Music

Foster the People premieres songs from the band’s new EP, “In The Darkest of Nights, Let the Birds Sing” in the fifth and latest episode of “Live From My Den,” the Artists Den series presented with Variety. In a reflection of our lockdown times, the segment was filmed across five cities and three time zones

Screechy, still-strongly Geordie-accented vocalist Brian Johnson in a tweed apple cap? Check. Angus Young in a schoolboy outfit with a loosely knotted tie around his neck and his signature Gibson SG around his chest? Check. Taut, fast, crunching rock ‘n’ roll and blues-metal tracks penned by the brothers Young (Angus, Malcolm), with contagious, catch-them-If you-can

UPDATED: Senior executives at BMI, one of the two major U.S. performing rights organizations, have been accused of “casual racism” and a “toxic” work environment by more than 15 current and former employees and musicians in an extensive report published by Rolling Stone. At the center of the accusations is a Facebook post from last

November brings not just a new Chris Stapleton album but the fifth anniversary of the signal moment that made him one of the most significant figures in contemporary country music: the CMA Awards that had Justin Timberlake joining the then-niche artist for a viral duet of “Tennessee Whiskey.” From then, Stapleton has been that thing

Veteran rapper Jeezy — a.k.a. Jay Jenkins — has signed a multi-faceted contract with Def Jam Recordings that includes album releases as well as a consultancy with the label he has called home since 2005. The move was announced today by Def Jam’s interim Chairman & CEO, Jeff Harleston. In his new role, Jenkins will serve senior advisor to the

Between last year’s song of the summer (“Hot Girl Summer,”) smash singles with Beyonce and Cardi B (“Savage” and “WAP”) and, not least, a Variety cover, it’s hard to believe that fast-rising star Megan Thee Stallion has not yet released her debut album. While Megan told Variety she’d hoped to have it out before the

Billie Eilish promised a new song would drop this month, and sure enough, “Therefore I Am” arrived on Thursday at 1 p.m. ET/ 10 a.m. PT. The track comes with an official music video also directed by the 18-year-old, five-time Grammy winner, and was shot in a deserted Glendale Galleria shopping mall, a familiar stomping

Elite World Group has launched EWG Management to handle brand, fashion and beauty endorsement for actors, musicians, athletes, models and social media personalities. Clients include musicians Lily Allen, A$AP Ferg, Gucci Mane, Gnash, Dylan Jagger Lee, Hayley Kiyoko, Banks, Trevor Daniel, Daya, Bishop Briggs, IDK, Madison Beer, Young Thug and Justine Skye. The roster also

Morgan Wallen looks determined to release his sophomore and junior album all at once. The much-talked-about young country star announced plans Thursday morning to issue a 30-song set, “Dangerous: The Double Album,” on Jan. 8. For anyone thinking 30 is not enough, Wallen will also be issuing a Target-exclusive edition of the two-CD set that

Pepsi, the NFL and Roc Nation have announced that The Weeknd will perform during the Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show on CBS at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Fla. on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021. With more than 45 platinum and singles and albums over the past decade, The Weeknd released one of the

Run The Jewels, the duo of Killer Mike and El-P, have just released their first new single since their “RTJ4” album earlier this year. “No Save Point” is the group’s contribution to the video game “Cyberpunk 2077,” and finds the duo in fierce spirit, trading verses on pointed social commentary in their trademark style. A

Mary J. Blige, Justin Bieber, Jose Feliciano, Jess Glynne and many more artists have recorded exclusive holiday songs for Amazon, the company announced Thursday. Fans can now hear Mary J. Blige’s take on Wham’s “Last Christmas,” Bieber’s rendition of Brenda Lee’s classic “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” Carrie Underwood and her new, original composition “Favorite

Producer, mixer and multi-instrumentalist Mike Dean, who’s worked with many of the biggest names in hip-hop during an illustrious decades-long career, has entered into a creative joint venture with PULSE Music Group. The first signing to the new entity is buzzing Houston producer Apex Martin, whose credits include tracks by Kanye West, Ty Dolla $ign,

Maren Morris won a leading three awards at Wednesday’s 2020 CMA Awards, bringing home three, for single of the year, song of the year and female vocalist of the year. It was the first win in any of those categories for Morris, whose song “The Bones” was a smash in both the pop and country

Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black made “The Masked Singer” history on Wednesday, becoming the first duo to be unmasked on the show. The couple, who performed together as the Snow Owls, became the seventh elimination in Season 4, having performed “The Prayer,” by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion. (Scroll down to watch their unmasking

The 54th annual CMA Awards telecast is being broadcast live on ABC. Maren Morris was the most awarded artist with three, for female vocalist of the year, single of the year and song of the year. Luke Combs won male vocalist of the year and album of the year. Eric Church won entertainer of the

UPDATED: Three more artists who were scheduled to perform of the CMA Awards announced having to pull out of the show either shortly before or after the broadcast started, all due to COVID-19 concerns. Just an hour prior to showtime, Lady A announced it was exiting the show, soon followed by another star trio, Rascal

Dallas rapper Mo3, best known for his 2019 collaboration with Boosie Badazz on “Errybody (Remix),” died Wednesday following a shooting incident in Texas, according to CBS Dallas-Fort Worth. He was 28. While police would not confirm his name, a Dallas Police Department spokesperson issued the following statement to Variety: “At approximately 11:55 a.m., an adult

North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who has been a leader in the effort to reform the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, recently sent an open letter to stakeholders addressing the efforts he and his team have made. The letter from the senator, who fought off a strong challenge from Democratic candidate Cal Cunningham in last

H.E.R. looks to be the VIP at BET’s annual Soul Train Awards, racking up a leading eight nominations going into the ceremony, which will be telecast at the close of Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 29, at 8 p.m. ET. Chris Brown is the runner-up among nominees, with seven, followed by Beyoncé and Young Thug with six,

Sony/ATV Music Publishing has signed songwriter and producer Jason Evigan to a worldwide publishing administration deal, the company announced on Tuesday (Nov. 10). Evigan’s credits include Maroon 5’s “Girls Like You” ft. Cardi B and “What Lovers Do” ft. SZA, Dan + Shay’s latest, “I Should Probably Go To Bed,” Ellie Goulding’s “Hate Me,” ft.

Over the course of a career that dates back to 1977, legendary business manager Bernie Gudvi has handled the wealth and finances of some of the world’s top musical acts — including current clients Katy Perry, Michael McDonald, Richard Marx, Counting Crows and George Thorogood. But in addition to counseling his clients through triumphs and

Bruce Springsteen will once again tell dirty jokes and play a few songs — albeit virtually — for the annual Stand Up for Heroes benefit event, which supports the Bob Woodruff Foundation’s efforts to help wounded service members, veterans and their families. The show will air at 9 p.m. Nov. 18 on ABC News Live,

Round Hill’s new royalty fund has announced it expects to IPO on the London Stock Exchange on Friday and has raised $282 million ahead of the flotation, well short of the $375 million goal the company announced last month, according to a report in Music Business Worldwide. A rep for the company declined Variety’s request

Pop star Britney Spears’s bid to remove her father James Spears from the conservatorship of her estate has suffered a temporary setback with a Los Angeles court declining the application. James Spears has been her co-conservator since 2008, when the singer suffered a very public breakdown. He became sole conservator in 2019 after attorney Andrew

In today’s TV news roundup, Bad Bunny is joining Season 3 of Netflix’s “Narcos: Mexico,” and Disney Plus exclusively shared a trailer for “The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse” with Variety. CASTING Netflix announced that Luis Gerardo Méndez, Alberto Guerra, Luisa Rubino and Bad Bunny (née Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) have been cast in Season 3 of

After news surfaced last week that Christina Aguilera had parted ways with Irving Azoff, her manager of 20 years, the singer has officially joined forces with Roc Nation management — at least according to the presence of her photo and bio on the company’s website. Reps for Roc and the singer did not immediately respond

In advance of The War on Drugs’s forthcoming live album, inevitably titled “Live Drugs,” the group has announced “The Super High Quality Podcast” and unveiled the album’s second single, a cover of Warren Zevon’s “Accidentally Like a Martyr.” According to the announcement, “The Super High Quality Podcast” is a four-episode series, airing weekly beginning on the album’s release day.

Harry Styles has been named Variety’s Hitmaker of the Year for his critically acclaimed second studio album “Fine Line” and the hit songs “Adore You” and “Watermelon Sugar.” The British breakout will be featured in the fourth annual Hitmakers issue, with an extensive interview alongside original photography from Parker Woods, to be released Dec. 2.

The American Music Awards show is solidifying its lineup for this year’s broadcast, adding Megan Thee Stallion, Shawn Mendes, Lil Baby and Bad Bunny to the list of artists set to perform Nov. 22. BTS and Dua Lipa were previously announced as performers for the ABC show, which will be hosted by Taraji P. Henson.