Music

—Chloe Bailey is taking her talents back to the big screen. 

The “Have Mercy” singer recently signed on to star in the upcoming music-competition film, Praise This. According to Deadline, the Will Packer-produced feature is set to begin production in Atlanta in June and will be directed by Tina Gordon, who wrote and directed Little, starring Marsai Martin. 

–Grammy-winning artist Burna Boy will make history soon, as the first Nigerian musician to headline New York’s famed Madison Square Garden. 

Fans around the world will be able to stream his “One Night in Space” concert live on YouTube this Thursday, April 28, at 9 p.m. To commemorate the event, Burna Boy released a limited line of merchandise that can be purchased on the tour website. 

—CeeLo Green also announced a new concert opportunity on Tuesday, with his upcoming James Brown Tribute Tour entitled, “Soul Brotha #100.”

The tour is set to kick off on Friday, April 29, in New Orleans and will make its last stop in San Diego in September. 

“I’ve always felt deeply connected to James Brown on a musical level and beyond — He’s been a mentor, teacher and literally a godfather to me throughout my career and I remain humble as I embark upon this embodiment,” CeeLo said in a press release.

Tickets for the show can be purchased on CeeLo’s official website.

—Ne-Yo and his wife, Crystal Smith, remarried this past weekend, two years after the couple briefly separated. 

Ne-Yo shared footage from the extravagant Las Vegas ceremony, along with a simple post caption that reads, “💍Again…🤴🏿👸🏽”

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Camila Cabello is delighted that  Billboard crowned “Bam Bam,” her song with Ed Sheeran, the fifth-most popular song in the world outside the U.S.  “I’m so damn grateful,” she said in an Instagram Story. “This song was me coming out of pain and into joy, from girlhood to womanhood, and putting in a song the wisdom that has been passed down to me.” She also called “Bam Bam” a “family heirloom” because it contains her family’s life lessons.

Speaking of Ed, he’s heading to one of the U.K.’s biggest summer concerts — Capital’s Summertime Ball.  He will take over Wembley Stadium on June 12.  Other artists include Harry Styles, “Budapest” singer George Ezra, Tate McRae, Lauren Spencer-Smith, Anne-Marie and others. Tickets go on sale on April 28. 

Jessica Biel is completely aware the hairstyle she has in Hulu’s upcoming true-crime series Candy resembles that of husband Justin Timberlake‘s from his NSYNC days.  “We laughed about it because it looked like the early days of those beautiful curls,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “Let’s get serious, he had beautiful curls.” 

Jennifer Lopez is a fan of Ted Lasso and shouted out the Apple TV+ series in a new Instagram post. Lip-syncing a joke about how adulthood stinks, she captioned her post, “Me patiently waiting for the next season of Ted Lasso #adultingbelike.” The series regularly name-drops celebrities, including at least one instance of J.Lo herself getting a shout-out, during season 2.

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Jessica Biel knows the hairstyle she has in Hulu’s upcoming true-crime series Candy resembles husband Justin Timberlake‘s from his NSYNC days. “We laughed about it because it looked like the early days of those beautiful curls,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “Let’s get serious, he had beautiful curls.”

Jennifer Lopez is a fan of Ted Lasso and shouted-out the Apple TV+ series in a new Instagram post.  Lip-syncing a joke about how adulthood stinks, she captioned, “Me patiently waiting for the next season of Ted Lasso #adultingbelike.”  The series regularly name-drops celebrities, including at least one instance of J.Lo herself getting a shout-out, during season 2.

Lizzo and GAYLE are teaming with Roblox for a special virtual performance, reports NME.  The two will be honored at the in-game Logitech Song Breaker Awards on April 30, which start at 10 a.m. PT.  Lizzo will perform her new song, “Special,” while GAYLE will belt out her breakthrough hit, “abcde-forget-u.”

Camila Cabello is delighted Billboard crowned “Bam Bam,” her song with Ed Sheeran, the fifth-most popular song in the world outside the U.S. “I’m so damn grateful,” she said in an Instagram Story. “This song was me coming out of pain and into joy, from girlhood to womanhood, and putting in a song the wisdom that has been passed down to me.” 

Speaking of Ed, he’s heading to one of the UK’s biggest summer concerts — Capital’s Summertime Ball, taking over Wembley Stadium June 12. Other artists include Harry Styles, GAYLE, Tate McRae, Lauren Spencer-Smith and more. Tickets go on sale on April 28.

Latin superstar Bad Bunny is joining the Spider-Man universe.  Deadline reports the “I Like It” rapper will star as El Muerto, the super-powered wrestler, in his own Sony movie. 

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Selena Gomez has joined forces with MTV Entertainment to raise awareness on youth mental health.

In a press release, MTVE unveiled plans for its first-ever Mental Health Youth Action Forum, set for May 18, which will be hosted by Selena. Her own mental health initiative, the Rare Impact Fund, will also be on hand.

“As an advocate for mental health, I am thrilled to join forces with MTV Entertainment alongside my
social impact initiative, the Rare Impact Fund, with the goal of destigmatizing mental health through
shaping positive conversations about self-acceptance and mental well-being,” the “Lose You to Love Me” singer said in a statement. “I have a long-standing passion for mental health advocacy and education… It’s a personal mission to continue this important work and empower young people to address their mental health.”

Since releasing her Rare Beauty line in 2020, Selena has directed one percent of its sales — with a goal of raising $100 million over the next decade — to increase mental heath resources via her Rare Impact Fund. So far, it has supported 13 organizations. She has also created the mental health online platform, Wondermind.

MTVE’s forum event will bring together 30 mental health youth activists to share their experiences and ideas on what needs to be done to improve accessibility and resources to those in need. It has also teamed with several nonprofit partners, including Lady Gaga‘s Born This Way Foundation and the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

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Pharrell Williams announced Tuesday the return of his “Something in the Water” festival this year, set to take place in Washington, D.C., on Juneteenth weekend.

Tyler, the Creator, Chloe & Halle, Jon Batiste, Usher, Lil Baby, Ashanti, Moneybagg Yo, Lucky Daye and many more will join Pharrell for a three-day celebration of art, culture and music scheduled for June 17-19.

Originally held in Pharrell’s hometown of Virginia Beach, Virginia, SITW was launched with a mission to unite communities, celebrate diversity and spread empowerment. Last year, after the police shooting of Donovon Lynch, Pharrell’s cousin, Williams sent a letter to the city announcing the removal of the festival and calling on leaders to “talk about your issues, talk about your struggles so we can get past them.”

In a new press release, Pharrell says, “SOMETHING IN THE WATER is a Black solution (LOVE) for a systemic issue, and this year we are taking our celebration to a higher platform — the nation’s Capital during Juneteenth Weekend. We want to show the world that there is SOMETHING IN THE WATER across the whole DMV and I want to continue to bring awareness to the greatness within these communities and invite large corporations to show up for the people.”

Fans who have previously purchased SITW passes will be able to buy pre-sale tickets starting on Wednesday April 27, while Virginia residents who plan to attend can purchase passes beginning on Friday, April 29. Three-day passes for Something in the Water 2022 will go on sale to the general public this Saturday, April 30, and will be available at the festival’s official website. 

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If you attend any shows on the Metal Tour of the Year, keep an eye out for Dave Mustaine in the crowd.

During the recent stop on the run, the Megadeth frontman played the role of heavy metal Santa Claus when he sneaked into the arena’s stands and handed out guitar picks to some awed kids sitting in front of him.

Mustaine posted a video of the interaction on his Instagram, writing in the caption, “Metal is alive and well.”

The Metal Tour of the Year, which features Megadeth, Lamb of God, Trivium and In Flames, continues Tuesday in Omaha, Nebraska. LoG frontman Randy Blythe is back on the tour after missing a few dates due to testing positive for COVID-19.

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Dave Matthews Band is set to play this year’s edition of Pharrell Williams‘ Something in the Water festival.

The three-day event will take place Juneteenth weekend, June 17-19, in Washington, D.C.

The lineup also includes Ashanti and Ja Rule, Chloe x Halle, Jon Batiste, Lil Baby, Run the Jewels, Tyler, the Creator and Usher. Pharrell himself will headline, billed as Pharrell & Phriends.

Tickets go on sale this Saturday, April 30, at 10 a.m. ET. For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit SomethingintheWater.com.

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What was it like filming the “2step” music video in 20-degree weather? Ed Sheeran answered that question while treating fans to a behind-the-scenes look at the making of his newest clip that was posted Tuesday on his official YouTube channel.

As previously reported, “2step” was filmed in Kyiv, Ukraine, prior to Russia’s invasion of the country, which has reduced portions of the capital city featured in the music video into rubble. The Grammy winner has since pledged to donate royalties from YouTube streams to ongoing humanitarian efforts for the Ukrainian people.

“Come behind the scenes with me on a video shoot I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” Sheeran captioned the new making-of video, which starts with Ed dressing appropriately for the chilly, winter weather. “I have all my thermal gear on,” the singer explains as the video cuts to the bundled-up production crew directing the shoot.

The video also shares more images of the city around the singer-songwriter, from lit-up shops to apartment buildings to intact bus stops and billboards. Other clips show him bonding with the extras, reviewing footage and, finally, toasting with a warm drink once he’s satisfied all his shots.

The “Shivers” singer previously announced that he’ll donate royalties from YouTube streams of  the “2step” remix, which features rapper Lil Baby, to DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, which works to provide food, water, shelter and medical assistance to those in need.

“Ukraine is a proud and resilient country and I’m grateful to have had the chance to film my video there,” Ed previously expressed. “I stand will Ukraine.”

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