Music

It was a heartbreaking moment in “Game of Thrones” when the series’ beloved Hodor finally got to “hold the door,” only to be sacrificed in the process. With his single-phrased vocabulary, the “Groot” of GOT was possibly the least affected by his character’s demise. The seven-foot-tall Kristian Nairn, who portrays Hodor, is a Belfast, Ireland

When you think of Jonathan Wilson, you may think of the south… southern California, that is, since he started out being associated with the neo-Laurel Canyon scene around the turn of the last decade. But the singer-songwriter-producer spent his earliest years growing up in North Carolina, and he brings some of the sounds of that

After a long talk with no one but myself, I’ve decided to go to SXSW. I’d already purchased a ticket to fly to the U.S. from Tel Aviv — a stopover in Istanbul for a TED talk was canceled when flights were halted — and when I return to Israel, I’ll need to quarantine myself

Led Zeppelin scored a major win on Monday in the copyright battle over “Stairway to Heaven,” as the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a jury verdict finding the song did not infringe on the 1968 song “Taurus.” The ruling is also a significant win for the music industry, which has felt itself fighting a

Warner Music India officially launched today, as the company announced its newest affiliate with former Sony Music India executive Jay Mehta as managing director. His purview will also cover the other markets in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Based in Mumbai, Mehta — who

Mass Appeal India has announced the signing of Grammy-nominated Indian-American rapper-singer-songwriter-dancer Raja Kumari, the first female rapper to sign with the label. Mass Appeal India launched in August 2019 as a partnership between legendary rapper Nas’ urban culture-focused entertainment company and Universal Music India, a division of Universal Music Group. Born in California to Indian

“American Idol” judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan shared some happy news in the opening segment of Sunday night’s broadcast of the ABC program: the arrival of a “fourth judge.” “I think it’s the perfect addition to this panel,” said Bryan, adding the news “should come from Katy.” “We’re having a baby,” said

March 8, 2020 9:45AM PT One person was shot and chaos erupted at a Lil Baby concert in Birmingham, Ala., after gunfire broke out on the side of the stage, sending the rapper and the audience running for cover, according to local news reports. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital; a police officer

Weeknd fans tuning in to “Saturday Night Live” this weekend certainly got their money’s worth, as the artist not only performed his recent single “Blinding Lights,” but premiered a stunning new ballad called “Scared to Live” and showed off his comic chops in a musical skit and appeared briefly on “Weeknd Update” (geddit?). The Weeknd’s

March 7, 2020 2:47PM PT Ciara has become the latest musician to cancel a concert over concerns for the spreading coronavirus. Her March 19 concert at the brand new USO center in Ford Hood, Tex., has been postponed to later this year, she told Variety in a statement. The grand opening of the venue will

Demi Lovato premiered a new single today. Titled “I Love Me,” the song is a reckoning of sorts: a coming-to-terms acceptance of herself, warts and all. It features the chorus: “I wonder when I love me is enough? / Why am I always looking for a ride or die? / ‘Cause mine’s the only heart

While the music world’s attention was focused on South by Southwest’s cancellation due to concerns over coronavirus on Friday, eight dates on Justin Bieber’s 45-date stadium tour in support of his new album “Changes” were scaled down to arena appearances. There was no official announcement from Bieber’s social media accounts, although eight arenas posted notices

SXSW has officially been canceled amid growing fears over the spread of coronavirus. As of Friday afternoon, there have been 17 confirmed cases in Texas, where the annual entertainment, music and technology festival takes place. At a press conference at Austin’s City Hall on Friday, a number of city officials updated the media on the

A week’s worth of grousing between hit Houston rapper-singer Megan Thee Stallion and her label, 1501 Certified Entertainment, over her right to release new music (and a Texas judge granting her a restraining order to do so) is a suitably dramatic setting for “Suga” to drop. Add to that a Thursday post on her Hot

Keep calm and Bob Dylan on. Coronavirus fears may be on everybody’s minds right now, but the show went on Thursday night for “Girl From the North Country.” Hugs, handshakes and some elbow bumps were shared at the star-studded opening of the show, a jukebox musical inspired by Dylan’s song catalog, at the Belasco Theatre.

McCoy Tyner, the legendary jazz pianist who played with John Coltrane and went on to a long solo career, has died at 81. His Facebook page announced his death. A Philadelphia native, Tyner began studying piano at age 13. He was only 21 years old when he was recruited by Coltrane, after a short stint

After days of news reports that the Ultra Music Festival in Miami was off due to coronavirus concerns, the festival itself finally made the cancellation official Friday morning. Only, it wasn’t being referred to as a “cancellation”: in their words, the 2020 festival is being “postponed,” by exactly a year, to the weekend the 2021

As a movie, “Promising Young Woman,” the debut feature from “Killing Eve” writer/director Emerald Fennell out April 17 via Focus Features, defies easy categorization. Anchored by a star turn from Carey Mulligan, the film blends equal parts thriller and pitch-black comedy with occasional dashes of traditional rom-com and ‘90s noir drama structures. It’s all told

Although the new remake of “Mulan” isn’t a musical like the original, one key music component from Disney’s animated version is back. Christina Aguilera has done her own remake of “Reflection,” which was her first single when she recorded it for the 1998 film. It’s joined on the forthcoming “Mulan” soundtrack (out March 25) by

March 5, 2020 9:17PM PT The moody music and lyrics from the Bob Dylan playbook both define and heighten Conor McPherson’s haunting vision of the Depression. Some people think Bob Dylan’s music is depressing — and in “Girl From the North Country,” Conor McPherson makes the case by setting more than twenty of Dylan’s songs

Universal Music Group has advised its employees not to attend the upcoming South By Southwest music festival and conference in Austin, Texas, due to the growing concern over the coronavirus, a source close to the situation confirms to Variety. The directive is not mandatory, the source stressed, adding that exceptions may be made, “but no

Was the official cancellation of the Ultra Music Festival in Miami Thursday a one-off, for now, for a music industry that’s weighing its options on a case-by-case basis… or an inevitable bellwether for the fate of other upcoming festivals like South by Southwest and Coachella? And if it’s the latter, why wouldn’t SXSW, which begins

Taylor Swift is donating $1 million to Tennessee tornado relief efforts after parts of the state were destroyed by two tornadoes on Tuesday. The former Nashville resident took to her Instagram Stories on Thursday to share her support with all those affected by the natural disaster. “Nashville is my home and the fact that so

Music industry veteran Clive Davis will be honored by NYU Tisch School of the Arts at the school’s annual gala. A graduate of the program in 1953, he’ll join fellow alumnus Ang Lee, who received an MFA in film in 1984. The event will take place Monday, April 6, at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan.

UPDATED: Just over 18 months ago, a New York Times article stated that the damage Universal Music Group’s archives suffered in a 2008 fire was far greater than originally revealed — while lacking specific details, the article estimated that around 500,000 masters by some of the greatest artists of the past century were destroyed. While

Mononymic multi-hypenate music dynamo, fashion designer and occasional film producer Pharrell has decided to part with a glassy mansion that presides over a high and private hilltop in the Beverly Hills Post Office area of Los Angeles, Calif., hanging an almost $17 million price tag on the humongous architectural extravaganza after he bought it not

The freshly unveiled lineup for indie record shops’ biggest day of the year, Record Store Day 2020, is out, promising exclusive LP releases featuring releases by everyone from Billie Eilish to Britney Spears to Miles Davis. This year, the blessed event for the “High Fidelity” set falls on Saturday, April 18. At the top of

A judge has given rapper Megan Thee Stallion the green light to release her new project “Suga,” which has been at the center of a contract dispute between her and her label, this Friday, according to Complex. The dispute, which Megan says began when she proposed renegotiating her contract with 1501 Certified Entertainment, has led

Epic Records chair­­­woman and CEO Sylvia Rhone has announced a trio of promotions today (March 5). Rick Sackheim takes on the position of general manager in addition to executive vice president, overseeing the label’s marketing, publicity and video production departments. He’ll remain based out of Epic’s Culver City offices. A veteran of label promotion, Sackheim

Interscope Geffen A&M has promoted Michelle An to Executive Vice President, Head of Visual Creative M, the company’s Vice Chairman, Steve Berman, announced today. She most recently served as Senior Vice President, Head of Creative and is based in the company’s Santa Monica headquarters. In her new role, An will continue to lead a team