Kanye West has responded to being dropped by several major partnerships, including Adidas, CAA, MRC and Balenciaga. “Ari Emanuel. I lost 2 billion dollars in one day. And I’m still alive. This is love speech. I still love you. God still loves you. The money is not who I am. The people is who I
Music
Taylor Swift made a surprise appearance during Bon Iver’s Oct. 26 concert at London’s OVO Arena Wembley, during which she and frontman Justin Vernon sang their duet “Exile” together in person for the first time. They were also joined on stage at Thursday’s show by “The National” musician Aaron Dessner, who produced Swift’s 2020 albums
Jerry Lee Lewis remains alive, despite a report from TMZ that the rock ‘n roll pioneer had died. The story set off a wave of mourning before it was retracted by the site Wednesday. “He’s alive. TMZ reported erroneously off of a bullshit anonymous tip,” Lewis’ rep told Variety. Lewis has been known to be
Motley Crue guitarist and founding member Mick Mars will no longer tour with the band, although he will continue as a member, a rep for the musician tells Variety. The full statement reads: Mick Mars, co-founder and lead guitarist of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe for the past 41 years, has announced today that
I’ll admit it. I used to think pop stars who canceled tours “due to exhaustion” were just being divas, or worse-yet, downplaying a major drug or alcohol problem… until I suffered a breakdown on tour that effectively ended my career as a performing musician and sent me into a tailspin of depression, anxiety and alcoholism
Taylor Swift’s music video for “Midnights” lead single “Anti-Hero” has been edited to remove a scene that shows her stepping on a bathroom scale that read “fat.” Variety can confirm the music video on Apple Music no longer shows the scale, instead, Swift’s anti-hero clone just looks at her with a face of disappointment. The
Selena Gomez will not be appearing on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” tonight (Oct. 26), due to the singer contracting COVID. Gomez uploaded a photo of herself lying on a couch on the morning of her scheduled appearance to her Instagram story and informed her fans of the cancellation. “I’m not going to be
On Saturday afternoon, hours before Kendrick Lamar’s sold-out second date at Paris’ Accor Arena, the darkened venue was buzzing with exponentially more activity than one usually sees even before a big show. Along with the usual tour personnel were dozens of camera operators and other technicians hunched over laptops, sound boards, lighting panels and a
As Israel continues to lead in content creation for the screen, companies are starting to pay closer attention to musical talent the country can offer. In July 2021, Universal Music Group opened a Tel Aviv outpost housing recorded music and publishing units, run by managing director Yoram Mokady and general manager Itamar Shafrir, respectively. A
During a performance of Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit” in New Orleans on Oct. 21, the chart-topping musician had a short and direct response to being hit with a camera that a concert-goer threw on stage. In fan videos captured from the balcony of the Orpheum Theater, Lacy put a halt to his show to tell
For years, there has been one quick solution to at least partially remedy the low royalty payments most musicians receive from streaming services: Raise subscription prices. In the past several years, streaming has revived a music industry that had seen its revenue literally cut in half due to illegal downloading and plummeting CD sales. Yet
A documentary about the life and career of Ed Sheeran is in the works. “We are shooting a documentary at the moment about my life, and there was a big conversation about what we include,” Sheeran explained to UK tabloid The Sun. The singer has been on tour for much of 2022 in support of
With each passing day, more companies pile on Kanye West for his repeated anti-Semitic statements. First it was Balenciaga, then Vogue; it took a while for Adidas to follow but they came around as well. Four different Hollywood talent agencies have spoken out against West, who has yet to back down. But West wasn’t the
On the charts for the week ending Oct. 20: Lil Baby logs his third No. 1 album to top the Billboard 200 with “It’s Only Me.” Fueled by 216,000 album equivalent units out the gate in the U.S., the Atlanta rapper previously peaked at the top spot with 2021’s “The Voice of the Heroes” (a collaborative
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Baby pink is swapped out for lavender in Glossier’s new collaboration with Olivia Rodrigo, marking the beauty brand’s first-ever partnership with a celebrity since its founding in 2014. Anyone familiar with the teen sensation
Jane’s Addiction has pulled out of five shows they were scheduled to play on the “Spirits on Fire Tour” with Smashing Pumpkins due to frontman Perry Farrell’s unspecified injury. In a statement uploaded by the band on social media, Farrell explained he had sustained an injury “that resulted in my inability to perform” after their
As Kanye West continues to double down on his antisemitic comments and Adidas becomes the latest company to sever business ties with him — following Balenciaga, his former agency CAA and others — it is no surprise that attention has turned to his music relationships, specifically his label situation and streaming services. This is a road we
The initial rollout of performers for the 2022 CMA Awards includes Miranda Lambert, Kelsea Ballerini, Carrie Underwood, Morgan Wallen and Lainey Wilson, the Country Music Association announced Tuesday, just a little more than two weeks in advance of the Nov. 9 telecast. The show will open with an all-star tribute to the late Loretta Lynn.
Sports brand Adidas has terminated its partnership with Kanye West over his antisemitic comments in a move it estimates will impact its bottom line by up to €250 million ($246 million) this year alone, the company said Tuesday. In a statement, the sneaker brand, referring to West by his “Ye” pseudonym, said: “Adidas does not
Singer-wongwriter Rita Ora and Oscar and Grammy-winning writer, director and actor Taika Waititi will host the MTV European Music Awards (EMAs) 2022. The awards will broadcast live from Düsseldorf, Germany on Nov. 13 on MTV in more than 170 countries and on Pluto TV in select territories across the U.S., Latin America and Europe and
Having not released a second of music or video imagery from “Midnights” prior to that album’s release four nights ago, Taylor Swift is making up for lost time. She’s released the second music video for a song from the album just days after the first, with “Bejeweled” hitting the Swift-isphere hot on the heels of
Taylor Swift’s “Midnights” has become the first album to register a million units in a week in five years. The last album to do it? Taylor Swift’s “Reputation,” all the way back in 2017. Moreover, “Midnights” accomplished the feat in just its first three days on the market. Luminate tells Variety that the new record
The period-appropriate ‘80s pop hits assembled for Netflix’s “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” by veteran music supervisor Amanda Krieg Thomas provides a welcome contrast to Nick Cave and Warren Ellis’ eerie, otherworldly and ominous score. Thomas, who has worked with Ryan Murphy and his production head Alexis Martin Woodall on “Pose,” “American Horror Story: Apocalypse”
The first When We Were Young festival has come to an end. The pop-punk event, which included performances by My Chemical Romance, Paramore, Avril Lavigne, Taking Back Sunday and many more, started out on a rocky foot as they were forced to cancel day one due to high winds. Luckily, Sunday’s show was able to
Two weeks of controversy have caused consumption of Kanye West’s music to drop precipitously. According to the latest data from Luminate, albums by Kanye West (who now goes by Ye) are down 23% (through Oct. 20, as compared to the previous week) and airplay (spins on radio) has dropped off to the tune of 13%
On the heels of YoungBoy Never Broke Again‘s “The Last Slimeto” album, which was released on Aug. 5 as the rapper’s final obligation to Atlantic Records, Variety has confirmed that the artist — also known as NBA YoungBoy — has signed a deal with Motown. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but signing
The Latin Recording Academy has announced additional performers for the 23rd annual Latin Grammy Awards, including current nominees and past winners Ángela Aguilar, Marc Anthony, Banda Los Recoditos, Carin León, Nicky Jam and Sin Bandera. Aguilar is nominated for best ranchero/mariachi album for “Mexicana Enamorada” and best regional song for “Ahí Donde Me Ven.” Anthony
Kim Kardashian voiced her support of the Jewish community in wake of her ex-husband Kanye West’s repeated antisemitic remarks. “Hate speech is never OK or excusable,” she wrote Monday on Twitter. “I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end.”
Colombian reggaeton star Karol G has achieved what a select few of her countrymen can lay claim to: she is a household name in the U.S. Credit the American teenagers who’ve embraced La Bichota as one of their own, with admiration and respect. “I feel like a great part of my success so far has
Mariah Carey has announced her latest Christmas revue – titled “Merry Christmas To All!” – which celebrates the singer’s repertoire of classic holiday songs. The two-date only run will be on December 11 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada and December 13 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. Presented by Live Nation, the “Merry Christmas To All!” shows will