Music

Carly Pearce isn’t done sharing the story of 29 with her fans just yet. 

The CMA Female Vocalist of the Year has extended The 29 Tour into 2022, with 11 additional headlining dates. Kicking off on March 10 at the Walker Theatre in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Carly will make stops in Springfield, Missouri; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Albany, New York and more. 

She’ll also perform two shows in her home state of Kentucky, at The Brown Theatre in Louisville and the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland. The tour wraps on April 9 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at The Opera House.

“The experiences that allowed me to write 29 and 29: WRITTEN IN STONE were some of the most difficult moments of my life but seeing so may faces singing every word of these 15 songs night after night, reminded me of how powerful honesty can be in connecting us with others,” Carly shares in a statement. 

Following the devastating tornadoes that tore through Kentucky this weekend and claimed the lives of nearly 80 people people, the Taylor Mill native has partnered with nonprofit PLUS1 to donate $1 from each ticket sale to storm recovery efforts. 

The “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” singer launched The 29 Tour in November. Tickets for the new leg go on sale Friday.

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Katy Perry’s mentioned that she’ll be offering NFTs — basically, unique digital collectibles — in connection with her upcoming Las Vegas residency PLAY. But to set the stage for that, she’s got her first set of NFTs going up for sale tomorrow.  Unlike most NFT drops, though, this sale includes an actual, physical thing: the massive “Golden Lion” prop she rode into the stadium when she played the Super Bowl in 2015.

The “Golden Lion” is one of the items in the new NFT sale, called The Roar Package: Looking Back While Moving Forward.  If you buy the “Golden Lion” NFT, you’ll then redeem it to receive delivery of the prop, which weighs 2200 pounds, and measures 22 feet long and 16 feet high. 

On the cheaper side, for $100, you can purchase “Mirror Motivation,” an animated digital image of Katy hyping herself up in the mirror before she entered the stadium at the Super Bowl.

And for just $25, you can buy “Ignite the Light,” a digital image that shows a photo of the huge shooting star prop she rode on during the Super Bowl performance, and an animated graphic of it exploding into a firework.

You can pre-register now and fund your account to be ready to buy by visiting Katy.ThetaDrop.com.

This is all a buildup to the December 29 opening of PLAY. In a statement, Katy says, “The NFTs concept is new and exciting, so I’m thrilled my fans and I get to be early adopters in this new world.”

She adds, “In addition to the digital NFTs, these drops will include the opportunity to get tangible collectibles as well, so you can come away with some one of-a-kind, incredible pieces of pop culture history.”

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Britney Spears is letting the world know how she really feels about that 2003 interview with Diane Sawyer. 

In a lengthy Instagram post, the 40-year-old pop star shared some harsh words for the journalist.

“Do we dare forget the Diane Sawyer interview in my apartment almost 20 years ago? What was with the ‘You’re in the wrong’ approach?? Geeze…and making me cry???” she said, according to screenshots obtained by People.

“Seriously though…I lived in my apartment for a year and never spoke to anyone,” Britney continued. “My manager put that woman in my home and made me talk to her on national television and she asked if I had a shopping problem!!! when did I have a shopping problem?”

The “Toxic” singer also referenced her split from Justin Timberlake, noting that the interview came just two days after their breakup. 

“Something I never shared when I had that break up years ago was that I couldn’t talk afterward,” she said. “I was in shock…pretty lame of my dad and three men to show up at my door when I could hardly speak…two days later they put Diane Sawyer in my living room…they forced me to talk!”

Britney added that unlike before when she was “a baby,” she now knows how to speak up for herself. 

Referring to one of the questions Sawyer asked during the early aughts interview, Britney wrote, “She said ‘a woman or a girl’ …I would like to say now, ‘Ma’am I’m a catholic slut!!! She can kiss my white a**.”

Reps for Sawyer did not immediately answer People‘s request for comment. 

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Since releasing the mega-hit “Shut Up and Dance” in 2014, WALK THE MOON certainly hasn’t shut up, but definitely has kept dancing.

The trio has followed “Shut Up and Dance” with singles including 2017’s “One Foot” and this year’s “Can You Handle My Love??”, the lead track off the new WTM album, HEIGHTS. While those tunes haven’t quite matched the record-breaking feats of “Shut Up and Dance,” they’ve marked important creative steps for the group.

“We’re all really grateful for ‘Shut Up and Dance,'” guitarist Eli Maiman tells ABC Audio. “It put a lot of gas in our tank.  We can continue to be able to put out music and to be able to do more of what we want to do because we’ve been propelled by…this massive thing that was ‘Shut Up and Dance.'”

Maiman adds that WALK THE MOON doesn’t feel pressure to deliver another “Shut Up and Dance.”

“Don’t get me wrong, if something else goes as huge as ‘Shut Up and Dance,’ we’d be thrilled, but we’re not reaching for it,” he explains. “We’re able to do things that are really true to who the band is, as we evolve as human beings and live our lives.”

In returning to the road this past fall for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, WALK THE MOON was reminded how special it feels to play “Shut Up and Dance” live, despite playing it so many times.

“We don’t like practicing ‘Shut Up and Dance,'” Maiman laughs. “But playing ‘Shut Up and Dance’ is great. When the audience shows up and they’re singing and they’re dancing and they’re jumping and they’re sweating and they’re doing the whole thing, it’s magic every single night.”

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Kenny G is having a moment: He’s played on recent records by The Weeknd and Kanye West, his first album in six years is out now, and he stars in the new HBO documentary Listening to Kenny G, which examines why some people hate his music.

Kenny says he didn’t mind starring in that movie — just like he doesn’t mind that for years, he’s been mercilessly roasted on shows like South Park, Family Guy and Saturday Night Live.

“I’m always in on the joke,” he tells ABC Audio. “I like humor, so…if it’s at my expense, I’m just thinking, ‘If it’s funny, it’s just funny.’ I have no problem laughing about a South Park episode that makes fun of me because I play a note that makes everyone crap their pants.”

He adds, laughing, “I look at it like this: I’m on the radar of the guys that are making South Park. I must be doing something right!”

The fans coming out to see Kenny’s current Miracles Holiday & Hits Tour 2021 must think he’s doing something right: Contrary to popular belief, his concerts are far from a snooze.

“People think they might want to come see me and just have it all be beautiful ballads. But…if I did that, it would be a more…boring concert,” he explains. “We throw in…some crazy stuff, and that makes the concert way better…at the end, they’re going, ‘Wow!'”

The tour is partly named after Kenny’s 1994 album Miracles, the best-selling modern-day Christmas album.  But Kenny, who’s Jewish, admits that he initially didn’t get why the head of his record label, Clive Davis, wanted him to do a Christmas album.

“He goes, ‘Kenny, Irving Berlin wrote ‘White Christmas’ [and] he’s Jewish,'” Kenny recalls. “I said, ‘Good point, Clive!'” 

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The Pretty Reckless‘ Going to Hell is going back to vinyl.

The band’s 2014 album is being repressed on wax, and the new LP version will released on February 11, 2022. It’ll be available in a variety of different color variants exclusive to the Pretty Reckless website and independent record stores.

Going to Hell is The Pretty Reckless’ sophomore album, following their 2010 debut Light Me Up. It spawned hit singles in “Heaven Knows,” “Messed Up World” and “Follow Me Down.”

The Pretty Reckless released their latest album, Death by Rock and Roll, this past February. Taylor Momsen and company will play two hometown New York City headlining shows in March 2022 in support of the record, followed by a full tour alongside Shinedown that kicks off in April.

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For Dustin Lynch, reaching #1 on the country charts with MacKenzie Porter on “Thinking ‘Bout You” is particularly special, as he has teammate by his side for the first time. 

The duet’s Dustin’s eighth #1 hit but it’s MacKenzie’s first U.S. chart-topper, after achieving three hit singles in Canada. Dustin’s thrilled to see her break through in the American music scene.

“To have her experience a lot of firsts with having a song on country radio in the United States and us getting to perform late-night TV together with Kimmel for the first time ever, having a partner crime is a lot of fun,” he says. “It allows you to to have someone to text or call. We always back and forth, ‘did you see how we did this week with moving up the chart?’ To have a teammate, it’s cool.” 

The team effort reminds Dustin of the artists who gave him a platform as a rising star, including Luke Bryan and Little Big Town. 

“I think that’s what’s so special about the country music community is we’re allowed long enough careers where it makes sense to do that and these collaborations and things come natural,” Dustin says. “The likes of Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, that list goes on and on of people that I’ve been allowed to tour with [who] have intro-ed me and supported me and propped me up through the years.  It’s great to pass that on down.” 

“Thinking ‘Bout You” was originally featured on Dustin’s 2020 album, Tullahoma, as a duet with Lauren Alaina. Due to promotional conflicts, the song was re-recorded with MacKenzie and sent to radio in 2021 as the album’s fifth single.

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New Edition announced Monday that they are going on tour in 2022 with Charlie Wilson and Jodeci.

The veteran vocal group is headlining “The Culture Tour,” which kicks off February 16 in Columbus, Ohio. New Edition, Wilson and Jodeci will perform in 30 cities, including Atlanta, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles and New York City. The tour wraps up April 10 in Miami.

“Hey everybody, I’m headed to a city near you with New Edition and Jodeci on ‘The Culture Tour‘ in 2022,” Uncle Charlie said in a statement. “I can’t wait to see y’all.”

Pre-sale begins Thursday, December 16, at 10 a.m. local time, and can be accessed by using the code UNCLE or JODECI on the tour website. Tickets for the general public go on sale Friday, December 17, at 10 a.m. local time.

As previously reported, the members of Jodeci have announced that they are reuniting to record their first new album in over six years. Consisting of two sets of brothers, K-Ci and JoJo Hailey and the DeGrate siblings — DeVanté Swing and Mr. Dalvin — the group just signed a management deal with the P Music Group, owned by Michael Paran, who also manages Wilson and Johnny Gill

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grandson has announced a North American headlining tour for 2022.

The “Blood//Water” rocker will hit the road beginning February 27 in Los Angeles, and will wrap up April 8 in Kansas City, Kansas. “Overwhelmed” artist Royal & the Serpent will provide support.

In a statement, grandson promises that the tour will be “full experience” of his 2020 debut album, Death of an Optimist.

“Some of these songs will never be played again,” grandson says. “I just knew this era wouldn’t be complete without some small sweaty club shows. Bringing my little sis Royal along for the ride. After that, it’s album 2 time!!”

Tickets go on sale this Friday, December 17, at 10 a.m. local time. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit grandsonmusic.com.

The headlining dates will fall in between a pair of high-profile opening gigs for grandson. In February, he’ll be supporting Imagine Dragons‘ North American tour, followed by a run supporting Avril Lavigne throughout Canada in May.

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