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WHITESNAKE’s DAVID COVERDALE Mourns Death Of Legendary Session Musician MICHAEL FINNIGAN
WHITESNAKE frontman David Coverdale has reacted to the passing of Michael Finnigan, an American keyboard player and vocalist who had worked primarily as a freelance studio and touring musician. According to CelebrityAccess, Finnigan succumbed to kidney cancer on Wednesday morning at Ceder Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 76 years old. Earlier today, Coverdale took to his Twitter to share the CelebrityAccess article on Finnigan‘s death, and he included the following message: “So very sad to hear the news of the passing of this fantastic man & incredible musician…I was honoured to work with him on my ‘Into The LIGHT’ album…Heartbreaking…” Finnigan is best known for his Hammond organ (and vocal) contributions to dozens of recordings, by a wide vari...
Sheryl Crow on Prince’s Basketball Skills, Working with Stevie Nicks, and Live at the Ryman and More
Hello, my name is Corbin Reiff. I’m a music writer based out of Seattle and the author of ‘Total F*cking Godhead: The Biography of Chris Cornell.’ Welcome to my new monthly column The Offramp! In this space, I’ll chat with and write about some of the best and brightest minds in the music world today about a wide range of different and fascinating topics from new albums, old masterpieces, legendary tours, and the future of music itself. Thanks for coming along for the ride. At the very least, I promise the soundtrack won’t suck! More than just a generational songwriter, more than generous and thoughtful collaborator, more than just about anything else in fact, Sheryl Crow is a one-of-a-kind rock and roll frontwoman. Over the last three decades, the Missouri-native has fired up crowds from M...
The 2021 VMA Nominations Are Here: Justin Bieber, Megan Thee Stallion, And More
Justin Bieber has been on a roll this year, hitting milestones as the youngest soloist to achieve eight No. 1 albums with his recent LP Justice and to hit 100 entries on the Billboard Hot 100. And the success story continues: As announced today (August 11), Bieber leads the nomination field for the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards! Bieber has racked up a total of seven nominations, including in top categories for Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Best Pop. Megan Thee Stallion follows closely behind with six, most of which recognize her “WAP” collaboration with Cardi B. Behind them, all tied with five noms each, is an impressive blend of VMA vets — Billie Eilish, BTS, Doja Cat, Drake, and Lil Nas X — and some newbies: Olivia Rodrigo and Giveon. Lil Nas X’s big hit “Montero (Call Me...
M.A.G.S. Is Writing Music You Can Taste
By Mia Hughes Elliott Douglas isn’t sure why the phrase “Say Things That Matter” popped into his head. It came to him suddenly while he was in an airport before the pandemic, flying home to Los Angeles after visiting family. The rising artist otherwise known as M.A.G.S. (which doesn’t really stand for anything, although he jokes that it’s Marijuana and Good Sex) had only just begun working on his second album, out August 13, but he knew instantly that he had its title. “I just wanted to talk about real shit,” says Douglas, who has just turned 30. “I don’t sugarcoat things. I think that’s what people are connected to in my music.” Now, in a vastly different world, he’s set to release Say Things That Matter, one of the most refreshing, vibrant, and simply fun indie-rock albums of the year. D...
Kevin Abstract Is Looking for Up-and-Coming Producers To Feature on Brockhampton’s Last Album
Kevin Abstract is looking to recruit emerging producers for Brockhampton’s seventh and final album. The hip-hop boy band’s frontman announced the open call on Twitter on Sunday evening. “Trying something different,” Abstract wrote. “Wanna give up-and-coming producers a chance cause we know how hard it gets out here to get ur work off the ground.” Interested producers with material they want to hear Brockhampton on can “send beats for the last Brockhampton album ever” to beats4bh@gmail.com. Yesterday, he returned to ask fans to give him their suggestions for existing songs they want to hear Brockhampton freestyle over, for which the band will “record the song shoot a video and release it one day.” Brockhampton formed in San Antonio, Texas, in 2010, with its earliest members meeting one anot...
Justin Bieber, Megan Thee Stallion Lead 2021 MTV VMA Nominees
Justin Bieber and Megan Thee Stallion lead the nominations pack for this year’s MTV Video Music Awards. Bieber has seven, followed by Megan Thee Stallion with six. Just behind them are Billie Eilish, BTS, Doja Cat, Drake, Giveon, Olivia Rodrigo and Lil Nas X with five apiece. The nominees in the hotly contested Artist of the Year category are Ariana Grande, Doja Cat, Bieber, Megan Thee Stallion, Rodrigo and Taylor Swift. In the rock category, the VMAs are rolling back the years with nominees Foo Fighters, Kings of Leon, The Killers, Lenny Kravitz, Evanescence and John Mayer. Last year, the VMAs dusted off the Best Alternative category for the first time in 22 years, with Machine Gun Kelly winning that prize. This year, MGK is aiming to defend his crown, nominated for his collaboration...
Danny Elfman Teams With Trent Reznor for New Version of ‘True’
In a pairing that makes all too much sense, Danny Elfman enlisted Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor for a remix of “True,” which is off of Hail, the composer’s first proper solo album in 37 years. “This is the first duet/collaboration I’ve ever done in my life, so to do it with Trent was a real surprise and a treat,” Elfman said in a statement of the pairing. “He’s always been a big inspiration to me, not to mention he has one of my all-time favorite singing voices.” Watch the video, which is directed by Aron Johnson below. [embedded content] Before the album’s June release, we spoke with Elfman, who said of the album, “[Big Mess] was me writing out of necessity, as opposed to writing out of obligation — obligation meaning ‘Oh my God, we have another album due this year. Let’s get some songs.&...
After Winning Dozens of Awards, Hades and Its Killer Soundtrack Come to PlayStation and Xbox
For those who haven’t played Hades yet, well, you should. And now that it’s coming to PlayStation and Xbox (including physical releases through a partnership with Private Division), you really don’t have an excuse not to. Not only is it one of the most nominated and award-winning games of 2020, but it’s also arguably Supergiant Games’ masterpiece up to this point. In addition to being the finest work from one of the most beloved indie studios, Hades takes roguelikes to a new level as well. Much like how Pyre used Supergiant’s beloved art style and narrative talents to bring elements of sports to an audience that would never play a sports game, Hades serves as a perfect introduction to the often merciless and repetitive gameplay associated with roguelikes. Aside from the visuals and stories...
Lil Nas X Would Rather Not Speak on Homophobia in Rap: ‘It’s More For My Own Safety’
He doesn’t know for sure if the video inspired the stranger to go after him, but he felt like it “couldn’t be a coincidence.” Rapper Jack Harlow, who appears in the “Baby” video, praised Lil Nas for “giving a voice to a lot of people and kids who could use one. I think the community he represents could use someone who’s succeeding on a mainstream level — where it can feel like, ‘Yo, you can be No. 1. You can be the greatest.’ I really recognize what he’s doing and I admire him. I admired him long before we met.” Lil Nas X, 22, also got props from pop icon Elton John, who dubbed the rapper a “bold and brave provocateur who’s making amazing and inspiring music. He’s pushing the boundaries of urban music by wholeheartedly embrac...
Normani Went From Feeling ‘Overlooked’ in Fifth Harmony to Being a ‘Bad B—-‘ on ‘Wild Side’
But now she’s projecting a new spotlight onto herself and Black women everywhere, exposing their sheer multifaceted talent. Growing up as a dark-skinned Black girl in the South was only made slightly easier by the affirming safe spaces her family built for her. The 25-year-old singer recalled “feeling beautiful” during her childhood, when her mother, father and grandmother consistently reminded her of it. “The fact that my skin was chocolate was a beautiful thing. My kinky hair was beautiful. I don’t need to straighten it. I can rock my braids to my all-white school,” she recalls. “My purpose in this work that I do is for other people that feel like they have Black women figured out. There’s so many layers to us, there’s so many textures, there’s so much...
Billboard Explains: How R&B/Hip-Hop Became the Biggest Genre in the U.S.
Since 2017, R&B/hip-hop has been the dominant music genre on the United States Billboard charts, becoming bigger than pop and rock and coming to define modern popular music. And its reign hasn’t let up since, with new smashes and superstars created every year. So how did it happen? How did R&B/hip-hop pull into first place on the charts? The latest episode of Billboard Explains breaks down exactly how R&B/hip-hop became the biggest genre in the U.S., by looking at its early influence, innovative evolutions and explosion in the streaming era. You’ll hear commentary from Billboard hip-hop editor Carl Lamarre on why exactly the genre is leading pop culture. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins wit...
Billie Eilish Rules Alternative Album & Song Charts With ‘Happier Than Ever’ & Its Title Track
Happier is Eilish’s third No. 1 on Alternative Albums, following the seven-week reign of Dont Smile at Me in 2019 and the 56-frame rule for When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? between 2019 and this April, the longest command in the chart’s 14-year history. As previously reported, Happier bows atop the all-format Billboard 200, marking her second ruler, following Asleep (three weeks in 2019). The new album’s title cut concurrently crowns three Billboard song charts, led by its launch atop Hot Rock & Alternative Songs. In its first week, the song scored 23.3 million U.S. streams and 3,800 downloads sold (as well as a sampling of non-promoted radio airplay: 41,100 in audience). Eilish adds her second Hot Rock & Alternative Songs No. 1 , after fellow Happier trac...
