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Bill Medley confesses that he thought “my recording days were over” since it had been more than a dozen years since the legendary baritone from The Righteous Brothers had released an album. But, thankfully, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee was wrong. On Friday (Feb. 21), Curb Records will release Straight From the Heart, a collection of country songs that pairs Medley with such artists as Vince Gill, Michael McDonald, Keb’ Mo’ and Shawn Colvin.
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The 84-year-old, who still performs with Bucky Heard as the Righteous Brothers — his original partner, Bobby Hatfield died in 2003 — is the voice behind such timeless, foundational ‘60s hits as “Unchained Melody,” “(You’re My) Soul & Inspiration” and, of course, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin,’” which was one of Phil Spector’s first productions using his layered Wall of Sound technique. Until 2019, the gorgeous classic was BMI’s most performed song in the performing rights organization’s repertoire for 22 consecutive years. Medley also paired with Jennifer Warnes for the iconic Grammy-winning “(I’ve Had) the Time of My Life” from the 1987 movie, Dirty Dancing.
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Straight From the Heart isn’t Medley’s first flirtation with country: He had a string of entries on Billboard’s Country Songs chart from 1979 to 1985 — including “I Do,” which reached No. 17 in 1984 — and played with such acts as Kenny Rogers, Alabama and Loretta Lynn.
In an expansive phone interview, the creator of blue-eyed soul talked about why he wanted to make the new album, recording in the studio with Spector and if it was more fun to tour with The Beatles or The Rolling Stones.
The new album spans songs as far back as the 1940s, with Hank Williams’ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” to the 2000s with Vince Gill’s “These Days.” How did you pick the songs?
[Producer] Fred [Mollin] made a list of songs, I made a list of songs — and it just came down to the writing of the song and the artist that did it. I would love to do 10 more of these albums, and pay tribute to a million more great country songwriters and singers.
It’s been a dozen years since you put out an album. How did this one come to pass?
Fred and I have been friends for quite a while, and we’ve been talking about doing this album. We started out to do kind of a small album, and then my manager called Mike Curb, and Mike has been a friend of mine since 1970. Good, good friend. So, it went from the small album to kind of this important album. I think Fred was just interested in getting my voice on tape while I was still able to do it.
Did you have any concerns about that?
[I’m] always worried about my voice, but I knew those songs. I’ve been locked in with a lot of great songs, like “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feeling” and “Unchained Melody,” and all those songs, they’re real melodic, and country songs give you the flexibility to do them the way you want. I’m 84, I’m not a country singer — but I love country blues songs. I’ve always thought George Jones was one of the great blues singers in the world.
Speaking of George Jones, many people consider “He Stopped Loving Her Today” the greatest country song of all time. What was your approach for taking on that one?
Fred mentioned it, and I just mentioned that I love the song. Who doesn’t? And I said, “No, I can’t go there.” But they thought that I could and should, and they made the track. They said, “OK, if you don’t like it, then we won’t put it on.” But after I sang it a few times, I just loved the song so much that I okayed it… I had the final say on all the songs, but that one for sure, if it just comes off like a bad version, I don’t want it on the album.
One of the first tracks that came out from the album was a cover of Ray Charles’ “Crying Time,” with Michael McDonald. You two have two of the most iconic voices ever. What was singing with him like?
Mike and I have known each other for years. He was a big Ray Charles fan. So was I. He’s just really musically open. He sounds phenomenal; he sounds like Michael McDonald. I did want Mike on the album, and I especially wanted him to sing with me on “Crying Time.” I knew that we could do a good job on that. I was concerned, and Mike probably was too, that because we have such distinctive voices, [we didn’t know] how we would sound when we were actually singing together, harmonizing with each other. And he’s just so good, it just worked out perfect.
Ray Charles is your all-time favorite singer, and you got to meet him when you did the TV show Shindig! Did you learn any good business pointers from Ray? He counted the money himself.
No, I didn’t learn anything from him, but I learned awfully quick [about the business]. When we had a hit with “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling,” the first thing our agent did is put us with a business manager. That just saved our life, and we didn’t do anything stupid with our money. We were pretty down-to-earth guys. He was our business manager for a long time. Then he became my manager — and just a few months ago, he passed away. He’d been my manager for 60 years.
Did he get to hear the album before he passed?
Yes, he did. He said, “This is what you should have been doing all your life.”
You toured with Loretta Lynn and Alabama. Who else were you hanging with in those years?
I was working at a place in Phoenix where upstairs was a rock n’ roll, pop joint. Downstairs was this country bar. I was upstairs doing my [solo] show. I’d always go down to the country [bar] and they would ice up about five Coors Lights for me, and I would sit there and watch this guy. He would come over, and we would have a beer together and get to talking. And turns out it was Waylon Jennings. And so we became friends. Kris Kristofferson was a friend. Glen Campbell was a real good friend. And Kenny Rogers was a good friend. I just loved all of those guys. All my guys are gone.
You do “Sunday Morning Coming Down” on here. Is that a tribute to Kris?
No, I just love the song. It has such a great lyric. I really thought it was maybe one of the best songs that he’s written. He’s written some phenomenal songs. The truth is, I’m 84 years old and I probably have lived that [song]. I’ve had all the ups and the downs. Been married three, four times. That’s kind of why I picked certain songs. That one song I did with Vince Gill, “These Days,” is just the truth. Boy, I’ll take these days over any other days I’ve ever known.
You and Vince have a history. You were both nominated for best new male artist at the ACM Awards in 1985. Vince won. Did it seem weird to you that someone who had been having hits as long as you had was nominated because you had switched to country?
I thought it was very, very unusual — and I didn’t feel that I should necessarily be in that. I was thrilled that country music was accepting me. I thought that was really amazing and they always have, but being a newcomer of the year, I felt that somebody else should have been in that spot and not me. It was perfect for Vince, and he did pretty good. [Laughs.]
You’re obviously used to singing duets. What is the key to a successful duet?
For the Righteous Brothers and even Jennifer Warnes, it was kind of the beauty and the beast. You know, Jennifer sang so pretty, and Bobby Hatfield had a beautiful voice — and I always had this raspy kind of rock n’ roll voice. And so, I think for duets, if the two guys are lead singers, they have to sound different, or it’s just going to sound like the same guy doing the whole song. Girls are just so magical, because it’s so different. Simon & Garfunkel were pretty similar, and the Everly Brothers, for sure, were very similar. But I like the beauty and the beast idea.
You’re making your Grand Ole Opry debut on Feb. 22. Ringo Starr just made his Grand Ole Opry debut, so you have two guys in their 80s making their debuts.
That’s wonderful. He has a great band with him. I just don’t want people to think that I’m a rock n’ roll guy trying to sneak into country music. Country music has been a part of my life for years — and even in The Righteous Brothers show, I used to do what I would call a Ray Charles tribute, but it was all beautiful country songs like “Born to Lose,” “You Don’t Know Me” and “I Can’t Stop Loving You.” I just needed to do those songs.
Speaking of Ringo, who was it more fun to open for? The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?
Oh, you want to get me in trouble? [Laughs.] Well, it’s a pretty simple answer. The Beatles, when we opened for them, it was the first American Beatles tour — and the kids were just screaming and crying, yelling out, “John, John, Ringo!” Whatever. A lot of times when we were on, they’d be clapping and screaming, “We want The Beatles!” So then when they asked us to do The Rolling Stones, they hadn’t really made it yet. I think the next weekend after we worked with them, they became huge. So that was at least more musical, opening for them, so that was really more fun. But being with The Beatles was, obviously, more historic.
“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” ushered in the Wall of Sound. What was it like being in the studio with Phil Spector?
I remember he worked us real hard, real hard and real long, but it always got better so we didn’t mind it. Phil Spector was fine with us because we were kind of just a couple of street guys. He was used to working with a lot of girls. Working with him was fine, and we loved the song, but by the time the song was done, I think somebody asked us, “What do you think? Do you think it’s a hit?” I said, “There’s not a chance in the world that this will be a hit.” It’s way too long. It was over four minutes long — and, in those days, you did two-and-a-half minute records — and I sounded like I was on the wrong speed. I don’t know, it just sounded like a great record that could never be a hit. It’s just a remarkable record.
How was that different from making this album?
This was the most comfortable, easiest, rewarding album I’ve ever done. Working with those Nashville musicians was just such an honor, but, boy, just so easy and so good. I love the album and if something happens with it, that would be wonderful.
Travis Scott continued his Cactus Jack Gardens initiative, and he’s honoring his grandmothers with their 11th garden planted.
La Flame — alongside Miss Sealie Flood (maternal grandmother), Bernice Webster (paternal grandmother) and Highland Heights Elementary School students — unveiled the Sealie Flood + Bernice Webster Corner garden on Wednesday (Feb. 19). The garden will provide food for food-insecure youth across the Houston area. Students also planted a tree to honor both of Scott’s grandmothers.
Travis Scott Grandmothers
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Travis has referenced his grandma on tracks in the past such as Rodeo hit “90210.” “My granny called, she said, ‘Travvy, you work too hard. I’m worried you forget about me’/ I’m fallin’ in and out of clouds/ Don’t worry, I’ma get it, Granny,” he raps on the 2015 track.
February’s been a month of giving back to Scott and Cactus Jack. The Cactus Jack Foundation partnered with the Fashion Scholarship Fund to launch the Cactus Jack Design Ethos 101 Program, which is an online program that will award students with $10,000 and mentorship.
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Scott also hosted his annual Cactus Jack HBCU Softball Classic at Daikin Park in Houston last week, which was a star-studded affair attended by Tyla, Swae Lee, Metro Boomin, Teyana Taylor, Mariah the Scientist, BIA and more.
On the music side, Scott notched his fifth No. 1 hit atop the Billboard Hot 100 with “4×4” to kick off February, and he’s headed to headline Coachella in April.
“When I was coming up, people always looked at me [strangely],” Scott told Billboard in his February cover story. “I don’t know. I’d always hear a little s–t of ‘Is it rap? Is it this? Is it just a vibe?’ I’m pushing hip-hop. It’s 50 years old, but still has time to stretch. I feel like, ‘OK, I’m leading the new charge of what the next 50 years of this s–t is going to be like.’”
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It seems Jay-Z is not done with Tony Buzbee just yet. The Reasonable Doubt rapper and mogul has filed a declaration stating the now dismissed assault case cost him $20 million dollars in lost income.
As per Deadline, Jay-Z is staying true to original claim of showing Tony Buzbee how different he is. According to documentation obtained by TMZ, Jay-Z’s legal team filed a declaration on Feb. 10 with the Los Angeles Superior Court. Outside of trying to get the sexual assault case withdrawn (it was formally “voluntarily dismissed with prejudice” on Feb. 14) his team lawyers also detailed the damning accusations cost him to more than 20 million in earnings.
“Mr. Buzbee’s actions undermined my relationship, and my company Roc Nation’s relationship, with other businesses in the sports and entertainment space,” the submission reads. “We have agreements to produce entertainment programs for certain sporting events. After Mr. Buzbee filed the lawsuit, the media reported that other businesses could end their deals with Roc Nation, and forced one to speak out and address whether these false allegations would end our business relationship.”
While Roc Nation’s partnership with the NFL is not explicitly called out in the language, it is widely believed it references Roc Nation producing the Super Bowl Halftime show. “Immediately after Mr. Buzbee went public with his false accusations, my company Roc Nation also lost other contracts in the sports and entertainment space that would have generated revenues of approximately $20 million per year.”
Jay-Z and his team also allege that Tony Buzbee purposely filed the lawsuit on Dec. 8 to overshadow the premiere of Mufasa: The Lion King; which his daughter Blue Ivy stars in. “Media outlets reported that Disney was hesitant over my attendance at the premiere because of the accusations. I feel that Mr. Buzbee purposely filed this lawsuit on the eve of my daughter’s premiere to put me in the position of having to choose between supporting my daughter or hiding to avoid the negative press coverage.”
Tony Buzbee has yet to publicly respond to the claims.
Thirty-five years after Indigo Girls won a Grammy for best contemporary folk recording for their eponymous debut album, the duo received a lifetime achievement award at The International Folk Music Awards. The awards show took place at Montreal’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel on Feb. 19, the first night of the 37th annual Folk Alliance International (FAI) Conference. YouTube livestreamed the show, which could also be viewed via NPR Music, WMOT.org and Folk Alley.
Indigo Girls, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, received a second Grammy nod 35 years ago – best new artist. They lost to a flashier duo, Milli Vanilli, whose award was later revoked on the grounds that they didn’t perform on their album, a charge never leveled against Indigo Girls.
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“It’s truly awesome to be considered among some of the people who’ve already won this prestigious award,” said Saliers in accepting the award. “We need folk music now more than ever. This Folk Alliance is a group that honors diversity, equity, inclusion and access for all. Folk music is the music of truth-telling. Amy and I are, especially in this time, particularly honored to accept this award.”
Bandmate Ray added, “Please stand up with us and make your voice be heard in these times. Gather together with other people. Raise your voice. Stand up strong. Day by day, song by song, we can make this world a better place.
Lifetime achievement awards were also granted to Lesley Riddle, the Black musician who gathered songs for the Carter Family with patriarch A.P. Carter, and Songlines, the magazine that covers global roots music and is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Crys Matthews won the 2024 artist of the year award, her second IFMA. Susan Werner won the 2024 album of the year award for Halfway to Houston. Song of the year went to “$20 Bill (for George Floyd),” written by Tom Prasada-Rao and performed by Dan Navarro and Janiva Magness.
In accepting the award, Navarro said, “Over 100 of us recorded a version of that song in 2020, but because of the impact and the challenges of the pandemic, it never really had a proper release and we decided we would do something about that.”
The Clearwater Award is presented to a festival that prioritizes environmental stewardship and demonstrates public leadership in sustainable event production. This year’s award went to the River Roads Festival in Easthampton, Mass.
The Spirit of Folk Awards are presented to people and organizations actively involved in the promotion and preservation of folk music. Spirit of Folk Awards were presented to:
* Tom Power, Canadian musician and broadcaster, best known as the host of Q on CBC Radio One and a member of the folk band, The Dardanelles.
* Alice Randall, a trailblazer in folk and country music, whose songs have been recorded by such artists as Johnny Cash, and founder of production company Midsummer Music.
* Longtime Folk Alliance region Midwest pillar Annie Capps.
* Quebec’s Innu Nikamu festival, which has been committed to the promotion and preservation of Indigenous culture for more than 30 years.
In accepting her award, Randall said, “In My Black Country, I tell the story of climbing out of the hell of being raped by holding on to the sound of John Prine singing ‘Angel From Montgomery.’ I write about discovering the Joan Baez Ballad Book, a double album set of English, Irish and Scottish folk songs that became my stepping stones to joy after trauma. I owe my sanity to folk music. For the past 40 years I worked writing folk songs that I hoped would help people get to joy after trauma.
“In 2024 Oh Boy Records, John Prine’s label, put out the My Black Country album featuring some of the greatest folk singers and pickers of our time including Rhiannon Giddens and Leyla McCalla,” she continued. “On the new album, country charting songs were stripped of pop productions that erased Black characters and muted political intent. My songs were restored to their folk roots. My book My Black Country is about the Black folk, including Black folk musicians, who made country country. I accept this award in honor of ‘Traditional’ and my father who long ago asked me a question I will now ask you, ‘What you bet ‘Traditional’ was a Colored Gal?’”
Fellow Spirit of Folk Award recipient Power said, “This means an awful lot to me … As someone who cares a lot about the traditions of Newfoundland and Labrador, I stand on the shoulders of the giants of the folks who preserved the music long before me … I am so unbelievably proud to work for the CBC. … At a time both in Canada and in the United States and all over the world that public broadcasting is being brought into question — questions about defunding, questions of whether or not we should exist — I could never be prouder to be part of an organization that aims to tell the stories of Canadians to other Canadians.”
The People’s Voice Award, which is presented to an individual who unabashedly embraces social and political commentary in their creative work and public careers, was awarded to Gina Chavez.
OKAN, the women-led, Afro-Cuban roots and jazz duo, were honored with The Rising Tide Award. The Rising Tide Award celebrates emergent artists of any age who inspire others by embodying the values and ideals of the folk community through their creative work, community role, and public voice.
FAI members submitted recordings in the best-of-the-year categories (song, album, and artist). New recordings released between Oct. 1, 2023 and Sept. 30, 2024 were eligible.
Here are the nominations in the three “Best of 2024” categories, with winners marked, followed by a list of this year’s special award honorees.
Artist of the Year
Flamy GrantSarah JaroszKaïa KaterNick LoweWINNER: Crys MatthewsAllison Russell
Album of the Year
Sierra Ferrell, Trail of Flowers (Rounder Records)The Heart Collectors, The Space Between (Spins the Gold Records)Kaïa Kater, Strange Medicine (Free Dirt Records)Aoife O’Donovan, All My Friends (Yep Roc Records)Ordinary Elephant – Ordinary Elephant (Berkalin Records)WINNER: Susan Werner, Halfway to Houston (self-released)
Song of the Year
“Tenzin Sings with Nightingales,” written by Tenzin Choegyal, performed by Tenzin Choegyal and Michael Askill“How I Long for Peace,” written by Peggy Seeger, performed by Rhiannon Giddens, Crys Matthews, and the Resistance Revival Chorus“Woman Who Pays,” written and performed Connie KaldorWINNER: “$20 Bill (for George Floyd),” written by Tom Prasada-Rao, performed by Dan Navarro & Janiva Magness“Ukrainian Now,” written and performed by Tom Paxton & John McCutcheon“Love Letters,” written by Julian Taylor, Tyler James Ellis, performed by Julian Taylor
Lifetime Achievement Award – Living: Indigo Girls
Lifetime Achievement Award – Legacy: Lesley Riddle
Lifetime Achievement Award – Business: Songlines Magazine
People’s Voice: Gina Chavez
Rising Tide: OKAN
Clearwater Award: River Roads Festival (Easthampton, Mass.)
Spirit of Folk: Tom Power, Alice Randall, Annie Capps, Innu Nikamu festival
Folk Radio DJ Hall of Fame Inductees: Archie Fisher (BBC Scotland), Mary Sue Twohy (SIRIUS XM), Taylor Caffery (WRKF-FM, Baton Rouge, La.), Matthew Finch (posthumous, KUNM-FM, Albuquerque, N.M.), Chuck Wentworth (posthumous, WRIU-FM, Rhode Island)
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We’re only a few months away to see what James Gunn has in store for us when his film Superman: Legacy hits theaters and his rebooted DC universe gets underway and while he’s made it clear there’s no need to make another Superman origin story, the same rules may not apply to one of the film’s heroes, Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi).
According to Newsweek, DC is planning on giving Dr. Michael Curtis Holt aka Mister Terrific his own origin story in a limited series before he makes his big screen debut in James Gunn’s upcoming Superman epic. Unfortunately, it will not be in the form of a television series, but rather a limited comic book run, which will lead into his role in Superman: Legacy, but still, something’s something, right?
Set to release on May 28, Mr. Terrific: Year One will be penned by Peabody Award-winning journalist, Al Letson and will be joined by award-winning artist Valentine De Landro and others who’ll help bring his story to life for DC fans to enjoy.
Per Newsweek:
Holt’s origin is that of higher intelligence, which he achieved at a very young age, reading the works of theoretical physicists like Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr at an early age. On top of “a natural aptitude for having natural aptitudes,” as the character states, he achieved 14 Ph.Ds long before becoming a superhero.
Following the death of his wife and unborn child, which he blames himself for, Holt finds new purpose in being told by Spectre about a Golden Age hero known as Terry Sloane, aka Mister Terrific.
Holt uses his genius-level intellect to operate T-Spheres, which allows him immunity to technology, the ability to hack other machines, and the ability to repel projections.
In James Gunn’s iteration of the Superman story, the Man of Steel and other superheroes (and villains) are already well-established beings in his DC universe, so how Mister Terrific and others play into the main story should be interesting. With many rumors circulating about the surprise cameos and inclusions of past heroes in the film circulating around the internet, one can only wonder why Mister Terrific was chosen to get his own origin story before the film’s release. He might have a bigger role in the film than we think.
What do y’all think about DC giving Mister Terrific his own limited-series before Superman: Legacy hits theaters? Let us know in the comments section below.
JISOO‘s acting career is going strong despite being busier than ever with upcoming BLACKPINK plans and solo music, with Netflix announcing a new Korean romantic-comedy series starring the performer Wednesday (Feb. 19).
Tentatively titled Boyfriend on Demand, the Kim Jung-sik-directed show will see JISOO as Mi-rae, an “exhausted webtoon producer” who starts a virtual dating program that introduces her to the “boyfriends of her dreams” as part of a monthly subscription service, according to the description. She’ll star opposite South Korean singer-actor Seo In-guk, who will play Park Kyeong-nam, a rival colleague of Mi-rae’s.
“Blending the relatable challenges of daily work life and a never-before-seen virtual reality dating subscription program, Boyfriend on Demand promises to revolutionize dating,” the release teases, adding that the series will “deliver heart-fluttering moments and laughter.”
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Boyfriend on Demand is just the latest onscreen project JISOO has taken on, with the K-pop star establishing herself as a leading lady in 2021’s Disney+ K-drama Snowdrop. Most recently, she played Kang Young-joo in Prime Video’s Zombie series Newtopia.
The announcement comes the same day BLACKPINK finally unveiled dates for its previously teased world tour, which kicks off July 5 in Seoul and will see JISOO and bandmates ROSÉ, LISA and JENNIE traveling through Los Angeles, New York City, Paris, Barcelona, London and more through mid-August. ROSÉ also recently confirmed that the quartet is coming out with new music soon.
BLACKPINK’s last album, Born Pink, dropped in 2022, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. After touring the LP through 2023, the four stars have spent the past year or so working on solo projects.
For JISOO, the break has included the release of her debut solo EP, AMORTAGE, which arrived on Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14) with four new tracks: “Earthquake,” “Your Love,” “Tears” and “Hugs & Kisses.” In a recent interview with Billboard, she called working by herself “an amazing experience” — but she’s more than excited to get back into the band swing of things.
“Last year, as each member focused on individual activities, we all grew a lot,” she said in a video interview with Tetris Kelly. “Now, as we come together for this year, I feel like we’ll be able to return with an even bigger and more spectacular presence. Everyone’s excited about it, and we’ve been sharing ideas. We’ve already done a lot of preparations for this year.”
LE SSERAFIM are artists, but also, in the new trailer for their upcoming fifth mini album, HOT, they are also quite literally pieces of art. The intriguing two-minute teaser for the EP that is due out on March 14 dropped on Thursday (Feb. 20) and it finds a gallery full of art lovers perusing an exhibition entitled “HOT, We’re hot on our own, 2025,” in which the quintet are frozen in a variety of poses while seated or standing on metallic platforms.
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Singers KIM CHAEWON, SAKURA, HUH YUNJIN, KAZUHA, and HONG EUNCHAE manage to hold their icy postures as a somber violin plays in the background, until their statue-like reverie is unexpectedly broken by an adorable grey cat with tiny wings. The sound of the kitty’s meowing sets off a handclap beat and a dilation of the women’s eyes, sneezing them to life as they appear to melt into the ground while a temperature gauge rises from cold to warm.
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A ghostly track bubbles up and the members come to life, interacting with a Marcel Duchamp-like off-the-shelf kitchen faucet titled “Purity is the Hottest,” which, when turned on and allowed to flow onto the floor, electrocutes the feline, transforming the sterile space into a throbbing nightclub.
From crawling through fur-lined tunnels to walking on a giant hamster wheel, the women are awakened as a voiceover intones “a single flame was born” in Korean while they and the gallery patrons expertly catwalk their way through the space. “The flame engulfed the silence, splitting apart the dark” a voice reveals in English, further advancing the fiery narrative with the cryptic phrase: “Drawn to the wavering beauty, the flame believed that the reason for its existence was to burn ever brighter.”
With the temperature quickly rising to “hot,” the liquid from the sink turns into a fiery flame and the once-again-frozen women are blown away like dust by an unseen wind, only to rise again from the ashes like phoenixes.
HOT is the follow-up to the group’s 2024 fourth mini-album, CRAZY.
Watch the HOT trailer below.
HYBE is partnering with Grammy-winning producer and OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder to form a new boy group, the company announced Thursday (Feb. 19). The project, to be led by Tedder alongside HYBE chairman Bang Si-Hyuk and HYBE America CEO Scooter Braun, will kick off with a global talent search. Once the members of the group […]
Pioneering jazz pianist-singer Nat King Cole is best known for classics such as “Mona Lisa” and “The Christmas Song” as well as for hosting his own television show on NBC in 1956. However, it was a Black woman who initially broke that barrier in 1950 on the DuMont Television Network: jazz and classical pianist-singer Hazel Scott.
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That’s just one of the Black history lessons comprising the revelatory PBS documentary American Masters – The Disappearance of Miss Scott, which premieres Feb. 21 (9 p.m. ET, check local listings). Produced and directed by Nicole London, the documentary marks the first in-depth film about the early 20th century star whose fierce and fearless advocacy of civil rights during Jim Crow prompted the stipulation in her contracts that Scott wouldn’t play before segregated audiences. In fact, the documentary notes that Rev. Martin Luther King said the first desegregated audience he sat in was at one of Scott’s shows. And her film contracts stated that she would only perform as herself or as a patron — never a servant — in the movie roles she was offered. She even organized an actors strike during the production of a film because of unfair treatment.
Her impactful career in the aftermath of that strike, however, was further derailed in the U.S. when she was blacklisted during the ‘50s Red Scare by the House Un-American Committee. But that didn’t faze the intrepid Scott. Relocating to Paris in 1957, she added another successful chapter to her legacy before returning to the U.S. in 1967. As she’s quoted in the documentary: “They say I’m impossible. I won’t conform.”
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“That resilience during the era’s McCarthyism was the kind of element that I wanted to highlight,” says London, whose credits include the Emmy-winning American Masters film Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool. “I wanted people to know that Scott was a towering figure of her time — and to also understand the reasons why we don’t know her. At a time when there was so little available, she stood up against the odds and it cost her. But it shouldn’t cost us the pleasure and the gift of getting to know her story and learning from it, especially today.”
Born in Trinidad in 1920 and raised in Harlem, New York, Scott was a child prodigy. Taught by her classically trained pianist/saxophonist-music teacher mother Alma, Scott began playing piano at two years old, performed in public at three and by eight was a pupil at the Juilliard School of Music. A member of her mother’s all-female band at 14, Scott landed her first professional gig at 15 with the Count Basie Orchestra. By 19 she was headlining Café Society, the first integrated club in Manhattan. She would later marry and divorce Adam Clayton Powell Jr., a pioneer and civil rights activist in his own right as the first Black congressman from the state of New York.
An engrossing compilation of archival footage and stills, performance clips and animation illuminate Scott’s career journey, which included appearances in films (Something to Shout About, I Dood It, and Rhapsody in Blue), followed by the aforementioned nationally syndicated TV program The Hazel Scott Show, featuring herself and jazz legends Charles Mingus and Max Roach. Providing further context are excerpts from Scott’s unpublished autobiography voiced by Emmy-winning actress Sheryl Lee Ralph plus interviews with country artist Mickey Guyton, actresses Amanda Seales and Tracie Thoms and jazz musicians Camille Thurman and Jason Moran.
“I wanted people who weren’t necessarily obvious because [Scott] didn’t just influence jazz. Her reach and influence are so much bigger in terms of the possibilities for women in film, television and elsewhere. Here I am, a Black female director who wouldn’t be in this position if I hadn’t had these footsteps to follow. I also wanted to touch on the importance of friendship between women and women in support systems for each other, especially Black women.”
Influenced and mentored by jazz icons/family friends like Billie Holiday, Fats Waller and Art Tatum, Scott became known for the speed with which she could play and the top-notch improvisational skills she applied in “jazzing” up classic songs. Then there was her dexterous ability at playing two pianos at once. Alicia Keys paid tribute to Scott’s influence and inspiration while hosting the 2019 Grammy Awards during which she played two pianos.
His mother’s high level of musicianship, in addition to her personal crusade for what’s right, is one thing that Scott’s only child, Adam Clayton Powell III, wants viewers to witness. He shared with Billboard that Grammy-winning pianist Michelle Cann and other musicians have recreated his mother’s improvisations from her records for project that will be released in late summer. He adds that Cann told him the project was “like the Olympics, almost impossible to do physically. She said the musicians working on this were staring at the sheet music. But in looking at clips of my mother playing, she’s smiling at the audience — not even looking at the keyboard.”
As the documentary was being developed, Powell learned just how valuable dollar-wise his mother’s talent was after her biographer Karen Chilton (2010’s Hazel Scott: The Pioneering Journey of a Jazz Pianist, from Café Society to Hollywood to HUAC) found some of Scott’s old film contracts. “The idea that my mother was making, in today’s dollars, more than $2 million a year at MGM is like whoa,” he says. “And her hands were insured by Lloyds of London for $1 million in 1940s dollars, which is over $18 million today.”
In The Disappearance of Hazel Scott, viewers will learn as well about her insistence to appear before the House UnAmerican Committee, the end of her troubled marriage, a suicide attempt and the dream job that materialized after her return to the U.S. Throughout it all, Powell says his mother often quoted the French song “Non, je ne regrette rien,” covered by Edith Piaf. Its title translates to “No, I Regret Nothing.”
This Valentine’s Day, Drake released his first new album since before his 2024 feud with Kendrick Lamar changed everything about his career outlook and overall narrative — the PartyNextDoor full-length team-up $ome $exy $ongs 4 U. While the final verdict on the album and what it might (or might not) do for Drake’s overall trajectory […]