January 24, 2020 5:13PM PT Singer-songwriter Neil Young has officially become a U.S. citizen after he says his application was delayed for months because of his marijuana use. The rock legend is finally a “Canarican.” Young announced on his Instagram that he is officially an American citizen after 54 years since he first came to
Music
Seemingly every genre was represented at Warner Music Group’s pre-Grammy party on Thursday night, which attracted couples (Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani, Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross, Ava Max and Cirkut) making a date night out of it, hip-hop heavyweights (Ty Dolla $ign and Wiz Khalifa, who blew clouds of fragrant smoke at photographers in
Rapper YG was arrested Friday morning on robbery charges at his home in Southern California, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said in a press release. The “Go Loko” artist was taken into custody after sheriff deputies arrived at his residence with a search warrant related to an ongoing criminal investigation involving a robbery. The 29-year-old,
She may famously “stay high all the time,” but Grammy-nominated Swedish pop export Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson — better-known as Tove Lo — still keeps a steady eye for design. When a stylish, privately-situated midcentury compound in the Hollywood Hills recently popped up for sale with a $4 million ask, the moody songstress quickly swooped
For someone who’s quickly made a career out of mining sadness in songs like his international chart smash “Someone You Loved,” Lewis Capaldi has gotten kind of used to being someone you laugh at. The 23-year-old Scottish upstart is not the first performer whose personality outside of his songs is very different from the one
The Billie Eilish vs. Lizzo throwdown has dominated the 2020 Grammy conversation, but there’ll be plenty of other nail-biters when the awards are handed out on Jan. 26. Will Lil Nas X upset girl power in album of the year, record of the year and/or best new artist? Will country legend and 14-time nominee Tanya
Among the many allegations in ousted Recording Academy CEO Deborah Dugan’s blockbuster legal complaint, the one that possibly cuts most to the heart of the institution — and is of most concern to artists and the public — is the allegation that the nominating process is “rigged.” The example in the complaint points to the
Aerosmith’s star-studded tribute concert as the 2020 MusiCares Person of the Year honorees on Friday night (January 24) will cement another important milestone in the historic Boston-founded band’s contributions to the American rock canon. But over the past decade, some of the band’s best-known music has remained part of the cultural conversation through some of
A podcast shingle co-created by Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger has inked a deal with a major studio. Warner Bros. Digital Networks has signed a first-look deal with Rainy Day Podcasts, a new company from Jagged Films partners Mick Jagger and Victoria Pearman, producer Steve Bing and writer Josh Olson, with the aim of producing
January 24, 2020 10:11AM PT In a surprise move, veteran programmer, on-air personality and Radio Hall of Famer Kid Kelly has left SiriusXM after nearly 20 years with the radio giant, a rep for the company has confirmed to Variety. The news was first reported by RAMP. He most recently served as SiriusXM’s VP of
Facebook is throwing its weight behind the 62nd Grammy Awards, hoping to engage music fans and demonstrate its commitment to the industry and artists. The social giant, in addition to splashing videos, photos and key moments from this Sunday’s Grammys across Facebook and Instagram, will air its first Grammys TV ad in the CBS telecast
At the outset of the first screening of the documentary “Miss Americana” Thursday night at the Sundance Film Festival, it was clear at the outset that it was not necessarily Taylor Swift’s core audience filling the Eccles Theater for the premiere. The opening scene has Swift trying to write a song at the piano while
In the new Taylor Swift documentary, “Miss Americana,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival Thursday night, there’s a montage of derogatory commentary about the singer that has appeared on cable shows over the years. One of the less nasty remarks: “She’s too skinny. It bothers me.” As it turns out, it eventually bothered Swift,
In the wake of former Recording Academy chief Neil Portnow’s ill-spoken 2018 comment that female musicians and executives needed to “step up” in order to advance in the music industry, the organization formed a Task Force for Diversity and Inclusion, headed by Michelle Obama’s former chief of staff Tina Tchen, to identify and execute those
Justin Bieber broke down in tears describing the challenges he’s faced in the last couple of years and the people who helped him get through it. At a playback of his forthcoming album “Changes,” held at Village Recorders in West Los Angeles during the heart of Grammy week, Bieber got emotional and started crying recalling
January 23, 2020 3:15PM PT Among the many allegations in ousted Recording Academy chief Deborah Dugan’s bombshell complaint Tuesday was a claim that the nominations are marred by what she has described as “rigging.” The example in the complaint points to the 2019 Best Song category, where an unidentified artist who was represented by a
Universal Music Group chairman Lucian Grainge brought the star power to his Hollywood Walk of Fame dedication ceremony. In attendance outside of Capitol Studios in Hollywood were Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, Sam Smith, Tori Kelly, Hailee Steinfeld and Beck, among others. Also seated for the ceremony was a who’s who of the music industry’s top
As bizarre as much of the new film “Nowhere Inn” is, cowriters and costars St. Vincent — aka Annie Clark — and Carrie Brownstein are on somewhat familiar ground when it comes to playing with rock-star/media archetypes in deadpan fashion. They’d previously had satirical fun with some weirdly comedic short films they made to promote
Influential Los Angeles-area NPR affiliate KCRW has filled one of the positions left vacant with the exit of music director/”Morning Becomes Eclectic” host Jason Bentley last September by naming longtime on-air personality Anne Litt to the newly created position of program director of music. The job title may be different, but this puts Litt in
When some executives reach the top, they take a moment to enjoy the view. Not Lucian Grainge. In 2011, less than a year after he was named chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, he led the company into one of the biggest deals in music business history by acquiring EMI’s recorded-music division — home
Little relevant new information was unveiled in ousted Grammy CEO Deborah Dugan’s appearances on ABC’s “Good Morning America” and “CBS This Morning” on Thursday. The executive, who was placed on administrative leave last Thursday after the organization made a strongly worded but vague claim of “misconduct” against her former assistant (who was also the assistant
Deborah Dugan’s ouster from the top job at the Recording Academy, just ten days before the Grammy Awards, was a shock to nearly everyone not directly involved in the decision. But according to multiple sources and the bombshell complaint her attorneys filed on Tuesday, she and the Academy establishment were working at cross purposes almost
Drummer Joey Kramer, a founding member of Aerosmith who’s been with the band for five decades, will not be joining his groupmates onstage at the MusiCares Person of the Year gala on Friday, Jan. 24, a Massachusetts court ruled today (Jan. 22). Kramer sued the band — comprised of Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton
January 22, 2020 2:30PM PT Rapper Juice Wrld’s cause of death was confirmed as an accidental oxycodone and codeine overdose, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed. The singer died Dec. 8 after suffering a seizure at Chicago’s Midway Airport. He was 21 years old. The Medical Examiner’s Office has determined the cause and manner of
Jenna Andrews, the Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and executive, hosted a pre-Grammy event in partnership with The Jed Foundation at Alice and Olivia in West Hollywood on Tuesday. The non-profit Jed is dedicated to protecting emotional health and preventing suicide. The foundation has partnered with high schools and colleges in order to “strengthen mental health,
A statement from the women of the executive committee of the Recording Academy was released to members on Wednesday afternoon. In it, Tammy Hurt, Christine Albert, Leslie Ann Jones and Terry Jones lament the “heartbreaking firestorm that has been unleashed.” Although they don’t address ousted CEO Deborah Dugan by name, or her predecessor Neil Portnow
She may not carry the weighty name recognition of Max Martin, Dr. Luke or Ryan Tedder, but Sarah Aarons is responsible for co-writing two of the biggest pop hits of the last three years: “Stay,” by Zedd and Alessia Cara, and “The Middle,” by Zedd, Maren Morris, and Grey. Both went top 10 in the
Jaws dropped when it was revealed that the late musical theater titans Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were granted 90% of the songwriting royalties on “7 Rings,” Ariana Grande’s 2019 No. 1 hit. The dominant motif of Grande’s song is taken from “My Favorite Things,” the cornerstone of R&H’s 1959 musical “The Sound of
January 22, 2020 1:01PM PT In the latest twist in the ongoing drama around the Recording Academy, ousted CEO Deborah Dugan will appear — live — on “Good Morning America” tomorrow, a rep at the network confirmed to Variety. The appearance will likely heat up an already explosive situation in the run-up to the Grammy
The most explosive of many allegations in ousted Recording Academy Deborah Dugan’s complaint against the organization Tuesday was a claim that her predecessor, Neil Portnow, had been accused of rape a “foreign” singer who was a member of the Academy, and that Academy executives were aware of it at the time of Dugan’s hiring. On