Blur drummer Dave Rowntree has premiered another new song off his upcoming debut solo album, Radio Songs.
The track is titled “HK” and was written while he was on tour with Blur in Hong Kong.
“I fell in love with the city before the plane had even landed — a new record for me,” Rowntree says. “The track was inspired by Hong Kong’s beauty, claustrophobia, and sense of dark foreboding, set against the backdrop of a chaotic Chinese radio station.”
Blur’s most recent album, 2015’s The Magic Whip, was recorded partly in Hong Kong.
You can listen to “HK” now via digital outlets and watch its accompanying video streaming now on YouTube.
Radio Songs is due out January 20, 2023. It also includes the previously released tracks “London Bridge” and “Devil’s Island.”
Accompanying the release of her new album, Come Get Your Wife, Elle is embarking on the headlining A-FREAKIN-MEN Tour in 2023.
The two-month trek takes her to theaters around the country, beginning and ending in Louisiana. The tour launches on February 14 at The Fillmore in New Orleans and concludes on March 25 in Bossier City, visiting the Tabernacle in Atlanta, Austin City Limits Live At Moody Theater and more along the way.
Rock band Red Clay Strays will open for her.
“I am so excited to be going back out on tour, not just because I love to perform, but because I’m finally putting out a new record. I have put all of my energy and love into this album and I cannot wait to share it live for everyone,” Elle says.
Doja Cat celebrated her birthday in style by hosting a sexy masquerade themed party, where guests were encouraged to don masks and skimpy outfits. Unfortunately for Niall Horan, he missed the memo.
E! News was on hand to photograph the star-studded guest list as they checked into the birthday bash. Among them was Justin Bieber and his wife, Hailey, who wore velvet capes and sultry, black garments.
Doja made sure she was the belle of the ball and wore a dramatic, golden mask embossed with feathers that covered her entire face. She, too, wore a long velvet cape and kept it tightly wrapped around her body as she walked into the festivities. Only those inside got to see the full ensemble.
Other guests who took the theme to heart was model Winnie Harlow, rapper Tyga and Normani. There were also a few attendees who decided capes and masks weren’t their flavor.
Shawn Mendes honored Doja’s dress code by wearing an ultra loosely button-down jade green shirt and black dress pants. So, technically, his colors were on point and complemented what everyone else was wearing.
But then there’s Niall, who disregarded the dress code entirely. He rolled up to the event wearing a casual purple tee shirt, denim jeans and sneakers. To put it mildly, he stuck out like a sore thumb.
Knowing Niall, he probably had a good time and maybe gave Doja a pretty awesome gift, too.
Janet Jackson gave Taylor Swift her stamp of approval after listening to one of the songs from Swift’s new album, Midnights.
In a video posted to TikTok, the legendary R&B singer nods along to “Snow on the Beach,” enjoying the new track she’s referenced in.
“i LUV it,” Jackson captioned the video while smiling and humming along. “It’s nice, it’s nice,” she says later in the clip.
On the Lana Del Ray-assisted song, Swift sings, “But your eyes are flying saucers from another planet / Now I’m all for you like Janet / Can this be a real thing? Can it?”
The now-viral TikTok video garnered hundreds of comments from users, many who appreciated Jackson’s acknowledgment of Swift.
“I love that she is listening! Mega fans of both.. this makes me so happy!” one user wrote. “LEGENDS SUPPORTING LEGENDS,” another said.
Just days after dropping her 10th studio album, Swift celebrated Midnights becoming the most streamed album in a single day on Spotify. Swift also became the most streamed artist in a single day in Spotify history.
In response to the Spotify news, Taylor tweeted to her fans, “How did I get this lucky, having you guys out here doing something this mind blowing?! Like what even just happened??!?!”
Former My Chemical Romance drummer Bob Bryar is auctioning off his original Black Parade costume.
“Does anyone want this?” Bryar writes of the outfit. “I have no clue how much it’s worth. It’s my OG Black Parade costume. It was used in the photos, videos, DVDs.”
Bryar notes that the costume is currently “sitting in a box doing nothing” and might come with a few hairs from his dog Fred, who he let wear it “for a minute.”
“The Fred hairs are free,” Bryar says.
To answer Bryar’s first question, it seems that quite a few people would indeed want an original MCR Black Parade costume. As of Monday at 1 p.m. ET, the current bid is $12,000.
Should you want to say so long and good night to that kind of money, you can place a bid now through this Saturday, October 29 via eBay.com. Proceeds will be donated to efforts in Florida and South Carolina helping abandoned and sheltered pets affected by Hurricane Ian.
Bryar, who drummed in MCR between 2004 and 2010, previously auctioned off the kit he played during My Chem’s 2005 MTV VMA performance. At the time, Bryar shared that he was “permanently closing the book on my drumming days.”
My Chemical Romance’s current drummer is Jarrod Alexander, who played in the band from 2011 to their 2013 breakup, and since they’ve reunited at the end of 2019. The band’s current U.S. tour, which was postponed from 2020 to this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will conclude this Saturday with the final day of the When We Were Young festival.
For those who don’t recall, U2 released Songs of Innocence by automatically uploading the album onto the library of every single iTunes user across the world, all for free. The strategy wasn’t exactly a hit with users, who criticized U2 for inserting the record into their library without their consent, while other artists and critics felt offering the album for free “devalued” the music.
In Surrender, Bono explains how he pitched the idea to Apple CEO Tim Cook by suggesting that the tech giant pay U2 for the album and then “give it away free, as a gift to people.”
“‘Like when Netflix buys the movie and gives it away to subscribers,'” Bono recalls saying. When asked about the iTunes users who maybe aren’t U2 fans, he replied, “It’s their choice whether they want to listen to it.”
“What was the worst that could happen?” Bono remembers thinking. “It would be like junk mail…Like taking our bottle of milk and leaving it on the doorstep of every house in the neighborhood.”
Eight years later, Bono now admits, “We didn’t just put our bottle of milk at the door but in every fridge in every house in town.”
“In some cases we poured it on to the good people’s cornflakes,” he writes. “And some people like to pour their own milk. And others are lactose intolerant.”
“I’d thought if we could just put our music within reach of people, they might choose to reach out toward it,” he adds. “Not quite.”
Larry Busacca/PW/WireImage For Parkwood Entertainment
Plans for Beyoncé‘s return to the tour stage are well underway.
The Grammy Award-winning singer confirmed the Renaissance world tour on Saturday during her attendance at the Wearable Art Gala in Los Angeles.
Queen Bey made the announcement by way of bid-taking at the charity auction, where a ticket package valued at $20,000 was up for grabs, according to an image of the description found by Rolling Stone. Included in the package were two concert tickets, “First Class International United Airline” tickets and “3-Night hotel accommodations at Marriott Property” as well as a backstage tour led by Beyoncé’s mom, TinaKnowles–Lawson. Rolling Stone says one attendee reportedly paid between $45,000 and $50,000 to secure their spot at the tour.
Beyoncé, alongside husband Jay-Z and their eldest daughter, Blue Ivy,were present during the star-studded event. Founded by Tina and husband RichardLawson in 2017, WACO Theater’s mission is to raise resources to support WACO’s artistic and youth mentorship programs.
After a two-year hiatus, Saturday night’s gala and it’s theme of “Harlem Nights” celebrated Black fashion, art and culture in the 1920s and 1930s. Other stars present at the gala included host KekePalmer andspecial performers AndraDay, Chlöe and Halle. QuintaBrunson, KellyRowland, MarsaiMartin and honoree AngelaBassett were also present.
Wynonna Judd will continue on The Judds: The Final Tour in 2023.
The singer, who was one half of The Judds alongside late mother Naomi Judd, has added 15 dates to the arena tour that launched in September.
The new leg starts on January 26 in Hershey, PA and continues until February 25, where it wraps in Hollywood, FL. Kelsea Ballerini, Ashley McBryde, Little Big Town, Martina McBride and Brandi Carlile will be her rotating opening acts, with other special guests to be announced in the coming weeks.
The tour serves as a celebration of the life and legacy of Naomi, who passed away on April 30 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Judds were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame the next day.
“I have never felt so overwhelmed by this much love and support! The emotions that flow while listening to the different generations of fans sing back to me each night has been other-worldly,” Wynonna says. “The decision to add 15 more shows was a no-brainer for me. The fans have been such a gift during my time of grieving and honoring my mother in song. What an amazing season this is. I look so forward to continuing the celebration of the music that has changed my life forever.”
Tickets for the new dates go on sale to the public on October 28 at 10 a.m. local time. Visit The Judds’ website for a full list of shows.
Lil Nas X was forced to choose between attending Beyoncé‘s party and one of his concerts. He chose the latter, but he admits it still stung.
The rapper told E! News he did entertain the idea of dipping to party with Bey, but he didn’t want to disappoint his fans.
“I’ve actually been invited to come to one of her Renaissance parties and that was super dope,” he confessed. The singer added, “I think it was on the day of one of the shows and I was like, ‘Do I completely leave my fans stranded and don’t come to the show to see Beyoncé or not?’ But you know I couldn’t.”
Lil Nas X is optimistic the stars will align for him to finally attend one of Bey’s legendary parties. “Some time though for sure,” he expressed.
Beyoncé dropped her seventh studio album, Renaissance, back in July and has since been throwing parties celebrating her new release.
Lil Nas X said he’s also been celebrating the album and has been playing it on repeat. He said listening to the album makes him feel “liberated” and that his favorite tracks are “Church Girl” and “Heated.”
“The overall idea of this super duper pop legend, not even, this music legend in general, going into this direction that’s not really mainstream at all. I think that’s just so big of her,” he raved.
Katy Perry brought the fireworks and smiles to those disappointed over the sudden cancellation of the sold-out When We Were Young festival on Saturday.
The hotly anticipated Las Vegas festival was called off due to inclement weather. With Katy’s PLAY residency nearby at The Theatre of Resorts World, some people decided to scoop up tickets to try and salvage the night.
For the record, When We Were Young featured punk and emo acts like Avril Lavigne, Paramore, The All-American Rejects, My Chemical Romance and AFI. Katy admitted that music is quite the departure from her candy pop hits.
Despite the clashing genres, the hitmaker welcomed the displaced fans – whom she called “music orphans” — with open arms and spent time between sets chatting with the crowd to make the night special. She also empathized with the crowd’s disappointment by talking about her time in the 2008 Warped Tour alongside Paramore, All Time Low and similar acts.
“I stood in line for catering. I stood in line — in my flip flops — for shared showers. And I may have my own shower now, but don’t throw me in a pit ’cause I can go,” she reminisced before urging everyone “to welcome the emo kids.”
Katy also welcomed a When We Were Young attendee named Dylan onto the stage and allowed him to start a mosh pit with her dancers. The hilarious moment was captured by TikToker @zoerbarton.
Similar videos of the concert, which feature these so-called “music orphans” praising Katy for going above and beyond for them, can be found all over TikTok.
