Music

It’s been a curious month for the U.K. music biz, with events dominated by the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Her passing was announced just as the industry was descending on the Mercury Prize with Free Now awards in Hammersmith, West London – a ceremony that was abruptly pulled, despite 11 of the 12 nominated

In a big win for creative expression, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed The Decriminalizing Artistic Expression Act, which restricts the use of rap lyrics as evidence in court in California. In August, the Calif. Senate and Assembly unanimously approved the bill, AB 2799. Speaking to the importance of the legislation at a virtual bill signing ceremony

Warner Bros. Discovery has announced the finalists for its Warner Bros. Discovery Access Music Supervisor program, which gives creative voices from historically underrepresented communities the training and tools to gain experience in television and film music supervision. The six selected participants, Mjeema Pickett, Tiffany Gouché, A.D. Johnson, Matthew Wang, Nikki Marshall and Willy Rodriguez, will

Emmy Award-winning actor, writer and producer Eugene Levy and “Sex In the City” creator Darren Star are among those who will be honored at the Gala next month. The Creative Community for Peace (CCFP), an apolitical organization made up of prominent members of the entertainment industry dedicated to promoting the arts as a means to

Two decades ago, as the turn-of-the-century NYC indie-rock scene burst out of its East Village and Williamsburg incubators, few probably expected that the Yeah Yeah Yeahs would end up having the most wide-ranging career of the bunch. After all, a trio consisting of a wiz-kid guitarist, powerhouse drummer and a fireball lead singer might have

As has been well documented, the 2018, Scooter Braun-led acquisition of Big Machine Music Group — and the rights to Taylor Swift’s first six albums — caused some controversy. Swift — who had attempted, unsuccessfully, to acquire the rights herself — was outraged, saying she had been blindsided by the deal, and launching not only a

Lizzo made history this week during the Washington D.C. stop of her “The Special Tour” when she performed with a 200-year-old flute once owned by Founding Father and U.S. president James Madison. The flute was gifted to Madison in 1813 and has been maintained by the Library of Congress. “Bitch, I just twerked and played

Brandi Carlile’s IMAX livecast Wednesday evening couldn’t have been better timed in the calendar year, coming just a few days after the equinox. A nationwide live simulcast on IMAX screens pretty much demands a universal start time of 6 p.m. PT/9 ET,  a time frame that, in the last week of September, means a 90-minute

When Scott Mescudi, better known as musician Kid Cudi to most of the world, released his debut studio record “Man on the Moon: The End of Day” in 2009, the latter half of the album included a groovy love anthem called “Enter Galactic (Love Connection Part I).” And though a sequel to the song never

Ed Sheeran must now face a jury trial in regards to accusations that he lifted bits of his 2014 song “Thinking Out Loud” from Marvin Gaye‘s 1972 classic “Let’s Get It On.” The news was first reported by Billboard. The move comes on part of a federal judge who barred the singer-songwriter’s request to toss

Phil Collins and his Genesis bandmates Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford have agreed to sell their publishing copyrights and “a mix of recorded music-income streams” to Concord Music Group, the company confirmed to the Wall Street Journal on Thursday. Sources told the publication the deal was for upward of $300 million. The deal includes the

Demi Lovato’s “Holy Fvck” tour stop in Los Angeles last night came with a nostalgic and unexpected surprise performance from Ashlee Simpson, who has been largely absent from the music world since the late 2000s. Lovato was on stage finishing a performance of her own pop track, “La La Land,” before the notes began to

Fabulous fashion and Katy Perry go hand-in-hand, making her an ideal guest for Season 3 of Mo Heart’s Amazon Music digital series, “The Walk In.” The concept is simple: The “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alum pokes around in the closets of music’s biggest stars to admire their most iconic outfits. In Perry’s case, Heart gets up

Brian Ray, a familiar sight to Paul McCartney fans as a 20-year multi-instrumentalist stalwart in the superstar’s band, has a dream for making Palm Springs a destination on the routing of touring rockers, as well as more of a cultural hub for the arts in general. It’s a dream whose destination is well in sight.

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Show off your love for the Red Hot Chili Peppers in effortlessly cool bucket hats and graphic tees, courtesy of a new collaboration between streetwear brand Noah NY and the iconic rock band. The

Bruce Springsteen will release a new studio comprised of 15 soul music covers on Nov. 11 on Columbia Records. Titled “Only The Strong Survive,” the album features songs from the catalogs of Motown and Stax Records, the songwriting duo of Gamble and Huff and more. The tracklist, which appears below, is like a set from a

Fellow musicians and other entertainers are paying tribute to rapper Coolio, whose songs “Gangsta’s Paradise” was used in “Dangerous Minds” and “Aw, Here It Goes!” in the opening sequence of Nickelodeon’s “Kenan & Kel,” died Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 59. Coolio, born Artis Leon Ivey Jr., also had hits with “Fantastic Voyage” and

Coolio, the Grammy-winning rapper, producer and actor best known for his 1995 hit “Gangsta’s Paradise,” has died. He was 59. The rapper’s longtime manager Jarel Posey confirmed the news to Variety, saying that Coolio died around 5 p.m. PT on Wednesday afternoon. According to TMZ, Coolio was found at a friend’s house. “We are saddened

Jenni Rivera’s children have confirmed new music from the late Mexican music star is on the way, with a posthumous single called “Misión Cumplida” slated to arrive Nov. 2. The song is from a full 11-track album, slated for release on Dec. 9. Rivera’s children — Chiquis, Johnny, Jenicka, Mike, and Jacqie — spoke at

The annual L.A. Phil Gala saluted composer John Williams on his 90th birthday Tuesday with the maestro conducting the orchestra on his “Violin Concerto No. 5.” Anne-Sophie Mutter made the violin sing as she performed on the premiere of his new piece. In his opening remarks on stage for the event, which marks the fall

A teenager and a woman are in custody in the murder of rapper PnB Rock, who was shot fatally on Sept. 12 in Los Angeles, police confirmed to Variety on Wednesday. Police are also searching for the teenager’s father in connection with the murder, whom they say is armed and dangerous. A minor was arrested

Foo Fighters fans flocked to the Kia Forum on Tuesday night for the Los Angeles edition of the Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts, the first of which took place in London earlier this month. Photos of the late drummer — who died suddenly in March at the age of 50 while Foo Fighters were on tour

“How do we make it uniquely ‘Monarch’?” That’s the question music supervisor Amanda Krieg Thomas asks herself before getting to work on each episode of Fox’s new drama series about a country music dynasty. The answer is three-pronged: by having the cast (which includes Susan Sarandon, Trace Adkins and Beth Ditto) tackle country classics, by

The next Paramore era has officially commenced with the Nashville-based band releasing “This Is Why,” its first new single (and music) since 2017. The band also revealed its long-awaited sixth studio album of the same name will be released on Feb. 10 of next year, via Atlantic Records. “Entering back into a world — and

Aton Ben-Horin, the executive vice president of global A&R of Atlantic Records Group, describes himself as a pop obsessive. “I like everything from the most bubblegum pop to the most edgy cool stuff. The common denominator is great songs.” During his tenure at Atlantic Records, where he was recruited by Mike Caren, Warner Music Group’s

When Charli D’Amelio started posting dance videos to TikTok in 2019, the now 18-year-old could never have imagined it would lead to a clothing line with her older sister Dixie, countless brand deals and a family reality show. Despite the stigma that often accompanies the TikTok famous who attempt to transition to Hollywood, the D’Amelios

Welcome to this week’s “Just for Variety.” Lin-Manuel Miranda has a message to the trolls who have targeted their hate at Halle Bailey, star of the live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid” — watch Brandy in “Cinderella.” “I’m old enough to remember that being a game changer for my generation,” Miranda told me during a

Columbia Records has entered into a joint venture with former Capitol Records chairman-CEO Jeff Vaughn to launch Signal Records, the company announced Wednesday. The Los Angeles-based imprint will operate as a new label with Columbia Records of Sony Music Entertainment and begin operations immediately, with an artist roster to be announced in the coming weeks.

The family of Avicii, the late, multi-platinum-selling Swedish DJ, has sold 75% of his master recordings and publishing to Pophouse Entertainment, the Stockholm-based company co-founded by ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus, which is behind that group’s multi-million-dollar “Voyage” show in London and other enterprises. The family and estate will maintain ownership of the remaining 25%. Terms of

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Leon Bridges is nostalgic. For his own life (memories from his childhood in Fort Worth, Texas, are some of his favorite stories to tell). In his music, (his latest album “Gold-Diggers Sound” brings the