Music

Wynonna Judd is currently in the midst of The Judds’ farewell tour, a trek that she originally planned with her mom and duet partner, Naomi Judd.

But things changed after they announced the string of dates. Naomi died by suicide on April 30 at the age of 76 after a lifelong battle with mental illness. Wynonna ultimately decided to go ahead with the tour, albeit reconfigured as an all-star girls’ night with a rotating cast of guest performers, including Trisha Yearwood, Kelsea Ballerini, Ashley McBryde and others.

Though stepping out onstage without Naomi is a difficult and emotional experience, Wynonna says that the tour is a chance for both her and the audience to close a chapter of the legendary mother-daughter duo’s career.

“This is my opportunity to step into a situation that I don’t know that I am ready to do what I’m about to do, but I think it’s going to heal me,” the singer tells People.

She hopes that it’ll be a similarly cathartic experience for the concertgoers, many of whom have been fans of the Judds for decades and are also grieving Naomi’s death.

“I’m teaching what I want to learn, which is how to have peace and joy in a really negative [time],” Wynonna continues. “I want people to know that they’re loved. I want people to know that there is hope.”

The Judds Final Tour continues through this month. Martina McBride, who was named as the opening act on the original billing, will continue to perform all the dates.

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The xx hasn’t released a new album in over five years, but according to bassist/vocalist Oliver Sim, that streak won’t last forever.

Speaking with Consequence’s Kyle Meredith with… podcast, Sim declares that the “Crystalised” trio “definitely” plans to continue putting out new material.

“The xx will always be my home and will always be my priority,” Sim says. “Normally I wouldn’t speak for [bandmates] Romy [Madley Croft] and Jamie [xx], but I know they feel the same.”

Sim just dropped his debut solo album, Hideous Bastard, last month, and he’s “excited’ to see how that, as well as Croft and Jamie’s own solo material, will impact the direction of The xx’s music going forward.

“How is this gonna change the band?” Sim wonders. “What have we all learned independently?”

Before you start getting too excited, Sim notes that “nothing is recorded at the moment,” but does confirm that “There is more music from The xx, definitely.”

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When Carly Pearce stepped onstage at the Grand Ole Opry on Tuesday night, her performance was extra meaningful and emotional: Loretta Lynn’s death had been announced just that morning.

Fans in the crowd might’ve guessed that Carly would perform “Dear Miss Loretta,” a tribute to the country legend that she included on 29: Written in Stone in September 2021, and she did — but that’s not all.

While she was onstage, Carly explained that after she released “Dear Miss Loretta,” she got a voicemail response about the song from Loretta herself. Then, she proceeded to pull out her cell phone and play the message for the crowd.

True to Loretta’s deadpan, forthright personality, the voicemail contained plenty of humor. “I’m layin’ here in bed, just taking it easy. I’m fixin’ to get up and wash my face maybe, comb my hair….I haven’t got no place to go, have I?!” the message opens.

But Loretta’s words quickly become more heartfelt. “I love your song. Thank you, sweetheart. I love you, honey,” she continues. “Come and see me sometime.”

As she played the voicemail, Carly turned to the crowd with tears in her eyes. “I’ve listened to that message a lot today, and if that doesn’t capture the purest form and the essence of her beautiful soul, I don’t know what else does,” she said before launching into her performance of “Dear Miss Loretta.”

Loretta Lynn died on Tuesday, October 4 at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. She was 90.

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How is Rihanna feeling about becoming the newest Super Bowl halftime performer? She finally broke her silence but made it clear she’s keeping her cards close.

TMZ ambushed the star in Los Angeles after she was done shopping to ask about the big game. Rihanna called the pap “sneaky” for waiting for her outside the store, but that didn’t stop her from throwing a few bones.

“I’m nervous,” she revealed through a dramatic whine when asked how she feels about taking on football’s biggest stage. She then quickly deadpanned, “But I’m excited.”

The pap didn’t let up and continued peppering Rihanna with NFL-centered questions, namely who will be accompanying her on the halftime show.

At the moment, no one has been announced as the singer’s co-headliner; there are some reports Rihanna will do the event solo — as Lady Gaga did in 2017.

The paparazzi threw out a few potential guests to Rihanna, such as A$AP Rocky, but she declined to answer. Instead, Rihanna threw up a peace sign and continued walking to her car. The hitmaker did call out a polite “Thank you, girl” before climbing into the vehicle.

The Super Bowl halftime show will mark Rihanna’s return to music after an extended, six-year absence. The singer last released the album Anti and its supporting tour back in 2016.

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Nickelback has shared a new song from their upcoming album, Get Rollin’.

The track is called “Those Days,” but we’d guess that its working title was “Photograph Pt. 2” given how both songs are about looking back at your youth.

“Those Days” includes the lyrics, “Remember when they played ‘Purple Rain’ to our first slow dance” and “Remember Guns N’ Roses came out we were standing in line.” Sadly, there’s no update on Joey or whatever the hell was on his head.

You can listen to “Those Days” now via digital outlets. It’s also accompanied by a lyric video full of references to Star Wars, Top Gun and other retro movies, streaming now on YouTube.

Get Rollin’, the 10th Nickelback album and follow-up to 2017’s No Fixed Address, is due out November 18. It also includes the previously released single “San Quentin.”

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Charlie Puth‘s new album, Charlie, is coming out on Friday, and he wanted to reflect on how far he’s come as an artist.

Sitting down with Allure, Charlie reviewed his past music videos — starting with 2015’s “See You Again” with Wiz Khalifa. “I was actually not supposed to be in this music video,” the hitmaker recalled. He said it goes a step further, explaining, “I wrote this song for Sam Smith, Adele, Eminem, Skylar Grey, Chris Brown, Lil Wayne — they all auditioned to sing it. I was never intended to be the artist on this song.” 

Another standout music video was “Attention”; Charlie admitted he threw up on the set while filming. The singer has a super sensitive tummy — as evidenced in James Corden‘s 2017 bit “Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts” — and that got the better of him. 

He revealed the actress “portrayed a crazy ex-girlfriend so well” in the glass-smashing scene that he forgot they were acting, adding that scene was a reenactment of what actually happened in real life.

Looking back at the “How Long” music video, Charlie admitted it makes him cringe because it “showed the whole world that I really couldn’t dance.” “I can’t look at it. It’s so bad,” he said.

In addition, he had the police called on him because they filmed the video until 7 a.m., and people were tired of hearing his music. “There’s a lot of drama surrounding my music videos,” he laughed.

Charlie also had some love for “Left and Right” with BTS‘ Jungkook, adding the colors they wore represented the two sides of the brain. He called Jungkook “a trooper” because his schedule was incredibly stacked. Despite flying straight from South Korea, Jungkook powered through jet lag to shoot the video in a day.

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Stacey Abrams, one of the most pivotal voices on voting rights, lands on the cover of Essence Magazine‘s October issue. 

With the 2022 midterm elections quickly approaching on November 8, the Georgia politician opens up about the importance of voting and shares a fearful part of the election process.

“What is the most devastating response to me is when someone says, ‘My vote doesn’t matter.’ Of course it matters,” she says. “You may not win with your vote every time, but you make them work for it every time. That’s the point. If somebody’s got to work for something, they’re not going to be as mean to you as they were. They’re not going to ignore you the way they do.”

For the month’s Paint the Polls Black issue, Abrams delves into ideas pertaining to the Black vote, the meaning behind the Black community voting in their best interest and the younger generation’s beliefs. A vital part of the voting process, she says, is electing those who care about the Black community.

“We must elect candidates who see us, hear us, represent us, and have a commitment to passing legislation that ensures our communities have the opportunity to thrive,” she expresses.

Abrams is currently running to become the first Black woman governor of Georgia and the first ever in U.S. history. Her passion for community service, voting rights and equality helps fuel her, but she’s also driven by her upbringing and the values instilled in her at an early age. 

“[My parents] always reminded us that our faith should be a shield to protect and not a sword to strike down,” she told Essence. “This belief still guides me today as I fight to ensure that Georgians of all backgrounds are seen [and] heard.”

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Blake Shelton is a staple in modern country music, but he appreciate all types of music, as evidenced by the music that shows up on his playlists.

When he has a date night with wife Gwen Stefani, Blake says the couple is likely listening to ’80s love songs by Phil Collins, R.E.M. and REO Speedwagon. 

On a day of relaxation with Gwen and her sons, Kingston, Zuma and Apollo, the playlist spans generations — the boys repeatedly request the 1987 hit “Walk the Dinosaur,” while Blake and Gwen have introduced them to “Never Gonna Give You Up” singer Rick Astley. 

“The kids are just now discovering Rick Astley,” Blake shares. “That’s pretty much it, back and forth those two songs.”

As for what gets him hyped up before hitting the stage, Blake blends his love for country and rock ‘n’ roll, listening to Hank Williams Jr.’s classic “A Country Boy Can Survive,” along with AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses. “Something that will really get me pumped up,” he says of the tone. 

As for what he’s listening to while working out, the singer can’t help but chuckle at the thought. 

“Did you just ask me if I’m exercising and working out?” he says laughing, adding that his “go-to” track is “Hot Hot Hot” by Caribbean singer Arrow.  

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Another day, another one of Taylor Swift‘s Midnights Mayhem with Me. Thanks to this unique TikTok series, fans now know the title of the ninth track off her upcoming album, Midnights.

Taylor maintained her ’70s theme as she once again spun the bingo cage to pluck a brand new ball out of the pile. This time, fate told her to reveal the title for song number nine.

“Track nine is called… ‘Bejeweled,'” Taylor revealed while speaking into her signature red phone. Unfortunately, that was all the information she was willing to part with at this time.

The last track reveal yielded ball number three, so Taylor disclosed that “Anti-Hero” is the name of the third track. She also revealed a little bit about that particular number.

Taylor said on Instagram that “Anti-Hero” is one of the favorite songs she’s ever written and that it is about “delving into her insecurities.”

“I struggle a lot with the idea that my life has become unmanageably sized and, not to sound too dark, but I struggle with the idea of not feeling like a person,” she had explained. “This song really is a real guided tour throughout all of the things I tend to hate about myself.”

“I think it’s really honest,” she noted further.

Other previously revealed titles include track 13, “Mastermind”; track eight, “Vigilante S**t”; track seven, “Question…?”; track six, “Midnight Rain” and finally, track two, “Maroon.”

Midnights arrives in a little over two weeks — on Friday, October 21. 

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