Music

Britney Spears reenacted her infamous 2003 VMAs kiss with Madonna at her nuptials. Sharing photos of the moment, Madonna cheekily wrote on Instagram, “Last night was fun and sweaty!!”

While Madonna was invited to Britney’s wedding, Jamie Lynn Spears was not, but that didn’t stop Britney’s little sister from showing her support. E! News reports Jamie Lynn quietly liked one of their Instagram posts about the “Toxic” singer’s wedding. The two sisters’ relationship has been on the rocks since Jamie Lynn published her memoir, Things I Should Have Said, which Britney claims the book painted her in a bad light.

Miley Cyrus is headlining Mexico City’s Corona Capital Festival alongside Paramore and My Chemical Romance. The event runs November 18 through November 20 at Curva 4 Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Lil Nas X and The 1975 will also be there. Tickets go on sale June 15 at 11 a.m. on Ticketmaster.

Do you know how many cigarettes Post Malone smokes in a day? Almost 50. He appeared on the Full Send podcast and confessed to smoking between “40 to 45” cigarettes on a “really terrible day.” He said his personal best was smoking “probably like 80” or “four packs” of darts in a single day. He adds his smoking habit has taken a toll on his voice.

The Chainsmokers released the new song “The Fall,” which features Ship Wrek. This is the first offering off the EDM duo’s deluxe version of their album So Far So Good. If you want to win $10,000 in prizes, submit your remix of the song to The Chainsmokers’ contest on Skio by July 26. 

On Friday, Halsey released the music video for “So Good,” which was directed by their partner, Alev Aydin. Halsey noted the visual includes actual home movies of their life together and shots of their son, Ender.

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Ever miss a concert due to car trouble? Then you’ll be able to relate to the story of a mother and daughter whose 4,000-mile trip to see Ed Sheeran live nearly ended in disaster.

Denise Buie and her 22-year-old daughter, Alyssa Midence, traveled from Florida to the United Kingdom last week to celebrate Alyssa’s graduation. Their trip included plans to see Ed Sheeran perform at a stadium in Sunderland, England, but as they were driving to the venue, their rental car broke down. A traffic cop, Police Constable Andy Jackson, helped move the vehicle off the road while Denise and Alyssa waited for a tow truck.

However, two hours later, Jackson was driving back down the road when he saw the pair still waiting for a tow truck — and they were freaking out, because Ed was due to take the stage any minute, and they were convinced they’d miss the show. 

So Jackson told Denise and Alyssa to climb in and drove them to the stadium himself — after calling the towing company and telling them he’d be leaving the car keys at the police station.

“I kept calling PC Jackson our superman. He didn’t have to stop and understandably would have had other things to do, so we were just blown away by his willingness to go above and beyond,” said Denise. “We are truly grateful that he went the extra mile – and that he helped save Alyssa’s graduation celebration.”

After the show, Denise and Alyssa traveled to Scotland for sightseeing and have since returned to Florida. If you want a taste of what the two witnessed at Ed’s show, he’s posted some great footage of his concert in Manchester on his Instagram Stories.

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After two years of pandemic cancellations, Maren Morris officially launched her 2022 Humble Quest tour in Raleigh, North Carolina, Thursday night.

After the kickoff show on the tour, she posted a string of photos and video on social media, showcasing the crowd, the set list and a dress made out of shimmering green discs. “Get that coin,” Maren wrote, alongside a snapshot of her modeling the outfit by her trailer.

In one particularly powerful moment during her show, Maren brought her longtime bassist and backing vocalist Annie Clements up to the front of the stage. The two shared a microphone as they sang “Hummingbird,” a song that Maren wrote for her son, Hayes, on the day she found out she was pregnant.

The song choice was especially poignant because Maren and Annie were actually pregnant at the same time: Hayes was born in March 2020, while Annie’s daughter Noura was born that June.

Back when both artists were pregnant, Maren shared her thoughts on the importance of creating work spaces where women didn’t have to choose between starting families and furthering their careers.

“I never wanted my people to have to choose. I think it’s a great conversation to have if you’re an artist that employs women,” she said. “So let’s shred for 90 minutes and then go rock these babes to sleep on the bus with a glass of wine.”

It may be a couple years later than planned, but those dreams are finally becoming a reality: Hayes is on tour with her this year.

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Brett Eldredge is treating fans to a hot dog while they’re in town for CMA Fest this weekend. The singer’s partnering with beloved local hot dog joint Daddy’s Dogs in celebration of his forthcoming new album, Songs About You, which drops June 17.

Brett hails from Illinois, so naturally his special hot dog is a Chicago-style dog, complete with onions, a dill pickle and tomato wedges.

You can catch the singer — and his hot dog — at various stops around town all weekend. On Friday, he’s hosting a Songs About You album premiere event at 4:30 p.m. at Skydeck at 5th and Broadway.

Ahead of release day, Brett’s shared several songs off the new project, including the sultry “Wait Up For Me” and the self-confident “I Feel Fine,” as well as the title track. He’s also going on tour starting June 19, just two days after the album comes out, and the trek will last until late September.

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Nick Lachey is celebrating the 25th anniversary of his band, 98 Degrees, this summer and has seen how technology has evolved and enhanced live performances over the years. He saw that in action judging the music competition show Alter Ego, which had contestants perform through their virtual avatars.  

ABC Audio asked him if avatars are the future of performing live.

“I think it’s next for some,” he agreed. “Some of our biggest influencers in the world are actually computer generated avatars,” Nick noted. “[An avatar] allows an artist to feel like they can express themselves creatively in ways that they maybe felt handcuffed to do in the past.”

With Alter Ego, contestants from all walks of life create their a virtual avatar to perform on stage as they control it from backstage using a special motion capture bodysuit during their performances.  

“I’m all about discovering talent and creativity,” Nick said of the show’s unique way of discovering new voices that otherwise were not given the chance to shine. “If this technology provides that opportunity for someone, I think that’s amazing. I think we should embrace that.” 

The “Hardest Thing” singer noted that an avatar can provide “an opportunity, a platform, if you wanted to take your career in that direction,” especially for those who are “paralyzed by” stage fright. Nick said the avatars can help certain people “circumvent” their stage fright and “present their amazing talent to the world.”

So, would Nick ever use one? “I love being onstage. I actually enjoy the anxiety, the butterflies. I would never want to have my career go in that direction because I enjoy the live performance element of it.”

Alter Ego is now streaming on Hulu.

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Justin Bieber is letting fans know why he had to postpone a series of concerts recently, revealing he has Ramsay Hunt syndrome.

“It is from this virus that attacks the nerve in my ear and my facial nerves. It has caused my face to have paralysis,” he explained in a tired, low voice. He showed how it has affected the right side of his face in an Instagram video. “This eye is not blinking. I can’t smile on this side of my face. This nostril will not move.  So there’s full paralysis on this side of my face.”

The Grammy winner had a message for fans who feel “frustrated” that he had to postpone his tour. “I’m just physically not capable of doing them. This is pretty serious … I wish this wasn’t the case,” Justin said. “I hope you guys understand.”

The singer assured fans he’s using this time to rest and recover, “So that I may do what I was born to do.” He also revealed he is doing “all these facial exercises” so that he can get his “face back to normal.”  

Justin said he doesn’t know when he will be recovered enough to resume his tour and thanked fans in advance for their patience. “It’s gonna be OK,” he encouraged. “I have hope and I trust God and I trust that it’s all for a reason and I’m not sure what that is right now.”

Ramsay Hunt syndrome is caused by the chickenpox virus, which continues to lay dormant in a person after initial infection and can reactivate as a shingles rash, according to the Mayo Clinic. The syndrome is caused when a shingles rash, which can be painful, breaks out near one’s ear. It can trigger facial paralysis and hearing loss.

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Zac Brown Band’s The Comeback album is coming back in deluxe form: They just announced that the new deluxe edition will be out this fall and will feature a host of guest spots from their fellow country stars.

One of those collaborations is with Blake Shelton, who is appearing on a new version of “Out in the Middle,” ZBB’s current single. The duet version of the song will be out June 22, ahead of the deluxe album’s release day.

“The Comeback is the best album we’ve ever made, and to rerecord a few tracks with some musical legends was such an honor,” the group says in a statement. “Blake Shelton is a country music powerhouse and sharing ‘Out in the Middle’ with him, a song that represents our Southern roots and country pride, is absolutely unreal.”

“I’ve always been a big fan of Zac as an artist and especially as a songwriter,” Blake adds. “This song in particular really resonated with me. It reminds me of where I was raised and where I come from — out in the middle!”

Preorders for the deluxe version of The Comeback start July 15.

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After the success of his viral 2021 hit “Gyalis,” and its remixes with Chlöe Bailey and Chris Brown with Popcaan, Bronx, New York, rapper Capella Grey is back with another potential hit record.

In a linkup with the “bop” king, Ty Dolla $ign, Capella dropped off his latest track, “OT,” and it’s already firming up to be a song of the summer. 

On the new track, the duo team up to discuss why they’d never take a girl “OT,” which is slang for “out of town.” They say there’s already women out of town to choose from and they don’t want to be tied down for the summer. 

“Why would I take a shorty OT? There’s already shorties OT, uh / Why would I bring sand to the beach? When they’re all on me and they’re all OD / Freak she wan’ freak, she callin’ that Birkin, she can’t believe she seein’ me in person / My first time in your city.”

The new collaboration follows Capella’s energetic dance track “Sas Crise,” featuring Alayzha Sky & Ghost. Many fans hope “OT” and the other songs the singer’s recently dropped are signs that a full album is on the way.  

Ty Dolla $ign recently told ABC Audio why he thinks he’s a popular go-to feature for other hip-hop artists. “Because I play my instrument very well,” he said. “And I feel like it’s one of the hottest instruments of these times.”

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