Music

How does a star exit the stage gracefully? Rare is it to leave on one’s own terms, legacy intact, remembered in retirement. The more common route is perhaps to fade into obscurity with a constellation of diminishing successes. Ostensibly conscious of this trajectory, J. Cole appears to have already mapped out his own departure. In

The “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” cast will perform Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” in the second season finale, and NBC just released a first look at that musical number. Created by showrunner Austin Winsberg, the musical comedy follows Zoey Clarke (Jane Levy) on her journey to understand why she can suddenly hear people’s innermost wants and

Rising British songstress Jorja Smith seemed to arrive fully formed with her Grammy-nominated, BRIT Award-winning 2018 debut album “Lost & Found,” a sultry R&B collection with flashes of Amy Winehouse and Sade. She was 21 at the time of the album’s release but had already hit more milestones than most artists ever reach, with a

If there’s one pop music artist from the ’60s who fits the mood of the moment we’re in, it’s the gentle U.K. singer-songwriter Donovan. Best-known for a string of soft rock hits including “Mellow Yellow,” “Catch the Wind,” “Sunshine Superman” and “Jennifer Juniper” that first established him as “Britain’s answer to Bob Dylan” more than

It was one of the highlights of the U.K.’s biggest music awards show — but mystery surrounds why the Pet Shop Boys didn’t join Elton John and Years & Years’ performance of their classic song, “It’s a Sin,” at Tuesday night’s Brit Awards. Elton and Years & Years’ Olly Alexander pre-recorded their cover of the

With the third single before the release of her debut album “Sour,” Olivia Rodrigo is turning up the volume. “Good 4 U,” which was co-produced by Alexander 23 and Dan Nigro, further elaborates on the alternative edge displayed on previous single “Deja Vu,” delivering a nostalgic heartbreak anthem heavy with bass and electric guitar. The

J. Yoon, singer with successful Korean rock band M.C. The Max, was found dead at home in Seoul on Thursday. He was 39. “J. Yoon left us on Thursday,” his agency 325 E&C said in a statement after it had been unable to reach him and called the police. “Members of M.C the Max and

As the U.S. moves closer to reopening seemingly every day, it looks like a big step forward will come in mid-summer, when the Lollapalooza Festival will return to Chicago with a four-day event at its usual place and date range — Grant Park, July 29-August 1 — sources tell Variety. The city of Chicago gave

Harvey Mason, jr. has been named the official president/CEO of the Recording Academy by the organization’s board of trustees, it announced on Thursday. Mason has been serving as the unpaid interim president/CEO since January of last year. He will relinquish his role as chair of the board of trustees, which he had held since 2019.

Jeff Blackburn, a former high-level Amazon exec who just recently left after more than two decades, is coming back — in a newly created role, giving him oversight over a consolidated media group. The new appointment was announced internally Thursday by Andy Jassy, currently CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS), who is set to succeed

Cowboy Jack Clement, legendary in music circles for everything from being present at the birth of rock ‘n’ roll at Sun Studios to writing hits for Johnny Cash to eventually working with U2, has been pegged as the subject of a feature film that Nashville’s Visionary Media Group has signed a deal with Clement’s estate

Mavis Stapes will receive the Icon Award and Black Pumas, Arlo Parks and Fantastic Negrito are among the performers at the 10th Anniversary A2IM Libera Awards, presented by Merlin and streaming exclusively on  A2IM’s official YouTube channel on June 17, beginning at 6 p.m. ET. Rapper Lecrae, singer-songwriter Yuna and Canadian-Colombian singer Lido Pimienta will

For the past 15 months, many of us have felt starved by the absence of live music from our lives — as if our bodies have been deprived of an essential nutrient and we’re suffering from some existential scurvy. And if we feel that way as fans, just imagine what it’s been like for the

Maren Morris and Miranda Lambert lead the field of contenders for the 2021 CMT Music Awards with four nods each, in nominations announced by the network Thursday for its June 9 show. Kane Brown and Kelsea Ballerini, who were revealed Wednesday as co-hosts for the telecast, can count on some suspense about how they’ll fare

MRC Non-Fiction is announcing the production of a new documentary, “Girl You Know It’s True,” about the quick rise and faster fall of Milli Vanilli, the late ’80s pop duo that won the best new artist Grammy and sold more than 10 million records before losing it all amid a musical scandal. The documentary about

DMX recalls how flirting with Aaliyah almost got him in trouble with his ex-wife in a clip from TV One’s upcoming “DMX Uncensored” special, obtained exclusively by Variety. The late rapper and his wife at the time, Tashera Simmons, discuss the time when he was getting a little too touchy with the R&B singer on

Dominican Bachata superstar Romeo Santos, along with Sony Music Latin, Endeavor Streaming and iNDemand, will premier two films — the concert film “Romeo Santos: Utopia Live From MetLife Stadium” and documentary “Romeo Santos: King of Bachata” — on pay-per-view June 25, 2021. Guests appearing in the films include Aventura, Cardi B, Daddy Yankee, El Chaval De La Bachata, Elvis Martínez, Emilio Estefan, Frank Reyes, Joe Veras, Kiko Rodríguez, Luis Vargas, Marc Anthony, Monchy &

Def Jam Recordings, with iHeartMedia and Double Elvis are launching a new narrative podcast called “Here Comes the Break” today (Thursday, May 13). The series features interviews and exclusive new song drops from emerging Def Jam artists like Bobby Sessions, Saint Bodhi, Nasty C, Bino Rideaux and more. “Here Comes the Break” stars Emmy-nominated Asante Blackk, of “When They See

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 5 Episode 11 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired May 12 on Fox. Hanson has been mmm-bop’ed off “The Masked Singer.” The pop star brothers were unmasked on Wednesday’s episode as the Russian Dolls. The trio became the first group to compete on

As the concert business continues its gradual return to health after being flattened by the pandemic, it’s inspiring to see new venues being announced — and one in Boston named after a classic song by Jonathan Richman is the icing on the cake. AEG-affiliated Bowery Presents, the Northeast-based concert promotion and venue management company, has

Manuel Abud has been named CEO of the Latin Recording Academy, effective Aug. 1, the Board of Trustees announced on Wednesday. Outgoing President/CEO Gabriel Abaroa, Jr. will become President Emeritus, a senior advisory role that will include working on assigned strategic projects while assisting the new CEO in the transition. “As Chairman of the Board of Trustees,

Demi Lovato is launching her first-ever podcast, “4D with Demi Lovato,” on May 19 with podcast company Cadence13. The pop star will explore topics of importance to her on the weekly podcast, including mental health, activism, LGBTQ rights,  justice, body positivity, art and the environment. Alok, Glennon Doyle, Chelsea Handler, Jane Fonda and Jameela Jamil will

Playing the main character in a biopic is a tall order for any actor, but taking on the role of influential musician Boy George in the forthcoming film “Karma Chameleon” seems even more of a challenge considering his multi-faceted life as a cultural icon, fashion trailblazer and the sound of the 1980s. As of this

The Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma will open on May 10, 2022, representatives announced Wednesday, as they brought into clearer focus just what fans and students can expect when the facility opens in one year. Although a release avoids using the word “museum,” it’s clear the BDC is designed to stand as the ultimate

Pearl Jam has confirmed its first U.S. performance of 2021, which will take place at frontman Eddie Vedder’s fifth annual Ohana Festival at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, Calif. Vedder will also perform solo at the event, scheduled for Sept. 24-26. Kings Of Leon, My Morning Jacket, Maggie Rogers, Brandi Carlile, Black Pumas, the

Peacock is expanding its unscripted offerings with a 13-part docuseries from Paris Hilton, a new music competition series featuring JoJo Siwa and a hybrid alternative-scripted series hosted by Ed Helms and Randall Park. Hilton’s docuseries, tentatively titled “Paris In Love,” follows the international influencer as she prepares to get married to venture capitalist Carter Reum.

The DJ for rapper Jack Harlow has been charged with murdering a woman on May 1 during a party at a nightclub in the rapper’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, according to WDRB/Louisville and multiple media reports. Ronnie Tyshon O’Bannon, 27 — who worked under the name Ronni Luciano — was indicted Tuesday on charges of

Among the many programs that Spotify has launched over the years, its Singles have been one of the most popular — so much that Singles just passed the 5 billion streams mark. To date, there have been more than 630 recordings, from more than 300 artists, across all genres, and the complete list of Spotify

Duran Duran has been named as a performer for the Billboard Music Awards, where the group will premiere a new single remotely from England, bringing in as their collaborator a fellow Brit, Blur’s Graham Coxon. Their appearance May 23 will be the first on a BBMAs telecast by the group, the fourth artist to be

Those ubiquitous TV spots we’ve seen for weeks that have outsized, miniaturized or underwater versions of Carrie Underwood, Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Celine Dion making their way through a colorfully mythical Las Vegas, without much concrete information attached? There are now concert dates to go with all that commercial iconography, as Resorts World has