Music

One of Alessia Cara‘s idols is Amy Winehouse, so she was thrilled when, for one of the two singles she’s releasing next week, she got to work with Amy’s producer, Salaam Remi. But as Alessia tells Billboard, the connection went even deeper than that.

Speaking about her single “Shapeshifter,” Alessia says, “I got to write it in the room and house where [Amy] wrote all of Back to Black, which was so crazy for me. It was just one of those full-circle, beautiful, magical moments. Working with Salaam was amazing because they were so close.”

Back to Black was Amy’s final album before her tragic death in 2011 at age 27. It won her five Grammys, including Best Pop Vocal Album.

The other single Alessia’s putting out next week is called “Sweet Dream,” which Alessia says is about her insomnia. “I’ve always struggled with falling asleep my whole life, and being in quarantine, being alone, I didn’t have a lot going on in my life, so I was like, ‘I need to write about this,'” she tells Billboard.

Asked what advice she’d give Olivia Rodrigo, who’s experiencing stardom at the same age at which the now 24-year-old Alessia first did, the Canadian Grammy-winner says, “It seems like she’s got it down, but I just guess … stay firm in your beliefs and in who you are.”

“My manager always tells me that the things that you say no to are often more important than the things you say yes to,” she adds. “So I would say that. Stand your ground and don’t be afraid to say no. And ‘no’ is a full sentence.”

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Dua Lipa is the latest artist to be sued for posting a paparazzi photo of herself on her Instagram feed.

Billboard reports that Dua is being sued for copyright infringement for allegedly posting the picture, which is owned by Integral Images, on Insta on February of 2019, without permission.  The picture in question shows Dua at an airport while wearing a big hat.

Why is this a big deal?  Because, as the company notes, Dua uses her Instagram account to “accumulate followers who are directed to, via link and/or advertisement, consume and purchase [her] content,” which means that “[Dua] profits from these activities.”  That’s why Integral Images is seeking $150,000 in damages, or actual damages based on money Dua due to the posting, whichever is a bigger number.

Integral also wants legal and attorney’s fees, as well as an order preventing Dua from “further acts of infringement.”

Other stars who’ve been sued for posting paparazzi photos of themselves on social media include Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber and Jennifer Lopez.

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Evanescence and Halestorm have added an extra stop to their upcoming co-headlining tour.

On November 10, the two bands will play the brand-new YouTube Theater, set to open in Los Angeles later this summer.

Tickets go on sale next Friday, July 16, at 10 a.m. local time. Visit Evanescence.com or HalestormRocks.com for all ticket info.

The joint tour is set to kick off just a few days before the newly added LA show on November 5 in Portland. It’ll run into mid-December.

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Following his breakthrough hit “Astronaut in the Ocean,” Australian rapper Masked Wolf is back with a new track called “Say So.”  No, it’s not a cover of that Doja Cat hit — this song is about denying that you might need help.

“Everybody gotta say they ball/Even when their castle’s about to fall,” raps Wolf, born Harry Michael. “You been tryna act like it’s okay/But I can see you trapped in the hallway….problems don’t go away.”

“It’s always important for me to say something with my music, even if the deeper message is hidden inside of what sounds like a fun, upbeat song,” explains Wolf. “In ’Say So,’ I was writing about how, in times of trouble, we often try to act like we’re still okay, even when we really aren’t.”

“No matter how bad the situation is or how close we are to self-destructing, we think that, if we keep telling ourselves we’re O.K., then maybe we will be,” he adds. “We think, ‘If we say so, then we say so,’ but really, we need help.”

Meanwhile, “Astronaut in the Ocean,” which reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, has racked up over a billion streams and 180 million video views. In recent months, Wolf has appeared on The Voice, The Kelly Clarkson Show and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

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Kane Brown and his latest out-of-genre collaborator, pop songwriter/producer blackbear, share a word of warning in their new song, “Memory.” The song’s lyrics address the anxiety of living and partying in overdrive, while worrying about when the repercussions will hit.

“I wanna live life fast, I don’t know how to slow down / I wanna get high, I don’t know how to come down / Help me now, I’m running on empty / And I don’t wanna be a memory,” the pair harmonize in the chorus.

Kane and blackbear swap lead vocals throughout the track, with Kane singing, “I know this can’t be healthy / So I’m lookin’ for a way out,” in the first verse.

Per Billboard, “Memory” is headed to pop radio this Friday. The two artists co-wrote the track along with Ernest Smith, Andrew Goldstein and Joe Kirkland. They also premiered the music video for their new song on YouTube Friday afternoon, signing onto the platform for a live chat with fans shortly beforehand.

“Memory” is the latest in a long string of non-country collaborations for Kane, who’s previously shared songs with the likes of Marshmello, Khalid and Swae Lee, Becky G and Camila Cabello.

Meanwhile, Kane is continuing to dominate the country world, too. His duet single with Chris Young, “Famous Friends,” is currently a top-five hit. 

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Jack Antonoff and St. Vincent are officially part of one of 2021’s biggest songs.

The Bleachers frontman and the “Los Ageless” rocker are now credited as co-writers on “deja vu,” one of several hit singles from this year’s breakout star, Olivia Rodrigo.

The “deja vu” credits, which can be viewed on Spotify, also list the one and only Taylor Swift, who collaborated with Antonoff and St. Vincent on her 2019 Lover song “Cruel Summer.” Speaking with Rolling Stone, Rodrigo mentioned “Cruel Summer” as an inspiration for the “deja vu” bridge.

Meanwhile, Rodrigo’s music is starting to cross over to the rock world. Her song “brutal,” the opening track off her debut album, SOUR, has started charting on Billboard‘s Alternative Airplay ranking.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

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Visionary artist IDK has dropped his new album, USEE4YOURSELF, laced with verses from Slick Rick, Rico Nasty, and the late DMX, and production from Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of The Neptunes. The star-studded project also features Westside Gunn, Jay Electronica, SiR, T-Pain, Swae Lee, and R&B vocalists Sevyn Streeter and Lucky Daye.

IDK also shared a 43-minute visual of USEE4YOURSELF, in which he sits in the middle of a field while putting together a Nintendo Game Boy console.

J. Cole joins his Dreamville artist Bas on the new track “The Jackie,” which also features New York rapper Lil Tjay. The track includes a catchy chorus where Cole raps, “You see the drop-top [chick] stop playing with me / She say she wanna let the waves splash down on me.”

“The Jackie” visual features Cole, Bas, and a young lady riding around with the top down before meeting up with Lil Tjay in his Bronx hometown.

Meanwhile, rapper and singer Yung Bleu shared his latest single, “Way More Close (Stuck in a Box),” from his upcoming album, Moon Boy. Bleu reflects on his past relationships on the track, which features a stellar verse from Big Sean.

“But you know I was all for ya, you never needed me to go buy out / the Grove for ya / And snatchin’ my soul ’cause you got enough of your own for ya / Did everything, except grow with ya,” Big Sean raps. 

Fans on social media are buzzing about Dave and the video for his new banger, “Clash,” featuring Stormzy. Both UK rappers flex about their expensive wrist game, luxury whips, and How to Get Away with Murder star Viola Davis.

Dave says “Clash” will be featured on his upcoming album, We’re All Alone in This Together, dropping July 23. 

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If you follow Madonna on social media, you know that she’s been working hard for months on a concert film documenting her Madame X tour, which ran from September of 2019 to March of 2020.  But now, we finally know when we’ll be able to see it.

Madonna announced on Instagram that the movie will debut in October on the new Paramount+ streaming platform.  The announcement features a video of Madonna lip-syncing to the song “Killers Who Are Partying,” which appears on her 2019 Madame X album.

Madonna’s Madame X trek was unlike any of her previous tours: Instead of her usual stadium show, she created a much more intimate performance for theaters, and played multiple nights in major cities in the United States, England, France and Portugal. 

The show was praised by critics, though fans were upset by the fact that Madonna often took the stage up to two hours after the announced showtime, and also asked fans not to record or photograph the performance.

Several shows on the Madame X tour were canceled due to a recurring knee injury, and the entire trek was subsequently cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

 

 

 

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Earlier this year, Parmalee returned to the top of the country chart with “Just the Way,” their collaboration with Blanco Brown. Now, with that momentum behind them, the country group has announced a new album called For You.

The thirteen-song collection includes “Just the Way.” Leaning into the success they’ve had with collaborations thus far, the band also put two more duets on the album: “Greatest Hits,” with Fitz, and “Forget You” with Avery Anna. “Greatest Hits” is out today in celebration of the album announcement, as is another song, the romantic “Take My Name.”

The bulk of the For You track list was co-written by Parmalee frontman Matt Thomas, who says having a hand in so many of the songs made the album-making process more intimate.

“We feel most authentic and our best as a band when we feel like we’re having a conversation with the audience,” says Matt. “That’s what we really narrowed in on for this album and leaned into what makes Parmalee sound like Parmalee — it’s all based on our connection to the fans.”

He adds, “For You is an album for the fans — the ones who’ve supported us for years, and the new ones we’re getting to know every day.”

For You will be out July 30. It’s available to pre-add and pre-save now. 

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