Music

GAYLE may be opening for Taylor Swift on her upcoming Eras Tour, but this weekend she’s going head to head with her in the Grammy Song of the Year category. Taylor’s nominated for “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version),” while GAYLE’s up for her hit “abcdefu.” Receiving her first Grammy nod has the 18-year-old singer in a tizzy.

“It is such an honor to be nominated. The last thing I think is that I’m going to win,” GAYLE told ABC Audio. “I did not think I could get nominated in any way. And so the fact that I am, it just blew my mind.”

What convinced her she actually had a shot at a nod, she says, was “seeing some predictions and it was, like, Variety and Rolling Stone and things. And I was like, ‘That’s my name and my face. That’s terrifying.'”

“And then it got my brain thinking, it got my brain spinning, and then I was just pacing around when the Grammy noms were coming out,” she explained. “And then my name and my song got said and I just, I bawled.”

What makes the nod even more special is that the nomination is for GAYLE and her two co-writers, one of whom is a childhood pal.

“One thing I’m so grateful for is that I got nominated as a writer and my best friend also did, as well,” she noted. “And we started out at [age] 12, at 15 in my bedroom, and then to get to go to the Grammys together, it’s such a high honor.” 

The Song of the Year competition includes hits by Adele, Lizzo, Harry Styles, Beyoncé, DJ Khaled, Bonnie Raitt and Kendrick Lamar. The Grammys air Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Spotify hosted its annual Best New Artist Grammy party Thursday, celebrating all 10 nominees in the category this year.

Held at West Hollywood’s Pacific Design Center, the event showcased the contenders’ skills, as they each took the stage for performances of their hit songs. Among them were Muni Long and Latto.

According to USA Today, Muni performed “Hrs and Hrs,” as well as her song “Time Machine.” Latto rapped hits “It’s Givin'” and “Big Energy (Remix),” which is up for Best Melodic Rap Performance.

The Spotify party marked its return after being on hiatus since 2020; the Grammys will broadcast Sunday at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS, and will stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.

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Chris Stapleton will likely lean into his R&B side Sunday night as he performs on the Grammys with the legendary Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson. The announcement came Friday on CBS Mornings.

Smokey’s being honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year for 2023, along with his longtime friend, Motown founder Berry Gordy. 

Stapleton, of course, is a Grammy favorite, already amassing a collection of eight trophies. This year he’s up for Best Country Song, but ironically, it’s not for his singing — it’s for writing “I’ll Love You Till the Day I Die” with Rodney Crowell, which was recorded by Willie Nelson.

Luke Combs and Kacey Musgraves will also represent country music at the Grammys, with Kacey set to pay tribute to the late Loretta Lynn. You can watch all the action live from LA Sunday starting at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

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Zakk Wylde has commented on Pantera‘s recent canceled concerts in Germany and Austria.

The Black Label Society frontman plays guitar in the reformed version of the “Walk” metallers, which features longtime members Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown alongside Wylde and Anthrax‘s Charlie Benante in place of the late Abbott brothers, “Dimebag” Darrell and Vinnie Paul, respectively.

In January, Germany’s Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals removed Pantera from its lineups, citing “criticism” surrounding the booking. According to German news site DW.com, said criticism stems from when Anselmo yelled “white power” while giving the Nazi salute during a performance at the 2016 Dimebash concert. Austria’s Gasometer festival canceled Pantera’s set a few days later.

During an interview with Guitar World published Thursday, Wylde was asked if he has a “reaction” to the cancellations.

“There’s nothing I can do about that, you know what I mean?” Wylde responded.

“In terms of my role, it’s always a case of being ready for whatever — as in seeing if the fellas want to add any more songs or anything like that while we’re out rolling together on this tour,” he continued. “If I get a call from Phil or Rex and they want to change up the set or do whatever, I’m usually just in the back lounge working on more songs!”

Anselmo apologized several times following the initial incident in 2016, while his band Down was dropped from several European festivals that year.

Pantera is set to play Japan in March, followed by a European tour kicking off in May. They’re also scheduled to launch a U.S. headlining tour in July, in between playing several U.S. festivals and opening for Metallica.

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Mary Wilson may have passed away on February 8, 2021, but fans will soon get to hear her voice again in a never-before-heard tune.

A previously unreleased Wilson track, “Soul Defender,” is set to be released March 3 to coincide with what would have been The Supremes singer’s 79th birthday on March 6. The track, written by Billy Ray Martin and produced by Paul Brewer, will be released by Sweet Face Music in three versions: a radio version, an extended dance mix and an instrumental version. 

“Growing up in the ’70s it was not hard to hear the Supremes and see them on TV,” says Sweet Face Music’s Brewer. “Although I grew up the son of a preacher and secular music was banned in our home, The Supremes and Mary Wilson always represented class and style, and also the music world I daydreamed to one day be a part of.”

“Soul Defender” is the first Wilson release since The Motown Anthology, which was released in January 2022. It was a two-disc collection spanning her Motown career.

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From Ashes to New has dropped a new song called “Nightmare.”

The track will appear on the “Through It All” outfit’s upcoming fourth album, the follow-up to 2020’s Panic.

“Betrayal by someone we trust happens to the best of us,” vocalist Danny Case says of “Nightmare.” “We befriend someone, let them in, build a connection and then all of a sudden they turn into someone unrecognizable.”

“Someone you once trusted and cared for so deeply is now a backstabbing enemy,” Case continues. “In a heartbeat, the person you once thought you knew is now gone. There aren’t many things in life that cut quite as deep as betrayal. Erasing that person from your life and moving forward is the only way to wake up from the nightmare.”

You can listen to “Nightmare” now via digital outlets and watch its accompanying video streaming now on YouTube.

“Nightmare” follows FAtN’s 2022 singles “Heartache” and “Until We Break.” Last year, they also contributed to the all-star track “The Retaliators Theme (21 Bullets)” alongside Mötley Crüe, Asking Alexandria and Ice Nine Kills, and released a cover of the Mariah Carey holiday classic, “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

Meanwhile, From Ashes to New will be on the road this spring touring with Shinedown and Three Days Grace.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

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