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Powderfinger Prep Album of Unreleased Material for 20th Anniversary of ‘Odyssey Number Five’
First, the virtual gig. Now Powderfinger will open the vault to celebrate a year of special anniversaries. The cherished Australian rockers are compiling an album of 10 unreleased recordings, set for release later this year. It’s led by the single “Day By Day,” due to drop Sept. 18, the first new material from the band since 2009’s Golden Rule. The five-piece rediscovered the tracks as they scoured the archives ahead of the 20th anniversary release of Odyssey Number Five, their ARIA Award-winning, chart topping fourth studio album. “We trawled through our hard drives and went, ‘This is actually a pretty good bunch of songs here,'” Powderfinger guitarist Darren Middleton said Monday (Aug. 31) in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “‘...
Brandy vs. Monica in ‘Verzuz’ Battle of R&B Titans: See Billboard’s Scorecard & Winner For the Event
All it took was a staggering 1.2 million viewers on Instagram alone during Brandy and Monica’s Verzuz battle Monday night (Aug. 31) to remind the world how next-level their respective catalogs are. After being pitted against each other for more than two decades following their classic 1998 duet “The Boy Is Mine,” the reverence shared between two of modern R&B’s most renowned stars was a joy to see. Not only were fans able to watch the singers celebrate each other’s successes — amidst a few moments of somewhat unavoidable tension — but they also received a message from Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris, who called in with a live video message for the two stars, thanking them for their contributions to the culture and using the platf...
Johnny Depp Seeks Defamation Trial Delay
The novel coronavirus pandemic has shifted release calendars and postponed productions in Hollywood and abroad — and the delay of the latest installment of the Fantastic Beasts franchise has created an “irreconcilable conflict” for Johnny Depp. Filming is now expected to extend into early 2021, overlapping with the trial in his defamation suit against Amber Heard. The actor in March 2019 sued his ex-wife for defamation over an op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post titled “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.” Depp isn’t mentioned by name, but in Virginia (where he’s suing and the Post has its printing presses) plaintiffs can pursue claims for defamation by inference, implication or insinuation. O...
This Certainly Was a VMAs Fit For 2020
Was it really only last year where the VMAs were held at the Prudential Center in New Jersey — with Megan Thee Stallion relegated to the pre-show, Taylor Swift opening the ceremonies with two songs from her then-new album Lover, and host Sebastian Maniscalco cracking jokes about emotional support animals for “triggered” viewers in attendance? Hard to tell which part of that most makes the 2019 VMAs feel like a lifetime ago, but suffice to say, it was a very different MTV Video Music Awards that greeted fans on Sunday night (Aug. 30). With Brooklyn’s Barclays Center a late scratch as the 2020 event’s planned venue, the night’s performances, awards, and host segments (courtesy of engaging hyphenate Keke Palmer) all at least seemed pre-taped — ac...
The Killers Rule Australia’s Albums Chart With ‘Imploding The Mirage’
The Killers are kings of the Australian albums chart as Imploding The Mirage (Island/Universal) debuts at No. 1, while Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion and BTS flex up on the national singles chart. With Mirage, the Las Vegas alternative rock outfit earn a third No. 1 on the ARIA chart and an eighth Top 10 album in Australia. It’s the followup to their 2017, chart-topping set Wonderful Wonderful. Mirage also blasts to No. 1 in the U.K. with 50,000 first-week chart sales. Aussie pop artist Troye Sivan returns with his In A Dream EP (via EMI), new at No. 3. The six-track set is Sivan’s first title to hit the ARIA Albums Chart since his sophomore album Bloom, which peaked at No. 3 in September 2018. Also new to the Top 10 this week is Cannot Buy My Soul: The Songs Of Kev Carmody (EMI),...
Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘WAP’ Takes Slim Lead In U.K. Chart Race
It’s early days, but the U.K. chart race is shaping as a classic. Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” (Atlantic) is fast out the gate. The hip-hop track takes top spot on the Official Chart: First Look, which gauges the hottest hits following the weekend’s sales and streaming activity. Cardi and Megan won’t be popping the champagne corks just yet. Their tune is just 80 chart sales ahead of Joel Corry and MNEK’s “Head & Heart” (Asylum/Perfect Havoc), which has ruled the weekly chart for six cycles. “WAP” bowed at No. 4 earlier this month, logged two weeks at No. 2 but has never hit the summit. In other chart news, U.S. rapper and singer 24kGoldn is poised for his first U.K. Top 10 single with “Mood” (Black Butter) featuring Iann Dior. Powered by viral videos on TikTok, it’s up...
‘Black Panther,’ ‘Get on Up’ Star Chadwick Boseman Dies at 43
Actor Chadwick Boseman, who played Black icons Jackie Robinson and James Brown before finding fame as the regal Black Panther in the Marvel cinematic universe, died Friday of cancer, his representative said. He was 43. Boseman died at his home in the Los Angeles area with his wife and family by his side, his publicist Nicki Fioravante told The Associated Press. Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer four years ago, his family said in a statement. “A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much,” his family said in the statement. “From Marshall to Da 5 Bloods, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and several more- all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy. It was the honor of his career t...
US Music Venues Will Light Up Red on Sept. 1 to Demand Passage of The Restart Act
Music venues across the U.S. will bathe their facilities in red light on Tuesday evening to encourage Congress to pass the Restart Act, which would provide much-needed assistance for millions of Americans who have lost income due to the pandemic. Spearheaded by the #WeMakeEvents coalition, the #RedAlertRESTART campaign seeks to bring awareness to the dire situation live music faces if Capitol Hill does not supply support for venues that have been shuttered since mid-March in order to slow the spread of COVID-19. From 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. PST on Tuesday night, music venues nationwide will be lit red to highlight that the live events industry is on red alert for its survival. The campaign is also coming out in support of ExtendPUA.org, which is lobbying for the continuation ...
The 13 Best Things That Happened in Music This Week (August 28)
If you’re just waking up on this glorious Friday, you’re about to discover what much of Twitter already knows: Selena Gomez and Blackpink’s epic new collaboration “Ice Cream” has arrived. We know what we’ll be doing for the next few days: “Ice cream chillin’, chillin’, ice cream chillin’!” Plus, we’re heading into VMAs weekend, and you can brush up on your music video history ahead of the big night by checking out our list of the 100 greatest music video artists of all time. Take a look at all of that — and more of the week’s biggest music happenings — below. Taylor Swift’s Folklore ruled for a fourth week Swift’s latest set topped the Billboard 200 chart once again, with 101,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Aug. 20. Billboard’s...
Like Betty White and Fine Wine, SiriusXM Host Jeannie Seely Gets Better With Age
Were COVID-19 not in the way, Jeannie Seely would have held court at the SOURCE Awards on Aug. 25, co-hosting an event that celebrates the women who are instrumental in the growth of Nashville’s music business. Seely would’ve swapped jokes and one-liners with Brenda Lee about height and aging, likely with a little sexual innuendo thrown in to keep the crowd laughing, handling the spotlight at age 80 as well as she ever has in over 50 years as a Music City artist. Seely has been a Grand Ole Opry member since 1967, the same year that she won a Grammy for her signature song, “Don’t Touch Me.” But her comfort and command of the stage have her living out her golden years as a veritable golden girl, country’s version of Betty White. “IR...
Smashing Pumpkins Return With ‘Cyr’ and ‘The Colour of Love,’ Confirm New Album Is Coming
The Smashing Pumpkins are getting ready to smash it up once more with a brand new studio album, kicked off by the new tracks “Cyr” and “The Colour of Love.” Recorded in Chicago and produced by frontman Billy Corgan, the two tunes and the others to come feature Corgan and his fellow founding members James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin, along with longtime guitarist Jeff Schroeder. The synth-powered “Cyr” has a retro sonic sheen, and it’s accompanied with an official performance video, directed by the Pumpkins’ creative partner Linda Strawberry. Released early Friday (Aug. 28), it’s a snapshot of 2020. A commentary on these strange times. “This is a goth fever dream of pent up emotion – an artistic visual release attempting to create a momentary escape from the emotional black cl...
RBD’s Catalog Coming Soon to All Streaming Platforms
When RBD performed their last concert on Dec. 22, 2008 in Madrid, the world said goodbye to a Mexican band that became an unstoppable force, thanks to their hit telenovela Rebelde and a series of coming-of-age pop anthems featuring members Anahí, Alfonso Herrera, Dulce María, Christian Chavez, Maite Perroni and Christopher von Uckermann. The group’s music has been hard to find as well, given its absence on streaming services. You could consider yourself lucky if you had a physical copy of one of their chart-topping albums or had attended one of their sold-out concerts around the world. But 12 years later, RBD’s catalog is set to be made available across all digital streaming platforms as of midnight Sept. 4. Why the catalog wasn’t available before is a complex story ...
