Music

Bonnaroo has finally returned, and Judah & the Lion is ready to jam again.

The “Take It All Back” outfit is set to perform at the Tennessee festival — which is back this year after being canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic and weather, respectively — this Saturday. The set will essentially be a hometown show for the Nashville-based band, and they plan to celebrate accordingly.

“We’re going all out on the production,” frontman Judah Akers tells ABC Audio.

This year marks Judah & the Lion’s second performance at Bonnaroo, following their debut in 2016. However, they have a long history of attending the festival as fans.

“When we were in college, we would go and camp for the four days,” Akers shares. “We just love that festival a lot.”

The Bonnaroo set will also give Judah a chance to play songs off their new album, Revival, which dropped last Friday. Perhaps they’ll bring out the single “Scream!”, which, ironically, doesn’t have any screaming on it. Instead, Akers merely whispers the word “scream” on the song.

“We talked about it, ’cause I scream a lot on certain songs,” Akers explains. “When we were talking about, [we thought] it feels like the fans should be the ones to do it.”

Playing “Scream!” live, Akers thinks, will be an opportune time to let the crowd let their emotions fly.

“We wanted to subtly play at that whisper that we did on the track,” Akers says. “But we’re hoping that the fans gravitate [to it] live and will take over that spot.”

Even if you’re not going to Bonnaroo this year, you can still “Scream!” along to Judah & the Lion’s set, which will air via Hulu’s livestream of the festival.

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Xernona Clayton‘s entrance onto the blue carpet of the 2022 Trumpet Awards in April was quiet but grand, similar to her humble recollection of the history-rich 91 years of her life. Though welcoming of questions about her mission as the creator of the Black awards show, Clayton was eager to delve into her career and life story beyond the Trumpets. Ahead of the 30th annual Trumpet Awards airing on Juneteenth, ABC Audio spoke with Clayton about her humanitarianism. 

“I think I’ve done some things that were momentous but people always pick out the Trumpets,” Clayton said jokingly via Zoom call from her home in Atlanta. “Everything else has kind of been forgotten. But that’s OK.”

Born Xernona Brewster on August 30, 1930, Clayton was raised in the segregated small town of Muskogee, Oklahoma, by her part-Indian mother and Black father. She grew up to become an integral leader of the civil rights movement.

Clayton investigated employment discrimination with the National Urban League; became the first Black person in the South to host a prime-time television talk show; and was good friends with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King.

“I’ve fulfilled commitments through the work of Dr. King, and I became an integral part of the organization,” she said of her time working at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Atlanta.

Clayton and her late first husband, Ed Clayton, the Jet Magazine editor who stopped the presses to put Emmett Till‘s bludgeoned photo on the cover, relocated to Atlanta at the request of the Kings in 1965. She says they “trusted me implicitly” to do the civil and social work. 

In 1968, Clayton drove King to the Atlanta airport ahead of his flight to Memphis, two days before his assassination. She tells people of their close relationship, “Once I met him and went to work for him, I stayed with him to the end, literally.”

She once got a key member of the Ku Klux Klan to renounce the white supremacist organization. She was also the driving force behind the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame. For more than 50 years, her profound accomplishments have contributed to the advancement of America’s promise of liberty and justice for all.

While she couldn’t quite articulate what legacy she hopes to leave behind, she did offer a piece of advice: “Don’t occupy space on Earth as your contribution, do something.”

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Having finished touring her native Canada, Avril Lavigne hits the U.S. Friday, joining her pal Machine Gun Kelly‘s in-progress Mainstream Sellout Tour. While Avril plans to play about half of her new album, Love Sux, she says she’ll revisit her entire back catalog — and the memories associated with it.

“It’s important for me to play songs from all seven of my records. So I’ll play all the hits from over the years, some from each album,” she tells ABC Audio. “And I think that’s fun because it’s like going on a journey with me [and] with my music over the last 20 years.”

Avril says she loves the fact that performing her past hits takes her fans back to a certain place and time in their lives.

“It’s kind of nostalgic, y’know? You tie memories to certain songs and I hear that from people all the time,” she shares. “They’re like, ‘Oh, I listen to ‘Sk8er Boi,’ it takes me back to high school!'”

Avril laughs, “I’m like, ‘Yeah, it takes me back to making my first album and coming out to LA for the first time and dropping out of high school!”

The singer, who’s engaged to boyfriend Mod Sun, notes, “I have my memories attached to the songs and then other people have theirs: falling in love, summer, whatever it is. And so that’s so fun. and I love that! And it’s kind of like this, emotional journey…That’s what I love about music. It’s so powerful.”

Avril’s tour with MGK runs through August 13.  In September, she starts a run of festival appearances, including Brazil’s Rock in Rio, Delaware’s Firefly Music Festival, and the emo-tastic When We Were Young festival in Las Vegas. Then she’s off to Asia and Europe for more shows.

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Otherwise has premiered a new song called “Full Disclosure.”

In a statement about the straightforward track, guitarist Ryan Patrick says, “We’ve met people who are different from their stage persona.”

“It’s genuine frustration with people who aren’t what they seem,” Patrick shares. “This is who we are.”

Vocalist Adrian Patrick adds, “To sum it up as a former business law major/minor, ‘Full Disclosure’ is a legal term, and it means what you see is what you f***ing get.”

You can listen to “Full Disclosure” now via digital outlets.

“Full Disclosure” is the first song to be released off the next Otherwise album. The upcoming record — title and release date TBA — will follow 2019’s Defy, which includes the single “Lifted.”

(Video contains uncensored profanity.) 

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Father’s Day is Sunday and one of pop music’s most high-profile dads, Michael Bublé, will soon become a father for the fourth time. He and his wife, Luisana Lopilato, already parents to sons Noah and Elias and daughter Vida, are expecting a baby girl.  Michael, whose Instagram bio lists him as “Devoted Papi,” couldn’t be happier.

“Very proud,” Michael told ABC Audio when asked how he feels about the fact that his wife is expecting again. He then joked, “Hard-earned I would say…a minute-and-a-half of some of the greatest work!”

All kidding aside, though, Michael evidently loves being a girl dad. He told ABC Audio, “I love having boys. I’ve got two boys. But when I heard it was a girl, I was so excited. Like, it’s amazing! There’s a kind of love that the girl gives you, and it’s so nice.”

But before he could be accused of playing favorites, Michael was careful to note, “I love having healthy kids, and I love being a dad. And I love that my wife went for one more. So I take as many as possible.”

You can see all three of Michael’s children in the video for his latest hit, “I’ll Never Not Love You.”  His son Noah, who’ll be nine in August, co-wrote the title track of Michael’s latest album, Higher.

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Coldplay is the 11th act in history to make over $1 billion in touring revenues, reports Billboard. The group achieved that milestone after finishing their North American leg of the Music of the Spheres tour. Coldplay has been touring almost nonstop for over 20 years, which is why they were able to achieve this ultra-rare feat.

Is Dove Cameron about to pull a Halsey? The “Boyfriend” singer took to TikTok to share a video of her “waiting (im)patiently for my label to give me the go ahead to drop my next single” and teased she should “just leak it anyway.” Dove says her new song, “Breakfast,” will drop on June 24.

John Legend turned the tables on his label by forcing them to do TikTok videos. He went around the office and asked workers what song of his they’re currently jamming to. A marketing manager then leaked the title of one of his new songs, “Honey.” He joked, “I was not forced to make this TikTok.”

Oops, she did it again!  Britney Spears deactivated her Instagram for a second time.  It is unknown when she’ll return.

Meghan Trainor teased more of her song “Bad For Me,” revealing it features artist Teddy Swims. She took to Instagram to share more of her single, which is about a toxic relationship, and previewed a portion of Teddy’s verse.

Harry Styles shouted out his old teacher who attended his concert in Manchester, England, reports Manchester Evening News. Harry told Mrs. Vernon, “I just want to thank you for everything in those formative years,” and joked to the audience, “Can you imagine dealing with me when I was 4?” Harry said it meant “a lot” to see his old educator in the crowd and told her, “I’m dedicating this next song to you.”

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Andy Grammer made one couple’s wedding dreams come true by singing at their ceremony. Andy explained on Instagram that the lovebirds asked him every day on TikTok and he couldn’t say no to their “sweetness, sincerity, playfulness and joy.” He said it was “an honor” to perform at their wedding.

Meghan Trainor teased more of her song “Bad For Me,” revealing it features artist Teddy Swims. She took to Instagram to share more of her single, which is about a toxic relationship, and previewed a portion of Teddy’s verse.

Harry Styles shouted out his old teacher who was at his concert in Manchester, England, reports Manchester Evening News. Harry told Mrs. Vernon, “I just want to thank you for everything in those formative years,” and joked to the audience, “Can you imagine dealing with me when I was 4?” Harry said it meant “a lot” to see his old educator in the crowd and told her, “I’m dedicating this next song to you.”

Kate Bush is delighted the younger generation has fallen in love with her 1985 hit “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” after it was featured on the new season of Stranger Things. She raved on her website, “I’ve never experienced anything quite like this before!” She also thanked the show’s creators because “the track is being discovered by a whole new audience.” Kate’s song is currently in fourth place on the Billboard Hot 100.

John Legend turned the tables on his label by forcing them to do TikTok videos. He went around the office and asked workers what song of his they’re currently jamming to. A marketing manager then leaked the title of one of his new songs, “Honey,” and had to run out of the room. He joked, “I was not forced to make this TikTok.”

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(NOTE LANGUAGE) Comedian Jerrod Carmichael has flamed Dave Chappelle about jokes he made that some saw as transphobic.

In a conversation with GQ about coming out in the HBO comedy special Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel, Carmichael didn’t hold back about the controversy surrounding Chappelle and his rallying against cancel culture.

Netflix employees staged a walkout over Chappelle’s Netflix special The Closer last year, claiming it was “transphobic.”

In response, Chappelle said on the stand-up stage, “You said you want a safe environment at Netflix, but it seems like I’m the only one who can’t go to the office anymore.”

“Even though the media frames this as if it’s me vs. that community, that’s not what it is,” the Mark Twain Award winner insisted.

Chappelle said to the crowd, “Everyone I know from this community has been nothing but loving and supporting.” He called the controversy “nonsense.”

Carmichael says the threat of cancel culture is “not true,” calling it “a boogeyman to sell tickets.”

“Who’s getting canceled for what they’ve said? What does that mean, that people are mad on Twitter? These grown men are fine.”

Carmichael adds, “I think, a lot of times, people who offer nothing truthful or meaningful about themselves then complain about society at large and create this boogeyman. It’s like, listen, that’s the most urgent thing in your life? God bless you. I’m tired of hearing it.”

Calling out his fellow comedian by name, Carmichael said, “Chappelle, do you know what comes up when you Google your name, bro? … Your legacy is a bunch of opinions on trans sh**? It’s an odd hill to die on.”

Carmichael continues, “And it’s like, ‘Hey, bro. Who the f***are you? Who do you f***? What do you like to do?’ Childish jokes aside, who the fuck are you? It’s just kind of played.”

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