Music

Nearly a half-century has passed since Elvis left the building, permanently.  Australian auteur Baz Luhrmann has just unleashed “Elvis,” his big, bold, nearly three-hour biopic, at Cannes and that Warner Bros. bet appears to have paid off. The film is starting its march toward theaters with an 87% Rotten Tomatoes score, though that ebullient aggregate

“To be or not to be, that is no longer the question,” declared ABBA co-founder and musical mastermind Benny Andersson at the start of “ABBA Voyage,” the Swedish quartet’s first “concert” in over 40 years. And if that sounds like a curiously existential way to begin a pop concert, well, this is no ordinary live

Harry Styles has issued a statement following the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, demanding an end to gun violence. The Tuesday shooting resulted in the deaths of 19 children and two teachers, leading to calls to action on social media from politicians, civic leaders and Hollywood figures alike. Styles joined the chorus on Friday,

Epic Records has promoted Ayanna Wilks to vice president of publicity and has hired Natalie Geday as VP of publicity as well. Both report to Melissa Victor, SVP and head of publicity for the Sony Music label. Both are based in Los Angeles. Wilks (pictured at left) was previously senior director of public relations and

Before Tate McRae wanted to be a singer or dancer, she wanted to fly. “I’ve always been kind of obsessed with the concept of flying,” McRae tells Variety. “When I was younger, people would always say, ‘What do you want to do when you grow up?’ And when I was a baby, I’m like, ‘I want

Angel Olsen has released a gorgeous cover of Bob Dylan’s “One Too Many Mornings” as part of the soundtrack for the Apple TV+ series “Shining Girls,” with all of Olsen’s proceeds from the streaming royalties of the song going to Everytown for Gun Safety, which is billed as the largest gun violence prevention organization in

Olivia Rodrigo probably isn’t begging to be compared to Paul McCartney. No one would wish that on a superstar — we can call her that now, right? — who just turned 19 years three months ago. But with Rodrigo’s two very sold-out appearances at the Greek this week following so closely on the heels of

Erykah Badu, executive producer of the forthcoming documentary about late jazz and R&B trumpeter Roy Hargrove, wastes no time in elaborating on the influence her collaborator and high school classmate exerted on her life and career. “It started with Roy,” says Badu, who first met Hargrove in 1985, when she was a freshman at Dallas’

If you live in a New York apartment and had reason to step out recently, check your Ring doorbell cam footage —  you may have missed a knock on the door from Harry Styles and James Corden. In a segment for “The Late Late Show With James Corden” which aired Thursday night, James Corden offers

UPDATED: Following Don McLean, Larry Gatlin and Larry Stewart, right-wing country singer Lee Greenwood announced that he is pulling out of the concert scheduled to take place at the NRA rally in Houston over Memorial Day weekend, followed in short order by T. Graham Brown and Danielle Peck. Their departures leave the concert with one

In 2006, Fergie summoned long-time collaborator and record executive Ron Fair to help produce her first solo album, “The Dutchess.” The 13-track collection included the singer’s now-quintessential No.1 hit, “Glamorous,” which has recently found itself buzzing again thanks to Jack Harlow’s interpolation of the track for “First Class,” the Louisville rapper’s first solo No. 1

Andy “Fletch” Fletcher, keyboardist and one of the founding members of iconic British electronic band Depeche Mode, has died. He was 60. The news was announced via Depeche Mode’s official Twitter account, which posted the news Thursday afternoon. “Fletch had a true heart of gold, and was always there when you needed support, a lively

The main title credits to “Top Gun: Maverick” are both surprising and confusing: “Music by Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga and Hans Zimmer. Score produced by Lorne Balfe.” That may sound like a musical mess, but aside from Gaga, all the players have connections to the original “Top Gun” or each other through previous collaborations. Berlin-based

A day after Puerto Rico federal judge sentenced Raphy Pina — Daddy Yankee and Natti Natasha‘s manager — to three years and five months in prison on an illegal possession of firearms conviction, the music executive was hospitalized at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Guaynabo after his sugar levels spiked, his lawyers confirmed via Univision

Alan White, longtime drummer of progressive-rock titans Yes who also played with John Lennon and George Harrison, died Thursday at his Seattle home after a short illness, his family and the band reported on social media. No further details were immediately announced; he was 72. His family added in a Facebook post: “Throughout his life

“I love my country like a little boy,” Jeff Tweedy sings on “Cruel Country,” the title track of Wilco’s twelfth studio album. “I love my country, stupid and cruel.” That sentiment rears its head throughout “Cruel Country,” a sprawling, cozy double-LP. Tweedy channels his admiration for America’s promise into warm, welcoming vistas deeply reverent of

Singer-songwriter and rabble-rouser M.I.A has signed with Island Records and returns with a brand-new track titled ‘The One.’ Produced by Rex Kudo & T-Minus. The track comes with confirmation that a new album titled ‘MATA’ is on the way. According to the announcement, M.I.A will be performing live at cities and festivals around the world

With “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” debuting Friday on Disney+, English composer Natalie Holt becomes the first woman to score a live-action “Star Wars” project, on the heels of her success with Marvel’s “Loki.” She spent four months on the project, including two months in Los Angeles recording with many of the same musicians who recorded John Williams’

A day after Don McLean pulled out of the NRA’s Memorial Day concert in Houston scheduled for this weekend, Larry Gatlin and Larry Stewart of Restless Heart have pulled out as well. The concert is part of a larger rally organized by the National Rifle Association, featuring speeches from former President Donald Trump, Texas Governor

Veteran music promoter, filmmaker and venue owner Peter Shapiro is lifting the curtain on a career that spans 10,000 concerts. “The Music Never Stops: What Putting on 10,000 Shows Has Taught Me About Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Magic,” will be released by Hachette Books on August 2. Described as “perhaps the most notable

President Joe Biden will welcome superstar South Korean group BTS to the White House on Tuesday to “discuss Asian inclusion and representation” and to “address anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination,” according to an announcement from the White House released Thursday. Biden and the group “will also discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion and BTS’

Universal Music Enterprises (UMe), the catalog division of Universal Music Group, has promoted Sujata Murthy to executive vice president of media & artist relations, effective immediately. In her role, Ms. Murthy will continue to be responsible for the label’s media department and oversee press strategy and campaigns, as well as work closely with artists, managers and estates

The first news about a virtual ABBA show broke in 2016. Six years later, “Voyage” is set to open at the purpose-built 3,000-seat ABBA Arena in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Along the way, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus wrote two new songs for the show and reunited with Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid (Frida) Lyngstad

Justin Timberlake, one of the most successful pop singers of the past 20 years, has sold a song catalog to Hipgnosis Song Management, the company has announced. Hipgnosis has acquired 100% of all of Justin Timberlake’s copyright, ownership and financial interests of the writer and publisher’s share of public performance income, and the catalog of musical compositions written

Sony Music Group (SMG) chairman Rob Stringer touted a strong fiscal year (for the period between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021) and revealed plans to expand the company’s Legacy Unrecouped Balance Program in a briefing to the company’s senior executives and investors delivered on May 25. Speaking from New York, Stringer hailed what

“Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart” won big at the Game Audio Network Guild Awards, scooping four prizes including audio of the year. On Wednesday night, the Game Audio Network Guild announced the winners of their annual ceremony celebrating the music, dialogue and sound design of this year’s greatest games. The virtual event was streamed via

In the longtime parlance of music retail, the vinyl format’s biggest enthusiasts over the years are sometimes known as “crate diggers.” But it might be time to put that image to bed… unless you consider the display racks at Target to be crates, and the young women who are flipping through contemporary releases by Harry

Mulan was my childhood icon. After seeing her face and recognizing something similar in mine, I decided that I also wanted to cut my hair off in an act of 5-year-old defiance. With my Papa’s nose hair trimmers, that was. And for a long time, Mulan was one of the very few characters I saw

Elvis Presley, with the exception of the Beatles, is the most mythological figure in the history of popular music. That makes him a singularly tempting figure to build a biopic around. But it also makes telling his story a unique challenge. Everything about Elvis (the rise, the fall, all that came in between) is so

Brandy upheld her promise to “murk” Jack Harlow in rap and “sing his ass to sleep,” dropping punchy bars for her own rendition of “First Class” that premiered on Hot 97’s “Ebro in the Morning” show on Wednesday. The nearly two-minute freestyle is in response to Harlow’s interview with that same outlet where he couldn’t