Music

Lainey Wilson never imagined being anything but a country singer. The Louisiana native moved to Nashville right out of high school, living in a camping trailer while she honed her craft as a singer and songwriter. But through all the highs and lows, she never doubted she would someday make her dreams come true.

“There’s been times when I probably should have packed my bags and went home,” Lainey told Idaho Mountain Express. “But I never had not one doubt in my mind that I was gonna be okay. I knew I was gonna find my way.”

Lainey, who released Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’ earlier this year, was also not dissuaded by the reign of male artists on the charts. Growing up listening to artists like Lee Ann Womack and Dolly Parton, the 29-year-old knew her time would one day come as well.

“I think it’s a great time for female country singers like myself,” Lainey maintained. “No matter what the sound is, people want a good story. That’s what country music has been from the beginning. A dang good story.”

Lainey’s instincts seem to be paying off. Her single, “Things a Man Oughta Know,” is currently in the top 5.

“I just wanna tell real stories,” Lainey said. “I want it to be raw and honest. Even if that makes your skin crawl a little bit, my goal is to make you feel something.”

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Anita Baker has won her long legal battle with her record label, and the eight-time Grammy winner has proudly announced she now owns her own music masters and has full control of her songs.

“They no longer ‘Own, My Name & Likeness,’” Baker wrote on her private Twitter account, as captured by Essence. “And, by Law…30 yr old, Mstrs are 2B Returned, 2 Me Unfortunately, They’re gonna make me Fight 4 it. I’m Prepared, 2 do that.”

The “Giving You the Best That I Got” singer previously asked fans not to stream or buy any of her music because of her legal fight.

“All My Children Are Coming Home,” Anita wrote with a photo of her first five studio albums: 1983’s The Songstress, The Rapture from 1986, 1988’s Giving You the Best That I Got, Compositions from 1990, and her 1994 release, Rhythm of Love.

When a follower asked if now she wants fans to stream her music, Anita replied, “Yes. Chil’ren…Stream.”

Baker also announced that a new compilation of her music will be available soon on Rhino Records.

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Maroon 5 will be one of the artists performing on Shine a Light, a special that will air on CNN on Saturday, September 11, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“We feel deeply moved by this opportunity to use our music to help shine a light and support a broadcast that is coming from and for the 9/11 community,” the band says in a statement.

Other acts that’ll be performing on the special include country star Brad Paisley, and Oscar and Grammy-winning musicians H.E.R. and Common.

Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, who appeared on stage together at the all-star Concert for New York City the month after the attacks, will team up to deliver a message of support on the special, while ex-New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning will be a presenter.

In addition to the musical performances, the Shine a Light special will feature films and interviews with those directly affected by the attacks, who’ll share their stories.  Viewers will be encouraged to visit 911day.org during the broadcast to post and share simple acts of kindness, charity and service in tribute to those killed and injured, and to the first responders to rushed to help.

In other Maroon 5 news, the band had been set to perform at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Friday, but that show has been canceled with no explanation.

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Walker Hayes’ song, “Fancy Like,” quickly became the hit heard around the world, after a dance Walker and his daughter, Lela, did to the song on TikTok, which mentions Applebee’s, went viral. Walker and his wife, Laney, even filmed a commercial for the restaurant chain, but Walker doesn’t need to get paid to profess his love of Appleee’s.

“We grew up in Mobile, Alabama, a Southern town,” Walker tells Ad Age. “And as a family, we didn’t eat at home a lot. I was usually getting out of basketball or track or some sport and we would go to dinner as a family and Applebee’s is one of the regular ones. On most nights we would go to a cheap Mexican restaurant or a cheap Chinese buffet, but on a fancier night, it was Applebee’s.”

Walker’s love of Applebee’s even carried through to his dating relationship with his now-wife, when the restaurant became a popular date-night destination.

“If we went to prom or something like that, Applebee’s was definitely on the list of ‘where are we going to go grab a bite?'” Walker says. “That’s what people like me did, and we still do. I guess it’s a testament to how simple we are, but we just love chain restaurants.”

Now, thanks to Applebee’s generosity, Walker and Laney and their six children get to visit the restaurant as well — and often.

“Applebee’s has hooked my family with some sick gift cards, so we’ve been putting those to use. I mean, why would I go anywhere else?”

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Michael Ray co-wrote two of the seven songs on his latest release, the Higher Education EP, but one of those songs changed him forever. The Florida native penned both “Picture” and “Didn’t Know I Was Country,” and he says the latter had a profound impact on his life and career.

“It was in that moment when I really felt a change in my songwriting,” Michael tells American Songwriter, recalling when he wrote “Didn’t Know I Was Country” with Ashley Gorley and Taylor Phillips. “I was just being very honest and wasn’t hesitating. In the past, I worried about ‘If I do this, will these people like me?’ Finally, I was like I’ve been through enough and I’ve survived it. Let’s just try being yourself.”

Higher Education is Michael’s first release since his 2018 album, Amos. Ironically, it was after he released that record, which included the hit single “The One That Got Away,” that he realized he needed to switch directions.

“I am super proud of Amos as an album, but the pandemic made me really think about how I would feel if that were my last record ever,” Michael reflects. “And I realized, I can’t say I would be okay if that was my last collection ever.”

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Lana Del Rey has announced the details of her long-teased new album, Blue Banisters.

The follow-up to this past March’s Chemtrails Over the Country Club, which was originally scheduled to drop on July 4, is now set to arrive on October 22.

Blue Banisters includes the previously released title track, as well as the songs “Text Book” and “Wildflower Wildfire.” A fourth cut, titled “Arcadia,” is also out today, along with a video directed by Del Rey herself. You can watch that streaming on YouTube.

Here’s the Blue Banisters track list:

“Textbook”
“Blue Banisters”
“Arcadia”
“Interlude — The Trio”
“Black Bathing Suit”
“If You Lie Down with Me”
“Beautiful”
“Violets for Roses”
“Dealer”
“Thunder”
“Wildflower Wildfire”
“Nectar of the Gods”
“Living Legend”
“Cherry Blossom”
“Sweet Carolina”

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When Lil Uzi Vert made a surprise appearance during Lil Baby‘s headline set Saturday night at the Made in America festival in Philadelphia, fans noticed that the trademark pink diamond in his forehead was missing.

The “XO Tour Llif3” rapper claims that the jewel was knocked out while he was crowd-surfing at the Rolling Loud fest in Miami in July. Fortunately, he recovered the gemstone, and did not suffer any facial damage.

“I jumped into the crowd and they kind of ripped it out,” he tells TMZ. “I still have the diamond so I feel good.”

The two-time Grammy nominee spent years saving so he could buy the diamond from his favorite jewelry designer, Elliot Eliantte.

“This one stone cost so much I’ve been paying for it since 2017. That was the first time I saw a real natural pink diamond,” Uzi tweeted in January. “A lot of M’s in my face.” Now he has a barbell piercing in his forehead in place of the diamond.

Vert is featured on Meek Mills‘ latest single, “Blue Notes 2,” which dropped September 1.

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A brief video clip of what appears to be an ad for UberEats starring Lil Nas X and Elton John — which apparently is going to arrive in full tomorrow — has been posted on Elton’s Twitter account.

In the clip, Elton is sitting behind a white piano, while dressed in a pink cowboy outfit similar to something Lil Nas X would’ve worn in 2019 when he was promoting his record-setting number-one hit “Old Town Road.” 

Then Lil Nas X walks into the frame wearing one of Elton’s most over-the-top outfits: He’s dressed head to toe in multicolored feathers, with sparkly silver sunglasses and a mirrored leather headpiece. Elton famously wore that outfit while appearing on The Muppet Show in 1978.

As the clip proceeds, Elton looks up from the piano, clocks Lil Nas X and says, “B**** stole my look!” Nas starts laughing, and says, “That wasn’t it!,” meaning that Elton delivered the wrong line.  But as both he, Elton and the crew off camera crack up, Nas adds, “You know what? Let’s keep it!”

Elton and Lil Nas X have teamed up on a song called “One of Me” that will appear on both Nas’ debut album, Montero, due out September 17, and Elton’s forthcoming collaborative album The Lockdown Sessions, which will be released on October 22.

Now this will surprise you 👀🚀 @lilnasx

More to come tomorrow @ubereats #ad pic.twitter.com/MJ2oL87UK3

— Elton John (@eltonofficial) September 8, 2021

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Former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson has formed a new band.

The group is called The Lucid, and it also features Sponge vocalist Vinnie Dombroski, guitarist Drew Fortier and Fear Factory drummer Mike Heller. They’ll release their self-titled debut album on October 15; you can listen to lead single “Maggot Wind,” now via digital outlets.

“It’s been a real blast making a record with these guys and I must say that it’s refreshing to explore some new musical avenues…to step out a bit from what each of us have done stylistically in our own careers,” Ellefson says.

“There was an effortless synergy that came with creating these songs together which is always amazing when working with new people,” he adds. “I’m looking forward to everyone checking it out!”

The Lucid is Ellefson’s first project since he was dismissed from Megadeth last May after sexually explicit video of him interacting with a woman leaked online. 2000s era Megadeth bassist James LoMenzo replaced Ellefson on tour, and Dsvid’s bass parts for the band’s upcoming new album were re-recorded.

Here’s the track list for The Lucid:

“Maggot Wind”
“Deaths of Despair”
“Spoiler Head”
“Hair”
“Maskronaut”
“Damned”
“Breech Boy”
“Pigs and Sons”
“Parade of Spit”

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