Music

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.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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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Dua Lipa begged her social media followers to rally behind the women protesting in Iran following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. Protests have gripped the country since Amini’s death, resulting in multiple casualties.

Dua called upon her Instagram followers to demand change in Iran and shared a carousel of photos providing an look at the civil unrest. “Sarina Esmailzadeh, 16, beaten to death by Iranian security forces for protesting for women’s rights in Iran. Nika Shakarami, 16, killed after burning her headscarf in protest. Hadis Najafi, 23, shot multiple times during demonstrations sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, after her arrest by the country’s morality police,” she wrote, including those women’s faces in her post.

Dua continued, “Just four young women out of more than 100 protestors to pay with their lives. An estimated 1,200 more are in police custody.”

“Please don’t turn away, keep the world watching. Every one of us can lend our platform and together we can make some f****** noise,” she rallied. “I stand with the women of Iran.”

Amini was on a trip to Tehran when the hijab police, also called the “morality police,” arrested her for not wearing the outfit that fully matched the Sharia-based hijab laws of the country. She was allegedly beaten to death while in custody.  

Protests erupted against the morality police and the Islamic Republic’s actions over the past four decades, with many calling for an end to the Iranian regime. 

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Brett Eldredge has that “glow.”

The country singer is bringing his Christmas-themed Glow Live Tour to cities across the U.S. The 14-date trek launches with a previously announced three-night residency at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville November 25-27. His show on November 27 will be live-streamed.

Throughout the month of December, Brett will continue spreading Christmas cheer with two-night stays in New York’s historic Beacon Theatre and the Chicago Theatre in his home state of Illinois before closing out the tour with a pair of shows at Boston’s Orpheum Theatre. 

Brett will also appear in Washington, D.C.; Cleveland, OH; Indianapolis, IN; St. Louis, MO; and Grand Prairie, TX, performing holiday classics and original songs off his two Christmas albums, Glow and Mr. Christmas. 

“GLOW Tour is comin and it’s the biggest it’s ever been! Which ones ya comin to!?” Brett writes on Instagram.

The first Glow Live Tour took place in 2016 following the release of Glow. Tickets for the 2022 tour go on sale Friday.  

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Even those smart enough to get into Harvard didn’t realize they were classmates with Rivers Cuomo.

Reminiscing about his time attending the Ivy League school in the mid-90s, the Weezer frontman tells the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast that his fellow Harvard students didn’t recognize him.

“I’d be riding the bus with other students that were wearing Weezer shirts that had no idea it was me,” Cuomo says in a clip from the episode, which premiered on RollingStone.com.

To be fair, though, Cuomo was sporting a very long, identity-concealing beard at the time. He also walked with a cane due to recent surgery on his leg.

“I just looked like some really weird, super old weird guy,” Cuomo laughs.

Eventually, Cuomo’s day job was revealed on the last day of class.

“I remember having a conversation with some other kids, and one of them said, ‘So what are you doing for the summer?'” Cuomo recalls. “I was, like, ‘Uh, we’re going on tour with No Doubt.”

“He was, like, ‘Oh cool, are you working on a tour or something?'” the “Buddy Holly” rocker continues. “[I said], ‘No, I’m in Weezer.’ Minds were blown at that moment.”

Cuomo attended Harvard following the release of Weezer’s 1994 debut, the Blue Album, and again after 1996’s Pinkerton. He eventually graduated in 2006.

A sitcom inspired by Cuomo’s Harvard days called DeTour was in the works but was ultimately scrapped.

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Fans of late rapper Coolio flocked to streaming services after his death last month, resulting in an extreme surge of his music catalog at over 264%.

According to data by Luminate, Billboard reports the rapper’s songs registered 19.6 million U.S. on-demand streams in the week of his death, September 28 – October 4.

Coolio’s biggest hit “Gangsta’s Paradise” re-entered the charts at #16 on Hot R&B/Hip Hop and #11 on Hot Rap Songs. The popular song gained the most traction on streaming with close to 15 million, an increase of 195%. 

Upon its release in 1995, “Gangsta’s Paradise” sat at the top of the Hot 100 chart for seven weeks, won Single of the Year at the Billboard Music Awards and a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 38th annual show.

Appearing on the soundtrack to the film Dangerous Minds, the song’s accompanying music video includes Michelle Pfeiffer, who also starred in the film. Upon news of Coolio’s death, the actress paid tribute to the rapper with a heartfelt message on social media. 

“Heartbroken to hear of the passing of the gifted artist @coolio,” she wrote. “He won a Grammy for his brilliant song on the soundtrack — which I think was the reason our film saw so much success.”

Coolio, born Artis Leon Ivey Jr., died September 28 at age 59.

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Lady Gaga has yet to be officially cast as Harley Quinn in Joker: Folie à Deux, but she’s already received a stamp of approval from Margot Robbie, who plays the DC villain in the Suicide Squad franchise.

Speaking to MTV News, Margot talked about Gaga potentially taking on the mantle in the upcoming Joker sequel. “It makes me so happy because I said from the very beginning is all I want is for Harley Quinn to be one of those characters the way, like, Macbeth or Batman always gets passed from great actor to great actor,” she expressed.

“I feel like in not so many cases are there female characters,” Margot continued. One example she provided is the case of Queen Elizabeth I, but Margot noted how shallow the pool for actresses really is. She didn’t focus on the negative and instead revealed how thrilled she is to have moved the needle.

“It’s such an honor to have built a foundation strong enough that Harley can now be one of those characters that other actors get to have a go at playing and I think she’ll do something incredible with it,” the actress said. 

Gaga confirmed in August she has been cast in the Joker sequel but declined to reveal which character she’ll play. “Joker: Folie à Deux,” Gaga announced on Instagram, sharing a brief teaser of the upcoming thriller.

The video, set to a red backdrop, features Gaga’s all black silhouette — except for a little red heart on her right eye — dancing to Fred Astaire‘s “Cheek to Cheek.” The heart’s placement is in the same spot on Robbie’s movie interpretation of Quinn.

Joker: Folie à Deux laughs its way into theaters on October 4, 2024.

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Ashley McBryde is bringing Lindeville to Nashville. 

In support of her newly released concept album, Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville, the singer is hosting a two-night stay at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on February 15 and 16.

The shows will feature Ashley performing songs off the album alongside collaborators including Brothers Osborne, Brandy Clark, Caylee Hammack and more.

“Join Ashley and the whole crew for an unforgettable celebration of Lindeville… you won’t want to miss it!” she teases on Instagram. Tickets go on sale October 14. 

Lindeville dropped on September 30 and takes place inside the fictional town of Lindeville, TX, named in honor of hit songwriter Dennis Linde, who wrote many character-focused songs. 

Last week, Ashley was invited by Garth Brooks to become the next member of the Grand Ole Opry. 

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