Music

01 Sep 2023

 K.Flay Opens Up About Her Mental Health Journey and Alcohol Abstinence

Kristine Flaherty, professionally known as K.Flay is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from the midwest. As a teenager, Flaherty moved across the country to enroll at Stanford University where she first picked up a mic and dubbed herself K.Flay. 

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After multiple studio albums, two GRAMMY nominations, and sold-out shows across the world, Flaherty was faced with one of her biggest roadblocks to date. 

During Summer 2022, Flaherty traveled to Tanzania for a week of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro – a bucket-list adventure she added to her journal seven years prior. Within a week of returning home, the two-time Grammy-nominated artist woke up one morning with complete hearing loss in her right ear. The freak occurrence was deemed permanent by doctors, ultimately causing K.Flay to question whether she’d ever make music again.

In her early touring career, K.Flay used alcohol as a way to escape reality but she always knew that lifestyle was not sustainable. The multifaceted artist saw value in viewing alcohol and mental health as an ever-changing relationship. From there K.Flay asked herself, “Is alcohol serving me?” and then she made the decision to quit drinking. 

In Sound Mind’s latest episode of Unmasked, K.Flay shares why she chose to stop drinking, how that and her sudden hearing loss affected her mental health, and how her song, “Perfectly Alone,” is a culmination of the journey.

K.Flay told Billboard, “In my experience, shame is almost always at the root of angst and misery. I think the goal for all of us is to dismantle shame through vulnerability and openness; once you’ve taken a shameful experience and brought it into the light, you defang it, you strip it of its harmful power.”

Instead of allowing this life-altering experience to defeat her, K.Flay created the forthcoming album, MONO. Her first release for Giant Music, MONO in many ways marks the start of a new era for K.Flay. 

The album’s closing track “Perfectly Alone” is a nod to her entire mental health journey and a message to the world that it is okay to embrace solitude. MONO is K.Flay’s most introspective album to date and she wants listeners to know that your entire experience of the world is within.  

Check out K.Flay’s episode of Unmasked and stream her new album, MONO, on September 15.

01 Sep 2023

Miley Cyrus Recalls How Beyoncé & Rihanna ‘Treated Me Like a Little Sister’ in 2008

Miley Cyrus has nothing but love for Beyoncé and Rihanna. In a recent installment of her “Used to Be Young” TikTok series, the “Flowers” singer recalled how kind the two pop icons were to her when she was just 15, working on their 2008 group performance for Stand Up to Cancer.

Looking at video footage of her younger self standing between Bey and Ri on stage — alongside Mariah Carey, Fergie, Carrie Underwood, Nicole Scherzinger, Mary J. Blige, Leona Lewis and more fellow female stars — Cyrus smiled proudly. “What I remember most from doing this performance is I was standing in between two of the big legends and icons that I was looking up to at the time, and they treated me like a little sister the entire time,” she gushed. “They were being really sweet.”

And even though it was half her lifetime ago, singing as a teenager next to two of the most famous musicians in the world still comes with bragging rights. “I got brackets on the back of my teeth, and I’m singing with Beyoncé,” Cyrus flexed.

The former Disney star also recalled how a certain “Umbrella” singer hooked her up with a dance move to use during the performance, which was hosted by Fashion Rocks on live TV to raise money for cancer research. The group of women sang a song titled “Just Stand Up,” with Cyrus and Ri in charge of singing each pre-chorus as a duet.

“Rihanna gave me this choreo,” Cyrus said, pointing out a moment where the two ladies mime brushing off their shoulders on cue to the lyric “If you fall, dust it off.”

Cyrus has been reflecting on her past in a confessional TikTok series she put together to celebrate her new single “Used to Be Young,” looking back at old videos and mementos from her near lifetime of stardom. In past installments, she’s opened up about her brutal Hannah Montana era work schedule, the surprise success of her first Meet Miley Cyrus single “See You Again,” the controversy over her topless Vanity Fair cover and that hilarious photo of her wearing sweats while standing next to Emily Osment, Taylor Swift and Demi Lovato, the three of whom are in full glam.

 “If you guys didn’t know I was bisexual from this damn picture, I don’t know what’s wrong with you,” she joked of the photograph.

01 Sep 2023

Friday Music Guide: New Music From Nicki Minaj, Doja Cat, Timbaland and More

Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond. 

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This week, Nicki Minaj releases a contemplative banger, Doja Cat exorcises her “Demons,” and Timbaland gets the dream team back together. Check out all of this week’s picks below:

Nicki Minaj, “Last Time I Saw You” 

One of the reasons why Nicki Minaj has endured as one of the most successful rappers of the past decade following her 2010 arrival is her range — throughout her entire career, the superstar has refused to be pigeonholed into one sound or style. That skill set is on full display on “Last Time I Saw You,” a new single from the upcoming Pink Friday 2 that recalls the original Pink Friday’s “Moment 4 Life,” with a gentle pop production providing the foundation for an impassioned sing-rap performance in which Minaj reflects on drifting apart from someone special. “Last Time I Saw You” requires Minaj to sing gently, belt effectively, rap hurriedly and provoke an emotional response in three-and-a-half minutes, and she makes it all look easy.

Doja Cat, “Demons” 

“Living well is the best revenge” is sure to be a recurring theme on Doja Cat’s upcoming album Scarlett, based on the advanced singles that the superstar has unveiled: after “Paint the Town Red” said what it said and blasted into the top 10 of the Hot 100, “Demons” continues the clapback, as Doja dismisses her haters with some expert wordplay and a wall-rattling hook. “I’m a puppet, I’m a sheep, I’m a cash cow / I’m the fastest-growing bitch on all your apps now,” she declares, both quickly nodding to her viral beginnings with “Mooo!” and reminding the world that nobody’s trajectory to the top resembles her own.

Timbaland feat. Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake, “Keep Going Up” 

In the mid 2000s, no pop triumvirate was as mighty as Timbaland, Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake: as Tim helmed Furtado’s enormous album Loose and Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveSounds, the veteran producer helped both artists rack up hit after hit while scoring some of his own (including the 2007 Hot 100 chart-topper “Give it To Me,” featuring both artists). Sixteen years later, the trio have joined forces once again for “Keep Going Up,” a rhythmic vocal showcase from consummate professionals out to prove that they’re aging like fine wine; fortunately, the process of hearing these three voices reflect off one another again is both a nostalgia rush and an absorbing new pop experience.

Lil Wayne, “Kat Food” 

Lil Wayne remains a magician: who else is dropping singles that are nearly five minutes long, rife with not-so-subtle cat double entendres, rhyming “subpoena” with “Purina,” and having the whole thing actually work? “Kat Food” finds Weezy busting out the thesaurus and breaking down a sample of Missy Elliott’s “Work It” with his trademark giddy energy, continuing a whirlwind year in which the rap veteran sounds as vital as ever and offering one last floor-filler before summer’s end.

Speedy Ortiz, Rabbit Rabbit 

Speedy Ortiz’s past records have always compelled thanks to the blistering guitar work, intricate song structures and mastermind Sadie Dupuis’ searingly smart songwriting, but with the band’s most fully formed songs to date and new level of lyrical vulnerability, Rabbit Rabbit is the quartet’s strongest album to date. As Dupuis prods at a complex past and present sensitivities, tracks like “Cry Cry Cry,” “Ghostwriter” and “Ballad of Y & S” boast immediate hooks amidst the ornate arrangements — these are songs that you can hum while they hit you in the gut.

Editor’s Pick: Jhayco & Peso Pluma, “Ex-Special” 

Jhayco is no stranger to smash collaborations — a pair of them with Bad Bunny have earned over 1 billion Spotify streams — but “Ex-Special,” a team-up with quick-rising star Peso Pluma, stands out as a highly successful summit of respective styles that wouldn’t necessarily fit together seamlessly. Yet Jhayco’s reggaeton mastery crackles against Pluma’s prolonged crooning here, as the artists weave around each other’s voices while waxing poetic about an ex that’s still haunting their thoughts; hopefully, “Ex-Special” expands each artist’s fan base by reaching across the aisle to another.

01 Sep 2023

Beyonce & Taylor Swift Lead 2023 VMAs Nominations in Social Categories

When the nominations for the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards were announced on Aug. 8, Beyoncé had just a single nomination (albeit a big one) – artist of the year. Queen Bey did better in the nominations in four socially voted categories, which were announced on Friday (Sept. 1). She received three nods in the social categories, which put her in a tie with Taylor Swift for the most in these four categories.

The two megastars are going head-to-head for show of the summer, song of summer and album of the year (in addition to the previously announced artist of the year).

SZA, BLACKPINK, Drake, Ice Spice and TOMORROW X TOGETHER each received two nods in the social categories.

The album of the year contest could give us a preview of the upcoming Grammy race in that category. Swift’s Midnights and SZA’s SOS, both nominated here, are thought to be Grammy front-runners. Also nominated in the category are Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss, Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains and Miley Cyrus’ Endless Summer Vacation, which are considered strong Grammy possibilities (though not sure things), and Beyoncé’s Renaissance, which received a Grammy nod for album of the year last year.

With the addition of these social categories, Swift still leads in total nominations (11), followed by SZA (eight); BLACKPINK, Doja Cat, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj and Olivia Rodrigo (six); Kim Petras and Sam Smith (five each); and Beyoncé, Diddy, Drake, Ice Spice, Karol G, Metro Boomin, Shakira and TOMORROW X TOGETHER (four each).

Here’s a complete list of nominations in the four new social categories.

Show of the summer

(Launching Sept. 3 at 11 a.m. ET on @MTV Instagram Story – one round, tap to vote; closes Sept. 4 @ 11 a.m. ET.)

  •  Beyoncé – Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records
  •  BLACKPINK – YG Entertainment / Interscope Records
  •  Drake – OVO / Republic Records
  •  Ed Sheeran – Atlantic Records
  •  Karol G – Interscope Records
  •  Taylor Swift – Republic Records

Group of the year

(Launching Sept. 4 at 11 a.m. ET on @MTV Instagram Story – two rounds, bracket-style face-off, final round tap to vote; closes Sept. 7 at 11 a.m. ET)

  •  BLACKPINK – YG Entertainment / Interscope Records
  •  FIFTY FIFTY – ATTRAKT / Warner Records
  •  FLO – Uptown Records/Republic Records
  •  Jonas Brothers – Republic Records
  •  Måneskin – Arista Records
  •  NewJeans – ADOR/Geffen Records
  •  SEVENTEEN – HYBE / Geffen Records
  •  TOMORROW x TOGETHER – BIGHIT MUSIC / Republic Records

Song of summer

(Launching Sept. 7 at 11 a.m. ET on @MTV Instagram Story, three rounds bracket-style face-off, final round tap to vote; closes Sept. 11 at 11 a.m. ET)

  •  Beyoncé – “Cuff It” – Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records
  •  Billie Eilish – “What Was I Made For? (From The Motion Picture ‘Barbie’)” – Darkroom / Interscope Records
  •  Doja Cat – “Paint the Town Red” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records
  •  Doechii ft. Kodak Black – “What It Is (Block Boy)” – Top Dawg Entertainment / Capitol Records
  •  Dua Lipa – “Dance the Night (From the Barbie Album)” – Atlantic Records / Warner Records
  •  FIFTY FIFTY – “Cupid” – ATTRAKT / Warner Records
  •  Gunna – “fukumean” – Young Stoner Life Records / 300 Entertainment
  •  Jung Kook ft. Latto – “Seven” – BIGHIT MUSIC / Geffen Records
  •  Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice– “Barbie World (with Aqua) [From Barbie The Album]” – 10k Projects / Capitol Records / Dolo Entertainment / Atlantic Records
  •  Olivia Rodrigo – “vampire” – Geffen Records
  •  SZA – “Kill Bill” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records
  •  Taylor Swift ft. Ice Spice – “Karma” – Republic Records
  •  TOMORROW X TOGETHER and Jonas Brothers – “Do It Like That” – BIGHIT MUSIC / IMPERIAL / Republic Records
  •  Luke Combs – “Fast Car” – Columbia Nashville
  •  Troye Sivan – “Rush” – Capitol Records
  •  Yng Lvcas & Peso Pluma – “La Bebe (Remix)” – Warner Music Latina

Album of the year

(Launching Sept. 11 at 11 a.m. ET on @MTV Instagram Story – one round, tap to vote; closes Sept. 12 at 11 a.m. ET)

  •  Beyoncé – Renaissance – Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records
  •  Drake & 21 Savage – Her Loss – OVO / Republic Records
  •  Metro Boomin – Heroes & Villains – Boominati / Republic Records
  •  Miley Cyrus – Endless Summer Vacation – Columbia Records
  •  SZA – SOS – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records
  •  Taylor Swift – Midnights – Republic Records

01 Sep 2023

Blink-182 Postpone Three European Shows Due to Travis Barker’s ‘Urgent Family Matter’

Blink-182 informed fans on Friday morning (Sept. 1) that they’ve been forced to postpone three dates on their European tour due to what was described as “an urgent family matter” that required drummer Travis Barker’s attention.

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At press time no additional information was available on what caused the postponement of the gigs scheduled in Glasgow, Scotland tonight and Saturday night (Sept. 2) at the OVO Hydro, as well as a Sept. 4 show at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Ireland and a Sept. 5 one at the 3Arena in Dublin; a spokesperson for the group had not returned Billboard‘s request for additional details on what matter required Barker to return to the U.S. unexpectedly.

“More information in regards to his return to Europe and rescheduled dates will be provided as soon as available,” the group said in a tweet.

The world tour by the beloved pop-punk trio — with also features bassist/singer Mark Hoppus and guitarist/singer Tom Delonge — is the first by the band in more than nine years to feature returning member DeLonge. So far, it has run up the best box office results in the group’s three-decade history, with Billboard Boxscore reporting in July that the North American leg of their 2023-2024 World Tour grossed $85.3 million and sold 564,000 tickets.

Barker and wife Kourtney Kardashian are expecting their first child together, news the couple revealed during a Blink show in Los Angeles in June where Kardashian held up a “Travis I’m Pregnant” poster in the crowd at Los Angeles’ BMO Stadium.

See the band’s tweet below.

01 Sep 2023

Taylor Swift Eras Tour Movie Ticket Presales Crush AMC Record With $26 Million One-Day Haul

After smashing records from coast-to-coast with her Eras Tour this summer, Taylor Swift has done it again with her Eras Tour movie. According to a press release from AMC Theatres on Friday morning (Sept. 1), Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour has broken all existing records for single-day advance ticket sales revenue at the chain with $26 million in the first 24 hours of on-sale.

The largest theatrical exhibitor in the U.S. and the world — which is also acting as the theatrical distributor of the 2 hour and 45 minute concert film due out on Oct. 13 — said the eye-popping figure is marks the highest advance sales revenue day in the 103-year-old chain’s history. The $26 million figure also crushes the previous record for one-day sales for a single title, blowing by 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, which racked up $16.9 million in its first 24 hours; according to AMC, The Eras Tour movie bested the the Spider-Man numbers in its first three hours of on-sale on Thursday.

To accommodate the demand, every U.S. AMC Theatre will run the Eras movie at least four times per day on Thursdays, Friday, Saturdays and Sunday, with AMC already adding additional auditoriums to play the film at its theaters across the country. In a nod to Swift’s favorite numbers, tickets for the film are priced at $19.89 plus tax for adults and $13.13 for children and seniors plus tax (except for AMC’s branded premium large-format screens.) The film will be available in AMC theaters in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with tickets on sale now here and here.

The movie will also screen in IMAX and Dolby Cinema at AMC, as well as in other premium large formats for the standard up-charge fees, which varies by format and theatre. AMC anticipated the rush of interest in the film from Swifties, upgrading its website and ticketing engines to handle what was expected to be five times more than the largest volume they’d ever experienced before. Even so, the AMC app reportedly crashed on Thursday, with fans encouraged to visit their local AMC in person due to the high volume of traffic that made online reservations unavailable at points.

“AMC is also aware that no ticketing system in history seems to have been able to accommodate the soaring demand from Taylor Swift fans when tickets are first placed on sale. Guests wanting to be the first to buy their tickets online may experience delays, longer-than-usual ticket- purchase waiting-room times and possible outages. AMC is committed to ensuring any delays or outages are addressed as quickly as possible,” the company told The Hollywood Reporter earlier in the day on Thursday. In addition to setting records, the spectre of Taylormania at theater was enough to scare Exorcist: Believer to move its release date up one week.

In addition to hosting and distributing the film, AMC has also teamed with several other movie operators in the U.S., Canada and Mexico for screenings, including with Cinemark (U.S.), Cineplex (Canada) and Cinepolis (Mexico).

Watch the trailer below.

01 Sep 2023

Playboi Carti Reschedules U.S. Leg of Antagonist Tour For Early 2024

Playboi Carti has rescheduled the U.S. dates for his previously announced Antagonist Tour. The run of dates was originally slated to kick off on Sept. 6 at the Ball Arena in Denver and criss-cross the nation through an Oct. 20 date at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

The revamped routing will now see the tour launch on Jan. 14 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City and hit Dallas, Houston, Miami, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Minneapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle before winding down at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, OR on Feb. 29.

At press time no explanation was given for the re-shuffle for the American dates that were originally announced on July 12, though tickets purchased for the original shows will be honored on the new ones. Carti will be joined by his Opium Records crew members on the dates, including Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely and Homixide Gang. The previously scheduled European leg of the tour will go on as planned, kicking off on Nov. 19 at the 3Arena in Dublin and winding down with a Dec. 4 show at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen.

The Antagonist Tour is Carti’s first headlining run since his 2021 Narcissist Tour in support of his Billboard 200-topping album Whole Lotta Red. Carti was most recently featured on “Popular” alongside The Weeknd and Madonna, released in support of the The Weeknd’s one-season-and-done HBO series The Idol. “Popular” peaked at No. 14 on Billboard‘s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and No. 43 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Check out the U.S. dates for Carti’s Antagonist Tour below.

Jan. 14 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Delta Center

Jan. 15 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena

Jan. 17 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center

Jan. 18 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center

Jan. 19 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center

Jan. 23 – Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center

Jan. 24 – Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena

Jan. 25 – Orlando, FL @ Amway Center

Jan. 27 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena

Jan. 28 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center

Jan. 29 – Raleigh, NC @ PNC Arena

Jan. 31 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden

Feb. 1 – Washington, D.C. @ Capital One Arena

Feb. 2 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden

Feb. 4 – Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse

Feb. 6 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center

Feb. 7 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena

Feb. 8 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena

Feb. 12 – Chicago, IL @ United Center

Feb. 13 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center

Feb. 14 – Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center

Feb. 17 – Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena

Feb. 18 – Glendale, AZ @ Desert Diamond Arena

Feb. 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena

Feb. 22 – San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena

Feb. 24 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center

Feb. 25 – Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center

Feb. 28 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena

Feb. 29 – Portland, OR @ Veterans Memorial Coliseum

01 Sep 2023

Devilish Doja Cat Terrifies Christina Ricci in Horror-Themed ‘Demons’ Video

Christina Ricci knows a thing or two about spooking people thanks to her iconic role as Wednesday Addams in a pair of Addams Family movies. But the actress has the tables turned on her in the video for Doja Cat‘s single “Demons,” which dropped on Friday (Sept. 1).

In the terrifying visual for the latest single from Doja’s Scarlet (Sept. 22) album, the Emmy-nominated Yellowjackets star plays a mild-mannered homeowner whose bedroom is haunted by a razor-clawed Doja Devil. The clip co-directed by Christian Breslauer and the rapper/singer, opens with an image of the “sold” sign in front of Ricci’s new house as the suburban mom tries to get some shut eye on a stormy night.

The only problem is the terrifying red-eyed, midnight black horned demon crawling (and rapping) on her ceiling, illuminated by a snowy TV screen in an homage to another freaky suburban nightmare classic, Poltergeist. “How my demons look (How your demons)/ Now that my pocket’s full?/ How my demons look/ Now that you b—hes shook? (B—h)/ Yeah, how my demons look/ Now that my pocket’s full?,” Doja raps as she crawls menacingly into bed with Ricci.

Cut to a bald, naked Doja in a bathtub overflowing with black water, sweetly rapping about blocking her enemies from her V.I.P. section as two black demon hands reach up out of the water, with one pulling her head back to reveal milky white eyes. The demon party really takes off at that point, with two more hellhounds joining Doja in the attic for a Beelzebub dance party.

Ricci reaches for an old-school on-the-shoulder video camera to capture footage of Doja typing out the song’s lyrics on a typewriter and wearing a “cash cow” t-shirt in another homage to The Shining, while, inexplicably, surrounded by baby goats. And, spoiler alert, it just gets worse from there.

“Demons” follows in the heels of previous Scarlet singles “Paint the Town Red” and “Attention.”

Watch the “Demons” video below.

01 Sep 2023

Jack Sonni, The ‘Other Guitar Player’ In Dire Straits, Dies at 68

Jack Sonni, the ex-guitar player with Dire Straits, whose contributions can be heard on the band’s 1985 release Brothers In Arms, one of the U.K.’s all-time best-selling albums, died Wednesday (March 30). He was 68.

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Born Dec. 9, 1954 in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Sonni’s passion for music began at a young age, when he learned various instruments, including piano, trumpet and the six-string, which he mastered.

Sonni furthered his career with a relocation to New York, and he’d make his mark in the history books as the “other guitar player in Dire Straits,” a reference he was happy to share on his official biography.

Dire Straits’ lead guitarist is, of course, frontman Mark Knopfler, widely recognized by his peers as one of the finest to ever play the instrument. The two axemen reportedly met in a guitar shop, after which Sonni was invited to record parts for the band’s fifth studio album.

The result was Brothers In Arms, which led the Official U.K. Albums Chart for 14 weeks, and reigned over the Billboard 200 for nine weeks. The album smashed records around the world, shifting an estimated 30 million copies worldwide, and won two Grammys (best music video, short form for the title track, and best rock performance by a duo or group with vocal for the Billboard Hot 100 leader “Money For Nothing”).

When the rockers embarked on a major world tour in support, Sonni wore a distinctive red coat. That tour, too, was a record-setter. In Australia, fans bought more than 950,000 tickets, a record that stood for decades.

Sonni played guitar synthesizer on album cut “The Man’s Too Strong” and performed on stage with the band for the Wembley Stadium leg of the historic 1985 Live Aid concerts.

Following the birth of his daughters, Sonni calling time as on his career as a musician in 1988, instead pivoting to marketing. He went on serve as vice president of marketing for Guitar Center, a role that kept him connected with his beloved instrument.

Writing on his official site, Sonni described himself as “a writer, musician, nomadic raconteur, father and grandfather who has taken to heart the reality in the hard-learned lesson that life is short.” In life, he embraced the philosophy to “live well and live now” in pursuit of “creating memorable moments with friends and family”.

In recent years, he played alongside fellow alum on Dire Straits Legacy, ”born from our love and respect for the music of Dire Straits, and to bring the music to fans who have been starved of hearing it played live by the musicians who made it, for far too long,” DSL wrote in a 2018 statement.

Dire Straits leads tributes to the late artist. “Rest In Peace,” reads an official post. Another, from DSL, explains: “Our beloved Jack has left a void in our heart and soul… we will miss you so much, you are forever with us.”

01 Sep 2023

Powderfinger’s ‘Vulture Street’ Swoops Down For Another No. 1 In Australia

Twenty years after its release, Powderfinger’s Vulture Street is perched at No. 1 on the national albums chart.

The Aussie rock favorites’ fifth studio album initially logged three weeks atop the ARIA Albums Chart in 2003, and went on to win album of the year at ARIA Awards, one of 18 total ARIAs collected in a glittering career.

Thanks to a reissue campaign, and a host of special fan events, including a Q&A and a screening of the long out-of-print These Days Live concert from 2004, the LP returns to the summit.

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With their latest feat, Powderfinger now holds the ARIA Chart record for the longest stretch of time for an Australian album to return to No. 1, according to Universal Music Australia.

The ‘Finger, as they’re affectionately known in these parts, has the distinction of ruling the national albums chart with five successive titles. The band went out on a high with 2009’s Golden Rule, the last of those leaders, and a major farewell tour which sold more than 200,000 tickets.

The five former bandmates remain good friends — and residents of their hometown, Brisbane — to this day. During the pandemic, Powderfinger briefly reunited for One Night Lonely, a special virtual concert which raised more than A$500,000 for music industry charity Support Act and mental wellbeing support service Beyond Blue. Unreleased, the band’s compilation of studio tracks unearthed from sessions recorded between 1998 and 2010, peaked at No. 2 on the ARIA Chart in 2020.

Zach Bryan continues the hot streak for U.S. country artists in Australia as his self-titled fourth studio album arrives No. 2, a new career high. That’s well advanced on its predecessor, American Heartbreak (Warner), which reached No. 65. Meanwhile, the U.S. country star’s track “I Remember Everything,” featuring Kacey Musgraves, is new at No. 19 on the singles survey. That’s Musgraves’ first appearance on the Australian chart. Also, Bryan’s “Something In The Orange” holds at No. 12 on the chart, published Sept. 1, in its 59th week.

As the Weeknd’s forthcoming tour of Australia expands to seven stadium shows, the Canadian R&B star’s catalog enjoys spikes on the national chart. Career retrospective The Highlights holds at No. 3; former leaders Starboy lifts 18-4, After Hours is up 27-17, Dawn FM climbs 65-25 and Beauty Behind The Madness bounces 93-38 (all via Universal).

Several of his hits power on up the singles survey, including “Popular,” featuring Playboi Carti and Madonna, lifting 11-9. “Popular” becomes Madonna’s 41st top 10 single in the land Down Under, dating back to “Holiday” in 1983, and her first in 15 years; the Queen of Pop’s last top 10 appearance on the ARIA Singles Chart was 2008’s “4 Minutes” with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, which hit No. 1. Additionally, the Weeknd’s “Die For You” climbs 18-10.

At the top of the singles survey is Doja Cat’s “Paint The Town Red” (RCA/Sony) which extends its reign into a second week.

Miley Cyrus scores the top debut with “Used To Be Young” (Columbia/Sony), new at No. 13. It’s the fourth single from Endless Summer Vacation, which led the albums tally in March, and included the lead single, “Flowers,” a smash that logged 12 weeks at No. 1 earlier in the year.

Finally, Selena Gomez enjoys a top 40 debut with “Single Soon” (Interscope/Universal). It’s new at No. 26. The pop star has had six top 10 singles in Australia, with a best of No. 2 for 2019’s “Lose You To Love Me.”