The Year in Rock 2022: Neil Young takes on Spotify

December 29, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Neil Young is certainly known for standing up for what he believes in, and he did that in a big way this year, taking on Spotify.

It all started in January when Neil, upset about the COVID misinformation he believed was being spread on Spotify thanks to Joe Rogan’s podcast, demanded his music be removed from the streaming platform. Spotify did comply, but Neil wasn’t the only artist it was about to lose over the matter.

Not long after his declaration, in solidarity with Neil, Joni Mitchell and E Street Band/Crazy Horse member Nils Lofgren stood by him, demanding their music be removed from the service for the same reasons.

Then in February, Neil’s Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young bandmate Graham Nash backed him up by removing his catalog from Spotify. Not long after, David Crosby and Stephen Stills demanded their solo work, plus any Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young or Crosby, Stills & Nash and Crosby-Nash music be removed.

But the battle with Spotify wasn’t the only thing Neil had going on this year. He also released a new Crazy Horse album, World Record, as well as the album Toast, which he recorded with them in 2001 but had not released. He also released a 50th anniversary deluxe reissue of his fourth album, Harvest, along with a companion documentary, Neil Young: Harvest Time, chronicling the making of the record. Neil also released the live album and concert film Noise & Flowers, which was recorded during his nine-date 2019 European tour with Promise of the Real.

Nick Cannon welcomes 12th child, daughter Halo Marie

December 29, 2022 by WDNY Radio

John Sciulli/Getty Images for Amnesty International USA

Nick Cannon’s ever-expanding family just welcomed its latest addition.

Cannon and model Alyssa Scott have welcomed their second child together — Cannon’s 12th child total. Their baby girl, Halo Marie Cannon, was born on December 14.

Scott revealed the news in an Instagram post Thursday, along with a video showing the emotional journey of welcoming their daughter following the death of their son, Zen, last year.

“December 14 2022. Our lives are forever changed,” Scott wrote. “Zen is in every breath I take. I know his spirit was with us in the room that morning. I know he is watching down on us, he shows me signs everyday. I will hold onto this memory forever.”

She continued, “I will remember the sound of Nicks voice saying ‘it’s a girl’ and the look of everything we’ve been through flash across his face. I will remember the sound of her crying out with her first breath and feeling her heartbeat against mine. My sweet girl, I got my surprise!! We love you Halo Marie Cannon!”

Nick welcomed his 11th child, Beautiful Zeppelin Cannon, with Abby De La Rosa last month. Nick is also father to twin sons Zion and Zillion with De La Rosa; son Legendary with model Bre Tiesi; daughter Onyx with model LaNisha Cole; sons Rise Messiah and Golden Sagon, and daughter Powerful Queen with model Brittany Bell; and twins Moroccan and Monroe with his ex-wife, Mariah Carey.

Of Monsters and Men’s Nanna teases “new things are coming”

December 29, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Is Of Monsters and Men vocalist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir going solo?

In a tweet Wednesday, Nanna shared a mysterious video alongside the caption, “New things are coming in the new year…stay tuned!” She also linked to a new website, NannaNannaNanna.com, which gives you the option to presave new music.

The Of Monsters and Men account retweeted Nanna, adding that she “has something verrrrry exciting coming soon.”

Prior to Of Monsters and Men, Nanna performed solo under the moniker Songbird.

Of Monsters and Men’s most recent album is 2019’s Fever Dream. This year, they released a new single called “This Happiness.”

David Lee Roth compares relationship with Eddie Van Halen to “love affair”

December 29, 2022 by WDNY Radio

David Lee Roth is opening up about his relationship with his late Van Halen bandmate Eddie Van Halen, who passed away in October 2020.

In the latest episode of his The Roth Show podcast, Roth shares, “My dear departed Ed. Boy, I miss him. I had a ball with Ed.”

As for their working relationship, Roth notes, “Walt Disney once said, ‘You know what? My love affair with Mickey Mouse was better than any love affair with a woman I ever had,’” offering, “I’ve gotta tell ya: playing with Ed, writing songs with Ed, presenting those songs with Ed was better than any love affair I ever had.”

He adds that some of the tunes they made together in Van Halen “might last forever – or until the last syllable of time, like Shakespeare said. They became anthems.”

The Weeknd teases big plans for 2023

December 29, 2022 by WDNY Radio

The Weeknd reflected on his ultra busy 2022 and teased 2023 will be even greater.

Taking to Instagram, the singer shared a collage of all the projects he took on over the past year. Among the many achievements he enjoyed in 2022, highlights included him releasing his Dawn FM album, his cameo on The Simpsons, launching his sold-out After Hours til Dawn Stadium Tour, getting a kitten and performing an original song for the new Avatar: The Way of Water movie.

After walking down memory lane, The Weeknd turned his sights on the new year and released a trailer recounting his sold-out tour to preview what’s to come. “xo bout to F*** up 2023,” he warned in the caption.

A fan responded to the clip by asking the artist how he feels about Dawn FM being almost a year old.

He cryptically responded, “i feel istheresomeoneelsemusicvideo-ish” — thus sparking theories that he’ll soon release a cinematic visualizer for his album’s 10th track, “Is There Someone Else?“

As for what else he has up his sleeve, we will just have to wait and see.

The Year in Rock 2022: The Beatles win an Emmy, Paul McCartney headlines Glastonbury and more

December 29, 2022 by WDNY Radio

While the Beatles broke up over 50 years ago, they were still making headlines in 2022, with Emmy wins, big tours and more.

Here’s a lowdown on all of 2022’s Beatles happenings:

—Paul McCartney launched his Got Back tour in Spokane, Washington, which featured a virtual duet with John Lennon on the Fab Four’s “I’ve Got a Feeling.” He wrapped the tour at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, with special appearances by Jersey’s own Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi. It was also Paul’s 80th birthday, and Bon Jovi led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” to him.

–Lennon’s son Julian Lennon covered his father’s classic track “Imagine” for the first time during Global Citizen’s televised Stand Up for Ukraine special.

—Ringo Starr received an honorary doctorate from Boston’s Berklee College of Music.

–McCartney headlined the Glastonbury Music Festival in England, and was joined by special guests Bruce Springsteen and Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl. It was Grohls’ first time onstage since the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins.

–McCartney released McCartney I II III, a box set of his three self-titled solo albums: 1970’s McCartney, 1980’s McCartney II and 2020’s McCartney III.

–Ringo and his All-Star Band relaunched their tour after 12 dates had to be scrapped in June due to positive COVID tests by Edgar Winter and Toto‘s Steve Lukather. Unfortunately, a month later Ringo was forced to cancel the remainder of the tour after testing positive for COVID himself.

–McCartney made a surprise appearance at the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert at Wembley Stadium in England. Accompanied by The Pretenders‘ Chrissie Hynde, the pair teamed up for a version the Beatles’ “Oh! Darling.” Sir Paul and the Foo Fighters also performed “Helter Skelter.”

—The Beatles: Get Back won five Emmys at the Creative Artist Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series. McCartney and Starr, as well as Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, the widows of John Lennon and George Harrison, received trophies since they were all co-producers of the series.

–Ringo released EP3, the third EP of a four-EP collection.

–A deluxe reissue of the Beatles’ Revolver was released, featuring various new mixes of the original 1966 record, as well as a collection of outtakes and a four-song EP. Following the reissue’s arrival, Revolver re-entered the top five on the Billboard 200.

–November marked the 20th anniversary of the Concert for George, celebrating George Harrison with a screening of the all-star concert in theaters.

–McCartney dropped The 7” Singles box, featuring 80 7-inch McCartney singles, all personally curated by the Beatles legend.

–A new documentary about Abbey Road studios, If These Walls Could Sing, directed by Mary McCartney, debuted on Disney+.

The Year in Music 2022: Love, marriage, babies and more

December 29, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Aside from their professional lives, it was a big year for some of your favorite artists in their personal lives: There were marriages, babies, new romances and more. Here’s a look back at some of them:

— The Jonas Brothers welcomed some Jonas babies this year. In January, Nick and his wife, Priyanka Chopra, announced they’d welcomed their first child, daughter Malti, via surrogate. And in July, Joe and wife Sophie Turner welcomed their second child, a girl whose name has not been revealed.

— In May, Ed Sheeran revealed he welcomed his second child with wife Cherry Seaborn. The baby girl joined big sister Lyra Antarctica, who was born in August 2020. They have yet to reveal the new baby’s name.

–In August, Michael Bublé and wife Luisana Lopilato welcomed their fourth child, daughter Cielo Yoli Rose. Luisana’s pregnancy was revealed at the end of Michael’s video for “I’ll Never Not Love You,” released in February. The birth was via C-section, scheduled around Michael’s tour. Cielo joined brothers Noah and Elias and sister Vida in the Canadian crooner’s family.

— While details surrounding the birth were shrouded in secrecy, Rihanna also became a mom this year. She welcomed her first child, a baby boy, with rapper A$AP Rocky in May.

— In September, it was revealed that Adam Levine and wife Behati Prinsloo were expecting their third child.

— Jennifer Lopez tied the knot with Ben Affleck — twice! The reunited couple — who were first engaged in 2002, but called off the wedding — ran off to Las Vegas in July and got hitched at the Little White Wedding Chapel. In August, they had a bigger ceremony at Ben’s estate in Riceboro, Georgia. In 2023, JLo will release an album inspired by her rekindled romance with Ben.

–In 1987, Cher sang “I Found Someone,” and in 2022, she did find someone: a 36-year-old boyfriend, Alexander “AE” Edwards. The entertainment legend, 76, told Kelly Clarkson, “On paper, it’s kinda ridiculous, but in real life, we get along great … he’s very kind, he’s very smart, he’s very talented and he’s really funny.” When a fan questioned Edwards’ motivation on Twitter, Cher responded, “Let Me Explain…I DONT GIVE A FK WHAT ANYONE THINKS.”

–In April, Madonna, 63, reportedly split with her 28-year-old boyfriend, Ahlamalik Williams, who she’d dated for more than three years. In September, she was reported to be “casually” dating 23-year-old model Andrew Darnell.

–In August, Adele spoke for the first time about her boyfriend, Rich Paul, raving, “I’ve never been in love like this. I’m obsessed with him.” She denied they were engaged, but said she’d “absolutely” like to get married again.

–In December, US Weekly reported that Dua Lipa had started dating rapper Jack Harlow and that the two “are both excited to see where things go next.”

The Year in Music 2022: Newcomers go from TikTok to the top of the charts

December 29, 2022 by WDNY Radio

In 2022, we welcomed a lot of new faces to the music scene, and many of them could thank TikTok for that: They scored radio hits and Billboard chart placements only after their songs blew up on the social media platform.

—Nicky Youre released “Sunroof,” a song he’d written in his college bedroom in December 2021. By November 2022, the song had reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the top of the Billboard Pop Airplay chart, thanks to its use in nearly 9 million TikTok videos to date and, eventually, tons of summer radio airplay.

—Steve Lacy, a former member of the alt R&B band The Internet, released the single “Bad Habit” in June. It went on to soundtrack more than half a million TikTok videos, topped Billboard’s rock and R&B charts, and hit number one on the Hot 100 in October. “Bad Habit” also earned Lacy two Grammy nominations.

—Em Beihold released “Numb Little Bug,” a song about the negative effects of her depression medication, in January 2022. Fans responded to its message about mental health, and it went viral on TikTok in February. By the end of the year, it was RIAA-certified Platinum, and had reached the top 20 on several Billboard charts and #32 on the Hot 100.

—Jax, a former American Idol contestant, gained a large following by making TikToks during the pandemic. In 2022, after the little girl she babysits was body-shamed by friends, she wrote a song called “Victoria’s Secret” that slammed the societal pressures on women to be thin. It blew up on TikTok, hit the top 40 on the Hot 100, was RIAA-certified Gold and reached #11 on Billboard‘s Pop Airplay chart.

—Armani White, born Enoch Armani Tolbert, released his single “Billie Eilish” in May. It was a runaway success on TikTok and racked up 34 million views on YouTube. The song, which features the rapper spitting “Stylish/Glock tucked, big T-shirt/Billie Eilish,” had the real Billie Eilish‘s blessing, became a smash on radio, and scaled both the pop and hip-hop charts.

—GAYLE released her single “abcdefu” in August 2021, but it really took off on TikTok that November after it was translated into American Sign Language, soundtracking more than 2 million videos. In January 2022, the song topped Billboard‘s Global Charts, and in February, it peaked at number three on the Hot 100. In November, “abcdefu” received a Grammy nod for Song of the Year and Gayle landed an opening slot on Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour.

—Stephen Sanchez released his retro-sounding hit “Until I Found You” in September 2021, but in 2022, the song went viral on TikTok, soundtracking nearly half a million videos. In April, he put out a remix with Em Beihold and the song became his first top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as a top 10 hit on multiple other charts. He also got a shout-out from Elton John, who called “Until I Found You” “the most incredible record.”

–In May, Rosa Linn represented her home country of Armenia in the 2022 Eurovision Song Competition with her original song “Snap.” She finished in 20th place, but the track soon went viral on TikTok, featured in more than 1 million videos. It charted on the Billboard Hot 100, landing Rosa a deal with Columbia Records and, later, an opening slot on Ed Sheeran‘s 2023 tour.

David Byrne added to Miley Cyrus’ New Year’s Eve special

December 29, 2022 by WDNY Radio

David Byrne is ready to help America ring in the new year. Rolling Stone reports the Talking Heads frontman has just been added to NBC’s Miley Cyrus-hosted New Year’s Eve special, Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party.

Byrne joins previously announced performers Latto, Sia, Rae Sremmurd, Liily and Fletcher.

Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party, which will be co-hosted by newly inducted Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Dolly Parton and air live from Miami, kicks off at 10:30 p.m. ET on December 31. The show will feature special appearances by Saturday Night Live’s Chloe Fineman, Sarah Sherman and comedy trio Please Don’t Destroy.

Imagine Dragons announces Las Vegas benefit concert

December 29, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Imagine Dragons will kick off 2023 with a hometown benefit concert.

Dan Reynolds and company have announced a show taking place January 5 in Dolby Atmos at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas. The private performance will raise money for ID’s Tyler Robinson Foundation, which supports families affected by pediatric cancer, as well as other Vegas charity organizations.

The audience for the concert will be made up of those who work for and are supported by those organizations. Dolby and Park MGM will also be giving away a limited number of tickets on social media.

“We are so excited to be partnering with Dolby to put on this special concert in Dolby Atmos benefiting TRF and local charities,” Reynolds says. “It’s going to be an incredible night with our fans and TRF.”

Imagine Dragons also supports the Tyler Robinson Foundation with the annual Rise Up Gala, which features a unique acoustic performance. The 2022 edition took place in September.

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