Music

After performing in the tribute to her mentor Sean “Diddy” Combs Sunday night on the BET Awards, Mary J. Blige is planning a special concert to be streamed in over 165 countries.

On July 27 the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul will broadcast a prerecorded concert for fans all around the world on Apple Music. 

“The last year of my career in particular has been an exciting ride,” the nine-time Grammy winner said in a statement. “From continuing to act, to recording and releasing my 15th studio album, growing and expanding different businesses like Sun Goddess and Sister Love Jewelry, to performing at the Super Bowl, launching my Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit and now getting ready to go back on tour, it feels amazing to take this opportunity to celebrate, reflect and have an intimate night with my fans through this platform Apple Music is providing me.”

Mary is inviting her fans to register on the AXS website for a chance to attend the concert, which will be taped July 13 at the historic United Palace in New York City.

On July 27, Apple Music will devote the entire day to MJB, with interviews as well as her greatest hits.

Blige, who is celebrating the 30th anniversary of her 1992 triple Platinum debut album, What’s The 411, released her new video for “Come See About Me” on Thursday. The video features Fabolous, from the deluxe edition of her new studio album, GOOD MORNING GORGEOUS

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The late Frank Zappa‘s entire song publishing and recording catalog, his film archives and the full contents of his expansive storage facility, known as The Vault, have been acquired by Universal Music Group from the Zappa Trust, the family company overseen by Frank’s four children.

In addition, the agreement, which also includes Zappa’s name and likeness, will see UMG’s catalog and music-publishing companies — Universal Music Enterprises, known as UMe, and Universal Music Publishing Group — continue its ongoing partnership with the Zappa Trust, which began 10 years ago when Frank’s late wife, Gail, was overseeing the trust.

“UMG have more than proven their passion for Frank’s art and so the entire Zappa family — Moon, Dweezil, Ahmet and Diva — is thrilled to pass the baton to the new forever stewards for all things Frank Zappa,” the Zappa Trust says in a joint statement. “Old and new fans will get more of what they want — more Frank Zappa music for years to come …[W]e know that his music and legacy will be in the best possible hands for generations to come.”

Adds UMe President and CEO Bruce Resnikoff, “We will continue to develop innovative ways to celebrate [Frank’s] vast and influential catalog for both longtime fans and those just discovering his genius … Frank Zappa was constantly creating and recording and he left behind a treasure trove of extraordinary still-unreleased music and video in his Vault that will help us usher in the next era of Frank Zappa fans.”

During his lifetime, Zappa obsessively documented his recording sessions, live performances and jams on audio and video formats. UMG is planning to pore through his archives to create many new releases in the coming years.

Zappa died of prostate cancer in 1993 at age 52.

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Get ready, DNCE has an all new song coming out next week! They’ll drop “Got Me Good” on July 8.

Adele is teasing her Friday night all-female concert at Hyde park. “Who’s ready for tomorrow!?” she asked on Instagram and shared some behind-the-scenes looks at her getting ready for the upcoming event. Several shots show a makeup-free Adele sitting cross-legged on a chair and belting out a song.

Justin Bieber attended church for the first time since being diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which paralyzed a part of his face. Page Six reports he and wife Hailey Bieber were spotted attending Wednesday night service. Hopefully this means he’s feeling better!

See the dress Olivia Rodrigo wore to the Grammy Awards at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.  Billboard reports it updated their “On the Red Carpet” display and now includes Olivia’s red carpet dress, as well as Silk Sonic‘s suits and Gloria Estefan‘s dress!

It’s good to be famous! Michael Bublé revealed on TikTok he’s best buddies with Aktar Islam, the owner of the upscale Opheem restaurant in Birmingham, England. Islam shut his restaurant down so Michael, who’s on tour, could enjoy a private dinner there. “If you think it’s an ad, it’s not. Here’s my bill,” Michael insisted while holding up a receipt. “I paid and it was worth every penny!”

Meghan Trainor reminded fans who she married — Spy Kids star Daryl Sabara. She took to TikTok to upgrade his title from “Spy Kid” to “Spy Husband.” As she declares she will always be #TeamJuni, the name of Daryl’s character in the franchise, her husband comedically pulls a few spy-like poses and fighting moves.

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Lil Nas X shared a hilarious behind-the-scenes video of how he filmed “Late To Da Party.” The video shows Lil Nas X fawning over how handsome he is, joking how smart he looks while wearing glasses. The video includes its fair share of bad editing and shows how they filmed the bizarre music video into the early morning hours.

Britney Spears raved about some beaded toilet paper earrings on Instagram and now the designer is singing Britney’s praises. Licia Young, who sells those earrings for $44 a pop, told Page Six she received a massive spike in sales. “I’ve received enough publicity to make it worth making them,” she raved.

Justin Bieber attended church for the first time since being diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which paralyzed a part of his face. Page Six reports he and wife Hailey Bieber were spotted attending Wednesday night service. Hope he feels better soon! 

Halsey teamed with Coca-Cola for a new music video for their song “So Good,” which you can watch by scanning a Coke bottle. Halsey announced on Instagram that they “concepted and created” the new clip with the beverage giant, which shows them painting away while enjoying a soda. 

Adele teased her Friday night all-female concert at Hyde park. “Who’s ready for tomorrow!?” she asked on Instagram, and shared a series of snaps of her wearing no makeup and sitting cross-legged on a chair while belting out a song. 

See the dress Olivia Rodrigo wore to the Grammy Awards at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. Billboard reports it updated their “On the Red Carpet” display and now includes Olivia’s red carpet dress, as well as Silk Sonic‘s suits and Billie Eilish‘s outfit!

Get ready, DNCE drops their new song “Got Me Good” on July 8!

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Stranger Things‘ season 4 introduced the vicious Vecna, who kills people by infiltrating their minds and killing them from the inside. He can be stopped, however, if his victim listens to their favorite song.

Sadie Sink‘s Max escapes Vecna’s clutches with an assist from Kate Bush‘s 1985 hit “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” — which, in turn, has caused the song to go viral.

But this has led Stranger Things fans to question what song would save them from certain death; if you don’t know, Spotify is here to help.

To amp people up for the final episodes of Stranger Things‘ latest season, Spotify has launched the “Upside Down Playlist,” which purportedly reveals your so-called “savior song.”

“Wanna know what songs would save YOU from vecna? head to your Upside Down Playlist on @Spotify to find out,” the streaming app teased on Twitter.  “The first Song on the list = your savior song.”

If you’re a Spotify user, the app’s algorithm will hunt through the songs you’ve been listening to recently and determines which track is most likely to save you from certain death. In all, this new personal playlist offers you 50 tracks to keep you safe, should you find yourself in the Upside Down.

Volume two of Stranger Things season 4 arrives on Netflix this Friday, July 1.

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Jon Pardi just dropped the music video for his song “Fill ‘Er Up.” That track comes off Mr. Saturday Night, the singer’s fourth album, which will be out in September.

Ryan Hurd’s new video for “Pass it On” is out now. The song, off his Pelago album, features backing vocals from his country star wife, Maren Morris, who also co-stars in the music video.

In case you missed it, hot country newcomer Jelly Roll made his national television debut on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! this week. He performed “Son of a Sinner,” his new single, which is currently inside country radio’s Top 30 and climbing.

Willie Nelson has a new book coming out about his relationship with his longtime drummer and good friend Paul English, who died in 2020 at age 87. Called Me & Paul: Untold Tales of a Fabled Friendship, the book will be out on September 20.

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The series The Summer I Turned Pretty is a hit on Prime Video, and Taylor Swift is one of the beneficiaries of its success.

Jenny Han, who wrote the novel of the same name and also worked on the series, has spoken about how important it was for her to get the rights to use Taylor’s music. Now, Variety reports that the artists whose music was featured in the show have seen huge increases in streams, sales and followers, and Taylor’s music is among them.

Variety reports that Taylor’s 2019 album Lover has re-entered the top 40 of the Billboard 200 album chart because two songs from it — “Cruel Summer” and “False God” — are featured in the show. The album also went from Taylor’s fourth most-streamed album to number one on Spotify after racking up 3.9 million streams, according to the publication. 

Meanwhile, the song “Cruel Summer” experienced its highest streaming day on Spotify since 2019.

Taylor’s re-recording of “This Love,” from her album 1989, is also featured in the show after making its debut in the trailer.

A new Taylor song, “Carolina,” is now being featured on another project: It debuted in the trailer for the upcoming film Where the Crawdads Sing.

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