Music

Queen‘s special relationship with their fans is the subject of the latest episode of their weekly YouTube series, Queen the Greatest Live.

When it comes to their concerts, Queen makes it a point to connect with their fans regardless of how big the spectacle is onstage. 

“I think we have a very personal relationship with the audience,” Brian May shares. “We don’t get lost in being gods with the costumes and lights. We’re still human and we like the interaction. I think that’s something which is a little different.” 

Roger Taylor adds that it’s important for them to “involve the audience” in their shows and not be like bands who feel they’re “too cool” for their crowd. He notes, “I mean, I remember some bands, the guitar player might even face the back. It’s just f****** rude, you know?”

Queen makes sure the audience has extra fun with their call-and-response songs like “We Will Rock You,” and it’s so important that if the band doesn’t get a reaction to a tune, it may change the set list.  

May explains, “The audience are fashioning what we play, and I think they know that. Of course, you go for the things which produce a reaction, whether it’s happy or sad – but some kind of reaction.”

In the past, if the band wasn’t getting the reaction they wanted, they could always count on frontman Freddie Mercury to change that. Taylor notes, “He was incredible. He could just shout, ‘Come on!’, and then everybody would get up…”

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After teasing new music earlier in the week, The Killers have premiered a fresh single titled “Your Side of Town.”

“It’s got the ghosts of a lot of the synth music that inspired us over the years,” Brandon Flowers and company said of the tune. “And yet, somehow, feels completely our own. Now it’s yours! Turn it up.”

You can listen to “Your Side of Town” now via digital outlets.

“Your Side of Town” follows The Killers’ one-two punch of albums, 2020’s Imploding the Mirage and 2021’s Pressure Machine. They also put out a one-off single, “Boy,” in 2022.

The Killers are set to headline England’s Reading and Leeds festival, taking place August 25-27. They’ll be back in the U.S. in September to play a number of festivals, including Bourbon & Beyond, Life Is Beautiful and Eddie Vedder‘s Ohana.

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Fans of Victoria Monét, rejoice, for her long-awaited album Jaguar II has finally arrived. 

The 11-track project, out via her RCA Records label, Lovett Music, includes features from fellow R&B singer Lucky Daye, dancehall giant Buju Banton and legendary soul group Earth, Wind & Fire. 

Jaguar II follows 2020’s Jaguar, an album Monét says she created to establish her transition as a songwriter to a full-fledged R&B star. 

“Jaguar I and II are relatives, but you see, Jaguar II is an older, more developed, voluptuous older sister,” she said in a statement. “I just really wanted to make it in my eyes better than Jaguar I, which I feel like I’ve done.”

Co-produced by longtime collaborator D’Mile — whose production credits also include H.E.R., Chris Brown, Usher and Silk Sonic — Jaguar II is home to Monét’s hit single “On My Mama.” 

It seemed as if the Georgia native shut the internet down when she dropped the song’s music video — a slick and fresh throwback to the early 2000s, mixed with odes to Black culture, the South and pivotal moments in hip-hop history. 

Monét created “On My Mama” in 2021 not long after her daughter was born. The 34-year-old star said that while dealing with postpartum depression, the new track was “the first record I did that I actually liked.”

“So, I think of the record as an anthem for affirmations, positive self-talk, manifestations … all of that is kind of in the song, but in a really cool hood way,” she said.

In preparation of Jaguar II, Monét hosted a “release week” on Instagram where she dropped exclusive pictures, videos and behind-the-scenes footage of the making of the album. 

Jaguar II is available for streaming on major platforms. 

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(NOTE LANGUAGE) Kevin Hart is clapping back at his friends for making fun of him after a footrace with former NFL running back Stevan Ridley left the comic with a torn lower abdomen and tears to his hip abductors.

As previously reported, the injuries were severe enough to temporarily confine Hart to a wheelchair.

In an Instagram video, Hart lamented, “I’m getting all types of calls … from friends, athletes … everybody starts off the same … ‘What the f*** were you thinking, Kev? How you do that? Man, you’re supposed to be in shape!'”

“B****, I am in shape!” Hart clapped back. “This ain’t got nothing to do with being in shape!”

He continued, “When was the last time y’all did an all-out-sprint? I’m talking an all-out run…”

“When’s the last time you’ve given yourself a thousand percent effort sprint? People don’t do this s***. Not at the age 40 and up!” the 44-year-old vented.

“That’s why my stupid a** is in this situation,” he said, before revealing a folded-up wheelchair next to him. “Look at this s***. You know how long it takes me to get the f*** out of the car? I’m a mess.”

Kev goes onto to complain that “everything’s swollen” on his body, and described how one part of his anatomy was left looking “like a thumb.”

He added, “To every friend that has called me and has laughed at me … after this six to eight weeks when I get back to functioning, I’m gonna light your a**** up. You know who the f*** you are,” he said.

One of these busting Kev’s chops appears to be Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. He replied to the video, “I said what I said out of love,” adding a “crying laughing” emoji.

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Ariana Grande‘s has officially started her celebration of the 10th anniversary of her debut album, Yours Truly.

As promised, Yours Truly Deluxe Edition is out now on digital platforms, and it features the original recording, plus six newly recorded live performances of six of the album’s songs. Performance videos of “Honeymoon Avenue” and “Daydreamin‘” are also out now.

As previously reported, the videos for the rest of the live tracks will roll out next week, culminating with “The Way” on August 30, the actual 10th anniversary of the album’s release. Fans will also enjoy special behind-the-scenes and Q&A videos, as well as a special merch capsule. On August 28th, the vinyl version of the deluxe will be available for preorder.

Yours Truly debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 when it was released in 2013. The lead single, “The Way,” featuring the late Mac Miller, debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.

On Instagram, Ari wrote, “happy ten year anniversary to a project that changed my life. thank you from the bottom of my heart for listening and for growing with me every step of the way. love you always. :)”

Here’s the Yours Truly Deluxe Edition track listing

“Honeymoon Avenue”
“Baby I”
“Right There” feat. Big Sean
“Tattooed Heart”
“Lovin’ It”
“Piano”
“Daydreamin’”
“The Way” feat. Mac Miller
“You’ll Never Know”
“Almost Is Never Enough” with Nathan Sykes from The Wanted
“Popular Song” with Mika
“Better Left Unsaid”
“The Way” feat. Mac Miller (Spanglish Version)
“Honeymoon Avenue” (Live from London)
“Daydreamin’” (Live from London)
“Baby I” (Live from London)
“Tattooed Heart” (Live from London)
“Right There” feat. Big Sean (Live from London)
“The Way” feat. Mac Miller (Live from London)

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With back-to-school season in full force, country superstar Luke Bryan‘s taking a trip down memory lane to revisit his high school days, which involved being part of a band, athletics and even drama. 

“I had my little band. We were doing band rehearsals on Tuesdays and Thursdays every week and playing little shows. And then I was always pretty athletic, but everybody else grew and I never hit my growth spurt until, really, I got out of high school. So I kind of phased out athletics and really got involved in drama and did a couple [of] state, one-act plays,” Luke recalls to ABC Audio.

As busy as Luke was with extracurricular activities, he also found time to be pretty involved in his local community.

“I always had fun. I worked at the grocery store and, you know, didn’t get in much trouble, but always sang in the church choir and led my local Wednesday night youth groups at church and stuff,” recounts the “But I Got A Beer In My Hand” singer. “So, yeah, I was hitting church and singing on Sundays and trying not to get in any trouble on the weekends.” 

You can watch Luke’s life and career chronicled in his original docuseries, Luke Bryan: My Dirt Road Diary, streaming now on Amazon Freevee.

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A massive collection of books belonging to late Television frontman Tom Verlaine is being sold.

The sale will be handled by New York City’s Better Read Than Dead bookshop in partnership with Capitol Hill Books.

“It is our distinct pleasure to announce the first of many waves of his massive (50,000) book collection being redispersed to the readers and dealers of his city at our monthly garage sale,” Better Read Than Dead writes in an Instagram post. “Prices will be LOW and discounts HEAVY for those looking to wheel away books by the box.”

Those interested can visit Better Read Than Dead’s garage space at 539 Greene Ave. in Brooklyn August 26-27.

Verlaine passed away in January at age 73.

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Miley Cyrus‘ new single “Used To Be Young” debuted at the stroke of midnight on Friday.

The understated, but emotional video shows a teary-eyed Cyrus wearing a Mickey Mouse tee under a red sequined bodysuit.

“I know I used to be crazy / I know I used to be fun / You say I used to be wild / but I say I used to be young / You tell me time has done changed me / That’s fine I’ve had a good run / I know I used to be crazy / That’s cause I used to be young,” Miley sings in the chorus.

In an Instagram post, along with a snippet of the video, released at the same time as the song, Miley explained, “This song is about honoring who we’ve been, loving who we are & celebrating who we will become.

“I feel proud when reflecting on my past and joyful when thinking about the future,” the caption continued. “I am grateful to my loyal fans who make my dreams a reality daily. I am sincerely thankful for the stability of your steadfast support. This song is for you. Truly, Miley”

“Used To Be Young” is available to stream now.

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For the first time ever, Nita Strauss plays on an Alice Cooper studio album.

The “School’s Out” rocker recorded his latest effort, Road, alongside his longtime live band. As Strauss tells ABC Audio, Cooper wanted Road to showcase the “best live band in the world.”

“His words, not mine,” Strauss points out. “[Cooper] said, ‘I want a record that captures what you guys do and what makes you the best.’ So he wanted it to be very raw, he didn’t want us to do a lot of punch-ins and overdubs and fixes, he wanted it to capture the sense of how this band is live.”

The title Road isn’t a metaphor, either — Strauss and the rest of Cooper’s band wrote the album mostly while on tour and used soundchecks to work out the new material.

“We actually finished up the tour, then drove to Nashville and went straight into the studio the next day to make the record,” Strauss explains. “We were fresh off the tour, we were just locked in, we’d never been tighter as a band, and I think that really shows in the final recording of the record.”

Cooper’s been releasing music for over 50 years, and Road is his 22nd solo album. Strauss, who also recorded with Cooper for a song off her new The Call of the Void solo album, remains impressed with his longevity.

“Whether it’s my song or his music or Hollywood Vampires‘ music, he doesn’t reinvent the wheel,” Strauss says. “He has a good handle on the Alice Cooper character and he does it better than anybody else could do something like that in the world.” 

Road is out now. Cooper’s currently supporting the album on a tour with Rob Zombie.

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