Music – Page 25 – 105.7 WDNY

Dua Lipa books Katy Perry to play annual Sunny Hill Festival in Kosovo

June 4, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Katy Perry has added another stop to her summer European festival tour, thanks to Dua Lipa.

Dua posted a video on Instagram featuring a phone call from Katy, who tells her rehearsals for her summer festival run are “intense.”

“I’m going all over Europe, June to the end of August,” she says.

“Amazing,” Dua responds. “Are you gonna be anywhere where I can come see you?”

“I’m actually gonna be in this place called Prishtina,” Katy answers, referring to the capital of Kosovo, where Dua’s family is from and where she spent part of her childhood.

“No way,” says Dua. “What are you doing there?”

“Funny you should ask,” Katy replies, grinning. “I’m actually playing this festival called the Sunny Hill Festival!”

The Sunny Hill Festival is organized each year by Dua and her father. While Dua typically performs at the event, she also books a wide variety of international talent.

“Oh my God! You’re coming to my hometown, KP!” yells Dua.

“I just wanna say thank you so much for inviting me to come there,” Katy says. “Because I have so many fans that I’m excited to meet. And of course, all of your fans as well. Are you gonna be there?”

Dua tells her, “I’m gonna be there, singing every single word!”

The Sunny Hill Festival runs from July 31 through Aug. 2, with Katy set to perform on opening night. Past Sunny Hill Festival performers have included Miley Cyrus, Calvin Harris, Bebe Rexha and Shawn Mendes.

Watch Violet Grohl perform ‘Bug in the Cake’ on ‘The Tonight Show’

June 4, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Violet Grohl made her solo TV debut Wednesday night on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon.

The singer performed “Bug in the Cake,” a track off her recently released debut album, Be Sweet to Me.

While this may have been her TV debut as a solo artist, Violet has previously performed on TV with her rock star dad, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl.

Violet recently launched her first-ever headlining tour in Los Angeles. She’s due to play in Brooklyn, New York, on Thursday. She also just added 18 new headlining shows, including stops in Boston, Milwaukee, Seattle, San Francisco, Phoenix and Denver. Tickets for all new shows go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time.

A complete list of dates can be found at VioletGrohl.com.

‘Say, do you remember’ when Earth, Wind & Fire performed at NYC’s Tribeca Fest opening night?

June 4, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Oscar-winning filmmaker and Roots member Questlove kicked off New York City’s Tribeca Festival Wednesday night with the premiere of his new documentary, Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That’s the Weight of the World) — followed by a live performance from the film’s subjects.

After dedicating the movie to all the members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers both past and present, “and most importantly,” to late EWF founder Maurice White, Questlove said, “I desperately wanted to figure out, how can I contribute to the chaos that we’re living in right now.”

He added, “This [film] allowed me to tell a metaphysical story about how nine individuals sort of tricked us into positivity. And that’s what I want you people to take from this.”

With commentary from Stevie Wonder, Barack and Michelle Obama, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, Anderson .Paak, H.E.R., Jimmy Jam and Lionel Richie, the doc tells the story of how Maurice White, the product of a traumatic childhood, manifested his goal of creating “music for a universal audience” with a visionary blend of soul, funk, R&B, Afro-futurism, jazz and pop.

Over 100 million record sales, legendary concert tours, a string of hits and six Grammys followed, but so did financial issues and interpersonal struggles between Maurice and the other bandmembers.

The film also details EWF’s impact on fellow musicians: Stevie Wonder admits he ripped off EWF’s “Shining Star” for his own song “I Wish,” Michael Jackson showed up to EWF’s tour with a “yellow legal pad” to take notes, and Prince told EWF’s manager that after he saw the group live, he “wanted to quit.”

Following the screening, the current EWF lineup, including Philip Bailey, Ralph Johnson and Verdine White, took the stage at New York’s Beacon Theatre with The Roots to perform “Shining Star,” “That’s the Way of the World” and, of course, “September.”

Jason Aldean headlines the first night of CMA Fest at Nissan Stadium

June 4, 2026 by WDNY Radio

The first nightly concert of CMA Fest 2026 takes over Nashville’s Nissan Stadium Thursday, with Jason Aldean set to go on at 11:30 p.m. CT as the headliner.

More than 20 years into his career and hot on the heels of his new Songs About Us album, you don’t have to worry about the superstar going anywhere — unless you want him to, that is.

“If it ever gets to a point where I don’t wanna [make records or tour] or people just kinda move on,” he says, trailing off as he contemplates the possibilities. “I mean, I also know that every artist kinda has a shelf life, and at some point people are gonna move on and we’re gonna kinda phase out probably.”

“And when that happens, then we’ll reevaluate,” he continues. “My goal is to keep making music that is relevant that I think is cool and hopefully people wanna hear.”

The Georgia native looks to King George as a role model.

“I look at guys like George Strait who’ve been around forever,” Jason says. “If he dropped a new album tomorrow, I would be all over that thing going to listen to it. So, that’s the goal.”

“I’ve always said I think the fans will tell you when it’s time to take a break or back off or do something else. But hopefully we’ll be able to tour for the rest of my life on these songs and this career that we’ve built,” he adds.

Night one at Nissan Stadium kicks off with Caylee Hammack singing the national anthem at 7:45, with Rhett Akins, Tucker Wetmore, Ella Langley, Deana Carter and Gretchen Wilson set to play before Jason goes on.

Peter Frampton on the new documentary about his life: ‘It was quite amazing to see it all in one go’

June 4, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Frampton, a documentary about Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Peter Frampton, will premiere Thursday night at New York City’s Tribeca Festival, and Frampton himself will make an appearance at the screening.

The documentary covers Frampton’s entire life and career, and features commentary from Bill Wyman, Roger Daltrey, Tom Morello, Cameron Crowe, Sheryl Crow, Nancy Wilson of Heart, Alice Cooper and Ringo Starr. While there are plenty of high points — like Frampton Comes Alive! becoming, at one point, the best-selling album of all time — the doc covers many low points as well, like the car crash that nearly killed him, the period when he was flat broke, and his life today, living with a degenerative muscle disease.

Frampton jokes that he was “exhausted” after seeing his whole life onscreen.

“When you see it all in one hour and 50 minutes … it’s a lot of stuff,” he tells ABC Audio. “Y’know, it’s 60 years’ worth, basically, of career and life, and so yeah, it was quite amazing to see it all in one go.”

At one point in the film, Cameron Crowe describes one of Peter’s Frampton Comes Alive! concerts as “the peak of rock.” Frampton says that wasn’t necessarily good thing.

“I knew it was the peak of rock for me,” he laughs. “You can’t get much higher.” But, he admits, “It just got too big for me. The #1 in the charts, the stadium shows — so exciting. But when you become the biggest record in history — I’ll take #2, not #1, in anything, because there’s so much pressure on the #1. And so for me, it was very hard at that point.”

Seeing the results of that pressure is one of the things Frampton wants fans to take away from the documentary.

“I’ve always wanted people to know exactly what was happening at various times when they were just [putting] that album on and [playing] it over and over and again,” he says.

“And also how it affected me, as opposed to them. I think it gives everybody a really good sense of how the business was back then.”

Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis add dates to Las Vegas residency

June 4, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis — the songwriting and production duo behind hits for Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men, among other albums — are bringing their Las Vegas residency back for another run. They’ve announced 10 new shows of their New But Hits residency at Voltaire at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas.

The newly announced dates are Aug. 7-9, 12, 14-16 and 21-23.

“Bringing ‘Nothing But Hits’ back to Voltaire gives us another opportunity to celebrate the fans, artists, songs and memories that have defined a generation,” Jimmy Jam said in a statement. “We want our audience to leave feeling like they’ve experienced every possible emotion while traveling through the soundtrack of their lives. Hearing the hits they love while discovering the stories behind how they were made is like hearing something familiar for the first time.”

The show will feature performances by American Idol winner Ruben Studdard and Star Search winner Shanice Wilson, along with live renditions of songs such as “Escapade,” “Can You Stand the Rain,” “Human” and “Saturday Love,” backed by a live band. The duo also hinted that there may be some surprises in store.

“We’ve had the amazing privilege of collaborating with so many legendary artists to create some iconic songs,” said Terry Lewis. “We bring these songs to life through the stellar performances of Ruben and Shanice, which allows audiences to reconnect with and participate in the music in a way that feels energetic and fresh. It’s contagious fun — and you never know who’s gonna show. Those guest surprises are special.”

Tickets go on sale Friday at voltairevm.com

New York (Knicks) state of mind: Cheer for NBA team with new Billy Joel merch

June 4, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Billy Joel spent 10 years performing at New York’s Madison Square Garden, and now he’s lent the title of one of his signature songs to a collection of merch that celebrates the Garden’s other residents — The Knicks — making it to the NBA Finals.

Called the New York State of Mind collection, the collab with the Sportiqe brand is now available online, and inside New York City’s NBA Store. It includes a hoodie and a tee, each one sporting the Knicks logo and the words “New York State of Mind.”

The collection is the start of future Sportiqe Billy Joel merch collabs, which will tie in with other New York teams and venues through 2026. The brand did something similar in 2025 with Frank Sinatra and the New York Yankees.

Sportiqe co-founder Jason Franklin says in a statement, “I started taking piano lessons when I was 8 years old because I loved Billy Joel – the first song I ever learned to play was one of his songs. Thirty-six years later, it’s incredibly meaningful to launch this collaboration during the Knicks’ long-awaited return to the Finals.”

The Knicks will play the San Antonio Spurs at the Garden during games 2, 4 and, if necessary, 6.

Taylor Swift, Rihanna and Beyoncé make ‘Forbes’ list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women

June 4, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Welcome to the three-comma club, Beyoncé.

She’s one of the new additions to the 2026 Forbes list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women. What put her over the top? According to the publication, it was her 2025 Cowboy Carter tour, which grossed more than $450 million in ticket sales and merchandise. Beyoncé is tied with several other women for #39; the list includes 43 women in total.

Among the musicians featured, Taylor Swift ranks the highest at #23, with an estimated net worth of $2 billion. That’s based on royalties from her music, income from touring, her music catalog — which is worth an estimated $600 million — and a real estate portfolio worth $110 million.

The only other musician on the list is Rihanna, who also ranks at #39 with an estimated net worth of $1 billion. However, that’s not from her music. Much of her wealth comes from her cosmetics line, Fenty Beauty, and her Savage X Fenty lingerie line. The mother of three is allegedly working on a new album, which would be her first since Anti released in 2016.

Europe drops new song ‘The Cult of Ignorance’ with star-studded video

June 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Europe has released a second single from their upcoming album, Come This Madness, their first new album in nine years.

The Swedish rockers, best known for their 1986 hit “The Final Countdown,” have dropped the song “The Cult of Ignorance,” along with a star-studded video featuring appearances by The Hives’ Howling Pellet, Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt and Fredrik Åkesson, actress Malin Akerman, tennis champ Stefan Edberg and others.

“I love this track! It’s a straightforward rock anthem with lyrics reflecting the times we live in, written slightly tongue in cheek,” says Europe’s founding member and frontman Joey Tempest. “The title was inspired by a phrase coined by author and biochemist Isaac Asimov. It reflects some of the negative tendencies emerging in our world today, though it is written in a slightly light-hearted tone.”

Come This Madness, Europe’s first album since 2017’s Walk the Earth, will be released Sept. 25.

Music notes: Ariana Grande, Shawn Mendes and more

June 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Ariana Grande is getting fans hyped for her Eternal Sunshine tour kickoff this weekend: She released a “live from rehearsal” version of her single “hate that i made you love me.”

Shawn Mendes is celebrating the 10th anniversary of his single “Treat You Better” with the release of a limited-edition 7-inch vinyl. The original recording is on side A, and a previously unreleased live version on side B. Shawn also shared a performance video of the live version on YouTube and made the track available on streaming services.

*NSYNC’s Joey Fatone is returning to Broadway musical & Juliet in July. He’ll be back in the role of Lance from July 2 through July 12, Aug. 4 through 15 and Sept. 1 through 7. Joey is also one of the producers of the Tony-nominated musical Titanique, as is JC Chasez.

Ellie Goulding will release her new album, I Know Too Much, on Sept. 4. The first single, “Black Prada Dress,” will be out on Friday. Ellie’s friend Katy Perry is excited about it: She wrote in the comments, “OK im sat.”

Speaking of Katy Perry, she posted a video of her “rehearsing” for her upcoming festival dates. In it, she sings a slowed-down, country-tinged version of her hit “Roar” with absolutely no enthusiasm. “rehearsals for the summer festival show are going great thanks for asking,” she captioned the video. One fan commented sarcastically, “New roar arrangement is lit wow.”

Sienna Spiro has released an official video for her album’s title track, “The Visitor.” “I feel it captures the true essence of what it means to be a visitor, feeling like a spectator in your own life, just passing through someone else’s experience,” she wrote on Instagram.

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