made more money on yearslong global treks, Mick Jagger & co. have never earned more than $200 million in a single season before.

Check out the Hackney Diamonds anniversary edition announcement below.

09 Dec 2024

Liam Payne’s Girlfriend Kate Cassidy Shares Loving Tribute Video Featuring Happy Moments

Two months after his shock death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Liam Payne is being remembered by his girlfriend Kate Cassidy. In one of her first social posts following Payne’s passing, Cassidy posted a TikTok video on Sunday (Dec. 8) in which the 25-year-old influencer looked back on the couple’s love affair via a series of happy moments set to Mazzy Star’s 1993 beloved bummer “Fade Into You.”

The series of short vignettes opens with the couple chilling in a wood cabin, before turning to quick clips of them walking up marble steps hand-in-hand, slow dancing in a room with stars projected on the ceiling and a playful bit where a laughing Payne drags Cassidy around the kitchen floor by her ankles.

Elsewhere they go bowling, Cassidy assures the singer that he looks “stunning,” they play with their dog, share snacks on dates, visit Disneyland, celebrate New Year’s Eve, snuggle in bed and goof around on a toboggan. The melancholy video captures intimate moments where Payne and Cassidy are traveling the world, hugging, building Lego sets and, in the final image, sharing a kiss and a laugh. “I love you,” Cassidy captioned the post.

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Cassidy — who dated the former One Direction singer for two years — had been traveling with Payne in Argentina in the time leading up to his death. The singer died on Oct. 16 after falling from the third floor balcony of a luxury hotel in Buenos Aires.

A few days later, Cassidy addressed his passing in an Instagram Story, where she thanked her followers for “all of the kind words and love that has been sent my way.” She added, “I have been at a complete loss. Nothing about the past few days have felt real. I ask and pray that you’ll give me the grace and space to navigate this in private.” She also addressed Payne directly, writing, “Liam, my angel. You are everything. I want you to know I loved you unconditionally and completely.”

A week later, Cassidy posted another message to Payne, writing, “My heart is shattered in ways I can’t put into words. I wish you could see the huge impact you’ve had on the world, even as it feels so dark right now. You are — because I can’t say were — my best friend, the love of my life, and everyone you touched felt just as special as I did,” Cassidy continued. “None of this feels real, and I can’t wrap my head around this new reality of not having you here. I’m struggling to figure out how to live in a world without you by my side. Together, we got to be kids again, always finding joy in the smallest things.”

She also shared a note Payne wrote just weeks earlier in which he said he hoped to marry her within the year. Payne was laid to rest on Nov. 20 in south-east England in a private funeral attended by family and friends, including his 1D bandmates – Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan – as well as The X Factor‘s Simon Cowell, former late night host James Corden and Cassidy.

Payne’s autopsy confirmed that he suffered internal and external bleeding and multiple traumatic injuries from his fall. According to a translated copy of the toxicology report, in the days leading up to his death, Payne reportedly had “alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants” in his system.

09 Dec 2024

Guns N’ Roses Announce Dates For 2025 European/Middle East Summer Tour

Guns N’ Roses have plotted a 2025 summer tour of the Middle East and Europe that is slated to kick off in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 23, which will be the veteran hard rocker’s first-ever stop in the country. The 24-show run will be the band’s first outing since they wound-down their 2023 world tour at the Hell & Heaven Fest in Toluca, Mexico in November 2023.

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Announcing the shows on their Instagram on Monday morning (Dec. 9), the band wrote, “Because what you want N’ what you get are two completely different things.” After opening in Saudi Arabia, the tour will visit the United Arab Emirates before moving on to stadiums in Europe, with shows in Georgia, Turkey, Portugal, Spain, Italy, the Czech Republic, Germany, the U.K., Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary and Serbia. The tour is currently slated to wind down in Bulgaria on July 21, with no .

Support on the tour will come from Public Enemy, Rival Sons and the Sex Pistols fronted by Frank Carter on select dates. Nightrain fan club tickets will be available in a presale beginning Tuesday (Dec. 10) at 9 a.m. local time with a general onsale slated from Friday at 9 a.m. local; click here for information on both. PE hype man Flavor Flav was elated by the news, writing on X, “I’M GOING ON TOUR WITH GUNS N’ ROSES, !!!! Letz go,!!!”

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GNR haven’t release a new album since 2008’s decade-plus in the making Chinese Democracy. In October, bassist Diff McKagan told SiriusXM’s Eddie Trunk that the group has been working on new material. “There’s definitely a desire and a plan for new music,” he said. “Yeah, for sure.” At press time the band has not announced any other 2025 tour dates.

Check out the 2025 GNR Middle East/European dates below.

09 Dec 2024

Here’s Who Brandi Carlile Wants For a Supergroup and How She’s Navigating Coming Changes in D.C.

Brandi Carlile’s solo career is going pretty well by any measure, but she has a dream about expanding into her own supergroup, she revealed to Billboard on the red carpet at Washington, D.C.’s  Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday night (Dec. 8), where she helped honor Bonnie Raitt.

“I’ve got this  plan — I’ve been hitting Bonnie up for a couple of years now to do a little trio with Bonnie and Sheryl [Crow],” she says. She almost realized her wish Sunday night as she and Crow performed Raitt’s classic song,  “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” as Raitt looked down appreciatively from her seat next to the other honorees — the Grateful Dead, Arturo Sandoval and Francis Ford Coppola — as well as President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden.

“I just think it’s the best idea, so if you know anyone in high places who could put in a good word for me,” Carlile joked. “Is it not a good idea? I think it’s a good idea.”

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The idea evokes memories of another super group of women: Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris, who formed their own collective and released a Grammy-winning Trio album in 1987; another album followed in 1999. Harris was also at the Kennedy Center Honors Sunday night, joined by Dave Matthews to perform Raitt’s version of John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery.”

This being Washington, Carlile was also asked about the presidential election results and said there has “definitely” been some self-care going on as Biden leaves office and Donald Trump returns as president on Jan. 20.

“I wake up every morning a political lesbian whether I want to or not in a house with women raising two young women that I need to keep safe and that I need to constantly balance and evaluate how much a part our family can be of helping to move this country forward in any way we possibly can,” Carlile said. “It’s been sort of profound and somber in a way to be here and watch the honorees come forward and accept their honor of diplomacy and mastership on behalf of our country, but it’s also been heartening because it’s reminding me that the arts are the best of what we have to offer.  This is how we represent ourselves.”