Music

01 Mar 2023

De La Soul’s Trugoy the Dove Delivers Posthumous Rhymes on New Gorillaz Cut ‘Crocadillaz’

De La Soul‘s Trugoy the Dove left us last month, at the age of 54, but the rapper’s vocals live on by way of a surprise Gorillaz song.

The British virtual group last Friday (Feb. 24) released Cracker Island, their collaboration-stuffed eighth studio album, and first since 2020’s Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez.

Now, a three-pack of fresh tracks arrive as part of the “Deluxe” edition, including “Crocadillaz” featuring De La Soul and Dawn Penn, “Captain Chicken” featuring Del The Funky Homosapien, and “Controllah” featuring Brazil’s MC Bin Laden.

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Trugoy the Dove, who also went by the name Dave, contributed a posthumous verse to “Crocadillaz,” which has an unmistakable De La Soul vibe woven into its beats.

Stream it below.

The death of the visionary hip-hop artist, born David Jolicoeur, came just weeks before De La Soul’s classic catalog is set to finally arrive on streaming and digital platforms this Friday March 3, following a 2021 deal struck with Reservoir Media.

Gorillaz’ Cracker Island, meanwhile, is on track for the U.K. No. 1. Led by Blur frontman Damon Albarn and “Tank Girl” artist Jamie Hewlett, Gorillaz has clocked up six top 10 appearances on the national albums chart since their 2001 self-titled debut, which peaked at No. 3. To date, the “cartoon” band has led the U.K. survey just once, with 2005’s Demon Days, and bagged four top 10s on the Billboard 200.

Cracker Island features assists from the likes of Bad Bunny, Stevie Nicks, Adeleye Omotayo, Thundercat, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, Bootie Brown and Beck, and was the leader on the midweek U.K. chart.

Stream the “Deluxe” version of Cracker Island below.

01 Mar 2023

Ed Sheeran Announces New Album ‘-‘

Ed Sheeran is completing the equation. The star took to social media on Wednesday (Mar. 1) to reveal that his upcoming album, –, will be arriving on May 5 via Atlantic Records.

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The album, pronounced Subtract, will be the last installment in Sheeran’s decade-long mathematical album era, following 2011’s +, 2014’s x, 2017’s ÷ and 2021’s =.

“I had been working on Subtract for a decade, trying to sculpt the perfect acoustic album, writing and recording hundreds of songs with a clear vision of what I thought it should be. Then at the start of 2022, a series of events changed my life, my mental health, and ultimately the way I viewed music and art,” Sheeran shared about the upcoming album in his announcement.

“Writing songs is my therapy. It helps me make sense of my feelings,” he continued. “I wrote without thought of what the songs would be, I just wrote whatever tumbled out. And in just over a week, I replaced a decade’s worth of work with my deepest darkest thoughts. Within the space of a month, my pregnant wife got told she had a tumour, with no route to treatment until after the birth. My best friend Jamal, a brother to me, died suddenly and I found myself standing in court defending my integrity and career as a songwriter. I was spiraling through fear, depression and anxiety.”

Sheeran concluded by writing, “I felt like I was drowning, head below the surface, looking up but not being able to break through for air. As an artist I didn’t feel like I could credibly put a body of work into the world that didn’t accurately represent where I am and how I need to express myself at this point in my life. This album is purely that. It’s opening the trapdoor into my soul. For the first time I’m not trying to craft an album people will like, I’m merely putting something out that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life. This is last February’s diary entry and my way of making sense of it. This is Subtract.”

Ed Sheeran's - (Subtract) album art

Ed Sheeran’s – (Subtract) album art

Atlantic Records

Sheeran teamed up with The National’s Aaron Dessner — whom he met through pal Taylor Swift — to write and produce the upcoming album. Writing over 30 songs during their month-long studio stint, the 14-track album is set to feature folk-leaning qualities as well as full-band and orchestral arrangements.

Subtract is available for pre-order here.

01 Mar 2023

KFC, Shannon Noll Serve-up Food and Football Campaign

BRISBANE, Australia — KFC is cooking up a campaign with Australian artist Shannon “Nollsie” Noll that plays into two codes of football with a special menu item and a new “anthem,” fresh out the frier.

Noll, runner-up of the first season of Australian Idol in 2003, is the face and voice of an Australia-wide project with KFC, announced Wednesday (March 1).

First up, Noll and punk outfit DZ Deathrays have cut the collaborative track “Fried Night Footy,” which will soundtrack KFC advertising throughout the National Rugby League (NRL) and Australia Football League (AFL) seasons, kicking off Friday, March 3.

Then comes the food.

KFC is dishing up the exclusive “Shannon Dinner Roll,” which combines hot & crispy boneless chicken with chilli relish, cheese, lettuce and “supercharged sauce” on a dinner roll, and will be available at a number of NRL and AFL games throughout the season.

Freebies will be handed out during the NRL expansion franchise Dolphins’ first home game, March 11 at Kayo Stadium in Redcliffe, north of Brisbane.

“I’m super happy to be working with KFC and DZ Deathrays on this anthem,” says Noll in a statement. “It’s a definite earworm and you’re gonna catch yourself singing it in the shower, the car and maybe even in your sleep. Plus, working with KFC to create the Shannon Roll, talk about a dream come true.” 

Though an unusual pairing with Noll and DZ Deathrays occupying different spaces on the music spectrum, both acts command sizeable fanbases in Australia. Since coming to prominence with his run in Australian Idol, Noll has bagged two ARIA No. 1 albums and three chart-topping singles. The title track from his 2005 No. 1 album Lift won an APRA Music Award for most performed Australian work.

Meanwhile, DZ Deathrays own a brace of ARIA Awards in the best hard rock/heavy metal album category for 2012’s Bloodstreams, and 2014’s Black Rat.

Adds Sally Spriggs, chief marketing officer for KFC Australia: ”The anthem alongside the bespoke footy snack, the Shannon Dinner Roll, sets us up for an exciting season of footy ahead.”

“Fried Night Footy” will also be available to stream on KFC Australia’s Spotify page.

It’s not the first time KFC has teamed-up with Australian music talent for a tasty campaign. In 2022, the restaurant chain tapped ARIA Award-winning EDM duo Peking Duk for the “Peking Cluk Burger” and a one-off live event in Sydney, Feastival.

28 Feb 2023

Justin Bieber’s ‘Justice’ Tour of Australia Is Canceled

Justin Bieber won’t be spreading Bieber Fever with fans across Australia and New Zealand anytime soon.

The Canadian pop superstar has canceled his Australasian leg of his Justice World Tour, a six-date, five-city stadium jaunt which had already been postponed due to the pandemic and illness.

Frontier Touring, producers of Bieber’s ANZ leg with its partner, AEG Presents, confirmed the development with a social post.

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The concerts specialist “regret to advise that Justin Bieber’s Justice Tour of Australia and New Zealand has been cancelled,” reads a statement.

“All tickets purchased through the official ticketing outlets will receive a refund directly from the shows ticketing agency.”

The trek was originally meant to kick off in 2020 as the Changes Tour, but, like every other major live event that year, was shelved due to the pandemic.

Dates were delayed first to 2021, then, in February 2022, Bieber set off with shows in ten countries across three continents.

Illness struck in mid-2022, forcing the singer to press pause on the tour. He later explained that he had been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which can cause paralysis, hearing loss and a nasty rash.

Bieber’s ANZ visit was last booked for six open-air shows beginning Nov. 22, 2022 at Perth’s HBF Park and wrapping up Dec. 7 at Mt. Smart Stadium in Auckland — and included several sellouts. New dates were never locked in.

Justice debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, his fourth leader. In April 2021, he bagged his first chart double in Australia when Justice and “Peaches” (featuring Giveon and Daniel Caesar) simultaneously led the national albums and singles charts, respectively.

The Justice World Tour, promoted by AEG Presents, is Bieber’s first global outing since 2016-2017’s Purpose World Tour.

28 Feb 2023

Halsey Walks Paris Fashion Week for First Time: ‘Terrifying and Amazing!!!!’

Halsey celebrated her first time walking as a model at Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday (Feb. 28) with an ecstatic social media post.

“I walked PFW for the first time today with @pressiat_ and it was terrifying and amazing!!!!” the pop star wrote on Instagram. “Thank you Vincent for having me, and congratulations to you and team on such a stunning collection and iconic show! special thanks to @lynalyson_ and blonde slay by @themartyharper and pics by @samdameshek.”

In the glamorous snap, the If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power singer donned a glittering asymmetrical animal-print bodysuit by upstart Parisian label Pressiat with matching headwrap and dress, their tattooed arms on display and eyelids covered in heavy black shadow.

Last week, the budding About-Face Beauty mogul dropped a solo version of her Post Malone collab “Die 4 Me” as the latest follow-up to the aforementioned 2021 studio set. Since that album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, the singer has also released the one-off “So Good” and joined forces with Calvin Harris, Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams on Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 single “Stay With Me.”

At the start of the month, Halsey had another musical milestone to celebrate: “Without Me” being certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The 2018 No. 1 hit became the singer’s second single — and first solo effort — to reach the benchmark of going 10x platinum after 2016’s “Closer” with The Chainsmokers.

Get a look at Halsey’s sultry look from the Paris Fashion Week runway below.

28 Feb 2023

Jordan Davis’ ‘Bluebird Days’ Flies Onto Top Country Albums Chart

Jordan Davis achieves his highest rank to date on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, as Bluebird Days swoops in at No. 3 on the list dated March 4.

Released Feb. 17, the LP opens with a weekly career-best 19,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Feb. 23, according to Luminate. Concurrently, it debuts at No. 19 on the all-genre Billboard 200, also a career-best placement.

Bluebird Days sports 17 songs, 15 of which Davis co-wrote. It follows Buy Dirt, which arrived at its No. 11 Top Country Albums best in June 2021; his self-named EP (No. 16, June 2018); and his first full-length, Home State (No. 6, April 2018).

Davis’ single “Buy Dirt” (featuring Luke Bryan), which ruled the streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Country Songs survey for four frames and Country Airplay for two beginning in January 2022, is included on both Bluebird Days and its namesake set.

Bluebird Days has also yielded “What My World Spins Around,” which paced Country Airplay for two frames this January, giving Davis his fourth No. 1, after reaching No. 8 on Hot Country Songs in December, marking his sixth top 10.

Davis’ latest single, “Next Thing You Know,” hops 26-19 on Hot Country Songs, up 37% to 7.3 million streams, and leaps 59-51 on Country Airplay (1.3 million, up 95%).

Olivia & Dolly’s Duet Debuts

“Jolene,” the Dolly Parton classic originally a No. 1 hit on Hot Country Songs in 1974, is one of 17 tracks on Olivia Newton-John’s duets album Just the Two of Us: The Duets Collection, Volume One (due May 5). The remake arrives on Country Digital Songs at No. 13 with 2,000 sold.

The beloved Newton-John passed away Aug. 8 at age 73 after a long battle with breast cancer.

Newton-John originally recorded “Jolene” for her Come on Over set, which hit No. 2 on Top Country Albums in May 1976.

In addition to Parton, Newton-John’s other duet partners for the upcoming LP include Paul Anka, Jim Brickman, Mariah Carey, Barry Gibb, Richard Marx, Michael McDonald, Jon Secada and others.

28 Feb 2023

Omarion Warns Fans to ‘Be Smart’ After Catfishing Victim Thinks They Were Engaged on ‘Dr. Phil’

Omarion just wants his fans to be safe online.

A recent guest on Dr. Phil was invited to come on the show after being catfished by a person online pretending to be the singer, requesting money from her and even asking to marry her.

The fan, a woman named Simone, shared that the catfish’s “manager wants me to pay $3,000 to meet him.” Despite never meeting in real life, the person Simone spoke with asked to marry her, leading her to believe Omarion purchased a ring for her hand in marriage. Simone revealed that over the two years that she and Omarion’s impersonator started talking online — they first began having conversations in October 2020 — she spent $300 on a fake fan club membership, while her friend sent around $4,500 to the scammer during the duration of their relationship.

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After the episode aired, Omarion took to his Instagram Stories to share a word of caution to his followers. “Be smart family,” Omarion said in an Instagram update shared shortly after the episode debuted. “So many people have stories saying they spoke with me online. I don’t take advantage of people. I respect and appreciate people who support me.”

In addition to the note, Omarion appeared on the episode to share a message with the Dr. Phil audience.

Coming up for the star is the release of his forthcoming album, Full Circle: Sonic Book One, scheduled to arrive in May.

See Omarion’s Instagram Story before it disappears here, and see a preview of the episode below:

28 Feb 2023

Here Are All the Oscar Winners for Best Animated Feature

Animated films have a rich history at the Academy Awards. Walt Disney received a special award in 1938 for the previous year’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which was “recognized as a significant screen innovation which has charmed millions and pioneered a great new entertainment field for the motion picture cartoon.”

Fifty years later, Richard Williams received a special achievement award for the animation direction of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. The film also won three competitive Oscars.

But it wasn’t until 1991’s Beauty and the Beast that an animated film was nominated for best picture. That same year, the rival Annie Awards added a category for best animated feature. Beauty and the Beast was their first winner, followed by such smash hits as Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1993-94), Pocahontas (1995) and Toy Story (1996).

Throughout the ’90s, the Oscars resisted adding a category for animated features, though John Lasseter received a special achievement award in 1995 “for his inspired leadership of the Pixar Toy Story team, resulting in the first feature-length computer-animated film.” It wasn’t until 2001 that the Academy finally added a category for best animated feature.

This year’s nominees in that category are Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio, Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, The Sea Beast and Turning Red. Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio won the Annie Award in this category on Feb. 25 in a ceremony at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Los Angeles, which makes the Guillermo Del Toro-directed film the Oscar front-runner (though the two shows do not always agree, as you will see.)

Here’s a year-by-year recap of all the Oscar winners for best animated feature film.

28 Feb 2023

Taylor Swift Takes a Trip ‘Through the Eras’ for New Tour Merch Collection

Taylor Swift unveiled another merch collection Tuesday (Feb. 28) ahead of her Eras Tour.

The “Through the Eras” collection features 10 T-shirts, each themed to a separate album by the superstar — from her 2006 self-titled debut and 2010’s Speak Now to 2020’s dual Folklore and Evermore and 2022’s Midnights. Each shirt features graphics of Taylor from the particular album era on the front and the list of cities on the hotly anticipated tour route on the back. (For the record, both 2008’s Fearless and 2012’s Red get a (Taylor’s Version) remake in the drop.)

In addition to Swifties being able to choose a shirt that represents their favorite era, the line also includes a black long-sleeve, white hoodie and gray crewneck sweater showing the “Lavender Haze” singer through the years of her 17-year career. Plus, fans can purchase everything from blankets, sweatpants, phone cases, nail gems, mugs and tumblers to luggage tags, stickers, coasters, notebooks, bandanas, activity books, colored pencils and ponchos in case of rain.

As the March 17 start date for The Eras Tour draws closer, Swift achieved another pair of impressive milestones this week. First, she became only the second woman to ever place 10 albums on the Billboard 200 at the same time after Whitney Houston. And second, she tied the record for the most top 10s in the history of the Adult Pop Airplay chart as “Lavender Haze” landed at No. 9 on the chart dated March 4.

Ahead of The Eras Tour, Billboard also rounded up our picks for the 20 songs from Swift’s discography that deserve a spot on the setlist but likely won’t make the cut considering just how much ground she has to cover over the course of the show.

Get a look at Taylor’s “Through the Eras” collection and prepare to pick your favorites below.

28 Feb 2023

Ben Kweller Announces His Son Dorian Has Died: ‘He Was Only 16 & He Was a True Legend’

Ben Kweller, singer/songwriter and former frontman of the band Radish, revealed Tuesday (Feb. 28) that his 16-year-old son Dorian has died. The singer-songwriter shared the news via Instagram but did not offer any additional details regarding what led to his death.

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“There’s no way that I can be typing this but I am…. Our son, Dorian Zev Kweller, was killed last night,” Kweller captioned a photo of his late son smiling into the camera. “He was only 16 and he was a true legend. Kindest, gentle soul, a friend to all. If you knew him, you know. We’ll never get over him as long as we’re here on earth.

“Please keep his spirit alive with your memories and the music he made: @reallyzev. Dorian Zev wrote and recorded songs every day. A true poet from the day he started speaking. Only a few of his recordings were released but he was on a path and excited about his journey. He had so many plans!!! His first gig was in two weeks, at SXSW. My last text with him was about the merch he wanted to make. My baby boy was at the starting line with so much life ahead of him… I have no idea why things like this happen. We’re in complete shock and don’t know what the future holds. Lizzy, Judah, and I have no idea how to deal with this disaster. Thank you for your prayers and support and we apologize if we are slow to respond to messages.”

Dorian’s label, The Noise Company, also issued a statement following the young musician’s death via Facebook. “It’s with great sadness that we have to even say this… in a tragic event last night, we lost Dorian Kweller, who on this page we know as @reallyzev … this young man represented everything positive in life and the future. A kind heart, a smile that illuminated the world and passion for life and music,” the company wrote. “If you have kids, hug them. If you have a partner, squeeze them extra hard. Love yourself and live every moment with the passion that Zev did every day of his life. We are just in shock and send BK, Liz and Judah all our love and support.”

As Zev, Dorian’s music career kicked off in 2022. The 16-year-old released his first single, “Parachute,” in July and followed up the track with “How I Am,” “4th of July,” “SH3,” “Nobody’s Perfect” and his most recent release, “Hickeys,” on Feb. 24.

Dorian is survived by his parents, Ben and Lizzy Kweller, and his younger brother Judah.