Music

January 22, 2020 2:30PM PT Rapper Juice Wrld’s cause of death was confirmed as an accidental oxycodone and codeine overdose, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed. The singer died Dec. 8 after suffering a seizure at Chicago’s Midway Airport. He was 21 years old. The Medical Examiner’s Office has determined the cause and manner of

Jenna Andrews, the Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and executive, hosted a pre-Grammy event in partnership with The Jed Foundation at Alice and Olivia in West Hollywood on Tuesday.  The non-profit Jed is dedicated to protecting emotional health and preventing suicide. The foundation has partnered with high schools and colleges in order to “strengthen mental health,

A statement from the women of the executive committee of the Recording Academy was released to members on Wednesday afternoon. In it, Tammy Hurt, Christine Albert, Leslie Ann Jones and Terry Jones lament the “heartbreaking firestorm that has been unleashed.” Although they don’t address ousted CEO Deborah Dugan by name, or her predecessor Neil Portnow

She may not carry the weighty name recognition of Max Martin, Dr. Luke or Ryan Tedder, but Sarah Aarons is responsible for co-writing two of the biggest pop hits of the last three years: “Stay,” by Zedd and Alessia Cara, and “The Middle,” by Zedd, Maren Morris, and Grey. Both went top 10 in the

Jaws dropped when it was revealed that the late musical theater titans Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were granted 90% of the songwriting royalties on “7 Rings,” Ariana Grande’s 2019 No. 1 hit. The dominant motif of Grande’s song is taken from “My Favorite Things,” the cornerstone of R&H’s 1959 musical “The Sound of

January 22, 2020 1:01PM PT In the latest twist in the ongoing drama around the Recording Academy, ousted CEO Deborah Dugan will appear — live — on “Good Morning America” tomorrow, a rep at the network confirmed to Variety. The appearance will likely heat up an already explosive situation in the run-up to the Grammy

The most explosive of many allegations in ousted Recording Academy Deborah Dugan’s complaint against the organization Tuesday was a claim that her predecessor, Neil Portnow, had been accused of rape a “foreign” singer who was a member of the Academy, and that Academy executives were aware of it at the time of Dugan’s hiring. On

“I feel really really good about not being muzzled anymore, and it was my own doing,” Taylor Swift reveals in the first trailer for her Netflix documentary, “Miss Americana.” The singer and songwriter gets candid in behind-the-scenes footage, saying, “Throughout my whole career label executives would just say: ‘A nice girl doesn’t force their opinions

Rüfüs Du Sol’s profile in America has been steadily on the rise the past five years, thanks in no small part to incessant touring — the trio has played everywhere from Michigan’s Electric Forest to such festivals as San Diego’s CRSSD. Since their 2015 breakthrough single in the United States, “You Were Right,” the act

The first Christmas back after leaving home can be an anxiety-provoking experience, as countless college students would attest. What was it like for Montero Lamar Hill, the 20-year-old who reinvented himself as Lil Nas X, to return to Atlanta after spending the previous year building to six Grammy nominations and charting the biggest song, well,

Selena Gomez’s “Rare” came in at No. 1 to top the Rolling Stone albums chart this week, debuting with 108,600 units. In a narrow victory, that put it just a hair ahead of Roddy Ricch’s still powerful December release “Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial,” which landed at No. 2 with 106,600 album units for

Amid the multiple claims in former Recording Academy boss Deborah Dugan’s blockbuster complaint against the organization is a section that is deeply critical of the Grammy Awards nominating processes and essentially accuses it of insider dealing and corruption. Its allegations, if true, suggest worst-case scenarios, many involving the Board of Trustees that ultimately controls the

Let the music play, indeed. The Grammys are just days away and dozens of parties are happening every night this week leading up to the big day, Sunday, Jan. 26. And the partying continues with several bashes following the ceremony. (All events listed are by invitation only unless marked otherwise; this list is being updated

Neil Portnow, the former CEO of the Recording Academy, stepped down after being accused of raping an unnamed recording artist, according to a blockbuster claim filed on Tuesday by his successor. Deborah Dugan alleges she was forced out of the CEO job last week after lodging a complaint in December about sexual harassment, voting irregularities

Michael Jackson’s estate and BMI have renewed their pact for the publishing rights organization to represent the late singer’s songwriting catalog, as it has since 1979. The length of the new deal was not announced, but it was last reupped in 2014. “The influence of Michael Jackson’s revolutionary music is undeniable,” Mike O’Neill, BMI’s president

January 21, 2020 10:58AM PT Darren Baber has joined Warner Records as senior vice president of media and strategic development. He arrives from Epic Records where he worked with such acts as Fifth Harmony, Meghan Trainor and Camila Cabello. Based in Los Angeles, Baber reports to executive vice president of media and strategic development Laura Swanson.

Though his latest few films haven’t fared well at the box office, John Travolta can still crank out a hit on the residential front. The still-busy veteran actor and his wife Kelly Preston have secretly sold their longtime estate in L.A.’s prestigious Brentwood neighborhood for a whopping $18 million, as was first uncovered by the

January 21, 2020 9:03AM PT The country music television network that started the “Next Women of Country” franchise is now promising to be “Half Women of Country.” CMT announced Tuesday that all of its music video programming blocks will consist of 50% female artists from here on out. “Effective immediately all music video hours on

Amy Doyle is exiting her post as general manager of MTV, VH1 and other ViacomCBS cable networks. Doyle had been with Viacom since 1999 and had become a key lieutenant of Chris McCarthy, head of ViacomCBS’ Entertainment and Youth unit that houses MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, Paramount Network and other cable brands and production units.

“Not a shot. Not a single chance. Not a snowball’s chance in hell.” Taylor Swift — who, at 30, has reached a Zen state of cheerful realism — laughs as she leans into a pillow she’s placed over her crossed legs inside her suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, leaning further still into her infinitesimal odds of winning

January 21, 2020 5:30AM PT Music and entertainment law firm Rothenberg, Mohr & Binder LLP has promoted Tiffany R. Almy to partner. The New York-based transactional attorney joined the firm when it opened its doors in 2018. Founded by Paul Rothenberg, Jeremy Mohr and Joshua P. Binder, the trio’s combined clients have included Solange, Charlie

The latest USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative study, titled Inclusion in the Recording Studio?, was released today, the third authored by Dr. Stacy L. Smith. Among its findings: Female songwriters now count for 14.4% of the most popular songs, up from 11.6% in 2018. Even still, more than half (56.4%) of the 800 songs examined by

UPDATED: As the war of words between the Recording Academy and ousted president/CEO Deborah Dugan continues to escalate, interim boss Harvey Mason Jr. today issued a statement to the Academy’s membership about Dugan’s alleged misconduct and warned about “leaks and misinformation.” The letter claims that Dugan’s attorney Bryan Freedman sought “millions of dollars” for his

UPDATED: As the war of words between the Recording Academy and ousted president/CEO Deborah Dugan continues to escalate, interim boss Harvey Mason Jr. today issued a statement to the Academy’s membership about Dugan’s alleged misconduct and warned about “leaks and misinformation.” The letter claims that Dugan’s attorney Bryan Freedman sought “millions of dollars” for his

Since Mac Miller’s posthumous album, “Circles,” came out Friday, many fans have been convinced they heard Ariana Grande’s voice on the track “I Can See.” The late rapper’s reps responded to queries with a “no comment.” Now, his ex-girlfriend’s vocal cameo has been confirmed — or equivocally confirmed, at least — by the record’s producer,

With his 2017 self-titled debut album, Mura Masa — a.k.a. 23-year-old Channel Islands spawn Alex Crossan — was nominated for two Grammys, including Best Dance Album, and later won one for his remix of Haim’s “Walking Away.” Guests on the album ranged from A$AP Rocky and Charli XCX to Blur/Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn and Desiigner.

In the latest twist in the increasingly bitter exit of Deborah Dugan from the Recording Academy after just five months, the ousted president/CEO is about to face a lawsuit from her former assistant, Claudine Little, who has retained former Harvey Weinstein/ Charlie Walk attorney Patty Glaser to represent her, two sources tell Variety. The news was

When “Curb Your Enthusiasm” returns for its much-anticipated 10th season it does so with it a musical theme that’s a prime example of recognizable sonic branding and has become synonymous with comedy in our complicated times: “Frolic” by composer Luciano Michelini. But surprisingly, this comic march for tuba, mandolin and piano wasn’t specifically written for

Do you remember the classic Bee Gees song that goes, “I started a joke… that started the whole world crying”? (It’s okay if you don’t.) That’s how I felt this week after realizing that a sarcastic tweet I’d typed out in a half-minute at a stoplight led to a social media firestorm, then a tempest of

iHeartRadio celebrated the alternative stars of its airwaves on Saturday night with AlterEgo, inviting the likes of Billie Eilish, Coldplay, Blink-182 and the Black Keys to Los Angeles’ the Forum. Eilish kicked off the show — a solid strategy in getting the younger set to get in on time — with hits like “Bad Guy,”