Music

It’s time. Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour — her first jaunt in nearly five years — has officially kicked off at Stockholm’s Friends Arena where she’s set to perform for nearly three hours at the Swedish capital. The stadium trek will continue across Europe through June, with the North American leg kicking off in Toronto on

Doja Cat was named pop songwriter of the year at the privately-held BMI Pop Awards on May 9 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. Though she wasn’t present at the ceremony, Doja Cat had six of the most-performed songs of 2022 – “Get Into It (Yuh)” (co-written with Sully and Y2K), “I Like

Frank Kozik, the iconic graphic artist behind album covers including The Offspring’s “Americana” and Queens of the Stone Age’s self-titled debut, has died. He was 61 years old. Kozik’s death was confirmed by his wife Sharon, who did not give a cause of death but said his passing was “unexpected.” In a statement she said:

Margo Price and Charley Crockett emerged as leading nominees when the contenders for the 2023 Americana Honors & Awards were announced Tuesday in Nashville, with three nominations each. Allison Russell was close behind with two nods from the Americana Music Association voters. Picking up a single nomination each — tough enough, when there are only

SoundCloud has launched a new product called “Fans” that provides artists with access to deep user data and makes it easy for them to connect with their most loyal listeners. Now available on SoundCloud for Artists, the tool allows artists to view the platform’s data and sort their most engaged listeners based on factors like

Lea Michele’s run in “Funny Girl” doesn’t end until Sept. 3, but she’s already plotting her return to Broadway. In fact, the actor-singer tells me she has her next gig lined up. “I already know what it is,” she teases. But Michele is being tight-lipped on details. “You know it,” she says, hinting it could

Morgan Wallen took to his Instagram account Tuesday to release a video statement saying that he is having to put off his next six weeks of tour dates — plus a scheduled appearance in just two days on the Academy of Country Music Awards telecast — after doctors ordered him to go on vocal rest.

Rita Lee, one of Brazil’s top-selling rock artists and an original member of the tropicalia band Os Mutantes, died on May 5 after struggling with lung cancer. She was 75. The news was confirmed on Tuesday morning via Lee’s official Instagram account which, translated from Portuguese, stated: “We announce the death of Rita Lee, at

Hi, it’s not her — that’s the problem, it’s not her. Some yet-to-be-revealed celebrity is releasing a book in July that the publisher is promising will be a blockbuster. But Variety can report for certain that this mystery author is not, as rumored, Taylor Swift. Whoever the famous person or people are that are behind

It’s pouring rain in New York City, and Mercury Lounge is packed wall-to-wall with a few hundred 20-somethings — so tightly that Peter Cat Recording Co. must clear a path through the Lower East Side rock club to journey from the front of the house to the stage. Fans stand on sofas to catch a

Dolly Parton has revealed all the pertinent details about her long-promised “rock album,” titled “Rockstar,” including a 30-song track list, Nov. 17 release date and literally dozens of celebrity guests — including Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr joining her for a cover of the Beatles’ “Let It Be.” The vast majority of the 30 tracks

Variety has promoted Jem Aswad to lead all music content across digital, print and live media platforms as executive editor, music. Aswad will oversee all aspects of Variety‘s music-related editorial operations and staff. He will also continue to serve as Variety‘s leading voice on the business of music, penning cover stories, deep-dive features, investigative stories,

Tariq Trotter — aka the Roots’ co-founder and rapper better known as Black Thought — will be releasing a memoir titled “The Upcycled Self,” out Nov. 14 on One World. While Trotter, who has won four Grammy Awards and three NAACP Image Awards, has been a deeply successful and influential artist for nearly four decades, the

New Warner Music CEO Robert Kyncl faced a light release schedule during his first two quarters in office and has promised not to candy-coat the results. Although the company’s revenue was up 4% and its publishing division posted a strong quarter, the company is just beginning to emerge from that thin stretch of releases with

Rhiannon Giddens has recorded her first solo album in six years, and her first album of all-original material ever, “You’re the One,” the singer announced Tuesday. The album will arrive August 17 on Nonesuch. The album announcement comes a day after Giddens was announced as being a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for music, for

In his first interview since his victory in the “Thinking Out Loud” copyright infringement lawsuit last week, Ed Sheeran told “Good Morning America” why he feels the jury believe that he did not copy Marvin Gaye’s 1973 hit “Let’s Get It On” for his song. It was “101 songs with the same chord sequence, and

Becky G is bringing Casa Gom3z to venues across the United States for her first-ever headlining tour dubbed the “Mi Casa, Tu Casa Tour.” The singer revealed the news to Variety on Tuesday, also adding that her fans can expect a “very, versatile setlist.” “[The] ‘Mi Casa Tu Casa Tour’ is about inviting people into

The Austin City Limits Music Festival returns in 2023 with a lineup featuring headliners Kendrick Lamar, Foo Fighters, Mumford & Sons, Shania Twain (Weekend One only), the Lumineers, Odesza, Alanis Morissette and the 1975 (Weekend Two only), along with Hozier, Kali Uchis, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Maggie Rogers, Labrinth, Cigarettes After Sex, Niall Horan, Tove Lo,

For a ninth week, Morgan Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” rules over the albums chart, resisting monumental debut numbers and new releases from K-pop group Seventeen, Eslabon Armado, Jack Harlow and more. In its latest tracking week, as measured by Luminate, Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” earns the equivalent of 138,000 sales in the

Abel Tesfaye has been a force in the music industry for more than a decade under the guise of the Weeknd, but it appears the alter ego may be entering retirement pretty soon. In a new interview with W Magazine, “The Idol” actor and co-creator discussed his plans to release new music and dove deep

Long-running Canadian pop-punk act Sum 41 have announced that they are splitting up after 27 years together, with their forthcoming album, their ninth studio effort, to be their last. “‘Being in Sum 41 since 1996 brought us some of the best moments of our lives,” the band wrote in a social-media message on Monday. “We

Taylor Swift’s recent song “Midnight Rain” lived up to its name when it was performed Sunday night at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium, except that it was actually after 1 a.m. local time when it finally came up in the set list. The finale of her hometown three-night stand was pushed back hours from its scheduled start

“Cupid” by Fifty Fifty (stylized as FIFTY FIFTY) has become the little K-pop song that could. Released by independent label Attrakt (stylized as ATTRAKT), the irresistibly bouncy lament on modern love has grown into a crossover phenomenon on the back of organic social media virality, clever marketing and a “Twin Version” in English. So far,

Ahead of the “Coronation Concert” – aired on the BBC on Sunday as the climax of the weekend’s royal celebrations – all the talk was of who wasn’t going to perform. Multiple A-listers (Adele, Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles et al.) were reported to have declined official invitations, and their wariness around hitching their brands to

This past awards season, Joy Oladokun was nominated for the Grammys’ first Song for Social Change award, for a song off her previous album called “I See America.” If all you ever heard — or heard about — was that tune (opening lines: “I saw God out on the block today / He was darker

Katy Perry had the young British royals dancing in their seats with a dazzling rendition of her hit song “Roar” at a concert in honor of King Charles III’s coronation. Taking to the stage at Windsor Castle in a Disney Princess-inspired gold ballgown, the singer performed two songs from her repertoire: “Roar” and “Firework.” During

Taylor Swift let fans in her hometown of Nashville to be the first to get the official news: “Speak Now” will be the next album in her “Taylor’s Version” series of re-recorded albums. Swift is giving fans plenty of time to pre-order the album: She revealed that it’s coming out July 7. “I think rather

To say that the music industry was glued to reports coming out of the Ed Sheeran copyright infringement trial, and particularly the verdict, would be an understatement, coming as it did after the “Blurred Lines” case had a very different outcome. Ilene Farkas, the lead attorney from Pryor Cashman, which handled Sheeran’s defense, says the

Hitmaker Jenna Andrews’ “The Green Room Talks” digital series takes on difficult topics like drug and alcohol addiction, eating disorders, anxiety and depression in its latest episode. Featuring Ryan Dusick, Maroon 5 founding member and former drummer, Shirley Halperin, Variety’s executive editor, music, and Angie Pagano, founder and CEO of AMP Entertainment, the four discussed

Connie Han has established herself as one of contemporary jazz’s most talented and inventive musicians by combining the precision of her childhood training as a classical pianist with the improvisation, and irrepressible emotion, of her heroes Freddie Hubbard and Kenny Kirkland. Just 27, it’s hard to believe Han released her first album eight years ago,