Music

When Dua Lipa played a two-night stand at L.A.’s Forum this past week, with her U.S. tour just a few dates away from coming to a close, there was a sheet-cake bearing her image backstage in the VIP Forum Club area, a custom that’s de rigueur for headliners coming through the storied arena. But in

Bobby Shmurda is officially a free man. After being vocal about wanting to get out of his record deal with Epic Records, which included taking to social media to express his frustrations with the label that signed him in 2014 — two years before he was sent to prison for conspiracy to commit murder and

Without declaring that musician Taylor Hawkins died of an overdose, authorities in Colombia issued a statement Saturday afternoon noting that the Foo Fighters’ drummer was determined to have had 10 drugs in his system at the time of his death. The report from the attorney general of Colombia came in a tweet which said that

At the first of Justin Bieber’s three “hometown” concerts on Friday, fans found photocopied signs under their seats at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena that read “WELCOME HOME” above a simple sketch of the Toronto cityscape. However, few did — instead, the 14,627 fans at the “Justice” tour show, rescheduled from last year, spent most of the

In joining the Foo Fighters, Taylor Hawkins had the unenviable responsibility of taking over for Dave Grohl behind the drum kit, and rose to occasion time and time again. In the nearly 25 years since, Hawkins created a wonderfully rich musical legacy all his own, both with the Foos and other collaborators. Hawkins died suddenly

The musical community — including rock royals Ozzy Osbourne, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, the band Smashing Pumpkins and Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of KISS — is mourning the death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. Shortly after news broke that Hawkins died in Bogota, Colombia hours before the band was due

Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins has died, according to the band’s rep. No cause of death or further details were immediately announced, although local media reports that he was found in his hotel room before the band was to perform at a festival in Bogota, Colombia on Friday night. He was 50. Hawkins, who joined

The Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) has announced a partnership with Wasserman Music and the commercial music program at Tennessee State University for a music accelerator program set to run May 9 to 26. In collaboration with Nashville Music Equality and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the intensive curriculum will cover multiple sectors

Ed Sheeran and J Balvin are two of the biggest musicians in the world — collectively drawing over 131 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone — and now the two very different musicians have teamed up with a surprise drop of a two-song EP that brings both their signature styles into play, in succession. Balvin

LeVar Burton will host the Grammys’ “premiere ceremony,” the pre-telecast afternoon event during which the vast majority of winners will be announced April 3. The Grammys-before-the-Grammys will get underway at the the MGM Grand Conference Marquee Ballroom in Las Vegas at 12:30 p.m. PT/3:30 ET. The early unveiling of winners be available for streaming on

Hans Zimmer paused a concert at London’s O2 Arena this week to honor a Ukrainian pianist who stood defiant in the face of an impending Russian air raid by playing the main theme of Zimmer’s “Inception” (officially titled “Time”) on a piano in the street. Video of the pianist’s performance was uploaded to social media

Michael Bublé is the rare artist who actually enjoys doing press. “How many people go to a mall and sit in the food court all day just hoping somebody will just come up to them and talk?” the Canadian superstar muses charmingly. Already naturally chatty, Bublé is especially animated when it comes to discussion his

When Sting first released the song “Russians” in 1985, the Cold War had been raging for nearly 40 years, and the song aimed to strike a humanizing tone on the people actually behind that Iron Curtain. Just weeks earlier, the Soviet Union had gotten a young new leader named Mikhail Gorbachev who ultimately would end

A pair of legendary club gigs that the Rolling Stones did in 1977, oft-bootlegged over the decades, will finally get its official release May 13, as “Live at the El Mocambo” arrives as a two-CD set and quadruple-LP as well as digitally. The Stones have occasionally done “underplays” over the years, but probably none more

J-Hope, a member of K-pop sensation BTS, has become the sixth member of the group to test positive for COVID-19. His infection is not expected to disrupt the band’s travel plans. The star, real name Jung Ho-seok, reported a sore throat on Wednesday and took a PCR test which showed him to have caught the

Arcade Fire raised more than $100,000 for PLUS1’s Ukraine Relief Fund through five surprise club shows — one in New Orleans and four in New York — in the course of a week, the group announced on Instagram. Wristbands for the gigs at New Orleans’ Toulouse Theatre (March 14) and New York’s Bowery Ballroom (March 18-21)

As the Grammys return as a big-scale live event this year, so is the tradition of filming a tribute to a superstar musician in the days following the awards show, with the 2022 honoree being Paul Simon, who’ll be saluted by an all-star cast at L.A.’s Pantages Theatre. “Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the

Harry Styles just announced that he has an album coming in May, but superfans might not have to wait as long to hear a new version of “Sign of the Times.” A string arrangement of Styles’ first single, originally released in 2017, appears in the frothy period drama “Bridgerton,” which premieres its second season on

Megan Thee Stallion will be the subject of a documentary series being produced by Time Studios and her management company, Roc Nation, the two companies announced Thursday. Nneka Onuorah will direct the multi-part series. Onuorah is at the helm of “Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrrls,” the competition series that is soon to bow

Veteran dance music executive Patrick Moxey has announced details of his new label group and has signed a new, worldwide deal for two key record labels with Warner Recorded Music. The agreement, which encompasses the legendary Payday Records and the newly created Helix Records, will see Warner Recorded Music handling global digital distribution via its

The Recording Academy has unveiled a second round of performers for the 64th annual Grammy Awards: nominees Jon Batiste, Foo Fighters, H.E.R., Nas, and Chris Stapleton, and, as revealed by Variety Wednesday night, a special In Memoriam performance featuring songs of Stephen Sondheim by Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Ben Platt and Rachel Zegler. The

Send in the tears: Stephen Sondheim is due to be remembered in song at the upcoming Grammy Awards by Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Ben Platt and Rachel Zegler, sources tell Variety. The performances, which have not yet been officially announced, are said to be part of the show’s traditional In Memoriam segment, rather than

No longer content to just play Wordle — the free, daily, five-letter word game, independently created by Josh Wardle in 2021, then purchased by the New York Times — many of that app’s daily users with a love for music are quickly becoming acquainted with, and addicted to, Heardle. Also known as “that daily musical

Pam Hupp, the real-life murderer played by Renee Zellweger in NBC’s “The Thing About Pam,” apparently had a habit of slurping her flavored soft drink from the local convenience store. It’s a recurring gag in the six-part series, and it even became part of its musical score. Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli, the composing team

Jack Antonoff is the world’s top music producer, according to Jaxsta’s inaugural list of the 100 most successful producers in the business. Jaxsta, the world’s largest public database of music credits, determined the list by analyzing statistics provided by record labels, publishers, distributors, industry associations and charts from the period of March 2021 to February

Harry Styles has announced his third solo album, “Harry’s House,” due to come out May 20. Little was revealed about the forthcoming release in an official announcement, beyond the date, title, the promise of 13 new tracks and the album cover art, which has the pop superstar scratching his chin standing on the ceiling of

Prime Video has announced “Voices: Women Innovating Hollywood,” a special virtual event celebrating Women’s History Month. The conference will feature panels and programming centering women in the entertainment industry, from prominent actors to behind-the-scenes talent. The event will open with a special introduction from Jerrie Johnson and Shoniqua Shandai, who star in the Prime Video

The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) has announced the nominees for the 2022 A2IM Libera Awards Presented by Merlin, continuing its 17-year tradition of supporting and honoring the talent of the independent music sector. And like the independent music world itself, the nominees in the 33 categories are all over the map, but the most-nominated artists include singer-songwriter-author Japanese

Miley Cyrus was originally set as a headliner for the Asuncionico music festival in Paraguay on Wednesday, but dangerous weather conditions resulted in her plane being struck by lightning and forced to make an emergency landing. The singer was unable to fly into the country, and the Asuncionico festival was later canceled on Wednesday due

Sony Music Group and GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, have announced a new partnership to advance LGBTQ representation in music and amplify LGBTQ voices in the industry. According to the announcement, the partnership includes several initiatives to advance LGBTQ advocacy and inclusion at Sony Music Group