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27 Mar 2023

Car Belonging To Rihanna’s Driver Allegedly Stolen From Outside Her Home

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The LAPD is reportedly investigating the theft of a car from outside the home of singer and billionaire entrepreneur, Rihanna.

According to TMZ, a 2012 Audi sedan was stolen from outside of the Los Angeles-area home late last week when the driver allegedly ran inside for something leaving the car running and the keys inside. The report notes that the driver believes that someone jumped in and drove off with it.

The incident marks the second time that LAPD has been out to the five-bedroom, seven-bathroom estate in Beverly Hills this month.

The gossip site previously reported that a man showed up at the Bajan singer’s home earlier this month with plans to propose to her. According to TMZ, because the man had broken no laws, he was released and asked not to return.

In 2018, a man was arrested after spending at least a day inside the residence while Rihanna was away. The man later claimed he was there to have sex with the singer.

It is unclear if she was home during the last two incidents.

The Fenty Beauty leader is currently expecting her second child with rapper A$AP Rocky the couple has a son who will turn 1 in May.

According to The New York Post, Rihanna’s massive Beverly Hills home features amenities like a bonus room, breakfast room, cabana, a center hall, gym, media room, and a walk-in closet. Other features include a den/office space and a separate guest house. The house is close to that of Beatles legend, Paul McCartney.

The singer performed at both this year’s Super Bowl and the 95th Academy Awards where she performed “Lift Me Up,” from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. The song was nominated for Original Song and serves as Rihanna’s first Oscar nomination. Ultimately, “Lift Me Up,” lost to “Naatu Naatu” from the hit Telugu-language film RRR, which made history by becoming the first Indian film song to win an Oscar, according to BBC.

It’s been over seven years since Rihanna dropped a full-length studio album. However, she told British Vogue earlier this year that the wait may soon be over. “I want it to be this year,” she told the magazine. “Like, honestly, it’d be ridiculous if it’s not this year. But I just want to have fun. I just want to make music and make videos.”

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Photo: Getty

27 Mar 2023

John Mayer Extends U.S. Solo Acoustic Tour: Here Are the New Dates

Missed out on a chance to score tickets to John Mayer‘s 2023 solo acoustic tour? Fans are in luck, as the musician announced on Monday (March 26) an extension of his current trek into the fall, with a series of additional dates across the United States.

“Announcing new fall dates for the Solo tour. As a dear friend once told me, ‘never block a blessing.’ Something very special is happening out here and I want to keep it going – It’s too good for my soul. Thank you for making it such an incredible run so far,” Mayer shared on Instagram, along with the new dates included on a poster.

The fall leg of Mayer’s Solo tour will kick off on Oct. 3 at New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden, and will make stops in Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville and more before concluding on Nov. 10 at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. JP Saxe will be the special guest for the new dates. “Deeply overjoyed we get to keep doing this. thx for bringing me along,” Saxe commented under the tour announcement.

The “Daughter” singer’s post also included details on how fans can buy tickets. “Tickets go on sale to the public Friday, March 31 at 9 AM local time,” he shared. “An exclusive fan presale will be available starting Wednesday, March 29, at 9 AM local time and end Thursday, March 30, at 10 PM. Sign up to access your unique presale code now at johnmayer.com. UK and Europe dates coming soon.”

See Mayer’s announcement, as well as the full list of tour dates, below.

27 Mar 2023

Latto Takes Flight With New Apple Music 1 ‘777 Radio’ Show: Watch the Trailer

Latto will be taking some lucky listeners on a ride of a lifetime with her new Apple Music 1 show 777 Radio, which will be landing on Apple Music’s global live-streaming radio station Thursday, March 30.

Apple Music announced the “Lottery” MC’s new show on Monday (March 27), who was dressed in the flyest flight attendant outfit and addressing the rest of the passengers (herself) from 30,000 feet in the air. “Welcome aboard 777 Air. I’m Big Latto, and I’ll be your flight attendant today,” she announced over the intercom. “Please make sure to put the BS on airplane mode and leave all your baggage at home. ‘Cause we goin’ outside, baby. Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.”

Latto

Latto

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Her “For the Night” collaborator Chloe Bailey will be 777 Radio‘s first guest on Thursday at 11 a.m. PST, when they’ll discuss relationships, body image, comparisons with her sister (and the other half of Chloe x Halle) Halle and more.

“I’m going to keep it very personal and play what I actually listen to,” Latto said in an Apple Music press release. “I’m going to highlight new artists that I feel like the world needs to hear, artists that I think deserve more spotlight. I listen to a lot of female rap, so definitely supporting the girls, and definitely a lot of Southern music.”

The radio show’s title comes from Latto’s sophomore album 777, which she released a year ago on March 25, 2022. The album — which spawned hits like the Billboard Hot 100 No. 3, multi-platinum smash “Big Energy” — peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 and No. 8 on Billboard‘s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

See the trailer for Latto’s 777 Radio Apple Music 1 show below.

27 Mar 2023

10 Cool New Pop Songs to Get You Through the Week: The Japanese House, Donna Missal, Amaarae, FLO & More

Looking for some motivation to help power you through the start of another work week? We feel you, and with some stellar new pop tunes, we’ve got you covered.

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These 10 tracks from artists including The Japanese House, Donna Missal, Amaarae, FLO and more will get you energized to take on the week. Pop any of these gems into your personal playlists — or scroll to the end of the post for a custom playlist of all 10.

The Japanese House, “Boyhood”

The Japanese House (aka Amber Bain) returns with the provoking and expectedly gorgeous “Boyhood, the artist’s first taste of new music this year. Arriving as the first single since Bain’s 2020 EP Chewing Cotton Wool (which featured Justin Vernon), “Boyhood” dives in deep, exploring childhood trauma and learned identity — all of which, of course, Bain sings with the utmost delicacy. – Lyndsey Havens

Amelia Moore & jxdn, “FUMD”

The latest from alt-pop artist Amelia Moore is a metallic and rattling track on which she yells (veiled in industrial, distorted production) to an ex, “I think of you when I sleep / You can’t just leave me alone / You gotta fuck up my dreams.” Jxdn perfectly fills in the blanks, offering the other side of the story — while echoing the exact same feelings. The catharsis is palpable. – L.H.

Softcult, “Spoiled”

There’s an intimate awareness that accompanies sibling harmonies — and Softcult, the grungy, dream-pop duo of twins Mercedes and Phoenix — is no exception. “Spoiled” takes listeners on a trip through two extremes: downtempo, tender moments lead to the more assertive and surging summit. The song is a standout on the Canadian DIY act’s latest EP, See You In the Dark, of which the siblings say: “We finally see ourselves as we currently are, not who we want to be.” – L.H.

Donna Missal, “Flicker”

It’s immediately clear that “Flicker” was a song Donna Missal had to make — it sounds like the dance-pop equivalent of a long-awaited sob, as if it just spilled right out all over the studio floor. Arriving as the first single since Missal was released from her label last year, “Flicker” has an undeniable shine, and Missal herself sounds stronger — and more empowered — than ever. – L.H.

Harriette, “bc I love you”

After a six-year hiatus, VV Brown — one of the most strikingly ambitious pop artists of the 2010s — is back with “Black British,” an incisive look at race relations in the modern U.K. that nods to influences ranging from Erykah Badu to James Baldwin. Brown can rap, belt, construct pop melodies and weave harmonies into thoughtful criticism; her talent bowls over everything in its path, and its return with “Black British” is very welcome. – J. Lipshutz

Amaarae, “Reckless & Sweet”

“Reckless & Sweet” possesses the type of ringing hook that beckons whoever is listening to the dance floor — and that’s before the wind-swept rhythms kick in and Amaarae arrives, asserting the world around her with coos and commands. The rest of “Reckless & Sweet” lives up to the second half of the song title, but Amaarae’s latest gem is carefully orchestrated, a sense of purpose within each smooth motion. – J. Lipshutz

DWLLRS, “Driving”

Titling a song “Driving” suggests that it will make for a sublime open-road soundtrack, and when it comes to the new track from California indie-pop duo DWLLRS, mission accomplished: the wispy guitars, extended syllables and rolling percussion synch up to passing mile markers and open-window exhalations quite nicely. Sure, you could listen to “Driving” on headphones, but you’d be missing a bit of the spark. – J. Lipshutz

Jam City feat. Aidan, “Times Square”

British producer Jam City is adept at concocting shoulder-wiggling dance tracks, and “Times Square,” a disco bumper with guest vocals from Aidan, an Omar S sample racing across its runt time and a love of hip-hop at its heart, marks one of his sleekest hits to date. “Times Square” clocks in at four-and-a-half minutes but begs for an extended remix — we could groove to this for twice as long. – J. Lipshutz

VV Brown, “Black British”

After a six-year hiatus, VV Brown — one of the most strikingly ambitious pop artists of the 2010s — is back with “Black British,” an incisive look at race relations in the modern U.K. that nods to influences ranging from Erykah Badu to James Baldwin. Brown can rap, belt, construct pop melodies and weave harmonies into thoughtful criticism; her talent bowls over everything in its path, and its return with “Black British” is very welcome. – J. Lipshutz

FLO feat. Missy Elliott, “Fly Girl” 

British girl group FLO pick the clock up flip it and reverse it to 2002 with “Fly Girl,” a smooth R&B ride with some impressive vocal runs, none of which veer into ostentation. The chorus, naturally, draws on Missy Elliott’s 2002 classic “Work It” — and Misdemeanor herself even stops by for a joyous guest verse. – Joe Lynch  

27 Mar 2023

Chlöe Bailey Chats About Swarm Role, Debut Album

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Chlöe Bailey spoke about her upcoming album, her viral role in Donald Glover’s latest series, and more in a recent interview.

Singer and actress Chlöe Bailey has been the source of heavy buzz recently thanks to her recent role on Swarm, the new Prime Video series from Donald Glover, and her solo album In Pieces. She appeared as the latest guest on Big Boy’s Neighborhood to talk about everything in her usual straightforward and honest manner.

The conversation quickly turned to that viral scene from the show, where in the first few minutes of the first episode, her character Marissa is shown having sex with her boyfriend Khalid (Damson Idris) as her sister Dre (Dominique Fishback) is watching through the open door. That scene would become viral with some expressing surprise and others criticizing Bailey for being in such a provocative scene.

“I’m an actress. I was doing my job and I think people gotta kinda remember I’m an adult and I’m an artist,” Chlöe said. “Nothing was seen that they haven’t seen from me. You didn’t see nipple, you didn’t see there, nothing.” Big Boy asked if she felt that Idris received the same level of backlash. “I don’t think so because he’s a man,” she replied. “Oh, the fellas get the high fives,” Big Boy responded.

Bailey continued, “Because I’m an actress I’m not reading it as Chlöe is about to do a sex scene. I’m reading it as Marissa is in this scene and her sister is watching. That’s what people are forgetting. It’s about the tension between Damson and Dom who did incredible acting in this show and I was just seen in the reflection for two seconds.”

She also spoke about the process of creating her first solo album, which will be released on Friday (March 31st). She also addressed the controversy over her duet with Chris Brown, “How Does It Feel?”, given his past history of violence against Rihanna. “I just let the music speak for itself,” Chlöe said. “Once the song came out, people enjoyed it. That’s what I just continue to do.”

Chlöe also spoke about her relationship with her sister Halle and joked about borrowing some outfits from her godmother. “Oh man, they told me on the album cover that that’s her dress”, Big Boy responded, sending the room into laughter.

Check out the entire interview below.



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Photo: Getty

27 Mar 2023

John Legend Jokes About Harry Styles & Emily Ratajkowski’s Kiss to His Song: ‘Happy to Be Helpful’

Naturally, John Legend could help but react when footage surfaced on social media over the weekend of Harry Styles locking lips with Emily Ratajkowski to one of his songs.

The crooner hilariously retweeted the video — which shows the Harry’s House star kissing the model on the streets of Tokyo — on Sunday (March 26), writing, “Making out to Dope. So dope” with a cool, sunglass-wearing emoji. (Featuring a guest assist from JID, “Dope” was released as the lead single off the singer’s 2022 self-titled album Legend.)

Legend’s friends and fans flooded his replies with amusing appreciation over the post. Rapper D-Dot wrote, “You must be stopped” with a laugh-crying emoji, to with the singer reiterated, “Happy to be helpful.” Meanwhile, one Twitter user declared, “I’ve been looking for the name of the song it’s a bop” while another chimed in, “They can just blame it on @johnlegend, lol.”

The Voice coach wasn’t the only celebrity to offer his take on Styles and EmRata’s viral PDA, either. Lewis Capaldi also posted a TikTok using his own song “How I’m Feeling Now” in response to the hook-up. “Me after seeing the video of Harry and emrata,” he wrote on the clip as his voice wails, “So here’s to my beautiful life/ That seems to leave me so unsatisfied.” Of course, Capaldi is hysterically in his feelings over the smooch considering he recently got his own kiss from the “As It Was” singer at the 2023 BRIT Awards.

Check out Legend and Capaldi’s respectively amusing reactions to seeing Styles and Ratajkowski’s public make-out session below.

27 Mar 2023

How Generative AI Can Transform ‘Functional Music’ Into an Artist-Driven Experience (Guest Column)

Generative AI is hot right now. Over the last several years, music artists and labels have opened up to the idea of AI as an exciting new tool. Yet when Dall-E 2, Midjourney and GPT-3 opened up to the public, the fear that AI would render artists obsolete came roaring back.

I am here from the world of generative AI with a message: We come in peace. And music and AI can work together to address one of society’s ongoing crises: mental wellness.

While AI can already create visual art and text that are quite convincing versions of their human-made originals, it’s not quite there for music. AI music might be fine for soundtracking UGC videos and ads. But clearly we can do much better with AI and music.

There’s one music category where AI can help solve actual problems and open new revenue streams for everyone, from music labels, to artists, to DSPs. It’s the functional sound market. Largely overlooked and very lucrative, the functional sound market has been steadily growing over the past 10 years, as a societal need for music to heal increases across the globe.

Sound is powerful. It’s the easiest way to control your environment. Sound can change your mood, trigger a memory, or lull you to sleep. It can make you buy more or make you run in terror (think about the music played in stores intentionally to facilitate purchasing behavior or the sound of alarms and sirens). Every day, hundreds of millions of people are self-medicating with sound. If you look at the top 10 most popular playlists at any major streaming service, you’ll see at least 3-4 “functional” playlists: meditation, studying, reading, relaxation, focus, sleep, and so on.

This is the market UMG chief Sir Lucian Grainge singled out in his annual staff memo earlier this year. He’s not wrong: DSPs are swarmed with playlists consisting of dishwasher sounds and white noise, which divert revenue and attention from music artists. Functional sound is a vast ocean of content with no clear leader or even a clear product.

The nuance here is that the way people consume functional sound is fundamentally different from the way they consume traditional music. When someone tunes into a sleep playlist, they care first and foremost if it works. They want it to help them fall asleep, as fast as possible. It’s counterintuitive to listen to your favorite artist when you’re trying to go to sleep (or focus, study, read, meditate). Most artist-driven music is not scientifically engineered to put you into a desired cognitive state. It’s designed to hold your attention or express some emotion or truth the artist holds dear. That’s why ambient music — which, as Brian Eno put it, is as ignorable as it is interesting — had its renaissance moment a few years ago, arguably propelled by the mental health crisis. 

How can AI help music artists and labels win back market share from white noise and dishwasher sounds playlists? Imagine that your favorite music exists in two forms: the songs and albums that you know and love, and a functional soundscape version that you can sleep, focus, or relax to. The soundscape version is produced by feeding the source stems from the album or song into a neuroscience-informed Generative AI engine. The stems are processed, multiplied, spliced together and overlaid with FX, birthing a functional soundscape built from the DNA of your favorite music. This is when consumers finally have a choice: fall asleep or study/read/focus to a no-name white-noise playlist, or do it with a scientifically engineered functional soundscape version of their favorite music. 

This is how Generative AI can create new revenue streams for all agents of the music industry, today: music labels win a piece of the the market with differentiated functional content built from their catalog; artists expand their music universe, connect with their audience in new and meaningful ways, and extend the shelf life to their material; DSPs get ample, quality-controlled content that increases engagement. Once listeners find sounds that achieve their goals, they often stick with them. For example, Wind Down, James Blake’s sleep soundscape album, shows a 50% listener retention in its seventh month after release. This shows that, when done right, functional sound has an incredibly long shelf life.

This win-win-win future is already here. By combining art, generative AI technology and science, plus business structures that enable such deals, we can transform amazing artist-driven sounds into healing soundscapes that listeners crave. In an age that yearns for calm, clarity, and better mental health, we can utilize AI to create new music formats that rights holders can embrace and listeners can appreciate. It promises AI-powered music that not only sounds good, but improves people’s lives, and supports artists. This is how you ride the functional music wave and create something listeners will find real value in and keep coming back to. Do not be afraid. Work with us. Embrace the future.

Oleg Stavitsky is co-founder and CEO of Endel, a sound wellness company that utilizes generative AI and science-backed research.

27 Mar 2023

Morgan Wallen Hit By Thrown Drink During Melbourne Show, Asks Security to Boot Fan

Morgan Wallen kept his cool when someone in the audience at Saturday night’s (March 25) show at Melbourne, Australia’s Rod Laver Arena chucked a full cup of liquid at him on stage, narrowly missing a direct hit on the country star while he was singing “Everything I Love” from his Billboard 200 #1 double album One Thing at a Time.

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In video posted on TikTok by a fan who attended the show, Morgan looks irritated at the attempt to interrupt his show by launching the cup, with a few droplets hitting him, but the majority, and the cup, avoiding a direct hit. In fan Chloe Donovan’s video of the incident, Wallen doesn’t miss a beat and keeps singing, but looks in the direction of the liquid launcher and gives them a sideways glance.

In a follow-up clip, Wallen stops the music and stares at the area where the cup came from while the crowd shouts “kick them out! kick them out!” Wallen, pointing, says, “Go ahead. One of y’all own up to it or I’m gonna kick your whole f—in’ group out. One of y’all go ahead and say ‘I did it.’ All right, kick that kid out of here then.”

A spokesperson for Wallen confirmed that a cup of liquid was thrown on stage and that the person who tossed it was removed from the venue.

Meanwhile, One Thing at aTime will notch its third straight week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart (dated April 1) after earning 209,500 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending March 23. It debuted at No. 1 with 501,000 units, then tallied 259,000 in its second frame.

Check out Donovan’s video of the incident below.

27 Mar 2023

Jim Jones Dances When Asked About Tekashi 6ix9ine’s Beatdown

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While the culture continues to celebrate  Tekashi 6ix9ine finally receiving the comeuppance that he’s been courting for the past few years, Jim Jones doesn’t have much of an opinion on it other than finding it comedic.

TMZ recently caught up with Capo while he was promoting his latest project, Back In My Prime, and when they asked him about Tekashi’s beatdown, Capo went from waving off the question to vogue dancing and Milly rockin’ as he was seemingly enjoying himself at that moment.

Saying “Gotta be sturdy out here, ya heard? Gotta move tactical,” while busting his moves, Jones clearly had no qualms about showing his pleasure at what unfolded just last weekend.

There’s obviously no love lost between Jim Jones and Tekashi 6ix9ine who not only tried to rope the Harlem rapper into his snitching spree a while back but even took a potshot at Jones when he told prosecutors in court that Jim Jones was a “retired” rapper.

That man never retired, b.

While Jim didn’t offer much opinion on Tekashi getting the braids beaten off of him, Jim did feel that Snitch9ine went to the “wrong type of gym.”

Jim finally did offer up some insight in between his hitting the whoa … and suggested Tekashi’s choice of a public gym wasn’t the brightest and is certain that would never happen in the facilities he works out at.

The Harlem rapper is currently plotting his own line of Vamp Fitt gyms, and frequents New Jersey’s Impact Zone with fellow artists Fabolous, Dave East and Maino … but discouraged knuckleheads from attempting to pull similar stunts in his sanctuary. You’ve been warned!!!

Gotta love Jim Jones, b.

Taking the moment to plug his upcoming gym, Elevation Cross-fit, Jones seems excited to open up his own workout studio. However, we doubt that he’ll be extending an invite to Tekashi 6ix9ine or even Gunna for that matter. Dip Set didn’t have those “Stop Snitching” shirts back in the day for nothing

Also, salute to Capo for shouting out his mans, Mel Matrix, who is doing a stretch and comes home in 2025.

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27 Mar 2023

Jonas Brothers, Karol G Booked as ‘Saturday Night Live’ Musical Guests

Saturday Night Live will roar back in April with three back-to-back shows, including an April 8 episode with SNL three-timers the Jonas Brothers performing alongside former cast member Molly Shannon (A Good Person) in her second hosting gig.

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On April 15, Karol G will take the 8H stage for the first time with Oscar nominee Ana de Armas (Ghosted), who will also make her SNL debut that night. They join the previously announced April 1 episode topped by Emmy winner and Abbott Elementary star/writer Quinta Brunson in her SNL hosting debut alongside fellow first timer Lil Yachty.

It’s been a season 48 to remember so far this year for the long-running sketch show, which welcomed Aubrey Plaza and Sam Smith on Jan. 21 to kick off the year, followed by Michael B. Jordan (Creed III) and Lil Baby on Jan. 28 and a memorable turn by The Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal with five-timers Coldplay on Feb. 4. The hot streak continued with Woody Harrelson (White House Plumbers) and Jack White on Feb. 25 and Super Bowl LVII winner Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs and Kelsea Ballerini on March 4, followed by the most recent episode, which paired Wednesday‘s Jenna Ortega and The 1975 on March 11.

Saturday Night Live airs live on NBC at 11:30 p.m. ET and streams live on Peacock at the same time.

Check out the Instagram promo for the April SNL episodes below.