News

16 Feb 2023

Sam Smith & Kim Petras Court Controversy Yet Again Following ‘Unholy’ Brit Awards Performance

It’s been nearly two weeks since Sam Smith and Kim Petras danced with the devil at the 2023 Grammys. Now, thanks to a new performance, they’re back in the controversial spotlight.

On Wednesday (Feb. 15), U.K. broadcasting regulator Offcom revealed that Smith and Petras’ performance at the 2023 Brit Awards on Sunday (Feb. 12) had received more than 100 complaints, despite not engaging in the same devilish imagery as their Grammys set.

For the Brit Awards, Sam and Kim took a more literal approach to their “Body Shop” metaphor from the song’s lyrics, with an industrial set, flying sparks and mechanic’s outfits on both performers and their dancers. While it is unclear which parts of the performance received complaints, Offcom received 106 complaints for the 2023 Brit Awards, the majority of which were aimed at Smith and Petras.

The complaint comes after the pair’s highly publicized Grammy’s performance, which also drew plenty of criticism for its use “satanic” imagery from viewers and even a few right-wing politicians, including Ted Cruz and Marjorie Taylor Greene. The Church of Satan itself ended up weighing in, saying the pair’s performance felt pretty tame.

The ongoing controversy seems to have followed Smith into their daily life — in a viral video posted on Wednesday, Smith can be seen in New York’s Central Park Zoo ignoring a yelling woman, who refers to them as a “pedophile,” “demonic,” and “evil,” while also declaring “Sam Smith belongs in hell.”

Check out what all the fuss was about with Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” performance at the Brit Awards above.

16 Feb 2023

Warner Music Andes Appoints Daniel Mora as Managing Director

Daniel Mora has been appointed managing director of Warner Music Andes, where he will oversee the company’s operations in Colombia and Peru, and will report to president of Warner Music Latin America, Alejandro Duque, the company announced. Mora replaces Maria Montejo who left the company earlier this month.

Mora first joined Warner Chappell Music in 2013 as an A&R/Sync consultant at the Colombian office and was later promoted to managing director of WCM Colombia in 2019. 

“After spending so many enjoyable years at Warner Chappell Music, I’m pleased to be staying within the WMG family and stepping into this role on the Recorded Music side,” he said in a press statement. “Latin music is in my blood, and I’m delighted to see how it’s currently growing and connecting with people around the world. There are so many great opportunities for our artists to become global stars and I’m looking forward to helping them achieve their dreams. I’d like to thank Alejandro for this new opportunity, and Gustavo Menendez, Guy Moot, and Carianne Marshall for all their support during my time at Warner Chappell Music.”

In addition to his experience as an industry executive, Mora is also an artist and entrepreneur. He previously toured Latin America as part of the tropipop band, Bonka, which made waves with their debut single “El Problemón” (2006) and freshman studio album Lo Que Nunca Nos Contamos; and launched his own audiovisual company in Bogotá, producing films and commercials for brands such as Chevrolet and Adidas, to name a few. 

“Daniel is a brilliant exec who has experience of being on both sides of the fence – first as an artist and now as a leading industry figure,” Duque added. “His understanding of both perspectives makes him the perfect fit for Warner Music and our artist-first philosophy. His appointment will enable us to work even closer with our partners at Warner Chappell Music and will open up more opportunities for collaboration. Latin music is exploding around the world and I’m excited to see how Daniel can further propel our Colombian and Peruvian artists internationally.”

16 Feb 2023

Machine Gun Kelly’s Guitarist Sophie Lloyd Slams Rumors They Had an Affair: ‘It’s Disrespectful’

Sophie Lloyd wants no part of the Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox drama. After the “Jennifer’s Body” actress hinted on Instagram that she and her punk rocker fiancé had split, and some fans were quick to try to connect the dots back to Lloyd, who plays guitar in MGK’s band. But in a prompt statement sent out by her management team, Lloyd shut the rumors right down.

“Sophie Lloyd is a professional, accomplished musician who has been needlessly dragged into the media based off of meritless accusations made by social media,” read the Wednesday (Feb. 15) statement, according to People. “Any suggestion that she has ever acted in an unprofessional manner or stepped out of her relationship are untrue.”

“It’s disrespectful to her as a female artist and poor journalism and social commentary to be reporting anything else,” it concluded.

The drama first began when Fox deleted all traces of MGK, born Colson Baker, from her Instagram account Sunday (Feb. 12). And keep in mind, there were a lot of photos of them together, given that the couple had been engaged since January of 2022.

She proceeded to unfollow the “Emo Girl” singer and follow his famous nemesis, Eminem, on the platform. And as if all that wasn’t enough to get her message across, Fox posted a video of a burning envelope with a caption quoting “Pray You Catch Me” from Beyoncé‘s Lemonade, an entire album more or less dedicated to the pain of being cheated on: “You can taste the dishonesty/ it’s all over your breath.”

Before deactivating her account altogether, fans commented on the post with speculation that Baker had cheated on the New Girl alum with Lloyd. “He probably got with Sophie,” commented one fan, to which Fox responded, “Maybe I got with Sophie” alongside a fire emoji.

The rumors of a breakup certainly felt sudden to fans who’ve kept up with MGK and Fox’s romance, considering the pair had just appeared together at the Grammys on Feb. 5. After the “My Ex’s Best Friend” singer, who was nominated for best rock album, walked away empty-handed that night, Fox posted a sweet message on Instagram praising him for handling the loss with “a grace and maturity that I haven’t seen from you before and I’m so proud of you.”

“Watching you walk in humility and gratitude, watching you grow into yourself and become a better man is an immeasurably more satisfying experience than watching you accept an award,” she continued. “Although those will come… and this is irrelevant I guess but I will just never ever get over how beautiful your face is.”

16 Feb 2023

Ryan Seacrest Announces ‘Tough, Tough Decision’ to Leave ‘Live with Kelly and Ryan’

The hardest working man in show business has one less gig. On Thursday morning (Feb. 16), Ryan Seacrest announced that he is stepping down from his co-hosting slot on Live with Kelly and Ryan after a six-year run.

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“Last year we spoke and I made the decision to make this my last season as co-host,” Seacrest said on air, describing the choice as “bittersweet” and a “tough, tough decision.” Luckily for Ripa, her co-star’s replacement is already lined up and she’s very familiar with her new TV spouse. In fact, it is her actual husband, Mark Consuelos, who has filled in for Seacrest in the past; Seacrest assured viewers he’ll pop in as a guest host from time-to-time in the future.

The show will now be called Live with Kelly and Mark and Consuelos will be on camera on Friday (Feb. 17) to begin settling into his new gig. In a statement, Seacrest — who will keep hosting American Idol, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest and his syndicate On Air with Ryan Seacrest daily radio show — said working the Ripa has been a “dream job” and one of the highlights of his career.

“She has been an amazing partner, friend, and confidant, and although we will always be a part of each other’s lives, I will miss our mornings together,” he said, also thanking the show’s executive producer Michael Gelman and the crew. “We’ve made memories to last a lifetime, met some of the most incredible people and had the warmest welcome into the homes of so many viewers across America. It’s been a memorable ride and now I’m excited to pass the baton to Kelly’s ‘real’ husband, Mark.”

Repeatedly placing her hand on his arm, Ripa said, “You are a gem. You are one of my best friends. The greatest part of this experience has been that you’ve gone from being a friend to a family member. You are family. We love you. We are so proud of you… I know how much of a sacrifice it’s been. I know how exhausting it’s been going back and forth [from New York to L.A.] I fully understand your decision making.”

Appearing choked up, Seacrest heaped praise on Ripa — who joined the show in 2001 alongside late co-host Regis Philbin — telling his co-host that he respects and looks up to her. He got sentimental about his opportunity to connect with viewers every morning as she gently rubbed his back and he marveled at how much they “winged” it every day.

At the end of the segment, Seacrest and Ripa hugged and he joked about promising her that he wouldn’t cry, so they cut to commercial to give him time to weep off camera.

Watch Seacret’s announcement below.

16 Feb 2023

Bonnie Raitt’s Grammy-Winning ‘Just Like That’ Reaches Multiple Billboard Charts

After it won the Grammy Award for song of the year Feb. 5, Bonnie Raitt’s “Just Like That” reaches Billboard’s charts for the first time, debuting on multiple lists dated Feb. 18.

The song even reaches No. 1 on one of the surveys, bowing atop Rock Digital Song Sales with 9,000 downloads sold in the Feb. 3-9 tracking week, a 9,947% increase over a negligible amount the previous period, according to Luminate.

It’s Raitt’s first No. 1 on the chart, which began in 2010. Previously, she reached a No. 3 best in 2020 via her co-bill with John Prine, “Angel From Montgomery,” following Prine’s death.

“That” also debuts at No. 6 on the all-format Digital Song Sales ranking, her first top 10.

Elsewhere, the track is No. 26 on the multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. In addition to its sales, “That” earned 1.4 million official U.S. streams, a 2,955% boost from 45,000 the previous week.

Raitt’s album of the same name, released in 2022, returns to the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart at No. 46 with 7,000 equivalent album units earned, up 1,121%. It premiered at No. 6 in May 2022.

The set also re-appears on Americana/Folk Albums at No. 9, after debuting at No. 1 in May 2022.

In all, Raitt’s song catalog jumped 109% in streams, to 5.8 million Feb. 3-9 vs. 2.8 million the previous week. Removing “That” from the equation, it’s still a 62% leap to 4.4 million from 2.7 million.

Meanwhile, one of her classic returns to a Billboard chart: “Something to Talk About,” which debuts at No. 18 on Rock Digital Song Sales (1,000 sold, up 679%). It became a No. 5 hit in 1991 on the Billboard Hot 100, to date her top-performing song on the survey.

The self-written “That” won song of the year honors at the 65th Grammy Awards, marking Raitt’s second big-four category victory, after Nick of Time took album of the year honors in 1990. “That” is also now being promoted to adult alternative radio as the new single from her latest set, after “Made Up Mind” hit No. 17 on Adult Alternative Airplay last April.

16 Feb 2023

Hoobastank Had No Reason to Shelve Collab With Then-Unknown Rihanna: ‘Total Lack of Foresight’

Music history is littered with tales of shoulda, coulda, woulda. But after Rihanna soared to new heights during her instant-classic Super Bowl LVII halftime show one of the least likely headlines to emerge in the wake of her performance linked the singer to the last band on Earth you’d imagine.

“True story. There is a version of a @Hoobastank song featuring @rihanna when she was a ‘newer’ artist,” tweeted the California nu-metal band’s singer, Doug Robb on Tuesday. “Displaying a total lack of foresight, we didn’t use that version of the song for the album. We also didn’t think ‘The Reason’ was a single though either so… Oops.”

The accompanying video mashed up a clip of Rihanna’s halftime extravaganza with ‘Stank’s hit “Crawling in the Dark.” After a fan asked, Hobbs said the unreleased version was for the song “Inside of You,” the second single from the group’s third album, Every Man for Himself. When another wondered if it would be kosher to release it now as a bonus track, Robb said, “not sure.”

Robb also did an interview with ALT98.7FM radio host Ted Stryker elaborating on the story. He said during the sessions for Every Man, their label Island/Def Jam — Rihanna was signed to Def Jam at the time — approached them asking if they’d be up for including one of their new acts on a song. “Which is pretty common… we’re like, ‘cool, sure, like, what song?’,” he said they asked.

They landed on “Inside of You,” which the band sent to RihRih’s camp back in 2005. “They chopped it up and rearranged some parts because it wasn’t written as a duet or anything, so they had to extend some part and they sent it back and they basically put this pre-chorus where Rihanna wrote some new lyrics and sang a melody,” he said. The group listened to it and because they were so used to hearing it the way they originally wrote it, “nobody really loved it.”

Robb said they ran into Rihanna a few times during that album cycle and she was always, “super cool and so there was never any hard feelings.” And, believe it or not, Robb said they don’t regret saying no to the feature. “I don’t think anybody loved it at the time,” he said, admitting that he hasn’t listened to it in years, but that the subject comes up every once in a while and they all have a laugh about it.

“‘Dude, can you believe we nixed Rihanna on one of our songs?’,” Robb said the band’s members ask each other.

Check out Robb’s tweets below.

16 Feb 2023

Another Planet and Teragram Ballroom Unveil Stealth LA Venue Project Months Before It Opens

For more than two years, Another Planet Entertainment has been quietly working with the creator of iconic venues like Manhattan’s Mercury Lounge and LA’s Teragram Ballroom to launch a new 1,600-capacity venue in downtown Los Angeles — with a goal to shake up the city’s highly competitive venue landscape.

The real estate for The Bellwether, located at 333 Boylston between third and fourth streets just west of downtown and the 110 freeway, was discovered in 2020 by Michael Swier, one of the original partners in New York’s Bowery Presents and an owner of the Teragram and the Moroccan Lounge. Hoping to keep the project off the radar of better financed competitors, Swier began looking for a partner on the 49,000 sq-ft- multi-genre performance space, with an open GA floor, wrap around balcony, multiple bars, a commercial kitchen and a private 600-capacity event space.

333 Boylston has mostly been occupied by night club operators the past three decades, including Prince, who named the night spot after his song “Glam Slam” and from 1992 to 1995 adorned it with huge purple dance floors, heavy gold mesh fabric and a jewel-strewn bed cradled in a sculpted hand from Prince’s Erotic City concert tour. What followed was nearly three failed decades of trying to operate the multilevel space as a dance club. Thinking a music performance venue was a better fit, Swier would eventually find a partner, striking a deal with Another Planet Entertainment’s Gregg Perloff and Allen Scott to partner on a long-term lease and two-year renovation effort expected to wrap up this spring.

Scott and Swier were at the Bellwether earlier this week, touring the sprawling complex which will also house a year-round bar and restaurant, a 600-capacity private event space and offices for both Another Planet and Telegraph Road Management, Laurence Freedmans management company whose clients include Billy Idol, Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Cherry Glazerr, Miya Folick and Advertisement. The Bellwether is Another Planet’s first foray into Los Angeles, hometown turf for APE’s two main competitors in the Bay Area where Perloff and company operate the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, the Greek Theate, Oakland’s Fox Theatre, the independent and San Francisco’s famed Castro Theater, currently under renovation. Live Nation’s holdings in San Francisco include the Fillmore and the recently opened August Hall, while AEG operates the Warfield, the Regency Ballroom and the Great American Hall.

LA’s venue landscape is even more crowded with each company operating a half-dozen venues in the city and independently owned venues like the Troubadour, Largo and the Knitting Factory in North Hollywood. Size wise, the Bellwethers 1,600-capacity lands it between the Live Nation-owned Wiltern Theater (1,850 capacity) and AEG’s El Rey Theater (1,200).

Swier, a New Yorker who recently bought a loft in LA in preparation for the opening of his third venue in the city, is a highly accomplished venue designer and independent live music operator who along with his late wife Margaret and architect brother Brian Swier is best known for New York’s iconic Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge. Swier is a co-founder of New York powerhouse promotion company Bowery Presents and is responsible for relaunching and redesigning Terminal 5 and the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Swier would eventually part ways with Bowery Presents, and in 2017, Bowery would sell a 50% stake in the company to AEG.

Perloff’s career has parallels to Swier – the Maryland native had a knack for concert promotion in college and caught the attention of legendary San Francisco promoter Bill Graham, who famously hired a young Perloff to avoid competing with him. Perloff became Graham’s understudy, and together with longtime BGP pioneer Sherry Wasserman, the three created the business model for the contemporary concert business. After Graham died in a helicopter crash, BGP was sold to SFX and eventually became one of the core components of Live Nation, which stills owns and manages the bulk of the BGP venue portfolio.

Perloff and Wasserman founded Another Planet in 2003 and launched the Outside Lands festival in 2008. Today it is the largest independently operated festival in the U.S., according to Billboard.

Swier didn’t know much about Perloff prior to reaching out to him in 2020 to discuss a potential partnership for the building. Both men decided to keep the project, keeping every detail of the project out of the public domain as they worked to sign the lease and then begin renovations. The stealth campaign worked – maybe too well. Months away from opening, the partners realized they needed to reach out to agents to start booking the building, which would end the secrecy. In fact, today’s decision to announce the existence of the project was made yesterday, a week earlier than planned. Meetings and private tours of the Bellwether are planned for next week during the annual Pollstar Live! conference in Los Angeles.

16 Feb 2023

Rihanna Says Baby Son Is ‘Obsessed’ with Dad A$AP Rocky

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In the new issue of British Vogue, featuring a gorgeous cover of Rihanna, A$AP Rocky and their baby boy in his magazine debut, the music icon and Fenty mogul said that her son is “obsessed” with his dad.

“I’m just sitting on the sidelines when they’re together,” she says in the exclusive feature article, seemingly amused by her role in the background. “I’m literally the girl trying to get into the boys club, waiting for my turn. He is obsessed with his father. And I’m like: ‘Didn’t I give birth to you? What is going on?’” 

She added, “Their connection is undeniable. The second Rocky makes eye contact with him he is on fire. The whole thing they say about sons and moms, it’s a myth. Sons and fathers is crazy. I realized that the validation that you really need as a boy is from your father.”

The megastar just stunned the world during her Super Bowl appearance last Sunday, Feb. 12 by showing off another baby bump and announcing that she is expecting a second child. 

Ri-Ri also shared some insight into her relationship with the A$AP Mob rapper whom she previously dated and had a long friendship. “We’re best friends with a baby,” she says, laughing at their dynamic now. “We have to be on the same page, but we’ve always kind of had that in our relationship. Everything changes when you have a baby but I wouldn’t say it’s done anything but made us closer.”

In the cover story, she also explained why she changed from her previous decision to not perform at the game due to her support of blackballed former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. 

“There’s still a lot of mending to be done in my eyes,” she says now, “but it’s powerful to break those doors, and have representation at such a high, high level and a consistent level.” She notes the two previous Super Bowls which demonstrated representation to her, specifically referring to last year’s headliners, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J Blige and Kendrick Lamar, “you know, representing the urban community, globally. It is powerful. It sends a really strong message.” 

She also added that motherhood may have influenced her decision, “Of course,” she says, as the writer notes she is visibly moved, “raising a young Black man is one of the scariest responsibilities in life.” It’s made her re-evaluate everything. “You’re like, ‘What am I leaving my kids to? This is the planet they’re gonna be living on?’” She added, “All of those things really start to hit differently.”

16 Feb 2023

Playboi Carti Arrested For Domestic Violence, Allegedly Choked Out Pregnant Girlfriend

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Playboi Carti mugshot

Source: Atlanta PD / Fulton County Sheriff’s Office

Playboi Carti was arrested under felony charges of domestic violence. Allegedly, late last year, the rapper, born Jason Carter, choked out his girlfriend, over a paternity test.

According to the victim, she’s Carti’s live-in girlfriend and she was 14 months pregnant when he allegedly put hands on her.

Reports TMZ:

According to the arrest affidavit, obtained by TMZ, the woman told police the rapper grabbed her by her throat and pushed her, holding her neck until she could barely breathe. She even told cops she thought she was going to die.

Police say the woman told officers she’s been in a relationship with Playboi Carti for 2 years, has lived with him since July 2022 and was 14 weeks pregnant at the time of the alleged incident on Dec. 20.

Fortunately for the victim, there were witnesses. However, that didn’t stop the incident from escalating. 

The woman told cops she wanted to talk to Playboi Carti about the baby and a conversation about a paternity test led to an argument, which she claims escalated to a physical attack. She told police a witness jumped in to try and break up the fight, and when she was able to escape Carti’s grasp, she ran to her car … where she claims he attacked her again.

The alleged victim told cops Carti tried pulling her out of the car and put his hand over her mouth as she tried to use the vehicle’s SOS feature to call police. When cops arrived, police say the woman had visible injuries to her neck, chest and back.

After news of the arrest was made public, rapper Iggy Azalea, who has a child with Carti, chimed in by basically saying “I told you so” in regards to the domestic violence claims.

Unfortunately, rappers putting hands on their partners is not a rarity.