Music

Eddie Vedder had a “serious” case of COVID-19 ahead of his just-wrapped solo tour.

The Pearl Jam frontman discussed his experience with the virus during his show in Los Angeles last Friday, telling the crowd, “I got the COVID right before we were supposed to start practicing [for the tour], probably five, six weeks ago.”

“[I] literally saw my life flash in front of my eyes,” Vedder said.

He added, “To get through that and then be back in a room like this facing this many people facing this way and listening to us play for you…it’s been a gift and an honor.”

You can watch fan-shot footage of Vedder’s comments streaming now on YouTube.

Vedder’s tour, which supported his new solo album, Earthling, concluded Sunday in San Diego. Both the LA and San Diego shows were postponed from earlier in February due to a positive COVID-19 test amid Vedder’s touring party.

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Did you notice that Kane Brown tucked a sneaky shout-out to his four-legged best friend into the music video for his single, “One Mississippi”?

It’s true: In the scenes that were shot at a bar, the whiskey featured on the shelves is a brand called Dough Ball, a cookie dough-flavored whiskey that hails from California.

If you look closely at the label on the bottle, the brand’s mascot is a bulldog that looks just like Kane’s own bulldog, Rambo. The singer often posts photos and videos of Rambo on social media, along with the family’s other pup, Nash, a presa canario breed dog who Kane adopted in 2017.

Kane’s dogs get a mention in his 2019 single “Homesick,” and these days, they share the household with Kane, wife Katelyn, and their two daughters, Kingsley and Kodi.

A new behind-the-scenes video about the making of the “One Mississippi” video points out Kane’s tribute to Rambo, plus several other fun facts about the clip and the experience of filming it.

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The Weeknd‘s “Blinding Lights” was named “Global Digital Single of the Year” for 2020 by the Independent Federation of the Phonographic Industry, or IFPI, which represents the recorded music industry worldwide.  Now, he’s earned that title again for 2021, with his song “Save Your Tears.”

That makes the Canadian superstar the only artist ever to score that title from the IFPI two years running. The Global Digital Single Award is presented to the world’s best-selling single of the year across all digital formats, including downloads and streams.

What’s more, the IFPI’s list of the top 10 Global Digital Singles of 2021 includes The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” at number seven, more than two years after it was released.

The rest of the top 10 best-selling singles in the world for last year include, in descending order, “STAY” by The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber, “Levitating” by Dua Lipa, “Butter” by BTS, “drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo,  “Peaches” by Justin Bieber, Daniel Caesar and Giveon, “good 4 u” by Olivia, “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” by Lil Nas X, and “Bad Habits” by Ed Sheeran.

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Carly Pearce is receiving a distinct honor from her home state. 

The “Every Little Thing” hitmaker will be inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame’s class of 2022 later this year. The Taylor Mill native will join the likes of Loretta Lynn, Keith Whitley and The Backstreet Boys, who are also members of the institution.

“Kentucky is where I learned to love country music and the incredibly talented musicians who wove their stories and texture throughout the genre. From straight-up sass of The Judds and Patty Loveless or truly understanding Loretta Lynn’s heartache, to the bluegrass tinge of Ricky Skaggs and Bill Monroe, their influences have driven my music,” Carly says in a statement. “I am so excited and grateful to be inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame this fall.”

The induction ceremony will take place on October 28 in Renfro Valley. An exhibit about Carly’s career opened at the museum last year.  

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Beyoncé and Young Thug are among the list of stars who have recently spoken out about the discrimination against Africans attempting to flee Ukraine from war.

Atlanta rapper Young Thug, whose given name is Jeffery Williams, shared an Instagram story on Sunday, offering his help to “get Africans out of Ukraine.”

“If some of my rap brothers are in I’m willing to help Africans get out of Ukraine however I can sense they not letting us pass,” the post reads.

Williams’ message comes a few days after a series of videos were posted to the Africa Facts Zone Twitter page, citing racist treatment of Black migrants attempting to seek refuge. According to the page, a video shared on February 26 shows a large group of Africans being held back from entering trains to Poland and told to wait until Ukrainians board.

“Africans were forced to wait for Ukrainians to go first in several trains, and had to wait until all Ukrainians had boarded trains before they would be allowed to get into one,” the tweet read.

In response to Williams’ offer, Ghanaian entrepreneur Kelvin Mensah, popularly known as PJ Kev, included his email address in support, saying, “I’m wit you my brother. Anything I can do. Reach out Asap.” Others such as record label founder Kevin Liles and rapper Strick expressed their support as well.

Meanwhile, Beyoncé‘s BeyGood foundation took to its Twitter account to express hope that the “various embassies could swiftly rectify the situation to help those in need of support.”

The hashtag #AfricansInUkraine started to trend over the weekend, as social media users expressed outrage at the reportedly racist acts. Videos shared on Twitter and Instagram of African people left behind garnered views by thousands.

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Kane Brown has returned to the top of the country music charts with “One Mississippi.” 

This week, the superstar reached the summit on country radio with his new #1 hit, and Kane took to his Instagram Stories on Sunday to share a simple, but sweet message in reaction to the news. “Thank you country radio,” he wrote alongside a series of heart emojis. 

This marks Kane’s seventh #1 hit following, “What Ifs” featuring Lauren Alaina, “Heaven,” “Lose It,” “Good as You,” “Homesick” and the most recent, “Famous Friends,” a collaboration with Chris Young. 

“Famous Friends” is up for multiple awards at the 2022 ACM Awards, including Single of the Year, Music Event of the Year and Video of the Year. The show airs on Amazon Prime Video live from Las Vegas on March 7 at 8 p.m. ET. 

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Brann Dailor is getting more use out of his Rob Halford Halloween costume.

The Mastodon drummer and vocalist leads a cover of the Judas Priest song “Screaming for Vengeance,” recorded for the popular metal-themed YouTube channel Two Minutes to Late Night.

Dailor explored the upper register of his voice to sing the 1982 tune while surrounded by shredders including Anthrax‘s Jon Donais and Two Minutes to Late Night host Jordan Olds, aka Gwarsenio Hall.

Two Minutes to Late Night previously featured Dailor’s Mastodon band mate Bill Kelliher taking on Rush‘s “Anthem” alongside an all-star prog lineup of Tool‘s Danny Carey, Primus‘ Les Claypool and Coheed and Cambria‘s Claudio Sanchez.

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Billie Eilish and FINNEAS will discuss their nomination for this year’s Best Original Song Oscar 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.

Eilish and FINNEAS are nominated for their James Bond theme “No Time to Die.”

The conversation will also include Lin-Manuel Miranda, Van Morrison, Diane Warren and Dixson, who are nominated for their songs for the movies Encanto, Belfast, Four Good Days and King Richard, respectively. Disco and funk legend Nile Rodgers will moderate the discussion alongside SHoF president and Oscar-winner Paul Williams.

For more info, visit SongHall.org.

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It’s lucky number seven for Carrie Underwood‘s oldest son! 

On Sunday, Carrie and her husband, Mike Fisher, celebrated the seventh birthday of their son Isaiah. The superstar singer commemorated the occasion with a celebratory post on Instagram showing that Isaiah had a Star Wars-themed birthday party at a skating rink, complete with a disco ball, a Darth Vader cake with galactic frosting and his name written in bold red lettering, and storm trooper balloons. She also shared a photo of her son and his friends playing the claw crane arcade game.

But alongside the fun, Carrie took a moment to reflect on her son’s character.

“It has been so much fun to see this little dude grow! He has the biggest heart and the brightest smile,” she describes in the caption, praising her firstborn son’s “strong and pure” faith. “He is an old soul with a vintage style…wise beyond his years. He’s the kind of kid that would rather raise money for the kids at @danitaschildren than get gifts for himself! What 7 year old does that?!?! I am so blessed to be his mom and I can’t wait to see where God leads him in the years to come. Happy birthday, monkey! We love you!” 

Carrie’s former tour mates Maddie Font of Maddie & Tae and Runaway June‘s Jennifer Wayne are among those who wished Isaiah a happy birthday in the comment section. “He’s getting too big. Happy happy birthday Isaiah!” Maddie writes alongside a crying face emoji. “Happy birthday Isaiah!!! Cannot believe you are 7!!!” adds Jennifer. 

Carrie and Mike are also parents to three-year-old son Jacob.

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