Music

Avril Lavigne, AJR, Måneskin, OneRepublic and Walker Hayes are just a few of the many artists who’ll be ringing in the new year on ABC December 31.

They’ll all be performing as part of the Los Angeles party segment of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2022, which kicks off at 8 p.m. EST/PST on ABC.

The celebration will be introduced by Ciara, joined by Club Quarantine’s D-Nice on the turntables. Avril will perform her new song “Bite Me” and classic “Sk8ter Boi,” backed by her pal, Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker. AJR will sing “BANG!,” and perform their recent single “Record Player” with duo Daisy The Great.

Måneskin will, of course, perform “Beggin’,” as well as their recent single “MAMMAMIA,” while OneRepublic will perform “Counting Stars” and “Run.”  Walker Hayes will do his viral crossover hit “Fancy Like,” as well as his new single “AA.”

In addition to those performers, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis will perform “Can’t Hold Us,” as well as the new single “Next Year,” while Australian rapper Masked Wolf will do his global smash “Astronaut In the Ocean,” as well as “Pandemonium.” 

Mae Muller and Polo G will perform “Better Days,” and Polo will do “Rapstar” and “Smooth Criminal” solo. Also on the hip hop tip, Big Boi and Sleepy Brown will perform the Outkast hit “The Way You Move.”

Ryan Seacrest, joined by co-host Liza Koshy, will hold things down live in New York’s Times Square, while Billy Porter counts down to 2022 from New Orleans and Roselyn Sanchez does the same in Puerto Rico.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Before Ridley Scott directed Lady Gaga to critical acclaim and award nominations in House of Gucci, Bradley Cooper directed her to an Oscar nomination in A Star Is Born.  Now, during a conversation for Variety, the two directors are discussing the moments when the superstar singer most impressed them during filming.

Cooper tells Scott, “For me, with working with her, I remember the thing that blew my mind. It seemed simple but I thought it was a tall order, when my character brings [her character, Ally] onstage for the first time. I truly believed that that person had never been on a stage before.”

He continues, ” And I remember thinking, “How is she pulling this off?” That I actually believe on every level — as the director, as the character — that this person has never been in front of 20,000 people before. That was really kind of mind-blowing.”

As for Scott, he said the moment in House of Gucci where Gaga impressed him was the scene when her character, Patrizia, is told that her husband, Maurizio, played by Adam Driver, wants a divorce.

“She lost it so well and so real that I felt it had to be reflective of something that had happened to her, because it definitely hurt her,” Scott recalled. “And from that moment I was watching her, I felt, ‘My God, she just owns it.’… I think that was one take…I was saying, ‘I think you just did it, don’t you?’ And she said, ‘Yes, I did it.’ That was it.”

Gaga has already won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for House of Gucci. She’s also nominated for a Golden Globe, a Critics’ Choice award and many other accolades.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

M83 has announced a 10th anniversary vinyl reissue of the band’s 2011 album, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming.

Due out April 15, the reissue features a new cover showing the same kids from the original album artwork, now 10 years older. You can pre-order it now via ILoveM83.com.

Hurry Up would become M83’s breakout album, thanks in large part to the hit single “Midnight City,” which featured the hottest saxophone solo this side of “Baker Street.”

Along with the reissue announcement, M83 has premiered a new video for the Hurry Up song “My Tears Are Becoming a Sea,” which is described as a prequel to the original video trilogy of “Midnight City,” “Reunion” and “Wait.” You can watch it now streaming on YouTube.

M83 has released two more albums since Hurry Up: 2016’s Junk, and 2019’s DSVII.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Britney Spears‘ attorney, Mathew Rosengart, recently issued a blistering statement against Jamie Spears, saying he is “bullying and attacking his daughter.”  In response, Jamie’s attorney, Alex Weingarten, told ABC Audio that Rosengart is using the pop star “to promote himself and keep his name in the papers.”

The statements follow Britney’s previous claims that her father “and three men” forced her to be interviewed by Diane Sawyer in 2004, following her breakup with then-boyfriend Justin Timberlake.  

Attorney Weingarten responded to Britney’s claims, saying, “Mr. Spears has no idea what Ms. Spears is talking about.  Jamie never set up any interview with Diane Sawyer” because “He had nothing to do with Britney’s career at this point and was completely uninvolved.”   

He added, “Jamie loves Britney very much” and “hopes that she continues to seek the help that she needs to stay safe and healthy.”

Rosengart said in a statement to Variety, “Rather than bullying and attacking his daughter, even as he claims to ‘love’ her, it would be far more appropriate for Mr. Spears and his lawyer to focus on answering the following fundamental questions” about alleged conservatorship misconduct, such as mismanagement of funds and unauthorized surveillance.

Attorney Weingarten tells ABC Audio Rosengart’s statement is “ridiculous.”

“We made a statement that ‘Jamie loves Britney very much, wishes Britney nothing but the best and hopes that she continues to seek the help that she needs to stay safe and healthy.’ How is that bullying or attacking anyone?” he said.  “It is unfortunate that Mr. Rosengart is attempting to use Britney to promote himself and keep his name in the papers.” 

Britney’s 13-year conservatorship was terminated last month.  However, she’s locked in a new legal battle after claims surfaced about Jamie and Tri Star Sports and Entertainment allegedly bugging her home without her knowledge.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Volbeat has hit a milestone with the band’s latest number-one hit.

“Shotgun Blues,” the current single off the Danish outfit’s new album Servant of the Mind, is the group’s 10th leader on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. That total ties Volbeat for seventh most number-ones on the tally, which began in 1981.

Disturbed, Metallica and Tom Petty — solo and with The Heartbreakers — also have 10 Mainstream Rock number-ones. Shinedown has the most, with 16.

“Shotgun Blues” is also the second number-one of Servant of the Mind, along with the lead single “Wait a Minute My Girl.” The album, Volbeat’s eighth studio effort, dropped earlier in December.

Fittingly, the number-two single on this week’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart is “Hunter’s Moon,” by Ghost, with whom Volbeat will launch a U.S. co-headlining tour in January.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

He’s a singer, American Idol judge, and now, he’s great-uncle Luke: Country superstar Luke Bryan is celebrating the exciting news that his niece, Jordan, is pregnant with a baby boy.

Jordan and her husband Clint shared their big news on Instagram, including video footage of a gender reveal where the couple found out they’re expecting a son. Another snap in the series shows a cake with blue buttercream inside, and a gold topper reading “Oh baby.”

In the comments, Luke’s wife Caroline shared her excited with a blue heart emoji, writing “I’m still emotional.” Meanwhile, his mom LeClair said, “His Great Grandma is going shopping tomorrow.”

Jordan is the oldest child of Luke’s late sister, Kelly. Both Kelly and her husband, Ben, died when their three kids were young: Jordan was 20, her sister Kris was 16, and the youngest of the family, Til, was just 13.

Luke and Caroline stepped in to provide a parental role for the three kids after they lost their parents, and they’ve remained close to the children well into their adult lives. Back in September, Luke walked Jordan down the aisle at her wedding.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Jordan Eudy (@jordanceudy)

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Jewel is the Queen…and the winner of season six of Fox’s The Masked Singer.

The multi-platinum-selling singer was revealed as the “Queen of Hearts” on the show Wednesday night, and she’s now released an EP of cover versions she performed on the show, including “Firework” by Katy Perry, “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga, “La Vie en Rose” by Édith Piaf, and “Bird Set Free” by Sia.

In a statement, Jewel said she enjoyed being on the show because she was “able to pull from all genres and all eras, which a person rarely gets to do.”  She added, “That is why I was inspired to release all the songs I chose; I had so much fun interpreting these songs that I wanted to share them!”

Speaking to Billboard, Jewel said she agreed to go on The Masked Singer because she was looking for “opportunities that let me check a lot of boxes.”

“The first one has to be it can’t take too much time from my son’s life. I obviously needed to raise my profile if I was going to do it and promote new music,” she explained. “And the third box is it has to be creatively fun and interesting for me. So the Masked Singer, I know it sounds odd, but it was a great fit for me for all those reasons.”

Plus, she noted, “It let me focus on something that I’ve never been able to focus on the entire 25 years of my career: just showing my technical ability.”

Jewel also told Billboard that she also has a new album coming out next year called Freewheelin’ Woman, followed by a tour.

Here’s the track listing for Jewel’s Queen of Hearts EP:

“Born this Way” — Originally performed by Lady Gaga
“La Vie En Rose” — Originally performed by Édith Piaf
“River” — Originally performed by Bishop Briggs
“She’s Got You” — Originally performed by Patsy Cline
“Bird Set Free” — Originally performed by SIA
“What’s Going On” — Originally performed by Marvin Gaye
“Firework” — Originally performed by Katy Perry

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Charlie Puth has tested positive for COVID-19.

The singer revealed his diagnosis on social media Wednesday night, saying he’s “not feeling amazing” but is on the mend.

“Hey everyone. I tested positive for Covid this morning,” Charlie wrote on Twitter. “I’m not feeling amazing but I think the worst is behind me. I write you this update, feeling like complete a**, in hopes that you will be safe and careful this holiday season. Love you and I’ll speak to you very soon.”

Charlie was double vaxxed, having revealed earlier this year that he received his second vaccine shot.

“I got my second shot today feeling a little wooooozy and loopy,” he wrote back in May.

Hey everyone. I tested positive for Covid this morning. I’m not feeling amazing but I think the worst is behind me. I write you this update, feeling like complete ass, in hopes that you will be safe and careful this holiday season. Love you and I’ll speak to you very soon.

— Charlie Puth (@charlieputh) December 16, 2021

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.