Normani drops new single “1:59,” talks debut album, ‘Dopamine’

April 26, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Normani’s new single, “1:59,” is finally here.

The singer dropped the sultry track, featuring Gunna, as the first taste of her debut album, Dopamine, which comes out June 14.

“When I get you alone/boy what you gon’ do with it?” she sings on the chorus. “Don’t talk too much, just do this sh**/Boy, what you gon’ do with it?”

In a new interview with ELLE, Normani says Dopamine is a “representation of my resilience.”

“Dopamine represents the highs and the lows I’ve endured,” she says. “It’s been such an emotional roller coaster … I really wanted to have a title that felt like it definitely encompassed everything that I feel I’ve been through in my journey to get to the point that I’m in right now.”

She also addressed the “false narrative” that because her album took so long to come out, that means she doesn’t care. “Nobody wants this project to come out more than me,” she says. “I think that at the end of the day, if I stand behind this wholeheartedly, it doesn’t matter what the world thinks.”

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

Eminem announces new album, ‘The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)’

April 26, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Eminem is ready to say goodbye to his alter ego.

The rapper announced his new album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce), Thursday night.

The announcement, which aired during the NFL Draft, featured a trailer for a fake true crime series, Detroit Murder Files, about the “cold case” murder of Slim Shady.

The host sets the scene calling Slim Shady the “blond antihero” who had “no shortage of enemies,” while 50 Cent tells the camera, “I thought we were friends. He’s not a friend. He’s a psychopath.”

Then we see an interview with someone who has their identity hidden as they speculate on Slim’s killer. “Whoever did it, I’d like to shake their hand one day,” he says.

The album title then flashes across the screen with the words: “Summer 2024.” At the end of the clip, the anonymous participant is revealed to be Eminem himself.

The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) marks Eminem first album since 2020’s Music to be Murdered By.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

Jon Bon Jovi is putting all his cards on the table with new Hulu docuseries

April 26, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Bon Jovi is looking back at their 40-year career with the new four-part docuseries Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, and front man Jon Bon Jovi tells ABC Audio he’s very proud of the final product.

“Overall, it’s a very emotional piece, to see your life flash before your eyes,” he says. “You’re showing everything. You’re putting all your cards on the table.”

As for why he felt now was the right time for such an in-depth look at the band, Jon says, “I just felt that it was an opportunity for us to mark the first 40 years and to look back while I’m looking ahead.”

There’s no doubt Bon Jovi’s devoted fan base will tune in to watch — and while some may think they know all there is to know about the group, Jon thinks there’s still a lot fans can learn about how the band got to where they are today.

“I think that folks think that these songs fall out of the sky, and then we just do things,” he says. “There’s a lot of hard work that goes into making it look easy.”

But will this documentary bring a new set of fans to Bon Jovi? Jon’s not so sure.

“That’s what’s interesting about putting a documentary out,” he says. “Even if you have a perception of something, how it’s then viewed and perceived by others is completely out of your control.”

Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story premieres Friday, April 26, on Hulu.

Pearl Jam raffling tickets to sold-out NYC show

April 26, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Pearl Jam is raffling off tickets to one of their upcoming sold-out shows at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.

The grand prize winner will receive two tickets to PJ’s September 3 concert at the famed arena. Round-trip travel and a two-night hotel stay will be provided, as well.

You’ll also go home with a signed poster and vinyl copy of the new Pearl Jam album, Dark Matter.

The raffle is being run through the platform Fandiem and is open through June 26. A portion of the proceeds raised will benefit Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy Foundation charity organization.

For more info, visit Fandiem.com.

Dark Matter, the 12th Pearl Jam album and the follow-up to 2020’s Gigaton, dropped April 19. Pearl Jam will launch a North American tour in support of the record May 4 in Vancouver.

For KING + COUNTRY’s Joel says writing, directing, starring in ‘Unsung Hero’ was like “drinking from a fire hose”

April 26, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Unsung Hero, a biopic about the family of music duo for KING + COUNTRY, opens April 26. For KING + COUNTRY’s Joel Smallbone co-wrote the movie, directed it and stars in it as his father, which he said was pretty challenging mentally.

The movie’s about how David Smallbone and his pregnant wife, Helen, uprooted their six kids and moved to Nashville after David lost their savings. The flat-broke family survived on the kindness of strangers until daughter Rebecca became a Christian music star.

On set, though, Joel found himself in the weird position of doing scenes as his father, while another actor played him as a small child.

“It’s like, ‘I am my dad. But that is me. But I am me and this is my mum. But I’m kissing my mum. But it’s not my mum, it’s an actor,'” he says. “Like, [it] just breaks your brain.”

As for how he managed to direct and star in the film, having never directed before, Joel says musicians are great at multitasking, so he just transferred those skills to the set.

“It was outrageous. It was intense. It was drinking from a fire hose. It was all of those things,” he notes. “But somehow I felt in such a flow with it all.”

As for the added pressure of making sure his entire family was OK with the film, Joel reports, “Everyone was really proud of it and thrilled. And it’s been really redeeming for all of us.”

So, who is the Unsung Hero of the title?

“Depending on your life experience … folks are coming at it and seeing themselves in different ways, which is beautiful,” says Joel. “My mom and my sister Rebecca are kind of my personal unsung heroes in the film.”

George Birge on scoring a #1 hit: “It’s something that I’ve chased for a long time”

April 26, 2024 by WDNY Radio

There’s nothing quite like scoring your first chart-topping single, especially when it’s something you’ve worked toward for years.

That’s how George Birge feels about “Mind on You,” especially after moving to Nashville years ago to chase his country music dreams.

“What a feeling. It’s something that I’ve chased for a long time,” George tells ABC Audio. “You never really know if it’s going to come true and to have ‘Mind on You’ go number one, last day of the year, December 31st. What a way to close a chapter and start a new one for me.”

So, how did George celebrate his first #1 hit? Well, let’s just say it was simple and sweet.

“I was actually back in Texas with my family. I found out on a Thursday that we had a lead that was not going to be caught up to [on the country charts], so I went to the liquor store down the street from my house that I was staying at. I bought the nicest bottle of wine I could find,” George shares.

“It was like a $100 bottle of wine. And we popped that, me and my wife, and had a great night, man,” he recalls. “So, pretty low-key, but a great way to celebrate.”

You can find “Mind on You” on George’s debut album, George Birge: Mind On You. His latest single, “Cowboy Songs,” is the title track of his follow-up seven-track EP, which arrived in April.

Music notes: Sheryl Crow, Taylor Swift and more

April 25, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Sheryl Crow is a Billie Eilish fan. After Billie posted photos from her Rolling Stone cover shoot to Instagram, Sheryl took to the comment section to send her some love. “Man, I love what you do so much! So glad you are on the cover!!” Sheryl wrote.

Travis Kelce‘s mom, Donna Kelce, says Taylor Swift doesn’t need her advice on growing older, People reports. “She doesn’t need my advice on anything,” Donna said. “In fact, I hope she will give me advice.”

Andrea Bocelli is celebrating 30 years of making music with a three-day event this summer in Lajatico, Italy. Taking place on July 15, 17 and 19, Andrea Bocelli 30: The Celebration will feature a number of additional performers, including Ed Sheeran, Shania Twain, Jon Batiste and David Foster. It’ll be recorded and released as a concert film directed by Sam Wrench, who helmed Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour last year.

Premiere date set for Lollapalooza docuseries

April 25, 2024 by WDNY Radio

The Lollapalooza docuseries now has a premiere date.

The three-part Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza will debut May 21 on Paramount+. It’ll follow Lollapalooza’s history from its formation in 1991 as a touring festival to becoming the Chicago destination event it is today, all while exploring the “exciting and strangely symbiotic 30+ year relationship” between Lolla and its founder, Jane’s Addiction front man Perry Farrell.

“Finally, someone cares about the generation that no one cared about,” Farrell says in a press release.

Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza was first announced in 2023 and debuted during the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in January.

Meanwhile, Lollapalooza 2024 takes place August 1-4 and features headliners including blink-182, The Killers and Hozier.

Talking Heads to sit down for Q&A at two ‘Stop Making Sense’ screenings

April 25, 2024 by WDNY Radio

The members of Talking Heads will once again reunite to talk about their groundbreaking documentary, Stop Making Sense.

All four members of the group — David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison — will come together to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the concert documentary at two Q&A sessions following screenings of the film. They took part in a similar Q&A at the Toronto Film Festival in September.

Brooklyn, New York’s Kings Theatre announced the band members will be on hand for a June 13 screening of the film, with the Q&A moderated by Questlove. The event will also feature The Linda Lindas covering “Found a Job” from the upcoming Stop Making Sense tribute album, Everyone’s Getting Involved: A Tribute to Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense, which comes out May 17.

A ticket presale is open now, with tickets going on sale to the general public on Friday, April 26.

Brooklyn Vegan reports that the band will also be on hand for a June 4 screening of the film at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles, which is where the original Stop Making Sense concerts took place. That night’s Q&A will be moderated by Fred Armisen and will feature Blondshell performing “Thank You For Sending Me an Angel,” also from the tribute album.

Considered by many to be the greatest concert film of all time, Stop Making Sense, directed by Jonathan Demme, was recorded over three shows at Pantages Theatre in December 1983; the documentary came out the following October.

A Stop Making Sense Collectors Edition Blu-ray, featuring two extended cuts of the film, a 25-minute documentary and more, will be released May 8. It is available for preorder now.

Nashville notes: Jo Dee’s livestream + Darius and Jennifer’s collab

April 25, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Can’t be at Jo Dee Messina‘s Friday show at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium? Fret not, she’s bringing it to you via livestream. You can get all the information on how to watch it at Veeps’ website.

Sara Evans is dropping her new song “21 Days” on Friday, and it’s available for presave now. The track previews Sara’s forthcoming album, Unbroke, arriving June 7.

Darius Rucker has announced that he’s dropping a duet version of his song “Never Been Over” with Jennifer Nettles on Friday. “Just when I thought I loved this song, here comes Jennifer taking it over the top!!” Darius shares on Instagram.

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