Music

The world woke up on Thursday to reports that Russia’s military has launched its long-feared invasion of Ukraine in the early morning hours. Russia’s forces are attacking its neighboring country from multiple directions.

Celebrities including Cher, Annie Lennox and The Weeknd expressed sympathy for Ukraine, condemned Russia and are calling for peace.

Here’s what the music community has said so far:

Annie Lennox: “Now that the tanks, soldiers and war machinery are on the brink of entering Ukraine…what now? The hell that ‘warfare’ unleashes? A frenzy of blood letting…Crushing of flesh and bones…The collective trauma of suffering of pain, grief, anguish and despair for innocent men, women and children? What kind of ‘price’ must ordinary people pay for the nightmarish madness and brutality of ‘invasion’ and ‘warfare’?  Or is this just an elaborate hoax? A scare tactic? A threat? Apologies for this dark reflection, but I’ve had the privilege of living in a ‘peaceful’ context since I was born — a decade after the end of WW2 — 67 years in total. I don’t take this for granted in any way and therefore find the notion of ‘war’ to be unacceptable repugnant barbarism. Sorry friends I just had to express this.”

Cher: “Why Ukraine’s Important 2 Putin’s despot, trump Hero, & If Given Chance Putin Will Devour Sovereign Countries, Till He Resurrects USSR. This Will Leave Europe, Small & unprotected.”

Camila Cabello: “Taking a moment to pray for peace.”

The Weeknd: “unfortunately i’m just now seeing what’s happening with the conflict and will pause on tomorrow’s announcement. i pray for everyone’s safety.”

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BTS have set many a record in the past year, and now they’ve racked up yet another one.  The IFPI, which represents the recorded music industry worldwide, has named them the Global Recording Artist of the Year for the second year running.

The K-pop superstars are now the first act ever to take that title in two consecutive years. The award is based on the worldwide performance of an artist’s entire catalog across all formats, from streams to vinyl.  In 2021, BTS certainly dominated, thanks to their number-one singles “Butter,” “Permission to Dance,” and “My Universe” with Coldplay.

Expanding the list to the top 10 Global Recording Artists of the Year, Taylor Swift is number two for the second consecutive year, followed by Adele, Drake, Ed Sheeran, The Weeknd, Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber, K-pop group Seventeen and Olivia Rodrigo.

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Christina Aguilera says her new Spanish language EP, La Fuerza, came “from the heart.”

“I never stopped singing in Spanish,” the Grammy winner tells Billboard. “Whenever the opportunities came about where I was really passionate about a project, I’d go for it.” 

Christina revealed her mother was fluent in Spanish and her father was from Ecuador, and said that was why she wanted to sing in Spanish again: “I’ve always had it in me.”

Christina said La Fuerza, which means “The Strength” in English, was just “the first chapter” in her all-Spanish project, and explores her relationship with motherhood.  She’s the mother to 14-year-old Max and seven-year-old Summer.

“Being a mom also you just want what’s best for them. You don’t want anything to affect them in a negative way. I try to separate these two worlds,” Christina said.  “I honor and respect my family and our dynamic and making sure they know mommy’s work is just that.”

“Each body of work represents a different tone and different mood and a different release of the journey that I’m on as a woman,” Christina further explained. “You start with the strength, and we’re going to be more tender and open up to be a bit more vulnerable with the material in the next chapter and then we’ll close on this healing note.”

Christina said making La Fuerza “was very personal to me” because “I wanted it to come from the heart.”

La Fuerza was released on January 21 and is the first of three chapters in what will later be assembled into Christina’s upcoming ninth studio album.  That as-yet untitled record will become her second all-Spanish album following her 2000 effort, Mi Reflejo.

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Now that Snoop Dogg has purchased Death Row Records, he’s teasing a collaboration with another iconic label, Bad Boy Entertainment.

Snoop began his career on Death Row in 1993. Now, 29 years later, he plans to revive the label, which also launched the solo career of Dr. Dre, who he performed with at the Super Bowl

In a 43-minute-long film accompanying his new album, Bacc on Death Row, Snoop talks with Bad Boy owner Sean “Diddy” Combs, who congratulates Tha Doggfather on the acquisition.

Diddy calls the “Gin & Juice” rapper one of his “greatest students,” and praises him on buying Death Row, saying, “I’m so proud of you, that’s so incredibly dope.”

Snoop responds, “You taught me how to play chess, not checkers,” and adds that he’s simply trying to make Diddy “proud.”

The 50-year-old icon suggests they work together, saying, “Now, we can do what we want to do, Death Row and Bad Boy.”

Combs loves the idea, replying, “Yeah, let’s do it!”

Snoop makes it known that he’s gonna take the initiative of getting the ball rolling on the pending collab, promising, “I’m going to put it in the air, quit playing with me. I’m going to put it in the air.”

In addition to music by Snoop, Dre, and many other artists, the Death Row catalog also includes two albums by Tupac Shakur: The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory from 1996, and the classic 1995 RIAA Diamond-certified All Eyez On Me, featuring “California Love,” which was performed during the recent Super Bowl halftime show.

Bad Boy artists include The Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans, Mase, 112, Total, The Lox, Craig Mack and many more.

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Lady Gaga is not only up for a Screen Actors Guild Award this Sunday, she will also be presenting at the ceremony.

Billboard reports that Gaga, who earned a nod for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for portraying Patrizia Reggiani in House of Gucci, will take to the stage and introduce the movie before a clip of it plays.  She will speak alongside Jared Leto, who played Paolo Gucci in the film and is up for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role.

Actors from four other movies also vying for the night’s highest film honor — Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture — will also take the stage.  Both Leonardo DiCaprio and Tyler Perry will introduce a clip from their film Don’t Look Up, while Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton will introduce King Richard.  Other films up for the award are Belfast and CODA.

The 28th Annual SAG Awards will take place Sunday, February 27 at 8 p.m. ET.  The ceremony will broadcast live from Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, on TNT and TBS.

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The 30th anniversary of Pantera‘s album Vulgar Display of Power will be celebrated with a new graphic novel.

The book, published by frequent rock world collaborators Z2 Comics, includes written and visual interpretations of each of the 11 Vulgar tracks. Contributors include Life of Agony‘s Alan Robert, Testament‘s Eric Peterson, former Fear Factory vocalist Burton C. Bell, and ex-Every Time I Die frontman Keith Buckley.

You can pre-order the Vulgar Display of Power book now via Z2Comics.com ahead of its expected September release. It’s available in a number of different packages, some of which include a bonus limited edition vinyl version of Vulgar with exclusive artwork.

Vulgar Display of Power the album was released February 25, 1992. It spawned the Pantera classics “Walk” and “Mouth for War,” and is the band’s best-selling record, having been certified double-Platinum by the RIAA.

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Kim Kadarshian is reportedly escalating her efforts to end her marriage to Kanye West.

“I very much desire to be divorced,” she wrote in new court documents, according to TMZ. The reality star also reportedly says she asked Ye to keep their divorce private, “but he has not done so.”

“Kanye has been putting a lot of misinformation regarding our private matters and co-parenting on social media which has created emotional distress,” Kim continued

Yeezy has made numerous accusations on social media, including accusing Kim of kidnapping their daughter, Chicago, and declaring that Kim believes he ordered a hit on her.

In the court filing, Kardashian states that West’s attorneys have admitted to her that it is difficult for them to reach their client. She claims they wrote to her lawyer, Laura Wasser, “We face challenges in communicating with our client.”

Kadarshian also states in her court documents, “While I wish our marriage would have succeeded, I have come to the realization that there is no way to repair our marriage. Kanye does not agree but at least it appears that he has come to the realization that I want to end our marriage, even if he does not.”

Last week, Kanye filed an opposition to Kim’s request to be declared single, stating that it should be denied without prejudice so that Kim can refile it with his “corrections and requested conditions.”

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Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood are helping Peaky Blinders say its farewell with some new music.

As director Anthony Byrne tells NME, the Radiohead duo has “contributed some original stuff” to the upcoming sixth and final season of the beloved British TV crime drama.

“I’m over the moon about all of that,” Byrne says. “The music has always been really important historically, and I was really keen to bring a dramatic score into it.”

Peaky Blinders viewers have previously heard the Radiohead tracks “You and Whose Army?” and “Pyramid Song” on the show. Its soundtrack also includes songs by The White Stripes and Jack White, Dan Auerbach, Royal Blood, PJ Harvey, Arctic Monkeys, Queens of the Stone Age, Foals, Black Sabbath and Joy Division.

The last season of Peaky Blinders premieres February 27 on BBC One. In the U.S., you can watch the first five seasons on Netflix.

Yorke and Greenwood, meanwhile, have been releasing new music this year with their side project, The Smile.

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As she looks toward the follow-up album to her smash hit debut, Goldmine, Gabby Barrett says she’s grateful for all the international recognition she’s received so far.

“Wherever the Lord leads it, I’m just here for the ride,” she tells Billboard. Gabby captured the attention of pop fans with her crossover sensation “I Hope,” thanks in part to a 2020 remix of the song featuring Charlie Puth.

“I would love to eventually sell out Madison Square Garden someday. That’s a big goal,” she continues, but adds that the most important thing to her is her young family, including husband Cade Foehner and the couple’s baby daughter, Baylah. “My role first and foremost is being a good mother to my daughter and raising her correctly and to love the Lord.”

Plus, she’ll never stray too far from her roots. “I do know that I’m a country gal at heart, and that’s definitely always the kind of music I’m going to make,” she continues.

Gabby’s traditional country influences will be on full display at next month’s ACM Awards, when she co-hosts the show with Jimmie Allen as well as living legend Dolly Parton.

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Dave Grohl has shared a tribute to late Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan, who passed away earlier this week at age 57.

Speaking with the U.K.’s The Independent, the Foo Fighters leader recalls when he first met Lanegan. He had just joined Nirvana, which was about to explode in the Seattle grunge scene that Screaming Trees, a fellow Washington State band, had helped pioneer.

“When I first joined Nirvana I was living with Kurt [Cobain] in our tiny apartment,” Grohl shares. “One weekend he said, ‘Hey, I’m gonna go up to Seattle for the weekend and hang out with a friend, do you want to come?'”

“We went up to stay with his friend…and we went to a show,” he continues. “I passed out on the couch and woke up in the morning and opened my eyes and Mark Lanegan was sitting in a chair right across from me.”

Lanegan’s first words to Grohl? “Who the f*** are you?”

Grohl adds that he thinks Lanegan’s first solo album, 1990’s The Winding Sheet, is a “masterpiece,” and calls it one of the “most influential records” on him.

“It was so pure and so real,” Grohl says of Lanegan’s music. “If he sang about pain, you believed it and if he sang about love, you believed it.”

“There was nobody like him,” Grohl adds. “In Seattle he was much loved.”

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