Of all the words of wisdom my mother has passed on to me, the earliest ones I remember have been the most useful. She told me I could achieve any goal I set for myself, but being Black, I would have to work harder than most. My mom inspired my DIY work ethic, and Billie
Music
Taylor Swift’s campaign to re-record her first six albums — the rights to which she feels were unfairly sold to a group of investors led by Justin Bieber manager Scooter Braun in 2019 — bore its first fruit on Thursday night as she dropped a new version of “Love Story,” the song that was in
When’s the last time you heard a TV theme that you could hum, sing along with… and remember? If you don’t have Disney Plus, it was probably decades ago. But if you’ve been watching “WandaVision,” you’ve been treated to lighthearted theme songs that sound like they might have been penned 30, 40 or even 50
In the wake of accusations of sexism and misogyny against Justin Timberlake regarding his treatment of former girlfriend Britney Spears, and the “wardrobe malfunction” with Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl in 2004, he has apologized to both women in an Instagram post. “I’ve seen the messages, tags, comments, and concerns and I want to
By following two of the greatest rock albums of the 1960s, the Band’s third album, “Stage Fright,” had the decks stacked against it almost from the jump. From the ethereally rootsy “Music From Big Pink” in 1968 to the more rock-oriented self-titled follow-up, the Band had not only influenced the entire direction of rock music,
Growing up in Africa, one of the first Hollywood movies to make an impact on Sipho Dlamini was Eddie Murphy’s 1988 comedy “Coming to America,” in which the comedian starred as a prince from the fictional African country of Zamunda. “I know how significant a movie it was to people living in Africa or Africans
Marisa Lauro-Norris, a 15-year veteran of Def Jam Recordings and its parent company, Universal Music, has been promoted to senior vice president of international marketing, it was announced today by interim chairman/CEO Jeff Harleston. In her new role, Lauro-Norris will lead all international marketing activities at the Def Jam label. Based in New York, she will report directly
Showtime has announced that it will air “The Show,” a 90-minute feature documentary that will provide a look into the making of the 2021 Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show, starring the Weeknd. “The Show” is directed by Emmy nominee Nadia Hallgren (“Becoming”), produced by the Pepsi in-house content studio and Boardwalk Pictures and will premiere later this
Ten women in the known universe have been official members of the legendary vocal group known as the Supremes — but only one woman was present in the lineup from the first day to the last. Mary Wilson, who died at age 76 on Monday, spoke at length in an interview conducted in 2009 about
My earliest memories of Black History Month elicit images of Harriet [Tubman], Rosa [Parks], and Martin [Luther King Jr.]. Black and white visuals of the Civil Rights Movement were bookended by memorizing famous “firsts.” Every February, we engaged with Black life in the way one might a museum, quickly surveying each exhibit, reading brief summaries
A probate judge on Thursday overruled Jamie Spears’ objections to an order establishing Bessemer Trust Co. as a co-conservator of daughter Britney Spears’ estate. Judge Brenda Penny appointed Bessemer as co-conservator along with Jamie Spears on Nov. 10. At the same time, Penny also denied Spears’ request to remove her father entirely from the conservatorship.
Some 62% of the respondents to a MusiCares survey launched last fall are experiencing moderately high to very high levels of financial stress, while nearly 35% said they were seeking counseling for depression, anxiety and stress. 51% said they had low to very low confidence that they could afford basic living expenses during the pandemic.
Who hasn’t dreamed of packing a 55,000 person stadium, grabbing a microphone and singing “Dream On” in a perfect Steven Tyler pitch that has everyone screaming and adoring fans crying? Singing competition series “American Idol” has given young talent that opportunity for 18 seasons so far. Since first debuting on Fox in 2002 with Kelly
Keyboardist-composer Chick Corea, who attained stardom as a fusion pioneer and distinguished himself as a do-anything player across the jazz spectrum and beyond, died Tuesday from a rare form of cancer, his Facebook page announced. He was 79. He left a message on his page for his fans: “I want to thank all of those
Hollywood’s major unions have signed on with the AFL-CIO’s push to advance public policy initiatives involving diversity, equity and inclusion issues. The broad goal is to strengthen collective bargaining and copyright protections and the state and federal level. On Thursday, a clutch of entertainment industry union representatives gathered for a virtual news conference to detail
Michele Harrison has joined Range Media Partners as a manager in the music division. Her hiring follows the recent announcement of Range music partner, Melissa Ruderman. A 15-year veteran of Monotone, Inc., where she worked alongside founder Ian Montone repping such acts as The Shins, Vampire Weekend and Jamie Foxx, Harrison launched her own management
Variety has promoted Jem Aswad to Deputy Music Editor. Based in New York, Aswad joined Variety in April 2017 from Billboard. He signed on to relaunch Variety‘s music coverage alongside Shirley Halperin, Executive Editor of Music, to whom he reports. Aswad’s promotion comes as Variety has expanded the scope and volume of its music editorial
Natalie Hemby, one of the most well-liked and acclaimed songwriters in Nashville, has put her toe into the waters of being a recording and performing artist before, notably as a member of the alt-country supergroup the Highwomen. But now she’s jumping in whole-heartedly, having inked a deal with the Fantasy label that will see a
After news broke Wednesday that Bruce Springsteen was arrested in New Jersey on suspicion of drunken driving last November, uproar quickly ensued: Fans were baffled that such a thing would happen to the singer — who is not a teetotaler but has never been known to be a heavy drinker — and Jeep quickly removed
“Fearless” is being born again. Taylor Swift was not just talking a good talk when she vowed to independently re-record all six of the albums she originally released on her former Big Machine label: The singer announced Thursday morning that her blockbuster sophomore album from 2008 would be the first in a series of full-album
Morgan Wallen has issued a more than five-minute video apology on his Instagram account, saying that the reason for the delay was that he wanted to issue personal apologies and meet with Black leaders before making more of a statement than he did the night the scandal over his uttering a racial slur broke last
Marilyn Manson has been accused of sexual abuse by Esmé Bianco, known for her role on “Game of Thrones.” Bianco’s allegations are the latest against Manson, who has been swiftly dropped by his record label, agency and management, in the wake of numerous claims of abuse by multiple women, including Evan Rachel Wood, who who
A week after guitarist-composer H.E.R.’s era-appropriate “Fight for You” was nominated for a 2021 Golden Globes Award for best song in a motion picture, the full track list for the soundtrack to “Judas and the Black Messiah” has been revealed. “Judas and the Black Messiah: The Inspired Album” drops this Friday, Feb. 12 via the
Jason Isbell, whose song “Cover Me Up” has been a staple of Morgan Wallen’s set for some time and was included on the smash “Dangerous: The Double Album,” says he has decided to donate his royalties from the Wallen album to charity — specifically, to the NAACP. Isbell quote-tweeted a link to an Associated Press
Following the news that Bruce Springsteen was arrested in New Jersey on suspicion of drunken driving last November, Jeep has taken down his Super Bowl ad from their YouTube page. In the spot, titled “The Middle,” Springsteen called for national unity and hope amid the partisan strife and pain caused by the pandemic. “It would
Carole King’s “Tapestry” continues to weave its own spell 50 years after the landmark album was released on Feb. 10, 1971. To mark the anniversary, Variety turned to a group that has proudly worn its Carole King influence on its collective sleeve, asking if the members would pick out a song from the half-century-old pop
Sony Music Publishing has rebranded, introducing what it describes as “a new brand identity with a redesigned logo and revitalized mission.” Under the leadership of Jon Platt, chairman & CEO since 2019, the renewal of the Sony Music Publishing name signifies an important step in the company’s evolution and further aligns the business with Sony’s
Dre London, whose London Ent is home to management clients Post Malone and Tyga, is expanding his reach into television, executive producing a new project titled “High Heel.” The crime drama set in Memphis will be produced by the husband-and-wife team of David and Christina Arquette; Post Malone, Tyga and Trinidad James also serve as
Feature documentary “Tina,” about music icon Tina Turner, will debut March 27 in the U.S. exclusively on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max. Universal Pictures Content Group has taken world rights excluding North America and U.K. with a theatrical release planned across multiple territories in early summer before its release on
Welcome to this week’s “Just for Variety.” Attention Cardi B! Kesha may be sliding into your DMs. The “Praying” singer-songwriter tells me she’d love to have the “WAP” hitmaker on her podcast “Kesha and the Creepies.” “I just love listening to her, and she makes me feel calm,” she says. “She’s like a walking rainbow