Music

Country trio Lady A and blues singer Anita White, also known as Lady A, have come to an agreement.

Billboard reports that a settlement was reached in a Nashville court on January 31 between the group and White wherein both parties asked the judge to dismiss their respective lawsuits.

However, the details of the settlement, including how the name Lady A will be used going forward, have not been made public.

In June 2020, the country group of Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood changed its name from Lady Antebellum to Lady A in response to the racial justice protests taking place around the country in the wake of George Floyd‘s murder to disassociate the act from the name’s reference to the Antebellum South, which encompasses slavery.

“We are deeply sorry for the hurt this has caused and for anyone who has felt unsafe, unseen or unvalued,” the group wrote in an Instagram post announcing the name change. “Causing pain was never our hearts’ intention, but it doesn’t change the fact that indeed, it did just that.” 

Soon after, White came forward and shared that she had been performing under the name Lady A for more than 20 years and cited their ignorance to the use of her name as “pure privilege.”  

After an initial meeting between the two acts, the group filed a lawsuit against White, asking the court to solidify their trademark to use the name Lady A. White launched countersued for $10 million, saying that some of the money would be used to support her rebranding to a different name, with $5 million to be donated to various charities, support for independent artists and Black Lives Matter.

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Adele is the queen of the low-key denial. With just one Instagram post, she’s managed to shut down the rumors that she’s miserable and has gone into hiding in the wake of her Las Vegas residency cancellation, that she’s canceled an upcoming award show performance, and that her relationship is on the rocks.

Adele posted a photo of herself laughing and holding a playing card, along with the caption, “Hiya, so I’m really happy to say that I am performing at the Brits next week!! Anddddd I’ll also be popping in to see Graham for a chat on the couch while I’m in town too! I’m looking forward to it! Oh, and Rich sends his love.”

There have been a number of tabloid reports that one of the reasons that Adele’s residency didn’t make its launch date is because she’d been preoccupied with her allegedly “volatile” romance with Rich Paul, and had been spending all her time yelling at him on the phone.  So let’s put that rumor to bed.

There were also reports that Adele had canceled a February 8 performance at the BRIT Awards — the U.K. equivalent of the Grammys — even though the performance had never even been announced.  Now, Adele has confirmed that she will, in fact, be appearing at the prestigious award show, where she’s up for four trophies.

And finally, there have been so many varying reports about the “real reason” Adele postponed the residency that it would ease fans’ minds to know what the plans are going forward.  Adele announced in her post that she’s going to be “popping in to see Graham for a chat” seems to indicate that she may be ready to reveal those details, since “Graham” is British talk-show host Graham Norton.  Stay tuned!

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R. Kelly has contracted COVID-19 in prison, causing his attorney to request a two-week extension until February 17 in his sex trafficking conviction appeal.

Billboard reports that the extension was immediately approved on Tuesday by the federal judge overseeing the case. Attorney Jennifer Ann Bonjean added that the “Bump n’ Grind” singer was “parting ways” with most of his legal team that represented him during his trial last year. Devereaux Cannick and Calvin Scholar have already requested to withdraw from the case, and attorneys Nicole Blank Becker and Thomas A. Farinella will also reportedly move to leave.

Last summer, Bonjean won a ruling on appeal that overturned Bill Cosby’s 2018 sex assault conviction and led to his release from prison.

Kelly was convicted in September 2021 on nine criminal counts by a federal jury in New York City, including racketeering, sex trafficking and the sexual exploitation of a child. He is set to go to court August 1, 2022 in a separate federal case that includes child pornography, obstruction of justice and sexual abuse charges.

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She’s topped Billboard‘s Global charts, and now MTV has crowned GAYLE its Global PUSH Artist for February.

Gayle has filmed two performances for MTV, for her singles “abcdefu” and “ur just horny,” and also sat down for an exclusive interview, all of which you can watch now.

Speaking about “abcdefu,” GAYLE says the song was inspired by a relationship in which she “had a really unrealistic idea of what commitment was.” As she notes, “I thought that once I was committed to somebody, I was committed, no matter what they do, I’m still going to choose to be with them because I already made the commitment.”

She also explains that despite her youth — she’s 17 — she’s been working on her music for a long time, which is why she’ll be O.K. if her music career goes up in smoke.

“I’ve had a lot of time to…really try my best and give it my all,” she explains. “Even if none of this works out, I want to be able to look back and be like, ‘You know what? At least I tried.’ That is a really empowering thing. Who cares if anybody doesn’t like it, if anybody doesn’t accept it? You like it and what you want, matters.”

GAYLE also revealed the songs on her Push playlist:

Song that reminds you of your childhood: “Fireflies,” by Owl City

Song you listen to before a big night out: “Body,” by Megan Thee Stallion

Song you listen to loudly in the car: “Crash My Car,” by Coin

Go-to karaoke song: “Stone Cold,” by Demi Lovato

Favorite throwback track: “Come Together,” by The Beatles

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Brian Kelley is embarking on his first solo headlining tour this year. 

The Florida Georgia Line member is setting sail on the 11-date Made By the Water Tour that takes him across the south throughout the spring. The tour kicks off on April 21 in his home state of Florida in Daytona Beach, followed by stops in Savannah, Charlotte, Birmingham, Baton Rogue and more before wrapping the trek in Little Rock, AR on May 19. 

The tour is in support of Brian’s debut solo album, Sunshine State of Mind, released in June 2021. 

“LETSGOOOOOOO I can’t wait to see everyone this spring! Me and the @theboatboysmusic starting summer early,” Brian writes on Instagram.  

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. local time. 

Brian has long been known as one half of FGL alongside band mate Tyler Hubbard. The duo takes center stage in a new exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame, Florida Georgia Line: Mix It Up Strong, opening on February 6.

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Jhené Aiko and Mary Mary were announced Tuesday as two of the performers for the pregame entertainment for Super Bowl 56 on Sunday, February 13 at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

Aiko will sing “America the Beautiful,” and the gospel duo Mary Mary, consisting of sisters Erica and Tina Campbell, will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing” accompanied by the L.A. Philharmonic’s Youth Orchestra Los Angeles. Erica and Tina are thrilled to be singing in the neighborhood where they grew up.

“We’re so excited to represent INGLEWOOD at #SBLVI with our performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” they commented on Instagram.

Grammy winner Zedd will serve as the “official pregame DJ” providing the music during player warmups. He will also spin at Shaquille O’Neal‘s Shaq’s Fun House Super Bowl party on Friday, February 11 at the Shrine Auditorium in LA.

The NFC Champion Los Angeles Rams will be playing the game on their home field against the AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals.

At halftime, one of the greatest hip hop lineups ever will hit the stage as Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg and Mary J. Blige perform together for the first time. For the third year in a row, Jay-Z‘s Roc Nation is serving as the strategic entertainment advisor for the Super Bowl halftime entertainment.

The game will air on NBC and Telemundo and stream live on Peacock.

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Lil Nas X is already hard at work on his upcoming project, which sees him deviate from music into art.  The “Industry Baby” singer is coming to a comic book near you.

In an official press release, TidalWave Comics announced Lil Nas X is jumping into the FAME comic universe, which will focus on how he became one of the most influential voices of his generation.

Lil Nas X’s tale will be illustrated across 22 pages and will explore his life story, from his “childhood in Atlanta to international superstardom,” per the press release.  The comic was written by Darren G. Davis, who explained why it’s important to create comics that also double as biographies.

“Our success with this comic shows that there is a much wider audience for sequential storytelling than many thought. These readers are simply looking for something other than superheroes or horror,” Davis said in a statement. “With our bio comics, we strive to bring these new readers evenhanded, well-researched looks at some of their favorite celebrities.”

Illustrator Victor Moura adds of the upcoming Lil Nas X storyline, “Tried my best to make the art of this book unique so it had its own voice like it should.”

FAME: Lil Nas X is set for release this week.

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AFI has postponed the band’s upcoming headlining tour dates to the fall.

The outing, which was originally scheduled to launch next week on February 11, is now set to kick off in October. The updated routing now also includes newly added stops in Anaheim and Ventura, California.

“With COVID cases still on the rise, we fear that we will not be able to complete the tour the way it is currently scheduled,” the “Miss Murder” rockers write in an Instagram post. “Moving it will hopefully give us a better chance to see it through to its entirety.”

The only unaffected dates are a pair of previously announced Los Angeles concerts taking place March 25 and 26, which will stay put since AFI does not need to travel for the shows.

For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit AFireInside.net.

AFI will be touring in support of their new album, Bodies, which dropped last June.

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Charlie Puth has four Grammy nods, headlined multiple world tours and has collaborated with some of the biggest names in music — but that all apparently pales in comparison to his latest achievement: starring in a Super Bowl commercial.

“I’ve never done a Super Bowl commercial before and somehow I’m fortunate enough for it to happen for me this year. I’m still pinching myself,” the “Light Switch” singer told Billboard. “If you had told me 10 years ago when I was attending Berklee [College of Music] that I would be on a Super Bowl commercial, animated [and] showing myself musically I wouldn’t believe you.”

Charlie stars alongside rapper Megan Thee Stallion in Frito-Lay’s “Unleash Your Flamin’ Hot” Big Game commercial, which features wild animals singing while eating chips.

The 30-year-old singer said he “was in right away” after hearing the pitch.  “The premise is that all these animals eat these Flamin’ Hot products and they become musically active, they start harmonizing and being in synch and perfect tempo with each other and that’s what happened to me life as well,” Charlie remarked, joking he’s also “off to the races writing 5 songs” whenever he eats his favorite snack.

Charlie plays a beatboxing fox while the “Savage” rapper plays a songbird — a vermilion flycatcher to be precise — in the commercial, which features animals belting out “Push It” by Salt-N-Pepa.

The “One Call Away” singer raved about working with Megan, saying, “It’s technically a collaboration. I think she’s wonderful and I have nothing but good things to say about her… And I know that she just graduated college, which is really impressive and great that she has time to do that while being a pop superstar.”

The commercial will air in full on Sunday, February 13, during the Super Bowl.

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Wolf Alice has announced a U.S. headlining tour.

The spring outing will launch March 21 in Atlanta, and will come to a close April 16 in Houston. Tickets go on sale this Friday, February 4, at 10 a.m. local time.

For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit WolfAlice.co.uk.

Wolf Alice will be touring in support of their 2021 album Blue Weekend, which features the single “Smile.” Along with the headlining dates, the U.K. outfit’s 2022 schedule includes a number of high-profile opening gigs for Harry Styles, Bleachers and Halsey.

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