Music

BTS is celebrating its ninth anniversary as a band, and Jimin is letting fans know that the septet is undergoing a metamorphosis.  

In celebration of their new compilation album Proof, Jimin spoke of the band’s newest song, “Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment),” on Apple’s BTS Radio. “I feel like we’ve done a great job getting where we are now, and I think our new song marks a comma, not a period in our career,” he said. “I want its message to our fans to be that we are going to return with a more mature version of ourselves.”

The new track contains the lyrics, “This is only the beginning, the best yet to come.” Jimin’s comments were recorded by Billboard.

In other BTS news, J-Hope spoke to WeVerse Magazine about how dire conditions were for the band when they were getting ready to perform at this year’s Grammy Awards. J-Hope had tested positive for COVID-19 with just days to go before their big show and he recalled, “After testing positive for COVID-19, it was only going to be possible to have exactly one day before the performance.”

While J-Hope was in “the mindset” to perform, he admits of his other bandmates, “The other members were on the brink of mental exhaustion at that point, to be honest.”

“Jin had injured his hand and practicing was a challenge, but I knew there was no way I couldn’t be there, so while practicing I kept telling myself I have to do this no matter what, went over on the plane, rehearsed on location, and somehow got it all together,” he continued. “It was a lot of pressure, psychologically speaking.”

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Maren Morris is back in her element on tour. 

Since launching the Humble Quest Tour on Thursday, Maren has been keeping a diary of sorts on social media, reflecting each night after the show on Instagram. After completing the first weekend of the tour in Portsmouth, VA, Maren got honest with fans about how challenging it was to be off the road for two years due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

“I feel guilty saying this, but I haven’t felt this good in 2 and a half years. As much as I have loved at times that ‘forced sabbatical’ of not being able to tour, a very crucial piece of me was missing all this time. I got it back this weekend,” the singer shared alongside a gallery of photos that show her performing in front of a massive crowd and a behind-the-scenes shot carrying her two-year-old son, Hayes. “The best part is we get to do it again and again all year.” 

The tour kickoff also included Maren’s husband, Ryan Hurd, joining her for a performance of “I Can’t Love You,” a song they cowrote on her new album Humble Quest, in Asheville. 

“I think it’s safe to say we are officially back,” she adds in a caption on a post capturing the first night of shows, which includes a video of her leading a sing-a-long to her hit, “My Church.” 

The Humble Quest Tour continues through December, where it wraps at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN on December 2. 

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Sean “Diddy” Combs will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BET Awards 2022, BET announced Monday. In its 22nd year, the show deemed “culture’s biggest night,” will air live from the Microsoft Theater in L.A. on Sunday, June 26. 

The prestigious award honors industry professionals who are seen as transformational leaders and whose contributions help shape Black culture. 

“Diddy has always been a pioneering force in our community, breaking barriers, achieving unprecedented heights, blazing new trails, and, in so doing, raising the bar for all of us,” BET CEO Scott Mills said. “His virtuosity is matched only by his range — from music to media, culture, business, and philanthropy — Diddy has exemplified Black Excellence. We are delighted to have this opportunity to use our biggest stage to recognize the extraordinary accomplishments of our friend Diddy.”

Diddy’s influential music career spans decades and is marked by the successful launching and fostering of superstar talent like Lil Kim, Faith Evans, 112, Total and more. His Bad Boy Entertainment group has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, amassing many Grammy, Billboard and BET Awards. 

“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is an incomparable cultural force and creative visionary whose impact has created historic paradigm shifts across music, media, fashion, and lifestyle. It’s personally gratifying to celebrate and honor a longtime partner and friend of the network who, through the decades, has laid the blueprint for Black excellence through entertainment,” BET executive Connie Orlando said.

News of the accolade follows Diddy’s recent announcement of his R&B label, Love Records, which will see its first album release this summer, in partnership with Motown Records.

Diddy will join a long list of past Lifetime Achievement Award recipients such as Whitney Houston, Prince, Queen Latifah, Anita Baker, Mary J. Blige, Samuel Jackson, Lionel Richie, New Edition and others.

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Harry Styles embarked on his latest musical challenge by participating in the Japanese YouTube show, “The First Take.”  The British singer chose his song “Boyfriends” to show off his vocal talents in a single take.

In a video of the performance posted Monday, Harry is accompanied by two acoustic guitarists and several backup singers who layer on the harmonies for his soulful performance, which he cuts through without missing a lyrics or note.

The show notes that Harry decided to do an “original rendition” of his song, which is off his new album Harry’s House, for his “one take- a delicate, intimate performance.” 

The First Take challenges artists to sing a song of their choice from start to finish, and fans will get to hear their real voice untouched by any effects or retakes. If an artist misses a note or their voice breaks — fans definitely hear it.

In an introductory video, the series explains, “Lip-syncing, vocal effects, visual effects and excessive staging — that’s the reality of music we enjoy today. Real music can get lost in the noise, all filtered in some way, shape or form. So we thought, ‘How can we deliver unfiltered music in its rawest form?'”

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Coldplay‘s ongoing U.S. tour got another surprise guest when it hit Atlanta over the weekend.

Kelly Rowland of Destiny’s Child joined Chris Martin and company to perform a rendition of the girl group’s 2000 hit “Independent Women Part I.”

As seen in fan-shot footage shared on social media, Rowland’s powerful voice was backed by Martin strumming an acoustic guitar and singing backing vocals.

After the onstage collaboration, Rowland tweeted, “MY HEART!!! So Full!!! Thank You for having me @coldplay.”

Coldplay’s tour, which is supporting the band’s new album Music of the Spheres, wraps up Tuesday, June 14 in Tampa, Florida. Previous guests who’ve shown up on the run include Bruce Springsteen and Kylie Minogue.

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After the release of her sophomore studio album Heart on My Sleeve in May, Ella Mai is keeping the music coming with a new song and collaboration. The “Boo’d Up” singer announced her latest single “Keeps on Fallin” and it features legendary singer, songwriter and producer, Babyface. 

A snippet of the new love song surfaced over the weekend, when Babyface shared a couple videos of the duo working together in the studio. 

“I’ve listened to what you’ve written and your melodies and I love your voice,” the 12-time Grammy winner said to Mai in a clip dated March 11, 2021. “Initially we can start and kinda see where it goes. ‘Cause I have to figure out — whatever it is, I have to figure out how I can get in there and how I could fit.”

In a follow up video, which shows the pair listening to the new track, Babyface requests Mai’s opinion of the song asking, “What does this say? Is this love?” 

While bobbing her head in what seems to be approval of the music, Mai simply responds, “I think so.”

Babyface boasts a long resume of songs produced for iconic hip-hop and R&B artists such as Bobby Brown, TLC, Beyoncé, Usher, Toni Braxton and many, many more. 

In 2015, the 64-year-old producer released the album, Return of the Tender Lover, his eighth studio project which pays homage to the 1989 classic album, Tender Lover.

“Keeps on Fallin” by Ella Mai and Babyface is expected Friday, June 17. 

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The Knotfest Roadshow is returning to the road.

Slipknot has announced a fall leg of the band’s namesake tour, set to kick off September 20 in Nashville, Tennessee. The run, which will also feature Ice Nine Kills and Crown the Empire on the bill, will wrap up on October 7 in Irvine, California.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, June 17, at 10 a.m. local time. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit Slipknot1.com.

If you don’t want to wait until the fall, you can catch Slipknot on the current leg of the Knotfest Roadshow, which continues Monday in Seattle, Washington and concludes June 18 in Chula Vista, California.

Meanwhile, you can also look forward to new ‘Knot music. During a show earlier this month, frontman Corey Taylor told the audience that the masked metallers would be dropping fresh material “soon.”

Slipknot released a new song called “The Chapeltown Rag” last November. The group’s most recent album is 2019’s We Are Not Your Kind.

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It will be a special Fourth of July for Mickey Guyton this year.

The multi-Grammy Award nominee is set to host the annual A Capitol Fourth special on PBS. Airing live from Washington, D.C., the 42nd annual show features a variety of all-star performers, including the National Symphony Orchestra, and a fireworks display to cap off the evening. 

Mickey has performed during the show in years past, along with Jimmie Allen, Dolly Parton, Alan Jackson, Scotty McCreery and more country artists. The “Black Like Me” singer says that being asked to host the revered show is a “real honor.” 

“The representation, me being a Black country singer on that stage: I just hope to bring fun and happiness to everybody, at home, at this event,” she shares with People. “To be asked to host such an event as this, in a really trying time in our country, I just feel like it could be a huge opportunity to try and encourage more togetherness in this time.”

A Capitol Fourth will air on PBS on July 4 at 8 p.m. ET. This year’s lineup will be announced in the coming weeks. 

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After a two-year break from touring because of the pandemic, Post Malone is back and hitting the road in support of his new album, Twelve Carat Toothache — and he’s bringing “Cooped Up” collaborator Roddy Ricch with him.

Post announced on Monday that he will hit up 33 of the U.S. and Canada’s biggest cities starting with a September 10 pit stop in Omaha, Nebraska. He will perform in cities such as Nashville, Detroit, Philadelphia, New York City, Toronto, Dallas, Portland and many more.  The Twelve Carat Toothache tour wraps November 15 in Los Angeles, California.

While general ticket sales go live this Friday, June 17 at 10 a.m. local time, there are several pre-sale opportunities that fans can take advantage of before then.

The first pre-sale event starts Tuesday, June 14 at 10 a.m. local time for Citi cardmembers. American Express card members will also be able to access tickets to the Toronto and Vancouver shows that day.

To purchase general admission tickets and check out the tour’s full itinerary, visit Live Nation.   

Post’s last tour was his Runaway tour, which was in support of his third studio album Hollywood’s Bleeding. It wrapped in Denver, Colorado in March 2020.

Speaking of the Grammy nominee’s new album, it has debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The effort was streamed 127.82 million times, and fans snatched up 21,000 copies during its first week of release.

This marks Post’s fourth straight album to debut in the top five.

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