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14 Nov 2022

P!nk to Pay Tribute to Olivia Newton-John on 2022 American Music Awards

Tributes to Olivia Newton-John and Lionel Richie will provide highlights of the 2022 American Music Awards, which will air live from the Microsoft Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on Sunday, Nov. 20.

P!NK will perform a Newton-John classic in tribute to the singer, who died in August after a long battle with breast cancer. Newton-John was a 10-time AMA winner. She won favorite female artist — pop/rock four times, a record that was unmatched in the show’s first 20 years. Newton-John also co-hosted the 1976 show with Glen Campbell and Aretha Franklin. P!NK will have two performance slots on this year’s show. She was already set to perform her new single “Never Gonna Not Dance Again.”

Stevie Wonder will be joined by Charlie Puth and Ari Lennox for a medley of Richie’s hits in tribute to the enduring star who is this year’s Icon Award recipient. This will be the 18th AMA for Richie, who was the first solo host of the AMAs. He did the honors in 1984 and 1985.

Anitta, David Guetta and Bebe Rexha, Dove Cameron, Lil Baby and GloRilla were also added to the bill. They join previously announced performers Carrie Underwood, Imagine Dragons, JID, Yola, and house DJ D-Nice.

Hosted by Wayne Brady, the 2022 American Music Awards is the 50th AMA show. In honor of this milestone, artists will have the chance to speak to their musical inspirations throughout the evening.

AMA winner Guetta and two-time nominee Rexha will make their U.S. television performance debut of their global hit “I’m Good (Blue).” The song has climbed as high as No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 — but that may not be its peak. The pair performed the song to open the MTV EMA Awards on Sunday Nov. 13.

Cameron, a best new artist nominee, will hit the AMAs stage for the first time to perform “Boyfriend,” which reached No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June.

Anitta will perform “Envolver” (which reached No. 70 on the Hot 100 in April) and “Lobby.” This will mark the first AMAs performance for Anitta, a favorite female Latin artist nominee this year.

Lil Baby will perform a medley of his hits “In a Minute” (which reached No. 14 on the Hot 100 in April) and “California Breeze” (which reached No. 4 last month). The rapper’s album It’s Only Me reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 last month. Lil Baby is nominated for favorite male hip-hop artist.

GloRilla will take the AMAs stage for the first time. The rapper’s performance will mark her first since the release of her EP, Anyways, Life’s Great…, on Nov. 11. GloRilla is nominated for favorite female hip-hop artist.

The 2022 American Music Awards winners are voted entirely by fans. Nominees are based on key fan interactions — as reflected on the Billboard charts — including streaming, album and song sales, radio airplay, and tour grosses. These measurements are tracked by Billboard and its data partner Luminate, and cover the eligibility period of Sept. 24, 2021, through Sept. 22, 2022.

As the world’s largest fan-voted awards show, the AMAs will air globally across a footprint of linear and digital platforms in more than 120 countries and territories.

Fan voting is now open via VoteAMAs.com and Twitter in all award categories.

Last year’s AMAs was the most social telecast of 2021 with 46.5 million interactions, according to the show.

The 2022 American Music Awards will air on Sunday, Nov. 20, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and will stream the following day on Hulu. The show is produced by dick clark productions and Jesse Collins Entertainment. Jesse Collins is showrunner and executive producer. Dionne Harmon, Jeannae Rouzan-Clay, and Larry Klein are also executive producers.

Tickets are now on sale now at www.axs.com.

14 Nov 2022

P!nk Announces ‘Summer Carnival 2023’ North American Stadium Dates & All-Star Guests

P!nk is hitting the road again in 2023 and this time she’s bringing along some very special friends. The singer announced the North American dates for her “Summer Carnival 2023” outing on Monday morning (Nov. 14), revealing that the 21-city tour will hit stadiums across the continent from July through October with special guests Brandi Carlile and brand new Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Pat Benatar & Neil Girlado on select dates and Grouplove and KidCutUp on all the shows.

The Live Nation-produced tour will kick off on July 24 in Toronto at the Roger Centre and hit Cincinnati, Boston, New York, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Detroit, Nashville, San Antonio, San Diego and Los Angeles before wrapping up on Oct. 9 at Chase Field in Phoenix. Tickets for the tour will go on sale to the general public starting Nov. 21 at 10 a.m. local time here.

The official announcement of the dates came after P!nk and Carlile playfully teased the tour in a fun viral video on Sunday night. In the clip, the pair sit next to each other on a couch, with both dressed to impress as P!nk apologizes for having to take an important call. Carlile then picks up her cell and the pair get down to business. “I was really afraid to ask you this question to your face,” Pink says. “Oh, I’m married,” Carlile reminds her.

“Yeah, you love your wife… will you come on tour with me?” P!nk asks. “F–k yeah!” Carlile responds excitedly. P!nk and Brandi warmed up earlier this month when they joined forces for a performance of Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors” at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, held Nov. 5 in Los Angeles.

The Summer Carnival will kick off on June 7, 2023 at University of Bolton Stadium, the first of several U.K. dates, followed by shows across continental Europe. P!nk has just released the upbeat anthem “Never Gonna Not Dance Again.”

Check out the North American dates below.

^ with Brandi Carlile | ! with Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo | GROUPLOVE + KidCutUp on all dates

July 24 – Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre ^

July 26 – Cincinnati, OH @ Great American Ball Park ^

July 31 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Park !

Aug. 3 – New York, NY @ Citi Field ^

Aug. 5 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PNC Park ^

Aug. 7 – Washington DC @ Nationals Park !

Aug. 10 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Field !

Aug. 12 – Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field !

Aug. 14 – Milwaukee, WI @ American Family Field !

Aug. 16 – Detroit, MI @ Comerica Park ^

Aug. 19 – Fargo, ND @ FARGODOME ^

Aug. 21 – Omaha, NE @ Charles Schwab Field ^

Sept. 18 – Philadelphia, PA @ Citizens Bank Park ^

Sept. 22 – Nashville, TN @ GEODIS Park ^

Sept. 25 – San Antonio, TX @ Alamodome ^  

Sept. 27 – Houston, TX @ Minute Maid Park ^

Sept. 29 – Arlington, TX @ Globe Life Field ^

Oct. 3 – San Diego, CA @ Snapdragon Stadium ^

Oct. 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ SoFi Stadium !

Oct. 7 – Las Vegas, NV @ Allegiant Stadium ^

Oct. 9 – Phoenix, AZ @ Chase Field ^

14 Nov 2022

Live Nation and AEG Forecast Record Grosses in 2023, But the Economics Remain ‘Difficult’ for Developing Acts

Less than a year after the final coronavirus restrictions were dropped on concert capacity and attendance, the country’s largest two concert promoters are forecasting record sales in 2023 across a broad swath of building categories and genres. Although another promoter says he’s concerned the future is not nearly as bright for new acts.

Live Nation’s chair for global touring, Arthur Fogel, says his company has seen “absolutely no diminishment in sales” since the full-scale return of concerts and believes there is still significant growth opportunity for the company’s top-line touring acts to command record grosses.

Likewise, AEG Presents president for North America Rick Mueller says that ticket sales for shows already on sale in 2023 indicate record revenue and attendance at every capacity level in the concert space, “from [13,000-capacity] Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, N.Y., to the [500-capacity] Roxy in Los Angeles. We’re going to make a little more next year and work a lot harder for it,” he says, predicting that staffing and supply chain shortages will remain substantial challenges.

“I used to think oversaturation was the biggest threat to the industry, but I no longer believe that bears out,” Mueller adds. His counterpart at Live Nation, Fogel, agrees, noting that less than 1% of events promoted by Live Nation were canceled in 2022.

Neither executive believes economic headwinds from prolonged inflation will significantly diminish sales or lead to a short-term rollback on prices for big-ticket tours, like Bruce Springsteen’s 2023 Live Nation run. “The level of spending around the show hasn’t changed,” says Fogel.

He also says that the top 20 stadium and arena tours “at any given time” are now more diverse than ever, representing multiple genres across multiple demographics. For example, Bad Bunny’s El Último Tour del Mundo tour is the highest-grossing Latin outing in Billboard Boxscore history.

Independent promoter Jim Cressman, founder and owner of Canada’s Invictus Entertainment, says that Live Nation and AEG’s bullish outlook for 2023 is good news for the concert business but worries there’s not enough entry points for new fans or new bands.

“The added expenses that artists have because of inflation and rising energy costs make the economics very difficult for developing acts,” he says, echoing the complaints of indie managers. Cressman recommends that these artists connect early with sponsors to underwrite their tours. “Before the pandemic, sponsors provided a nice income bump,” he says. “Now, they’re critical to covering your costs.”

14 Nov 2022

The Neighbourhood Cut Ties With Drummer Brandon Fried Over Groping Allegation

The Neighbourhood have parted ways with drummer Brandon Fried after their former time-keeper was accused of inappropriately touching The Marías singer María Zardoya. Zardoya posted a message to The Marías verified Instagram Story on Sunday (Nov. 13) in which she wrote, “I was at a bar last night, and I was groped under the table by Brandon Fried. It was one of the most uncomfortable things I’ve ever experienced.”

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Zardoya said the alleged incident felt like an “invasion of my space, privacy and body.” She then mentioned The Neighbourhood, and suggested that they “need a new drummer, [because Fried] is a complete creep.” A short time later the California band posted a message to fans in which they thanked Zardoya for speaking out about the alleged incident while affirming a zero-tolerance stance for such behavior.

“We are grateful to María for coming forward. We have zero tolerance for any kind of inappropriate behavior towards women,” they tweeted. “As a result of Brandon’s actions, he will no longer be a member of The Neighbourhood.”

“I am so terribly sorry to María. My actions were inexcusable and intolerable. They are not reflective of who I am as a person, but clearly a reflection of who I become under the influence,” Fried wrote in a statement posted to Instagram Stories on his verified account. “It is evident that I must address my problems with alcohol and substance abuse, which I am now seeking help for. I want to apologize to women who have been victims of any behavior that has left them feeling uncomfortable or violated. I am also sorry to The Neighbourhood and our fans for letting them down.”

At press time a spokesperson for The Neighbourhood could not be reached for comment.

See the band’s statement and Zardoya’s allegation below.

14 Nov 2022

Foreigner Announces Farewell Tour Starting In 2023: Exclusive


Forty-five years after it felt like the first time for Foreigner, the veteran rock troupe is planning to tour for the very last time.

The band, formed during 1976 by British guitarist Mick Jones, will launch its Historic Farewell Tour next July 6 in Alpharetta, Ga., with 32 U.S dates running through Sept. 3 in Holmdel, N.J. Loverboy will be opening. More legs, both domestic and overseas, are on tap through the end of 2024.

“Foreigner is a completely revitalized band with a whole new energy that has won the hearts of our fans all over the world, and I want to go out while the band is still at the top of its game,” Jones, 77, tells Billboard. “I had the idea that was to become Foreigner back in 1974, and I was 30 years old at the time. By the end of our farewell tour, over 50 years will have passed, and that’s a long time to be on the road.”

Kelly Hansen, Foreigner’s frontman since 2005, says that he and Jones had been discussing the move for a while. “It’s a very difficult decision to come to,” he notes, adding that maintaining the caliber of the band’s performance, and his is in particular, was a driving factor in the decision to pull the plug.

“This catalog of songs, it’s extremely challenging for a rock tenor vocalist like myself to sing,” explains Hansen, 61. “I never would have thought in a million years I’d be singing these songs in the keys at this age, and I don’t know how much longer I can do that at the level I need do. You can drop keys and do this and do that, but I’m more of an old school person. If I’m not doing it for real then I shouldn’t be doing it.

“We’re at an era in life where a lot of bands from the ’70s are right on the ragged edge of still being able to do shows. I see other musicians sometimes that I go, ‘Wow, that was disappointing,’ and I don’t want to be someone that other people say that about. I want to do this band the way it’s supposed to be, and when it’s not like that I don’t want to be doing it.”

Since its formation, Foreigner has released nine studio albums — five of them multi-platinum, plus the 1982 hits set Records — and sold more than 50 million records worldwide. It’s also notched nine top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including rock radio staples such as “Feels Like the First Time,” “Hot Blooded,” “Double Vision,” “Urgent” and the chart-topping power ballad “I Want to Know What Love Is.” More than two dozen members have been part of the roster over the years, and members of the first two lineups made a series of guest appearances with the current lineup during 2017 and 2018.

Jones, the last original member still active with Foreigner, has become something of a special guest at the band’s concerts, not attending every show due to health reasons and playing during the latter portion of the set. “Mick does all the shows he can do with us as his health allows, and we’re cognizant of that,” Hansen says. “I can’t say that doesn’t have an effect” on the farewell tour decision, “but that’s also a reality of life and time, so you take what you’re given and you make your decisions based on that.”

Foreigner has a number of concerts scheduled this month and also in the spring, prior to the farewell tour launch — including March and April residencies at the Venetian in Las Vegas. Hansen adds that while Foreigner is calling a halt to touring it may not go away entirely. “I’m sure there might be the odd or occasional things we do,” the frontman says. “You can never say never about things. But for me this (tour) is it. It’s not like one of these, like we’ve seen, ploys to get people out to shows.”

Both Hansen and Jeff Pilson, Foreigner’s bassist since 2004, say that Foreigner – whose last studio album, Can’t Slow Down, came out in 2009 — may release some new music in the near future, too. “There’s a whole bunch of stuff in different stages of completion, so that’s not outside the realm of possibility,” Hansen predicts. Pilson says that Jones has been writing material with Marti Frederiksen that he expects the band to work on at some point.

“There’s probably four I’m aware of that are close, and some other snippets,” Pilson says. “Chances are there won’t be a whole new (album). I can see some new songs being added to some kind of a package or some kind of a single. I definitely see some new material coming, hopefully within the next year. We don’t need new material, but it’s always nice to have.”

Tickets for The Historic Farewell Tour go on sale Nov. 18 via livenation.com. The group is again working with the Grammy Museum Foundation to recruit local choirs at each stop to perform with the band for “I Want to Know What Love Is” via foreignerchoirs.com. More information and updates will be posted to foreigneronline.com.

The full itinerary for the first leg of the tour:
Thu July 6th Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
Sat July 8th West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
Sun July 9th Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Tue July 11th Nashville, TN – Ascend Amphitheatre
Fri July 14th Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
Tue July 18th Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre
Wed July 19th St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Fri July 21st Indianapolis, IN – Ruoff Music Center
Sat July 22nd Tinley Park, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Mon July 24th Cleveland, OH – Blossom Music Center
Tue July 25th Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Fri July 28th Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater
Sat July 29th Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake
Tue August 1st Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Wed August 2nd Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach
Fri August 4th Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
Sat August 5th Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
Tue August 8th Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
Wed August 9th Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
Fri August 11th Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
Sat August 12th Houston, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Mon August 14th Austin, TX – Moody Center
Wed August 16th Denver, CO – Ball Arena
Fri August 18th Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheater
Sun August 20th Phoenix, AZ – Ak-Chin Pavilion
Mon August 21st Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheater
Wed August 23rd Wheatland, CA – Toyota Amphitheater
Thu August 24th Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
Weds August 30th Detroit, MI – Pine Knob Music Theater
Fri September 1st Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
Sat September 2nd Syracuse, NY – St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview
Sun September 3rd Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center

14 Nov 2022

Garth Brooks on New Las Vegas Residency: ‘If You’re in That Crowd, I’m Going to Eat You Alive’

Nine years after his five-year residency at the Wynn’s Encore Theater concluded in 2014, Garth Brooks is returning to Las Vegas for another run. 

In May, the superstar will kick off Garth Brooks/PLUS One, a one-year, 27-date residency at the 4,300-seat Colosseum at Caesars Palace promoted by Live Nation/Caesars Entertainment. He announced the news on Good Morning America Monday and talked to Billboard in depth about his next chapter.   

The title of the one-man show teases the twist. The PLUS One concept will play out in a number of ways: Brooks’ band members will be at each show and will get called up on stage spontaneously to join him, either individually or en masse for a song. The PLUS One can also be a special guest including his wife, Trisha Yearwood.

“Any given song, all 10 band members will be playing and singing, then none of them will be,” Brooks tells Billboard. “Then maybe percussion and background vocals for ‘The River.’ Or [I’m] talking about George Strait and ‘Amarillo by Morning’ and all of a sudden [Jimmy] Mattingly shows up with the fiddle and it’s just [me] and him. Any given night can have any given variation of any given song.

“The PLUS One is also the fan,” Brooks adds “because it’s one on one with them.” 

Verified Fan ticket registration through is open now and runs through Nov. 17 at 8 a.m. PST. Verified fans will then receive a code to have the opportunity to purchase tickets beginning Nov. 21 at 10 a.m. PST.  Citi cardholders can also register for a Citi presale, run through Verified Fan, by clicking here. With no seat more than 145 feet from stage, tickets start at $99 and average out around $350. Brooks says he will continue his long tradition of “stubbing,” where crew members move fans from the farthest seats to a closer location for free. 

Brooks does not anticipate having new music out before the shows kick off, but Live Live, a set comprised of a custom book and five CDs totaling more than 50 live recordings is now available for pre-order. Live Live, which includes his 1998 Double Live album and 2019’s Triple Live, is available when fans purchase tickets or alone through the Ticketmaster site.

Following the Wynn stint, Brooks officially came out of retirement in 2014, releasing new music and kicking off a massive three-year North American arena tour that included over 390 shows and sold more than 6.3 million tickets. In 2019, he started a three-year stadium tour, punctuated by the pandemic, that drew nearly 3 million people and ended with five sold-out shows at Dublin’s Croke Park stadium this September that were attended by 400,000 people.

“Still to this day, I’m floored that I got a second half of a career,” Brooks says of the arena and stadium runs. Of the nearly 400-show arena tour, he says, “I could never do it again if I tried. I still don’t know how the hell we did it — there was one run that was 15 shows in 12 days.” Then returning to the road for the stadium tour with the ongoing pandemic provided its own challenges. “Between the pandemic and all that weight, I’m stunned nobody died,” adds Brooks, who lost 60 pounds by the time the tour reached Ireland. “We felt very lucky to get through the stadium tour.” 

Now, he’s ready to return to a much more intimate setting. “In the stadium show, once you’re halfway back in the stadium, the stadium then becomes like one and you see shoulders and you see a big face and you watch how they’re working as one,” he says. “What I love about the residencies is you can see every individual and see what’s going on with them. Lock into them because they’ll get you through a song. If you’re sitting there going, ‘Why am I straying so much in my head right now?’ Boom! You’ll find that person that this is their favorite song. And then it becomes your favorite song to sing right there in the moment. That’s what I really love.”

Talks with Las Vegas venues began more than a year ago, with two February shows at Park MGM’s Dolby Live serving as a trial run. Brooks also checked out the Colosseum and The Theater at Resorts World by playing in the rooms while empty. “Because if you’re going to marry this place for a year, don’t dread where you’re going, right?,” he says. “So if there would have been something that would have knocked them out of it that happened there, then we would have never taken it to the next level of saying, ‘Okay, what are we talking about when we play here if we play here?’” 

Ultimately, he decided to go with Caesars based on the deal and its strong reputation. “You try and make sure that you partner your name with Yankee Stadium, Central Park, right?,” he says referencing his 2016 shows at the baseball venue and 1997 New York City concert. “And so Caesars was a cool name to partner with. Nice people. We could have partnered at MGM and been just as happy. Nice people there as well. They were both very sweet and very flattering in their offers.”

Even though the shows don’t begin for six months, Brooks is already thinking about how the Caesars run will differ from the Wynn residency for fans. “Hopefully it’s everything you love from the Wynn show but it’ll be different because I owe that to them.”

The Wynn show was aspirational as Brooks talked about growing up and discovering his musical heroes. The new show will update those memories. “The stories from the Wynn were the ‘what ifs.’ These stories will be what I live every day,” he says. “It’s gonna be cool to talk about James Taylor in this house sitting on our cabinets in the kitchen, barefooted, asking Trisha, ‘How do you make these mashed potatoes taste like this?’ That sh-t is cool for me. And then you can still play James’ stuff, because it’s timeless.”

Brooks stresses unlike on a stadium tour, “where the music can get lost,” at Caesars, “you’re going to have to dig to find the spectacle. It’s all going to be about the music.” And it’s also about the fun because “it’s something I’ve been lucky enough to get to do before, so this is like the second round. And this time, I’m going to be like a guy at a buffet with two forks and if you’re in that crowd, I’m going to eat you alive.”

Dates for Garth Brooks/PLUS One residency at the Colosseum at Caesars

May 2023: 18, 20, 21, 25, 27, 28 

June 2023: 1, 3, 4 

July 2023: 6, 8, 9, 13, 15, 16, 20, 22, 23 

November 2023: 29

December 2023: 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 13, 15, 16

14 Nov 2022

Dua Lipa Denies World Cup Performance Rumors, Hopes Host Qatar Will Fulfill ‘All of its Human Rights Pledges’

Dua Lipa made it very clear over the weekend that she will not be taking the stage at the upcoming opening ceremonies for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. In addition to denying the booking, the singer said she hoped that the nation will fulfill the human rights pledges it made in order to land the bid.

“There is currently a lot of speculation that I will be performing at the opening ceremony of the World Cup in Qatar,” Dua wrote in an Instagram Story on Sunday according to EW. “I will not be performing and nor have I ever been involved in any negotiations to perform.”

And though she will be cheering on the English team “from afar,” the singer said she looks forward to visiting Qatar when it has “fulfilled all of its human rights pledges it made when it won the right to host” the international men’s soccer tourney that begins on Nov. 20.

Controversy has swirled around Qatar’s bid to host one of the world’s most-watched sporting events given the country’s treatment of migrant workers and criminalization of same-sex relationships. There have been ongoing concerns about the reported use of forced labor and the abuse of migrant workers in the first Middle Eastern nation to host the tournament, including reports that more than 6,500 migrant laborers from India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have died in Qatar while building structures for the games.

BTS’ Jungkook is so far the only act slated to play the opening ceremony, which will take place at Al Bayt Stadium on Nov. 20; other acts slated to appear during the tournament at the FIFA Fan Festival include Diplo, Sean Paul and Calvin Harris.

Look at a screen grab of Dua’s statement below.

14 Nov 2022

Coldplay Lights a Fire Under Iranian Protest Anthem

Coldplay‘s version of “Baraye,” a soft-spoken Iranian revolutionary anthem that recently landed its singer in state detention, was not just intended for the crowd at the EstadioMâs Monumental in Buenos Aires last month. 

Amid weeks of street protests in Iran over the Islamic Republic’s policing of dissent and violent treatment of young women, the stadium singalong went viral, landing in worldwide news reports and generating hundreds of thousands of YouTube views. 

Shervin Hajipour crowd sourced “Baraye” with lyrics he collected from tweets from Iranian protesters. The hymn is “like a Joan Baez song, not a Rage Against the Machine song,” says Sam Zarifi, the Tehran-born secretary general of the human-rights group International Commission of Jurists. 

It quickly became an anthem for the protest movement, which was triggered when police arrested a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, for allegedly wearing her state-mandated headscarf not tightly enough. Three days later, Amini died at a police station — beaten to death, according to her family, although the government cited a heart attack — leading to the mass street protests.

Since her death on Sept. 16, street protests have resulted in dozens of deaths and hundreds of arrests, according to news reports. 

“The constant refrain of the protesters right now is ‘be our voice,’” says Zarifi. “What they really want is to not be forgotten. Attention must be paid.”

Hajipour, a 25-year-old pop artist from northern Iran, posted his version of “Baraye” on social media on Sept. 28. It includes the verse “because we want to be free to dance outside in the streets/because we feel terror when it’s time to kiss.” The track hit 40 million Instagram views in one day, according to the Washington Post and others. Since then, it has streamed 3.2 million times globally, according to Luminate, which doesn’t receive data on streams within Iran. The track has also sold 2,500 downloads, hitting No. 4 on Billboard‘s World Digital Song Sales chart last month.

The Iranian government quickly arrested Hajipour and the song vanished from his Instagram. But it was too late to prevent “Baraye” from turning into a worldwide anthem supporting the protesters. The Coldplay version in Argentina was a duet with a guest, Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani, with verses sung in Farsi. Last month, Iran released Hajipour from detention, and he appeared in an Instagram video to say “Baraye” contained no links to a “movement or organization outside the country.”

The song’s worldwide attention is “huge,” says Zarifi, an American living in Switzerland who grew up in Iran listening to rock ‘n’ roll on headphones to avoid punishment from a government opposed to western music. He cites Baez’ 2009 version of “We Shall Overcome,” including a verse sung in Persian, as particularly inspirational for Iranians at the time. 

“Nobody saw it, but it meant a lot,” Zarifi says. “This protest is absolutely the desire of a generation of Iranian kids just to be part of the regular world — if you see some of the people who were killed, they’re just kids who want to do TikTok videos and listen to music on the street. They’re being bullied by backward-looking old mullahs.”

Iranian protests have a history of music and verse going back centuries to the 13th-century Persian poet Hafez, who commented on political instability and religious hypocrisy, according to New Lines magazine. More recently, Iranian leftists retrofitted Chilean singer-songwriter Victor Jara‘s anthem “El Pueblo Unido” into an inspirational theme for Iran’s 1979 revolution, according to Zarifi, who says that the revolutionaries gave little thought to the repressive regime that would follow Mohammad Reza Shah, Iran’s last Shah (king).

Negar Mottahedeh, a Duke University literature professor who teaches gender and feminist studies, says “Baraye,” which translates to “because of” or “for” in Persian, is “wholly new and grounded in the conditions, desires and demands of the present.” She adds that the song is both relevant and flexible, recently landing in video versions by English-language interpreters, a Dutch dance troupe, worldwide animators and Swedish Eurovision stars. 

“It’s a very gentle and soft song, but it’s full of mourning and grief,” says Mottahedeh. “Someone asked me about the raging anger that is beneath that — of course it’s there, but there is also a sadness about this moment.”

Or as Coldplay’s Chris Martin told the crowd in Argentina on Oct. 29: “Young women and young people are fighting for their freedom — for the right to be themselves.” Then he added, “You may not know this song, but we’re going to give it everything.”

Coldplay

Chris Martin of Coldplay performs at Estadio Mâs Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti on October 25, 2022 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Santiago Bluguermann/GI

14 Nov 2022

Watch Pink Ask Brandi Carlile ‘Will You Come On Tour With Me?’

When she performs live, Pink never phones it in. When she announces her tour buddy, however, she just has to use her mobile.

The pop superstar has tapped country star Brandi Carlile to join her on tour, breaking the good news with a fun, viral video.

In the clip, the pair are sat beside one another, and dressed to impress.

Pink apologizes as she makes a “really important phone call.” She’s not lying. Carlile picks up and the pair get down to business.

“I was really afraid to ask you this question to your face,” Pink opens. “Oh, I’m married,” Carlile interjects.

Right, true. “You love your wife,” confirms Pink, who follows up with her big question: “will you come on tour with me?”

Carlile responds with an appropriate “f*** yeah,” and a quizzical, “are we doing this?”

Yes indeed, and the pair sign it with a high five.

Pink and Brandi warmed up earlier this month when they joined forces for a performance of Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors” at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, held Nov. 5 in Los Angeles.

The big show will hit the road next year for the Summer Carnival, kicking off June 7, 2023 at University of Bolton Stadium, the first of several U.K. dates, followed by shows across continental Europe. North American shows haven’t been unveiled, and, at the time of writing, it’s unclear which concerts Carlile will jump on.

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The Summer Carnival is the followup to Pink’s Beautiful Trauma World Tour, which wrapped in 2019, and it’s her first major jaunt since the release of Hurts 2B Human in the same year. Hurts 2B Human debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, for Pink’s third leader.

In These Silent Days, Carlile’s seventh studio album, reached No. 11 on the Billboard 200 following its 2021 release, and made No. 1 on Top Rock Albums, Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Americana/Folk Albums.

14 Nov 2022

Dolly Parton Receives $100m Award From Amazon’s Jeff Bezos

First, induction into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. Now, Dolly Parton has been feted with a $100 million award from Amazon executive chairman Jeff Bezos for her philanthropic work.

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The iconic singer and songwriter is the latest recipient of the Bezos Courage & Civility Award, which recognizes “leaders who aim high, find solutions and who always do it with civility,” comments journalist and Bezos’ partner Lauren Sanchez.

Each awardee is expected to direct the sum to “the charities that they see fit,” adds Sanchez during a presentation, posted to social channels Sunday (Nov. 13).

Parton, notes Bezos, “embodies these ideas so thoroughly. She gives with her heart, what she’s done for kids, and literacy and so many other things, is just incredible.” She will “put this $100 million award to great use helping so many people,” he continues.

Parton was typically modest of her fine work. “When people are in a position to help, you should help. And I know that I’ve always said, I try to put my money where my heart is,” she said as she took the podium to receive the award. “I will do my best to do good things with this money.”

In a record-smashing music career spanning six decades, Parton has written roughly 3,000 songs and recorded more than 50 studio albums — with the promise of more to come. 

Parton’s “living legend” status extends well beyond the world of music. The 76-year-old Tennessee native has founded a string of charities including the Dollywood Foundation, which focuses on education and poverty relief. Last year, it emerged that she donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University’s Medical Center to help develop a vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic, she was included in the Time 100 and People of the Year honors, raised $700,000 for Tennessee flood relief and found the time to release a new fragrance.

During her speech at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony Nov. 5, 2022 at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, she teased an upcoming rock album. She also treated the audience to a new rock song that had her declaring: “I still got rock and roll down in my country soul.”

Amazon’s Courage and Civility award was started in 2021, with prizes bestowed to activist Van Jones, who served as founding CEO of the REFORM Alliance and Dream Corps, and chef and humanitarian Jose Andres, who established World Central Kitchen, which provides food in disaster-hit areas around the globe.