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Actors want to sing, singers want to act, directors want to… act, too, sometimes. But not Chappell Roan. The chart-topping, drag-loving, festival conquering pop star of the year whose shows are full of dramatic looks and choreo, pulled no punches in an Interview magazine chat with SNL star Bowen Yang when the show’s break-out star asked her if she might consider dipping her toe into acting to get break from some of the insanity of pop stardom.
“I say this with peace, and love, and blessings,” the 26-year-old nearly-decade-in-the-making overnight star told Yang. “Actors are f–king crazy.” Yang agreed, though Roan noted that she, of course, didn’t mean him. “You can, I’m crazy,” he assured her.
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“I don’t know you, but I know that you’re not the vibe I’m talking about,” Roan explained. “Like, I get so freaked out by film people. I’ve been asked in the past couple of weeks, like, ‘You want the lead in XYZ?’ and I’m like, ‘No.’” While Roan didn’t specify what projects she’d been asked to join, she said she appreciated the attention, but was definitely a hard-no on taking her talents to the big screen.
On Monday (August 19), the “Red Wine Supernova” star jumped on TikTok to talk about the “harassment” she’s been getting from fans lately,” lamenting the lack of boundaries fans have when it comes to interloping on her private life. “I don’t care that this crazy type of behavior comes along with the job, the career field I’ve chosen. That doesn’t make it OK. That doesn’t make it normal,” she said. “That doesn’t mean I want it, doesn’t mean I like it. I don’t want whatever the f— you think you’re supposed to be entitled to whenever you see a celebrity.”
Even though she unequivocally told Yang she’s not interested in adding a hyphen to her professional title, Roan revealed that she’s not a total newbie when it comes to being a thespian. “I originally started doing music because I wanted to get my foot in the door for acting, and then I moved to Los Angeles, and I was like, ‘F–k that,’” said Roan, who noted that she’s had acting training, but finds the idea the “most stressful thing in the world” to her.
“The industry is legitimately so scary, and it is so out of my control. I can put out music whenever I want. I don’t have to wait for a casting director to be like, ‘It would be great if we cast you, and then we’ll decide your schedule for the next three months,’” Roan said.
She did leave a bit of daylight for the right project, adding that if she were to change her mind, the project would have to be “really specific and really silly,” in which case she might consider a cameo. That said, she added, “I would rather get arrested.” Plus, the next year is totally booked out anyway.
The 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago kicked off in style on Monday night (August 19) with rousing speeches from former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton and President Joe Biden and riveting performances from Jason Isbell and Mickey Guyton.
But on a night when Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and her VP nominee, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, made surprise appearances, one of the biggest unexpected moments came during the reveal of a new ad for the Harris/Walz campaign that is scored to Beyoncé‘s a cappella version of the bid’s theme song, “Freedom.”
The powerful Lemonade track that has quickly become the musical grace note of the 11th hour campaign that kicked off when Biden unexpectedly agreed to drop out of his second race against convicted felon and former one-term President Donald Trump soared from the speakers inside Chicago’s United Center to help hype the crowd up for what turned out to be a very long night.
Opening with images of horses running free on the prairie and trains moving through the desert West, the video was full of classic images of Americana, from desperate Dust Bowl families to American troops storming the beaches during WWII, plenty of American flags and the Statue of Liberty. “What kind of America do we want?” Oscar-nominee actor Jeffrey Wright intoned over video of regular citizens suiting up for a day’s work. “One where we’re divided, angry, depressed? C’mon! We’re Americans! Fascism? We conquered it. The Moon? Landed on it. The future? Building it. Freedom? Nobody loves it more.”
As pics of Black Lives Matter protests, the moon landing and Civil Rights, reproductive rights and gay pride marches mixed with training film of Paralympic athletes and citizens of all races and abilities filled the screen, Bey’s voice soared as she sang, “Freedom, freedom, I can’t move/ Freedom, cut me loose/ Singin’ freedom, freedom/ Where are you?”
In contrast to the often dark, dire message from Republicans during the RNC several weeks ago, the “Freedom” video offered a message of hope and unity, save for a bit that spotlighted the deadly Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol by Trump’s followers. “I’mma keep on running cuz a winner don’t quit on themselves,” Beyoncé’s bellowed as footage of Harris promised, “extremists want to take us back, but we are not going back!”
The convention that runs through Thursday (August 22) will nominate the nation’s first Black and Asian American woman to the precipice of the highest office in the land. It is expected to be a star-studded affair that will contrast with the RNCs roster of septuagenarian professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Fighting CEO Dana White, model Amber Rose, country singers Lee Greenwood, Jason Aldean and Chris Janson and rapper-turned-far-right country singer Kid Rock. Instead, the DNC will have nightly celeb hosts including Kerry Washington, Mindy Kaling, Ana Navarro and Tony Goldwyn as well as guest Julia Louis-Dreyfus, along with Jason Isbell and Mickey Guyton (who performed on night one) and James Taylor, who was cut for time on the first night.
After jumping into the race at the end of last month, Harris’ campaign rolled out “Freedom” during the veep’s walk-out at her inaugural visit to campaign headquarters; the rousing, full-band album version of the song was also featured in an early campaign video. Unlike Trump, who has been sued, issued cease & desist orders and strongly-worded requests to stop using the music of popular acts during his campaign stops by musicians who do not agree with his divisive, name-calling rhetoric, Queen Bey gave the Harris campaign full approval to use “Freedom” during the run for the White House.
And while Trump re-posted fake AI-generated images of what appeared to be Taylor Swift fans, and the singer herself, endorsing his third presidential bid over the weekend, the Harris campaign has been flooded with full-throated, A-list endorsements from a galaxy of contemporary and classic stars, from Olivia Rodrigo and Barbra Streisand to Megan Thee Stallion, John Legend, Spike Lee, Katy Perry, Charli XCX, P!nk, Cardi B, Kesha, Jane Fonda, Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro and George Clooney, among many others.
Watch the new “Freedom” campaign video below.
The 2024 Summer Olympics are but a memory at this point, but for Public Enemy rapper Flavor Flav the flame burns on. The excitable hip-hop hype man isn’t done boosting the names and stories of U.S. athletes, including the paralympians who are gearing up to take the stage in Paris next week.
“THIS is just one of the many @gofundme for the @Olympics and @Paralympics that I support,” tweeted Flav about the games that will take place from August 28-Sept. 8. “Imagine spending 18 years taking ya kid to every practice and game and working 2-3 jobs to buy equipment,,, and then not being able to watch them play the biggest game of they life.”
Flav was responding to a post from Paralympic sprinter Nick Mayhugh, who earlier this month wrote, “HELP SEND MY PARENTS TO PARIS! [gold medal emoji]. I created a @gofundme to help pay for expenses to send my parents to the #Paralympics! They’ve never been out of the country, & couldn’t watch me compete in Tokyo due to COVID. Any & all donations are appreciated!” The rapper was one of more than 300 people who’ve donated anywhere from $5-$500 to the cause; he appears to have donated $100 under his birth name, William Drayton. So far, the campaign has raised $11,126 of its $10,000 goal.
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Three-time gold medalist Mayhugh is a 28-year-old Paralympian who just qualified for his second Paralympic team. The athlete who discovered he had cerebral palsy at age 14, helped the U.S. Men’s National Para Soccer team win its first bronze medal at the 2019 Para Pan American Games and then switched to track for the Tokyo Olympics, where he won a trio of golds in the 100M T37, 200m T37 and the 4X100m medley at the 2021 Games.
“I am humbly asking for any and everyone’s help to get my parents over to Paris to watch me compete for Team USA and bringing home more gold medals!” Mayhugh wrote in his GoFundMe.
Flav has been all-in with the U.S. squad this year, pledging $1,000 and a cruise for all the members of the U.S. Women’s Water Polo team and helping to cover rent costs for 24-year-old discus thrower Veronica Fraley and, before it was restored, offering gymnast Jordan Chiles a giant, bejeweled bronze clock in place of the bronze medal that was briefly stripped from her over a technicality.
The friendship with the water polo squad rambled on to Las Vegas recently, where the PE hype man got hype with the athletes at Resorts World on Saturday night, after being welcomed to the resort with a giant American flag display on the hotel’s facade. “imma so proud of all these women. Look at all the support and attention brought to this sport and women’s athletics. We changing the game and that is something BIG to celebrate,” Flav wrote on Instagram alongside video and photos of him partying with the women.
See Flav’s tweet and Vegas party video below and check out Mayhugh’s GoFundMe here.
THIS is just one of the many @gofundme for the @Olympics and @Paralympics that I support. Imagine spending 18 years taking ya kid to every practice and game and working 2-3 jobs to buy equipment,,, and then not being able to watch them play the biggest game of they life. https://t.co/xnZWGABNbs— FLAVOR FLAV (@FlavorFlav) August 15, 2024
WOOWWW,!!! Y’all we did it,!!! FULLY FUNDED within a day. This is the power of unity and community. Y’all helping make some dreams come true,!!! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾@nickmayhugh @gofundme https://t.co/BiFE6VJNot— FLAVOR FLAV (@FlavorFlav) August 16, 2024
Blink-182 are set to take their fans on another wild ride with the release of One More Time… Part-2, dropping on Sept. 6. The San Diego rockers Are set to take their fans on another journey with the release of One More Time… Part-2, dropping on Sept. 6.
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Adding to the excitement, the band is set to share the first single from the expanded album, “All In My Head,” this Friday, Aug. 23.
The legendary pop-punk trio, who have been at the forefront of the genre since their mainstream breakthrough with 1999’s Enema of the State, is expanding their 2023 Billboard 200 No. 1 album One More Time… with eight fresh tracks.
One More Time… marked a significant moment for the band, as it was their first album with guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge since his return to the band.
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DeLonge’s return was spurred by bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus’s battle with cancer, leading to a reconnection that resulted in the creation of the album. The project, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, became their third career No. 1 album, furthering their legacy in the pop-punk genre.
The album’s singles saw major success on the Billboard charts, with “Edging” and “One More Time” both topping the Alternative Airplay chart, the latter setting a record with 20 consecutive weeks at No. 1.
The buzz around Part-2 has been building ever since drummer Travis Barker teased fans with a cryptic tweet on July 22, asking, “Who’s ready for One More Time Part-2?” The anticipation reached a peak on Aug. 18 when Barker confirmed that the album was “mixed and mastered” and ready for fans.
One More Time… Part-2 features eight brand-new tracks that will be available in multiple physical formats, including a 2 LP Complete Deluxe Edition on Blue Balls Colored Vinyl and a 1 LP Deluxe Tracks Only variant on Red Rocket Colored Vinyl.
You can pre-order and pre-save One More Time… Part-2 here, while the first single from the album, “All In My Head,” will drop on Aug. 23.
It was a music-packed first night at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, with Jason Isbell, Mickey Guyton and James Taylor all performing at Chicago’s United Center in support of presidential hopeful Kamala Harris. Isbell and Guyton both made their DNC debuts on Monday night (Aug. 19), while Taylor was playing his fifth straight convention in […]
Big Loud artists Morgan Wallen, HARDY and Ernest are set to celebrate Big Loud partner/CEO Seth England, as the T.J. Martell Foundation honors England with the lifetime music industry award during its 49th annual New York Honors Gala.
The event marks the T.J. Martell Foundation’s primary fundraiser of the year and supports the organization’s mission of curing cancer through funding high-risk, high-reward research with the aim of advancing early detection, screening and treatments. The lifetime music industry award honors England’s impact on the music industry, but also his steadfast support for the T.J. Martell Foundation’s mission.
The New York Honors Gala will take place at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City on Tuesday, Sept. 17. Wallen, HARDY and Ernest will lead a writers’ round performance. The evening will also include a fundraising auction, while Archie Davis, Def Jam’s chief creative officer/executive vp (who was honored with the New York Honors Gala rising music superstar award in 2023), is set to announce an initiative that will continue to raise awareness of early screening and testing.
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“We are thrilled to be honoring our distinguished music industry colleague and dear friend Seth England with this year’s Lifetime Music Industry Award to commemorate his deep commitment to the foundation,” said Steve Gawley, REPUBLIC Corps. executive vp of business & legal affairs and business development and chairman-elect of the Board of Trustees, T.J. Martell Foundation, via a statement. “We are proud to shine a spotlight on Seth’s dedicated efforts towards our cancer research as well as his pioneering work in the music world, and look forward to celebrating Seth and his achievements with an exhilarating night of music!”
England is the 2024 Billboard Country Power Players executive of the year, and the inaugural recipient of Billboard’s Country Power Players choice award, a peer-voted honor given to the country music executive that industry power players feel have made the most impact on the genre in that year.
The Big Loud Records roster of artists includes Wallen, HARDY, Ernest, Charles Wesley Godwin, Lauren Alaina, Larry Fleet, Lily Rose, Ashley Cooke, Lauren Watkins, Kashus Culpepper and more. Meanwhile Big Loud Publishing‘s clients include Cooke, Craig Wiseman, Jacob Durrett, Rocky Block and Rhys Rutherford. Big Loud Management‘s roster includes Ernest, HARDY, Cooke, Jake Worthington and more.
“As a longstanding proud member of the music industry, I am grateful to see the unwavering dedication and generosity that our music peers put forth to help propel this vital cancer research,” said John Esposito, Chairman of Board of Trustees, T.J. Martell Foundation, in a statement. “As we look ahead towards what will be the foundation’s 50th anniversary, this year’s gala is a great reminder of how far we have come as a foundation and how much further we still need to go in the fight against cancer.”
“We are incredibly thankful to the music community for uniting to support the foundation’s critical work in funding cancer research,” said Lynn-Anne Huck, CEO, T.J. Martell Foundation, in a statement. “Witnessing our donors rally around the fight against cancer and uphold the promise made between a father and his son is both beautiful and inspiring.”
The 49th Annual New York Honors Gala co-chair committee is comprised of music industry members including Ben Adelson, Tyler Arnold, Tom Corson, Archie Davis, John Esposito, Clint Higham, Monte Lipman, Avery Lipman, Rakiyah Marshall, Debbie Martell, Joey Moi, Brian O’Connell, Andre Stapleton, Julie Swidler, Greg Thompson, and Craig Wiseman.
Billie Eilish is officially Spotify‘s most streamed monthly artist, the streaming platform announced on Monday (Aug. 19), replacing The Weeknd at the summit. The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) showed his support for Eilish last week, when she was nearing his record. “Let’s go !” he wrote alongside a series of heart, prayer and line […]
Kendrick Lamar had rival Los Angeles gangs on stage with him at The Pop Out concert in June, and YG looks to continue spreading that same message of unity across California. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news YG spent his Sunday (Aug. 18) brokering the start of […]
Afro Nation Detroit 2024 was a two-day music festival that brought together top Afro artists across Afrobeats, hip-hop, R&B, dancehall, gqom, amapiano and more. Held in the birthplace of Motown and techno, Detroit proved to be the perfect location for this vibrant celebration.
The world’s largest Afrobeats festival took place Saturday to Sunday, Aug. 17-18, at Bedrock’s Douglass Site. This historic venue, formerly the Brewster-Douglass Projects, was the nation’s first federally funded housing project for African-Americans and the former home of legends like Diana Ross and Smokey Robinson.
Afro Nation Detroit showcased a wealth of performances from the Black diaspora, including Rema, Omah Lay, Ayra Starr, Kizz Daniel and Michigan native Kash Doll on the main stage. Meanwhile, artists like Uncle Waffles, Musa Keys, Scorpion Kings, DBN Gogo and others kept the party alive all weekend at the Piano People stage. To be honest, there were moments when the Piano stage was even more lit than the main Lit Everywhere stage.
The festival’s opening day faced a rocky start due to weather delays, but once the festivities began, the party didn’t stop until around midnight. DJ Marine kicked things off with an electrifying set, setting the tone for Charity, who brought main-stage energy. King Promise followed, illustrating why he’s the king, delivering a performance that turned the audience into a choir. Rema shut down the day with an unforgettable, fiery performance.
Day 2 saw a significant increase in turnout — if day 1 was full, day 2 was packed. Juls and DJ Marine amped up the crowd upon entry, setting the stage for Ruger, who worked the audience with ease.
When Shenseea took the stage a few minutes later, the crowd erupted, as if they had been waiting their whole lives for this moment. She performed fresh tracks from her new album Never Gets Late Here, followed by Asake, who delivered an animated performance, quite literally bouncing off the walls.
Although Lil Wayne had to cancel due to bad weather in NYC, the festival was still an incredible experience.
Check out the four best main-stage moments.
R&B Meets Afrobeats with PARTYNEXTDOOR
Image Credit: Izzy Nuzzo
Jay-Z and Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin hosted an invite-only pop-up of the reimagined 40/40 Club this past weekend at Fanatics Fest NYC. The newest version of the mogul’s famed sports bar — expected to reopen some time in 2025 — will have the Fanatics Sportsbook integrated, allowing customers to place live bets as they’re inside […]
