Music

Masego took Genius’ Open Mic stage to perform “Symone” from his new album, Fix Your Face. “For me, music is expression but that can come in different ways. On ‘Symone,’ I sat with myself and wrote what was there, but without the face-saving armor,” he says in a statement. “During this Open Mic, I let myself free to create what I was feeling in the same way that I did when I wrote the song.” The video is available to watch on YouTube.

Teyana Taylor is hosting auditions Friday for her directorial debut, Get Lite, in her hometown of Harlem, New York. “This one is for the culture,” she writes on Instagram. “I’m looking for the BEST Lite Feet dancers, Lite Feet crews, New York street-style dancers, tumblers, acrobats and performers with specialty tricks. CALLING OUT ALL BOROUGHS!!!” Teyana’s comedy film with Kevin Hart, 72 Hours, premieres on Netflix Friday.

50 Cent has announced the release of limited-edition plaques featuring notable quotes from his book with Robert Greene, The 50th Law. “A piece of 50 Cent history. The 50th Law has inspired entrepreneurs, leaders, and hustlers around the world with its message of fearlessness and self-reliance,” reads a post on his Instagram. “Now you can own a limited-edition plaque featuring some of the book’s most memorable quotes—personally signed by 50 Cent.” The posters are available on gunitbrands.com.

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Tyla kicked off Vevo’s Official Live performance series with a live rendition of her song “Is It Love” from her upcoming album, A*Pop.

Described in a press release as “an extension of the song’s official music video,” the sepia-toned performance takes place in an industrial environment. Tyla moves throughout the space as she takes the stage, backed by her guitarist Ari O’Neal.

“I had so much fun making this series! Performing these songs live makes me even more excited to share A*POP with the world,” Tyla says in a statement.

Vevo’s Official Live series will feature top artists performing and connecting with fans “through exclusive visuals that are tailored to their album’s unique vision,” a press release says.

A*Pop, Tyla’s sophomore studio album, is due out Friday. She recently told Audacy that things feel different this time around.

“Everything feels different. I feel different. The creation of this album felt different. The way I feel now leading up to it is like … a lot of butterflies and excitement,” she says. “So it’s very different, and I’m excited to experience it.”

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Music fans are getting another preview of the upcoming posthumous album from the late Booker T. and the M.G.’s guitarist Steve Cropper, who passed away in December.

Watching the Tide, the album Cropper and his band The Midnight Hour were working on prior to his death, will be released on Aug. 28. A new track, “Tandoori Chicken,” is out now via digital outlets.

“Tandoori Chicken” is the third track released from Watching the Tide, following “Ticket First,” featuring Eric Clapton, and “Until Now,” featuring The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood.

Watching the Tide, the title a nod to the Otis Redding classic “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay,” which Cropper co-wrote, is the follow-up to 2024’s Friendlytown. In addition to Clapton and Wood, it features guest appearances by Queen’s Brian May and ZZ Top’s Billy F Gibbons.

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Bob Seger loves Patty Loveless so much, he came to Nashville in 2023 to help induct her into the Country Music Hall of Fame, performing her 1996 hit “She Drew a Broken Heart” in her honor. 

Now the rock legend’s rereleasing the album that brought them together, 2006’s Face the Promise, which will bring their only musical collaboration to streaming for the first time. Though the album was primarily recorded in Nashville, he flew to her home in Georgia to record “The Answer’s in the Question.” 

The expanded 20th anniversary release drops Sept. 18 and will include a newly remastered edition of the original album, along with four bonus tracks: “Time,” “Little Jane,” “Red Eye to Memphis” and “Let Me Try.”

It’ll be available on CD and as a two-LP black vinyl set, the latter of which will come with a 12-page LP-sized booklet, complete with lyrics, photos and more.

Released on Sept. 12, 2006, Face the Promise was Seger’s first album since 1995’s It’s a Mystery. It was also the first studio album since 1975’s Beautiful Loser where he was not credited as Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band.

The album debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart and went onto be certified Platinum by the RIAA.

You might remember that Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton also had a #1 country hit in 1983 with their version of Seger’s “We’ve Got Tonite.” 

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There’s new music coming from Zach Top in August. 

“Make it a double! 2 songs are dropping next month and I’m excited for you all to hear them,” he announced Thursday on Instagram. 

“Good Girls & Cowgirls” and “Other Side of Hurtin'” will both arrive digitally on Aug. 21, with a 7-inch vinyl single to follow on Sept. 25.

Zach debuted “Good Girls & Cowgirls” during his headlining set July 18 at Montana’s Under the Big Sky Festival.

His Cold Beer & Country Music Tour continues this summer, with a Thursday stop at the North Dakota State Fair. Meanwhile, “South of Sanity” is now a top-15 hit. 

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Fifteen years ago — July 23, 2011 — Amy Winehouse died at the age of 27. Prior to her death, the Grammy-winning artist struggled with addiction, and looking back, her mother says that Amy was “a victim of her own success.”

In an interview with The i Paper, Janis Winehouse says, “She didn’t want [fame], but it just followed her. And she’d be like, ‘Who, me?’” As for why Amy turned to drinking, Janis speculates, “She didn’t have confidence. Hence the alcohol. … The alcohol takes away the pain. And that is a horrible thing with addiction.”

“Once you’re addicted, you’re addicted,” she says. “People say, ‘Oh, no, you just stop doing such and such.’ They don’t get it. You can’t stop because your body is saying I need it.”

As for how she copes with her grief these days, Janis says, “I’m just getting on with it because that’s what I do. I get on with life. I live it.”

On Thursday, Amy’s official Instagram account posted a photo of the singer with the caption, “Fifteen years on, Amy’s music continues to connect with people around the world. Her voice, her songwriting, her honesty and her unique spirit remain as powerful today as ever. Thank you for keeping her memory alive through the music she loved so much.”

An acclaimed and highly influential singer inspired by 1960s girl groups and soul music, Amy swept the 2008 Grammys, winning best new artist, record and song of the year for “Rehab” and best pop vocal album for Back to Black. 

A tribute to Amy took place July 19 in the Camden neighborhood of London, where a life-size statue of her was installed in 2014. It raised money for Amy Winehouse Foundation’s work supporting young women recovering from addiction.

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Nivea appears on the latest episode of Cadillac Chronicles, a music and interview series in which Brian Freeman drives through Atlanta in his vintage 1974 Cadillac Eldorado alongside a musician who discusses their life and performs some of their well-known hits.

During her conversation with Brian, Nivea revealed that she was recently diagnosed with leukemia.

“Well, first of all I was diagnosed with leukemia earlier this year, and I’m so grateful to God. Been going through treatment and everything is going great so far, and I expect it to continue. Amen, amen, amen. And I’m very grateful for life,” she said when asked what she’s grateful for.

“It’s so cliche to say, you know, you [don’t] know the time nor the hour, but it’s true, and it just help me put a lot of things in perspective and I live in gratitude, like religiously, and I’m just grateful for everything, like I’m doing things I wanna do.”

Among those things are getting back into music, going to school for audio engineering, loving her children “and just being grateful and taking every opportunity that comes my way,” Nivea says.

During the episode, Nivea also performed several of her hits, including “Don’t Mess With My Man,” “Complicated” and “Don’t Mess With the Radio.”

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