Music

Ashley McBryde’s songwriting process has produced some serious country music magic in her years in the industry, from her breakout hit “Girl Goin’ Nowhere” to her latest release, a character-focused collaborative album called Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville.

But they can’t all be winners, and fans aren’t ever going to hear the songs Ashley writes that don’t make the cut — because she trashes them right away.

“There have been times with co-writers like Nicolette Hayford where we’ll get a verse and chorus and we’ll hit a snag,” the singer tells Rolling Stone Country. “And we’ll literally rip it out from the notebook, not save it in the computer, and just trash it.”

She adds, “It feels good to know you have the option.”

So, what kind of song would make Ashley want to hit the delete button? “When we’re writing, the only criteria we have is, ‘Do we like it?’ And, ‘Do I believe what’s coming out of my mouth right now?’” She continues, “Like, if I sang about vodka, I wouldn’t believe it.”

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If you’ve been to a stop on Carrie Underwood’s Denim & Rhinestones Tour, you’ll notice that the trek features one dazzling cover performance of Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle.”

That’s a tough song to sing, and Carrie tells Rolling Stone Country that part of her love for the rock band came from growing up idolizing Axl Rose’s vocal prowess.

“The way I learned to sing was I would pick really hard vocalists to try to emulate, and his voice always mesmerized me,” she explains.

Now in her current set list, it’s Carrie who’s doing the mesmerizing — and she’s gotten to turn her former singing idol into a collaborator, recently inviting Axl to duet with her at Stagecoach, then joining the full band at a Guns N’ Roses show in London.

Axl is an example of a singer whose live presence stands up to his recorded work, and Carrie appreciates that. She admits she’s disappointed when she sees an artist whose live set doesn’t hold up to their records.

“Growing up and going to concerts or seeing my favorite artists on TV, if they didn’t sound like they were supposed to sound, it was always so deflating,” she continues. “I’d lose respect for them. Or when I’d go to a concert and hear them drop keys, I was like, ‘You can’t hit the notes! Why’d you record them if you can’t sing them?’”

She adds, “That stuff is important to me.”

Carrie’s Denim & Rhinestones Tour will continue through next March.

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Sara Bareilles is not a fan of banning books and hopes these efforts fail in stopping people from learning about the LGBTQ+ community and anti-racism.

Speaking with Lost Coast Outpost, the singer opened up about her partnership with the Humboldt Literacy Project, which aims to promote literacy in her hometown of Eureka, California. Sara also urged the nonprofit to include books that addressed anti-racism and celebrated the LGBTQ+ community.

She explained why it’s important for people to be exposed to such topics. “It is essential. This is just trying to make sure that the information is diversified and inclusive and equitable,” she expressed.

Sarah continued, “To me that’s just like a no brainer. This is the information that is out there in the world, and we should trust our readers to be discerning and make choices for themselves.”

On the topic of banning books, the singer made it clear that she views this practice as harmful. “For me it’s not an option to be erasing or limiting what you have access to. I think that’s small minded, which we all know I’m not into,” Sara said and added, “I feel like we can trust people to make choices for themselves, and I think it’s essential. It’s just truth telling as far as I’m concerned.”

Sara has donated 5,000 books to the Humboldt Literacy Project so far. The organization estimates that 13,800 adults within Humboldt County read below a fifth grade level, so its initiative focuses on raising the literacy rate for those aged 18 and older.

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Iggy Pop has signed with producer Andrew Watt‘s Gold Tooth Records as part of its newly announced partnership with Atlantic Records.

The Godfather of Punk will make his official debut on the joint label with the new single “Frenzy.” The track, which is set to premiere on October 28 and is available to pre-save now, is the first preview of an upcoming new Iggy Pop record, his first since 2019’s Free.

“I’m the guy with no shirt who rocks,” Pop says. “Andrew and Gold Tooth get that, and we made a record together the old-fashioned way. The players are guys I’ve known since they were kids and the music will beat the s*** out of you.”

Watt adds that Iggy is a “f***ing icon” and a “true original.”

“I still can’t believe he let me make a record with him,” Watt says. “I am honored. It doesn’t get cooler. This album was created to be played as loud as your stereo will go…turn it up and hold on.”

Watt produced Ozzy Osbourne‘s last two albums, 2020’s Ordinary Man and this year’s Patient Number 9, as well as Eddie Vedder‘s new solo effort, Earthling. He also played in the Pearl Jam frontman’s live solo band.

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Chris Rock posted on Instagram that he and Dave Chappelle have added new dates to their joint stand-up tour.

The two comedy legends will take the stage December 1 in San Diego’s Viejas Arena at San Diego State University’s Aztec Bowl before jumping to the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, on December 5.

December 7 will have Rock and Chappelle playing the Honda Center in Anaheim, California; December 10 will see them play the SAP Center in San Jose, California.

They play the Chase Center in San Francisco the next evening, before taking the stage at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center on December 12 and then Acrisure Arena in Thousand Palms, California, on December 14.

Tickets and other info can be found at Live Nation.

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Ellie Goulding is about to embark on her next music era and has already released one of the songs off her new album.

Ellie announced her fifth studio album, titled Higher Than Heaven, on Wednesday and unveiled the album’s artwork. She said in a statement about the upcoming work, “There was definitely a darkness about [the past two years] that was palpable in the studio, with everyone having gone through it differently. I think for that reason, nobody wanted to sit and agonize over some relationship or some drama. So that’s how this album came together.”

She adds her album is “about being passionately in love. But it’s a hyper form of love, almost like a drug induced feeling. It feels almost artificial and there’s the potential for a crash.”

Higher Than Heaven arrives February 3, 2023. To tide fans over until then, Ellie released a new song off the album called “Let It Die.” She also secretly recorded its music video, which is also out now.

The muted video sees Ellie performing while surrounded by artwork and backup dancers. There’s also moments when she freezes and seemingly becomes a part of the exhibit.

Before announcing her album, Ellie took to Instagram to provide sneak peeks of all the songs that’ll appear on Higher Than Heaven — including “Let It Die” and the previously released “Easy Lover.” The snippet allowed fans to get a taste of the tone of this forthcoming effort.

“Freefalling… slipping from your arms,” she cryptically wrote.

Fans can begin pre-ordering Higher Than Heaven now.

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If you know Bow Wow, you know he’s always working. 

For his latest gig, he’s hosting BET’s new show After Happily Ever After. He says making the decision to join the reality dating series was a “no brainer.”

“It was kind of crazy how God works…” Bow Wow told ABC Audio, referencing a “similar” show idea he thought of before getting the call from BET. “For me it was like a no brainer because I was like, ‘Okay, what’s different about the show?'”

After learning about the show’s premise —  a group of exes from failed long-term relationships (Peter Gunz, Amina Buddafly, Melissa Meeks, Ugo Maduka and more) who play matchmaker to find their former partner love — the host immediately jumped on board. 

“I love doing things that are different,” said Bow Wow, a fan of dating shows. Though After Happily Ever After sounded like “the most toxic thing ever,” it was still something he wanted to be a part of. 

The rapper isn’t new to hosting. His moniker “Mr. 106 & Park” grew out of his couple-years tenure as host on the long-running music video show 106 & Park. But make no mistake, the two gigs are “like apples and oranges,” Bow said.

The new show, he added, gives him the opportunity to fully “be himself.”

“I love to be off-script,” Bow said. Due to the show’s unpredictable nature, he explained, he gets a chance to be “more Shad than Bow Wow” and also the “glue” that holds all the craziness together. 

How is Bow Wow the best person for the job? “Let’s just say Bow Wow can go back in his past [relationships] and draw inspiration from those moments,” he said.

After Happily Ever After premieres October 19 at 10 p.m. ET on BET.

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Times have changed since Christina Aguilera first released her music video for “Beautiful,” so she remade it to reflect the challenges of today and to mark the 20th anniversary of her fourth album, Stripped.

Stripped was released on October 22, 2002, and the song “Beautiful” subsequently became an anthem for self-love and acceptance. Now, Christina hopes the song becomes a warning about the dangers of social media’s impact on children.

The music video tackles how girls are flooded with images of women with youthful faces and voluptuous bodies, while boys are encouraged to have the sculpted body of an action hero. 

Throughout the video, children are either seen holding up their cameras to film what they are pressured to look like — through the exposure of liposuction, bodybuilding and other cosmetic surgeries — or have the camera trained on themselves to show how they’re embracing these standards.

The music video also explores how isolating these messages are by showing a young, larger girl staring down a vending machine stuffed with diet pills, and also a boy fantasizing on how to end his life in a hospital room.

The video concludes with these same kids, without their phones, running around in the sun on a grassy field — finally acting their age.

The video warns in the end, as blood pours from a smartphone, “In the last 20 years, since Stripped was first released, social media has transformed our relationship with our bodies, and in turn, our mental health.  Research suggests that time spent on social networking sites is associated with body image issues, self-harm and disordered eating in children and teens. This needs to change.”

The new music video officially kicks off the 20th anniversary celebration of the Stripped album.

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