Music

As one person on Reddit put it, “They had the chance to do the funniest thing ever and they did.” Taylor Swift and Sophie Turner were spotted arm-in-arm in New York City on September 19, People reports.

Taylor and Sophie have been friends for several years, but their appearance together delighted fans considering Taylor briefly dated Joe in 2008. In fact, Taylor’s claim on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that Joe broke up with her in a 25-second phone call — later corrected to 27 seconds — is now the stuff of Swiftie legend. 

In addition, many believe Taylor’s song “Mr. Perfectly Fine” is about Joe. In 2021, Sophie shared a screenshot of the song, to which Taylor responded, “Forever bending the knee to the [Queen] of the north.”

Some fans also believe the line in Taylor’s song “Invisible String” —”Cold was the steel of my axe to grind
For the boys who broke my heart/Now I send their babies presents” — is about Joe.

Joe, meanwhile, is currently on his global tour with the Jonas Brothers.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Megan Thee Stallion is giving back to the college she once attended and graduated from. 

She’s doing so as the Hot Girl Dean of Admissions of Flamin’ Hot University, a partnership with Flamin’ Hot created as a way to help students at her alma mater, Texas Southern University, lower their debt. 

In conversation with Billboard, the self-proclaimed hot girl shared details about the collaboration, which features an online curriculum centered on food, fashion and lifestyle. As a lover of spicy treats, she said she joined the snack brand in an effort to “do things that feel real.”

“I just wanted to have a lot of things that have something to do with things that are personal to me,” the “overseer of all things Hot Girl” said. “I feel like every college student knows the struggle. I feel like Hot Cheetos are definitely on the menu at every campus, this is what we eat!”

Megan opened up about relating to the college struggle, saying that she knows what’s it like to feel discouraged in school. 

“I really got through it, and I wanted to be able to give back to other students that I know feel the same way I felt,” she said. “So once I was able to give it, I was like, ‘Yeah, lemme put my people on.'”

Besides her Hottie 101 Cheetos and the Fire Theeory Doritos, the Flamin’ Hot menu includes an array of unique snack ideas and recipes, curated with the help of Megan’s fellow TSU alum Chef Scotty, and a special line of fashion merch including a Stallion varsity jacket designed by famed streetwear stylist Melody Ehsani. 

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Could George Strait and Chris Stapleton be working on new music together? Quite possibly, yes.

Grammy-winning producer Tony Brown recently posted a photo of him, George, Chris and several Nashville musicians together in Castle Recording Studios in Franklin, Tennessee. 

“New Music from GEORGE STRAIT [CD emojis],” Tony captions his Facebook post.

Earlier in September, famed guitarist Brent Mason also posted an Instagram carousel of his session time with George and Chris from the same day. 

“Swipe
“Working with some of my favorite fellow cats it’s been an awesome week and my 24th consecutive studio album for George,” he added.

George and Chris recently announced their 2024 stadium tour with opening act Little Big Town. Tickets go on sale Friday, September 22, at 10 a.m. local time. For a full list of dates, visit George’s website.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Breeders have shared an alternate version of their song “Divine Hammer,” included in the upcoming 30th reissue of their 1993 album Last Splash.

The previously unreleased recording features Dinosaur Jr.‘s J Mascis and is fittingly dubbed “Divine Mascis.” You can watch its accompanying video streaming now on YouTube.

The Last Splash reissue will be released Friday, September 22. It includes remastered audio of the original album, which spawned the single “Cannonball” as well as the bonus track “Go Man Go.”

The Breeders are on tour throughout the fall playing headlining shows and dates opening for Foo Fighters. They’re also set to open for the New York City and Los Angeles stops on Olivia Rodrigo‘s 2024 tour.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Meek Mill is cooking up new music, and he released a snippet of it for fans on social media. 

The Philadelphia rapper took to Instagram with a short video trailer that sees him riding through a city street and walking toward a jet. 

In the clip, he raps, “Life short but my money long, I go through s*** and still act like it ain’t nothing wrong.”

At the beginning of the trailer, Meek seemingly addresses ownership issues with music labels and his often-talked-about battle with being paid properly.

“These are propaganda campaigns,” an unknown voice is heard saying. “They’ll pay 1,000 people to go online and just post negative things about a particular thing because they know that if that one thing, if it was discovered what it’ll really do, it’s gonna offset their profits.”

The rapper captioned his post with a similar message, writing, “Propaganda vs the streets for control of the billions made off music.”

“#raptherapy,” he added.

Meek didn’t make it known when exactly he’d drop a new project.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Eric Clapton helped Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. raise $2.2 million for his campaign by performing at a private fundraiser in Brentwood, California, on Tuesday, September 19, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“I am deeply grateful to Eric Clapton for bringing his musical artistry and rebellious spirit to my gathering in Los Angeles last night,” Kennedy shared. “Eric sings from the depths of the human condition. If he sees in me the possibility of bringing unity to our country, it is only possible because artists like him invoke a buried faith in the limitless power of human beings to overcome any obstacle.”

The money raised at the event will be split between Kennedy Jr. and a PAC supporting his campaign.  

Earlier this year, Clapton tried to donate money to Kennedy’s campaign. He told The Real Music Observer he wasn’t allowed to because he’s not an American citizen.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Oasis‘ 1998 B-sides compilation, The Masterplan, is being reissued in honor of its 25th anniversary.

The collection will arrive with remastered audio on November 3.

The Masterplan compiled the B-sides off the singles from Oasis’ first three albums: 1994’s Definitely Maybe, 1995’s (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? and 1997’s Be Here Now. Among the tracks included are “Acquiesce” and a live cover of The Beatles‘ “I Am the Walrus.”

Oasis is coming up on another big anniversary as Definitely Maybe turns 30 in 2024. While the band remains broken up and the Gallagher brothers have continued to snipe at each other through the press, Liam is planning to celebrate the Definitely Maybe milestone on his own tour next year.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

In 2022, Selena Gomez released the Apple TV+ documentary My Mind and Me, which detailed her battle with lupus, her mental health journey and her struggles with fame. She’s glad she made the film, but don’t expect her to give it a rewatch.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, on Tuesday, Selena spoke at the Music & Health Conference sponsored by her record label, Universal Music Group, and Thrive Global, a platform designed to help people cope with burnout. Discussing the doc, she said she was “very against” making it at the time as she was worried it would “jeopardize things in my life.”

But, she said, after it was released, “I felt relieved. I felt like a huge weight was lifted.” She explained, “I felt like I got to say things that I’ve been keeping in for years. It’s very hard for me to watch. I will never watch it again, but I’m very proud of it.”

Selena also commented on being the most-followed woman on Instagram, where she has 429 million followers. “I’ve never really cared about that stuff. I suppose I’m grateful for the platform, and I would love to continue to use it for what I’m able to do, but numbers are just numbers,” she said.

What does matter to her was hearing about how her work has helped fans through difficulties in their lives. “I think that’s what kind of keeps me in check, to be honest,” she explained. “I think I can be a little reckless with my emotions, and having conversations with young people, women who are going through divorces or going through chemo — it’s not just about me, and I’m fully aware of that.”

She concluded, “I will just always cherish it. It’s a big responsibility, though. It’s a little scary.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.