Music

Daryl Hall & John Oates haven’t performed live since February 2020 — the longest break they’ve ever taken in their careers — so they’re more than ready to hit the stage tonight as they kick off their new tour in Mansfield, Massachusetts, with opening act Squeeze.

There’s only one problem: How will the duo fit all their hits into a two-hour show?  As John Oates admits, “We can’t!”

“We have the greatest problem in the world that we have so many hits,” Oates tells ABC Audio. “And we have, I think, a professional responsibility to play the hits that people expect to hear.”

As he explains, “You have to remember that every show we do, there may be a hardcore group of fans who have followed us over the years in that audience. But there may also be people who have never seen us and people who might be experiencing our music for the first time. So we can’t ignore either of those groups.”

Luckily, playing those songs — from “Sara Smile” and “Maneater” to “You Make My Dreams” and “Rich Girl” — isn’t a burden for Daryl and John. “We like the songs that we’ve written, we’re proud of them and it’s still fun to play them,” says John. “And we reinvent them on stage with the live arrangements and keep them fresh.”

So which of the duo’s countless hits do they look forward to performing the most?

“The first song!” laughs John. “That way, I’ll know immediately where we’re at: It’s either going downhill from there or uphill from there or staying the same!”

The tour’s second show, this Saturday, is the duo’s own HoagieNation music and food festival in their Philadelphia hometown. In addition to Daryl, John and Squeeze, it’ll feature Kool & The Gang, The Wailers, comedian Craig Robinson and more.

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While Miley Cyrus may have been disappointed by the seemingly homophobic comments made by “Levitating” rapper DaBaby, she doesn’t believe cancelling him is the right way to react.

Taking to Instagram Wednesday, Miley made the case for forgiving the embattled rapper and allowing him the opportunity to learn from his mistakes.

“As a proud and loyal member of the LGBTQIA+ community, much of my life has been dedicated to encouraging love, acceptance, and open mindedness,” Miley stated in a black and white infographic.

“The internet can fuel a lot of hate & anger and is the nucleus of cancel culture,” she agreed, “but I believe it can also be a place filled with education, conversation, communication & connection.”

She added, “It’s easier to cancel someone than to find forgiveness and compassion in ourselves or take the time to change hearts and minds.  There’s no more room for division if we want to keep seeing progress!”

“Knowledge is power!  I know I still have so much to learn,” Miley concluded before revealing in the caption that she already took her own advice.

Tagging DaBaby, she called upon him to “check your DMs” because she “would love to talk and see how we can learn from each other and help be part of making a more just and understanding future.”

He has yet to publicly respond to the offer.

The 29-year-old rapper experienced an intense fallout after making remarks that were widely considered homophobic during Miami’s Rolling Loud festival on July 25.  Six festivals have since removed him from their lineup and a bevy of A-listers such as Elton John, Madonna and even his “Levitating” collaborator Dua Lipa have condemned his conduct.

DaBaby has twice apologized in the weeks since, most recently in a lengthy Instagram post on Monday.

 

 

 

 

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Justin Bieber took to his Instagram Stories on Wednesday to apologize for promoting Morgan Wallen‘s Dangerous: The Double Album, six months after the embattled country singer was caught on video using a racial slur.

The since deleted post, captured in a screenshot by PopCrave and the Bieber fan page JBiebertraacker, read, “Love this album,” written over a screenshot of Wallen’s album.

Soon after, Justin apologized, explaining, “I had no idea that the guy’s music i posted was recently found saying racist comments.”

“As you know i don’t support or tolerate any sort of racism or discrimination. I had no idea, I sincerely apologize to anyone i offended,” he continued.

“When I was a kid, I was incredibly ignorant and said some very hurtful racist jokes that clearly were not funny,” Justin shared in a second post.  “I hurt a lot of people especially the Black people in my life but was fortunate enough to have had them educate me on the horrifying origin of the n-word. This brings those painful memories back up, I will always take ownership for my ignorance and my past because I know I am not that person.”

In a third post, Biebs noted, “I have so much more to learn and I’m grateful for my black brothers and sisters for being patient with me as i have a long way to go.”

Justin was referring to a video that surfaced in 2014 in which he, then 15, could be heard making a racist joke using a racial epithet.  He quickly apologized. A few days later, another video of Bieber came out also capturing him using the slur, followed by yet another apology.

 

 

 

 

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August 19 marks the seven-year anniversary of the release of Nicki Minaj‘s hyper-sexual “Anaconda” music video. 

The rapper took to Instagram on Wednesday to reminisce about the iconic video, which landed her a racy figurine at Madame Tussaud’s wax museum in Las Vegas and an MTV Award for Best Hip Hop Video in 2015.

“Seven years later. Who remembers witnessing the internet break when I dropped this picture?” Minaj wrote in the caption of her post. “[The] first solo female rap video to reach a billion views [and the] first one to break the VEVO record for most views in a day…Yes, ma’am, always inspiring the girlies.”

She continues about “Anaconda,” which samples Sir Mix-a-Lot‘s 1992 classic “Baby Got Back,” “[Shoutout] to Sir Mix-a-Lot. Love you guys for holding me down this long.”

“Anaconda” hit #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the explicit music video, filled with big butts and a cameo from her Young Money label mate Drake, racked up 19.6 million views on the day of its release in 2014. It broke Vevo’s record for having the most views within 24 hours. In April this year, Chart Data reported that the “Anaconda” video had surpassed one billion views on YouTube. 

It could be a coincidence that Nicki chose to reminisce about her monumental milestone just three days after Chart Data reported that Cardi B‘s “Bodak Yellow” video obtained a billion views faster than any other song made by a female rap artist. But others might say the shade is real.

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Almost Monday‘s return to the road is a major moment in the band’s history.

The buzzy trio — made up of vocalist Dawson Daugherty, guitarist Cole Clisby and bassist Luke Fabry — released their first two EPs amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that they’re starting playing live shows again, including last weekend’s Lollapalooza, Almost Monday’s sets now include more than just one released song.

“It’s kind of our first time actually playing live with more than one song out,” Daugherty tells ABC Audio. “Before COVID, we were on tour with…AJR, and we had one song out online, so it’ll be cool experiencing shows where people hopefully know the music, more than just one [song].”

Almost Monday’s debut EP, Don’t Say You’re Ordinary, was released last October, and its follow-up, Til the End of Time, just dropped this past July. Given that both EPs were released when the only feedback they could receive happened online, Almost Monday’s been excited to bring the music to people in person.

“You put out music, and you see responses and DMs and things online,” Daugherty says. “It’s not that you get used to it, but it’s such a different effect, even just going out playing this first show, you realize, ‘Oh yeah, this music’s actually impacting real people,’ and they show up to shows and know the songs.”

“It’s always cool seeing people online interact and DM and comment,” he adds. “But it’s kind of interesting stepping back out into the world and being, like, ‘Oh yeah, those people, those monthly listeners are real people actually listening.'”

Almost Monday’s next scheduled show is a set at Bonnaroo in September.

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Justine Skye has unveiled the music video for her new single, “In My Bag.”

The R&B singer and her two gorgeous friends have a fun-filled day cruising around town and having brunch in the Loris Russier-directed visual. The video ends with the ladies screaming into the camera after smashing a room full of televisions and other electronics, making their likes on social media drop from the thousands to zero. 

“And I ain’t gon’ let up /Know these [chicks] mad at me soon as they get up,” Skye songs. “Know your man lookin’ at my page when he get up /Know the cash, hit the bank when the phone lit up.”

“In My Bag” follows visuals for Justine Skye’s other singles, “Twisted Fantasy” and “Intruded.” All three songs are featured on her latest project, Space and Time, produced entirely by legendary hitmaker Timbaland. 

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Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are set to star in the prequel to Yellowstone.

Described in a release as “a stark retelling of Western expansion,” the series titled 1883 will follow “the Dutton family as they embark on a journey west through the Great Plains” to “flee poverty to seek a better future in… Montana.” The show will also feature Oscar winner Sam Elliott. 

Tim and Faith will play James and Margaret Dutton, the “patriarch and matriarch” of the family.

“This is truly a dream job,” Tim says. “[Show creator] Taylor [Sheridan] has found a way of storytelling that brilliantly creates these epic dramas and family sagas with so much depth and creativity.  The Duttons are tremendous characters and it’s so thrilling to be able to bring them to life.”

“As a kid growing up riding horses,” Tim adds, “you think about dream jobs like this and I am just so excited to work with this amazing cast and crew.”

His real-life wife agrees.
 
“This is the opportunity of a lifetime,” Faith says. “The Duttons are a formidable family and it is an absolute dream to bring such a strong female character like Margaret Dutton to life. I am humbled and honored to work with Taylor and his entire team.”

You’ll be able to watch 1883 via the Paramount+ streaming service. So far, there’s no word on when it will premiere.

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