Music

Following their breakout in 2021, Måneskin‘s meteoric rise didn’t slow down in 2022.

The Italian rockers first popped on the world’s radar when they won last year’s Eurovision Song Contest. They soon made a name for themselves stateside with their viral cover of The Four Seasons‘ “Beggin'” and the single “I Wanna Be Your Slave.”

Picking up where they left off, Måneskin kicked off 2022 with their debut performance on Saturday Night Live, which would foreshadow a year of firsts for the band, including playing big festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza for the first time. In the fall, they launched their first North American headlining tour, much of which was sold out.

In between all their time on the road, Måneskin continued to release new music with the singles “Supermodel” and “The Loneliest,” as well as a cover of “If I Can Dream” for the Elvis biopic. “Supermodel” would hit #1 on Billboard‘s Alternative Airplay chart.

Måneskin also picked up a number of award nominations throughout the year, winning an MTV Video Music Award and an American Music Award. They performed on the VMAs, as well, though their performance was largely censored during the TV broadcast due to wardrobe issues.

The Måneskin train doesn’t appear to be losing any steam as we head into 2023. The group’s new album, Rush!, is set to drop January 20, and they’re nominated for Best New Artist at the 2023 Grammys, taking place February 5.

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Since she became a global superstar, Adele has rarely put a foot wrong. But in 2022 she experienced backlash after abruptly canceling her Las Vegas residency — something she called “the worst moment in my career, by far.”

–The saga started in November 2021 when, shortly after telling Rolling Stone that she wasn’t going to do a Las Vegas residency because there were no venues available for her, Adele announced Weekends with Adele.  The production was planned to run on weekends from January through April 2022 at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

–Prices soared for the shows, Adele’s first in the U.S. since 2016, with at least one last-minute website offering seats for as much as $49,000 each for the opening night.

–But it all came crashing down on Thursday, January 20 — one day before the residency was to launch. In an emotional video message that day, Adele called the whole thing off, telling fans, “I’m so sorry, but my show ain’t ready.” She blamed COVID and delivery delays, adding, “I’m so upset and I’m really embarrassed and I’m so sorry to everyone that traveled in.”

–Fans who’d spent thousands on hotel and airfare to fly in for the opening weekend were furious and also frustrated Adele offered no further explanation. Rumors swirled as to the “real” reason the show was called off; there was speculation that she’d have to switch venues if she ever did make it to Vegas.

–In February, Adele appeared on The Graham Norton Show and insisted that the residency was “absolutely 100 percent happening this year.”

–In early July, Adele told BBC 4’s Desert Island Discs that she was “a shell of a person for a few months” after canceling the show, adding, “I definitely felt everyone’s disappointment … it was brutal.” She also explained her lack of communication by saying, “I’m not gonna update you if I ain’t got nothing to update you with, because that just leads to more disappointment.”

–Finally, in late July, the word came: Weekends with Adele had been rescheduled for November 18, 2022, through March 25, 2023, and eight new shows had been added. In August, she told ELLE magazine that canceling the residency was “the worst moment in my career, by far,” but insisted she had to because the show had “no soul in it” and “lacked intimacy.”

–But all’s well that ends well: When it finally premiered, the show, which features her performing with a string section amid video panels, a rain curtain, fire and clouds of confetti, got rave reviews.

Adele has since added two New Year’s Eve weekend shows to the run, and she told an audience in December that, rather than returning to arenas or stadiums, she might simply continue doing intimate shows like Weekends with Adele “for the rest of my life.”

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The hip-hop world suffered some devastating losses in 2022, the most high profile of which was the death of Migos rapper Takeoff.

Takeoff, born Kirshnik Khari Ball, was fatally shot at 810 Billiards & Bowling in Houston on November 1. He was 28. 

Fans and fellow artists, including his bandmates Quavo and Offset, and Offset’s wife, Cardi B, were left reeling from the loss and paid tribute to him on social media. Thousands gathered at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, to pay their respects at a public memorial on November 11.

In December, a suspect was arrested and charged with his murder.

Here are some of the other artists we mourned this year:

Coolio –  The Grammy-winning rapper, record producer and actor best known for his 1995 hit “Gangsta’s Paradise” died September 28 at the age of 59. A cause of death for the artist, born Artis Leon Ivey Jr., has not yet been revealed.

PnB Rock – The up-and-coming rapper, born Rakim Hasheem Allen, was fatally shot on September 12 during a robbery at Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles in South Los Angeles. He was 30 years old.

B. Smyth – The R&B singer died November 17 of “respiratory failure after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis,” according to his brother. Born Brandon Smith, he was known for his 2014 song “Twerkaholic” and his 2012 collab with 2 Chainz, “Leggo.”

JayDaYoungan – The Louisiana rapper, born Javorius Scott, was shot and killed in July in his hometown of Bogalusa, police confirmed in a Facebook post. He was 24.

Trouble – The Atlanta rapper was shot and killed in a domestic situation in June. The artist, born Mariel Semonte Orr, was 34.

Jesse Powell – The R&B singer and Grammy nominee passed away peacefully at his Los Angeles home in September. He was 51. His cause of death was not revealed.

DJ Kay Slay – The legendary New York DJ, born Keith Grayson, died in April after a monthslong battle with COVID-19. He was 55.

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Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest, Ryan and co-host Liza Koshy will be counting down to 2023 in New York City’s Times Square. They’ll be joined by two hot artists of today, as well as two iconic groups who’ll bring the ’80s and ’90s nostalgia.

“We have Duran Duran just before midnight, doing a huge medley of their biggest hits,” Ryan tells ABC Audio. “J-Hope [from BTS] is going to be here. Jax is performing — I met Jax on American Idol years ago. We also have New Edition coming on stage — all the guys from New Edition … then, of course, Dove Cameron, Wiz Khalifa and a list of others out [on the] West [Coast].”

Ryan, who’ll host season 21 of American Idol starting February 19, is particularly happy about season 14’s Jax breaking through with “Victoria’s Secret” this year.

“I’m loving the fact that it’s full circle that she’s on the show,” he notes.

The LA Party segment of the show also includes Nicky Youre and Armani White, while the Disneyland segment features Ciara, Fitz & The Tantrums, Halle Bailey, Shaggy and Lauren Spencer-Smith. Plus, Billy Porter will sing from New Orleans, and Farruko will perform from Puerto Rico.

With such a diverse lineup, you may wonder who chooses the Rockin’ Eve performers each year. Does Ryan get a say in who he’ll be sharing the stage with?

“It’s a consensus,” he explains. “We have a booking department that works very hard … but sure, we talk about who we think would fit, certainly, those live spots in Times Square — and also represent what was fun this year and also what’s fun to celebrate from years ago, like Duran Duran, and those songs everybody can sing along to.” 

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Music City’s New Year’s Eve party isn’t just a star-studded countdown to 2023, it’s also the scene of a whole lot of A-lister team-ups.

The complete lineup of collaborations for New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash was revealed on Thursday, featuring several joint performances between some of the biggest stars in the country genre.

Thomas Rhett will take the stage with Riley Green, perhaps to perform their new chart-topping hit, “Half of Me” — while Kelsea Ballerini will split a performance with Wynonna Judd.

Meanwhile, Zac Brown Band will join forces with the rafter-ringing up-and-coming vocal duo The War and Treaty. Ashley McBryde is looking outside the country world for her New Year’s Eve duet partner: She’ll join forces with Sheryl Crow during the special.

Another cross-genre collaboration comes from Jimmie Allen, whose duet partner for the evening is rapper Flo Rida. The two acts recently released a duet called “No Bad Days.” Finally, rock legend Steve Miller will split a bill with King Calaway.

In addition to performing, Jimmie is co-hosting Nashville’s Big Bash with Elle King. Elle was previously announced as one of the performers hitting the stage during the special, along with Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan and a slew of other stars.

The special will air on December 31 starting at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

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Nick Cannon’s ever-expanding family just welcomed its latest addition.

Cannon and model Alyssa Scott have welcomed their second child together — Cannon’s 12th child total. Their baby girl, Halo Marie Cannon, was born on December 14.

Scott revealed the news in an Instagram post Thursday, along with a video showing the emotional journey of welcoming their daughter following the death of their son, Zen, last year.

“December 14 2022. Our lives are forever changed,” Scott wrote. “Zen is in every breath I take. I know his spirit was with us in the room that morning. I know he is watching down on us, he shows me signs everyday. I will hold onto this memory forever.”

She continued, “I will remember the sound of Nicks voice saying ‘it’s a girl’ and the look of everything we’ve been through flash across his face. I will remember the sound of her crying out with her first breath and feeling her heartbeat against mine. My sweet girl, I got my surprise!! We love you Halo Marie Cannon!”

Nick welcomed his 11th child, Beautiful Zeppelin Cannon, with Abby De La Rosa last month. Nick is also father to twin sons Zion and Zillion with De La Rosa; son Legendary with model Bre Tiesi; daughter Onyx with model LaNisha Cole; sons Rise Messiah and Golden Sagon, and daughter Powerful Queen with model Brittany Bell; and twins Moroccan and Monroe with his ex-wife, Mariah Carey.

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