News

19 Mar 2024

Nicki Minaj Angers Her Fans For Cancelling Her Concert Hours Before Showtime

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Nicki Minaj and her Barbz fanbase are as rabid as they come (online anyway). So when the Queen rapper canceled her concert appearance in New Orleans at the last minute, ticket holders held her feet to the fire in the Crescent City.

Just hours before Nicki Minaj was set to take the stage at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on March 18, the arena took to its official Instagram page to break some hearts and announce that Nicki wouldn’t be performing as planned.

In the caption for the post, the Center explained, “Due to doctor’s orders, Nicki Minaj must reschedule her NOLA show tonight. As Nicki is still sick, our team does not want to run the risk of getting others sick, and Nicki would not be able to give NOLA the show they deserve. We are working diligently to find a new date, so please hold onto your tickets, and we will inform you all soon.”

Naturally, fans were up in arms over the last-minute announcement and took to the comments section to express their frustrations.

While many were upset at the simple fact that the cancellation was announced so late in the day, others took issue with the fact that they put up big bucks to travel there to see her perform with one person writing, “Y’all do realize people used there PTO, Paid for rooms, traveled & bought the tickets on top of that, that alone is $500-$1,500 trip especially if you got the GAG city package. They are more so upset due to the [unprofessionalism.] They definitely should’ve said something yesterday instead of hours before the show.”

Point taken.

Still, others defended Nicki, saying she should be putting her health first. Some pointed out the hypocrisy in some of the comments writing, “Y’all get sick and call out of work all the time. Please go touch some damn grass. Y’all find ANY reason to dislike this lady. Good fkn day fr.”

Well, they’re not wrong either.

People then took to X to continue to argue over what was right and what was wrong in this situation with many wishing Nicki a speedy recovery. But fans were still upset that they didn’t get to see their favorite female rapper perform in person right before it was all set to go down.

The cancellation comes days after Nicki performed at Rolling Loud in California, which she posted about days ago. That post too was hit up with comments from people complaining about her canceling her Pink Friday Tour show in New Orleans with one comment reading, “How you cancel the concert hours before smh made people buy outfits & tickets y’all these rappers dgaf.”

No word yet on when Nicki Minaj will make up her canceled show. Best believe the crowd will be a tad bit salty whenever it goes down but will of course be in attendance when the time comes.

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Photo: Scott Dudelson / Getty

19 Mar 2024

Signed: Nelly Pacts With WME, Nightwish Re-Ups With Nuclear Blast

Nelly signed with WME for global representation. The rapper and singer’s most recent album, Heartland, was released in 2021 and peaked at No. 7 on Billboard‘s Top Country Albums chart, while the single “Lil Bit” featuring Florida Georgia Line remained at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Country Digital Song Sales chart for three weeks. Signed to RECORDS (Sony Music), Nelly also recently launched MoShine, a moonshine brand.

Symphonic metal band Nightwish renewed its contract with Nuclear Blast, reaching a new global multi-album deal with the label that it first signed with 20 years ago. The label also announced that it signed American death metal band Gatecreeper, which will release its third album, Dark Superstition, on the Nuclear Blast on May 17. Gatecreeper is represented by managers James Vitalo and James Grottola at Gold Theory Artists and booking agent Merrick Jarmulowicz at Ground Control Touring.

Play It Again Sam, an imprint of the [PIAS] label group, will release Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds‘ forthcoming album under a global license, in partnership with Cave’s label, Bad Seed. Titled Wild God, the album is slated for release on Aug. 30.

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Activist Artists Management signed folk-pop singer-songwriter Weyes Blood for management. She will be represented by Activist founding partners Bernie Cahill and Matt Maher, along with Activist senior director of A&R/creative Anna Kolander and head of global marketing Chris Ruff. Weyes Blood’s most recent album, And In the Darkness, Hearts Aglow, reached No. 1 on Billboard‘s Heatseekers Albums chart. She has performed at festivals including Coachella and Pitchfork and toured throughout the United States, Europe and Australia.

Indie-electronic pop group Metronomy signed with Ninja Tune, which released the band’s latest single, “Nice Town.” It marks the first release from the band’s upcoming Posse EP Volume 1 follow-up.

UTA signed country band Ole 60 for global representation in all areas. The group will continue being represented by Davis Danziger, Wales Toney and Ty Little at Whale Tale Management and lawyer Matt Cottingham. Coming up, Ole 60 is slated to support Dylan Gossett and Charles Wesley Godwin on their upcoming tours and will play the Grind City Music Festival in Memphis.

New York band Wild Pink signed with Fire Talk Records, which released the group’s label debut, the single “Air Drumming Fix You,” on Mar. 7. The group is booked by Ryan Farlow at Arrival Artists (North America) and Joren Heuvels at Hometown Talent (United Kingdom, EU and Asia) and managed by Joseph Marro at Lesser Matters. The band has a publishing deal with Downtown.

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Abbey Cone signed with Downtown Artist & Label Services for distribution. Her first release under the Downtown banner is a live cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” Cone’s team also includes Amanda Quinton of Quinton Digital for management, Wasserman Group for booking and Warner Chappell Music/T.R.U.T.H. for publishing.

Veteran British singer-songwriter Dave Mason signed an exclusive management deal with Red Light in Atlanta. His team at the firm consists of Charlie Brusoc and Nick Manarino, which will work with Mason on his forthcoming music releases as well as the release of his memoir, which is slated for release this summer. He’s booked by Alec Vidmar and Darius Sabet at UTA.

Philadelphia artist Julia Pratt signed to RECORDS (Sony Music), which released her latest single, “Carolina,” last week in advance of a new EP. Pratt is managed by Doug Neumann and Josh Roth at Standards Music and booked by Seth Rappaport at Paladin Artists.

Singer-songwriter Alli Walker signed with RECORDS Nashville. To celebrate the partnership, Walker has released the track “I Like Big Trucks,” adding a country flavor to the 1990s Sir Mix-a-Lot hit “Baby Got Back.” Josh Easler, executive vp of promotion & commercial strategy for RECORDS Nashville, says, “The RECORDS Nashville team is always looking for artistry that stands out, and Alli Walker does just that. We are excited to get started amplifying what she is already having success with.” – Jessica Nicholson

Nashville punk band Winona Fighter, fronted by Chloe Kinnon, signed with Rise Records and shared a new single and music video, “I’m in the Market to Please No One.” More new music is slated for release this year. The band is booked by Justin Edwards at WME and managed by Michael Iurato at In De Goot Entertainment.

Country artist Dusty Black signed with Brown Sellers Brown and Stone Country Records for management and label representation, respectively. Black was formerly the CEO of Black Tie Moving before making the transition to artist.

ADA Japan signed a deal to distribute, promote and market Japanese-language songs by the Korean boy group One Pact via its South Korean label and entertainment agency, Armada Entertainment. Jump-starting the partnership was ADA’s release of One Pact’s debut local single, “Must Be Nice.” The band came to prominence after appearing on the Korean TV music audition series Boys Planet and the rap battle show High School Rapper 4.

MaKenzie signed with Warner Records, which released her new single, “Maybe” featuring TA Thomas, on Friday (Mar. 15). The R&B artist is managed by Tarek “Terk” Stevens at Terk Entertainment Group and attorney Donald Woodard at Carter + Woodard. Also at Warner Records, alt-rocker Willy Cobb signed with the label’s War Buddha Records imprint, which released his debut single, “Cigarette Smell,” on Friday (Mar. 15). Cobb is managed by Neil Mason at Red Light.

How to Dress Well (a.k.a. Tom Krell) signed with Sargent House for the release of his forthcoming album, I Am Toward You, which is set to drop May 10. He is managed by Shaun MacDonald at Codex Management.

BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville signed Alison Nichols, who earned a viral TikTok hit with her debut release, “is it just me?”, followed by her latest release, “HOOPS.” Nichols, who is of Asian-American heritage, grew up in Georgia and gleans influence from the Texas country music scene. – Jessica Nicholson

British-Chinese sibling duo Esme Emerson (Esme and Emerson Lee-Scott) signed with Communion Records and released its new single, “Please,” on the label, with an EP due later this year. The duo is booked by rowan@infinitefuture.co.uk.

Musician and social media influencer Peet Montzingo signed a management deal with Do Less. The signing coincided with the release of his HARV-produced debut single, “Party With a Weirdo,” on Friday (Mar. 15) through Vydia.

Punk band Gloom Girl MFG signed with R+D Artist Group for management ahead of the release of its Cage the Elephant-produced EP, POLYCRISIS. Additionally, the group recently signed with Reliant Talent Agency for booking. Gloom Girl MFG is signed to Los Angeles-based label Signs From the Universe.

19 Mar 2024

Beyoncé Shares Backstory Of Upcoming ‘Act II: Cowboy Carter’ LP On Instagram

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Beyoncé has captured the attention of the masses once more with the earlier announcement of her upcoming eighth studio album, Act II: Cowboy Carter. Taking to Instagram, the Houston superstar shared the backstory of the creation of the project and what inspired the new creative direction.

On Tuesday (March 19), Beyoncé froze the world in its tracks and issued a massive statement concerning Act II: Cowboy Carter, the followup to 2022’s Act I: Renaissance. The entertainer says that the album was five years in the making and was inspired by a negative moment she experienced.

From Instagram:

Today marks the 10-day countdown until the release of act ii. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of the supporters of TEXAS HOLD ‘EM and 16 CARRIAGES. I feel honored to be the first Black woman with the number one single on the Hot Country Songs chart. That would not have happened without the outpouring of support from each and every one of you. My hope is that years from now, the mention of an artist’s race, as it relates to releasing genres of music, will be irrelevant.

This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive. It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history.

Queen Bey goes on to add, “I focused on this album as a continuation of RENAISSANCE…I hope this music is an experience, creating another journey where you can close your eyes, start from the beginning and never stop.”

As it stands, the ending sentence is perhaps what got the Beyhive most excited.

“This ain’t a Country album. This is a “Beyoncé” album. This is act ii COWBOY CARTER, and I am proud to share it with y’all,” she wrote.

Act II: Cowboy Carter drops on March 29.

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Photo: James Devaney / Getty

19 Mar 2024

Beyoncé Reveals ‘Cowboy Carter’ Album Cover: ‘This Ain’t a Country Album, It’s a Beyoncé Album’

It’s officially time to saddle up! A little more than a month after making a grand pivot into country music with the release of “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” Beyoncé has finally unveiled the official album cover for her forthcoming LP, Cowboy Carter.

A clear continuation of the Renaissance aesthetic, the album cover for Cowboy Carter finds Queen Bey striking a regal pose while perched atop a striking white horse. She dons red, white and blue chaps, a simple white cowboy hat and flowing platinum blonde locks as she raises the American flag. Like the Renaissance album artwork, the background is completely black — save for the slightly illuminated dirt road at the bottom of the frame.

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Queen Bey shared the Cowboy Carter album cover on her official Instagram page on Tuesday (March 19). In her lengthy caption, she detailed the inspiration behind her new record, which has been in the making for “five years.” Cowboy Carter is the official follow-up to 2022’s Billboard 200-topping Renaissance — a sprawling dance record that won four Grammys, housed a pair of Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits in “Break My Soul” (No. 1) and “Cuff It” (No. 6) and spawned a record-breaking world tour and accompanying box office-topping documentary concert film.

“This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t,” she wrote, possibly alluding to her experience performing the country-indebted “Daddy Lessons” at the 2016 CMA Awards alongside The Chicks. “But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive. It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history.”

At the top of 2024, Beyoncé unleashed a pair of country singles during the Super Bowl. Alongside “16 Carriages,” a gorgeous Americana-nodding ballad, Queen Bey dropped “Texas Hold ‘Em,” an irresistible country-pop tune that made her both the first Black woman to top Hot Country Songs and the first Black woman to top the Hot 100 with a country song. Despite the commercial success of “Texas,” Beyoncé did face some criticism from players in the genre — one country radio station even initially refused to play, but even they couldn’t resist “Texas.”

“The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me,” she continued. “[Act II] is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work. I have a few surprises on the album, and have collaborated with some brilliant artists who I deeply respect. I hope that you can hear my heart and soul, and all the love and passion that I poured into every detail and every sound.”

In her message, Beyoncé both stressed that Cowboy Carter is “a continuation of Renaissance” and acknowledged the Billboard chart history she made with “Texas Hold ‘Em.” “I feel honored to be the first Black woman with the number one single on the Hot Country Songs chart,” she gushed. “That would not have happened without the outpouring of support from each and every one of you. My hope is that years from now, the mention of an artist’s race, as it relates to releasing genres of music, will be irrelevant.”

While Queen Bey has kept the Cowboy Carter visuals under lock and key — just as she did with Renaissance — the album cover reveal is one step in that direction. In fact, Beyoncé’s post coincides with the 10-day countdown until the release of Cowboy Carter — which is currently slated to drop on March 29.

“This ain’t a Country album. This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album,” she declared at the end of her message. “This is act ii COWBOY CARTER, and I am proud to share it with y’all!”

Check out Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album artwork below.

19 Mar 2024

Iconoclast Buys Legendary Singer Tony Bennett’s Catalog

Iconoclast, an artist and brand development company, said on Tuesday (March 19) it acquired legendary Great American Songbook singer Tony Bennett‘s catalog, as well as his name and image likeness rights.

The vocal titan known for his renditions of “Because of You” and “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” dedicated his nearly seven-decade career to the canon of American jazz classics, show tunes and popular songs from the first half of the century that are known as the Great American Songbook. Bennett, who died last July, became a bridge late in life between the classics and modern pop music through concerts and recordings with Amy Winehouse, Elvis Costello, k.d. lang and others.

Iconoclast founder Olivier Chastan, along with Bennett’s son and manager Danny Bennett, said the company has secured several Tony Bennett-branded projects, including a New York City restaurant, a series of watches with luxury American watch company Bulova and a Paramount+ documentary called The Lady and The Legend, about Bennett’s frequent collaborations with Lady Gaga.

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“We all walk in the footsteps of giants. Tony was one of these giants,” Chastan said in a statement. “Besides his extraordinary talent that radiated for over 60 years, Tony’s legacy is one of character, integrity, kindness and courage. We are truly honored to be the custodians of this incredible and historical legend.”

Danny Bennett said he expects the deal will ensure his father’s works “endure for future generations.”

“In working with Tony for over 40 years, my philosophy was always that I didn’t manage a career but, rather, managed a legacy,” said Danny Bennett. “Iconoclast … will continue this tradition.”

Chastan founded Iconoclast in 2021, after having previously led Irving Azoff‘s Iconic Artists Group. The company owns rights to works by artists including The Band musician Robbie Robertson, Marianne Faithfull and David Cassidy.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Iconoclast was represented by Sam Roseme and Peter Paterno of King, Holmes, Paterno & Soriano, and Tony Bennett was represented by Don Friedman of Grubman, Shire, Meiselas & Sacks.

19 Mar 2024

Lady Gaga Jazz & Piano Show Returning to Las Vegas For Summer 2024 Run

Lady Gaga is headed back to Las Vegas for a summer run of more Jazz & Piano shows. The singer announced the news on Tuesday morning (March 19), revealing that she will be back on the stage at the Dolby Live theater at Park MGM for eight shows between June 19 and July 6.

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The news came alongside a video clip reel featuring highlights from the uber-Vegas revue, which finds the 13-time Grammy winner cycling through a series of bedazzled, glittering stage costumes while fronting a big band and singing hits from the Great American Songbook. Her most recent Jazz & Piano show was in October and since then she has performed a private show at the Fontainebleau in Vegas last month, as well as a Fortnite: Battle Royale gig during the 2024 Fortnite Festival on Feb. 22.

Fans can sign up now for the Little Monsters presale here for early access before the general public onsale begins on Saturday (March 23) at 1 p.m. ET. The upcoming shows will take place on June 19, 20, 27, 29 and 30 and July 3, 5 and 6. At press time there was no information on whether Gaga’s other Las Vegas residency show, the more pop-, hits-oriented Enigma will return in the future as well; Gaga has not performed the Enigma show since New Year’s Eve weekend in 2019.

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Gaga recently posted a response to the critics of trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney, who last year was the target of transphobic hate after Bud Light sent her a commemorative six-pack of beers. “It’s appalling to me that a post about [International] Women’s Day by Dylan Mulvaney and me would be met with such vitriol and hatred,” Gaga wrote in an Instagram post responding to an International Women’s Day picture she took with Mulvaney that was flooded with anti-trans comments.

“Hatred is hatred, and this kind of hatred is violence,” she added. “‘Backlash’ would imply that people who love or respect Dylan and me didn’t like something we did. This is not backlash. This is hatred.”

See Gaga’s Jazz & Piano announcement below.

19 Mar 2024

Hear Idina Menzel Sing Live in Her New Musical

“Ever since Rent, I have made it a priority to originate roles and shine a light on new work,” Idina Menzel tells Billboard. “It takes lots of patience and fortitude, but there is truly nothing as rewarding as seeing your kernel of an idea fully realized with a group of people you love and admire so deeply.”

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The Broadway icon’s latest project in that vein is the new musical Redwood, currently playing at La Jolla Playhouse in California. For Menzel — who plays Jesse, a successful businesswoman, mother and wife who finds herself as a personal crossroads and finds unexpected answers in the forests of Northern California — the show is an especially personal creative endeavor. “The story of a woman at a turning point in her life paralleled with the resilience, wisdom and strength of the redwood tree was one that spoke to me deep in my soul,” Menzel says. “Nature’s power to heal and connect us as human beings is essential in this turbulent world we are living in.”

Idina Menzel backstage during REDWOOD at La Jolla Playhouse.

Courtesy of Idina Menzel

Menzel, who released her latest album Drama Queen in August of last year, isn’t just the star of the production. She co-conceived Redwood with director, writer and co-lyricist Tina Landau (recently of Broadway’s inventive SpongeBob SquarePants musical) over the course of many years, delving deeply into the development of Jesse as a character.

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Menzel and Landau also “knew we wanted to find a new young composer who could bring a fresh take to musical theater” for the show, bringing in Kate Diaz for a score that Menzel describes as having “a beautiful, earthy and soulful quality as well as expansive and cinematic. When I perform Kate’s music, I am able to use all the different colors in my voice. I’m not just shooting for the rafters. I’m expressing myself similarly to how I express myself in my own songwriting.” (Diaz also co-wrote the lyrics with Landau).

While the La Jolla run of Redwood ends March 31, the show has its sights set on Broadway — which certainly seems more likely than not with Menzel and her creative collaborators on board. “We knew we wanted the production to be cutting edge and unconventional,” Menzel says. “We have encouraged one another to dream big, break rules, and not compromise our creative ideas. There’s a deep sense of creative freedom and trust in how we work.”

Here, Menzel exclusively shares with Billboard a live recording of her performing “Great Escape,” recorded during a performance of Redwood.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=zkMTRKoiXtI&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

19 Mar 2024

‘Drag Race’ Star Mhi’ya Iman Le’Paige Was More Than Happy to Serve as This Season’s Lip Sync Assassin

Attention, staff! It’s time for us to circle back to the latest episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race, where the contestants brought all the corporate synergy they could to the main stage.

On Friday’s episode (March 15), the seven remaining queens of season 16 were tasked with performing in a series of employee training seminars to help the staffers of the world learn how to handle drag in the workplace. Whether they were giving a much-needed history lesson about the art of drag or teaching their corporate underlings what to do (or more importantly, not do) in the presence of a queen, the girls pulled together an informative all-hands meeting for their loyal viewers.

With a hilarious performance centered around teaching employees whether or not they are drag queens, Sapphira Cristál took home her third challenge win of the season, making her the winningest contestant of the season thus far. Meanwhile, after a pair of less-than-ideal showings, Morphine Love Dion and Mhi’ya Iman Le’Paige were put under performance review by the panel of judges.

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Lip synching to Donna Summers’ 1979 hit “Dim All the Lights,” Dion and Le’Paige pulled out all of the stops (and in some cases, parts of their own costumes) to earn their employers’ adoration. At the end, Dion kept her spot in the company, while Le’Paige was handed a cardboard box and asked to collect her things by EOD.

Below, the Queen of Flips breaks down the art of lip synching, what it means to be season 16’s unquestioned lip sync assassin, and how it felt being labelled the “quiet” queen of the season.

You made it to the top seven on this season! How are you feeling about your run on the show?

I’m feeling good about everything. I know I made my family and my friends proud, and Florida. I feel like I could have done better, but you know, it is what it is!

Well, you made history by joining a very elite group of Drag Race queens who won three or more lip syncs, including queens like Jujubee, Alexis Mateo and Coco Montrese, among others. What does it mean for you to be in that esteemed company?

I’m so honored, first and foremost. Yeah, I hadn’t even thought about that, if I’m being completely honest! But the names that you just said, it is an honor to be a part of that group of girls. It’s great to be a lip sync assassin, I’ll be honest. [Laughs.]

Yeah, it felt like the girls were genuinely scared to be in the bottom with you, and rightfully so.

Yes they were! They even told me, on the show, that they never wanted to go against me in the bottom. Like, with Dawn for example … I kind of told her that if she was in the bottom because of me this week, and we had to lip sync, I said that I was going to beat her. But if the judges said, “Mhi’ya, shantay you stay,” I would’ve refused and asked them to let Dawn stay. I felt like she deserved it more, and it was my fault we were in the bottom.

I’m always fascinated by the art of lip synching and what makes them so entertaining. So, as someone who nails almost every lip sync you do, what do you think is the key to giving a top-tier lip sync performance, on or off the show?

For me, when I was lip syncing, it was all about selling the song to the judges. Whatever song I was lip syncing to, there were a couple of things I had to make sure I was doing; I wanted to make sure I was on beat, I wanted to make eye contact with the judges, and I wanted to take over the whole stage. That, to me, is what it’s all about, is dominating the stage and pretending like no one is there but you and the judges.

Which brings us to this particular lip sync, where you were definitely aware of the other queen on the stage, to the point where you threw your detached train onto Morphine mid-song. Between that, and her throwing her chicken cutlets at you, this felt like peak Drag Race shenanigans. How aware were you in the moment about the iconic moments you were both serving?

Oh, let me tell you, none of that was planned for this lip sync. I knew that the train was detachable, so I knew at some point it was coming off. But when I saw her down on the floor, I said, “Oh, okay, here’s my chance to throw her off her game.” So I spun around and threw that train! It kinda became a little catfight. [Laughs.]

We absolutely also need to talk about that Cher-meets-Kermit the Frog impression you attempted while on stage. After you filmed that moment, did you anticipate fans running with this moment as much as they have since?

I mean, I made literal merch out of it, and everywhere I go, I am asked to do that Cher impersonation. Everywhere I’m going people are asking me to do Cher on the mic, and people just fall out when I do it. So, I’m happy to see it!

Throughout the season, I noticed you got more than a few critiques, either from the judges or the other girls or even the fans online, about you being a “quiet” queen. Did that ever feel difficult to hear, either on set or online?

Yeah, it was definitely difficult to hear the judges say it as much as they did. But, I will say, there were times when I would try to come out of my shell, and prove to the judges that I’m not as quiet or timid as some people might think I am.

I mean, Snatch Game seems like a pretty excellent example of that!

Yes, I was so proud of myself after Snatch Game. Honestly, before we started filming, I was fully s—ting bricks. I was so, so nervous, and had no idea what I was going to do. But once they said action, something just came over me, and it really felt like I became this other person. It was so much fun.

Before we let you go, I’d love to know — what music have you been listening to lately?

Oh, the album I’ve listened to every day for the last few weeks is Doja Cat’s Scarlet. I love it so much. The song, though, is probably “Ouchies” — I am obsessed with that whole song.

19 Mar 2024

Kelly Clarkson Ex-Husband Lawsuit, R. Kelly Abuse Appeal, Ariana Grande Divorce & More Legal News

This is The Legal Beat, a weekly newsletter about music law from Billboard Pro, offering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, important rulings and all the fun stuff in between.

This week: Kelly Clarkson launches a new front in a legal war with her ex-husband; R. Kelly pushes to overturn his sexual abuse convictions; Ariana Grande finalizes her divorce from Dalton Gomez; and much more.

Want to get The Legal Beat newsletter in your email inbox every Tuesday? Subscribe here for free.

THE BIG STORY: Kelly Clarkson Sues Her Ex-Husband

Kelly Clarkson’s ongoing legal battle with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock just got more complicated.

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Didn’t they finalize their divorce back in 2022? Sure, but that personal settlement didn’t resolve trickier business entanglements — namely, Clarkson’s relationship with Starstruck Entertainment, a management firm owned by Blackstock’s father that oversaw her career for years.

Shortly after Clarkson filed for divorce, Starstruck sued her for millions in allegedly unpaid fees, claiming it had “invested a great deal of time, money, energy and dedication” into her and had “developed Clarkson into a mega superstar.”

Clarkson responded by filing a complaint with California’s Labor Commissioner, resulting in a $2.6 million ruling last year that her ex-husband and Starstruck had violated California’s Talent Agencies Act (TAA) by serving not just as her personal managers, but as unlicensed talent agents who procured business deals.

With Blackstock currently appealing that November decision, Clarkson filed a new case in Los Angeles court this week — echoing her labor law complaint, but aiming to potentially go even further. To learn more, go read out entire story, which features the actual lawsuit Clarkson filed against Blackstock.

Who Did It? : Sony Reportedly Launching Internal Investigation Following PS5 Pro Specs Leak

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Sony Launching Internal Investigation Over PS5 Pro Leak: Report

Source: NurPhoto / Getty / Sony / PS5 Pro

The video game section of the internet was talking after specs for the PS5 Pro were “leaked” and then confirmed to be true. Sony is reportedly putting on its detective hat to find out who did it.

According to Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson, Sony is reportedly launching an internal investigation to determine how leaked documents about “Project Trinity,” aka the PS5 Pro, hit the internet.

The leak occurred over the weekend during a third-party developer rollout. It could lead to more security measures being implemented for additional third-party developer Push Square reports.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Henderson wrote:

As expected, Sony has launched an internal investigation into the leaked documents on Trinity as it leaked during a third-party rollout.

Not sure on the implications yet as I don’t think they can catch one individual, but Sony could reduce its third-party developer pool for new tech as a result.

According to the leaked documents shared by YouTuber Moore’s Law is Dead over the weekend, the PS5 Pro boasts some impressive specs that could put it on par with powerful gaming PCs. Some say that on paper, it sounds like the PS5 6.

It could also set Sony up to push out more consoles when Grand Theft Auto 6 finally arrives.

The PS5 Pro Specs:

Rendering 45% faster than PS5
2-3x Ray-tracing (x4 in some cases)
33.5 Teraflops
PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution Upscaling) upscaling/antialiasing solution
Support for resolutions up to 8K is planned for future SDK version
Custom machine learning architecture
AI Accelerator, supporting 300 TOPS of 8-bit computation / 67 TFLOPS of 16-bit floating point

We will continue to monitor this situation as it develops.

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News

Nicki Minaj Angers Her Fans For Cancelling Her Concert Hours Before Showtime

Signed: Nelly Pacts With WME, Nightwish Re-Ups With Nuclear Blast

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Beyoncé Shares Backstory Of Upcoming ‘Act II: Cowboy Carter’ LP On Instagram

Beyoncé Reveals ‘Cowboy Carter’ Album Cover: ‘This Ain’t a Country Album, It’s a Beyoncé Album’

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Iconoclast Buys Legendary Singer Tony Bennett’s Catalog

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Lady Gaga Jazz & Piano Show Returning to Las Vegas For Summer 2024 Run

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Hear Idina Menzel Sing Live in Her New Musical

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‘Drag Race’ Star Mhi’ya Iman Le’Paige Was More Than Happy to Serve as This Season’s Lip Sync Assassin

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Kelly Clarkson Ex-Husband Lawsuit, R. Kelly Abuse Appeal, Ariana Grande Divorce & More Legal News

THE BIG STORY: Kelly Clarkson Sues Her Ex-Husband

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Who Did It? : Sony Reportedly Launching Internal Investigation Following PS5 Pro Specs Leak

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THE BIG STORY: Kelly Clarkson Sues Her Ex-Husband

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