Kanye West has been barred from performing at the Grammy Awards due to his “concerning online behavior,” a rep for the artist confirms to Variety. Reps for the Recording Academy and CBS, which present the Grammys, did not immediately respond to Variety‘s requests for comment on the claim early Saturday. West’s rep cited a report
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Although it appeared to the public that there might be a bit of beefing going on between the Rolling Stones and Beatles — shades of 1967 — Keith Richards says in a new interview that the matter was quickly resolved, with Paul McCartney reaching out to him to assure him no contemporary slight was intended.
Dave Grohl’s metal EP, recorded as Dream Widow, will be released digitally next Friday, March 25, with a physical release to follow later this year. The fictional band appears in the Foo Fighters’ comedic horror movie “Studio 666,” which premiered in theaters last month and is now available on demand. In the film, the Foos
Duran Duran treated 250 friends and family, and a few industry professionals, to a private performance on the rooftop of the Aster in Hollywood on the evening of Thursday March 17. The performance was recorded for a feature-length concert film and documentary the Fab Five will be releasing in June, in conjunction with their world
As someone affected by chromesthesia — the involuntary ability to associate sound with its various shades — Charli XCX has forever viewed music in dramatically different colors. Some have taken on dark, cold, experimental tones (like “Pop 2” and her lockdown project, “How I’m Feeling Now”); others have adopted warmer shades that skew decidedly toward
A scripted series about legendary rock band U2 is in early development at Netflix, Variety has confirmed with sources. JJ Abrams is attached to executive produce the project under his Bad Robot banner, with “Bohemian Rhapsody” writer Anthony McCarten onboard to write the script. Warner Bros. Television, where Bad Robot is currently under an expansive
On a sunny St. Patrick’s Day visit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, more than a few people dressed in green milled around outside the museum. The “O” in the “Long Live Rock” sign on the museum plaza had an Eagles logo affixed to it, owing to that band’s show at
Barcelona-born singer Rosalia seemed to progress ahead of her own albums: While her debut was essentially the straight traditional flamenco she spent years learning, and the second saw her fusing that style with more contemporary sounds, her guest appearances (with artists ranging from J Balvin, Ozuna and Bad Bunny to the Weeknd, Billie Eilish and
In celebration of Women’s History Month, “The Women of Def Jam ,” a 24-track compilation showcasing some of the top female artists in the history of the world’s premier hip-hop record label, has been released today. Available now as a triple-LP boxed set, the album’s tracklist ranges from Nikki D, Foxy Brown, Boss, and Ashanti
The post-COVID U.K. theater scene is getting a boost with the revival of “Kinky Boots” and “John Gabriel Borkman.” The Tony and Olivier award-winning musical “Kinky Boots,” based on the 2005 Miramax film written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth, is written by Harvey Fierstein and features Grammy award-winning music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper.
The first newly built large live events venue in central London for 80 years is set to open this summer. Outnet Live is a state of the art 2,000-capacity venue. Part of Outernet London, an immersive media and culture district set to open later this year, it will host live music, dance, immersive theatre, awards
As a gatekeeper of song submissions for Justin Bieber, producer and engineer Josh Gudwin is managing a dizzying number of text and email chains simultaneously and on-the-go. One particularly long thread is with Stefan Johnson of the songwriting-production team Monsters and Strangerz. The topic? “Ghost,” Bieber’s latest hit from his album “Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe),”
Nearly five years after the release of their last album, “Everything Now,” the sixth studio album by Arcade Fire, has been confirmed for a May 6, 2022 release via Columbia Records. Titled ‘We,’ the album’s arrival is preceded by first single “The Lightning I, II,” and as a video directed by Emily Kai Bock, which can
Donald Fagen has responded to Aimee Mann on the matter of her being dropped from the opening slot on Steely Dan’s summer tour, saying that it was a decision he made because he “thought it might not be the best matchup in terms of musical style.” He also apologized for making the decision after Mann
After staying quiet in the three days since Dolly Parton’s declaration that she’d like to bow out of contention for the hall, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation has come forth with a statement, in effect indicating that Parton will remain on the ballot. With voting already well underway, the Foundation’s position is
Muse has not lost its own muse, as the British band is set to return with “Will of the People,” the trio’s first album in nearly four years, due for release August 26. The way is paved for the 10-song collection by a new single and music video, “Compliance,” out today. A second track, “Won’t
Dua Lipa got hit with dual lawsuits this month surrounding her mega-hit song “Levitating.” The first of the copyright infringement suits comes from Florida reggae band Artikal Sound System, which accused Lipa of copying its 2017 song “Live Your Life.” The second hails from songwriters L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer, who allege that Lipa
On Thursday morning, Dolly Parton ventured into the belly of Fox News’ hotbed of propaganda and misinformation, “Fox & Friends,” in an attempt to set the record straight about her decision to decline her likely nomination into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. “Well, I didn’t feel exactly right about that,” she said, while
A cast of 18 Grammy-winning or -nominated performers has been announced for MusiCares’ person of the year salute to Joni Mitchell taking place on April 1 in Las Vegas, with Brandi Carlile and Jon Batiste leading the way as the night’s artistic directors as well as being among the featured musicians. Also appearing on the
There comes a day when any major dude will tell you that… you’re off the tour. Aimee Mann revealed Wednesday that she’s been dropped from a Steely Dan tour that she had been announced to join this summer. “No one is entirely sure why,” she wrote, “but it seems they thought their audience wouldn’t like
Dolly Parton’s attempt to drop out of the balloting for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has earned a big thank-you from Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner. He’s not exactly a disinterested party: Priest is on the ballot, too, competing with Parton. “I think she recognizes her brand, and it didn’t necessarily fit into
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 7, Episode 2, of “The Masked Singer,” “Masks at Dawn — Round 1,” which aired March 15 on Fox. Well, this is awkward timing. Joe Buck was the latest celebrity to be revealed on Fox’s “The Masked Singer” — on the same day
Mushroom, Australia’s largest independent label group, and Virgin Music Label & Artist Services, a division of Universal Music Group, have announced a multi-layered global partnership to support and distribute Mushroom artists’ releases worldwide, outside of Australia and New Zealand. Under the terms of the agreement, VLMAS will provide promotion, marketing and audience label services to Mushroom’s existing
Grammy-nominated rapper and Variety Hitmakers cover star Jack Harlow has announced that his second major-label album, “Come Home the Kids Miss You,” will be released May 6 via Generation Now/Atlantic Records. The album will feature the single “Nail Tech,” which was released last month. Harlow talked with Variety about the album last November. ““My songs are very intimate,
Joni Mitchell will be getting her own SiriusXM channel, starting today, pegged to her upcoming pre-Grammys MusiCares honor as that org’s person of the year. The time-limited Mitchell channel will be on the service in different time frames in its app and satellite iterations. It starts earlier on the SiriusX app, premiering today and running
Country star Kane Brown leads the list of nominations for the 2022 CMT Music Awards with four, followed by three apiece for Kelsea Ballerini, Mickey Guyton, Breland and Cody Johnson. Joining the latter two artists as first-time nominees are Brittney Spencer, Caitlyn Smith, Elvie Shane, MacKenzie Porter, Priscilla Block and Tenille Arts, and two non-country
Mike Kaplan has exited as program director at KROQ, the station he revamped after joining in 2020 — to disastrous results. The senior VP of programming at Audacy (formerly Entercom) and brand manager for New York alternative outlet WNYL joined the company after its 2017 acquisition and subsequent revamp of the former CBS Radio chain.
Tame Impala’s 2015 record “Currents” was a modest album which shook the pop landscape, launching Kevin Parker’s one-man band to international fame and headlining gigs. While the first two albums were heavier on psychedelic fuzz, “Currents” amped up the synths on a bed of crisp production and struck gold, with scores of fans to finally
When Dolly Parton announced Monday that she “must respectfully bow out” of her nomination for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, many in the public and media assumed that her wish was the Hall’s command, and that her name would be removed from contention. But as of a day later, the matter seems far
Entertainment Tonight will release never-before-seen footage of the late Whitney Houston in the new CBS special, “Whitney, a Look Back,” set to air on April 2 at 8 p.m. on CBS and available to stream the next day on Paramount Plus. Entertainment Tonight, which is also producing the special, will release the footage from its