Music

Megan Thee Stallion isn’t allowing the pandemic to prevent her from performing for her fans. The “Hot Girl Summer” announced Monday her “Enter Thee Hottieverse” virtual reality concert tour in 10 cities between April and July 2022.

Fans will be able to go to their local movie theater and enjoy the VR concert performance featuring a variety of of environments and custom wardrobes. The virtual tour begins April 5-10 in Los Angeles, followed by stops in San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Miami, Charlotte, Washington, D.C., and New York City.

“Virtual reality has always been an interest of mine and I’m glad that we’ll be able to make history with this experience,” Megan said in a statement. “My hotties will get to watch me perform in a completely different and unique way and I appreciate the AmazeVR team for helping me to bring this VR vision to life.”

“We are thrilled to work with Megan to launch AmazeVR’s very first VR Concert Tour,” says Ernest Lee, Amaze VR co-CEO. “She’s an artist who has incredible stage presence and can create iconic moments that will make the most of the VR technology we’re developing.” 

“Not everyone owns a headset, and not everyone can make it to their favorite artist’s live show,” Lee adds. “A VR Concert by AmazeVR opens up the possibilities for fans to encounter artists in a completely new way, while knocking down all the barriers to entry that have made it hard to access the amazing experiences VR can provide.”

For more information, access the AmazeVR website.

The “Savage” rapper will be performing n person on the Dua Lipa tour beginning March 15 in Denver. Megan will also be featured at the Coachella Festival April 16 and April 23.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

GAYLE‘s breakthrough hit “abcdefu” is reaching new heights: Not only has it risen to number three on Billboard‘s Hot 100 — its best placing so far — but it’s also jumped to number one on the publication’s Pop Airplay chart. Obviously, the song is connecting with people all over the country, and the 17-year-old Texas singer has a few ideas why that is.

“I don’t always sit and think about, like, ‘This is why people like my music’ — I’m still coming to terms with the fact that people can like my music, you know?” she tells ABC Audio. “I think the biggest thing for me is I just try and tell the problems that I’ve had in my life and the difficulties I’ve had and the difficulties I’ve seen other people have in their lives.”

Noting that she wants to “talk about the things that aren’t always talked about, in my opinion,” as well as “the things that are talked about,” Gayle says the fact that her music is intensely personal is the very reason why it’s so relatable.

“I talk about things from my own personal perspective and my life, and so I think people can find that relatable because it’s literally just me living my life and I write songs about it,” she tells ABC Audio.

“My personal experiences are unique, but there are some general experiences that I think — just living my life — I’ve had, and other people have, and that I tried my best to highlight and talk about,” GAYLE continues. “And so I think, because I’m coming from such a personal space, [the songs] have the ability to be relatable to people.” 

GAYLE’s debut EP, A Study of the Human Experience Volume One, is out March 18.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Megan Thee Stallion isn’t allowing the pandemic to prevent her from performing for her fans. The “Hot Girl Summer” announced Monday her “Enter Thee Hottieverse” virtual reality concert tour in 10 cities between April and July 2022.

Fans will be able to go to their local movie theater and enjoy the VR concert performance featuring a variety of of environments and custom wardrobes. The virtual tour begins April 5-10 in Los Angeles, followed by stops in San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Miami, Charlotte, Washington, D.C., and New York City.

“Virtual reality has always been an interest of mine and I’m glad that we’ll be able to make history with this experience,” Megan said in a statement. “My hotties will get to watch me perform in a completely different and unique way and I appreciate the AmazeVR team for helping me to bring this VR vision to life.”

“We are thrilled to work with Megan to launch AmazeVR’s very first VR Concert Tour,” says Ernest Lee, Amaze VR co-CEO. “She’s an artist who has incredible stage presence and can create iconic moments that will make the most of the VR technology we’re developing.” 

“Not everyone owns a headset, and not everyone can make it to their favorite artist’s live show,” Lee adds. “A VR Concert by AmazeVR opens up the possibilities for fans to encounter artists in a completely new way, while knocking down all the barriers to entry that have made it hard to access the amazing experiences VR can provide.”

For more information, access the AmazeVR website.

The “Savage” rapper will be performing n person on the Dua Lipa tour beginning March 15 in Denver. Megan will also be featured at the Coachella Festival April 16 and April 23.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(SPOILERS AHEAD) If you watched the season finale of 1883 on Sunday night, then you can rest assured knowing that Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were just as emotional as you were about what happened. 

The season one finale included with the heartbreaking death of Elsa Dutton, 17-year-old daughter to Tim’s James Dutton and Faith’s Margaret Dutton. The country couple says that they often read the scripts aloud to each other, but when it came time to read the season’s final two episodes leading up to their TV daughter’s death, they could barely keep it together. 

“When we got the final two, we literally couldn’t read them to each other because we were crying so much — I mean, ugly, boohoo crying,” Tim tells Variety, referring to himself as a “blubbering idiot.” 

“It took me about an hour to read it to him because most of the time, I couldn’t catch my breath I was crying so hard,” adds Faith. 

Tim and Faith are parents to three daughters: 24-year-old Gracie, 23-year-old Maggie and 20-year-old Audrey. The “My Little Girl” singer remarks that Isabel May, the actress who plays Elsa, looked like she could be one of their daughters, adding even more emotion to the scene. 

“You do become emotionally invested and you do bring your real-life situation into the way you act. You find that piece of your life or a piece of who you are and you can sort of put it under a magnifying glass,” Tim says. “It does expose all those emotions, and it’s hard as a parent, playing that role — you don’t want to go to any dark places in your mind about your kid.” 

1883 premiered in December and recently was renewed for a second season. 

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

AWOLNATION frontman Aaron Bruno is a big Weezer fan, and he’s following in the footsteps of Rivers Cuomo and company with his new covers album, My Echo, My Shadow, My Covers and Me.

Weezer, of course, released a covers compilation, the Teal Album, in 2019, which followed the viral success of their spin on the Toto song “Africa.” Speaking with ABC Audio, Bruno shares that Weezer’s “Africa,” which became the band’s biggest hit in over a decade, was “definitely encouraging” in the process of making his own covers record.

“I’m a big Rivers fan,” Bruno says. “To hear his voice on some of those songs that I was a big fan of…I love Toto, I think [‘Africa’ is] one of the greater songs ever written.”

Aside from the spirit of Rivers Cuomo guiding him, Bruno just wasn’t in the mood to work on new AWOLNATION music, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic canceled all his plans related to his last original record, Angel Miners & the Lightning Riders, which had dropped in April 2020.

“I also felt like a little tired of my own songs,” Bruno explains. “I had just released an original album, and everything got paused, let’s just say. The tour got canceled and everything, and I really didn’t feel like making new, original songs.”

He adds, “So I wanted to just get into this side project and have a lot of fun with it.”

My Echo, My Shadow, My Covers and Me will be released May 6. It includes a version of the Scorpions hit “Wind of Change” featuring Incubus‘ Brandon Boyd and Portugal. the Man, and a rendition of Midnight Oil‘s “Beds Are Burning” alongside Rise Against‘s Tim McIlrath.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

You’ll have even more chances to see 311 live this year.

The “Down” rockers have added a second leg to their upcoming spring U.S. headlining tour, running from May 12 in Ventura, California, to June 5 in Grand Junction, Colorado. Tickets go on sale this Friday, March 4, at 10 a.m. local time.

The tour’s previously announced first leg will wind through the States throughout March and April, and includes the live return of the 311 Day celebration, taking place March 11-12 in Las Vegas.

For all of 311’s upcoming tour dates and ticket info, visit 311.com.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Van Morrison is among the music artists and composers who will discuss their Oscar nominations for this year’s Best Original Song honor during a virtual event hosted by the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

You can tune in to watch beginning March 3 at 8 p.m. ET. The event is free to watch, though you do need to register ahead of time.

Morrison is nominated for his song “Down to Joy,” from the film Belfast.

The conversation will also include Billie Eilish and her brother FINNEAS, Diane Warren, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Dixson, who are nominated for their respective songs for the James Bond film No Time to Die, Four Good Days, Encanto and King Richard. Disco and funk legend Nile Rodgers, who is the current chairman of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, will moderate the discussion alongside Oscar-winning composer Paul Williams.

Incidentally, Morrison is a Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, as are Warren, Rodgers and Williams.

For more info, visit SongHall.org.

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Ariana Grande and her Wicked co-star Cynthia Erivo are becoming great friends.  Cynthia, who plays Elphaba in the forthcoming movie version of the Broadway musical, told E! News, “Ariana and I have been meeting and chatting and talking and building our own relationship. Because we know that it’s a sisterhood. We both want to be ready and prepared to be there for one another.”  Cynthia added that she and Ari, who’ll play Glinda, are excited for production to start.

Katy Perry left the taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live in style — dressed as a giant poo.  People reports the “Roar” hitmaker wore a giant poop costume as she exited the late-night show last week.  The interesting attire is similar to a prop from her Play residency in Las Vegas, which appears from a giant toilet as she sings “California Girls.”

“We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” from Disney’s Encanto, is still the number-one song in America, now notching a fifth week atop the Billboard Hot 100.  The viral song was streamed 29.9 million times last week and sold an additional 6,600 copies.  Glass Animals‘ “Heat Waves” remains in second place, while GAYLE climbs to third with her hit “abcdefu.”  Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

Meghan Trainor and her son Riley are in the same mommy-baby music group as fellow new moms Mandy Moore and Ashley Tisdale.  Mandy told The Kelly Clarkson Show the class, which Hilary Duff started during the pandemic, was “essential” because it created a supportive “community” allowing their kids to “grow up together.”

Britney Spears celebrated fiancé Sam Asghari’s birthday by flashing her gigantic engagement ring. The two announced their engagement in September. “My hero … my mentor … my rock … my bliss … my love,” Britney called Sam in a sweet Instagram post.

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Jamie Foxx and Kanye West hit number one with consecutive collabos in 2003 and 2005, and now the Spider-Man: No Way Home star is hinting he and the superstar rapper are ready for round three.

The second episode of Kanye’s Netflix documentary series, Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy, which debuted over the weekend, featured footage of the duo recording “Slow Jamz” at Foxx’s home studio in 2003. Following the episode, Ye and Jamie teased that they were working on another song together on XXL Magazine‘s Instagram Live.

“I told you, back at that time, man, that [Kanye] was young and hungry,” the actor/singer/comedian said. “Now look at us. There’s a reason we ran into each other. Can’t wait for y’all to see the next step.”

In the documentary, we see Yeezy playing Foxx a snippet of the then-in-process song that appeared on Twista‘s 2003 Kamikaze album, and Kanye’s 2004 solo debut, The College Dropout.

“Slow Jamz” hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in February 2004. Two years later, Kanye and Jamie also reached number one with their follow-up, “Gold Digger,” from Kanye’s second album, Late Registration. The song was certified seven-times Platinum by the RIAA and won a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance.

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