Music

05 Jan 2023

Nirvana, The Supremes, Nile Rodgers & More to Receive 2023 Lifetime Achievement Awards from Recording Academy

Nirvana, The Supremes, Ann Wilson & Nancy Wilson, Nile Rodgers and Slick Rick are among the Recording Academy’s 2023 lifetime achievement award recipients. The awards will be presented at the Special Merit Awards ceremony, which will be held on Feb. 4 at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles. It’s the first time the ceremony has been held since 2000, owing to the pandemic.

The Supremes are being honored a decade after Diana Ross received a lifetime achievement award. The only other artists to receive separate lifetime achievement awards as a solo artist and as part of a group are Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison (solo and with The Beatles) and Pete Seeger (solo and with The Weavers).

Ross is also a 2023 Grammy nominee for best traditional pop vocal album for Thank You. This is her 13th nomination. Amazingly, she has yet to win a Grammy in competition, either solo or with The Supremes. Rodgers is also a 2023 Grammy nominee. He’s up for album of the year for his work on Beyoncé’s Renaissance and best R&B song for co-writing Bey’s current hit “Cuff It.”

The Special Merit Awards ceremony will celebrate seven lifetime achievement award recipients, three Trustees Award recipients, two technical Grammy Award recipients, and the inaugural recipient of the best song for social change award. All but the recipient of that latter award were announced on Thursday (Jan 5).

“The Academy is proud to celebrate this diverse slate of influential music people spanning numerous genres and crafts as our 2023 Special Merit Awards honorees,” Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “Each creator on this list has made an impact on our industry — from technical to creative achievements — representing the breadth of music’s diverse community. We’re excited to celebrate this group of legends next month that continues to inspire and shape the music world.”

The lifetime achievement award is presented to performers who have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording. The trustees award is presented to individuals who have made significant contributions, other than performance, to the field of recording. The Technical Grammy Award is presented to individuals and/or companies/organizations/institutions who have made contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field.

Here’s the complete list of 2023 Special Merit Award honorees:

05 Jan 2023

Beyoncé‘s Music Is Coming to Apple Fitness+ Workouts Soon

There’s no better time to “release your wiggle” than at the top of the new year when everyone’s setting up their fitness goals. Lucky for the Beyhive, Beyoncé‘s beloved hits will soon soundtrack their workouts in the Apple Fitness+ program.

Apple Fitness+ announced Thursday (Jan. 5) that Queen B is the latest superstar highlighted in its Artist Spotlight series, which dedicates an entire set of workouts to a single artist and their discography. Her music, including songs from her latest Billboard 200-topping album Renaissance, will be featured in seven specially curated cycling, dance, HIIT, pilates, strength, treadmill, and yoga workouts. The Beyoncé-inspired workouts will be available in the Fitness app on Monday, Jan. 9.

Bey’s latest partnership with the brand follows Taylor Swift‘s Artist Spotlight in October that coincided with the release of her chart-topping 10th studio album Midnights. Other musicians who’ve had sets of Apple Fitness+ workouts dedicated to them include BTS, Billie Eilish, Jennifer Lopez, Pharrell Williams, Ed Sheeran, The Weeknd, ABBA, Prince, Shakira, The Beatles, Nicki Minaj and many more.

Apple Fitness+ will roll out two more Artist Spotlight programs later this month: the Foo Fighters on Jan. 16 and Bad Bunny on Jan. 23. 

According to the Apple Fitness+ website, anyone who purchases a new iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad or Apple TV (and hasn’t previously subscribed to Apple Fitness+) will have free access to Apple Fitness+ for three months before paying $9.99 monthly or $79.99 annually. New subscribers who already have the aforementioned Apple products can get free access to Apple Fitness+ for one month. Apple Fitness+ can be shared with up to five family members.

See a sneak peek of what Beyoncé’s artist spotlight in the Apple Fitness+ program looks like below.

Beyonce Apple

Courtesy of Apple

05 Jan 2023

Shania Twain Unleashes a Countryfied Dance Dance Revolution in Joyous ‘Giddy Up!’ Video

Shania Twain is line dancing into 2023 with a new classic pop country banger, “Giddy Up!” The effervescent celebration of tipping cups and enjoying the time we have dropped on Thursday morning (Jan. 5) as the latest single from the country icon’s upcoming sixth full length album, Queen of Me (Feb. 3).

The track was accompanied by a Marmofilms-directed video in which a bunch of dancers bring the song’s life-affirming lyrics to the dancefloor, which, as it turns out, can be anywhere from a car repair shop to a grocery store aisle, country bar or your local diner.

“The saying ‘Let’s Go Girls!’ is such a wonderfully uplifting sentiment now, but it’s just something I said during the recording in the studio and I guess that’s the same for ‘Giddy Up!’,” Twain said in a statement accompanying the latest single from her upcoming Republic Nashville debut. “These lines come to me when I’m thinking about how to put a little ‘pep in my step.’ I want people to feel good when they hear the new album. I want to set a celebratory tone and ‘Giddy Up!’ is a way to call to the audience and say ‘let’s get ready for some fun!’”

The exclamation point-loving singer runs down the importance of savoring the moment in the first verse, joyfully singing, “I left my heart at a waterin’ hole/ Somewhere in small-town Ohio/ Headed out west to Arizona/ ‘Cause the East Coast weather’s too cold, cold, cold/ Easy come, easy go/ I got a fast car with the nineties on/ Not a soul on the road but the road is home,” before busting into the party hearty chorus.

“Smiles for miles/ All up on my face/ Wear it, share it/ ‘Cause we ain’t got time to waste/ Up in your giddy up/ Giddy, giddy up/ Up in your giddy up/ Drunk in the city/ Got litty in the cup/ Up in your giddy up/ When it gets tough, gotta get a little love/ Put some up in your giddy, giddy up,” she sings over the song’s bouncy rhythm.

The 12-track Queen of Me will feature the album’s first single, “Waking Up Dreaming,” as well as the title track and what is described as the “passionate finale” produced by and featuring Twenty One Pilots singer Tyler Joseph, “The Hardest Stone.” The tour in support of the album is slated to kick off on April 28 at Spokane Arena in Spokane, WA and feature support from Kelsea Ballerini, Lindsay Ell, Hailey Whitters, Breland, Robyn Ottolini, Priscilla Block, and Mickey Guyton, Lily Rose, Talk, and Tenille Townes on select dates.

Watch the “Giddy Up!” video and check out the full Queen of Me track listing below.

Queen of Me track list:

  1. “Giddy Up!”
  2. “Brand New”
  3. “Waking Up Dreaming”
  4. “BEST Friend”
  5. “Pretty Liar”
  6. “Inhale/Exhale AIR”
  7. “Last Day of Summer”
  8. “Queen of Me”
  9. “Got it Good”
  10. “Number One”
  11. “Not Just a Girl”
  12. “The Hardest Stone”

05 Jan 2023

Quavo Pays Tribute to Takeoff on Emotional Single ‘Without You’

Quavo mourns his late nephew Takeoff on the new solo track “Without You.” The heartbreaking gospel-tinged song that dropped on Wednesday night (Jan. 4) is both a somber homage and a tear-stained list of cherished memories of the Migos member who was gunned down in Houston on Nov. 1.

The accompanying video features a contemplative Quavo sitting in a leather chair in the studio, eyes closed, as he burns a blunt and runs down their good times, while wishing a time machine could bring Takeoff back for just a few more rounds.

“Tears rollin’ down my eyes/ Can’t tell you how many times I cried/ Days ain’t the same without you/ I don’t know if I’m the same without you,” Quavo raps over the song’s skeletal beat before he runs off a list of highlights they shared together.

“Remember the days we smoked big blunts together?/ Remember the days we rocked out Coachella?/ Remember the days we ain’t have our s–t together?/ On the Nawfside, times were hard, but them days was better,” he raps on the first new track he’s dropped since Takeoff’s killing. “I wish I had a time machine/ Just so you can take a ride with me/ I miss just how you smile at me/ Unc and Phew until infinity.”

The song, with an intro from singer Vory, was co-produced by Zaytoven and Mike Dean and it finds Quavo dreaming about a time when uncle and nephew (born Kirsnik Khari Ball) will be reunited in the afterlife. “Out in the galaxy, up in the stars/ Over the universe, it’s bigger than Mars/ See you in heaven, see you in heaven/ When I see you in heaven, i’mma be with my dawg,” Quavo croons. As the tune fades an inconsolable Quavo adds, “Taaaake… I’m sorry.”

Takeoff, 28, was shot and killed at a downtown Houston bowling alley in Nov. where he and Quavo were attending an afterparty, with Takeoff named an “innocent bystander” by Houston police in what has been described as a dice game gone wrong. The suspect in the shooting, Patrick Xavier Clark, 33, has been charged with murder and a second man, Cameron Joshua, 22, was arrested and charged with the unlawful carrying of a weapon.

Following Takeoff’s death, third Migos member Offset and Quavo remained relatively tight-lipped, privately mourning their massive loss. But both rappers honored Takeoff during a three-hour memorial on Nov. 11 at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena.

“Without You” is just the latest tribute to Takeoff from the Migos camp since then, following on the heels of Offset writing on Dec. 21 that he was finding it hard to find any happiness in the wake of his cousin’s death. “S— not easy fake smiling and s— tryna keep walking with my head up,” Offset captioned an onstage photo of Takeoff flashing the peace sign in the post last month.

Watch the “Without You” video below.

05 Jan 2023

Theophilus London Found Safe, Family Says

Rapper Theophilus London has been found safe after disappearing for months, a relative announced Wednesday night.

“We have found Theo. He is safe and well,” the rapper’s cousin, Mikhail Noel, posted on Instagram. “At this time the family would love prayers and privacy. Thank you all!!!”

The post didn’t provide details of where London had been found, where he had been or why he hadn’t contacted his family, which filed a missing persons report with Los Angeles police last week and asked for the public’s help in finding him.

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London’s family and friends had said they believed someone last spoke to the musician in July in Los Angeles.

London, 35, posted prolifically on Instagram, but his last posts also came in July.

An LAPD news release on Dec. 28 said London was last seen in the Skid Row area in October and his family had completely lost contact with him.

The rapper was born in Trinidad and Tobago and later raised in the Brooklyn borough of New York. He was nominated for a 2016 Grammy for best rap performance for a featured spot alongside Paul McCartney on Kanye West’s “All Day.”

London has frequently collaborated with the artist now known as Ye, who produced and guested on 2014′s “Vibes.” London would often post updates on Ye’s “Donda” and “Donda 2” on Instagram, even saying he was “promoted to tackle media duties” on Ye’s behalf for the month of February.

London has released three studio albums: 2011′s “Timez Are Weird These Days,” “Vibes” and 2020′s “Bebey.” He recently was a featured artist on Young Franco’s “Get Your Money,” released in September, the month before he was last seen.

This article originally appeared in AP.

05 Jan 2023

Harry Styles Unlocks 2022 Best-Seller In U.K. With ‘Harry’s House’

Harry Styles really did own the keys to 2022. The British pop singer’s third studio album Harry’s House was the biggest LP of the year in the U.K., according to new data published by the Official Charts Company.

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The ex-One Direction singer leads the year-end albums survey with Harry’s House, which shifted north of 460,000 U.K. chart units over the year, including 160,000 sales (150,000 physical and 10,000 downloads), the OCC reports.

Harry’s House logged six non-consecutive weeks atop the Official U.K. Albums Chart in 2022, more than any other album, and the lead single from it, “As It Was,” tops the U.K.’s year-end singles survey.

Compatriot Ed Sheeran comes in at No. 2 on the year-end albums list with = (Equals), which snaffled upwards of 433,000 U.K. chart units during the calendar year. Sheeran has made a career habit of racking up big numbers. In November, the OCC announced all four of his solo studio albums — (Plus), x (Multiply), ÷ (Divide) and = (Equals) — had spent a total of at least a year inside the Official Albums Chart top 10.

Completing the 2022 podium is Taylor Swift’s Midnights, which, in less than three months, captured more than 417,000 U.K. chart sales, including 217,000 sales (206,000 physical copies and11,000 downloads). Midnights got away to a particularly explosive start. First-week U.K. chart sales exceeded 204,000, more than double her previous best, 2014’s 1989 (90,300 chart units).

It’s hard to keep a good thing down. That’s certainly the case with ABBA and Queen’s barnstorming career retrospective albums. ABBA Gold became the first album in U.K. chart history to log 1,000 weeks on the chart, a feat it achieved in July 2021. It’s still going strong. Powered by the ABBA Voyage virtual residency in London, the LP appears at No. 10 on the year-end U.K. chart. Indeed, Gold improves 20-13 on the latest Official U.K. Albums Chart, doing so in its 1,078 week.

Queen’s 1981 release Greatest Hits reached the 1,000-week milestone on the U.K. chart in 2022, and it finished the year in 11th place on the year-end tally. Greatest Hits is the best-selling album in U.K. recorded music history, shifting more than seven million combined units.

Music streaming reached new heights in 2022, the BPI reports. Across digital and physical formats, the equivalent of 166 million albums were streamed or purchased during the year, up 4.3% on 2021.

Official Top 40 biggest albums of 2022

  1. Harry’s House, Harry Styles
  2. =, Ed Sheeran
  3. Midnights, Taylor Swift
  4. The Highlights, The Weeknd
  5. Sour, Olivia Rodrigo
  6. Curtain Call – The Hits, Eminem
  7. Diamonds, Elton John
  8. 50 Years – Don’t Stop, Fleetwood Mac
  9. Between Us, Little Mix
  10. Gold – Greatest Hits, ABBA

04 Jan 2023

Harry Styles’ ‘As It Was’ Named U.K.’s Biggest Single In 2022

In the year that saw King Charles ascend the throne, it was Harry Styles who was crowned on the U.K. charts.

The pop superstar rules 2022’s year-end singles and albums charts, with “As It Was” and its parent, Harry’s House, respectively, according to new data published by the Official Charts Company.

Released in April 2022, “As It Was” reigned over the Official U.K. Singles Chart for 10 weeks, and went on to shift 1.57 million combined units, the OCC reports.

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“As It Was” also finished the year as the most-streamed song in the U.K., with more than 180.9 million audio and video streams, and it was the best-seller across combined physical and digital formats, raking-in 65,000 units.

The former One Direction singer leads an all-British sweep of the top 10 tracks of 2022 in the U.K. — a first in the 50-plus year history of the year-end singles chart.

Coming in at No. 2 on the Official Top 40 Biggest Singles of 2022 is Ed Sheeran “Bad Habits,” with 1.18 million chart units. “Bad Habits” was the No. 1 song in the U.K. in 2021.

Afrobeats star Fireboy DML lands at No. 3 with “Peru” (featuring Sheeran), BRITs Rising Star nominee Cat Burns is at No. 4 with “Go,” and Sheeran completes the top 5 with “Shivers.”

2022 was a remarkable year for Kate Bush and her 1985 song “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” which roared off the back of Netflix’ Stranger Things, in which is was synced to several pivotal moments. The song was embraced a new generation as it finally reached No. 1, some 37 years after its release. As it completed the path to the top, Bush broke a trio of records, including the longest journey a single to reach No. 1 in the U.K.

Also, notes the OCC, LadBaby bagged the fastest-selling single in its first week based on pure sales, “Food Aid,” which pulled-in more than 59,000 first-week sales. The charity fund-raising single was the most-downloaded song of the year, and a record-breaker, as it delivered the husband-and-wife Hoyle duo a fifth consecutive Christmas No. 1.

The OCC’s year-end reports are published as the BPI announces 159 billion music tracks were streamed in the U.K. last year, a new record which represents a 8.2% gain on 2021, and more than double the volume from five years ago.

Official Top 40 biggest songs of 2022

  1. “As It Was,” Harry Styles
  2. “Bad Habits,” Ed Sheeran
  3. “Peru,” Fireboy DML & Ed Sheeran
  4. “Go,” Cat Burns
  5. “Shivers,” Ed Sheeran
  6. “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God),” Kate Bush
  7. “Heat Waves,” Glass Animals
  8. “Where Are You Now,” Lost Frequencies/Calum Scott
  9. “Afraid To Feel,” LF System
  10. “Seventeen Going Under,” Sam Fender

04 Jan 2023

Luke Combs Announces New Album Coming in March

Luke Combs released his most recent project, Growin’ Up, in 2022, but the singer-songwriter has plenty more songs in the tank — so much so that he’s releasing a new album March 24, with a hefty 18 songs. The upcoming set will mark the reigning Country Music Association entertainer of the year’s fourth full-length studio album.

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Though no track list has been released for the album, it’s a fair bet that the upcoming project will include many songs written by the prolific Combs himself. He previously told Billboard that though he’s not opposed to recording songs by outside writers (and indeed, recorded an outside song during the process of making Growin’ Up, though it did not make the final track list), “I just like that part of it so much, the writing thing. I’m sure that my albums would probably be even more successful if I cut outside songs because [there are] songwriters a lot better than I am, but I just can’t bring myself to do it.”

As is his custom, Combs has regularly been sharing snippets of new music on social media, with songs including “Tattoo on a Sunburn.”

Growin’ Up is nominated for best country album at the upcoming Grammy Awards on Feb. 5, which are slated to be held at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. He’s also nominated for best country duo/group performance, for “Outrunnin’ Your Memory” with Miranda Lambert, as well as best country song (“Doin’ This,” which he wrote with Drew Parker and Robert Williford). Growin’ Up also landed on Billboard‘s list of the best albums of 2022, as well as Billboard‘s list of the best country albums of 2022.

04 Jan 2023

Even Cardi B Hates the Rising Grocery Prices

Cardi B expressed her frustration over United States inflation, which has led to a surge in prices when it comes to eggs, poultry, produce and more.

“Naaaaaa grocery shopping prices are ridiculous right now,” the “I Like It” rapper tweeted on Tuesday (Jan. 3). “You might as well eat outside !!”

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She followed up by noting that lettuce costs six dollars in her area, along with a clip of Remy Ma saying, “This is where I’m starting to get aggravated.”

Cardi is no stranger to giving her opinions on economic, social and political issues online. In her sit-down with David Letterman on the fourth season of the chat legend’s Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, Cardi explained her reasoning behind voicing her opinions.

“I think people in your position have a strength in terms of political activism and changing the world and changing the way people feel and think, not only about themselves, but the problems of the world at large is wonderful,” Letterman tells the rapper.

“I don’t really put a lot of political things in my music, but I used the f–k out of my platform,” she responded. “And I have used my platform even when I was a dancer. Because you might think that people are not looking, but they are.”

She continued, “I mean, I’m a hood chick, and I’m from the Bronx. A lot of people relate to me and follow me because they want to see how I’m dressed, they want to see my lifestyle. I feel like I have a responsibility to also share to them like, ‘Hey, while you here and you’re checking my outfit and checking my music, check out what’s going on over here in this part of the world.’”

04 Jan 2023

Keke Palmer’s Boyfriend Darius Daulton Reveals Sweet Ultrasound Photo of Couple’s Baby

Following her beyond iconic baby reveal on SNL, loads of fans excitedly became unofficial aunties to Keke Palmer’s incoming bundle of joy. Now, we can collectively swoon over the carousel post Palmer’s boyfriend Darius Daulton Jackson posted to Instagram, featuring a sweet ultrasound photo of their baby.

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“To 2022, thank you for giving me a family,” Daulton captioned the Instagram post, which also included photos of the happy couple sharing a smooch on the beach. Palmer even shared a celebratory year-end Instagram post of her own, showing the very pregnant 29-year-old resting surrounded by nature. “This baby moving thing is weirdddddd,” she said in the caption, referencing a selfie showing an uncomfortable look on her face. “Everything that’s going to come is already in motion. all i have to do is enjoy. be grateful and reap the benefits of those that came before me, all the sacrifices, all the prayers and all the power to be intentional and at EASE.”

Back in December, Palmer made her hosting debut on SNL–the perfect opportunity to make her big announcement. “There’s some rumors going around, people have been in my comments saying, ‘Keke’s having a baby, Keke’s pregnant,’ and I wanna set the record straight — I am!” she joyfully proclaimed, before flashing her growing bump. “I was trying so hard to keep it on the down-low ’cause I got a lot of stuff going on,” she went on. “You know, people kept coming up to me, ‘Congratulations,’ and I’m like, ‘Shh, can y’all stop? I got a liquor sponsorship on the line.’”

While no due date has been announced, we can safely bet on baby Palmer (or Jackson) arriving in 2023.