Music

Ever wanted someone who was already in a relationship with your best friend? Well, Kiana Ledé and Kehlani share this particular experience in the video for “Ur Best Friend.”

Kehlani directed the video through her company, Honey Shot Productions, under her alias “Hyphy Williams.” The visual opens with Kehlani giving a birthday toast to her best friend, rapper Vic Mensa, who plays Ledé’s boyfriend. The happy couple then makes their way to the dance floor while Kehlani seductively watches from across the room.

The sexual tension continues to build throughout the party, as Ledé joins Kehlani outside on a bench while whispering in her ear and touching her knee. The “Ur Best Friend” video ends with Kehlani and Lede engaging in an intense make-out session as a drunk Mensa wakes up confused.

Fans on Twitter complimented Kehlani’s directing skills, while many commented on the sexual tension between her and Ledé in the video.

“I’m so proud of Kehlani on her journey as a director. Like my girl really did that!” one fan tweeted, while another wrote, “THE NECK GRABBING…THE KISSING…THE CHEMISTRY OMG KEHLANI AND KIANA STANS WE WON.”

Others praised Kehlani and other artists who have tapped into their creative “passions” outside of music.  

“I love seeing music artists dive into other passions they have; Kehlani as a music video director, Teyana Tayloras a creative director. These women are ARTISTS ALL AROUND,” one fan tweeted.

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Miranda Lambert’s beloved senior dog, Jessi, has crossed the rainbow bridge after 13 and a half years of companionship. 

The singer shared a tribute to her four-legged friend on social media this week, along with a slideshow of pictures of Jessi and the dog’s brother, Waylon, who died in the fall of 2020.

Miranda found the two pups on the side of the road in Oklahoma back in 2008, in the middle of a sleet storm. The singer explains that she and her mom — who were driving together when they encountered the siblings — were listening to Jessie Colter’s I’m Jessi Colter album at the time, which is how the two puppies got their names.  Colter, of course, was Waylon’s wife from 1969 until his death in 2002.

Up until canine Waylon’s death, Miranda continues, the two dogs had been inseparable their whole lives.

“…The truth is they belong together. They always have,” she writes. “I know she missed him terribly and we are so thankful to have had extra time. Today they are reunited at the rainbow bridge.”

Waylon and Jessi were two of the many dogs and other animals that call Miranda’s farm home. The singer and her mom also established their MuttNation Foundation in 2009 in support of shelter pets.

“I can’t put into words what a dog’s love does to your heart. But if you have one, you already know,” Miranda says in the conclusion of her tribute post. “…It’s so hard to let them go but the love is worth it.”

 

 

 

 

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When Foo Fighters performed in Cincinnati on Wednesday night, they took some time to pay tribute to ZZ Top bass player Dusty Hill, whose death at age 72 was announced a few hours before the band took the stage.

Drummer Taylor Hawkins wore a t-shirt reading “Dusty RIP” and, as a video that’s now been posted online shows, Hawkins also sang ZZ Top’s “Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers” during the band introduction part of the concert, after guitarist Chris Shiflett began playing the tune. Shiflett then kicked into the ZZ Top classic “La Grange,” although frontman Dave Grohl unsuccessfully struggled to remember the words.

“That’s all you’re gonna get,” he joked. “But that was for Dusty, everybody. Let’s give it up.”

Hill died in his sleep on Wednesday; a cause of death hasn’t been announced.  ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons has since said that the band plans to continue on.

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Ahead of his tour kickoff tonight, Jason Mraz has released the music video for his song “Be Where Your Feet Are.”

In the video, Jason sings the reggae-infused track on the beach, as people passing by start dropping their distracting phones and laptops into the sand. The chill clip ends with a rolling-skating party on the boardwalk.

“Be Where Your Feet Are” is one of three new songs that appear on the deluxe edition of Jason’s album Look for the Good, which came out July 16.

Jason’s Look for the Good Live! tour begins tonight at the Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater in Austin, Texas. Backed by a 12-piece reggae band, Jason will perform new songs as well as reimagined hits.

The 22-date trek wraps August 28 in Pittsburgh. On September 26, Jason will make a special appearance with the San Diego Symphony at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park in San Diego.

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Cradle of Filth will return October 22 with their 13 studio album, Existence Is Futile.

The follow-up to 2017’s Cryptoriana — The Seductiveness of Decay was recorded during lockdown in 2020 and, as the band notes, “pieced together in isolation, at Grindstone Studios in Suffolk.”  The band’s website describes the new music as “pitch-black, perverse and at times absurdly brutal, following a nihilistic concept both evocative and relentless.”

The album is available for pre-order now. The first taste of the new album is a single and video called “Crawling King Chaos,” which is out now.

“The album is about existentialism, existential dread and fear of the unknown,” frontman Dani Filth tells Metal Hammer. “The concept wasn’t created by the pandemic. We’d written it long before that began, but the pandemic is the tip of the cotton-bud as far as the way the world is headed, you know?”

“I guess the title, Existence Is Futile, does sound a little morbid,” he adds. “But again, it’s more about recognizing that truth and saying that everything is permitted because nothing really matters…We all know we’re going to die, so we might as well indulge life while we possess it.”

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Exactly 20 years ago this weekend, Blake Shelton released his debut album, Austin, a project that would kick-start his career in country music stardom. 

To celebrate, Blake has shared a new Amazon Original acoustic version of the album’s title track, which was also his debut single and first-ever number-one hit. 

“Man — 20 years may have passed, but sometimes I still feel like the kid from Oklahoma I was back then,” Blake tells People of the milestone.

“‘Austin’ is the first song we ever released from the album, and it is still a cornerstone of my live shows. I’m excited to share a new version of one of the most important songs of my career with an Amazon Original,” he continues, adding that he’s grateful the song’s message continues to resonate with fans, even its lyrics are a little outdated.

“I’m not sure how many people actually have an ‘answering machine’ anymore, but the song is still as powerful and special as the first time I ever sang it,” Blake adds. 

The 20th anniversary of his debut album’s release comes during an exciting moment in the singer’s personal life: Just under a month ago, he got married to his pop superstar girlfriend of five years, Gwen Stefani. 

Coming up, Blake will hit the road, resuming his Friends and Heroes Tour after over a year of pandemic-induced shutdowns. The 2021 dates kick off on August 18 in Omaha, Nebraska.

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Summertime…and the livin’ is all about Sublime.  We’ve got more information about the rollout of merchandise and content marking today’s 25th anniversary of Sublime‘s self-titled third album.

Today, you can look back on the album — which featured the hits “Wrong Way,” “Santeria,” “Doin’ Time” and “What I Got” — by watching an episode of Behind the Album Cover.  Opie Ortiz, who created the album’s iconic artwork, tells the story behind the image.

Meanwhile, the Sublime graphic novel SUBLIME: $5 at the Door, which came out in June, will be available in deluxe and super deluxe editions on August 3.  The super deluxe version comes with a different cover, designed by Ortiz, plus an LP featuring “Doin’ Time” on Dalmatian-print vinyl, five exclusive art prints and a limited edition Lou Dog vinyl figure.  A comic book signing featuring Ortiz and DJ PRODUCT ©1969 will be held August 14 at Atomic Basement Comics in Long Beach, CA.

Next, an official music video for the track “Pawn Shop” will be released in the coming weeks. The animated clip is done in a “psychedelic/surfer/punk/graffiti” style, and features Sublime’s iconography.

Most importantly, new sales plaques have been presented to Sublime drummer Bud Gaugh, bass player Eric Wilson and, posthumously, late singer Bradley Nowell, the latter being accepted by his widow and son.  The plaques commemorate sales of more than 18 million units in the U.S. for the Sublime album.

As previously reported, Travis Barker is currently working on an album of re-imaginings, remixes and collaborations based on songs from the original album.

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Coinciding with the release of her sophomore album Happier Than Ever, Billie Eilish has released the music video for the title track.

The clip, directed by Billie herself, begins with the singer in a softly lit pastel-colored room as she sings the song into the receiver of an old fashioned telephone as if it’s a conversation to the person on the other line.

As the video goes on, water begins to seep into the room and the lights start to flicker. When Billie opens the door, a deluge of water rushes in and fills the rooms. She manages to swim out and up onto the roof, where she sings the rest of the song as rain pours down.

Happier Than Ever, also featuring the songs “Your Power,” “Lost Cause” and “NDA,” is out now.

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