Music

Andy Grammer cares more about bringing joy and comfort to his fans than writing a big radio hit. The “Fresh Eyes” singer opened up about his mission and his music-making process in a new interview.

“I used to have to write a lot of songs to get one that is good,” he told Albuquerque Journal. “And still there is no guarantee that it will be a hit. You throw a lot of darts and most are hitting the board.”

He added, “When you have a moment to really listen, music reminds you that there’s so much more in front of you than there is behind you. In my opinion, to be able to give somebody this reminder in the middle of the day is wizardry.”

“That’s my favorite part of being an artist and what makes me jump out of bed to write in the morning,” he raved.

Andy also revealed he writes his songs by himself, adding he takes special care in crafting words that’ll have an impact on the eventual listener before bringing his music to his manager for refining.  

“I realize that I’m more intoxicated by art,” Andy continued. “I’m enjoying the process more because it keeps me writing and sharing what I feel. It’s so freaking fun.”  

The “Honey, I’m Good” singer has said that he doesn’t necessarily care if a song is a hit — what he focuses on is how his music resonates with the audience and how it makes people feel.

“My career is less about writing and more on focusing on community. I’m grateful for every moment that I have and take advantage of making each moment count,” he said. “A great musician is like a spiritual chiropractor and it hits you in all the right places.”

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Maren Morris hits the road next week, launching her 2022 Humble Quest Tour. It’s the first full headlining tour she’s mounted since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s a big first in another way, too: She’ll be on the road for the first time since becoming a mom.

Back in March 2020, as pandemic shut-downs were ramping up in the U.S., Maren and her husband, Ryan Hurd, welcomed their first child, baby boy Hayes. Now, Maren’s planning her very first tour with her son joining her.

“I think he thinks the tour bus is like camp or something,” the singer tells E! News’ Daily Pop. “‘Cause he just has no idea what’s going on, but he gets so excited.”

Maren knows that having two-year-old Hayes along for the ride will make touring a little different, but she’s optimistic about the changes, Maren goes on to say.

“This will be my first time touring with a baby or a kid, so I’m excited,” she continues. “It’s gonna change my way of doing things, in a good way, I think.”

Before she hits the road, Maren recently hopped on social media to give fans a virtual tour of her newly revamped bus setup, including special modifications so that Hayes can be comfortable on the bus.

Maren’s Humble Quest Tour takes its name from her newest album, Humble Quest. That project includes Hayes, too: “Hummingbird,” a song Maren wrote the day she found out she was pregnant, features audio of Hayes’ voice saying “Mama.”

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Lil Nas X had the most on-brand reaction after a hacker gained access to his Facebook account and posted an anti-Pride message.

An unknown person commandeered the Grammy winner’s page and wrote, “F*** PRIDE MONTH, I faked being gay b**** [thank you] for the [money].”  The comment was quickly removed, but not before fans grabbed screenshots of the inflammatory message.

Of course, Lil Nas X, who is openly gay, is way more active on Twitter than Facebook and laughed out loud at the screen shots. “i’m screaming because this is something i would actually say,” he tweeted. He also joked the hacker had better grammatical skills because they used commas and periods, as well as capitalized letters.

Of course, the “Industry Baby” rapper wasn’t through with having fun with the hack and even got a T-shirt made. He took to Instagram to show off his new tee, which reads, “White, Straight, Conservative Male.  Are you triggered?”

Lil Nas X did a full on photo shoot with his new shirt, which he accessorized with leather pants, clunky platform heeled boots, diamond grillz and luxury sunglasses.

He also shared some outtakes to his Instagram Stories, which showed him holding a boat load of cash, riding in a limousine with his friends, going to a club, falling asleep at a card table and leaning against a white sculpture of a theater mask.

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Asking Alexandria is dropping of the remainder of the band’s co-headlining tour with Nothing More due to frontman Danny Worsnop battling a “severe throat infection.”

The English rockers had already missed a few shows on the run as Worsnop battled the infection, which led him to consult with a voice specialist.

“Unfortunately, the news we received was not the news were were hoping for,” the band writes in a statement. “We have been told that Danny cannot sing for the next few weeks and needs to remain on vocal rest. Obviously this means we will not be able to continue on with our North American tour and it breaks our hearts to have to say that.”

The tour, which just launched in mid-May, will still continue with Nothing More and support acts Atreyu and Eva Under Fire on the bill, though any ticket holders who had their heart set on seeing Asking Alexandria may request a refund from their point of purchase.

In the meantime, Asking Alexandria is currently “working diligently to book a new tour.”

“Thank you to everyone who came out and supported us at one of these shows and thank to everyone else for your understanding,” Alexandria’s statement reads. “We love you guys and we will be back as soon as possible.”

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Liam Payne walked back the inflammatory comments he made about One Direction and Zayn Malik.  

To recap, the singer was a guest on Logan Paul‘s Impaulsive podcast, where he made references to Zayn’s breakup with model Gigi Hadid, his alleged physical altercation with her mother, Yolanda Hadid, and hinted Zayn’s parents were not very supportive.

“There’s many reasons why I dislike Zayn and there’s many reasons why I’ll always, always be on his side,” he also said during the lengthy interview that drew immediate backlash from 1D’s fans.

Liam has since taken to Twitter to issue a mea culpa and explained what he meant by those statements. “Guys – I wouldn’t normally comment on this stuff but when its your family it’s hard to let it slide,” he wrote. “They mentioned a specific incident involving Zayn which I responded to – but listening back maybe I didn’t articulate myself as well as I could have.”

He added in a follow-up tweet, “I was saying that there will always be things we disagree on but that I will always, always be on his side. That’s family. Zayn is my brother and I will stand by him forever.”

Liam did not address any of the other gossip-sparking remarks he made on the podcast, so his apology has garnered mixed reactions from his fanbase. Some fans are urging the singer to recant his statement that his music “outsold everybody within the band,” while others asked him to clarify the comment he made about a backstage altercation where “one member in particular threw me up a wall.”

Liam Payne’s name was trending on Twitter as of Thursday morning. 

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Legendary pop act The Beach Boys notched some major country cred over the weekend, making their Grand Ole Opry debut alongside country duo LoCash.

The two groups split the bill for the second half of the evening during their Friday night performance and joined forces for their new duet, the LoCash-led “Beach Boys.”

Even if you were in the audience to see all the onstage fun, there’s a few things you might’ve missed — including the special backstage gift that LoCash offered The Beach Boys members to formally welcome them into the country music community.

“One of the first times we played together, Mike [Love] commented on my snakeskin boots,” LoCash’s Preston Brust tells People. “We wanted to celebrate the special night with a little gift, so Mike and Bruce [Johnston] got some boots of their own! Now they’re officially in the country music fam!”

The country duo’s Chris Lucas also joked that maybe The Beach Boys can return the favor someday.

“We’re still trying to get Mike and Bruce to make us honorary Beach Boys!” he says. “For now, we’re just having a ball getting to play together any chance we get.”

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After sharing a snippet of her upcoming single and dropping a few hints as to which artist is featured on the track, Atlanta-based rapper Lakeyah revealed Latto as the surprise guest. 

“A little hinty hinttt,” Lakeyah said on IG earlier this week, encouraging fans to “guess the feature” of her latest single. Some speculated it’d be Miami’s “Diamond Princess,” Trina, while others guessed correctly, calling out the self-proclaimed “Queen of da Souf,” Latto. 

After 21-year-old rising star Lakeyah confirmed the news on her socials on Wednesday and shared the single cover art, fans expressed their excitement about the new collaboration. 

“Ohhh you put Latto on it summer banga,” one Twitter user said. 

“This @lakeyah x @Latto finna jump knew it was gone be lit from the snippet but now knowing Big Latto on it too,” another user tweeted, along with a few fire emojis. 

Latto also shared the news on her social sites, including a repost of the cover image on Twitter and the statement, “Youngest in Charge.”

Upon the announcement of the BET Awards nominees on Wednesday, Latto reacted to her nominations in shock saying, “Oh s**t I’m nominated for 2 BET awards!!!!!!!”

Lakeyah’s “Mind Yo Business” featuring Latto is out this Friday, June 3. 

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In December, Kentucky native Jack Harlow announced he was partnering with KFC, and now the next step in that partnership has been revealed: The Jack Harlow Meal will debut at KFC restaurants nationwide on Monday, June 6.

Also available via the KFC mobile app and KFC.com, the Jack Harlow Meal, curated by the rapper himself, features the KFC Spicy Chicken Sandwich, Mac & Cheese, Secret Recipe Fries, a side of ranch, and a cold lemonade. 

Jack, who says he’s having a “super blessed summer,” says “it doesn’t get much better” than the meal, which he says combines his childhood favorites with his new go-to menu items.

On Saturday, the KFC located at 2637 Cobb Pkwy SE in Smyrna, GA is converting itself into “Jack’s Meal HQ,” where fans can be among the first to try the new meal and listen to Jack’s new album via a KFC x Jack Harlow bucket speaker. 

Naturally, there’s also a line of co-branded merch to go with the meal, which you can find out about via the KFC app. Jack is starring in a new KFC commercial as well.

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