Music

Ashanti’s time to perform at SeaWorld came on Saturday, but it was interrupted by a protest by PETA activists.

While the singer was onstage at the San Diego park’s Bayside Amphitheater, a group of PETA supporters held up signs reading, “Ashanti: No Dolphin is Happy in a Tank” and “Ashanti: It’s Foolish to Support SeaWorld,” referencing two of her hit songs.

“The real heartbreak isn’t in Ashanti’s lyrics, it’s in SeaWorld’s tanks where dolphins are drugged and sexually abused, mother orcas have had their babies taken away, and thinking, feeling animals waste away in concrete prisons,” PETA President Tracy Reiman said in a statement. “PETA urges everyone to help spare animals a life of misery by never going to SeaWorld.”

According to a PETA press release, the group’s goal is “to urge SeaWorld to stop breeding dolphins and whales and send them to seaside sanctuaries where they can live in peace.”

Snippets of Ashanti’s performance showed her live renditions of “Rock Wit U (Awww Baby),” “Mesmerize” and “Foolish,” to which the crowd sang along.

The remaining performers in the SeaWorld summer concert series are Soulja Boy and Paul Wall, Jordin Sparks, Too $hort and Warren G.

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Adele’s been out of the spotlight lately, but don’t worry, she’s living her best life. People has photos of her swimming — in the deep, of course — and kayaking off Italy’s Amalfi Coast on Sunday with friends. Among those friends was Tom Ford, who cast the singer in his upcoming movie Cry to Heaven. Based on the Annie Rice novel, it’s reportedly due out later this year.

No, Britney Spears has not been been replaced by a clone. When that two-year-old rumor came up on his livestream on July 17, Britney’s son Jayden James Federline dismissed it. Jayden said, “I hop on TikTok and I see this one video that has 1.2 million likes, and the caption is like, ‘The biggest theory ever: Is Britney Spears still alive?’ Like, ‘Bro, you can go to her page and see her right now.'” He said the rumor is just another example of how “exaggerated and fake” so much online content is.

Jessie J has split with her longtime boyfriend, Chanan Colman, the father of her son, Sky. She wrote on Instagram that she and Colman “decided to end our romantic relationship some time ago.” She continued, “It has been a sad and difficult situation, but we have been focused on navigating the change privately and positively for a healthy and happy co parenting environment for our son, and ourselves.” The singer went on to say that she and Colman will “always continue supporting each other with love, respect and care.”

Charli XCX will release a new song and video, “Camera,” Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. ET.  From the clip she’s posted, it seems to involve a car crash. The song is from Charli’s new album, Music, Fashion, Film, which arrives on Friday.

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Going out to eat in New York City on your birthday will probably cost you 100 bucks — but being serenaded by Dua Lipa at the same time? That’s priceless.

On Monday, the New York City eatery Corner Bistro posted footage of Dua and her husband, Callum Turner, singing “Happy Birthday” to a woman named Mairead Walsh as a friend brought over some cupcakes with a candle in them. 

“Some birthdays come with cake. @maireadwalshh‘s came with a surprise serenade from @dualipa & Callum Turner,” the caption read.

Dua and Callum were wearing the same outfits they were later photographed in at the World Cup Final game, so they must have stopped by the restaurant en route to New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.

Dua and Callum married May 31 in London, then hosted a massive wedding party June 6 in Sicily, followed by an Italian honeymoon.

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Thomas Rhett’s heading to Sin City for his last two dates of 2026. 

He’ll play The Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace for two nights during the National Finals Rodeo.

Presales for the Thursday, Dec. 10, and Saturday, Dec. 12, shows start Tuesday, with tickets becoming available to the public Friday. 

TR joins an ever-growing list of artists playing concerts that week, including Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw, Riley Green, Bailey Zimmerman, Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley and The Red Clay Strays.

The “Die a Happy Man” hitmaker joins Morgan Wallen’s Still the Problem Tour this weekend, before heading to London to play Wembley Stadium with Luke Combs July 31 through Aug. 2, before he resumes his own The Soundtrack to Life Tour. 

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The Stakes is High, as De La Soul’s approaching the 30th anniversary of the album. They are set to release an anniversary edition on Oct. 23.

The project will feature the original album and an instrumental version, complete with remastered audio, remixes and rare recordings, including “Chanel No. Fever” and “I Can’t Call It.”

Fans can now preorder the album, which will be available digitally, as a two-CD hard cover and an Amazon exclusive silver vinyl, among other formats.

Released in 1996, Stakes is High is De La Soul’s fourth studio album and their first without producer Prince Paul.

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Phil Collins hasn’t put out a new album since 2010’s Going Back, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be new music in the future.

During an appearance on the Sodajerker on Songwriting podcast, Collins sounds hopeful about making music again.

“Oh I’ve got some things that are finished. Well, a couple of things that are finished,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of ideas. I know what they are, but I haven’t approached them since the health issues.”

“But I’ve got a studio downstairs in my basement. I’m now not taking the long way around to avoid going in it,” he adds.

Collins has been dealing with health issues since 2007, including neck problems and nerve issues that left him unable to play the drums.

This isn’t the first time Collins has talked about possibly making new music. In a January BBC interview he said, “I’ve got some things that are half-formed or were never finished, and a couple of things that were finished which I like. So, you know, maybe life in the old dog yet.”

Collins’ appearance on the Sodajerker podcast is promoting the upcoming expanded edition of his debut solo album, Face Value, dropping Sept. 18.

One of the bonus tracks in the box set is a demo of the hit ballad “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now),” which Collins says didn’t make Face Value because “bizarrely I didn’t think it was kind of good enough.”

The song was eventually used for Taylor Hackford’s 1984 movie Against All Odds and went on to become the first of seven #1 songs for Collins. It was also nominated for an Academy Award.

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Soundgarden has posted a birthday tribute to the band’s late frontman, Chris Cornell, who would’ve turned 62 on Monday.

“Happy Birthday, brother Chris,” the post reads. “We’re thinking of you today and everyday. We miss your friendship, your beautiful soul, and your massive heart. The music world isn’t the same without you, but your voice still echoes through everything we do.”

It concludes, “Louder than love, always,” referencing the title of Soundgarden’s 1989 album, Louder than Love.

Cornell’s widow, Vicky Cornell, also posted a tribute, which begins, “Happy Birthday to the most extraordinary man I have ever known.”

“A husband and father who loved us with his whole soul,” Vicky writes. “A poet whose voice transformed music forever and continues to echo through time. My best friend.”

“There will never be another you,” she continues. “Today is a celebration of your life, your heart, your brilliance, and the endless love you gave so freely. The world is better because you were in it, and your music and lyrics continue to not only touch but guide so many of us every single day.”

Cornell died in May 2017 at age 52. A posthumous solo covers album, No One Sings Like You Anymore, Vol. 1, was released in 2020, and the surviving Soundgarden members have been working on completing the band’s final album.

Cornell was inducted with Soundgarden into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2025.

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Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” has made even more history on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is #1 for a 14th week, meaning it now ties two other legendary songs for an all-time record.

Mariah Carey’s 2005 hit “We Belong Together” and Whitney Houston’s 1992 smash “I Will Always Love You” also spent 14 weeks at #1 on the Hot 100. That means Ella now joins Whitney and Mariah in collectively sharing a single record: most weeks at #1 for a nonholiday song by a female artist working alone, as opposed to a man sharing credit.

Nonholiday is a key distinction here, of course, because Mariah has also spent 22 weeks to date — the overall record — at #1 with “All I Want for Christmas is You.”

Ella also has two other songs in the top 10 — “Be Her” and “I Can’t Love You Anymore,” her duet with Morgan Wallen.

Meanwhile, another female country artist has made the top 10. Stella Lefty’s song “Boston” has jumped to #6 on the Hot 100. But she did it with some help from a pop star — Noah Kahan gets a writing credit on the song because it interpolates his signature tune, “Stick Season.” Ironically, the highest that song ever got was #9.

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Kid Cudi and Kanye West are taking steps to repair their friendship, the Man on the Moon artist revealed in a recent post.

He responded to a fan who asked if there was “any chance that You and Ye will work together again?” He replied, “Im sure we will yea. Right now were [sic] rebuilding our friendship. I hit him a week ago to check in on him, today he hit me to check on me. No work talk. Just seeing how I was doing. It was nice.”

Cudi and Ye have had several public falling-outs over the years, including Cudi’s frustration in 2014 after learning his unauthorized vocals were on Ye’s album Yeezuz, per Pitchfork. Ye later announced Cudi would no longer appear on his album Donda because of his friendship with Pete Davidson, who dated Ye’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian.

The promise of a collaboration marks a shift from Cudi’s 2025 interview with CBS Mornings, where he claimed Ye said “things that there’s just no coming back from.”

“Like, I’m done with you, and it breaks my heart, because I loved Kanye, you know? I really loved him; he was a part of my life changing,” Cudi explained. “And at some point, he was a really good friend, but the man that he has become, I just don’t know that guy anymore. I don’t know him. I don’t know that version of him, and it’s really heartbreaking.”

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Melissa Auf der Maur has announced a new compilation titled Bass Womb Room: My ’90s 4-Track Demos x Field Recordings.

The set, due out Sept. 4, features unreleased recordings made by the Hole and former Smashing Pumpkins bassist during the ’90s “on her 4-track tape recorder alone in her apartment, and experimental recordings captured on tour,” according to a press release.

Shortly after the arrival of Bass Womb Room, Auf der Maur’s new photo book, My ’90s Rock Photographs, will be released on Sept. 8. It’s described as a visual companion to Auf der Maur’s memoir, Even the Good Girls Will Cry, which was released in March.

Images from My ’90s Rock Photographs will be displayed at an exhibit at Canada’s Art Gallery of Ontario starting Sept. 2. The gallery will host a book signing with Auf der Maur on Sept. 9.

Meanwhile, the Hole Facebook page is teasing a news announcement coming Friday. Frontwoman Courtney Love already shot down the idea that Hole was reuniting earlier in the year, but did say she and Auf der Maur were planning a tour together.

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