Music

Some of the biggest names in comedy had their latest albums nominated for Grammys as the list of contenders was rolled out Tuesday, including Louis CK, Dave Chappelle and Bo Burnham, who each have their latest albums put in contention by the Recording Academy. But if you think those three share the same category, think again. Louis

The Grammys got a little more predictable this year — which was good, if you have a bookie, or if you’e a journalist who’s been sulking for years over your consistent failure rate in prognosticating these things. Much of it comes down to the nominating committees having been abolished this year after being gatekeepers for

In a tough climate for televised awards shows, the 2021 American Music Awards managed to hold steady with last year’s ratings even as social media around it surged. Sunday night’s awards show, which was hosted by Cardi B, averaged a 1.0/7 rating among adults 18-49 and around 4 million total viewers, according to Nielsen. These

The Weeknd’s hit single “Blinding Lights” has just marked a major milestone, as Billboard revealed on Tuesday that the song is now No. 1 on their Greatest Songs of All Time Hot 100 chart. The synth-heavy track, which dominated the No. 1 spot for four weeks, had a record-breaking run on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart,

Olivia Rodrigo has capped her breakthrough year with an impressive seven Grammy nominations related to her debut album “Sour,” including Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best New Artist. While other artists had more nominations — specifically Jon Batiste, Justin Bieber, Doja Cat and H.E.R. — but Rodrigo

No matter who wins or is nominated for 2022, the Grammy Awards arguably have undergone more major changes in the past year than they have at any time in their history. Acting on a mandate for change that ostensibly began years ago but only began to take convincing form in 2019, Recording Academy CEO Harvey

Last year at this time, the Grammy nominations were mired in controversy when the Weeknd, who’d released one of the most critically and commercially successful albums and singles of the year with “After Hours” and “Blinding Lights,” shockingly received zero nominations. It was the biggest snub in Grammy history, and the Weeknd pledged that he

The 2022 Grammys are a big look for Filipino-Americans: Olivia Rodrigo made Grammy history when she became the first Filipina and second-youngest artist to be nominated in all four top categories; H.E.R., also Filipina, landed eight nods; and Saweetie, who is Chinese, Filipina and Black, landed two, including Best New Artist. Rodrigo, the year’s 18-year-old

Brooklyn is having a proud moment on this Tuesday, as Jay-Z has become the most-nominated artist in Grammy Awards history, with his three 2022 noms pushing him to 83. He had previously been tied with legendary producer/composer Quincy Jones at 80. Jay, who last released an album in 2017, is nominated for guest appearances with

The Grammy Awards have launched a different procedure for selecting their nominees this year — going with a popular vote and eliminating the controversial “secret committees” that had curated the final lists in recent decades — and although most of the top nominees were expected when the contenders were announced Tuesday, the top one definitely

To the surprise of absolutely no one, Adele’s “30” is now the top-selling album of 2021 — and it achieved that feat in just three days. According to initial reports to MRC Data via Billboard, the album, which was released at 12 a.m. ET on Friday, passed the half-million mark on Sunday — topping the

HBO has officially ordered The Weeknd’s drama series “The Idol,” Variety has learned. The Weeknd will star in the six-episode series, which was first announced as being in development in June, as well as serving as the co-creator. Set against the backdrop of the music industry, the series centers on a self-help guru and leader of

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. Music-designer collaborations are nothing new but when it comes to a creative team up, it’s hard to think

Taylor Swift has topped both the Billboard 200 album chart and the Hot 100 singles chart with “Red (Taylor’s Version)” and “All Too Well,” respectively. The “Red” remake has the distinction of topping the albums tally with the second-biggest figure of the year so far, trailing only the first week for Drake’s “Certified Love Boy,”

Adele was wonderfully surprised when her English teacher made an unexpected appearance at her “An Audience With Adele” performance at the London Palladium on Sunday night. During the ITV special, Adele performed songs from her new album “30” and answered questions from the star-studded audience, which included Hannah Waddingham, Dua Lipa, Emma Watson, Stormzy and

The phenomenon that is hyperpop inherently implies a mixing and mashing of genres, or perhaps the desire to transcend restrictive structures altogether — an ethos that was exemplified to a tee by 100 Gecs at their Los Angeles show on Saturday night. The duo, consisting of Laura Les and Dylan Brady, packed the Shrine Auditorium

Local Natives have released a new cover EP after making a guest appearance on Apple TV Plus’ “The Shrink Next Door.” The LA-based indie rock band appeared on the show, which stars Paul Rudd as Isaac “Ike” Herschkopf, a psychiatrist with a sinister past. The series is inspired by real-life events. In the episode, Will

Issa Rae has unveiled the soundtrack for the next soundtrack to her Peabody-award-winning HBO series “Insecure,” which features new songs from Saweetie — “Get It Girl,” which dropped earlier this month — Nnena, Thundercat, B.K. Habermehl, TeaMarrr and Amindi, among many others. The full tracklist appears below. “Insecure: Music From The HBO Original Series, Season

At this year’s American Music Awards, one thing was abundantly clear: BTS owned the night. The K-pop group — consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook — not only won three of the awards show’s most prestigious honors, but took the stage twice to deliver high-energy performances. Powered by their dedicated

The American Music Awards air live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Hosted by Cardi B, the star-studded awards show will feature performances from BTS with Coldplay, Olivia Rodrigo, Tyler the Creator, Måneskin, Walker Hayes, Mickey Guyton, Bad Bunny, Tainy with Julieta Venegas, Carrie Underwood with Jason

Megan Thee Stallion’s debut performance of “Butter” alongside BTS is no longer happening at the American Music Awards on Sunday. The rapper said she was forced to drop out due to “an unexpected personal matter.” Megan made the announcement through her Twitter on Saturday to explain to fans why she could no longer attend the

Kanye West has officially announced a one-night benefit concert titled “Free Larry Hoover,” which is scheduled to take place on Dec. 9 at the L.A. Coliseum in Los Angeles, Calif. The event will feature Drake, who West has spoke of in both admiring and dismissive terms only recently. A long-running feud between the two rappers

Britney Spears is free, and she certainly is not holding back any longer. The Princess of Pop took to her Instagram Stories on Friday evening to post a video of fellow ’90s pop star, Christina Aguilera, who refused to answer a question about Spears during a recent interview. The video is from the red carpet

The rap community is in a collective state of mourning following the unexpected shooting death of 36-year-old Memphis rapper Young Dolph. On Nov. 17, the rapper was mid-route to his annual Thanksgiving turkey giveaway when he decided to make a stop at Makeda’s Butter Cookies, a local favorite. Memphis police said the shooters—armed with a

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ “Raise the Roof” is an intense conversation between two friends who’ve sat at this table before, hashing out the blues. For all of its familiarity, this fresh chat – no less profound than their initial exchange, 2007’s autumnal “Raising Sand” – is a more sublimely otherworldly one, something warm and

Triple platinum-certified rapper Cardi B is set to make her hosting debut at the American Music Awards on Nov. 21, which will broadcast live on ABC from L.A.’s Microsoft Theater. The five-time AMA winner has three more nominations at this year’s ceremony — favorite female hip-hop artist and two nominations for “Up” as favorite music

HBO has released a new trailer for the forthcoming documentary, “DMX: Don’t Try to Understand,” focusing on a year in the life of the late rapper. The doc, which was directed by Christopher Frierson and executive produced by The Ringer’s Bill Simmons (HBO’s “Andre The Giant,” “Showbiz Kids”), follows Earl “DMX” Simmons as he is

Variety is pleased to announce the honorees for its fifth annual Hitmakers celebration. The Dec. 2 issue recognizes the writers, producers, publishers, managers and executives who helped make — and break — the 25 most consumed songs of the year. Hitmakers culminates in an invitation-only brunch held on Saturday, Dec. 4, presented by Peacock and

Two weeks after the tragedy at Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival, which left ten people dead as the crowd rampaged, Public Enemy’s Chuck D. has issued an open letter defending Travis Scott and calling on Live Nation and all concert promoters to stop, as he puts it, “shucking their most crucial responsibility. “Travis Scott is a

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will be on tour together for the first time in 13 years next summer when they team up for a joint outing in the U.S. and Europe behind a new album that comes out today, “Raise the Roof.” The tour isn’t an extensive one, at least as currently announced. In