Music

Machine Gun Kelly earned his first number-one album on the Billboard 200 with 2020’s Tickets to My Downfall, and he’s aiming to do that again with his next record, Mainstream Sellout.

Speaking with Billboard about his sales hopes for the upcoming effort, the “Bloody Valentine” rocker says, “One thing about Machine Gun Kelly: He doesn’t lose to the Encanto soundtrack.”

That may be easier said then done, since the “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”-spawning album ruled the Billboard 200 for eight straight frames before rapper Lil Durk dethroned it just this week. Billboard also notes that Kelly sounded “about 10% like he’s joking” when he made his declaration.

Still, Kelly is certainly confident in the material of Mainstream Sellout. “I’ve waited for this,” he says. “The confidence to hit ‘play’ and know that what’s about to come out of the speakers is what I’ve wanted to say all along.”

Like Tickets to My Downfall, Mainstream Sellout was recorded with Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, and continues Kelly’s pop-punk sound after spending his early career as a rapper. As Kelly tells Billboard, he originally planned to go back to rap for a Tickets follow-up, but he found he “love[s] playing guitar.”

“The 2010s was great for singers and rappers, and I was part of that,” Kelly says. “But I think we needed something else: We needed an instrument.”

He adds, “Kids come up to me like, ‘Dude, the first time I ever saw someone play guitar in concert was at your concert — and now I take guitar lessons.'”

Mainstream Sellout arrives this Friday, March 25.

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Gwen Stefani’s rocked a stellar array of looks over the years, but her latest might just be her best outfit yet — at least, if you ask her country superstar husband, Blake Shelton.

Gwen shared a hilarious step-by-step tutorial on how to rock true country style on TikTok this week, captioning the video, “why come back as a Country Boy when I can dress like one now?!” Of course, Blake’s chart-topping “Come Back as a Country” blasts in the background of the clip.

Even when she’s emulating his style, Gwen’s still the fashion expert of the household: The camera shows her hand-picking various items from Blake’s closet, and slaps her husband away when he tries to reach for the incorrect ball cap.

The results? A perfectly oversized hunting shirt, with baggy jeans and cowboy boots, plus the singer’s blonde hair pulled back under her cap. At the end of the video, Blake nods his approval toward the camera.

Gwen and Blake got married last summer on Blake’s Oklahoma ranch. His wedding vows to her came in the form of a song he wrote — and subsequently released to the public — called “We Can Reach the Stars.”

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Christina Perri has returned with “evergone,” the first single from her new album. Inspired by the devastating pregnancy loss she suffered in 2020, Christina says writing the song not only made her feel better, it convinced her to continue her music career.

“That song healed me so much,” Christina tells ABC Audio. “It was so authentically sort of put in my life at a time where I wasn’t even sure I was going to do this album or go back to work…I was in…like, a grief house is kind of what I call it…and I sort of stumbled upon this song.”

Specifically, an executive at Christina’s label sent her a snippet of the song, to which she responded, “I want to finish writing that. I want to make it my story.”

She adds, “It really kind of helped me. I mean, I already had an album finished. I just wasn’t sure what was gonna happen next.”

Reflecting on the song, Christina notes, “This could have just been a project for me…just to help me remember I love creating.” But after her team heard “evergone,” everyone agreed it was the right choice for a first single, to “honor” her “narrative.” As she explains, “I feel like my whole career. I’ve never skirted around real things I was going through.”

Christina continues, “I really feel like because I told my truth, because I made it super-specific, it did one of those magical things where it ends up being incredibly general and universal.”

And, she says, “evergone” is a good example of what you can expect from the new album.

“Nobody’s putting on the Christina Perri playlist to dance, you know what I mean?” she laughs. “It’s definitely  all about the feels. So if that’s what people are expecting, then I’ve really nailed it!”

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Will it be a girl or a boy for Rihanna?  The beauty mogul appears to be deliberately trying to throw people off the scent.  The British tabloid The Sun reports that over the weekend, Rihanna dropped $3,000 at the LA baby boutique Kitson Kids, but she bought both girls’ and boys’ clothing.  It’s similar to another recent shopping trip she took to Target where, The Sun reports, she bought mostly girls’ clothes, but threw a few boys’ items into her cart.

Britney Spears is in love with her new puppy, Sawyer, and according to her, the feeling is mutual. On Instagram, Britney gushed, “Sawyer made me feel more loved in 9 seconds than any man I’ve ever been with…HE LOVES ME!!! The kind of love that doesn’t require POWER…SEX…LUST… or MONEY!!! Genuine unconditional ‘I will f**k you up if you mess with my girl’ kind of love!!! He’s kind of like my 3rd son at this point!!!”

Joe Jonas is judging an MTV reality competition show, and Nick Jonas is reportedly judging an NBC dance competition show. Now their band mate and brother, Kevin Jonas, along with their other brother, 21-year-old Frankie, have booked their own reality show gig. According to Entertainment Tonight, the two will host ABC’s Claim to Fame, which is sort of like Big Brother, except all the contestants are family members of celebrities. They have to hide who they’re related to while competing in challenges to win $100,000.

Sean Paul has announced a new album, Scorcha, due May 27. He’ll kick off a U.S. tour starting April 22 in Boston and wrapping up May 29 in Monterey, CA.  The dancehall star tells Billboard, “The album is called Scorcha because I’m a hot boy and I’m still fresh and I keep on doing my thing. I put out excellence, I’m not just doing this for a buck….I’m doing this from the perspective of that euphoria that I want you to feel.”

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Looks like Cookie is taking her talents elsewhere! BET announced on Wednesday that former Empire star Taraji P. Henson and her production company, TPH Entertainment, struck an overall deal with the network to produce cultural-focused content from Black creators.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Taraji and TPH Entertainment to BET Studios’ growing portfolio of top Black creators and industry leaders,” said Scott Mills, BET’s CEO. “Taraji is immensely important to both the industry and our community. As such, she will contribute her profound insights and expertise to amplify BET Studios’ diverse array of content offerings.”

“BET has always been the foundation of my fanbase and a huge supporter of me throughout my career,” Henson said in a statement. “BET Studios understands and perfectly aligns with my vision of why I founded TPH Entertainment, to increase opportunities and create content that will challenge audiences and inspire new perspectives. I am so excited to join them and for the incredible content we will create together. This partnership will be for the culture.”

Alongside producing partner Christine Conley, Henson launched TPH Entertainment in fall of 2020 and has since announced several projects, including TWO-FACED, which will also serve as her directorial debut.

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— TV personality, producer and actor Terrance J will host the Oscars red carpet pre-show, the Academy announced on Wednesday.  

The 39-year-old shared his excitement for the upcoming gig in an Instagram post, saying, “From backstage corespondent to award winning executive producer to Co Hosting the biggest Red Carpet Show in the world on @abc!!! Check me out at the @theacademy Awards this Sunday! Dreams come true!” The Academy Awards are this coming Sunday.

Vanessa Hudgens and fashion designer Brandon Maxwell will aid in host duties for the 90-minute special that will highlight Oscar nominees, performers and presenters.

— Grammy-winning producer Swizz Beats is joining the vinyl world by way of partnership with high-end luxury vinyl brand 12On12. Music Week revealed the news last month but recently spoke with the Verzuz creator, who says he “always wanted to be an owner in a wax company.”

“12On12 was the perfect opportunity because not only do they deal with vinyl, we’re dealing with art and lifestyle, too,” Swizz said. 

— Rap-A-Lot Records founder James Prince is calling for major artists including  Drake, Kanye West, The Weeknd and Nicki Minaj to boycott the upcoming Grammy Awards and instead host their own event. The hip-hop executive shared an article of the recent news of Kanye’s banning from the Grammys, soliciting the musicians not to take part in the show. 

“HIP HOP VS. THE GRAMMYS,” Prince said, tagging the artists. “The powers that be will be mad at me about this one but F*** EM! I love the culture! The seed is planted … let’s water it!” 

Nicki Minaj commented, “Respect” along with the high five emoji. 

The 2022 Grammy Awards, hosted by Trevor Noah, happen April 3.

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beabadoobee has announced a new album called Beatopia.

The sophomore follow-up to 2020’s Fake It Flowers will arrive July 15. You can listen to the single “Talk” now via digital outlets.

“Generally, it’s about doing things that aren’t necessarily healthy or great for you, but you can’t help indulging,” beabadoobee says of “Talk.” “It’s like that unavoidable feeling that you get. You can’t get rid of it, and you know it’s bad, but you love it really, and its whatever, so you do it anyways.”

beabadoobee will hit the road in support of Beatopia starting April at Coachella. She’ll also play a number of headlining dates, as well as shows opening for Halsey and Bleachers.

Here’s the Beatopia track list:

“Beatopia Cultsong”
“10:36”
“Sunny Day”
“See You Soon”
“Ripples”
“The Perfect Pair”
“Broken CD”
“Talk”
“Lovesong”
“Pictures of Us”
“Fairy Song”
“Don’t Get the Deal”
“Tinkerbell Is Overrated” feat. PinkPantheress
“You’re Here That’s the Thing”

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She’s one of the most accomplished figures in the entertainment business, but Dolly Parton’s still got some items to check off her bucket list. Namely, she’d like to be a part of a Broadway production, and she’d like to helm a musical biopic about her life.

“I do intend someday to be on Broadway, and but I’m thinking now that I might do my life story as a feature,” the 76-year-old legend declared during an appearance on radio show “Mr. Nashville Speaks,” according to Variety.

“Maybe possibly even a musical feature,” the singer added. “So we’re in talks about that.”

Dolly explains that a Broadway musical production seemed on the horizon a couple of years ago, but the COVID-19 pandemic pushed that idea to the back burner. Ultimately, she changed her mind about the project — for now, at least.

In the meantime, Dolly’s been checking items off her career to-do list left and right. She just put out a novel, co-written with James Patterson, called Run, Rose, Run. Earlier this week, she announced that that novel is being adapted into a movie, and she’ll play the starring role.

Dolly was also named one of 16 nominees to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, an honor that she attempted to graciously decline, on the grounds that she hadn’t earned it. The Hall of Fame kept her on the ballot, so Dolly just might get inducted despite her wishes.

Either way, she said, the nomination had inspired her to make a rock ‘n’ roll album at some point in the future.

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