More than 25 years after allegations of sexual abuse against R. Kelly first began to surface, the singer’s New York criminal trial is set to begin its opening statements today (Aug. 18). It is one of several sets of charges against him; a Chicago trial is slated to begin after the New York hearings conclude.
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Some performers end up having more lively discographies posthumously than they ever did in life. Anderson .Paak does not mean to be one of them. And whereas some artists might just put a ban on post-death releases in their wills, .Paak isn’t just waiting for the executor of his estate to get the message —
There’s no kidding around about the “ole” in Grand Ole Opry: The most venerable of all American broadcast institutions, now 94 years old, will celebrate its 5,000th Saturday night show in October, to be preceded by a month-long countdown to the historic milestone. Plans for the commemorative events were discussed at a press conference at
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has issued a new order stating that attendees of any major outdoor event will be required to wear a mask due to a spike in COVID-19 cases. The requirement stands regardless of vaccination status, and goes into effect as of 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 19. This
If you saw Lorde’s “Solar Power” music video earlier this summer and wanted to join whichever commune she was advertising as “a prettier Jesus,” her new “Mood Ring” clip takes us further inside the slightly tongue-in-cheek ashram. The song arrives just three days in advance of the singer’s Jack Antonoff-co-produced “Solar Power” album, which arrives
Finding talent early is a key component of being a good agent and being a good A&R person, so it’s surprising that more people don’t do both. Matt Galle is one of the few who does. With his longtime friend and business partner Mike Marquis, he founded and runs Photo Finish Records — which is
Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, Young Thug, 24kGoldn, Iann Dior and Chris Brown are the latest artists to receive iHeartRadio’s “Titanium Award” for reaching one billion total audience spins in 2021. Grande reached the milestone with her song “Positions,” with Brown and Young Thug following with “Go Crazy,” Lipa with “Levitating” and 24kGoldn and Dior with
China’s Tencent Music Entertainment is to adjust its business model after being hit with regulatory penalties and seeing its share tumble to record lows. It will downplay music streaming and control of exclusive content and instead emphasize related services such as karaoke and social entertainment. The company, which is listed on the New York Stock
A woman has filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against Bob Dylan, alleging that the singer-songwriter sexually abused her in 1965, when she was 12 years old. The suit alleges that Dylan gave her drugs and alcohol, and established an emotional connection that allowed him to sexually abuse her for a period of several weeks. The
Some things refuse to rightfully pass, and George Harrison’s enduring “All Things Must Pass” is one of them. Almost 51 years after its release, the classic 1970 album is in the top 10, thanks to deluxe reissues containing remixed and unreleased material. It lands at No. 6 on the Rolling Stone album chart this week.
Just days after Jay-Z and Roc Nation took part in a $325 million investment in the Fanatics sports e-commerce platform, the rapper, along with Fanatics onwer and Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin have applied for a New York gaming license to form Fanatics Sportsbook. The news was first reported by TMZ and ESPN and confirmed
Barbra Streisand may be changing her tune on Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s “A Star Is Born.” The singer and actor, who starred in the 1976 version of “A Star Is Born,” said in a new interview about the 2018 remake, “At first, when I heard it was going to be done again, it was
Madonna has signed with Alexandra Baker of High Rise PR, whose clients include Billie Eilish and Finneas, Duran Duran, Clairo and Noah Cyrus, among others. She had previously been represented by Kelly Bush Novak at ID PR, who signed on in 2018, and BB Gun Press, which was founded by veteran music publicist Brian Bumbery, currently
The Country Music Hall of Fame has announced its class of 2021, with the Judds and Ray Charles representing superstar inductees and musicians Pete Drake and Eddie Bayers joining the hall’s ranks as well. Drake and Bayers have something in common: Drake is the first steel guitar player ever to get voted into the Hall
In a major shakeup at the Recording Academy, longtime chief awards officer Bill Freimuth has left the organization, along with VP of communications Lourdes Lopez and chief marketing and innovations officer Lisa Farris, Variety has confirmed. Freimuth, who joined the Academy in 2004 and was named chief awards officer in 2018, had overseen the complex
Madonna, the top-selling female artist of all time, will bring her entire catalog of recorded music under the Warner Music umbrella as part of a career-spanning global partnership announced Monday. The singer, who launched her career with Warner, has sold more than 300 million records worldwide, won seven Grammys and dozens of other major awards,
Universal Music Greater China, part of Universal Music Group, has unveiled plans to significantly expand its recorded music activities in the Middle Kingdom. It aims to create a multi-label structure, intensify its focus on local artists and repertoire activities and local-language artists. Universal Music Group is part of French media conglomerate Vivendi, which has been
She had a little girl’s voice, slightly chirping and ether-light, and the widest eyes when she talked that punctuated her heart-shaped face. But listening to her songs, she wrote with an underlying wisdom and sense of detail about small things that made her more kin to Eudora Welty, Willa Cather or even Carson McCullers, all
“You know I won an Oscar, right?” H.E.R. asked at the Hollywood Bowl — reminding the audience that however blessed she was to be selling out two nights at the nation’s most storied venue, and anxious at the idea of performing with Gustavo Dudamel and the L.A. Philharmonic, this was just not going to be
The Cure bassist Simon Gallup announced on Saturday that he is leaving the band. “With a slightly heavy heart I am no longer a member of the Cure! Good luck to them all,” Gallup wrote on Facebook. Responding to a comment asking if the departure is health-related, Gallup said, “I’m ok… just got fed up
Has a golden age of music videos returned? You might think so, looking just at the last four months in the output of director Andrew Donoho, who’s helped singer Bella Poarch graduate from TikTok star to flat-out star-star with the captivating video for “Build a Bitch” in June and, just this weekend, its equally audacious
Nicki Minaj and her husband, Kenneth Petty, were accused in a lawsuit on Friday of intimidating a woman who says Petty sexually assaulted her in 1994, and of trying to bribe the woman to recant her story. Jennifer Hough filed the suit in federal court in Brooklyn. She alleges that Minaj and her associates have
The opening shot of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s 10-part “Mr. Corman,” which debuted on Apple TV+ with its first two episodes last week, finds the creator/producer/director/writer/star beating out a rhythm on his chest with his hands, a harbinger of the musical piece he will have completed by the season’s close. The eclectic soundtrack album, featuring Nathan Johnson’s
Hit Nashville songwriters-turned-satin-smooth and pillowy-soft county pop practitioners Daniel Smyers and Shay Mooney have never ever made things rough for themselves since becoming Dan + Shay with 2014’s “Where It All Began.” With that debut album, and its follow-up, 2016’s “Obsessed,” Dan + Shay showed their country cousins how to condense the bittersweet breeziness 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. Record players are some of the most worthwhile purchases for any self-proclaimed music lover. They allow you to
At 18, Danielle Bregoli, AKA Bhad Bhabie, is already well-versed in real estate. Five years after an appearance on “Dr. Phil” — her mother pleaded for his help controlling her “car-stealing, knife-wielding, twerking 13-year-old daughter” — which yielded the meme-worthy saying “Cash me ousside, howbow dah?” the would-be rapper is considering paying cash for a
Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith has died, according to a statement from her management company. No caused of death was announced; she was 68. “It was Nanci’s wish that no further formal statement or press release happen for a week following her passing,” Gold Mountain Entertainment said in a statement, according to the Associated Press. Griffith
The non-profit Executive Leadership Council has launched of a new program called Levels, which endeavors to help junior and mid-level Black employees in the music industry better navigate their careers and climb the ladder in the music business. Sponsored by Spotify, Levels is a four-month comprehensive virtual cohort program designed to accelerate the progress of
After a lightning-fast rise to superstardom that began in January with her “Drivers License” single, Olivia Rodrigo’s status as the breakthrough artist of 2021 seems all but assured. Whenever an artist becomes a household name so quickly, in retrospect it seems like it was inevitable. But every such success story needs a strategy, infrastructure, more
Macklemore, KT Tunstall, Evvie McKinney, Daphne Willis and The Residency will perform at a concert next month to help raise awareness around addiction and recovery. The “Recover Out Loud” concert will be pre-taped at Las Vegas’ Westgate Resort & Casino before streaming on iHeart’s Facebook and YouTube channels on International Recovery Day on Sept. 30.