Music

Slipknot guitarist Jim Root says he “didn’t have a ton of creative input” on the band’s upcoming new album, The End, So Far.

“We did not do pre-production,” Root says tells Music Radar. “We essentially built this record in the studio, and a lot of that was due to COVID, and us being separated, and the circumstances led us to do the record the way it was done.”

That process made Root feel “rushed trying to come up with ideas for this or that arrangement.”

“We weren’t rehearsed as a band,” he says. “We did not come in knowing the songs top to bottom, and that affected the record.”

Root feels that between the time of Slipknot finishing the album and putting it out, the band could’ve “taken our…time with pre-production, and, in my mind, put out a better product.”

“That’s not to say that we’re disappointed with what we are putting out; it’s where we are at,” he says. “It’s what we were able to do, given the circumstances, and the things that we had to work with.”

Root also admits he thought Slipknot should’ve “abandon[ed]” the album and “move[ed] on from it.”

“[Percussionist] Clown was like, ‘It’s not a record! It’s not a Slipknot record! We are still touring on We Are Not Your Kind, on that tour, and by the way here are some songs…'” Root says. “Well, you can say that, but we are putting a f****** record out and to the fans this is a f****** Slipknot record. No matter what you say, that’s what it is.”

The End, So Far arrives this Friday. Slipknot is continuing to tease songs off the record, most recently with a clip of the song “Hive Mind.”

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Will.i.am had a good feeling after listening to Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” earlier this year. In fact, he says that he came up with the idea to release several dance remixes to the song.

The Black Eyed Peas founder says he was inspired by the single and had different ideas for its beat. He told Metro that he immediately called one of his collaborators to work remotely on a freelance remix of the song, which helped inspire the remix EP that Beyoncé then released.

“They weren’t thinking about remixes until I sent it,” will.i.am said. “They put out a remix EP and my song’s the first one on it – and I inspired it! I can’t find the word for it – it’s like Santa Claus is real, man!”

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Carrie Underwood is gearing up to hit the road on her Denim & Rhinestones Tour, and she’s giving fans a look inside. 

Recently, the superstar has been sharing photos from her tour rehearsals, beginning with a black-and-white shot of her band performing inside an empty soundstage, their instruments scattered around the room as Carrie can be seen front and center with a microphone in hand. “The gang’s all here. Are you ready?” she captions the moment.

The hitmaker then shared a snap belting out an undisclosed track in the rehearsal space. “3 WEEKS AWAY!!! Any guesses on what song I’m rehearsing here?” she asked, to which some fans suggested she’s either singing “Ghost Story,” the lead single of Denim & Rhinestones, or “Cry Pretty,” the hit title track off her last album. 

She also teased a special guest who showed up to rehearsals via a close-up shot that captured Carrie donning a pair of purple sparkly boots while the mystery guest wore silver, gemstone-covered sneakers. 

“Guess who showed up at rehearsals today?” she writes with the raised eyes emoji; fans flooded the comment section suggesting that it’s tour opener, Jimmie Allen. 

Carrie and Jimmie will embark on the Denim & Rhinestones Tour on October 15 in Greenville, S.C., continuing through March 2023. 

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Neil Young ain’t singing for Pepsi or Coke, and he apparently isn’t thrilled about Beck singing for the NFL.

Over the weekend, the “Loser” artist released a cover of Young’s song “Old Man” for an ad promoting NBC’s upcoming Sunday Night Football match-up between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs. On Monday, the cover was released as a digital single.

Seemingly in response, Young posted a throwback photo on his Instagram page Monday of him holding up a bottle labeled “Sponsored by nobody.” That same label appears on a beer can in Young’s video for his 1988 song “This Note’s for You,” which famously criticized the commercialization of music and artists taking corporate sponsorships.

Beck has not publicly responded to Young.

As for how Beck was able to release the “Old Man” cover seemingly without Young’s approval, it may be because the “Heart of Gold” rocker sold 50% of his song catalog to the company Hipgnosis Songs in 2021.

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Although Hailey Bieber wed Justin Bieber four years ago, the model continues to endure attacks from Selena Gomez‘s so-called fans. Basically, they believe the model stole Justin away from Selena and are still angry about it.

Now, Hailey is ready to speak out about the continued attacks and confront the rumors head on. The skincare mogul will share her side of the story in an upcoming episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast.

A teaser of the forthcoming episode, which was shared to Instagram, starts with host Alex Cooper noting how “obsessed” people are with Justin and Selena’s relationship. Cooper then asks Hailey if she was “ever with Justin romantically at the same time as [Selena]?”  

Hailey responds, “This is so crazy. I’ve literally never talked about this ever. A lot of the hate and perpetuation comes from like, ‘Oh you stole him.’ It’s about people knowing the truth, because there’s a truth.”

As for what that truth is, we will find out on September 28 when the episode arrives in full. The episode preview teases, “Hailey makes it clear she wants to discuss this one time and one time only.”

Selena and Justin famously dated off and on for several years before separating for good in 2018. Shortly after, the “Ghost” singer began dating Hailey, and the two wed that September.

While both Justin and Selena have moved on, a small but vocal group of fans still believe the two — whom they dub “Jelena” — were meant to be and have continued to attack Hailey because of that. Both Selena and Justin have publicly condemned the abuse.

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Jake Owen‘s new single, “Up There Down Here” is a tribute to angels on earth. 

Though the song’s leading man doesn’t frequent the church, he compares the love of his life to “a cross on a chain and red wine stain” and says he’s “more a backroad than a front pew.” 

“I’m a rise a little hell/She’s heaven on earth/The grace to my grit and the rain on my dirt/I’m a little down home, cold beer/She’s a little up there, down here,” Jake sings in the chorus. 

“I’m really proud of this song and this video,” Jake writes on Instagram. “The thought was about how so many guys out there just like us, have these angels watching over us. Sometimes, I’m not so sure we even deserve it, but this is our tribute to those [angels] on [earth]. Hope you enjoy!” 

“Up There” is Jake’s new official single to country radio following his latest #1 hit, “Best Thing Since Backroads,” which was released as the lead single off his forthcoming album.  

Next month, the Florida native will launch the second leg of his Up There Down Here Tour on October 13 at the Rosemont Theatre in Illinois. 

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Olivia Newton-John would have turned 74 on Monday, so friends of the late singer are paying their respects.

John Travolta, who starred alongside Newton-John in the movie adaptation of Grease, saluted the late legend in a meaningful post on social media. “Happy birthday my Olivia,” he wrote in an Instagram Story, sharing a still of their characters — Danny and Sandy — glancing adoringly at the other.

Olivia’s family also honored her on her birthday. Her husband, John Easterling, shared a heartfelt tribute in the form of a beautiful memory. He recalled a trip to the Bahamas and how they were caught up in a storm that they feared would blow their boat off course.

The storm quickly subsided and left behind a beautiful rainbow while “dolphins started jumping at the bow of the boat.” He closed the memory, saying, “Every day with Olivia there was a hint of magic and everyday with Olivia was a bit of the supernatural.”

Olivia’s daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, paid tribute to the late singer on her birthday writing, “We love you mama” along with a dolphin emoji. She shared a video of the family celebrating the late legend’s birthday with a family dinner.

Newton-John died on August 8 after a years-long battle with cancer.

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Kanye West teased three new songs during an appearance in London Monday night.

Ye, who was in town for London Fashion Week, previewed the unreleased tracks at Burberry’s aftershow party at The Twenty Two. The songs were all collaborations with British singer/producer James Blake.

After fan-captured videos of Ye playing the tracks hit social media, Blake took to Twitter to confirm that he produced all three songs.

“It’s my birthday and @kanyewest is playing tracks we made I’m good for presents thanks,” he wrote on Monday.

No word yet on when the songs will be released.

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There’s already a slew of country artists slated to appear on the new show Monarch, but the show’s star, Trace Adkins, has another one he’d like to add to the mix — Blake Shelton. 

Trace portrays the character Albie Roman, a legendary singer-songwriter and husband to Susan Sarandon‘s Dottie Cantrell Roman, known as the “Queen of Country Music” on the show.

While the new season of Monarch features several of Trace’s country music peers, including Shania Twain, Martina McBride and Little Big Town, in guest starring roles, he hopes that he can get Blake on board for a special appearance.

“I think we should bring Blake Shelton, let him play my stupid younger brother,” Trace says. “That’s kind of what he is anyway.”

Trace and Blake’s friendship spans multiple years; the two teamed up for the hit 2009 duet “Hillbilly Bone.” In addition to their playful jabs, the singers have also ventured out on the road together, with Trace joining Blake’s 2021 Friends and Heroes Tour. Trace also inducted Blake as a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2010. 

Though Blake has over a decade of experience coaching on The Voice, Trace says he didn’t ask his longtime pal for acting tips. “Blake’s thing is a completely different animal. You can’t compare that stuff,” Trace says. 

Monarch airs on Fox Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET.  

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