Music

One Music Fest in Atlanta saw performances by some of music’s top artists last weekend, but it was a special set by Lauryn Hill that stole the show. 

Midway through her medley of classic hits, the legendary R&B singer performed “To Zion” and was met onstage by the song’s inspiration — her son Zion Marley.

Toward the end of the performance, Marley surprised his mother by walking onstage and embracing her with a hug. “That’s my son Zion, y’all,” she told the audience, which cheered during the exchange.

“So we’re going to talk about generations,” she added, as she requested Marley’s children, her two grandchildren, be brought onstage.

Hill wrote and released the emotional ballad in 1998 as an ode to Marley, her first born. It landed on the chart-topping album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and is a musical representation of a woman’s choice and the joy that comes from having a child. 

The first verse of the song reads, “Unsure of what the balance held, I touched my belly overwhelmed. By what I had been chosen to perform / But then an angel came one day, Told me to kneel down and pray. For unto me a man child would be born.”

The song came when Hill was at a peak in her career; many critics, she says, suggested her music career would suffer as a result of her baby. 

“Woe this crazy circumstance, I knew his life deserved a chance. But everybody told me to be smart / ‘Look at your career,’ they said ‘Lauryn, baby, use your head’ But instead I chose to use my heart.”

Marley, the grandson of Bob Marley, is now 25. Hill went on to have five more children. 

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What happens when you combine the vocals of Chris Cornell and the guitar of Eddie Van Halen? Unfortunately, we may never know, but such a song apparently came close to happening.

According to guitarist Pete Thorn, who played in Cornell’s live solo band, the Soundgarden frontman and the Van Halen shredder had developed a friendship, which they one day hoped to channel in the studio.

“Eddie always wanted to do something with Chris musically,” Thorn tells The Mitch Lafon and Jeremy White Show. “Eddie loved his voice.”

As Thorn explains, a Cornell Van Halen collaboration became a possibility toward the late 2000s, when Thorn was putting together some alternate, stripped-down demos of songs off Cornell’s 2009, electronic and pop-driven solo album, Scream. Upon hearing Thorn’s recordings, Cornell suggested they ask Van Halen to play on them.

While Thorn was waiting for Cornell to reach out to Eddie, he happened upon a friend who built amps for Van Halen. Thorn shared Cornell’s idea with him, who then gave Thorn Van Halen’s number. A few days later, Van Halen called Thorn back and the two set up a recording session. While Van Halen did play on the recording, that’s as far as it got.

“I don’t wanna get anybody excited thinking that this ever got finished, because it didn’t,” Thorn says. “But, [Van Halen] did work on it.”

“It’s a long story, but it never got a vocal on it by Chris,” Thorn continues. “It just never ended up getting finished.”

Sadly, it will stay that way, as Cornell died in 2017, while Van Halen passed in 2020.

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Charlie Puth has weighed in on fellow artist Greyson Chance‘s accusations that Ellen DeGeneres‘ music label, which they were both signed to, was an insufficient mentor. Charlie alleges that the label also ghosted him, but said he’s happy with how things turned out.

Speaking with the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast, the singer reflected on being signed to the eleveneleven label in 2011 after he went viral on YouTube. 

“We both have different experiences, me versus Greyson,” Charlie said of his time being signed to the now defunct music label. “I do agree with him that nobody was really present … certainly after the creation of my first demo EP. I didn’t really hear from anybody after that.”

Charlie continued, “Not putting any blame just on one person, but, like, from a collective, all the people that were in that room, they just [whooshing sound] disappeared.” The singer insisted he isn’t upset his EP has been permanently shelved. “I never heard those songs again, but I don’t know how good they are,” he said.

He’s also happy he had a backup plan, which was a scholarship to Berklee College of Music. Charlie noted, “I’m so fortunate and grateful that I got to fall back on school and continue my education.”

Greyson, who previously spoke with Rolling Stone, said he was “completely abandoned” by Ellen’s team when his career underperformed. He also called Ellen “manipulative” and “blatantly opportunistic.”

Charlie countered Greyson when it came to their personal experiences with Ellen. “People describe Ellen as rude. I’ve never experienced that,” he said. “Maybe she likes me.”

Ellen’s label shuttered in 2012, the same year Charlie left the label. Her team has yet to respond to Charlie’s comments.

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Rex Orange County has reportedly been charged with sexual assault.

According to The Sun, the “10/10” artist, born Alexander James O’Connor, denied the allegations while appearing at England’s Southwark Crown Court on Monday. The charges include six counts of sexual assault. The assault allegedly occurred in June.

In a statement to Rolling Stone, a rep for O’Connor says, “Alex is shocked by the allegations, which he denies, and looks forward to clearing his name in court. He is unable to make any further comment because of the ongoing proceedings.”

The Sun reports that O’Connor was released on unconditional bail and has a provisional trial date set for January 2023.

If you are affected by abuse and needing support, or know someone who is, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).  You can also chat online at thehotline.org or online.rainn.org, respectively. 

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Kelly Clarkson understands divorces aren’t easy, especially for young kids. Kelly’s parents divorced when she was young, and she’s using that experience to help coach her kids amid her divorce from ex Brandon Blackstock.

Kelly, who is the mom of eight-year-old River and six-year-old Remington, opened up about the advice she’s given her young kids on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

“I tell my kids this all the time. You’re each other’s buddies,” Kelly revealed. “You’re, like, two years apart.” The singer continued, “Especially because we went through a divorce, right? So they go to their dad’s and mine. So it’s, like, anytime you travel, you’ve always got each other.”

“I always try and make them buddies when they fight,” she added, noting she’s been teaching her kids to view the other as their “wing man.”

Kelly’s guest, actress Mila Kunis, then joked about the advice her father gave her after she had kids of her own — which is that nothing will strengthen a bond between siblings than uniting them against a common enemy. Kunis seemingly meant she had to be her kids’ common enemy.

Kelly agreed with the tactic and joked she’s been trying to make her kids unite against her. “I’m like, ‘No, you’re supposed to stick [with] each other. Don’t tattle tell the time on me,'” Kelly asserted. “Unless it’s something super important.”

Kelly and Blackstock filed for divorce in 2020. They were married for seven years. 

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BET+, the premium subscription service for BET Networks, announced its 2022 holiday film slate with feature films starring Ne–Yo, Romeo Miller, LeToya Luckett and more. 

In addition to the eight original 2021 movies, Variety reports 10 more titles will air this season, starting November 3. 

“We’re committed to bringing quality Black stories to the screen and the holidays are no exception,” BET+ Executive Vice President and General Manager Devin Griffin said.

Griffin says the network will continue to invest in holiday programming as the season titles “continue to out-perform.”

“It’s not just about meeting demand, it’s also about authenticity,” Griffin says. “Our cast and crews are a powerhouse of Black excellence from creatives behind the camera like Victoria Rowell, Robin Givens and Patricia Cuffie Jones to the incredible performances of talent like Ne-Yo, Serayah, Romeo Miller, Dorien Wilson and Jasmine Guy, to name a few.” 

BET+ plans to execute a weekly rollout of holiday content in November and will continue through the season. 

Here’s the full list of holiday films and their release dates:

A Wesley Christmas — November 3 
The First Noelle — November 10 
Christmas Party Crashers — November 17 
The Christmas Clapback — November 24
Holiday Hideaway — November 24
The Sound of Christmas — November 24
Rolling into Christmas — December 1
A Miracle Before Christmas — December 8
A Blackjack Christmas — December 15
A Christmas Gift — December 22

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The midterm elections are fast approaching, and many new voters will be heading to the polls on November 8 thanks to Harry Styles, Bonnie Raitt and the Dave Matthews Band.

The artists have partnered with HeadCount, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization working to register all eligible voters. Thanks to their efforts in raising awareness about the upcoming elections, HeadCount confirmed to ABC Audio that 150,000 new voters have registered so far this year.

In a previous statement, Tappan Vickery, HeadCount’s senior director of programming and strategy, explained why the organization’s partnered with such well-known celebrities. “Midterm elections do not receive the same attention as presidential cycles and often see fewer voters at the polls – especially young voters,” Vickery told ABC Audio. “Working with cultural leaders, like the incredible Harry Styles, is one of the most effective ways to increase awareness and participation in the 2022 midterm election.”

The organization teamed up with artists like Harry and Bonnie after the most recent census data showed nearly half of all individuals between 18 and 24 years old were not registered to vote. In addition, over 8 million 18- to 19-year-olds are now eligible to vote; HeadCount aims to reach them through its registration campaigns.

Other artists to have partnered with HeadCount include Beyoncé, Anderson .Paak, Ariana Grande, Panic! At The Disco and Billie Eilish.

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The midterm elections are fast approaching, and many new voters will be heading to the polls on November 8 thanks to Harry Styles, Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish.

All three artists recently teamed with HeadCount, a non-profit and non-partisan organization working to register all eligible voters. Thanks to the their efforts, HeadCount confirmed to ABC Audio that 150,000 new voters have since signed up to participate in the upcoming election.

In a previous statement, Tappan Vickery, HeadCount’s senior director of programming and strategy, explained why the organization’s partnered with such well-known celebrities. “Midterm elections do not receive the same attention as presidential cycles, and often see fewer voters at the polls – especially young voters,” Vickery told ABC Audio. “Working with cultural leaders, like the incredible Harry Styles, is one of the most effective ways to increase awareness and participation in the 2022 midterm election.”

The organization teamed with artists like Harry and Billie after the most recent census data showed nearly half of all individuals aged between 18 and 24 years old were not registered to vote. 

Ariana took note of the number when encouraging her followers to check their voter registration status on National Voter Registration Day. “The candidates and measures being voted on for the midterm elections have the power to impact millions of lives – and impact issues like access to abortion care, how we respond to climate change, the rights of trans youth, and more,” she said in a statement. “If all of us vote and encourage all of our loved ones to vote with us, we will truly be able to create a change.”

Other artists that created a campaign with HeadCount include Beyoncé, Anderson .Paak, Lizzo, Panic! At The Disco and more.

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Sharon Osbourne‘s 70th birthday party was basically an episode of Headbangers Ball.

Among the metal luminaries who attended the bash last weekend were Sharon’s husband, Ozzy Osbourne, as well as Rage Against the Machine‘s Tom Morello, Black Label Society frontman and Ozzy’s guitarist Zakk Wylde and Korn‘s Jonathan Davis.

On his Instagram, Davis posted a photo of him, Morello and Wylde dressed in their best tuxes while standing beside the Osbournes.

“What an amazing evening celebrating @sharonosbourne birthday,” Davis wrote in the caption. “Catching up with so many old friends felt good.”

Meanwhile, Sharon posted a video of her and Ozzy dancing together during the celebration.

Also in attendance was Sharon and Ozzy’s daughter Kelly Osbourne, who’s expecting her first child with Slipknot‘s Sid Wilson.

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