Music

Lil Nas X addressed claims he was mocking Christianity with his new religion-themed single “J Christ” in a lengthy video the rapper uploaded to X on Monday morning. Nas has been on the receiving end of criticism from spectators — including Christian artists like the Grammy-winning Gospel artist and rapper Lecrae — who disagreed with

Morgan Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time,” released in March 2023, is back at No. 1 in the latest tracking week of the Billboard 200 chart. There are no new releases in the Top 10 of the list as Wallen’s 36-song set enters its 17th nonconsecutive week at No. 1 with the equivalent of 61,000

With just five albums over a 30-plus-year career but an esoteric, enigmatic and formidable mystique and strain of progressive post-metal, Tool are one of the world’s biggest cult bands, inspiring a level of fandom and devotion that many artists would envy. And those fans packed two nights at Madison Square Garden last weekend, where the

Drew Barrymore praised “Mean Girls” star Reneé Rapp on Friday’s episode of “The Drew Barrymore Show” for protecting her from an alleged stalker. The cast of “Mean Girls” joined Barrymore on her eponymous talk show to discuss the movie musical. At one point, the daytime host pulled Rapp into a hug and thanked her for

Sometimes directors don’t want you humming the music as you leave their film. More than ever, filmmakers are seeking fresh musical approaches, especially when the subject matter is dark or fantastic. Three late-2023 releases demonstrate this with music that catches the ear in unusual ways. Director Yorgos Lanthimos had never commissioned original music for any

In early November, Sean “Diddy” Combs secured a Grammy nomination in the best progressive R&B album category for “The Love Album: Off the Grid.” But shortly after, the music mogul faced a slew of lawsuits stemming from sexual assault charges, leading to his temporary resignation as chairman of Revolt and the cancellation of his Hulu

Justin Timberlake is building anticipation for his return to solo music with the announcement of a one-night-only hometown show in Memphis set for Jan. 19 at the Orpheum Theater. “Going home,” Timberlake captioned a set of Instagram photos announcing the show. The main image is a billboard with details on the “one night only” concert,

After weeks of rumors, Universal Music Group has confirmed that it will be laying off an unspecified but significant number of employees in the coming weeks. The company’s recorded-music division is said to be receiving the brunt of the layoffs. UMG chairman Lucian Grainge mentioned forthcoming layoffs in the company’s October earnings call; on Friday,

The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” has become the first song to pass the 4 billion stream mark on Spotify, a rep for the company confirms to Variety. The song passed Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” as the all-time most-streamed song on the service just over a year ago, and it is one of two Weeknd songs

Pioneering BBC DJ Annie Nightingale — the first (and for 12 years, only) female DJ on the network’s Radio 1 station, whose embrace of multiple genres of music cast a vast influence on the country’s music fans — died Friday after a brief illness, according to The Guardian. She was 83. Nightingale joined the station

The music video for Fantasia’s “Superpower (I)” from “The Color Purple” is here. “Superpower (I),” written and produced by The-Dream (Rihanna, Beyoncé and Mariah Carey), is performed by Fantasia during the musical film’s end credits. The track is shortlisted for the best original song Oscar, as is the film’s “Keep It Movin.’” Directed by Taylor

Kali Uchis has built her career on taking risks. With “Orquídeas,” her second Spanish-language album (and fourth overall), Uchis asks her collaborators — which range from global superstars Peso Pluma, Rauw Alejandro, El Alfa and Karol G to JT from the City Girls — to match her level of fearlessness, urging them to step outside

Usher has unveiled a trailer for this year’s Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show, teasing a performance that has been “30 years in the making.” The minute-long clip weaves together footage of fans jamming out to the singer’s hit tune “Yeah!,” with everything from a gospel choir to a creaky oven replicating the song’s

Looking to make a splash with his first new single in more than two years, Lil Nas X is setting new personal bests for provocation with his new song and video, portraying “the man who had the best comeback”: “J. Christ.” After opening the gates of heaven for celebrity look-alikes of A-list stars including Taylor

Ariana Grande’s first single under her own name in more than three years arrives with a feel-good, bouncy lilt in the melody and rhythm, and a clear inspiration from Madonna’s “Vogue” (along with a splash of mid-‘90s Janet Jackson). But first impressions can be deceiving, because the lyrics bear a refreshingly positive I-am-who-I-am, be-yourself-and-keep-it-moving message

It’s been nearly 10 years since D’Angelo released his last album “Black Messiah,” and roughly five since he last appeared on a new single. So it’s safe to say that it’s a full-fledged cultural moment when the R&B icon pokes out from hiding to drop music. Such is the case for “I Want You Forever,”

Nearly eight years after Prince’s death, his heirs have gone to court with two former associates of the artist in the latest round of the long, expensive and complex battle over control over his estate. The lawsuit, made public Wednesday in Delaware court, pits four of the artist’s heirs against two of his former business

Whoopi Goldberg used the January 11 episode of “The View” to slam Fox News for perpetuating a conspiracy theory that claims the U.S. government is using Taylor Swift to control public opinion (via Entertainment Weekly). “There are real issues impacting millions of Americans,” Goldberg said. “This is what the Fox News folks wanted viewers to

As the ongoing series of lawsuits and allegations prove nearly every week, sexual misconduct and abuse remain a major problem in the music industry. In the coming weeks, songwriter Tiffany Red and the 100 Percenters, who have long rallied for more equitable treatment for songwriters in the industry, have spoken out against sexual abuse and

Congratulations are in order for Kali Uchis and rapper Don Toliver who have announced they are expecting their first child together in a tender new visualizer for Uchis’ incoming album, “Orquídeas.” The three-minute clip is the supplement to a pair of sultry songs — “Tu Corazón Es Mío” and “Diosa” — on Uchis’ fourth studio

The UnitedMasters music platform will again kick off Grammy weekend with a trio of buzzing independent artists: Nigerian-American singer Davido, Dominican rapper Tokischa and South Africa-based DJ-artist Uncle Waffles. The show takes places at the Hollywood Palladium on Friday, Feb. 2. Last year’s showcase featured Brent Faiyaz, Russ and Tobe Nwigwe and drew some 2,500

Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram, dubbed the “queen of Arab pop” by Spotify, has inked a publishing deal with U.S. indie music company Reservoir Media and PopArabia, its Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region partner. The landmark deal with Ajram’s In2Musica label includes her entire owned catalog like hit albums “Ya Tabtab” and “Nancy 10,”

KCON, the Korean pop music and culture convention operated by CJ ENM, will hold five editions in 2024, organizers said on Thursday. The first of the year will be Hong Kong, a new destination for the convention series, before moving on to KCON Japan in May 10-12 and KCON LA July 26-28. Other editions will

Tracy Hurley Martin — co-founder and CEO of the Morbid Anatomy Museum, comedy booking agent, film producer and publicist for Prince, George Michael, Depeche Mode, the Cure and others — has died following a two-year battle with cancer, her brother in law Michael Pagnotta confirmed to Variety. She was 53. She is survived by her husband

FKA Twigs is facing censorship over her appearance in a Calvin Klein advertisement in the United Kingdom. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned an ad featuring the singer wearing a denim shirt wrapped around her and exposing the right side of her body. The organization claimed that the “image’s composition placed viewers’ focus on

Jennifer Lopez has officially returned with the release of her new single “Can’t Get Enough” and its accompanying music video. In the Dave Meyers-directed clip, J. Lo makes cheeky references to her past marriages. As the video progresses, she moves from husband to husband (one of whom is played by Derek Hough) while attendees at

Paramore is set to feature on the just-announced tribute album for A24‘s restoration of “Stop Making Sense.” Paying homage to Talking Heads, the record will feature 16 artists covering the band’s setlist from their 1984 live album “Stop Making Sense.” In a teaser clip posted on both Paramore and A24’s social channels, frontwoman Hayley Williams

Taylor Swift made up 1.7% of the entire U.S. recorded-music market in 2023, according to the year-end report from Luminate, the industry data partner formerly known as SoundScan. The news does not come as a surprise after a year in which Swift staged a world-beating global tour and was seemingly ubiquitous in nearly every form

U.K. rapper Skepta has apologized after allegations surfaced on social media that the artwork for his new single, “Gas Me Up (Diligent),” evoked images of the Holocaust. Skepta removed the artwork from his social platforms shortly after posting it on Monday. The image showed a shaved head with the words “Gas Me Up” tattooed on

Tom Sansone has been named SoundCloud‘s new chief financial officer/chief operating officer, it was announced Tuesday by CEO Eliah Seton. “Tom is a proven global executive with a highly differentiated and relevant skill set that includes accelerating business transformation, establishing operational and financial discipline and executing strategic alternatives,” said Seton in a statement. “Now that