“Jersey Boys” actor John Lloyd Young is returning to the music of Broadway for a special live-stream event. Lloyd Young, who originated the role of Frankie Valli in the hit show, will be commanding The Space in Las Vegas for an intimate concert featuring a night of Broadway favorites and classic show tunes. Lloyd Young will
Music
K-pop group BTS has become a global brand. Thanks to the band’s dazzling dance moves, layered music videos, engaging social media posts, and references to everything from Erich Fromm and Nietzsche — not to mention vocal abilities on the level of the best in the current pop arena — members RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin,
Before Amy Winehouse, there was Shane MacGowan, another, earlier figure who captivated Britannia at first with irreverent songwriting brilliance, then train-wreck levels of unbridled consumption. That MacGowan has, unlike Winehouse, survived decades into a death watch and been able to participate in an A-list documentary feels almost like an eighth wonder of the modern world.
William Shatner hit upon his share of musical genres in the 2000s and 2010s, as he resumed the long-dormant musical part of his career, which began with 1968’s “The Transformed Man.” In recent years, he’s gone country and punk, done an album of famous space songs and a Jewish oratorio, and covered the Christmas beat.
In a week when nearly everything you read makes you wince, duck or want to run, here’s a bunch of songs that both reflect and offer refuge from the trainwreck of 2020. Two songs that reflect this reality have already been covered in Variety’s virtual pages this week: Maren Morris’ brave and conscience-tugging “Better Than
The House of Representatives on Thursday passed the revised $2.2 trillion “Heroes Act” coronavirus stimulus package, which includes provisions of the $10 billion bipartisan “Save Our Stages” Act designed to provide financial assistance to independent music and live-entertainment venues across the U.S. However, the Republican-controlled Senate appears unlikely to vote on the latest version unless an
In 1999, the nominees for the Best Rock Album Grammy Award were John Fogerty, Garbage, Hole, Dave Matthews Band and the winner, Sheryl Crow. In 2009, it was Kid Rock, Kings of Leon, Metallica, the Raconteurs and the winner, Coldplay. In 2019, the nominees were Bring Me the Horizon, the Cranberries, I Prevail, Rival Sons
Since losing the sparkly production, songwriting and guitar talents of Richie Sambora in 2013, each Bon Jovi LP has been something of a more somber, black-and-white affair than that which came before it. That doesn’t mean singer-lyricist Jon Bon Jovi doesn’t still knowshis way around a shiny hook, a scarf-waving anthem, a musky vocal and
K-pop fans made headlines in the U.S. this summer for their political engagement, as their clever tidal wave of online organizing was credited with takeovers of racist hashtags, crashing a Dallas police app and even disrupting President Donald Trump’s rally in Tulsa by artificially inflating the headcount through bogus sign-ups. While other K-pop artists and
Taylor Goldsmith, frontman of the band Dawes, gives you several occasions to consider his physical or psychological age in “Good Luck With Whatever,” the group’s wonderful seventh album. He comes close to outright claiming he’s having a hard time growing up in the record’s bookending tracks. “Still Feel Like a Kid,” the raucous opener, finds
The fictional rock band Spinal Tap, immortalized in the 1984 “mockumentary” bearing their name, will reunite with costar Rob Reiner for a virtual fundraiser on Oct. 14. Guitarist Nigel Tufnel (a.k.a actor Christopher Guest), bassist Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) and singer David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) will team up with Reiner to help raise funds
Two of the biggest artists in the rap game are teaming up to put on their first concert of 2020: Lil Baby and DaBaby will co-headline a socially-distance drive-in concert titled “The Detour” on Sunday, Oct. 11, at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Opening for the rap stars is Flow Milli, the rising female rapper out
The House of Representatives passed the revised $2.2 trillion “Heroes Act” coronavirus stimulus package on Thursday evening, which includes provisions of the $10 billion bipartisan Save Our Stages Act designed to provide financial assistance to independent music and live-entertainment venues across the U.S. The Democratic-controlled House voted 214 to 207 to pass the bill, largely along
Ella Mai’s “Boo’d Up” was the ultimate status update in song form and led the London-born singer-songwriter to her first Grammy, for best R&B song in 2019. The Interscope artist, who was discovered by hit producer Mustard and signed to his 10 Summers Records imprint, toured extensively behind her 2018 self-titled debut album, and two
A publicist couldn’t have planned it better. Thirty minutes from downtown Auckland, New Zealand, the chirpy opening beats of local teen Joshua Stylah (aka Jawsh 685) and Jason Derulo’s controversial hit, “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat),” belts out over ZM radio just as one takes the freeway exit to the South Auckland suburbs which
Country-pop star Maren Morris has taken a strong stand with a surprise release that she calls a “protest song,” “Better Than We Found It.” An accompanying video, also dropped late Thursday night. addresses the issues of immigration and police shootings of Black men, as they’ve unfolded in Nashville. “I wanted to write something to address
Mariah Carey has always been about control: over her career, sure, but also over her extraordinary voice, which is her greatest asset as a performer. And that voice is in full bloom on “The Rarities,” her new compilation of previously unreleased and low-profile B-sides. Although releasing an album of rarities and outtakes can be like
Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” is turning into a chart hit, again, thanks to a TikTok glimpse of a man longboarding and lip-synching to the song that has become a viral video sensation. “We love this!” the band tweeted when members came across the footage nearly a week ago. They’re likely to love it even more now
The Grammy for producer of the year (non-classical) is usually not presented on television, nor is it likely to show up in any headlines on nominations morning — although one questioning gender disparity might be called for — but of all the dozens of Grammy awards outside the “big four” general field, the category may
The band members of BTS — RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook — have conquered hearts around the world as consummate performers. They also frequently co-write their own material, with some penning their own solo works — all while collectively running their own prolific social media accounts, which they share as a
A 77-track benefit album for a voting rights organization will be released as a download on Bandcamp Friday, for just one day before it disappears — and the list of artists and previously unreleased tracks is intriguing enough to inspire a full-on onset of carpe diem. The second volume of “Good Music to Avert the
Country superstar Keith Urban talks about his just-released duet with Pink, “One Too Many,” in a clip from a full-length video interview he did with Variety that will be the kickoff episode of new music video series, “Soundboard.” “One Too Many” is fast-rising at country radio, but Urban admits that it’s hardly the most genre-specific
Genrefication in the music world can involve fierce debates over whether an act’s art could be defined as — or confined — to such terms as heavy metal, alternative, deep house or trap. That’s been going on for as long as genres have existed, yet they take on a much more serious air when it
South Korean girl group Blackpink is giving the world a sweet tooth. Their latest single, “Ice Cream,” features sugary vocals by Selena Gomez and melodies by co-writer Ariana Grande, not to mention a cavity-inducing, cuteness-overload music video. The song is the culmination of four years of building, from concept — Seoul’s YG Entertainment formed the
Warner Music Group has elected Ceci Kurzman to the company’s Board of Directors, including the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, effective Thursday (October 1). Kurzman is founder and President of Nexus Management Group, a former talent-management and current investment company. She is also the first person of color on Warner’s board; the company has come
Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long:
Trey Anastasio and MSG Entertainment have announced “The Beacon Jams,” an eight-week virtual residency to be streamed for free exclusively on Twitch, live from New York City’s historic Beacon Theatre every Friday at 8 p.m. ET from October 9 through November 27. According to the announcement, “The Beacon Jams” performances will have no live audience
For the portion of Western audiences previously stuck behind the one-inch barrier of subtitles, the multi-Oscar haul by Bong Joon Ho’s dark and provocative “Parasite” was a revelation. But for savvy viewers who had long ago moved past a perceived language barrier, Bong’s win is instead the latest splash in a succession of South Korean
Back in February, Billie Eilish dropped “No Time to Die,” the theme song from the James Bond film of the same name. However, within a couple of weeks the Daniel Craig-starring film’s release was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. With the film’s release now scheduled for November, Eilish has dropped the song’s video, which
K-pop supergroup BTS is coming to the cover of Variety magazine for this year’s Grammy issue. In addition to a group cover for the print magazine, each member of BTS will have his very own digital cover. Jung Kook (real name: Jeon Jung-kook), V (Kim Tae-hyung), Jimin (Park Ji-min), j-hope (Jung Ho-seok), RM (Kim Nam-joon),