Music

When Benjamin Wallfisch learned that he was going to compose the score for the 2020 reboot of “The Invisible Man,” he deliberately stayed away from rewatching the 1933 original. The goal, he says, was “to keep the sound as fresh as possible.” Director Leigh Whannell showed Wallfisch the film with no temp music as all,

Taylor Swift has been named the best-selling international music act of 2019 in a report issued by IFPI, the organization that speaks for the music industry around the world. The honor reflects strong global sales for her seventh album, “Lover,” which was released in August. Swift’s last time topping the IFPI’s yearly top 10 was

Warner Music Group has delayed a plan to kick off its IPO this week due to concerns over the coronavirus, according to Reuters, which cites “people familiar with the matter.” Fashion company Cole Haan also postponed its plans, according to the report. The companies made the decision after the S&P 500 Index lost close to 12%

Deborah Dugan, who was placed on administrative leave from her post as chairman/CEO of the Recording Academy in January after accusations of “misconduct” toward an employee sources say was her former assistant, has been terminated, the organization announced today in a letter to members. The move is not a surprise, as Dugan, who was placed

UPDATED: On the heels of her new single “Stupid Love,” which was released Friday, Lady Gaga has announced that her new album is indeed called “Chromatica,” as fans had speculated on the basis of the word’s appearance in the video and advertising, and will be out on April 10. Judging by the album’s page on

Steve Ballmer, owner of the National Basketball Association’s Los Angeles Clippers, is “in advanced negotiations” to purchase The Forum in Inglewood, California, from the Madison Square Garden Company, according to reports in ESPN and the Los Angeles Times. While the deal would advance the franchise’s efforts to build a new home arena in the area, it

“I’m a happy idiot. What can I tell you?” This was John Sebastian, leaving the Alex Theatre in Glendale early Sunday morning after an epic Lovin’ Spoonful tribute show that lasted four hours, with the hall’s overtime fees accumulating as the group’s mostly reunited lineup got in one last “Daydream” right after the midnight hour.

March 1, 2020 8:59AM PT Now we know what Drake was filming in Brooklyn’s Marcy Projects last month: The rapper dropped two new songs late Saturday night, “When to Say When” and “Chicago Freestyle,” which are merged into a single video. The footage, directed by Theo Skudra, was also shot in Manhattan’s Diamond district and

February 29, 2020 3:00PM PT Composer, songwriter and Oscar winner Alan Menken will be honored with the Max Steiner Award, presented by Hollywood In Vienna on Oct. 3. Over an illustrious career that spans over 40 years, he is the musical mastermind behind such beloved classics as “Under the Sea,” “Be Our Guest,” “Seize the

With five One Direction albums and two solo records under his belt, anything smaller than an arena show has become a rarity for Harry Styles, so a clandestine club show in the hipster capital of Brooklyn is, obviously, a one-off. Just as much as the crowd that was packed into the Music Hall of Williamsburg

UPDATE: Juicy J’s social-media rant apparently helped to resolve his issues with Columbia Records, although we’d advise him not to make a habit of it. Original article is below his tweet. Rapper Juicy J is apparently involved in a dispute with his label, Columbia Records, and was agitated enough early Saturday to fire off a

After her last decade in the Las Vegas heat, Celine Dion was ready for a change of scenery — the French-Canadian diva admitted it herself. Once Dion took the stage at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Friday, midway through her year-long, 120-date “Courage” tour, she gestured to her new surroundings, addressing 19,000 screaming fans

Normani has commented on her former Fifth Harmony bandmate Camila Cabello’s history of racist behavior on social media. Last year, Cabello came under fire when years-old posts featuring racist slurs and derogatory memes from the singer’s personal Tumblr resurfaced online. In a new Rolling Stone cover story, Normani first expressed trepidation toward addressing the issue

Since the 2018 release of her debut album, “Whack World,” and its frenetic 15-songs-in-15-minutes aesthetic, rapper-producer Tierra Whack has drawn attention to her wily brand of fractured hip hop. Not only did she snag nearly 60 million audio streams in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music (as of 2019’s end), Whack won the attention of Jody Gerson and Universal

Is it wrong to invoke a John Sebastian solo tune — “Welcome Back” — to welcome back the Lovin’ Spoonful this weekend, at a Los Angeles show, for the first time in decades? It is wrong, in Sebastian’s mind, to think of it as a reunion show, with one of the key members long since

South Korea’s Big Hit Entertainment, home to global K-pop sensations BTS, is moving toward an IPO and recently selected underwriters. Sources in the investment banking industry say JP Morgan, NH Investment & Securities, and Korea Investment & Securities were chosen as main managers early this week, while Mirae Asset Daewoo is also on board as a joint manager.

Director X may not be a household name, but he is a legend of filmmaking. The Toronto native is responsible for some of music’s most iconic music videos, from DMX’s “What’s My Name?” and 112’s “Peaches and Cream” to Drake and Future’s “Life Is Good” in 2020. Over three decades, the visual artist whose real

Three songwriters filed a countersuit against Lizzo in federal court on Friday, alleging that they have been denied proper credit for writing her breakout hit, “Truth Hurts.” Lizzo sued the songwriters — brothers Justin and Jeremiah Raisen, as well as Justin “Yves” Rothman — last October, seeking a determination that they did not deserve credit

Coming into his new role as one of the principals on “The Voice,” Nick Jonas has recently been spending his time as one of three voices, having successfully reunited with his brothers last year. In between bouts of Season 18 “Voice” work (already taped shows begin airing Feb. 24, and the show turns live in

Garth Brooks has encountered the danger of endorsing Sanders in 2020. Any Sanders. The country superstar often wears local sports jerseys when he plays stadiums, and in Detroit, he wore a shirt bearing the last name and number of legendary Lions football player Barry Sanders, who, as one of the greatest running backs of all

Marcie Allen, founder and owner of the music experiential agency MAC Presents, confirmed to Variety that she is in talks to sell the company, which she launched in 2004. Over the years the agency has engineered partnerships between major artists and brands, including the Rolling Stones, Billy Joel, Keith Urban, Green Day, John Mayer and

On June 18, 2020, the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) will continue its annual tradition of honoring independent artists at the Libera Awards, to be held at New York’s Ziegfeld Ballroom. The 2020 awards show comes as A2IM celebrates 15 years of working to support and strengthen the independent music industry. The awards always

Lady Gaga is back in a big way with her new single “Stupid Love,” which, one the basis of a few listens is arguably her best song since “Edge of Glory” — a collaboration between her, hitmakers BloodPop, Max Martin, Tchami, Martin Joseph and Eli Rise — and it’s got a suitably eye-popping video to

February 28, 2020 5:55AM PT The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” video, from his forthcoming album “After Hours,” is like a mini-action movie, so it’s fitting that there’s a behind-the-scenes video that pulls back the curtain on how the clip was made — and that’s exactly what you get below, complete with a fight scene and car

“Jazz is Paris and Paris is jazz,” spoke-sang Malcolm McLaren a quarter-century ago, though the statement is valid as ever today: Since the end of World War I, when a number of African American soldiers settled in Paris — and still others left their music behind — the city has become a kind of world

Green Day has canceled scheduled tour dates in Asia due to the coronavirus epidemic. The band’s Hella Mega tour would have taken them throughout the continent in March — and in countries with confirmed cases of the virus — starting in Singapore and stopping in Bangkok, Manila, Taipei, Hong Kong, Seoul, Osaka and Tokyo. The

Ken Ehrlich produced his final Grammy telecast Jan. 26 … and, through the sad fluke of Kobe Bryant dying the day of the show, there was a direct segue to the first live broadcast of Ehrlich’s post-Grammys career, when his company was asked to assist with the Kobe Bryant memorial Feb. 24. The veteran is

BTS has canceled concerts planned for Korea, the group announced on Thursday, Feb. 27, due to concerns about the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. According to a post on an official BTS Twitter (@bts_bighit), “Map of the Soul” tour shows scheduled for April 11, 12, 18 and 19 at Seoul’s Jamsil Olympic Stadium have been called off,

February 27, 2020 3:18PM PT With stellar albums from Charli XCX, Caroline Polachek, Selena Gomez and Grimes over the past few months, it’s been a hot stretch for the genre inaccurately but conveniently labelled “alt-pop” — and joining the group is this surprise release from France’s Christine and the Queens, who recently collaborated with two

Charlie Jones, a veteran producer who has worked extensively on the Lollapalooza and the Austin City Limits festivals, is today officially launching his new venture, Four Leaf Productions, which is described as “a new company built on a foundation of creating live experiences that bring people together for a purpose.” Over the course of his