Music

The Kid LAROI is ready to heat up the 2021 MTV VMAs.

The Australian rapper is making his Video Music Awards debut, teaming up with Justin Bieber for a performance of their hit song, “Stay.” Kid’s also up for three of the night’s awards: Best New Artist and Push Performance of the Year for previous hit, “Without You,” while “Stay” is vying for Song of Summer.

Also joining the lineup is Jack Harlow, who is making his main stage debut alongside Lil Nas X for the first live performance of “Industry Baby,” while Latin rapper Ozuna will deliver “La Funka” and hit producer and songwriter Tainy joins forces with Shawn Mendes for “Summer Of Love.”  

Last week, MTV announced that Lorde would no longer be performing at the VMAs “due to a change in production elements.”

Olivia Rodrigo, Camila Cabello and host Doja Cat are among the many other all-star performers who will take the stage when the MTV VMAs air Sunday at 8 p.m. ET. 

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Former Blink-182 guitarist Tom DeLonge shared some uplifting news about his former band mate Mark Hoppus, revealing that he’s finished with chemotherapy.

Hoppus, who was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma at age 49, had been undergoing treatment to combat the illness.

Taking to Instagram, DeLonge shared a screenshot from a text message conversation between him and Hoppus. When DeLonge asked if he has finished with treatment, the bassist replied that he has “no more planned.”

“Doctor said I can take my port out,” Hoppus wrote. “I think because he thinks the chemo did the trick and I’m done but also if the chemo didn’t work we do a different treatment entirely?”

The Angels & Airwaves vocalist was overjoyed by the update, telling Hoppus, “That’s great news.  Time for LIVING.”  He also texted over some cheeky ideas on how to celebrate being through with chemo.

“[You] need to [screw] as many things as possible.  Shoes, gopher holes, golfers.  Anything u can catch,” he cracked, which elicited a laugh from the rocker.

“I wanted to be a good friend to @markhoppus and just give some modest advice on what he should do next, now that his Chemo treatments have subsided,” DeLonge captioned the update, “and it looks like they may have worked wonderfully.”

Late last month, DeLonge revealed that Hoppus was “almost done with his treatment” and in the “last stretch.”

Around the same time, Hoppus shared that his hair was trying to grow back and remarked, “Trying to grow back some hair. Awww. Poor little head.  Keep your chin up, fighter.”

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Is Enrique Iglesias thinking of retirement?  According to comments made during a recent Instagram live, the “Hero” singer might be thinking of hanging up the microphone.

During a recent Q&A session, the 46-year-old singer dished about his upcoming 11th studio album, Final Vol. 1, and hinted its name is foreshadowing what’s to come.

“It might be my final album,” Enrique dished to Ricky Martin and Sebastián Yatra. “it’s not something that I have been thinking about for the past few months. It’s something that I have been thinking about for the past few years.  There’s going to be Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, but they’re final.“

The singer continued, “I’m in that moment in my life, that chapter in my life, where I think it’s the right time to put it out and I’ve been thinking about this since 2015.”

The Grammy winner noted that he will never fully walk away from the music industry, and clarified, “I’m never going to stop writing songs because I love writing songs, but I’m going to do it in a different way — meaning they don’t necessarily have to be packaged as an album — so this project to me is important.”

The forthcoming album will be the follow-up to Iglesias’ 2014 release Sex and Love, which spawned the hits “Bailando,” “Loco” and “El Perdedor.” 

Final Vol. 1 arrives September 17.  After that, Enrique will hit the road with Ricky Martin on their first ever co-headlining North America arena tour, which kicks off September 25 in Las Vegas at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

 

 

 

 

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As Taylor Swift‘s battle to regain control of her old masters rages on, she took a moment to congratulate Anita Baker, who’s emerged victorious in her own legal battle.

Baker reclaimed her masters over the weekend after a nasty years-long war with her record label, which culminated in her telling fans to stop streaming her music.

Taking to Twitter, the “Sweet Love” singer shared a cozy photo of her first five albums — The Songstress, Rapture, Giving You the Best That I Got, Compositions and Rhythm of Love — placed by a warm fire.

“All My Children Are Coming Home, Catalog,” Baker tweeted. “Impossible Things Happen… Every. Single. Day. Gratefully.”  She also gave fans her blessing to stream her music now that she owns her masters.

Details of how she bested her record label are currently under wraps, but that hasn’t stopped the congratulatory remarks from pouring in — including well wishes from Taylor.

“What a beautiful moment, CONGRATULATIONS ANITA!!,” she exclaimed on Saturday, and included several applause and crying and smiling emojis.

The 63-year-old singer was touched by Swift’s words and wrote back, “Thank You, for Your *Fire & Support!! It Inspires us all, to move Mountains.”

Taylor’s music catalogue was sold to Scooter Braun in 2019 when the mega producer acquired her old label, Big Machine Records. A year later, it was revealed that Shamrock Capital purchased her masters from Braun for a cushy price of $300 million.

While she works on acquiring the master of every single track from her 2006 debut album to 2017’s Reputation, Taylor is currently re-recording her old hits. She’s so far released her version of Fearless and will release Red (Taylor’s Version) on November 19.

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Halsey performed a hat trick on Monday when her album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power claimed the number one spot on Billboard‘s Top Album Sales chart — her third consecutive chart-topper.

Prior to her latest effort, she previously wore the crown after releasing 2020’s Manic and 2017’s Hopeless Fountain Kingdom.

Some 70,500 physical copies of Halsey’s latest effort flew off the shelves, making it the best-selling album of the week and eclipsing Kanye West‘s Donda, which debuted at number two after selling 37,000 copies. However, it should be noted that Ye’s album is only being sold digitally at this time.

Further breaking down the album’s sale numbers, Halsey sold an impressive 25,300  If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power copies on vinyl and 27,200 on CD.  Digital sales were comprised of 18,000 units.

It should be noted that the “Graveyard” singer also tops Billboard‘s Vinyl Albums chart this week, thanks to her robust sales numbers.

And while Halsey can boast about having this week’s best-selling album, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power did not bow atop the Billboard 200, debuting instead at number two, behind Donda.

Streaming is where Halsey was unable to catch up with Ye. Her studio effort clocked 34.76 million on-demand streams, compared to Donda‘s historical 357.39 million listens.

Ha;sey’s Manic also peaked at number two when it was released last year, and also was bested by a surprise release when Eminem dropped Music to Be Murdered By with zero warning.

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Kanye West is 10 for 10 now that his latest album, Donda, bowed atop the Billboard 200.

Donda, Ye’s 10th studio effort, is the biggest release of 2021 after moving a jaw-dropping 309,000 units in its first week.  The previous record holder was Olivia Rodrigo‘s SOUR, with 295,000 units. Ye’s album also was streamed 357.39 million times, the largest number of any album this year, and sold 37,000 physical copies.

With the “Stronger” rapper celebrating his 10th number one, he’s now among an elite class of only seven artists who’ve accomplished the feat, tied with Elvis Presley and Eminem, both of whom have 10 number-one albums.  Ahead of him are Barbra Streisand and Bruce Springsteen, with 11, Jay-Z with 14, and The Beatles, who have 19 chart-toppers.

Ye’s current rival, Drake, stands to tie with him should Certified Lover Boy bow atop the chart next week.

Also, Kanye ties with Eminem for having 10 consecutive number-one albums.  Only the pair’s debut efforts, The College Dropout and The Slim Shady collection, missed the milestone after both peaked at #2 in 2004 and 1999, respectively.

Donda, which boasts 27 tracks, was released late last month after numerous delays. The album is named after Ye’s late mother, Donda West, who died in 2007.

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Kelsea Ballerini‘s current single, “Half of My Hometown,” a duet with Kenny Chesney, is currently in the Top 30, and quickly climbing the charts. The song was written by Kelsea, along with Jimmy Robbins, Ross Copperman, Shane McAnally and Nicolle Galyon, while they were all on a writing retreat in Florida.

“Kelsea rented a house, and we all flew down there to just hangout for a couple of days and write songs,” Jimmy recalls to CMT. “This was one of those songs that wouldn’t have happened anywhere else. We went to dinner the night before, and somebody just said it. The line came out. Wine was involved in dinner, which was helpful, and with the whole trip, really.”

The next day, while they were relaxing, the song quickly came out.

“We were actually sitting in the pool,” Jimmy says. “Nicolle got video of it; we were sitting in the pool and I’m playing guitar. We wrote the whole song in the pool.”

Once the writers started working on “Half of My Hometown,” it didn’t take long to have a finished product. 

“I think probably within an hour the song was written, and then an hour later we had the demo,” Jimmy shares.

“Half of My Hometown” is on Kelsea’s eponymous 2020 album.

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Shortly after appearing on ABC’s Good Morning America last Thursday, Carly Pearce traveled to her hometown of Taylor Mill, Kentucky, to accept a rare honor: a road sign recognizing her success in country music, as well as the key to the city.

With #1 songs, CMA and ACM Awards, and Grand Ole Opry membership already to her credit, the “Next Girl” hitmaker points out that this new latest accolade is particularly close to her heart.

“Taylor Mill means so much to me on so many levels,” she tells ABC Audio. “So the fact that they want to give me a sign that says ‘Home of Carly Pearce’ is kind of like every little childhood dream that I had, playing at talent shows in the town…Actually, where they’re presenting this with me is where I played so many shows when I first started out.”

Carly adds, “So I’ve always been told to never forget where you came from. And I think [my upcoming] album [29: Written in Stone] in particular has really brought me home, musically.”

The hometown honor is one Carly was able to share with her parents, who supported her decision to leave school at 16 so she could go perform at Dollywood.

“All of these things that are happening to me were a dream that my parents helped bring to fruition for me,” she reflects. “So it’s definitely like a trifecta of emotions through the three of us because they were there every step of the way. And they were there when it wasn’t working, and when I thought about giving up.”  

29: Written in Stone arrives on September 17.

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