Music

Dua Lipa will launch the second season of her podcast, Dua Lipa: At Your Service, with guest Monica Lewinsky.

The new season of the podcast — a companion to Dua’s Service95 newsletter —  begins September 23. On that day, Dua will host a Twitter Spaces chat on the Service95s account to answer fans’ questions and talk about the new season.

In a statement, Dua says, “Recording At Your Service’s first season and getting to share those conversations with so many was one of the most rewarding experiences. I’m thrilled to be bringing that same curiosity and insight to Season Two, where we have a new crop of cultural icons and thought leaders to bring to you all.”

“I’m honored to have the resilient Monica Lewinsky as my first guest,” she adds. Guests on season one included Elton John, Megan Thee Stallion, activist Amal Clooney, actor Riz Ahmed and Russell Brand.

As for Dua’s Service95 newsletter, which you can subscribe to for free, it features writings on style, the arts, culture and society, as well as a peek into Dua’s life and some of her favorite things.

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In Flames has announced a new album called Foregone.

The 14th studio effort from the Swedish metallers will arrive February 10, 2023.

“Going into the Foregone sessions, we wanted to make a record that was heavily guitar-driven, and that had a strong foundation between the bass and drums,” says frontman Anders Fridén. “We still approached our songwriting the same way, as we always have, as a juxtaposition between melody and aggression. That’s the DNA of our music. From the lyrical end of things, there was no shortage of inspiration to draw from, especially the concept of time.”

Forgone features the previously released songs “State of Slow Decay” and “The Great Deceiver.” A third cut, titled “Foregone Pt. 1,” is available now via digital outlets.

In Flames is currently on a U.S. tour, which continues through October.

Here’s the Foregone track list:

“The Beginning of All Things That Will End”
“State of Slow Decay”
“Meet Your Maker”
“Bleeding Out”
“Foregone Pt. 1”
“Foregone Pt. 2”
“Pure Light of Mind”
“The Great Deceiver”
“In the Dark”
“A Dialogue in B Flat Minor”
“Cynosure”
“End the Transmission”

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Gloria Estefan has long been a trailblazer in the Latino community, but one of her most famous songs almost didn’t come to pass because it was “too Latin sounding.” That song was “Conga.”

Appearing on ABC News’ Soul of a Nation, the Grammy winner revealed she never thought she’d become a professional singer. “I sang since I talked,” Estefan said. “It just came with me, but I didn’t feel the need to do it for other people.”

That changed when she met husband Emilio Estefan, who asked her to join his band, The Miami Latin Boys, upon hearing her sing. The newly formed Miami Sound Machine released its first album in January 1976, but nearly a decade later, Estefan said she and her husband still faced pushback.

“They didn’t want ‘Conga’ to be the single. They wanted another single and we told them ‘Conga’ is the single. They still put out another one.” Estefan said. “They thought that it wasn’t going to be the hit because they thought it was too Latin sounding.”

Songs like “Conga,” nonetheless, grabbed the nation’s attention and launched Miami Sound Machine up the charts. Despite their success, some still viewed the band’s Latin influence as a weakness.

Gloria recalled being told it’s “not a Latin market” and to “lose the percussion… lose the horns” by the industry.  “Some guy even told Emilio, ‘Lose the girl singer,'” she said.

Embracing her Cuban identity would ultimately be a key component to her meteoric rise to fame, as the group’s Latin beats and Cuban sounds resonated with both English and Spanish-speakers.

Alongside her husband, Gloria would eventually pave the way for the many successful Latin artists who succeeded her, such as Jennifer Lopez and Shakira; she continues to open doors whenever possible.

Soul of a Nation is streaming now on Hulu.

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Spice Girl Mel C, aka Sporty Spice, publishes her memoir Who I Am on Thursday, and in a new podcast, she discusses one of the book’s revelations: Ahead of the first full Spice Girls concert in 1997, she was sexually assaulted by a massage therapist in Istanbul, Turkey.

In the latest episode of Elizabeth Day‘s How to Fail podcast, Mel says, “We were in Istanbul. We did two shows over there and we’d never done a full-length concert before, so obviously we’d rehearsed for weeks ahead, costume fittings, makeup, hair, everything was leading to towards the pinnacle of everything I ever wanted to do, and ever wanted to be.”

“So here we were, the eve of the first-ever Spice Girls show, so I treat myself to a massage in the hotel,” she continues. “And what happened to me — I kind of buried it, immediately, because there were other things to focus on. I didn’t want to make a fuss but also I didn’t have time to deal with it.”

“Terrible things happen all the time and this situation wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been,” Mel explains, describing it as a “mild version” of sexual assault. Nonetheless, she says, “I felt violated. I felt very vulnerable. I felt embarrassed.”

It was only when writing her memoir that she woke up one day and realized that she’d never even considered including the incident in the book. But ultimately, she says she decided, “I think it’s really important for me to say it, and to finally deal with it and process it.” 

“It has affected me,” she adds, noting, “I’d buried and I’m sure lots of men and women…lots of people do.”

In the podcast episode, Mel also discusses her eating disorder, her suicidal thoughts and more.

If you are in crisis or know someone in crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or by visiting 988lifeline.org. You can also contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

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Michelle Branch‘s new album, The Trouble with Fever, comes out Friday, but the release has been somewhat overshadowed by the news of her marital problems with husband Patrick Carney of The Black Keys. Now, she’s opening up about how the two are trying to heal after she was arrested for slapping him.

Last month, Michelle accused Carney of infidelity in a now-deleted tweet, and then announced they were breaking up. But in a Thursday appearance on The Tamron Hall Show, Michelle said she and Carney are trying to save their marriage.

“We recently started therapy; I wish that we had started it six months ago,” Michell told Hall. “I wish that we had gotten help and talked to someone sooner, it’s made such a huge difference in such a short amount of time.”

Calling the slapping incident “not the finest moment of my life,” Michelle said, “To have that out in the world has been a lot, but all I can do is be honest about what I’m going through and what’s going on.”

Michelle explained that that night, she was seven months postpartum, sleep-deprived and stressed out, and she’d also had a few drinks at a party earlier.

“I didn’t have time to think about what I was doing,” she recalled. “It was one of those things where I was like, ‘Is this really happening?'”  She admitted, “I probably shouldn’t have let my anger get the best of me.”

However, Michelle said that perhaps “this horrible traumatic event” helped them realize that their marriage, as it was, was “unsustainable,” and that going to therapy will help them have “a stronger marriage than we’ve ever had.”

“We’re rolling up our sleeves and doing the work,” she concluded. “Which never sounds like fun, but we’re doing it.”

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Jimmy Kimmel has apologized to Abbott Elementary creator and star Quinta Brunson for his controversial Emmys stunt in which he played dead on the stage behind her while she accepted her award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.

For those who missed it, Kimmel was to announce the winner of the category, along with Will Arnett. Instead, Jimmy pretended to be passed out drunk and was dragged onto the stage by Will. The late-night host remained lying on the ground for the entirety of her acceptance speech. Brunson had to step over Kimmel’s body to reach the microphone. Though meant as a joke, the gag had many people more miffed than amused, and claiming it was disrespectful of Brunson’s winning moment.

But Brunson got her own back during Kimmel’s monologue Wednesday night, when she interrupted — Emmy in hand — to ask him for “a favor.”

“You know how when you win an Emmy and you only have 45 seconds to do an acceptance speech…and you get less time because someone does a dumb comedy bit that goes on a bit too long?” she joked, before asking for a couple of extra minutes to thank some people she overlooked Monday.

Kimmel later apologized to Brunson, calling the stunt a “dumb comedy bit.”

“I’m sorry I did do that, actually. And also, the last thing I would ever want to do was upset you because I think so much of you. And I think you know that — I hope you know that,” he continued.

Brunson graciously accepted, telling Kimmel, “It is very kind of you to say that.” She went on to explain that she was so “wrapped up in the moment” that she didn’t give Kimmel’s antics much thought. “I had a good night,” she added.

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The wait is over for the return of the Mexican Pizza to Taco Bell’s menu — and now the wait is nearly over for the Taco Bell TikTok musical.

That’s right: On Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, fans can watch the Mexican Pizza TikTok musical, starring Dolly Parton and other celebrities. Dolly teased the event on her social channels, posting snippets of the musical — and a poppy background score — in her Instagram Stories.

For the uninitiated, Mexican Pizza was discontinued from Taco Bell’s menu in 2020, leading to general uproar from superfans of the product, including rapper Doja Cat and Dolly herself.

They weren’t alone. A petition to bring back the Mexican Pizza netted 171,000 signatures, and Taco Bell listened, vowing to return the item to its menu and to launch a TikTok musical celebrating it.

Dolly announced her involvement in the musical — which was also inspired by a song Doja Cat wrote and posted on TikTok — in May.

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