Music

Ashley McBryde decided to quit drinking alcohol in June 2022, and no one in the public knew about it.

The decision to keep it hush-hush was very much intentional for the “Girl Goin’ Nowhere” singer. 

“I decided that I wasn’t gonna talk about it at all until at least a year, because what I didn’t need was people on social media being like, ‘Ashley McBryde swears off alcohol!'” Ashley tells People in a recent interview. “All people are gonna do is just wait for you to screw up, and that’s really annoying. I did it for me. I didn’t do it for social media.”

Now sober for over a year, Ashley says she’s noticed changes in many aspects of her life, including her physical appearance and vocals — all of which have been aided by exercise, healthier eating habits and therapy.

“It’s the best I’ve felt, the best I’ve looked,” she shares, “and the difference in my voice … If you had told me even 10 years ago, you think you love your voice? You should hear it without drinking, because along with drinking comes smoking for me.”

Ashley’s currently #21 on the country charts with “Light On in the Kitchen,” the lead single off her latest album, The Devil I Know.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Jung Kook, the global superstar and youngest member of BTS, sat down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe for a reflective interview, where he spoke about the solo career he launched during BTS’ hiatus.

While he’s having a great time with his career having just released his debut solo album GOLDEN, Jung Kook said he misses the other members of BTS, and looks forward to starting back up with them in 2025.

“We were always together for so many years that I felt the void of them not being next to me. You know, I miss them. And I was thinking about them,” he said. “I think the synergy of BTS in 2025 will be incredible. I am so looking forward to it.”

The singer also opened up about the pressure he felt when launching his solo career.

“I enjoy doing my solo work. I also enjoy collaborating with others. But I think if anything, in terms of pressure, I feel more pressure with my outside work because it’s not purely mine,” Jung Kook said.

The singer said he got into the mindset that he shouldn’t be a nuisance to the music, which made him more nervous – especially while working on his song, “TOO MUCH,” with The Kid LAROI and Central Cee.

“When I went to shoot the music video for ‘TOO MUCH,’ I was more nervous because you know, I couldn’t let them down. So, if anything, I think I feel more pressure in those cases,” Jung Kook said.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Stone Sour guitarist Josh Rand has opened up regarding the status of his mental and physical health over the past few years.

In an Instagram post, Rand shares, “Back in 2018 when I was getting sober from alcohol and pills, my mental health started to take a downward spiral.”

“Come to find out my newfound sobriety would release all the negative s*** in my head that I had been suppressing for many years by chemicals,” he writes. “Looking back now, by the end of 2019 I had lost the ability to control my emotions. The highs were high, and the lows were low except there were no highs. I had hit rock bottom; I had become someone else and not in a good way.”

Rand’s situation came to a head in 2020 “after several events known as ‘explosive behavior.'”

“It became very apparent to me I needed help,” Rand says. “With the support of my wife, I began therapy. I can honestly say it’s completely changed my life and it’s one of the best things I’ve done and continue to do.”

Meanwhile, Rand continued to battle chronic back pain, which eventually led to him undergoing surgery in August.

“I’m still in the ‘get as much rest’ phase right now,” Rand says. “I’m hoping to start [physical therapy] soon and get back to playing.”

“I want to stress this is not a sympathy or ‘poor me’ post, but my 1st on the importance of mental health,” he concludes. “Be safe, be well.”

Stone Sour has been on hiatus since 2020. Since then, Rand has launched a new band called The L.I.F.E. Project.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Flogging Molly will be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day 2024 with their own festival.

The inaugural Shamrock Rebellion takes place March 16 in Silverado, California, and March 17 in Las Vegas. The Celtic punks will headline the two-day event, while the rest of the bill includes Frank Turner, Buzzcocks, Face to Face and Amigo the Devil.

“We in Flogging Molly are proud and excited to announce the inaugural Shamrock Rebellion Festival!” says frontman Dave King. “We have the amazing Frank Turner, the Buzzcocks, Face to Face, Amigo the Devil, and many, many more to come. So join us in celebrating all things punk and fun, with Flogging Molly’s Shamrock Rebellion ’24.”

Tickets go on sale Friday, November 10, at 10 a.m. PT. For more info, visit ShamrockRebellion.com.

If you’ll be spending St. Patrick’s Day on the East Coast next year, you can catch Dropkick Murphys‘ annual Boston shows, which take place between March 14 and March 17.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Forget “The Sickness,” David Draiman is down with the Swiftness.

The Disturbed frontman proclaimed his Taylor Swift fandom during a recent concert after the crowd had a less-than-favorable reaction to mention of the pop superstar.

Draiman gave Swift a shout-out as he was checking on a fan standing in the front row who he thought wasn’t having a good time.

“Literally she’s got a look on her face like her boyfriend brought her to the wrong godd*** concert,” Draiman said. He then added, “I mean, I know this isn’t Taylor Swift, but, you know, we’re doing our best.”

When some boos wafted from the audience, Draiman proclaimed, “Shut the f*** up, Taylor Swift kicks f****** a**.”

You can watch video of the interaction now via Disturbed’s TikTok.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Britney Spears’ mom, Lynne, is hitting back at claims Britney made in her memoir, The Woman in Me.

In the book, the singer said her family threw away many of her treasured belongings while she was in a mental health facility in 2019, including Madame Alexander dolls she collected as a child, three years’ worth of her writing and a binder full of poetry.

“When I saw the empty shelves, I felt an overwhelming sadness,” she wrote. “I thought of the pages I’d written through tears. I never wanted to publish them or anything like that, but they were important to me. And my family had thrown them in the trash, just like they’d thrown me away.”

On Instagram Thursday, Lynne shared a series of photos — including a cabinet full of dolls and a black journal — refuting Britney’s claims that they had trashed her things.

“@britneyspears I’m not sure who told you I got rid of your dolls and journals but I would never do that!” she captioned the photos. “That would be cruel because I know how much they mean to you.”

“Of course I still have your things, and I am happy to send them to you if you’d like me to,” she added. “Please let me know and know how much I love you!”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Chris Brown just couldn’t wait until November 11 to drop his new album, 11:11.

In tandem with it being Brown’s 11th studio project and the original plan to include 11 songs, the singer had been promoting a November 11 release date — but recently announced fans should expect to have it sooner. 

“GIVING YALL THE ALBUM EARLY,” he captioned his social media update post. “Drops tomorrow night at 9pm west coast/. 12:00 midnight eastern. The album was supposed to drop Saturday.. but we dropping early.”

After months of teasing and releasing a few album singles, Brown announced 11:11 will act as a double album, featuring 22 total tracks. 

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.