Music

Superstar singer and songwriter Solange Knowles continues to expand her musical resume. 

The 36-year-old entertainer attended the 10th anniversary Fall Fashion Gala in New York Wednesday, after commissioned by the New York City Ballet to compose an original score for the special event and the ballet season. According to the organization, Solange became only the third woman and second Black woman to compose a piece for the ballet. Columbian musician Lido Pimienta composed an original for the NYCB 2021 Fall Gala. 

The “Cranes in the Sky” singer took to Twitter last month to share the exciting news. 

“Very excited to announce i’ve composed an original score for the New York City Ballet,” she wrote. “choreography by Gianna Reisen , score performed by the City Ballet Orchestra + soloist from my ensemble.”

Rooting for Solange was none other than her mother, Tina Knowles-Lawson, who acknowledged her daughter’s great achievements in a sweet message on Instagram.

“I am beyond proud of Solange ! She is always kicking down doors and opening doors for other Artist of Color!” she captioned the post, sharing a photo of Solange’s spread in The New York Times. “Congratulations my little genius I love you and am so proud ! Keep on opening doors.”

Per Solange’s social media, her music can be heard during shows held throughout the month of October and again in May. 

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Parker McCollum is returning to RodeoHouston for 2023, where he’ll headline the first day of the extensive, star-packed festival proceedings.

It’s not the first time Parker’s headlined the rodeo, but next year’s performance will be a little bit different, as plans were unveiled this week for an opening day packed full of special events celebrating all things Texas.

That includes a performance from a local band on the Stars Over Texas stage, plus an early bird giveaway of custom-made Howdy bobbleheads for the first 10,000 people to show up to the festival.

Of course, it’ll all close out with Parker’s performance. He’s the perfect performer to celebrate the hometown theme: He hails from Conroe, Texas, just 40 miles north of Houston. The singer also proved to be a crowd favorite when performed at a previous RodeoHouston to a packed crowd of 73,243 fans.

Parker’s headlining set will kick off RodeoHouston 2023 on February 28. Tickets go on sale to the public on October 6.

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Earlier this year, Alt-J performed a show in London, during which they played their 2012 debut album An Awesome Wave in full to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Now, the band has announced a stream of the concert.

You’ll be able to watch the performance via the streaming platform Moment beginning October 19.

“We dusted off some songs we hadn’t played live for almost ten years, reunited with [ex-member] Gwil [Sainsbury] for two songs and generally celebrated the anniversary of the album the best way we could think of,” Alt-J says. “If you weren’t at the gig, we are happy to say the full set was filmed by Moment for your viewing pleasure. We hope you enjoy it.”

For more info, visit Moment.co/AltJ.

Meanwhile, Alt-J has launched a podcast detailing the making of An Awesome Wave. The five-part series, titled Things Will Get Better, is out now.

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Arctic Monkeys have premiered a new song called “Body Paint,” a track off their upcoming album, The Car.

You can listen to “Body Paint” now via digital outlets and watch its accompanying video streaming now on YouTube.

The Car, which also features the previously released single “There’d Better Be a Mirrorball,” will be released October 21. It’s the seventh studio Arctic Monkeys effort and the first since 2018’s Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino.

Arctic Monkeys will be touring South America, Australia and the U.K. later this year and into 2023 in support of The Car. Alex Turner and company don’t currently have any U.S. dates on their schedule, but you can watch them perform “Body Paint” on Thursday’s episode of NBC’s The Tonight Show.

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Maren Morris has long been a vocal supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, and in recent weeks, her support for trans youth has been particularly visible.

The singer made headlines following a fiery back-and-forth with Brittany Aldean, wife of superstar Jason Aldean, after Brittany posted an Instagram reel that thanked her parents for not “changing my gender” when she went through “my tomboy phase.”

Maren, along with singer Cassadee Pope, flagged the comments as transphobic, and things continued to get heated, culminating in Brittany’s appearance on Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight. Show host Tucker Carlson described Maren as a “Lunatic country music person,” which she promptly made into a T-shirt, ultimately raising $500,000 for GLAAD and the Trans Lifeline.

Now, Maren is back with a second T-shirt design. This time, it’s a purple tee for #SpiritDay, an October 20 initiative to raise money for GLAAD’s push against youth bullying, that reads “You Have a Seat at This Table.” That could be a reference to a lyric in “Crowded Table,” a song released by Maren’s band, The Highwomen.

“At its core, country music is for everyone,” Maren explains in a new interview with GLAAD. “It’s not just for one type of person. It’s everyone’s stories. It’s storytelling. So yeah, I definitely feel like that became apparent over the last few weeks.”

One-hundred percent of the proceeds of Maren’s new shirt benefit GLAAD’s work supporting LGBTQ youth. Additionally, she’s partnering with Fandiem and Bandsintown for a sweepstakes supporting GLAAD; the winner will win a flyaway plus tickets to a stop on her Humble Quest tour and more. To learn more and donate to win, visit Fandiem.

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September 29, 1992, was a veritable grunge-a-palooza.

Thirty years ago today, both Alice in Chains‘ Dirt and Stone Temple Pilots‘ Core were released.

Dirt followed Alice’s 1990 debut Facelift, which put the band, and the signature harmonized vocals of Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell on the map with the single “Man in the Box.” As AiC prepped their sophomore follow-up, the grunge scene had begun to take off, and the budding genre eventually became a household term as Nirvana‘s Nevermind hit #1 on the Billboard 200 in January 1992.

A few weeks before Dirt dropped, the new Cameron Crowe movie Singles premiered in theaters, which featured Alice in Chains performing the album’s lead single, “Would?” When Dirt did arrive, it debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200, which was then a career-high for AiC.

Dirt also featured the singles “Rooster,” “Them Bones,” “Down in a Hole” and “Angry Chair.” The album would go on to earn a Grammy nomination and is today certified five-times Platinum by the RIAA.

As the grunge explosion continued, the “Seattle sound” of Nirvana, Alice, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden was no longer constricted to just the Pacific Northwest. Down the coast, Stone Temple Pilots were building a following in Southern California, leading to the release of their debut album, Core.

In addition to being geographical outsiders, Scott Weiland and company weren’t exactly critical darlings and were often dismissed as Pearl Jam imitators. Nevertheless, STP connected with listeners, who eventually propelled Core to #3 on the Billboard 200.

Singles including “Plush” and “Creep” are now considered ’90s classics, while Core has been certified eight-times Platinum.

Both AiC and STP have released deluxe reissues of Dirt and Core in honor of their respective albums’ milestone anniversaries.

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Meghan Trainor says her new album, Takin’ It Back, symbolizes a rebirth of her music career after her confidence was shattered by the pandemic.

The Grammy winner appeared on Smallzy’s Surgery to explain how going back to her doo-wop roots helped her out of her funk. She revealed she views her new album as an updated version of her debut album, revealing, “I call it Title 2.0.”

“I think COVID really broke my confidence in my career,” she confessed. When the pandemic shut the music industry down, she worried that had killed her momentum. Her main concerns were she’d never come back and fans would forget her. “That really messed up [my] mind,” she added.

What helped rebuild her confidence was when her old songs went viral on TikTok. Meghan also felt relief when she heard that new artists wanted to do “that Meghan Trainor sound” a.k.a. doo-wop. She recalled thinking to herself, “They still know who I am?”

The “No” singer says her new album will detail the insecurity she felt at the time and how she overcame it. “I forgot all the good I had ever done before,” she confessed. “And I had to remind myself.”  

Takin’ It Back arrives October 21. Meghan revealed she’s about to release a new song off the album, titled, “Mama Wanna Mambo.”

Speaking of mama, Meghan admits she’s feeling some “mom guilt” for having to head Down Under to serve as a first-time judge on Australian Idol. The singer hates being away from her son, Riley, and confessed, “I wish I was with him.”

Thankfully, her family will soon move to Australia, where Meghan confirmed she and husband Daryl Sabara will try for baby number two. “I’m banking on twins at this point,” she declared.

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If your love of metal expands beyond just the music, then perhaps you’d be interested in a James Hetfield cigar or an Ozzy Osbourne burger.

The Metallica frontman has launched his own signature stogie, according to Cigar Aficionado. The Blacked M81 was created in collaboration with cigar maker Jonathan Drew and distiller Rob Dietrich, who also works with Metallica on their Blackened Whiskey.

“The three of us connected and shared each other’s vision and story about where we’ve been, what we like to see and what is important to us now,” Hetfield says. “We all came up with what a Blackened M81 cigar would look and taste like.”

Cigar Aficionado will be offering Blackened M81s at the magazine’s upcoming Big Smoke Las Vegas event in November.

Meanwhile, the metal-themed burger joint Grill ‘Em All has announced a new sandwhich inspired by Ozzy. Fittingly for the Prince of Darkness, the burger is served on a black bun with “house made
chimichurri, garlic aioli, blue cheese, onion frizzle and field greens” topping a half-pound of meat.

You can try one for yourself this Saturday, October 1 at the Grill ‘Em All in Alhambra, California. While the real Ozzy won’t be in attendance, the 25-foot inflatable version of the Black Sabbath frontman, which previously made its debut over the summer at San Diego Comic-Con, will be on display.

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BET announced Thursday the lineup for the 2022 Hip Hop Awards rap cyphers, naming some of the hottest artists on the rise. 

Baby Tate, Big Boss Vette, Deetranada, Guapdad 4000, Jayson Cash, Ray Vaughn, Reuben Vincent, Sa-Roc, Sauce Walka and Topaz Jones will take part in the on-air cyphers. 

The show will also feature a digital-exclusive cypher featuring up-and-comers Armani Caesar, KenTheMan, Nana, Navelle Hice, OT The Real and Yung Pooda.

Prior to the all-important cyphers will be the Twitter awards pre-show hosted by Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast hosts Gillie Da Kid and Wallo. 

Leading this year’s nominations with 14 is Drake, whose nods include Lyricist of the Year, Best Live Performer and Hip Hop album of the Year. Ye follows closely with 10 nods and Kendrick Lamar with 9. 

Miami’s own rap princess, Trina, is this year’s recipient of the I Am Hip Hop Award. 

“I am honored to receive and accept the 2022 I Am Hip Hop Award presented by BET,” Trina said via press release. “As a legend with over 20 years in the music industry, consistency and unity have contributed to my Rockstarr power as a femcee. I believe when one woman wins, whether it’s in front of the camera or behind the scenes, we all WIN. Let’s keep winning!”

The 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards, hosted by Fat Joe, airs Tuesday, October 4 at 9 p.m. ET on BET.

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