Morgan Evans is set to drop his new song, “Thank God She’s a Country Girl,” on Friday, October 6.
The track, which Morgan wrote with Jesse Frasure, puts a fresh spin on John Denver‘s 1975 hit “Thank God I’m a Country Boy.”
“Making this song has just been pure fun from start to finish. It was an absolute pleasure to rework such a classic song and, with the approval of John Martin Sommers, the writer of ‘Thank God I’m a Country Boy,'” Morgan says of John, who also receives a writer credit on the reimagined tune.
“I’m stoked to put this one out into the world! I hope it puts a smile on your face and gets your feet moving wherever in the world you are!” he adds.
A preview clip of “Thank God She’s a Country Girl” is now up on Morgan’s Instagram.
Morgan kicks off his headlining Life Upside Down Tour in Louisville, Kentucky, on Thursday, October 5. For tickets, visit Morgan’s website.
Killer Mike is headed to late night TV with a visit to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
He teased his upcoming appearance, scheduled for Friday, October 10, by sharing on Instagram that he has “something special” planned, specifically for special people in his life.
“Doing something special for my mother and grandmother this Friday,” he wrote, adding he’ll have help from Grammy-winning artist RobertGlasper and beloved Chicago vocalist ErynAllen Kane.
It isn’t the first time Killer Mike will sit and chat with Fallon on the show; In October of 2022, he told the TV host, “we’re like family now.”
Sam Smith and Normani were victorious in a lawsuit claiming they stole their 2019 hit, “Dancing with a Stranger,” from a song that came out in 2015. Now, they want the people who accused them to pay up.
Billboard reports the two singers want the songwriters who accused them to reimburse them for the money they spent on legal bills while defending themselves — bills which amount to more than $732,000.
Peter Anderson, a lawyer for Sam and Normani, argued that they shouldn’t have to pay for a “frivolous and unreasonable” lawsuit, writing, “Defective copyright infringement claims, like Plaintiff’s claims here, burden the court, cause potentially damaging negative publicity for recording artists … and others, and force needless attorney’s fees on them.”
“Awarding attorney’s fees here will deter … others from filing and blindly prosecuting such claims without anything close to the required factual and legal basis,” the lawyer added.
As Billboard reports, last month, U.S. District Judge Wesley L. Hsu ruled that the two songs were not similar and criticized the accusers — songwriters Jordan Vincent, Christopher Miranda and Rosco Banlaoi — for manipulating the songs to make them appear the same.
As for the big bill, Sam and Normani say they were “perfectly justified” in spending that much, considering the songwriters were asking for all the profits from “Dancing with a Stranger,” which was a multi-Platinum hit.
INXS is releasing remixes of some of their biggest hits on colored vinyl.
The new collection, All Juiced Up Part 2, will feature nine limited edition colored 12-inch vinyl releases, featuring remixes of INXS classics like “Need You Tonight,” “What You Need” and more.
The collection kicks off October 20 with volumes one to three; all songs were remixed at Abbey Road Studios. A blue, pink and red vinyl will be available, with each volume containing four different songs. Remixes on the first three volumes include such songs as “Listen Like Thieves,” “Bitter Tears,” “New Sensation,” “Original Sin” and more.
All volumes can be ordered separately or as a three-LP bundle. They are available for preorder now. These will be followed by two more sets of three; the next is expected to drop in February 2024, and the final set is scheduled for May 2024.
This new collection is a follow-up to the previously released remix CD/cassette collection, All Juiced Up, which was part of the band’s 1994 Greatest Hits album.
The limited edition vinyl is the latest INXS release that’s bound to be a hit with fans. On Tuesday, October 3, they released the book Calling All Nations – A Fan History Of INXS, recounting the history of the Aussie rockers through the stories and memories of their dedicated fanbase.
Bell Biv DeVoe joined forces with Rev Run for a fresh new single full of throwback ’90s vibes.
Co-written by Rev Run, BBD and fellow ’90s hip-hop legend LL Cool J, “Act Like You Know” marks the group’s first single in six years.
“‘Act Like You Know’ celebrates the brotherhood and history between us and Run that’s been 40 years in the making,” MichaelBivins of BBD said. “We hope the fans enjoy this track as much as we did getting together to make it.”
The celebratory track arrives on the heels of the cable debut of The Hustle of @617MikeBiv, the WE tv docufilm exploring the life and career of Bivins, the Grammy-winning artist and founder of BBD and NewEdition.
The Hustle of @617MikeBiv first released August 24 on ALLBlk, AMC’s destination for all things Black TV and entertainment. The movie is described as “an inspiring story of triumph and resilience” that traces Bivins’ dreams of “being an NBA player to becoming one of R&B and hip hop’s most influential figures.” Featured in the film are all the members of BBD as well as SnoopDogg, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, DougE.Fresh, Sean “Puffy” Combs and more.
Along with the docufilm’s WE tv release on October 5 at 9 p.m. ET, viewers will be able to enjoy the premiere of the song’s official music video.
Back in 2020, Katy Perry promoted her album Smile with Potty Jams, her series of video performances in a bathroom. Now, TikTok has discovered those performances and turned one of them into a viral hit.
Billboard reports Katy’s Potty Jam performance of her 2019 single “Harleys In Hawaii” — especially the part where she sings the words “you and I” as “you and ayyyyyyeeeeeyeahhyeahhhhh!” — has been used in many creators’ videos and has racked up millions of TikTok streams.
According to Billboard, streams of “Harleys In Hawaii” have nearly doubled since the end of September; they’re up 93% from the previous week.
The final performances of Katy’s PLAY Las Vegas residency at Resorts World began Wednesday night; she’ll wrap up her run on November 4. “Harleys In Hawaii” isn’t a regular part of the show, but who knows? Maybe she’ll throw it in to acknowledge the trend.
Darius Rucker was inducted into Nashville’s Music City Walk of Fame on Wednesday, October 4.
Darius’ favorite wrestler and longtime friend, Ric Flair, helped unveil his star in the presence of the country singer’s family and friends. “American Pie” hitmaker Don McLean, rock ‘n’ roll guitarist Duane Eddy and former record label executive Joe Galante were also inducted at the ceremony.
“I’m just a kid from South Carolina who got lucky twice, so I’m shocked and humbled that I’m here,” Darius shared at the induction.
“To all the fans, and the people who listen to music, I can’t thank y’all enough. You guys have given me an amazing life that I love so much,” the “Wagon Wheel” hitmaker added on Instagram. “Everything I do, I do for the people who want to hear me play music. Thanks y’all!”
You can check out photos from the induction ceremony on The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp’s Instagram.
Darius’ upcoming album, Carolyn’s Boy, drops Friday, October 6; it’s available for preorder and presave now.
(NEW YORK) — In his first television interview, an American missionary is revealing for the first time the full story of his capture by al-Qaeda-linked terrorists in Niger and how he managed to persevere through a harrowing 6 1/2 years as their prisoner.
Jeff Woodke, a former worker for the United States Agency for International Development in the Central African nation, was taken hostage from his residence in Abalak on Oct. 14, 2016. He was finally released in March.
Jeff and his wife, Els Woodke, are speaking with ABC News Chief National Correspondent Matt Gutman in an interview airing in full on Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET on ABC News Live Prime.
On the night of his capture, Woodke says he was at his home when his civilian guard saw a vehicle drive up.
“He said, ‘There’s that vehicle.’ In my peripheral vision came a rifle barrel and muzzle flash — bright orange against a black background. All of a sudden, I hit the dirt and there were shots and I could hear people crying, dying,” Woodke told ABC News.
Woodke says he tried to escape as the shots rang out, but didn’t make it very far.
“They got my shirt, but they didn’t get me. And I kept running, you know, bare-chested. And they started hitting me with a rifle buttes trying to knock me down. They finally got me, they ruptured my Achilles, and that just, I was on the ground that was it,” Woodke said.
Woodke says he couldn’t walk. His captors scooped him up and put him in a truck.
“They kept beating me in that truck, so I was a bloody mess and their truck was a bloody mess,” Woodke said.
“I tried to say stop, but they just kept beating me. And I figured, ‘Yeah, I hope the helicopters come and get us and blow up the truck because I don’t want to be a hostage. They got me up into Mali, and I was lost,” Woodke said.
At that point, Woodke says his thoughts turned to his family.
“I don’t want to put my family through this. Really? No, that’s not good,” Woodke said of his thinking at the time.
MORE: Wife of al-Qaida hostage says U.S. effort to free him has failed, pleads with captors
Woodke’s wife says she learned of the kidnapping from a friend a few hours later.
“I always say it’s like a bomb goes off in your life. And every part of your life is shattered and gone. I just fell apart. I think I must have screamed, ‘No, no, no,’ for hours,” Els Woodke told ABC News.
Els says various government agencies and private hostage negotiators got in touch, grasping for more clues about her husband’s whereabouts — but to no avail. Still, Els didn’t give up hope.
“At Jeff’s birthday, I would plan tulips on his — the amount of his years, and always trusting or hoping that he would see the bloom in the spring. So for me, I was never hopeless. How strange that sounds but I was never without hope,” Els Woodke said.
All while her husband says his captors continued to torment him into submission.
“They broke my hope. I was in that box for two months, I disassociated numerous times. I thought I was dead. They hated me for being an American, for being a suspected security agent, for being a Christian, doing missions work, all those things,” Woodke said.
As days turned into years, Woodke feared he’d never be free again and says he was chained to a tree in isolation for most of the time.
“I had to sleep under the tree at night, you can’t see it’s pitch dark and you hear these snakes hissing and hissing all around you and you don’t know where they’re at,” Woodke said.
Then one day shortly before his release, Woodke says he received a letter from “the big boss” that said, “In a week, you’ll be with your family.”
“I gave it back to the zone commander. I said, ‘This is a lie.’ And I was on a hunger strike. They took me away and gave me to another transport team. But these guys were hardcore. These guys were combat Mujahideen, and they were nasty,” Woodke said.
Woodke says they arrived at a camp the next day where another hostage was being held — French journalist Olivier Dubois, who was abducted in 2021 in northern Mali. Upon learning it was Dubois, Woodke says they both cried as they embraced each other.
“And then he said, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, Jeff, we’re going out. We’re going home. You can go ahead and eat,'” Woodke said.
The two men were recovered by French security forces on Niger’s western border and the French put him on a plane home — in a first-class seat, Woodke said.
Els says she was ecstatic to learn her husband was now free after six long years.
“I just jumped out of bed and all I said [was], ‘It’s over, it’s over,'” Els Woodke said.
The White House has said little about the circumstances surrounding Woodke’s release, only saying, “The United States did not pay ransom or make any other concessions” and that it was a “collaborative effort.”
The French government has also not fully explained the conditions of the prisoners’ release.
Still, Woodke applauds the Biden administration for helping to bring him home and asks that their efforts continue for the other Americans who remain wrongfully detained abroad.
“There’s a lot of work that still needs to be done. And there’s no excuse why our government should treat us like we’re things, bargaining chips. Treat us with respect and bring us home,” Woodke said.
Woodke says he has been recovering from the yearslong ordeal since his release in March. Although he’s glad to be home, he says he is still healing and “learning how to become a human again.”
After popping into various schools in Los Angeles and New York over the past few weeks, Ed Sheeran went back to where it all began: his own high school.
On Instagram, Ed posted footage of himself visiting his alma mater — Thomas Mills High School in Framlingham, Suffolk, U.K. — to give a performance in the school auditorium, watch the soccer team play and teach a music class. “This is a cool full circle moment,” he said in the video.
Ed’s been back home for a few days: He also posted footage of himself serving beer at the local sports venue and cheering on his home soccer team, Ipswich Town, to victory. After the game, all the players serenaded Ed in the locker room with his song “Perfect.” You can see that in Ed’s footage as well.
In other Ed news, he teamed up with Hootie & the Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker to co-write a song for Darius’ latest country album, Carolyn’s Boy. The song’s called “Sara,” and it’s about Darius’ first love: his fifth-grade girlfriend, Sara.
“Writing that song was so fun because Ed is such an amazing songwriter,” Darius tells People. “But to write a song that’s literally about your fifth-grade girlfriend who you haven’t seen in 40 years, it was an experience.” Darius says he’d love to see Sara again, but he has no idea where she is or if she’s married.
After posting a video on Wednesday, October 5, featuring a flickering LP logo and the initials of vocalist Mike Shinoda, the “Numb” rockers have announced a new collaboration with the virtual reality game Beat Saber.
In Beat Saber, players use virtual blades to slice blocks to the rhythm of a particular song. The new Linkin Park pack, which is available now, features the band’s hit “Crawling” as well as the upcoming Shinoda solo single, “Already Over.”
Teaming up with Beat Saber marks a rare bit of news from Linkin Park, whose future has remained uncertain following the death of frontman Chester Bennington and their tribute concert to him later that year. The group has been a bit more active in 2023, though, while celebrating the 20th anniversary of their 2003 album Meteora with a deluxe reissue, which features the unearthed single “Lost.”
Shinoda’s “Already Over” is set to be officially released on Friday, October 6.
