Music

November 16, 2019 2:02PM PT Taylor Swift’s battle with Big Machine has spilled into the political arena. Demoractic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren retweeted Swift’s Thursday message about her former record label preventing her from performing her old hits at the American Music Awards, adding that Swift is “one of many whose work as been threatened

Hotly tipped singer-songwriter Arizona Zervas, whose viral hit “Roxanne” is in the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100,  has signed with Columbia, Variety has confirmed. Since the release of the track on Oct. 10, “Roxanne” has reached nearly 50 million streams on Spotify. The single topped Spotify U.S. top tracks chart for an uninterrupted

The latest Taylor Swift–Scooter Braun–Scott Borchetta kerfuffle involves the sort of music business minutiae that doesn’t commonly interest the general public — in fact, it’s probably safe to say that untold thousands if not millions of people are suddenly familiar with the concept of re-recording old masters. But in blasting Braun on social media and

When Lil Peep died after an accidental overdose in 2017 at age 21, we had still only just touched on the life and aesthetic of the neophyte emo-trap-punk-rap king. We were just beginning to find out how he went from an Allentown, PA working class youth with an absentee father, and a child of mental

November 15, 2019 10:53AM PT Lauryn Hill dropped her first new solo song in five years on Friday morning, “Guarding the Gates,” from the forthcoming film “Queen & Slim.” While the song was announced several weeks ago, Hill songs have been few and far between in the 20 years since her Grammy-cleanup blockbuster debut solo

Rock has spawned enough hitmaking women with guitars over the years to dispel the notion that the genre is a man’s world. Grammy voters, however, apparently have yet to receive the memo. Ever since the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences merged Best Female Rock Vocal Performance and Best Male Rock Vocal Performance into

When Celine Dion’s husband and one-time manager, Rene Angelil, passed away in 2016, the powerhouse Canadian vocalist, chart-topper, couture fashion icon, Las Vegas mainstay and soon-to-be biopic focus lost her mooring, the center of her gravity. He’d helped pick her songs, her arrangements and her clothes, and, for better or worse, became Dion’s everything. Save for

In the latest salvo in a rapidly evolving media battle that has evolved over the past 15 hours, Taylor Swift refuted Big Machine Records’ claim that the company did not try to block her from using material from her early albums, which are owned by the label, in forthcoming television specials. Swift had leveled those

Clockenflap, Hong Kong’s largest annual music festival, which was due to be held Nov. 22-24, has been cancelled. The decision, announced on Friday, follows an increase in violence and disruption in the city emerging from the ongoing political struggle. “Due to the escalation of the crisis this week, and therefore the uncertainty this creates for

Not to be buried among the week’s other Taylor Swift news, the singer has released her recording of the song she wrote with Andrew Lloyd Webber “Beautiful Ghosts,” which will be heard over the end credits of “Cats” upon its release Dec. 20. Hers is one of three versions of “Ghosts” that will be heard

Fifty years on, it’s difficult to convey just how much The Band changed the game. As psychedelia and acid rock were exploding, they were mentally and musically galaxies away, sequestered in Woodstock, creating their earthy, rickety fusion of folk, blues, country, old-school rock and soul. While Jim Morrison and Mick Jagger preened, they had no

All eyes were on singer Rosalia at the 20th annual Latin Grammy Awards held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Thursday night (Nov. 14). The Spanish flamenco singer took home the award for album of the year and best recording package for “El Mal Querer,” as well as Best Urban Song for her

UPDATED: In a statement issued early Friday morning, Big Machine Records denied Taylor Swift’s claims that they are blocking the use of her music. Swift had said in social media posts late Thursday that her former record company, which is run by Scott Borchetta and his new partner Scooter Braun, are trying to nix her plans for

I am heated. I see red. I’m referring, of course, to the latest public dust-up between Taylor Swift, Scooter Braun and Scott Borchetta. Mainly, it’s Taylor I’m focused on. Taylor Swift is many things to many people. She’s a victim to some. She’s an inspiration to others. Everyone is invested in the Taylor Swift story

Taylor Swift has taken to social media to tell fans that Scott Borchetta, her former label head at Big Machine Records, and his new partner Scooter Braun are trying to nix her plans for a retrospective performance at the American Music Awards, as well as denying the use of her recordings for a documentary she

Alex Berdoff, a VP of marketing at SB Projects, died on Nov. 11 in New York City at the age of 31. He had been diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma. In the six-plus years Berdoff worked at SBP, he played an integral role in devising strategic marketing campaigns for the entertainment and media company’s management roster,

Ciara has been named as host of the 2019 American Music Awards, returning to the show after appearing as a performer alongside Missy Elliott on last year’s telecast. The singer is not a newcomer to hosting duties, having previously presided over the Billboard Music Awards three years ago. Prior to performing her single “Level Up”

Considering the Wu-Tang Clan’s sprawling membership — nine core members with a couple dozen auxiliary members — it’s not surprising that, a year after the group belatedly celebrated its 25 th anniversary, several of its offspring have formed a group called 2 nd Generation Wu. The group’s members consist of U-God’s son iNTeLL, Method Man’s son

“What?! My god.” This is Randy Newman’s reaction upon learning of the first time he ever appeared in the pages of Variety, back in May of 1965. That was three years before he released his first album as a singer-songwriter, at which point he began steadily accruing fans of his warped musical character sketches until

Backstage at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, CMA Awards winners, performers and presenters came back to meet the press after their appearances, including Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris, Garth Brooks, Blake Shelton, Dan + Shay, Ashley McBryde and Luke Combs. Garth Brooks was named entertainer of the year for the seventh time, and during his acceptance speech, he

A little over a year after exiting his role as music booker for ‘Conan,’ Roey Hershkovitz has landed a new gig as vice president of Capitol Studios and Digital Studios, Universal Music Group (UMG) announced today. In the newly created position, Hershkovitz is tasked with overseeing the iconic recording studio’s recording, tracking, mixing and mastering

Every year Variety seeks to identify the next generation of leaders in the entertainment business, looking for representatives in the creative community, film, TV, music and digital. This year’s music industry group has a heavy East Coast focus: We selected executives from forward thinking companies such as Spotify and Downtown Music Holdings and tastemakers from

After falling to an all-time low in 2018, the 2019 CMA Awards stabilized for ABC and gained a chunk of viewers. Last night’s awards show garnered a 2.0 rating among adults 18-49, down only a fraction from last year’s 2.1, and was watched by 11.3 million total viewers, up roughly 12% from last year. However,

Khalid, who released his sophomore album “Free Spirit” back in April, has dropped a brand-new song called “Up All Night.” “’Up All Night’ is a song that I wrote while on tour. It’s really special to me and I’m so excited that I am able to share it with my fans so quickly,” he said

Janelle Monáe sings two songs, including the classic “He’s a Tramp,” in the live-action remake of “Lady and the Tramp,” among the most talked-about of the new offerings on the Disney Plus streaming service. But the biggest challenge for her writing and producing team, Nate “Rocket” Wonder and Roman GianArthur of Wondaland Productions, turned out

November 14, 2019 7:23AM PT Just hours after cancelling their Australia tour due to Paul Stanley’s bout with influenza, Kiss have announced the “last legs” of their “End of the Road” farewell tour. According to the announcement, the trek will officially come to a close on July 21, 2021 at a location in the band’s

The late producer-songwriter Busbee won his first CMA Award Wednesday night, as the primary producer of Maren Morris’ sophomore release, “Girl,” which picked up album of the year at the ceremony. Busbee, who died Sept. 29 at age 43, was saluted in the telecast first by Blake Shelton and then, later and more emotionally, by

Kiss have cancelled their final tour of Australia and New Zealand due to illness, the promoters announced Thursday. Frontman Paul Stanley fell ill with influenza earlier this week and his condition has worsened, according to the announcement. The tour’s opening dates were initially reshuffled to allow Stanley, 67, time to recover, but now the trek

November 13, 2019 10:23PM PT Alicia Keys will return as the host of the 62nd annual Grammy Awards. Keys hosted the awards show for the first time in 2019. She will become the third woman and the first female music star to host the show twice. Keys has won 15 Grammy awards and is second

Halsey is increasingly proving herself a woman for all seasons in her varied TV appearances and awards show collaborations, and Wednesday’s CMA Awards telecast was no exception, as she ingratiated herself into the country vocal trio Lady Antebellum for some flawless four-part harmony on a medley of two of their respective hits. She and Lady