Music

Charlie Puth recently revealed he completely overhauled his songwriting process by being more open about himself. While he first credited TikTok for the change, it appears he first obtained permission from Elton John.

The two collaborated on Sir Elton’s The Lockdown Sessions and, while working together, Charlie asked Elton his thoughts about his music.

“He was brutally honest with me,” the Grammy nominee revealed Monday on the Kelly Clarkson Show. “He told me my 2019 music sucked, and I agree with him. It was not good… He basically said I could make a lot better music, and he said that I should just make it myself, like I always do.”

Charlie added the “Cold Heart” singer is “the first person that ever said that to me.”  He also revealed he and Sir Elton are neighbors — something he didn’t realize until “Elton texted me his address.”

The “Light Switch” singer elaborated further when speaking with PopCulture about the “surreal experience” of working with Sir Elton.

When discussing the constructive criticism, Charlie said Elton agreed “[the] music that I was working on wasn’t good enough.” He said that honesty “reaffirmed to me [how] I have to truly be myself.”

Charlie also raved about working with the legendary singer, saying “he didn’t make it seem like he was Elton John” and that he “humanizes himself a lot.”  The 30-year-old singer said Elton John chatted up his parents and walked them through his songwriting process — saying his folks were stunned the “entire time.”

“He kind of just sits down, and he invited my parents to come in and he started talking about how he wrote ‘Tiny Dancer,'” Charlie described. “It was a surreal experience. But I felt like I was talking to just another fellow musician. Not intimidating in the least.”

Puth’s new album, Charlie, is forthcoming.

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Tyrese is calling on his fans to pray for his mother, whom he says was placed in an induced coma after being hospitalized with pneumonia and COVID-19.

The Fast & Furious franchise star posted several Instagram updates Sunday as he held vigil at the hospital hoping his mom, Priscilla Murray, will recover. He explained that he was on a film set when he got “the worst phone call I’ve ever gotten.” He added, “I need prayers, the most sincere prayers from you prayer warriors.”

In a 15-minute video shared Sunday night, the actor/singer gave fans an extended update from inside the hospital.

“My mom is here, she’s on six or seven different things that’s got her relaxed and calm,” the 43-year-old entertainer said. “What I wanna tell you guys is that the Lord Jesus Christ is responsible for every breath that I see entering into my mom’s body right now. We’ve had our share of issues over the years but as I sit here I’m thanking God for every breath.”

He also urged those offering him support to reach out to any family members they may have had issues with in the past. “Just forgive them. … Nobody is perfect,” Tyrese said. He also filmed himself speaking to his mother as he informed her of the support she’s receiving.

“People around the world are praying for you, Mom,” he said. “Thank you for everything you’ve ever done for me, Mom. I love you. Where would I be without you, Mom? I love you. Just keep fighting. … I am strong because of you. I know Jesus because of you.”

Several stars responded with words of compassion, including Jermaine Dupri and D.L. Hughley. Busta Rhymes commented, “The Queen will Prevail.”

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Grab the tissues because the music video for Coldplay and Selena Gomez‘s super-sad single, “Let Somebody Go,” is finally here.  The song is about the end of a relationship that both parties fought hard to save.

“All the storms we weathered/ Everything that we went through/ Now, without you, what on earth am I to do?/ When I called the mathematicians and I ask them to explain/ They said love is only equal to the pain,” they sing during the emotional, melancholy ballad.  

The music video for “Let Somebody Go” was released Monday, which depicts how one’s world can become fractured by the heartbreak and the dizzying emotions that come with that final hug goodbye.  In the black-and-white clip, Chris Martin and Selena are seen reaching for one another, but they drift further apart as their worlds are literally turned upside down.

Although the music video is heartbreaking in nature, Selena says she is “excited” that fans can finally watch her latest work and shared a photo that shows her and Chris goofing off during filming.  

“Let Somebody Go” is the latest single off Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres album, which has amassed over a billion streams.  The track follows Coldplay’s “My Universe” collaboration with BTS.  

In support of their new album, Coldplay is about to embark on their global stadium tour, which kicks off in Costa Rica next month.

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Luke Bryan is reflecting on how he’s turned tragedy into art. 

Throughout his career, Luke has been open about how the sudden deaths of his siblings have impacted him. His brother Chris was killed in a car accident not long before Luke left for Nashville. In 2007, his sister Kelly passed away unexpectedly, followed by her husband Lee, who died of a heart attack in 2014. Since then, the singer and his wife Caroline have been taking care of his late sister’s three children, along with their two sons, Tate and Bo. 

“I think me telling my story of what my family has been through, we’ve always really put it out there and told the world all of the ups and downs and challenges, so I think when I do that, it helps people that have been in similar scenarios not feel alone,” Luke expresses to Good Morning America.

He captures this in the video for his latest single, “Up,” where Luke can be seen sitting in a dimly lit barn adorned with twinkle lights, watching footage of his life on screen. Clips include Luke hunting with his sons and photos from his childhood with his family, the singer revealing that he didn’t see the footage in the video until the day of the shoot. 

“I’m watching that in real time also, so it was a really special moment and love how the video came together,” he shares. “It’s a really beautifully done song.”  

Luke is currently prepping for his first Las Vegas residency, which opens at the Resorts World Theatre on Friday.

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After India.Arie announced last week that she was pulling her music from Spotify partly because of racist language used by podcast host Joe Rogan on the streaming service, she followed up by sharing clips of Rogan previously using the N-word.

The four-time Grammy winner posted edited footage of YouTube clips to her Instagram Stories Highlights showing Rogan using the racial slur several times.

Rogan responded on Instagram by saying the clips were taken out of context, but acknowledged, “It looks f****** horrible, even to me.” 

He added. “I never used it to be racist because I’m not racist. But whenever you’re in a situation where you have to say, ‘I’m not racist,’ you’ve f***** up. And I clearly have f***** up.”

In announcing she was removing her music from Spotify, Arie said, “One [reason] is the Joe Rogan conversation, and for me his language around race and some of the things I’ve seen and heard, but also coupled with that, there is the treatment of artists by Spotify.” The “Strength, Courage & Wisdom” singer added that the platform underpays musical artists, and that she doesn’t want to support a company that prioritizes giving Rogan a hefty salary.

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek wrote in a memo Sunday to employees that he was “deeply sorry” for how the Rogan controversy has affected them. Spotify has also removed 70 past episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience, with Ek’s memo saying Rogan “chose to remove a number of episodes from Spotify.” Ek further said the Rogan podcast will continue.

In responding to the criticism of Spotify, Ek also announced that the company is “committing to an incremental investment of $100 million for the licensing, development, and marketing of music and audio content from historically marginalized groups.”

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Avril Lavigne is the latest musician to pull the plug on an upcoming European tour.  Taking to social media on Monday, the “Love It When You Hate Me” singer announced that she was forced to postpone her upcoming LOVE SUX tour because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“I have some unfortunate news to share with you all about my UK and European dates.  I have to make the difficult decision to postpone this tour until 2023,” Avril said.  “Due to on-going issues surrounding the pandemic, there are a series of travel and venue restrictions from country to country that have made the tour not possible to happen.”

She continued, “It’s not an easy decision, but it’s one that will help ensure that we are able to play every single date of the tour, put on the best show possible at full capacity, and operate in a safe environment.” 

The tour was to promote Avril’s upcoming album, LOVE SUX, which is due out February 25.

“It really breaks my heart to have to do this, but I know it will be worth the wait,” Avril promised, saying her rescheduled dates will now take place between April and May of 2023.  She assured those who had purchased tickets for the old dates will be able to use them for the 2023 tour.  

Avril has since updated her official website so ticket holders can learn more about the postponement. 

Avril now joins a growing number of artists who were forced to push back their European tours, such as Shawn Mendes, Måneskin, Aerosmith and others.

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Nine Inch Nails has announces a series U.S. headlining tour dates.

The outing will first kick off in the spring with shows in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Franklin, Tennessee, on April 28 and May 1, respectively. Then, Trent Reznor and company will head West for a fall tour beginning with a two-night stand at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado on September 2 and 3, before wrapping up with a homecoming show in Cleveland, Ohio, on September 24.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, February 11, at 10 a.m. local time. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit NIN.com.

As previously reported, Nine Inch Nails will also be headlining the Shaky Knees and Primavera Sound Los Angeles festivals in April and September, respectively.

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DNCE is back after a four-year break, promises frontman Joe Jonas.

Speaking to Rolling Stone, the “Cake By the Ocean” singer revealed he was inspired to make new music when filming the upcoming Korean War movie Devotion.  “I felt so inspired by what a beautiful city I was in and some of the music I heard when I was there,” Joe said, and created a new album perfect for his dance-rock band, DNCE.

Joe teased DNCE’s new single, “Happy Feet,” which features Kygo, noting it’s about “enjoying life to the fullest.” 

“I think what DNCE always did so well was bring joy to people, which is what I wanted to do with this new batch of music. Obviously it’s still very tricky times, but it reminds us all of being able to go out there and dance and enjoy life,” he added.

Joe also revealed that there’s a shakeup in the DNCE lineup this time around. While original members Jack Lawless and guitarist JinJoo Lee have returned, bassist Cole Whittle is now pursing a solo career.

Joe isn’t sweating losing Cole, however, and added, “I can kind of foresee [DNCE] becoming this E Street Band where members come and go…It could be a great opportunity to have some special guests” — such as Ryan Tedder.  

Joe also says he’s in a much better place now when it comes to holding down multiple projects.  “In the past with the Jonas Brothers, I used to carry a lot of trauma when new projects would present themselves because you could only focus on one thing at a time,” said Joe. 

The singer has since teased his upcoming new music on Instagram, telling fans, “So excited to start sharing the new stuff we’ve been working on including #DancingFeet with @kygomusic!!” 

It’s unknown when the new DNCE single will drop.

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The 2022 ACM Awards just got even more star-studded, as Jimmie Allen and Gabby Barrett are set to join Dolly Parton as co-hosts.

Following the news last week that the legendary singer would be hosting the ACM Awards for the second time, comes news that the 2021 ACM New Male Artist of the Year and New Female Artist of the Year, respectively, will also helm the show on March 7. Dolly previously hosted the show in 2000. 

Additionally, Gabby and Jimmie will be announcing some of the nominations for the awards ceremony on Thursday on the ACM Awards Twitter account at 10:30 a.m. ET.

“We taking country music back to VEGAS,” Jimmie shared on Twitter.

“So excited to announce that @jimmieallen and I will be joining @DollyParton to co-host the @ACMawards!” shared Gabby.   

The ACM Awards air live for the first tome on Amazon Prime Video on March 7 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas at 8 p.m. ET.

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