Music

Hayley Kiyoko is officially kicking off Pride Month with a new love song called “Chance” and a self-directed video co-starring actor Alexandra Shipp (“Love, Simon,” “X-Men: Apocalypse”). “‘Chance’ is a song based on those moments when I denied my true feelings for someone out of fear of rejection, and therefore didn’t allow someone to take a chance on

As first revealed by Variety, the Coachella festival has officially moved to April 15-17 and April 22-24, 2022, according to an announcement from promoter Goldenvoice. The country themed Stagecoach festival will follow the two Coachella weekends, on April 29-May 1. “Our desert homecoming is officially set for April 2022: weekend one will take place on

Seven-time Grammy winning singer/songwriter Alanis Morissette has unveiled new tour dates for her 2021-2022 world tour to celebrate 25 years of her groundbreaking “Jagged Little Pill” album. The 35-date U.S. tour, rescheduled from 2020, will kick off August 12, 2021 in Austin, TX and concludes with a two night special at The Hollywood Bowl on October

Composer Tyler Strickland has co-written a new song, “Chasing Dreams,” from the new Hulu documentary “Changing the Game.” “Chasing Dreams” is performed by Swedish American music producing duo Gozé ft. Old Man Saxon and trans artist Shea Diamond. The power anthem that ends the film is a striking tune, one that is about resilience, and

It was supposed to be the 25th anniversary tour, but like every other tour last year, the pandemic forced the Foo Fighters to postpone everything that involved large groups of humans gathering together. But on Tuesday morning, in a press release reading “FOO FIGHTERS FIRST U.S. DATES OF 25th 26th ANNIVERSARY TOUR ANNOUNCED,” the group announced, “Having

364 days after “Blackout Tuesday” — during which the music industry took a pause to protest police violence against the black community and consider its social justice policies and efforts in the wake of George Floyd’s murder — Motown Records has named Jamila Thomas, a co-founder of #TheShowMustBePaused, as vice president of artist marketing. #TheShowMustBePaused

Hong Kong-based singer-songwriter Hanjin Tan sold out his NFTs in just one minute on Thursday, earning him $200,000 and a new record for a musician in the Chinese-language music industry. But the award-winning musician believes this is just the beginning of his long-term experiment with the technology which he hopes will be a lifeline for

Ahead of its Season 2 finale, “Luis Miguel: La Serie” is announcing that it will get a third (and final) season on Netflix. The musical biopic series, a production of MGM and Gato Grande Productions, a joint venture between MGM and Mexican entrepreneurs Miguel Alemán Magnani and Antonio Cue, is touted as the only officially

For Bob Dylan’s 80th birthday this past week, Variety selected 80 of the best or most undervalued interpretations of Dylan’s work ever recorded. Was that sufficient covers coverage? The answer is clear, if you at all appreciate the catalog of the man often revered as rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest songwriter: 80 is not enough, any

B.J. Thomas, the Grammy Hall of Fame inductee and award-winning country singer behind hits like “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on my Head” and “Hooked on a Feeling,” has died. He was 78. Representatives confirmed that Thomas died today at his home in Arlington, Texas on May 29 due to complications from stage four lung cancer. He

“The garbage people are going to come by the house,” Liz Phair says suddenly over a Zoom call. While it might seem like she’s declaring an impending hard out, with Shirley Manson and Butch Vig perhaps set to swing through, she’s referencing actual Manhattan Beach trash collectors. But the group Garbage could just as well

A damning report has placed the blame for a second ‘lost summer’ of British music festivals directly on the U.K. government and its failure to create an insurance scheme for organizers. After hearing from a range of expert witnesses, including Massive Attack vocalist Robert Del Naja and chief executive of the Notting Hill Carnival Matthew

While the pandemic sidelined untold numbers of physical businesses, Sony Music Group saw significant gains to its bottom line in 2020. That was the upshot of the company’s 2021 presentation to investors, held on May 27. The New York-based division of Tokyo’s electronics giant, led by chairman Rob Stringer (pictured), covers music in all territories

The EDM-pop duo the Chainsmokers is among the backers of a scripted feature film, “Every Nite Is Emo Nite,” that is in development with the goal of placing fictional characters amid the real-life setting of the Emo Nite events that have gained in popularity after beginning on L.A.’s club circuit. Participating in the development of

Warner Records ruled the 2021 BRIT Awards with three wins – two for Dua Lipa (Mastercard Album and Female Solo Artist) and one for singer-songwriter, Griff (Rising Star). And the executive who signed both artists got his own reward shortly afterwards, when head of A&R Joe Kentish was appointed label president, following predecessor Phil Christie’s

It’s hard not to listen to DMX’s posthumous album “Exodus” — which the rapper completed just weeks before his death on April 9 — without feeling wistfulness, but there are many classic moments on the set. One in particular is a rare team-up between DMX’s fellow New York rappers Jay-Z and Nas, bringing three of

It is no small understatement to say that David Bowie was at a creative crossroads in 1970 — one that was baffling, possibly even to himself. He began the year essentially as a folksinger coming off of his elaborate first hit, “Space Oddity,” releasing a fey love song to his wife-to-be, Angela (“The Prettiest Star”)

Amnesty International celebrates its 60th anniversary today by releasing a new visual titled “Freedom Flight 60.” Narrated by Nazanin Boniadi (“Homeland”) and musician Angelique Kidjo, the film was shot entirely by drones and features landmarks and personalities from throughout Amnesty’s history and around the globe. “Freedom Flight” is soundtracked by a remastered version of “Biko”

Chinese games and tech firm NetEase has unveiled plans to spin off its music streaming business NetEase Cloud Music into a company that would have its own listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. It had 180 million monthly users at the end of 2020, making it the number two online music player in China.

Japanese distributor and sales agent Gaga Corporation has added “ARASHI Anniversary Tour 5 x 20 Film – Record of Memories,” a concert film by the now disbanded Japanese mega-group Arashi, to its international sales line-up. Directed by veteran hitmaker Tsutsumi Yuikihiko, who also made the group’s 2002 debut film “Pikanchi,” “Record of Memories” will have

Posthumous albums, especially ones that were all-or-mostly completed before the artist’s death, are nearly always bittersweet, providing a look not only at what was lost but also what might have been. But DMX’s “Exodus,” which was nearly complete before his death on April 9, is even more bittersweet than most, marking not just a return

It took a village to salute Elton John at Thursday’s iHeartRadio Music Awards, as H.E.R., Brandi Carlile and Demi Lovato came on stage sequentially to sing to Sir with love, with testimonials before and after the medley from Lil Nas X and Coldplay’s Chris Martin. [embedded content] Lovato, singing “I’m Still Standing,” was the only

Showstopper Lil Nas X turned eyes on the iHeart Radio Red Awards red carpet in an iridescent suit and platform white boots — another bold fashion statement for the singer who is fresh off a buzzy “Saturday Night Live” performance that culminated in the splitting of his pants. He took a moment to address the

As the world trains its attention on members of the AAPI community who are are making a difference, Variety is putting a spotlight on 10 executives from the music business who are helping lead the way into an era of greater representation and awareness — on top of just navigating the industry through its own

J. Cole, Kid Cudi and Future are set to headline the Rolling Loud California 2021 festival, taking place on December 10th-12th, 2021 at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino. Also on the bill are Wiz Khalifa, Playboi Carti, Moneybagg Yo, Lil Durk, Polo G, Rod Wave, Lil Tjay, Jack Harlow and Ski Mask the

Megan Thee Stallion and DaBaby lead in BET Awards nominations, with seven each. Cardi B and Drake follow, with five noms each. The show, which recognizes Black excellence in music, television, film, and sports, will air on June 27 on BET Networks. “We are back and excited to bring culture’s biggest night, the 2021 ‘BET

In today’s borderless music business, a label still needs territorial expertise to make a go of an international act. John Janick, chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M (IGA) since 2014, has long realized that with a roster full of superstars under his purview — among them: Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish and Imagine Dragons — who can

Pop singer-songwriter JoJo dropped her new single “Creature of Habit” in the wee hours of Thursday, The song was written by hitmaker Justin Tranter (Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber) and Sasha Sloan (Camila Cabello, Katy Perry) and produced by Mano (the Weeknd) and Rissi (Lukas Graham, Kygo). “‘Creature of Habit’ is about someone who feels addicted to the habit a relationship, even though they’re

Mondo.NYC, the New York-based music, arts & technology conference, has announced several more panels, events and showcases taking place at this year’s edition, which takes place Oct. 12-15. While Mondo 2021 has been announced as a virtual event, the organizers note, “We are extremely encouraged with vaccination progress and other COVID-related developments and expect to

John Davis, one of the real voices behind infamous music group Milli Vanilli, has died of coronavirus. He was 66. “My dad passed away this evening through the coronavirus,” Davis’ daughter Jasmin posted to Facebook on May 24. “He made a lot of people happy with his laughter and smile, his happy spirit, love and