Music News
Fans Choose Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa’s ‘Sweetest Pie’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music
Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa‘s “Sweetest Pie” tops this week’s new music poll. Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (March 11) on Billboard, choosing the pair’s collaborative track as their favorite new music release of the past week. “Sweetest Pie,” which arrived this week alongside a trippy music video from the superstar duo, brought in more than 67% of the vote. “Oh, it’s the ride of your life/ Hold on ’cause I might just give you a bite/ Of the sweetest pie,” Lipa sings in the chorus. Lil Durk‘s latest project, his new 7220 album, came in second on the poll, with more than 17% of the vote. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news See the final results of this week’s new music release poll below. [embedded content] [flexi-common-toolb...
Barack Obama Tests Positive for COVID-19
Former President Barack Obama said on Sunday (March 13) that he had tested positive for COVID-19, though he’s feeling relatively healthy and his wife, Michelle, tested negative. “I’ve had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise,” Obama said on Twitter. “Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news Obama encouraged more Americans to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, despite the declining infection rate in the U.S. There were roughly 35,000 infections on average over the past week, down sharply from mid-January when that average was closer to 800,000. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 75.2% of U.S. adults are fully vaccinated and 47.7% of the fully vaccinated have received a boo...
Traci Braxton, Singer and ‘Braxton Family Values’ Star, Dies at 50
Traci Braxton, a singer, actor and television personality who was the sister of Toni and Tamar Braxton, has died. She was 50. Traci passed away on Saturday morning (March 12) following a battle with esophageal cancer, her husband Kevin Surratt told TMZ. “We have come to a time where we must inform the public that after a year of privately undergoing a series of treatment for esophageal cancer our beloved Traci Braxton has gone on to glory,” Surratt said. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Traci’s older sister, R&B singer Toni, took to social media on Saturday to share a heartfelt tribute on behalf of the Braxton family. “It is with the utmost regret that we inform you of the passing of our sister, Traci,” Toni wrote alongside a black-and-white photo of the Braxton family on Ins...
The Fray’s Isaac Slade Announces Departure From Band
Isaac Slade, lead singer of The Fray, is leaving the band, he announced on social media on Saturday (March 12). “I have some heavy news to share today,” Slade wrote in a letter on Instagram. “I know it’s been pretty quiet on the band front for a long time but I want to let everyone know I’m stepping down from The Fray. It’s been an honor and privilege to make music with those three amazing guys for the last two decades, and all for the best fans anyone could ever imagine.” He continued, “I let the guys know five or six years ago that I was getting ready to call it, that I was going to start my long exit ramp and now it’s finally time. And it’s all good. I wish those guys all the best in whatever they do next. I’m ready to start dreaming up what it is I’m going to do with the rest of my lit...
Famed Ernest Tubb Record Shop in Nashville Up For Sale
The downtown Nashville record store that was opened by Opry legend Ernest Tubb in 1947 and has been a landmark in country music for decades will close as the building is being put up for sale. The owners of the Ernest Tubb Record Shop said in a statement on Friday (March 11) they were heartbroken that the store, which has been in its current location on Broadway since 1951, will close in the spring. The building and store is owned by the Honky Tonk Circus, LLC and the David McCormick Company, Inc. Explore See latest videos, charts and news “Our goal has always been to protect, promote and preserve the great history of the record shop and building. That desire remains as strong today as ever,” the owners said in a statement. “However, due to changes in circumstances out of our control, it’s...
Hailey Bieber Reveals She Was Hospitalized for Blood Clot to Brain: ‘Home Now and Doing Well’
Hailey Bieber is opening up about a recent health scare that landed her in the hospital. The 25-year-old model, who is married to pop star Justin Bieber, took to social media on Saturday (March 12) to reveal that she was hospitalized earlier this week after experiencing stroke-like symptoms caused by a small blood clot. “On Thursday morning, I was sitting at breakfast with my husband when I started having stroke like symptoms and was taken to the hospital,” Bieber wrote on her Instagram Story. “They found I had suffered a very small blood clot to my brain, which caused a small lack of oxygen, but my body had passed it on its own and I recovered completely within a few hours.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news She added, “Although this was definitely one of the scariest moments I’v...
Katy Perry Reacts to Winning in ‘Dark Horse’ Copyright Appeal at Vegas Show
Katy Perry took the latest news about her appeal over a “Dark Horse” copyright case to Vegas. “So just be sure… before you take me to court, ’cause I’m a Scorpio, b—-!” she shouted out to the crowd Friday night (March 11), according to a concert video making its rounds on social media on Saturday. Perry is in the midst of the March leg of dates of her Play Las Vegas residency at The Theatre at Resorts World resort and casino. Explore Explore Katy Perry See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news On Thursday, a federal appeals court refused to reinstate a $2.8 million copyright infringement verdict against Perry over her 2013 single “Dark Horse,” ruling that the two songs named share only basic musical “building blocks.” Back in 2014, rapper Marcus Gray had sued Pe...
How a 2-Year Delay Changed ATEEZ’s First U.S. Arena Tour & Inspired Their Next Steps
When ATEEZ returned to America for the first time since 2019, the breakout K-pop group wasn’t as much amazed by upgrading from 800-person-capacity clubs to sold-out arenas as they were with finally reuniting with the actual people in the audience. “We just saw them on screens for two years, but now finally we see each other,” says Hongjoong, ATEEZ’s bubbly leader who turns into the fervent and fiery captain onstage. “When we were in Korea, we had online fan meetings with many American fans, but it felt like we were watching them on TV. It’s really amazing to see them in person; it’s almost unbelievable.” Explore Explore ATEEZ See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news With puppy-like energy palpable as they hang out together, hardly any question for ATEEZ g...
Ukraine’s ‘Cellar Violinist’ Plays on Amid Heaving Bombing
A gentle tune from a violin played by a musician who has been dubbed Ukraine’s “cellar violinist” is a lullaby for a child sheltered in the dark basement of an apartment building in the besieged Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. Vera Lytovchenko has become an internet icon of resilience as images of the concert violinist playing in the basement bomb shelter have inspired an international audience via social media. When heavy Russian bombing of Ukraine’s northeastern city of Kharkiv started two weeks ago, Lytovchenko, her professor father and neighbors sought safety in their building’s basement. “Bombs can fall everywhere in our city, so we decided to go down in the cellar,” the 39-year-old violinist told The Associated Press via Skype Wednesday during a brief respite from the bombing during a tem...
‘The Masked Singer’ Reveals McTerrier After On-Stage Howler
‘The Masked Singer got its seventh season underway with an episode that’ll be remembered for its comedy of errors, and for the fact its most controversial contestant remains in the game. On Wednesday night, the hit Fox series sent home its first participant, the celebrity working the McTerrier costume. Wearing a kilt and sporran, the upright hound rocked out from behind the drum kit before making his way to the mic for a performance of Loverboy’s “Working for the Weekend”. McTerrier’s effort was dogged with problems. In one awkward moment, the man-sized terrier managed to knock the mask right off his costume. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Behind it was Duff Goldman, The Food Network star and renowned baker. The on-stage blunders weren’t missed by viewers back home. “Mask...
Japan’s Online Vocaloid Scene’s Influence on Current J-Pop Mainstream, Explained
Fifteen years since the release of the groundbreaking singing voice synthesizer software Hatsune Miku in 2007, Vocaloid has become an essential part of the current J-pop landscape. Numerous artists whose music careers got started by producing and sharing tracks made with Vocaloid software — “Vocalo” is now a J-pop sub-genre and its producers are collectively called “Vocalo-P” in Japanese — have broken into the mainstream, including hitmakers Yonezu Kenshi and YOASOBI, who have dominated the Japan charts in recent years. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Why have so many gifted artists emerged from the Vocaloid scene? What are some of the factors that led to Vocalo-P creators becoming solo singer-songwriters or forming groups with other artists to...
Eminem Makes History as Most-Certified Artist For Singles in RIAA Gold & Platinum Program History
The Recording Industry Association of America crowned Eminem a Diamond King on Tuesday (March 8) when it announced that Marshall Mathers had reached yet another gilded career high when he became the number-one awarded musician for singles in the RIAA’s Gold & Platinum certifications program thanks to 73.5 million new certifications. Explore See latest videos, charts and news “These awards recognize Eminem’s unflinching commitment to his craft and the enduring connection he has forged with fans over the last twenty years,” said RIAA Chairman/CEO Mitch Glazier in a statement. “With today’s announcement, Eminem becomes the top certified singles artist in our program’s history and adds a rare third Diamond Album to his many creative accomplishments. Congratulations to Eminem and his entire...
