Music

Tiffany Haddish reflected on her experience in the foster care system and how it has inspired her to use her platform to give back to other foster kids.

“When I was in foster care, I mean, I thought I was going to die there,” the Girls Trip actress told Variety. “I didn’t think I would make it to 18.”

“And when I made it to 18, I was like, ‘OK, I got to really think bigger.’ And I did think bigger, and I’m definitely where I thought I would be. Well, it’s bigger than what I thought.”

Haddish said she now feels the way she had always hoped to feel, which is “secure in my ability to provide for me.”

While the Emmy-winning comedian said her goal is to look on the positive side of her experience, saying it made her strong, there were dark times.

“When I was a kid and I was moving around, all my stuff had to be in trash bags, and moving like that is not good for the self-esteem because it makes you feel like garbage that can easily be transported to here or there,” she said. “You start thinking of yourself as such, as garbage.”

Haddish said this was “the worst feeling in the world personally” and she made a vow to herself in that moment.

“I told myself, ‘If I ever get any power, I’m going to try to make sure kids don’t feel like that,'” she said.

To accomplish this, the “Layla, the Last Black Unicorn” co-author founded the She Ready Foundation, a nonprofit that gives suitcases to foster children and connects them with internship programs.

“She Ready Foundation serves as the voice of foster children suffering in silence,” the group’s website reads.

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Even though the company that controls BTS‘s label, HYBE, countered claims the group is going on hiatus, consider its investors rattled.

The South Korean entertainment company’s stocks took a nosedive on Wednesday after BTS announced their break to work on solo projects. Stocks plunged about 25%, but the market shakeup was widely expected after BTS’ announcement. Apparently, BTS is responsible for making up about 20% of HYBE’s overall stock because of their massive global influence.

Big Hit Music, a subsidiary company of HYBE that is responsible for BTS’ group activities, attempted to extinguish concerns expressed by fans and investors that BTS members are permanently turning the page on their collaborative efforts and beginning a new journey to pursue solo projects.

“The group will remain active as a team while taking individual journeys to further achieve personal growth,” the entertainment company told ABC News.

HYBE also issued a statement Wednesday, saying, “BTS are not taking a hiatus. Members will be focusing more on solo projects at this time.”

Meanwhile, military enrollment is looming for the septet as South Korea mandates all able-bodied men serve in the military for about two years. K-pop stars can defer military service until they turn 30. The oldest member of BTS, Jin, is due to enlist in December, which also could affect HYBE’s stocks.

As previously reported, the singers told fans on Tuesday they’re going on haitus. The Grammy nominees cited exhaustion and a loss of direction as reasons for the break.

J-Hope assured fans the hiatus would be good for the group, saying it will allow them to “become stronger” and “start our second chapter.”

Big Hit has since announced J-Hope is working on a solo album while other members are working on “collaborations with other artists.”

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Luke Combs is a country music superstar, but he’s not above changing a dirty diaper. 

The hitmaker is days away from welcoming his first child, a boy, with his wife Nicole, and he’s fully prepared to be on diaper duty as a way to return the favor to his wife for staying strong through the pregnancy. 

“I’m assuming that I will probably end up doing a lot of that,” he affirms to the Tennessean about diaper changing. “She had to grow him for nine months, so I figure I can at least do something at this point. You don’t really do anything for nine months and you didn’t do anything after that, it’s kind of like a deadbeat at that point. So I figure I’ll be changing my fair share of diapers after tonight for sure.” 

The reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year confirms that CMA Fest was his last show as a “not dad” and that the baby should be arriving any day, potentially as soon as Father’s Day this Sunday. “That’d be cool,” he says if the baby were to arrive on Father’s Day. 

Luke and Nicole announced in January that they’re expecting a baby boy. Their friends and family threw them a baby shower in Nashville earlier this month.  

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Taylor Swift kept her new song “Carolina” period correct for the upcoming film Where the Crawdads Sing. 

Director Olivia Newman joined Reese Witherspoon for a roundtable discussing the upcoming film and revealed Taylor made the song authentic to the early ’50s, which is when the first half of Where the Crawdads Sing is set.

Witherspoon, who produced the film, revealed she “freaked out” when she found out the Grammy winner tailor made “Carolina” especially for the movie — without telling anyone.  

“She read this book and loved it so much, and then she heard we were making a movie [while] she was making her folklore album and then she wrote a song with that whole folklore team, which was so haunting, and magical and beautiful,” Witherspoon continued to gush. “I was blown away.”

Added Newman, “She had gone and written this song out of just pure inspiration and sort of said, ‘I don’t know if you’ll like it, but here it is!'” The director added Taylor “wrote this gorgeous letter to us explaining how they chose instruments that were only available before 1953 and she recorded it in one take the way they recorded songs at the time.”

Newman also admitted, “The first time I listened to it, I just started bawling and I said, ‘I don’t know what’s happening to me right now.’ I mean, I love singing along to Taylor Swift songs but I never cry like this.”

Newman, who is also a fan of the book and its earthshaking ending, said Taylor perfectly captured the “very specific feeling” readers experience upon finishing the last chapter. “We wanted to leave audiences with that same sort of emotional feeling and her song just leans right into that,” she said.

Where the Crawdads Sing arrives in theaters July 15.

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Dolly Parton’s famous for her generous spirit, especially when it comes to protecting children, and she made another huge contribution this week in support of kids facing illness.

The country superstar has donated $1 million to pediatric infectious disease research at Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). Her donation will support the fight against diseases such as COVID-19 as well as prevent and understand antibiotic resistance and diagnose and treat infections in children who are fighting cancer.

“I love children,” Dolly says in a statement. “No child should ever have to suffer, and I’m willing to do my part to try and keep as many of them as I can as healthy and safe as possible.”

In 2020, Dolly donated $1 million to VUMC to help develop the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. She has also made major contributions to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt’s Pediatric Cancer Program.

Dolly’s donations in support of children’s causes also extend to education: She established her Imagination Library as a way to promote literacy, gifting a free book each month to children under five years old.

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ABC News will be commemorating Juneteenth and Black Music Month with a special featuring some of music’s biggest stars.

Set to air on Friday, June 17, Sound of Freedom – A Juneteenth Celebration, presented by the network’s Soul of a Nation series, will be hosted by country music star Jimmie Allen and will include performances from Patti LaBelle, Marvin Sapp and Jon Batiste. Also expected are conversations with Ciara, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who will discuss the importance of ownership in music with ABC News’ Janai Norman, as well as a segment that will see ABC News correspondent Rachel Scott put a spotlight on some of the “all-Black production teams behind major artists and groups.”

The primetime special is set to air Friday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and will be available to stream on Hulu the following day. It’s the third year in a row that the network has produced the special, but according to co-executive producer Catherine McKenzie, it is one of the most important specials to date.

“From gospel and country to jazz, rock and today’s pop hits, every genre of American music is influenced by the Black Diaspora and our stories of survival, joy, pain and resilience,” McKenzie says in a press release. “We’re looking forward to taking viewers on this musical journey in one of our most significant specials yet.” 

Co-executive producer Quiana Burns adds that it’s “a must-watch for all viewers.”

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Jennifer Hudson shared a video reacting to becoming an EGOT winner after she achieved the status at the 2022 Tony Awards Sunday.

The actress, producer and singer was nominated in the best musical category as one of the producers of the hit Broadway show A Strange Loop.

Other co-producers for the show include RuPaul Charles, Alan Cumming, Ilana Glazer, Mindy Kaling and Billy Porter.

Hudson’s video showed her giving a toast to celebrate the best musical win. “As I said when I won the Oscar, look what God can do,” she shared in the video. “Well, he did it again.”

She expanded on her feelings on the win in the caption of her post. “I am overwhelmed by all the outpouring of love and support that I am Still receiving and I’m still processing this whole new ground,” she detailed. “What an honor!”

“Thank u all for being with me on this journey,” she continued. “I could not live this life without u.”

Achieving EGOT status requires winning a Grammy, an Emmy, a Tony and an Oscar.

Along with her Tony Award, Hudson’s wins that led to her achieving EGOT status include an Oscar for best supporting actress for Dreamgirls at the 2007 Academy Awards; a Daytime Emmy for executive producing the 2020 animated film Baby Yaga; and Grammy awards in 2017 for The Color Purple and in 2009 for best R&B album for her self-titled debut album.

Hudson also shared a post featuring the entire team behind A Strange Loop and wrote about how special the night was for them.

“What a night! Filled with so many memorable moments!” she captioned her post. “I am so inspired by people who are passionate about their craft! Congratulations to everyone on their well-deserved awards and their beautiful performances!”

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Chris Stapleton is the latest artist to get his own exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Called Chris Stapleton: Since 1978, the exhibit will open on July 1 and run through May 14, 2023. Museum-goers will be able to revisit Chris’ biography and song catalog, starting from his childhood in rural eastern Kentucky and chronicling his move toward songwriting and eventually, country music stardom.

The exhibit will feature a number of outfits, instruments, trophies and other personal effects from over the course of Chris’ storied career. Among those artifacts will be his 1966 Gibson Trini Lopez Standard electric guitar, which he used to record his song “Traveller.”

Fans can also check out Chris’ Waffle House Golden Waffle Award, which recognizes his status as the most-played artist on Waffle House jukeboxes in 2019, plus a LEGO model of the singer and his band, which was used to create the animated, LEGO-themed video for his song, “Second One to Know.”

Chris’ Hall of Fame exhibit is presented by Ram Trucks; the singer is a longtime partner with the brand.

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We’re inching closer to new Disturbed music.

In an Instagram post Tuesday, guitarist Dan Donegan shared that the band was filming a video for the first single off their upcoming album.

“First single off the new album coming in the very near future,” he wrote in the caption.

Earlier this year, frontman David Draiman shared that the record, the follow-up to 2018’s Evolution, was “completed.” In a tweet earlier this month, Draiman wrote that he was “very proud” of the “amazing” album, adding that it includes a “surprise track…that’s going to blow your minds.”

Disturbed will be playing a number of U.S. festivals this summer, including Summerfest and Inkcarceration.

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