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J. Cole is taking y’all back, man, as he does so well. Cole surprised fans with the release of his debut mixtape The Come Up hitting streaming services for the first time on Tuesday (Nov. 19). Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Hosted by DJ OnPoint, The […]
Influential Celtic rock band The Pogues have announced a 2025 tour of the U.K., celebrating 40 years of their second album, Rum Sodomy & the Lash.
The tour is the group’s first since their 2014 split, and their first since the passing of vocalist and lyricist Shane MacGowan in 2023. The seven shows will take place across May 2025, with dates scheduled for Leeds, Birmingham, London, Glasgow, Manchester, and Newcastle.
According to a post on the band’s website, the tour will feature founding members Spider Stacy, James Fearnley, and Jem Finer joined by some unnamed “special guests” to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their acclaimed second album.
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Released in August 1985, Rum Sodomy & the Lash was the Elvis Costello-produced follow-up to their 1984 debut, Red Roses for Me. Though featuring singles such as “A Pair of Brown Eyes” and “Dirty Old Town” and garnering critical acclaim, the record was not a commercial success.
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That elusive success followed with their next album, 1988’s If I Should Fall from Grace with God, which boasted the perennial (and oft-controversial) Holiday favorite, “Fairytale of New York”. It was also the group’s highest-charting record in the U.S., reaching No. 88 on the Billboard 200 – their only album to chart within the top 100.
Though initially active from 1982 until 1996, The Pogues reformed in 2001 and remained active until 2014, though no new material arrived during this time.
The death of legendarily shambolic, magnetic frontman MacGowan in 2023 appeared to spell the end of any further chances of a reunion, though Stacy, Fearnley, and Finer were joined by bandmate Terry Woods and The Frames’ Glen Hansard at MacGowan’s funeral for a performance of “The Parting Glass”.On Dec. 17, Stacy, Fearnley, and Finer will helm a 40th anniversary celebration of Red Roses for Me in Dublin, featuring members of groups such as Fontaines DC, The Pretenders, and The Mary Wallopers.
A statement on the band’s website confirmed that longtime drummer Andrew Ranken would not be taking part in any reunion appearances due to health issues which made performing an impossibility.
Primus are on the hunt for a new drummer, and it could be anyone.
The veteran rock band – who celebrate their 40th anniversary this year – shared an open call out for a new drummer on social media today (Nov. 18) following the recent and unexpected departure of longtime percussionist Tim ‘Herb’ Alexander.
“We are currently taking submissions from all points in the universe for the position of Primus drummer/percussionist,” the group wrote.
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“Seeking a well-mannered, affable individual with original sensibility and aesthetic, possessing a desire to open new doors in the creative world,” they clarified. “Flashy chops are wonderful, but groove, pocket, and the ability to listen, react, and contribute to the musical conversation is a must.”
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The band closed their post by urging potential applicants to submit both a resumé and a recent video performance to a dedicated email address.
The search has begun just week’s after Primus mainstays Les Claypool and Larry LaLonde revealed that Alexander had resigned suddenly on Oct. 17 via email “effective immediately”, citing a “loss of passion for playing”—a reason that Claypool and LaLonde admitted “came as a complete shock.”
“On the heels of a wonderful spring & summer of touring and some fabulous plans ahead, it has been a bit bewildering for us that Herb would so abruptly opt out,” Claypool and LaLonde said.
“After several attempts to communicate with Herb, his only response was another email stating that he has ‘lost his passion for playing.’ As disappointing as that is, we respect his choice and it’s forced us to make some tough decisions.”
In an interview with Rolling Stone following his exit, Alexander confirmed that his initial passion had become more like a job during his time in the band. “Over time, I started realizing that it was affecting my physical life, it was affecting my mental life, and it was affecting my family life, and my heart just wasn’t in it,” he said.
Alexander initially joined Primus in 1989, performing on their first four albums until his first departure in 1996. Replaced by his predecessor Bryan ‘Brain’ Mantia until the band’s 2000 breakup, Alexander rejoined the group for their 2003 reunion, leaving again in 2010 before coming back to the fold once again in 2013.
Primus will reportedly move forward with their New Year’s Eve show in Oakland, California, enlisting members of Claypool’s other projects, Holy Mackerel and Frog Brigade, for a “special, one-time event.” Additionally, for their upcoming Dominican Republic festival date, they’ll be joined by Tool drummer Danny Carey.
The search for a new member echoes the efforts of the Smashing Pumpkins, who announced in January 2024 they would be holding an open audition process to replace former guitarist Jeff Schroeder. Frontman Billy Corgan later took to social media to reveal that within just 11 days, they had received over 10,000 submissions, with Kiki Wong ultimately being announced as their new member in April.
Just days after taking over New York City by way of double-duty on Saturday Night Live, Charli XCX has performed a surprise pop-up show in Times Square.
The event, which took place on Monday evening (Nov. 18), saw the English singer, was marketed as an H&M & New York City Secret Event. Hints were provided by way of an online event page sharing the text in Brat green – a color associated with the musician’s culture-affecting sixth album – and Charli XCX’s own history with H&M.
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In August, the singer took part in the launch of H&M’s A/W 2024 Campaign alongside the likes of Arca, Lila Moss, Ajus Samuel, Loli Bahia, Okay Kaya, Alewya, Lux Gillespie, and more. In turn, this collection was promoted by a special London performance on Sept. 12 which also featured DJ sets from Jamie xx and Sherelle.
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Now, the H&M partnership has spread to New York City, with the retailer promoting the surprise performance only 30 minutes before launch with a social media post which confirmed Charli XCX’s involvement, noting she was “about to make history in Times Square wearing the H&M Holiday Collection”.
Indeed, the five-song set featured Charli XCX dressed accordingly, performing tracks from her Brat record. Alongside album singles “360”, “Von Dutch” and viral hit “Apple”, the singer opened and closed her set with remixes of album tracks “365” and “Guess”, respectively.
Footage of the event shows a sizeable crowd gathering to take part in yet another chapter of the musician’s impressive year.
Following the release of Brat in June, the record peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and topped the Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart, becoming a pop culture phenomenon in the process and earning widespread acclaim, including a Grammy nomination for album of the year.
On Saturday (Nov. 16), Charli XCX made her third appearance on Saturday Night Live, and her first pulling double-duty as both host and musical guest, delivering electrifying performances of Brat cuts “360” and “Sympathy Is a Knife”.
Colin Petersen, the first drummer for the Bee Gees who played on some of the band’s early hits, has died. He was 78 years old. The news of his passing was announced in a Facebook post on Monday (Nov. 18) by his current band, Best of The Bee Gees, though no cause of death was given. “It […]
As K-pop continues its meteoric rise on the global stage, the industry’s biggest award show sets a new milestone with its first-ever U.S. date for its 25th anniversary.
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This week, on Nov. 21, 2024, the MAMA Awards will be held at Hollywood’s iconic Dolby Theater, marking the first time the event has crossed over to the States since its introduction in 1999. Widely regarded as one of the premiere K-pop events of the year, the MAMAs have spent the last 25 years growing from a music video awards ceremony in a Seoul theater to a multi-day, international affair across Asia. This year, the 2024 MAMA Awards will kick off with one night in Los Angeles before jumping to two days at the massive Kyocera Dome stadium in Osaka, Japan.
“Taking a first step is challenging, but at the same time, it’s meaningful,” MAMA’s chief producer Yoon Shin Hye shares with Billboard. “We strive to present various stages with an unmatched scale and provide unique experiences to global fans.”
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This year’s theme, “Big Blur: What is Real?,” encapsulates MAMA’s commitment to pushing boundaries and exploring ways to reshape and rethink the music industry. Meanwhile, legendary K-pop producer and music executive J.Y. Park will link with Anderson. Paak for a meeting of the musical minds, as HYBE and Universal Music’s LA-based girl group KATSEYE will team up with another local troupe in the Los Angeles Rams Cheerleaders.
In this exclusive preview of this year’s show MAMA’s chief producer Yoon Shin Hye, delves into the vision and execution behind this year’s event. From overcoming the logistical challenges of hosting in two countries to crafting unique collabs that embody the MAMA spirit, the CJ ENM executive offers an inside look at the dedication and innovation driving the award show to evolve at its 25th anniversary.
Congratulations on what’s sure to be the biggest MAMA Awards. While I know having a ceremony in the U.S. was spoken about in the past, what happened to make it officially occur this year?
Yoon Shin Hye: Looking back on our 25-year MAMA heritage, MAMA has been held across Asia including Macao, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Japan and evolved to become the world’s No. 1 K-Pop awards, which started as the “Mnet Asian Music Awards.” Over the course of our 25-year journey, MAMA Awards has realized the value of “MUSIC MAKES ONE” with the growth of K-pop, and has established our own unmatched system and know-hows through facing and overcoming countless challenges. This has paved the way to host MAMA Awards in the U.S.
How long did it take to confirm MAMA in LA?
Every year as we hold KCON LA, I could feel the strong passion of fans in the U.S. and thought 2024 would be the right time to take a first step in the U.S. with the growth of K-pop. In the planning phase, we came up with the concept of “BIG BLUR,” as it’s about blurred boundaries between time and space, online and offline, imaginary and reality, language and culture, I thought it would be fun to run the MAMA Awards in relays from U.S. to Japan, and this perfectly fits to this year’s story.
How did the Los Angeles lineup come together?
As MAMA Awards is taking a significant first step in the U.S., we thought it would be meaningful to have rookies. So, we made a lineup for the first MAMA Awards in the U.S. with rookie artists. Plus, we have J.Y. Park, who marks the 30th anniversary of his debut, and RIIZE, who have special memories in the U.S. The group debuted in LA, and this year marks the first year of their debut and they are set to show something about their debut stories at MAMA Awards.
What went into the collaborations between J.Y. Park and Anderson .Paak, and KATSEYES with the LA Rams Cheerleaders? Take us through the process.
We wanted to show and present collaborations that have never been seen anywhere else only at MAMA Awards, and what only MAMA can make it happen. This year marks the 30th anniversary of J.Y. Park’s debut — he’s a renowned K-pop producer and K-pop artist — and Anderson .Paak is a Grammy Award winner. Anderson .Paak also has a strong interest in K-pop and recently directed a film about K-pop titled K-Pops! and, as it happens, the two artists are of the same Miryang Park clan [a Korean clan originating from the southeastern city of Miryang in South Korea].
On top of that, we have another special collaboration between the global girl group KATSEYE and the Los Angeles Rams Cheerleaders. We brought ideas about what we can only do in LA, what can be seen only at MAMA and to present performances with a diverse group of artists and become one through music at MAMA.
Actor Park Bo Gum will be the host for the U.S. date. How are you and he preparing?
Park Bo Gum has been with MAMA as a host since 2017 and he hosts the show with sincerity and delivers what MAMA wants to tell about its value and story. We’re confident that we can deliver our message and story well with our host, Park Bo Gum, at the MAMA Awards US. Park is also looking forward to hosting.
What challenges have you faced or do you anticipate facing to successfully hold the MAMA Awards in LA for the first time?
MAMA tries a new thing every year. We strive to present various stages with an unmatched scale and provide unique experiences to global fans. This year, the MAMA Awards will take place in the U.S. and Japan in relays and be broadcast live around the world. This reflects our commitment to bringing people together around the world. This year’s concept especially means opening and creating a new world of MAMA that transcends dimensions of time and space. We decided to host MAMA Awards in two different regions, starting in LA on the 21st and then moving over to Osaka for two days. Taking a first step is challenging, but at the same time, it’s meaningful. Given the time difference and distance, it wasn’t easy to arrange a meeting to prepare and discuss, but the whole process was meaningful and fun to work toward the same goal with artists and staff to create a great show.
The Dolby Theater in Hollywood is a very different venue than the Kyocera Dome. How do you create a seamless experience between a theater and a stadium?
LA Dolby Theatre is a symbolic place to many and home of the Oscars, where the Academy Awards is held every year; it’s like the heart of Hollywood. For the past few years, MAMA Awards has been held at a dome-style venue, and Dolby Theatre has its own mood as a venue and different characteristics. We are going to show something different from our previous MAMA stages and artists will take the stage in a different way at the distinctive venue.
With Los Angeles opening the MAMA Awards this year, can you share the ways you’ll establish the “Big Blur: What is Real?” theme? It’s very interesting but somewhat abstract.
MAMA has always wondered what kind of a new thing will be created when new technology meets art, and has visualized and created stages with that idea. MAMA’s concepts have been comprehensive ones, reflecting trends and environmental changes like the world shifting from analog to digital age, and globally being connected online in this digital era. At this year’s MAMA, we wanted to talk about chaos caused by rapid technological change in our time, which is happening faster than ever and how technological advancement and convergence across industries are affecting the music industry. We also reflected our willingness to create MAMA’s own “NEW THING” that crosses boundaries between imaginary and reality, time and space and online and offline. And we wanted to ask a question of “What is Real?” and make people think about what kind of music they really like.
Historically, MAMA has been a place for new TV projects or teasers to be announced, like Produce 48 or Boys Planet. Are there any surprises for audiences this time?
As we have been taking an uncharted path, MAMA will be full of ever-evolving performances. We are working hard to meet high expectations. MAMA is one “big live show,” and will have many surprising moments. Although watching performances in clips is becoming more common these days, I’m sure it will be much more fun to watch it live.
Jelly Roll knows how to add some fun into an inspiring day. The “Son of a Sinner” singer took to Instagram to share clips from his visit to Harris County Juvenile Detention Center in Houston, Texas, where he brought the detainees pizza and even challenged them to a game of basketball. “I don’t know you […]
Madonna is thinking of readjusting how she presents her much-awaited upcoming biopic.
The Queen of Pop took to Instagram on Monday (Nov. 18) to share a series of recent selfies and photos, reflecting in the caption on the difficulties she’s been facing in telling the story of her life. “After struggling for days in LA , listening to producers and agents Tell me why I couldn’t make my film —I(been working on it for 4 years!!!),” she began. “Downsize-down scale -think smaller-they say—I realized that everything in my life is going to be challenged.”
Madonna continued that the experience as well as hanging out with “creative friends” has allowed her to “think outside the box,” noting, “I did not have a normal life. I cannot make this in the normal way.”
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She continued, “We cannot shrink and make ourselves smaller. If you want something badly enough in life— the whole universe will conspire to [help] you get it.”
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Ultimately, the “Material Girl” singer asked fans for their input, asking if she should make the “story of my life into a series or a feature film,” with much of the comment section agreeing that she should, in fact, make a multiple-part show. See her post here.
The film, initially announced in 2020, was set to delve into the life and career of the beloved musician, and Inventing Anna actress Julia Garner was rumored to have been offered the role of portraying the pop superstar. However, in 2023, the biopic was reportedly put on hold at Universal Pictures for Madonna to focus on her global Celebration Tour.
In July 2024, the biopic seemed to be back in the works. She took to Instagram to share a slideshow of photos in which she’s seen posing with a typewriter, writing a screenplay titled Who’s That Girl, in reference to her 1987 film and song of the same name. While the script is blurred, there are circles and notes indicating edits.
Ooh, bet you’re thinking, she’s so cool about Gracie Abrams, who just scored her first-ever top 10 entry on the Billboard Hot 100 with her runaway hit “That’s So True.”
As revealed Monday (Nov. 18), the 25-year-old singer-songwriter’s The Secret of Us deluxe track has reached a new peak at No. 6, a full seven spots up from its previous apex at No. 13 the week prior. Released Oct. 18 alongside three other bonus songs from her June sophomore LP, the jealousy-riddled post-breakup anthem first entered the chart at No. 44 on the Hot 100 dated Nov. 2.
Shortly after news of her top 10 debut went live, Abrams shared her gratitude on Instagram Stories. “First top ten on the Hot 100,” she wrote, typing out about 28 sobbing emojis and 18 red hearts. “THANK YOU FOR LISTENING”
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The Los Angeles native also showed her disbelief with a keyboard smash — “Agdgdhebfnsnchsjhfehdnmsydywgeyyeys” — and reposted cowriter Audrey Hobert’s reaction, “WHAT ON GODS GREEN.” “No like,” Abrams agreed.
In addition to No. 6 on the Hot 100, “That’s So True” also reaches No. 4 on the Billboard Global 200 and No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart. Since it dropped, the track has blown past Abrams’ other Hot 100 high points with The Secret of Us‘ “Risk” and “I Love You, I’m Sorry,” which reached Nos. 94 and 19, respectively.
Before “That’s So True,” the pop songwriter’s biggest hit on the Hot 100 was “Us.,” a duet written and recorded with Taylor Swift for The Secret of Us. Bowing at No. 36 in July, the ballad recently nabbed Abrams her second-ever Grammy nomination (for best pop duo/group performance) and has become a staple of her setlists on The Secret of Us Tour and as an opener on the Eras Tour.
“This album has meant so much to me because it has supported me through a period of transitions,” Abrams told Billboard over the summer. “I’ve learned about how I like to spend my time, about what works for me or doesn’t in relationships, about how having friends is ultimately the priority for me. I don’t need to know who I want to wake up next to every day, but I know that I want to be there for every chapter of my friends’ lives.”
“I’m learning every five seconds,” she added at the time. “We’ll have to find out what it all turns into, but that’s me today.”
J. Cole has announced a new podcast series edited from conversations he had with his right hand Ibrahim Hamad and flimmaker Scott Lazer that will tell his story while also including unreleased music.
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The North Carolina rapper and businessman took to Instagram to make the announcement with a trailer and a lengthy caption attached. “It’s hard to write a caption to describe what this is,” he began. “I really don’t even know what to call it. We settled on calling it an ‘audio series’ but to me it plays like a movie in the form of a conversation. First, me and Ib spent mad days talking to Scott, recapping the whole journey up to present day. Front to back. It was new, it was fun, it was emotional and more than anything, it was therapeutic.”
Adding, “After that Scott took the conversation and did his thing with it… then it was time to listen back. When I heard it with fresh ears, I was glued to the story as if it was somebody else’s. At times I could feel my adrenaline rush when hearing about the ups and the many downs and how it all played out in the end.”
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He then continued on about how the process gave him a renewed perspective, writing, “I got so much clarity from it, and I understood more than ever the power of having a dream, the power of fueling that dream with strong vision, the magic that happens when we stay in alignment with God, and the darkness that can come in the times that we don’t.”
Cole then talked about his reclusiveness over the years when it came to interviews and social media. “As the years of my career grew I found myself much more hesitant to share details of my life with the world,” he admitted. “Even as I type this, I feel the last little bit of resistance. ‘You sure you want to do this?’ But if I was a younger version of myself, I know that I would get so much fuel from hearing this from somebody that went for theirs and ‘made it.’ For that reason, I think it’s worth sharing.”
Finally, he said he hopes this new audio series will inspire people to continue chasing the things that they’re passionate about. “So, if you rocked with me at any point so far on my journey, I hope this will give you even more perspective and fill in a lot of blanks,” Cole wrote. “If you have your own dream in life that you hope to achieve, in any field, I hope that this will feed your spirit, giving you confidence to believe in that dream and the encouragement to push through the tough times. To go for it even when you may be afraid to.”
Season 1 of Inevitable will be available starting today (Nov. 18) at 6 p.m. ET. You can find the series here.
