Music

It isn’t often that a film composer consults with the star of the movie about his theme. But it happened on “Nightmare Alley,” as Bradley Cooper attended some of the recording sessions for Guillermo del Toro’s spooky noir film. “We did the piano sessions in L.A., on an old Motown Steinway,” says composer Nathan Johnson

Super-producer and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has halted performances of hit West End musical “Cinderella” until Feb. 2022 as the Omicron variant of coronavirus surges across the U.K. “I am absolutely devastated that ‘Cinderella’ has to temporarily close. My life has been devoted to musical theatre. Once again, this wretched virus has put paid to

Taiwanese American pop star and actor Wang Leehom has apologized to his family and fans and said he will take a break from his career after a high-profile social media dispute with his ex-wife, who accused him of infidelity and hiring prostitutes. But a break may not be enough to satisfy mainland Chinese authorities, who

Has the “skip” option made main title theme songs redundant? Hardly if you consider how some of the top-shelf shows of the streaming era have married music so effectively with the tone of the accompanying series. It’s not a new phenomenon. Hearing Alabama 3’s “Woke Up This Morning” is so evocative of its parent series,

The Blues Foundation has named Judith Black its new president and CEO, effective January 1, 2022. Black is co-founder and previously served as President of the Tarik Black Foundation, which has a mission to “provide young people access to practical information and exposure through real world experiences.” She also held senior posts at the Memphis

The music shortlists for Oscar consideration, announced Tuesday by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, might just be the most star-studded lineup in history. Nearly all of the 15 songs on the list for potential nomination have been written or recorded by pop superstars, and the approximately 375 members of Oscar’s music branch

It’s the holiday season, and Mariah Carey’s perennial “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is not only No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 yet again — it’s made history: It is now the first song in the chart’s history to have led in three distinct runs on the ranking. While the song was

All products and services featured by Variety are independently selected by Variety editors. However, Variety may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Blackpink is known for donning colorful and glitzy outfits on stage and in their music videos. Now, the

Three days after Drakeo the Ruler’s murder backstage at the Once Upon a Time in L.A. concert on Saturday night, surprisingly few details have emerged about the incident that saw the 28-year-old rapper stabbed to death when a large scuffle broke out. While the festival’s promoter, Live Nation, has deferred all questions to local authorities

Docuseries mushroomed in 2021 as streamers ramped up their offerings, and viewers were the beneficiaries. The wide array of series ran the gamut from investigative to ruminative, tackling sports, crime and music. At their best, they stood tall against the year’s top TV series overall — Variety TV critic Caroline Framke chose Netflix’s “High on

BMG and KKR have put their recently announced partnership to work, acquiring the “entire music interests” of long-running American rock band ZZ Top for a sum sources place at around $50 million. The agreement includes a buyout of the band’s publishing catalogue and their income from recorded royalties and performance royalties. Previously, BMG served as

“Jagged Little Pill” has closed on Broadway. After announcing the cancellation of performances on Saturday due to positive COVID-19 tests among the production, the musical has determined that it will not reopen at N.Y.’s Broadhurst Theater, citing “the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.” “The drastic turn of events this week with the rapid spread

Jamie Spears, who was suspended by a judge from his famous daughter’s conservatorship, is asking that Britney Spears’ estate continue to pay his legal fees. The pop star’s attorney is calling the request an “abomination.” In documents filed last week, Spears’ father petitioned to seek the court’s “confirmation, authorization and direction” for his daughter’s estate

Brandi Carlile, Billie Joe Armstrong, Saweetie, Anitta, 24kGoldn, Kitty Ca$h and recent Variety cover star Jack Harlow will join Miley Cyrys and “Saturday Night Live” star Pete Davidson’s New York’s Even special, airing live from Miami on Friday, Dec. 31 from 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. ET. It will also be live-streamed on Peacock. The announcement promises

All products and services featured by Variety are independently selected by Variety editors. However, Variety may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Vinyl sales have been on the rise since 2006, and last year was the first since 1986 that

In the wake of the second anniversary of rapper Juice WRLD’s death, there’s been a second posthumous album released, “Fighting Demons,” and a two-hour documentary on HBO Max titled “Into the Abyss.” While it’s filled with positive moments, it also features Australian rapper the Kid Laroi, who was mentored by Juice, recounting the rapper’s final

A New York Times report published Sunday raises questions about whether Lou Taylor, the business manager long associated with Britney Spears’ recently concluded conservatorship, improperly enriched herself using the singer’s earnings. In the report, titled “Britney Spears Felt Trapped. Her Business Manager Benefited,” Taylor, her companies and Britney’s father and former conservator, Jamie Spears, deny

Filmmaker Denis Villeneuve will be presented with the Advanced Imaging Society’s 2022 Harold Lloyd Award for filmmaking at the 12th annual Lumiere Awards at Warner Bros. Studios on Feb. 1. With his directorial work in “Dune,” based on Frank Herbert’s science fiction novel, the film has garnered critical acclaim as well as having major success

Carlos Marin, the ever smiling and sharply dressed baritone powerhouse of multi-national quartet Il Divo, died Sunday of COVID complications. He was 53. After feeling ill, Marin had been hospitalized on Dec. 8 in the Intensive Care Unit of the Manchester Royal Hospital while on tour in the U.K. His death was announced on Sunday

As the Covid-19 Omicron variant continues to spread, particularly in New York, Brooklyn Steel has canceled the remaining three dates of LCD Soundsystem’s “You Are Here” 20-night residency at the venue: tonight (Sunday) through Tuesday. A statement from the venue reads, “LCD Soundsystem’s shows at Brooklyn Steel on December 19, 20 and 21 have been

The final show of iHeartRadio’s annual Jingle Ball tour, scheduled for Sunday night in Miami, has been canceled due to Covid-19 outbreaks, Y100 Miami announced. “Due to the increased transmission of the new Covid-19 variant and to further minimize any potential risks, as a precautionary measure and for the safety of our staff, talent and

Rapper Drakeo the Ruler died after being stabbed backstage at the Once Upon a Time in L.A. multi-artist concert at the Banc of California Stadium, a rep for the performer has confirmed to Variety. Superstar Drake, who appeared on a Drakeo the Ruler single earlier this year, was among those posting condolences on social media.

The surge in Omicron variant infections in New York has sent “Saturday Night Live” into an eleventh-hour scramble to contain the health threat posed by the latest highly contagious iteration of COVID. IATSE crew members on the show are said to have became vocal on Thursday and Friday amid the increasingly dire reports of infection

Charli XCX will no longer perform on tonight’s holiday episode of “Saturday Night Live” due to the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in New York City and NBC’s decision to limit the number of crew members working at 30 Rock’s Stage 8H. The musician made the announcement this evening, just hours before the

The Brit Awards, one of Britain’s biggest music events, have unveiled their 2022 nominees, with the likes of ABBA, Adele, Ed Sheeran, Måneskin and Olivia Rodrigo up for awards. Adele and Ed Sheeran picked up four nominations apiece with both getting nods for album of the year, artist of the year, best pop/R&B act and

Eve Babitz, whose books including “Eve’s Hollywood” memorably chronicled the Los Angeles music and cultural scenes in the 1960s and 1970s, died Friday. Her biographer Lili Anolik confirmed her death to the Associated Press. Babitz saw a renewed appreciation for her work as a younger generation of writers discovered her fresh and frank voice. Her

Brian May, the lead guitarist for Queen, tested positive for COVID-19. May shared the news via his Instagram page writing, “Yep. The shocking day finally came for me. The dreaded double red line. And yes – definitely NO sympathy please – it has been a truly horrible few days, but I’m OK. And I will

All products and services featured by Variety are independently selected by Variety editors. However, Variety may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. We’re no longer locked inside like during the early stages of the pandemic, but we can still enjoy

With the pandemic-battered state of Broadway over the past 18 months, only one Rialto cast recording could muster a nomination in the Grammys’ music theater album category. That left room for voters to be more adventurous, opening the door to a nomination for concept albums including “The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical” by Abigail Barlow and Emily

Part-time employees who worked at Travis Scott’s deadly Astroworld Festival may not get paid unless they relinquish the right to sue promoters Live Nation and Scoremore. In an email obtained by Rolling Stone, a manager representing the promoters suggested to a group of workers that they would not receive their paychecks unless they signed an