Music

“Cut Throat City” marks RZA’s third directed feature film, and he says it’s the project he feels the most confident in as a filmmaker. “I actually do think I found my voice,” the founding member of rap supergroup Wu-Tang Clan tells Variety. RZA, whose real name is Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, previously helmed 2012’s martial arts-western

DaBaby is the latest artist slated to perform at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards. Though he was nominated for Song of the Summer last year with “Suge,” this will mark the rapper’s first time performing at the awards show, with his star having risen considerably with “Rockstar,” one of the blockbuster songs of this

Quick on the heels of news they’re expecting their third child — and as they search for an even larger family home in Los Angeles — A-list celebrity power couple John Legend and Chrissy Teigen have slapped a $23.95 million pricetag on their current main residence, a boxy contemporary mansion high in the mountains above

R&B singer-songwriter SZA is one of the most popular new artists to emerge in the past five years, with nine Grammy nominations for her debut full-length “Ctrl,” her work on the Kendrick Lamar-helmed “Black Panther” and a duet with The Weeknd and Travis Scott, among several high-profile features. While the features — most recently with

It’s amazing what one hit song can bring you. In the case of rapper 25-year-old Arizona Zervas, whose independently released and maddeningly catchy “Roxanne” lament topped charts and streaming platforms around the world last year, it led to a label bidding war and a major deal with Columbia Records, the kind that countless other musicians could only

The Rolling Stones’ wide-ranging 2018 deal with Universal Music Group will have an interesting new outlet next month when a Stones-themed “world exclusive flagship store” will open on London’s Carnaby Street on Sept. 9. The store’s location — at 9 Carnaby Street in the city’s Soho district — is in itself a historic Stones reference,

Pharrell Williams and Jay-Z will release a new song on Friday called “Entrepreneur,” in conjunction with Williams’ new Time magazine cover package, “The New American Revolution.” According to the announcement, the issue, curated by Pharrell, includes conversations with Angela Davis, Tyler the Creator, Naomi Osaka, Geoffrey Canada and more about “the systemic inequalities that Black people have faced throughout United States’

The Academy of Country Music Awards were delayed from April till September due to the pandemic, even though voting had already closed, meaning that nominees had to wait an extra five months to find out how things turned out. But that’s not the case with the best new artist honors, which the ACM traditionally announces

A project that has long been teased before and since Tom Petty’s death, “Wildflowers & All the Rest,” has finally found its place on the release schedule, with multiple configurations pulling together the rocker’s original 1994 album with a multitude of unreleased songs, alternate versions, live tracks and home demos. Four different editions of the

YouTube Originals is planning to stay focused on the U.K. market for the present and will release documentaries featuring British personalities, bestselling pop star Anne-Marie, music entrepreneur Posty and gamer Behzinga this fall. “Currently we are keeping firmly planted in the U.K.,” Luke Hyams, head of YouTube Originals EMEA, told Variety. “We are reviewing plans

At 18, first-time voter Billie Eilish is the youngest music artist to appear at the Democratic National Convention, and she made the most of the platform, delivering a strong speech against President Donald Trump, advocating Joe Biden and imploring Americans to vote. She was introduced by host Kerry Washington, who spoke of the voter-registration booths

One of the most common refrains in the music industry is that only superstars earn serious bank from streaming — how many artists have, quite understandably, have vented publicly about receiving royalty checks in the double, single, or decimal digits? But advocates have long emphasized that with the right deal, streaming can pay handsomely —

UPDATE: Megan Thee Stallion has deleted the photos she posted on Instagram of the alleged gunshot wound she suffered on July 12. The statement she made in the photos’ caption is below. At the same time she announced on Twitter that she and Cardi B are giving away $1 million to random contest winners, Megan

Phoenix have released their first new song since 2017, “Identical,” which is featured in Sofia Coppola’s forthcoming film “On the Rocks,” which reunites the director with “Lost in Translation” star Bill Murray as well as Rashida Jones and Marlon Wayans. The song, the band’s first release since 2017’s album “Ti Amo,” can also be heard

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion have announced that they’re celebrating female empowerment — and also promoting their new single, “WAP” — by giving away $1 million via Twitter and Cash App. “Today through 8/20, women who Tweet with #WAPParty and their $Cashtag will have a chance at receiving a portion of the 1M dollars

We at Variety try to shine a light on good deeds, and although we can’t say we condone Beggars Group CEO Paul Redding’s ambitious goal of swimming the English Channel in an effort to raise £200,000 for coronavirus relief and Black Lives Matter, we do applaud his intentions (and optimistically assume that he knows what

Amos Newman, who has spent the past decade as head of WME’s music for visual media department, is joining sister company Endeavor Content in the newly created role of senior vice president, music. WME agent Bradley Rainey will now lead WME’s Music for Visual Media group, which represents such leading film composers as Hans Zimmer

As part of the #MC30 campaign celebrating the 30 years since her debut album was released, Mariah Carey will release a two-disc called called “The Rarities” on Oct. 2, a “collection of personal favorites from her vault … celebrating Carey’s exceptional artistry and vision through hidden musical jewels from her personal archives,” according to the

London’s Notting Hill Carnival, the largest street festival in Europe, which normally attracts 2.5 million visitors over two days, is going digital for the first time in its 54-year history after the coronavirus pandemic forced cancellation of the physical event. Four channels will stream performances and entertainment over Aug. 29-31, the last holiday weekend in

Britney Spears is seeking to make changes to her conservatorship, which has been in place for 12 years. In a document filed to the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles country on Aug. 17 by Spears’ court-appointed lawyer, the singer states that she is “strongly opposed” to having her father, Jamie (referred to as

Whether you know it or not, you’ve been in the mood for some time. That’s Mood Media Corp, one of the world’s largest providers of atmospheric music and visuals (along with digital signage, scent, service menu boards, hold music. on-hold messaging and integrated A/V) to shopping-oriented businesses, hotels and restaurants. Whole Foods uses Mood. Target

A two-hour tribute to the Clash’s Joe Strummer on his birthday this Friday will features performances or spoken testimonials from friends and fans including Bruce Springsteen, Lucinda Williams, Bob Weir, Beto O’Rourke, Josh Homme, Steve Buscemi, Jim Jarmusch, the Dropkick Murphys and others. Dubbed “A Song for Joe: Celebrating the Life of Joe Strummer,” the

In simpler times, it wasn’t uncommon to see Brooklyn-born New York Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer out and about in the city — but it was a little surreal to see him standing outside the indie mecca Baby’s All Right, located in the city’s hipster-centric Williamsburg neighborhood, on Tuesday afternoon, alongside LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy and

The steady drumbeat of announcements means that the MTV VMAs are getting closer, and today’s is a big one: Ariana Grande will join Lady Gaga for a performance on this year’s show, which is taking place at various locations across New York City. Of course, the pair will perform “Rain on Me,” their hit duet

Universal Music Group (UMG) has appointed Cindy Gu as head of Astralwerks Asia, the company’s label division focused on electronic and dance music in the region. The label also announced Tuesday its first Asian artist signing: the Indonesian EDM group Weird Genius. Their current track “Lathi” has reached the top of Spotify’s main chart in

Taylor Swift’s “Folklore” is enjoying unusual staying power for a pop album right now, as it enjoys a third week atop the Rolling Stone albums chart, with 133,300 album units keeping it well in front of the competition. That was easily enough to push her album over the million units figure. After three weeks, the

Egyptian music star Amr Diab is set to return to acting after a 27-year hiatus with an Arabic original series for Netflix. The as yet untitled series is a musical drama and is currently being developed. The bestselling artist last featured in an acting role in 1993’s “Dehk Wele’b Wegad Wehob” (Laughter, Games, Seriousness and

HBO’s “Lovecraft Country” has already made history for its entirely online orchestral score, co-composed by Laura Karpman and Raphael Saadiq. But for noted musical multitasker Saadiq – with a resume that includes a Grammy (and 15 nominations), a 2018 Oscar nom, nine studio albums (five as a solo act, four with previous group Tony! Toni!

Actress and singer Olivia Holt has signed with 100 Management (MGMT), the company founded in 2015 by Luke Mitzman. She joins Zane Lowe, Cirkut and Netsky on the roster, among other acts. Holt released her debut EP, “OLIVIA,” in 2016 featuring songs co-written by such hitmakers as Steve Mac, Julia Michaels, Evan Bogart and Emanuel

The Latin Recording Academy has announced that the 21st annual Latin Grammy Awards will air on Univision on Nov. 19. Under the banner “Music Makes Us Human,” the “reimagined telecast” will beam from Miami and include performances from cities around the Latin world. Should the COVID situation change, the Latin Academy will consider hosting a