Music

28 Apr 2024

Travis Kelce Calls Taylor Swift ‘My Significant Other’ in Eras Ticket Auction at Patrick Mahomes’ Charity Gala

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce arrived hand-in-hand to their friend Patrick Mahomes’ charity gala Saturday night (April 27) in Las Vegas, where Swift offered a surprise donation to go up for auction.

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The couple, seen in clips posted online by gala attendees, showed up to support Mahomes’ 15 and The Mahomies Foundation. Their appearance quickly made the rounds on social media, with fans particularly charmed to hear Kelce sweetly refer to Swift as “my significant other.”

The pop icon, who’s been busy with the release of her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, this week, appeared happy to be there with Kelce. She was in a green evening gown and wore her hair styled down, looking effortlessly elegant for their night out together.

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Auctioneer Harry Santa posted a selfie with Swift on Instagram Stories, followed by videos of Kelce helping him get bids for an unannounced package of Eras Tour tickets the star put up for auction for the foundation.

“I was just talking to my significant other,” Kelce said in a coy voice in one of the clips, “and we might have one other auction item that wasn’t on the docket. Has anybody heard of The Eras Tour?”

Santa made the first bid of $5,000 himself, saying they’d be moving forward in $5,000 increments. He joked that the winning bidder could go big for 15 and The Mahomies, then still profit by selling the in-demand tickets online for $200,000 straight after the gala.

“Taylor Swift is actually cheering you on as you’re winning four of her tickets,” he pointed out as Swift, seated next to Patrick and Brittany Mahomes, waved a red napkin. Kelce threw his head back, laughing.

Santa’s last update reported the four-ticket package sold for $80,000.

15 and The Mahomies is “dedicated to improving the lives of children,” Mahomes’ foundation, which he founded in 2019, states on its website. “The Foundation supports initiatives that focus on health, wellness, communities in need of resources and other charitable causes.”

Swift’s Tortured Poets Department, which turned out to have a staggering 31-song Anthology edition, has been shattering records in its first week, doing unprecedented numbers in streaming, sales and vinyl before even making its official debut on the Billboard charts.

She returns to tour in less than a fortnight, resuming her hours-long, career-spanning live show — presumably with at least some new material from the TTPD era — in Paris on May 9.

See clips of Kelce and Swift captured at the gala below.

27 Apr 2024

Madonna Joined by Salma Hayek for ‘Vogue’ in Mexico City as Celebration Tour Wraps

Salma Hayek helped Madonna bring her career-spanning Celebration Tour to a close in Mexico City, where the actress appeared on the Queen of Pop‘s stage during her performance of “Vogue” at the Palacio De Los Deportes Friday night (April 26).

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The number had Hayek, dressed in an ensemble inspired by Frida Kahlo, joining in to guest judge the tour dancers’ vogueing. (Hayek portrayed the iconic painter in the 2002 biopic Frida, for which she received an Oscar nomination for best actress.)

Hayek reacted to her experience with Madonna on Instagram in a post on Saturday, writing, “Thank you so much @madonna for letting me be a part of your iconic celebration tour. This unforgettable night goes in my bag of precious treasures.”

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Madonna has just one show left on her current itinerary, a free concert on May 4 at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that Visit Rio officials said is forecast to bring in two million fans. Entrance to the show, sponsored by Itaú Bank, is on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of the event. Fans who can’t attend will be able to watch the show broadcast live on TV Globo.

Mexico City hosted Madonna for a series of five concerts at the Palacio De Los Deportes. Last weekend, on Saturday, April 20, the singer spoke of her love of Mexican culture and Kahlo, telling the audience how she discovered the painter’s art as a young girl.

“As you know, I have a great history, a long history with Mexico,” said Madonna, who reportedly met with the Kahlo family at their home in the city neighborhood of El Pedregal.

“When I was a girl,” she said, “I discovered Frida Kahlo. I went to the only museum that existed in Detroit, and there were Diego Rivera murals everywhere, but to be honest, I was more interested in a small picture in a corner, of a beautiful woman with her hair gathered in braids and intense eyes.”

The Celebration Tour kicked off in the fall, after a delayed start due to Madonna’s hospitalization for a serious bacterial infection over the summer.

See a clip of Hayek’s visit to Madonna’s “Vogue” set in Mexico City below.

27 Apr 2024

Lana Del Rey Sings ‘Unchained Melody’ With Paul Cauthen in Surprise Stagecoach Duet

California got a little bit more of Lana Del Rey this weekend, with her making an unannounced appearance at Stagecoach following two weekends of headlining Coachella. Paul Cauthen welcomed the Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd songstress to the stage for a stirring rendition of “Unchained Melody” on Friday (April 27).

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Del Rey and Cauthen crooned the classic that became a hit recording for the Righteous Brothers in 1965 — and was also famously performed by Elvis Presley in 1977, just two months before his death — during Cauthen’s set at the first night of the Indio, California, festival.

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“He decided he wanted me to do a nice slow one to finish it off,” Del Rey, who joined Cauthen at the end of his set, said to the crowd.

Stagecoach shared the video below of the pair’s performance Friday night.

And on Saturday, Del Rey uploaded a short video of their duet.

“Just lovin life with @paulcauthen,” she captioned the post. She also uploaded photos from their day.

Cauthen posted pictures and a clip from their performance on Instagram as well, writing, “Thank you @stagecoach! Y’all were electric this year. Thank you @honeymoon for sharing the stage with me for this special moment. Thank you to my team for your support through this whole process. Y’all, we are just getting started!”

Del Rey, who has a country album called Lasso in the works, sang “Unchained Melody” last year for Christmas at Graceland, NBC’s holiday special celebrating the legacy of Elvis Presley. Cauthen previously covered the classic with Orville Peck, with the pair performing as their act The Unrighteous Brothers.

See Lana hitting a heavenly note on the Stagecoach stage with Cauthen.

27 Apr 2024

Ariana Grande Shares ‘We Can’t Be Friends’ Behind-the-Scenes Footage, Teases Next Single

Ariana Grande is offering up some behind-the-scenes footage as fans eagerly await her next single.

On Saturday (April 27), the 30-year-old pop superstar shared black-and-white footage from early recordings of her Billboard Hot 100 hit “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love),” which blasted to No. 1 on the chart in mid-March.

“found some more behind the scenes of We Can’t Be Friends and couldn’t wait to share with you…,” the Wicked star wrote alongside the video on Instagram.

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In the clip, Grande is seen “piecing together the first two melody passes, resulting in the bridge you know today” with the assistance of co-writer and producer Max Martin. Also heard is the “first voicenote I texted to [songwriter Ilya Salmanzadeh] after he sent me the original beat,” she wrote in the post.

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The R.E.M. Beauty founder added, “this song holds such a special place in my heart and i can’t thank you enough for all of the love you’ve shown (and continue to show) it.”

“We Can’t Be Friends” is the second single from Grande’s seventh album, Eternal Sunshine, which launched at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. “Yes, And?,” the lead single from the set, released on Republic Records, premiered at the summit in January.

Grande concluded her IG post by teasing the next single from Eternal Sunshine.

“i know everyone is antsy and excited for the next single (so am i — literally typing this to you while working on …a something…) but i appreciate your patience, allowing wcbf to continue doing her thing. i promise, i’ll do my best to make it worth the wait,” she wrote.

Grande’s mother, Joan Grande, took to the comments section to show her support for her daughter. “I love hearing you in the studio… pure magic! Pure genius!! Incredible… magnificent song, singer!!” she wrote. The singer’s brother, Frankie, added, “We know it’s going to be worth the wait and I’m so happy to continue celebrating WCBF! It’s a triumph!”

Salmanzadeh, who co-wrote “We Can’t Be Friends,” noted that the recording showed “Magic in the making. Such a special record. We are lucky to know and work with U my incredibly brilliant friend!”

In early April, exactly one month after dropped Eternal Sunshine, Grande shared additional behind-the-scenes video of her in the studio and revealed that she’s just getting started on promoting the project.

“i cannot wait for everything that has yet to come within this eternal sunshine cycle (that has only just begun & may it never end),” she wrote. “thank you for your love.”

See Grande’s “We Can’t Be Friends” behind-the-scenes footage post on Instagram below.

27 Apr 2024

Future’s 25 Biggest Hits on the Billboard Hot 100

Future has evolved into one of rap’s dignitaries in the 2010s as he’s put up seven straight No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200.

Pluto broke out with a syrupy assist on YC’s “Racks” and earned an early Hot 100 hit in October 2012 with “Turn On the Lights.”

DJ Khaled has repeatedly recruited Future for anthems throughout his decorated career and the Atlanta rapper now calls the Billboard Hot 100 home since his epic mid-2010s mixtape run elevated him into a commercial superstar.

Metro Boomin and Future have connected for anthems like “Mask Off” in 2017, but the rapper-producer finally locked in for a pair of joint projects to set the tone for a scintillating 2024.

We Don’t Trust You topped the Billboard 200 with 251,000 total album-equivalent units in the week ending March 28, per Luminate. Future occupied half of the Hot 100’s top 10 in its debut on the chart.

One LP wasn’t enough as Future and Young Metro spun the block to unleash another 25 tracks packaged as We Still Don’t Trust You three weeks later in April.

The sequel debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart (dated April 27), with 127,500 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending April 18, according to Luminate. 

Future boasts 199 Hot 100 entries along with 15 top 10 entries of which three have reached the chart’s apex. With well over a decade of churning out anthems, check out Pluto’s 25 biggest Hot 100 hits below.

Future’s Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits ranking is based on weekly performance on the Hot 100 through the charts dated April 27, 2024. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at lower spots earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted differently to account for chart turnover rates during various periods.

27 Apr 2024

Jelly Roll Covers Toby Keith’s ‘Should’ve Been a Cowboy’ With T-Pain at Stagecoach 2024

Jelly Roll was full of surprises at Stagecoach 2024.

During his wild evening set on the country music festival‘s opening day Friday (April 26), the “Need a Favor” singer welcomed numerous unexpected guests onto the stage, including T-Pain, Ernest and Maddie & Tae.

Jelly Roll’s performance took place on the T-Mobile Mane Stage at Empire Polo Field in Indio, Calif., shortly before Eric Church’s headlining slot.

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Halfway through his 50-minute set, Jelly Roll was joined by T-Pain for their cover of Toby Keith‘s hit song “Should’ve Been a Cowboy.” The pair dropped a recorded version of the cover for Amazon Music a day earlier. The country star shared his thoughts on the classic track leading up to the music fest.

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“I had been covering ‘Should’ve Been a Cowboy’ for about a year now at most of my shows, just kind of honoring Toby as he was getting sick before he passed away,” Jelly Roll told Variety. “Then I really started chewing on, man, what better place to honor Toby than Stagecoach? Plus, Toby Keith was one of the artists that from afar, even though he would never have known it, encouraged me to do country music.”

Funds raised from the “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” cover will go toward the Toby Keith Foundation, which aids pediatric cancer patients. Keith died earlier this year following a battle with stomach cancer.

Elsewhere during his Stagecoach set, Jelly Roll welcomed collaborator Ernest for a performance of “Son of a Sinner,” which reached No. 1 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart in 2022. Jelly Roll was also joined by Maddie & Tae on what he called a brand new song titled “Liar.” The country duo will perform their own set on Saturday (April 27).

Jelly Roll ended his performance by bringing out his wife, Bunnie XO, and daughter, Bailee Ann, is turning 16 years old. To celebrate her birthday next week, the country star asked the thousands of fans to join him in singing happy birthday.

Earlier in the day, Jelly Roll visited celebrity chef Guy Fieri at the Smokehouse Cooking Demo stage for a cooking lesson.

Stagecoach continues with headlining performances by Miranda Lambert and Morgan Wallen, as well as sets by Elle King, Post Malone, Willie Nelson, Hardy and Bailey Zimmerman, among many others. The festival is streaming live on Prime Video or Amazon Music’s Twitch channel.

Fans have been speculating that Beyoncé could be making a surprise appearance at Stagecoach under the name “DJ Backwoods Barbie,” an unknown performer listed on the roster. Backwoods Barbie happens to be the name of a Dolly Parton album and Bey collaborated with Parton on Cowboy Carter.

27 Apr 2024

Florence Welch Reflects on Working With Taylor Swift on ‘Tortured Poets’ Song ‘Florida!!!’

Florence Welch is looking back on working alongside Taylor Swift.

The Florence + the Machine leader and Swift co-wrote the song “Florida!!!,” which appears on the pop superstar’s new double album, The Tortured Poets Department. In an interview with British Vogue, published Thursday (April 25), Welch reflects on her collaboration with Swift.

“I almost didn’t think of the scale of it,” Welch told the publication. “There’s the sort of bigness of [Taylor Swift the phenomenon], and then there’s the Taylor I spend time with in the studio, who is just the sweetest and most down to earth.”

The Florence + the Machine singer said that Swift came to her with “a concept and a story” for the song, which is “my favorite way to start songwriting.” She added, “We had such a fun time. And then when it came out I was like, ‘Oh, s—!’”

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Swift previously explained the narrative that inspired “Florida!!!” during an interview with iHeartRadio.

“‘Florida!!!’ is a song I wrote with Florence and the Machine, and I think I was coming up with this idea of like, what happens when your life doesn’t fit, or your choices you’ve made catch up to you,” Swift said.

She added that she’s a fan of Dateline and noticed how “people have these crimes that they commit, where do they immediately skip town and go to? They go to Florida.”

The Tortured Poets Department is Swift’s eleventh studio album and her her first release of new music since 2022’s Grammy-winning Midnights. The 31-track double album also features a collaboration with Post Malone, as well as writing and production contributions from Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner.

Although The Tortured Poets Department is Swift’s first album of new music since Midnights, she has steadily pumped out her re-recorded Taylor’s Version albums in the interim. In between the two aforementioned albums, Swift topped the Billboard 200 with both Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version), the latter of which became the star’s record-extending sixth album to debut with over one million pure sales in its first week.

27 Apr 2024

mk.gee’s L.A. Performances Spotlight Why He’s a Musician’s Musician

Los Angeles-based musician mk.gee played back-to-back sold out shows this week at the Fonda Theater in Hollywood, and the performances were no-frills: no opener, no banter, no visuals.

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In fact, mk.gee could hardly be seen amidst the spotlight placed directly behind him for the entire show on Wednesday (April 24). He let his music do all of the talking instead, and while this description might sound uninspired, the real effect was anything but. mk.gee’s performance was more captivating and enigmatic than even his recorded music — a show that kept the spotlight fixed on the artist’s work rather than the artist himself.

After releasing his latest album, Two Star and the Dream Police, on Feb. 9, mk.gee (real name: Mike Gordon) has been amassing his own brand of mysterious indie stardom. He’s always been a musician’s musician, beloved by everyone from Frank Ocean to Anderson .Paak dating back to 2018’s sunnier album Pronounced McGee. But the singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer had yet to hit the radar of many current listeners until Two Star debuted.

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This is likely because he keeps to himself. It’s clear mk.gee is not chasing algorithms or clout or money. He rarely does interviews or shows his whole face in photos. The most he’s ever been seen really was when he played guitar in Dijon’s music videos for Absolutely, the acclaimed 2021 album that he co-wrote and co-produced, or the recent time he played on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Even then, viewers in the YouTube comment section were calling him a “Batman of Music.”

It’s refreshing — and shocking — to see a musician like mk.gee in 2024, and his elusiveness and focus on his craft is not something I believed could still work in an era of shameless and constant self-promotion. With mk.gee, the music is enough. What a relief that is.

He came with just two bandmates (Andrew Aged and Zack Sekof), a hard set-up to pull off, especially when the focal point of the performance is on the musicality of the artist on stage. Playing through songs from Two Star, the three musicians improvised over the tracks, patiently and incisively, bringing new emotional heft to songs that already oozed with it to begin with. Sometimes this would go on for minutes longer than the recorded version’s run time, especially after “Are You Looking Up” which marked the end of the set before he came back for an encore, and it was always felt like a gift to hear the trio keep going.

If the set could be compared to anyone else’s, it would probably be that of musical polymath James Blake or of Bon Iver’s 22, A Million performances, which have similarly used backlighting and an artful mix of programmed and ad-libbed playing.

While I was hoping to hear some tracks from Pronounced McGee and The Museum of Contradiction (2020), mk.gee’s set was much more uniform as simply a showcase of Two Star songs, and I could forgive those exclusions for the sonic consistency this choice brought to the show. All in all, mk.gee’s was an incredibly focused, sparse presentation that kept his musicianship centerstage at all times. It’s a must-see for concert lovers, especially those who seek live talent over visual pageantry.

See the setlist for mk.gee’s L.A. show on April 24 below.

“New Low”

“How Many Miles”

“Dream Police”

“You got It”

“Rylee & I”

“Dimeback”

“Candy”

“I Want”

“Are You Looking Up”

—

“Alesis”

“Candy”

27 Apr 2024

How Los Angeles’ Fiesta Broadway Executed Its Revival After a 4-Year Hiatus

Not all events that were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic got a comeback story. Fiesta Broadway, back after a four-year hiatus in Los Angeles, gets to have one.

Around for more than 25 years, Fiesta Broadway became a marquee Cinco de Mayo event that took place every year in downtown LA, reuniting thousands of Angelenos for a day of food, music and activities for kids. That all came to an abrupt stop when the pandemic shut down all live events in 2020. “You can tell that Los Angeles has felt empty, a lack of celebration of unity,” says Luis Medina, president and executive producer of Uno Productions (one of the companies producing the event), who adds that past editions have gathered around 100,000.

Now under the management of All Access Talent and Uno Productions, Fiesta Broadway’s organizers doubled down on kick-starting the free event by bringing the original producers of the festival onboard.

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“There is no one who could’ve helped us more than the people who created the festival,” says Medina, noting that joining forces with the previous producers was a key strategy in the revival of Fiesta Broadway. Plus, the support of Los Angeles City Council member for District 14, Kevin de León. Once city officials green-lit its return, they had six months to plan and execute.  

“Our phones were flooded with many artists and organizations, including media and sponsors, who wanted to participate in our return,” Medina adds. “What makes Fiesta Broadway the beloved event that it is recognized for, is that it is made for the people. To bring the community together, to see artists that would be a bit cost-difficult to see in concert, to bring food from different cultures and remind people that home is in Los Angeles.”  

This year, Alex Lora from rock band El TRI, will be the Grand Marshal 2024, a recognition to legacy artists who’ve contribution to the Hispanic community in the United States. This edition, which will take over four blocks of Broadway St. on Sunday (April 28), will also feature performances by Mexican actor and singer Pablo Montero, Graciela Beltran and Leonardo Torres, accompanied by the Mariachi Juvenil Nuevo Grullense. Other confirmed acts include Juanito El Millonzuki, Rocío “La Dama de la Cumbia,” and many more.  

Whether Fiesta Broadway is back for good or not, that’s too soon to tell. “[This year] is a moreover learning experience on how we can remain up-to-date with the new era and keep the festival popular among the younger generation as well,” says Medina.  

26 Apr 2024

Taylor Swift Likes Post of Kansas City Chiefs’ New Draft Pick

Karma is the new guy on the Chiefs!

Wide receiver Xavier Worthy was drafted to the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday (April 25), and the NFL team took to Instagram to share a clip of the sweet moment the 20-year-old found out the news. Taylor Swift showed support by liking the post, which was captioned, “The moment @worthyyy became a Kansas City Chief.”

Swift, of course, is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and the duo were recently seen enjoying time together at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, with fans online going wild over clips of the couple laughing, kissing, holding hands and dancing while enjoying the star-studded lineup together from the pit. 

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“I absolutely love live music,” Travis said in an episode of his New Heights podcast, which he co-hosts with his brother Jason Kelce. “I don’t get enough of it in my life. It was fun getting out there and seeing a few new bands that I really wasn’t that familiar with but became an absolute lover of their music because of how they performed and captivated the crowd. The Bleachers — our guy Jack Antonoff — absolutely ripped it. I had so much fun seeing him go nuts with his guitar and all his boys.”