Music

When the members of The Head and the Heart were finally able to meet up and record their upcoming album Every Shade of Blue, they decided to head home.

“We chose to go back to Seattle,” vocalist Jonathan Russell tells ABC Audio. “We chose to go to the same studio that we did our first two records at.”

That return to the city where The Head and the Heart was first founded in 2009, coupled with the fact that the band members hadn’t seen each other in person in over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, made recording Every Shade of Blue feel like a “homecoming.”

“We just had so many memories there,” Russull says. He recalls stumbling upon a bike that he had left at the studio a decade earlier.

“My bicycle was literally in the same position in the garage in the studio,” he shares. “It had some flat tires, but other than that, it was good to go.”

For a recording process so steeped in Seattle, it may seem odd that the current single off Every Shade of Blue pays tribute to a place on the complete other side of the country. The song, titled “Virginia (Wind in the Night),” refers to Russell’s pre-Seattle home, where he’s since moved back to and lives now.

Writing a song about Virginia with a band formed in Seattle, Russell says, represents the “strange dichotomy” of The Head and the Heart.

“We all met in Seattle…but the funny thing was it was purely coincidental,” Russell says. “Two people were from California that came up in completely separate times for different reasons, two of us were from Virginia at different times, and then two members were born-and-raised in Seattle.”

Every Shade of Blue drops April 29.

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On April 8, expect your favorite artists’ socials to be flooded with messages calling for support for Ukraine amid the Russian invasion and the associated humanitarian crisis.

Among the artists participating in the Stand Up for Ukraine social media movement are Stevie Nicks, U2, Billy Joel, Ozzy Osbourne, Elton John, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Green Day, Radiohead and many more.

Organized by Global Citizen, Stand Up for Ukraine is designed to mobilize people across the globe to call on world leaders to commit billions of dollars to help refugees. It takes place ahead of a global humanitarian pledging summit on April 9.

More than 12 million people need assistance due to the war in Ukraine, and more than 6.5 million have been displaced internally; in addition, more than 3.5 million have left the country for neighboring countries. Nearly two million are women and children. Since the conflict began, one child from Ukraine becomes a refugee every second.

Visit GlobalCitizen.org to learn how to participate yourself.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On April 8, expect your favorite artists’ socials to be flooded with messages calling for support for Ukraine amid the Russian invasion and the associated humanitarian crisis.

Among the artists participating in the Stand Up for Ukraine social media movement are Ozzy Osbourne, Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, Radiohead, Billie Eilish, Green Day, Pearl Jam, Tame Impala, FINNEAS and many more.

Organized by Global Citizen, Stand Up for Ukraine is designed to mobilize people across the globe to call on world leaders to commit billions of dollars to help refugees. It takes place ahead of a global humanitarian pledging summit on April 9.

More than 12 million people need assistance due to the war in Ukraine, and more than 6.5 million have been displaced internally; in addition, more than 3.5 million have left the country for neighboring countries. Nearly two million are women and children. Since the conflict began, one child from Ukraine becomes a refugee every second.

Visit GlobalCitizen.org to learn how to participate yourself.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On Instagram on Monday, Coi Leray announced that her debut album, Trendsetter, is dropping on April 8. 

Revealing what seems to be the album cover, the “No More Parties” rapper said, “This will be one of the biggest female artist albums in the world and I put my life on it it’s not a race, it’s a Trendsetter Marathon.”

News of the albums comes at the same time that her latest single, “Blick Blick” featuring Nicki Minaj, charted at number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

New York Rapper Bobby Shmurda is finally free from his contract with Epic Records, after months of publicly expressing grief with his career progression as a member of the label.

“To all Shmurda fans aka the Shmurdas. I just sign my release papers also jus made ah milly today,” the rapper said in an Instagram story. 

It was just last month that he took to social media, comparing his contract to his recent six-year jail sentence and claiming that the label didn’t want to release him from his contract.

“This is not a cry for help this is a message and understanding for my fans that they stopping my music and prolonging my career,” Shmurda said. “It’s been ah year now I still feel like I’m in prison…I need them to let me goooooooo!!! #FreeShmurda.”

Now a free agent, the rapper is ready to drop new music. 

There was certainly a lot that transpired at last night’s Oscar Awards. One positive moment that shouldn’t be overlooked is the reunion of the cast of hit 1992 hit film White Men Can’t Jump.

In celebration of the movie’s 30th anniversary on Sunday, stars Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson and Rosie Perez reunited to present the award for Best Cinematography.

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is launching a “formal review” of the confrontation between Will Smith and Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars when Smith walked on stage and slapped Rock in the face.

“The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show. We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law,” the Academy said in a statement Monday.

According to their standards of conduct, the Academy is “categorically opposed to any form of abuse.”

“If any member is found by the Academy to have violated these standards or to have compromised the integrity of the Academy by their actions — whether in a professional or non- professional setting — the Academy may take any disciplinary action permitted by the Academy’s Bylaws, up to and including suspension of membership or expulsion from membership,” the Academy states in the document.

The confrontation occurred when Rock, who was presenting the Oscar for best documentary at the 94th Academy Awards, made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, starring in a sequel to the 1997 film G.I. Jane, seemingly in reference to her shaved head. Pinkett Smith has been open about having alopecia, an autoimmune disorder which results in hair loss.

Smith went on to win the Oscar for best actor for his role in King Richard, apologizing to the Academy and his fellow nominees in a tearful acceptance speech.

After the show, the Academy tweeted in part, “The Academy does not condone violence of any form.”

The Los Angeles Police Department told ABC News it was aware of the altercation, but no police report had been filed.

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Alvina Anderson, Anthony Anderson‘s wife of 22 years, has filed for divorce, marking a second attempt to legally separate from the black-ish star.

According to court documents obtained by People, Alvina cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split, the date of which she listed as “TBD,” and is seeking spousal support as well as paid legal fees by Anthony.

She rescinded her initial 2015 filing and is said to have worked on fixing the relationship. She now asks that property acquired during the marriage be treated as “community” property but “All gifts and inheritance, all assets, earnings, accumulations, and debts acquired by [Alvina] prior to the date of marriage and after the date of separation” be treated as separate property, according to People.

Alvina and Anthony tied the knot in September 1999 and share children Nathan, 22, and Kyra, 26.

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Chad Smith is one proud papa today: His daughter earned a Golden Ticket to Hollywood on Sunday night’s American Idol.

Under the name Ava Maybee, the 20-year-old daughter of the Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer sang Stevie Wonder‘s classic “Lately,” and impressed judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie. Richie compared Ava’s alto voice to that of Cher, and Perry said it was a “cool sound.”  Bryan said he felt that Ava was an “artist,” adding, “I’m interested to hear and see more of what you’ve got goin’ on.”

Richie then said he was going to “go against” the singer’s family, joking, “You’re not going to be a ‘maybe,’ you’re going to be a ‘for sure.'” Perry and Bryan dubbed her “Ava Yes,” and told her she was going to Hollywood.  Perry also complimented Ava’s outfit, which mixed florals with leopard print.

Ava’s birth name is Ava Maybee Cardoso Smith. 

American Idol‘s Hollywood Week starts tonight on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.

The Chili Peppers will release their new album, Unlimited Love, on April 1.

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The house where Trisha Yearwood films Trisha’s Southern Kitchen is sentimental for many reasons, one of which is that it’s where she used to cook for husband Garth Brooks, before they were married.

While giving a tour of the set, Trisha reveals that she actually owned the house in Nashville before it was used for her show on the Food Network, and says that the coolest person she’s ever cooked for in the home was none other than the country legend. In fact, it was in that kitchen where she first started to fall in love with her future husband. 

“I actually cooked for Garth in this kitchen long before there was a TV show,” she explains, recalling how she made a fettuccine Alfredo dish so rich that he “almost fell asleep in the plate.”

“But I think that was the beginning of me knowing that ‘I’m going to marry this guy,'” she reveals. 

Other secrets Trisha gives away includes that one of her favorite items in the kitchen is the Gwendolyn cake platters, designed from sketches created by her late mother, Gwen, who was also a baker and master cake decorator. 

Among the items you’ll always find in the fridge are milk, eggs and coffee creamer. Items you’ll never see? Sardines or wasabi. 

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