Music

New Kids on the Block singer Jonathan Knight opened up about the challenges he and his husband have faced in starting a family.

Knight wed partner Harley Rodriguez last year and said they’ve been struggling to have a child. Speaking with Lance Bass on the Frosted Tips podcast, the singer revealed they’ve been trying for at least five years.

“We tried it … It just didn’t happen for us,” he explained, adding the two were repeatedly crushed to learn they had to go “back to square one.”

Lance, who welcomed twins with husband Michael Turchin, empathized with Jonathan. “No one understands that emotional journey,” he said, adding they used nearly a dozen donors and waited five years before welcoming Violet and Alexander.

Lance said he also questioned whether he was meant to have children when he and Turchin had to start over again. “But you know, you’re meant to have what you’re meant to have,” he offered to Jonathan.

Elsewhere in the interview, Jonathan opened up about being “so afraid” of people discovering his sexuality during the height of his fame. “My manager knew that I was gay … He pulled me aside and he was like, ‘If anybody finds out, then your career’s over. The New Kids’ career is over. My career is over. Sony is going to lose money.'”

“Looking back, that was a lot of pressure to put on somebody,” Jonathan continued, adding it contributed to a “full-on nervous breakdown” during an interview with Oprah Winfrey.

His worst fears came true when “a boyfriend of mine … sold pictures of us to the National Enquirer” in 2009 and forced him out of the closet. “That whole process was horrible,” he recalled.

Jonathan noted he’s glad things have changed and society is more supportive of the LGBTQ+ community.

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J. Cole has a new song that he reportedly wrote after searching through YouTube and finding a beat that broke his writer’s block.

“Procrastination (Broke)” was released on YouTube via the account for Bvtman, the producer behind the beat.

Bvtman announced the news on his Instagram Wednesday via a screenshot of a supposed text from Cole and some words about the story behind the song.

In the text, Cole says he discovered Bvtman’s beat “on a day when I couldn’t find much inspiration” after searching “J. Cole type beat” on YouTube. He “pressed play, focused, and wrote” the song, which he decided to release because he doesn’t “want to hold onto the music like that no more.”

He then suggested the song be released on Bvtman’s page to “serve as a thank you” to him and “every producer out there cooking up and sharing their work with the world.”

“It’s a million artists out there right now just like me, hungry and searching every day for something to spark a word, a melody, a hook, a verse, a punchline, a way to vent, or a way to CUT THROUGH,” Cole wrote.

Bvtman says he learned that Cole was interested in his beat after receiving a text from Ibrahim “IB” Hamad, the co-founder of Dreamville Records and Cole’s longtime manager. “I almost ain’t believe this was real life,” he wrote.

“If you know me you know what this post means to me & what this song means to me. If you know me you know this is my peace finally, my dream,” he captioned the announcement. “Much love to @dreamville & @realcoleworld & @kingofqueenz25.”

(Video includes uncensored profanity.)

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Shania Twain knows she’s changing, and she’s just fine with it. 

“I sound different. I look different and I’m OK with that,” she tells InStyle as she covers their new Everybody’s In special edition. “I’m fearless in that way and that motivates me.”

The Canadian pop/country superstar also opens up about her two throat surgeries and how her new album amps things up.

“It’s more rhythmic in a lot of ways,” she reveals. “That is very new to me, to the broadness of my recording style so far.”

“There’s a lot more ‘get up and want to shake your body’ kind of thing,” she adds. “There’s still some stomp in there, though. It’s almost like everything is there, but a new dimension. I just really want to get up and dance to it myself.”

Queen of Me arrives February 17. You can check out the full InStyle article now.

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After announcing his upcoming project, The First Time, The Kid LAROI has released the first song from it, along with a video.

The brief song is called “I Can’t Go Back To The Way It Was (Intro),” and in it, LAROI talks about his regrets, singing, “I did things that I knew were wrong but/ time keeps on movin’ on/ no matter which way I run/ I can’t go back to the way it was.”

At the end of the moody, simple video, we get the announcement that another new song from the project, called “Love Again,” is due January 27. According to LAROI, that song — a fan favorite people have been begging him to drop — is the “official single.” The First Time is available for presave now.

The new project is the follow-up to F*ck Love 3: Over You, which came out in 2021 and included LAROI’s megahit Justin Bieber collab “Stay.” As previously reported, LAROI performed some unreleased tunes at a Hollywood party last weekend and also reunited with Justin to sing “Stay,” though Justin blanked on the lyrics.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

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Jack White performed with his daughter, Scarlett, during his concert in Nashville this week.

The teenager joined her dad on bass during a rendition of the White Stripes song “The Hardest Button to Button.” You can watch footage of the family collaboration now via White’s Instagram page.

White’s ex-wife and Scarlett’s mother, Karen Elson, also posted photos of the performance, writing in the caption, “Miss Scarlett Teresa White. My beautiful, kind, never wants to be the center of attention with a heart of solid gold daughter. What a sweet moment with her papa bear.”

Elson added, “I’ll stop embarrassing you now Scarlett.”

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This year marks the 50 anniversary of Pink Floyd’s iconic album The Dark Side of the Moon, and they are celebrating the occasion with a new box set, and a whole lot more.

The Dark Side of the Moon deluxe box set will be released March 24 on CD and gatefold vinyl, and will include a newly remastered version of the album, as well as Blu-Ray and DVD audio with the original mix and remastered stereo versions. There will also be a new Blu-Ray disc and CD of the classic concert “‘The Dark Side of the Moon — Live at Wembley Empire Pool, London, 1974.” You can pre-order the box set now.

Also on March 24, the Wembley concert will be issued on its own for first time, both on CD and, for the first time, on vinyl. And, as previously reported, there will also be a new book, Pink Floyd — The Dark Side of the Moon: 50th Anniversary, featuring rare and previously unseen photos taken during the Dark Side of the Moon tour, which ran from 1972 to 1975.  The book will also be included in the box set.

The band is also marking anniversary with a new competition, asking fans to create animated music videos for any of the songs on the album. Entries are due by November 30 and animators can enter up to 10 videos, although only one per song. The winner will be selected by a panel of experts, which includes Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason. PinkFloyd.com has more info.

But that’s not all. In March, a new The Dark Side of the Moon planetarium exhibit is set to launch at planetariums around the world, featuring 42 minutes of the album accompanied by visuals of the solar system.

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Jennifer Lopez was all smiles at the premiere of her new film, Shotgun Wedding — and shared a few things about her new album and a potential third movie with husband Ben Affleck.

Speaking with Variety, the hitmaker teased This Is Me… Now, which will become her first album in nine years. Although she has yet to confirm a release date, she did reveal, “The album is done and we’re just prepping the best time to put it out and roll it out little by little and deciding how we want to do that.”

“It’s such a special project because it’s sort of a culmination of this 20-year journey from one album to the next,” she continued. This Is Me… Now was announced on the 20th anniversary of her This Is Me… Then effort, which was about her romance with now-husband Affleck.

The couple first dated in the early 2000s before calling off their engagement in 2004. They rekindled their romance in 2021 and wed in July.

It was previously announced the new effort will be filled with “confessional songs, reflections on the trials of her past, [and] upbeat celebrations of love with her signature powerhouse vocals.”

On the topic of reunions, Jennifer was asked if she’d be interested in starring in another movie with her husband, to which she responded, “Maybe, maybe! Absolutely!” She and Ben co-starred in the 2003 movie Gigli and the 2004 film Jersey Girl, and Jennifer hinted she’s aware fans want them to pull a hat trick.

But whether or not they’ll have time to do a third movie together has yet to be seen. Said Jen, “We talk. We love being together and working together so, yeah, you never know.”

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Fall Out Boy guitarist Joe Trohman is “taking a break” from the band to care for his mental health.

In a statement posted overnight to the “Dance, Dance” group’s Twitter, Trohman writes, “Neil Young once howled that it’s better to burn out than to fade away. But I can tell you unequivocally that burning out is dreadful.”

“Without divulging all the details, I must disclose that my mental health has rapidly deteriorated over the past several years,” Trohman continues. “So, to avoid fading away and never returning, I will be taking a break from work which regrettably includes stepping away from Fall Out Boy for a spell.”

Trohman adds that the decision pains him, especially since Fall Out Boy just announced a new album, So Much (for) Stardust.

“So, the question remains: Will I return to the fold? Absolutely, one-hundred percent,” Trohman assures. “In the meantime, I must recover which means putting myself and my mental health first.”

He concludes, “Thank you to everyone, including my bandmates and family, for understanding and respecting this difficult, but necessary, decision.”

Trohman previously opened up about his mental health in his memoir, None of This Rocks, which was released last year. He also hosted a mental health podcast called I Hate Myself.

Meanwhile, Fall Out Boy performed without Trohman Wednesday night on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, giving the live debut to the lead So Much (for) Stardust single, “Love from the Other Side.” The album is due out March 24.

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