Taylor Swift ended 2021 as one of the top-selling artists in the country and a new report shows just how tremendous her year was.
Billboardreports that one in every 50 albums sold in the U.S. over the past year belonged to the “Shake It Off” singer. The outlet reports that she sold a whopping 2.4 million albums last year, nearly a million more than the amount Adele sold. In all, the British singer saw 1.6 million copies of her albums fly off the shelf in 2021. When it came to digital sales, Taylor’s albums accounted for 1.35 percent of all downloads while Adele’s accounted for 1.07 percent of total digital album sales.
Taylor also sold 1.1 million vinyl copies of her albums while her CD sales amounted to 898,000.
BTS was the only other artist to move over a million albums last year after fans snapped up 1.1 million copies of their studio works. But, in the race for who sold the most songs, that honor goes to the K-pop sensations who sold 2.95 million singles. No other music act managed to sell over one million songs, with second place Dua Lipa finishing out the year with 954,000 sold.
Rosa Lee Hawkins, an original member of the New Orleans R&B vocal trio The Dixie Cups, died Tuesday at a hospital in Tampa, Florida, NOLA.com reports. She was 76.
Rosa’s older sister and fellow original Dixie Cups singer Barbara Hawkins revealed that she died from internal bleeding and other complications after undergoing a surgical procedure last week.
The Dixie Cups are best known for their chart-topping 1964 smash “Chapel of Love,” as well as for their hit 1965 rendition of “Iko Iko,” which was based on a traditional Mardi Gras Indian chant.
The group also had top-40 hits in 1964 with “People Say” and “You Should Have Seen The Way He Looked at Me.”
The Dixie Cups’ third original member, Joan Marie Johnson — a cousin of the Hawkins sisters — left the group in 1966 and passed away in 2016.
Rosa Lee and Barbara Hawkins continued to perform as The Dixie Cups with various third members. The most recent lineup also featured their childhood friend Athelgra Neville, a sister of the famed New Orleans sibling group The Neville Brothers.
“The most important thing to Rosa, after her son and me and her grandchildren and nieces and nephews, was singing,” Barbara told NOLA.com. “She was very happy when she was onstage. Her whole attitude and demeanor were different because she was doing something she loved.”
The Dixie Cups hadn’t performed live since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but they had been scheduled to take part in the 2022 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Barbara says she and Athelgra still plan to perform in her honor.
“[Rosa] had said, ‘I’ll probably go before you, but please don’t stop singing,'” noted Barbara. “I love her like I still love my mom…I will always love her.”
After two men were arrested earlier this week in connection with the murder of Young Dolph, a third suspect was taken into custody Wednesday.
Shundale Barnett, 27, has been charged with being an after-the-fact accessory to first-degree murder, according to HipHopDX.com.
U.S. Marshall Tyreece Miller said that after a $15,000 reward was offered for information leading to an arrest, over 500 tips were received, taking the investigation to Indianapolis, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta and Hampton, Virginia.
As previously reported, Justin Johnson, 23, was captured on Tuesday afternoon, nearly a week after law enforcement announced that he was wanted by police in connection with a number of alleged charges, including first-degree murder, criminal attempted first-degree murder and property theft.
A second suspect, Cornelius Smith, 32, was indicted by a grand jury on Tuesday on first-degree murder charges in the shooting death of the Memphis rapper, said Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich.
Smith was also indicted on additional charges of attempted first-degree murder, being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, employment of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony and property theft. Young Dolph’s brother, who was with the rapper when he was killed, is the victim in the attempted murder count.
Young Dolph, whose given name was Adolph Robert Thornton Jr., was shot and killed in Memphis on November 17 while visiting Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies, a bakery in South Memphis that the rapper was known to frequent. He was 36.
A variety of famous music stars, including The Rolling Stones‘ Keith Richards, The Beach Boys‘ Brian Wilson and Billy Joel, have paid homage to legendary Ronettes singer Ronnie Spector, who died Wednesday of cancer at age 78.
Richards, who was a longtime friend of Ronnie’s and had a brief romance with her during the 1960s, wrote on his social media pages, “This is so sad. Ronnie was a very dear friend and she leaves a huge gap. How I’m going to miss that infectious laugh and that great voice! My deepest condolences to her family and loved ones.”
Wilson was a huge fan of The Ronettes’ 1963 hit “Be My Baby,” which inspired him to write “Don’t Worry Baby.” He presented “Don’t Worry Baby” to Ronettes producer Phil Spector for the group to record, but Phil turned it down, and it went on to become a hit for The Beach Boys in 1964.
Paying homage to Ronnie, Brian wrote on Twitter, “I loved her voice so much and she was a very special person and a dear friend. This just breaks my heart. Ronnie’s music and spirit will live forever.”
Accompanying the post is a YouTube video featuring footage of Ronnie visiting Brian backstage at a 2002 New York City concert. In the clip, she gushes at how much she loved “Don’t Worry Baby” and serenades a swooning Wilson.
Joel, whose classic song “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” was covered by Ronnie and Bruce Springsteen‘s E Street Band in 1977, writes, “The great Ronnie Spector has died. So many faces in and out of my life…We mourn her passing.”
In addition, Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan posted a video of him performing an acoustic version of the Ronettes hit “Baby, I Love You.”
Here are some other tributes to Ronnie from various well-known artists:
Joan Jett: “Our dear friend Ronnie Spector, has passed. She was the sweetest person you could ever know. And her mark on rock and roll is indelible.”
The Beach Boys’ Al Jardine: “So sad to hear about Ronnie.”
“Little Steven” Van Zandt: “RIP Ronnie Spector. It was an honor to Produce her and encourage her to get back on stage where she remained for the next 45 years. Her record with the E Street Band helped sustain us at a very precarious time…Condolences to her husband and family.
Southside Johnny: “She was definitely one of the high points of my teenage years, one of the high points of my touring life. When she came on stage with The Jukes the crowd went crazy. And, I got to play castanets! Who could ask for more. Rest in a groove, Ronnie.”
The Bangles‘ Susanna Hoffs: “Peace and Love, Ronnie Spector.”
Darlene Love: “I’m in total shock! Did not see this one coming. Please give me time to process my thoughts to give Ronnie the proper tribute she deserves. She and I shared so much together.”
Go-Go’s bassist Kathy Valentine: “this totally blows. f*** cancer. RIP the legend Ronnie Spector. Thank you for the music, for being so freaking cool.”
The Pointer Sisters: “Condolences to family & friends of #RonnieSpector RIP”
Jimmy Webb: Sad to hear that #RonnieSpector left us today. #TheRonettes and Roni were a main part of the soundtrack of the early 60’s & ‘Be My Baby’ was certainly a signature song. Ronnie’s vocals rang out with her beautiful clear voice across the radio waves. Rest in power, Roni.”
Luke Bryan premiered the music video for his current single, “Up,” today, giving his mid-tempo ode to small-town life an equally sentimental visual treatment.
The clip — which premiered exclusively on Facebook — starts with Luke sitting in a barn after sundown, watching old home movies on a projector.
As memories flood the barn, a collection of people watching along with Luke begins to grow. We see families smiling together and folks of all ages following along with the videos, ultimately heading outside to release lit-up paper lanterns into the night sky.
There’s a bittersweet real-life story behind the shoot: The home movies Luke’s watching are personal ones, and director Shaun Silva captured the singer’s reaction to seeing them for the first time. Among the videos are Luke holding his kids, fishing with his dad and hunting with his sons. One snippet is a closeup shot of Luke’s brother, Chris, who died in a car accident at age 26.
“When I saw the footage of my boys with both their grandfathers, and then the close-up clip of my brother basically looking at me, it was so overwhelming,” says Luke. “I could not be prouder, not only of the message of this song, but also how this video turned out.”
“Up” is the sixth single off Luke’s latest album, Born Here Live Here Die Here.
Ronnie Spector in 1977, while promoting her single “Say Goodbye to Hollywood”; Tom Sheehan/Sony Music Archive via Getty Images
Billy Joel‘s 1976 song “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” was directly inspired by The Ronettes‘ “Be My Baby,” so it’s no wonder he’s paid tribute to the group’s iconic frontwoman Ronnie Spector, who died yesterday at the age of 78 after a brief battle with cancer.
“The great Ronnie Spector has died,” Billy wrote on his website. “So many faces in and out of my life…We mourn her passing.”
“So many faces in and out of my life” is a lyric from “Say Goodbye to Hollywood,” but in addition to being fitting words, there’s another reason why Billy quoted it: In 1977, Ronnie, backed by Bruce Springsteen‘s E Street Band, recorded “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” herself.
Spector’s passing was also mourned by rock legends like Rolling Stone Keith Richards and The Beach Boys‘ Brian Wilson, as well as the E Street Band’s Little Steven Van Zandt and a number of famous female artists, including:
Cyndi Lauper, who tweeted a photo of herself with Spector and a broken heart emoji
Joan Jett: “Our dear friend Ronnie Spector, has passed. She was the sweetest person you could ever know. And her mark on rock and roll is indelible.”
The Bangles‘ Susanna Hoffs: “Peace and Love, Ronnie Spector.”
Darlene Love: “I’m in total shock! Did not see this one coming. Please give me time to process my thoughts to give Ronnie the proper tribute she deserves. She and I shared so much together.”
Go-Go’s bassist Kathy Valentine: “this totally blows. f*** cancer. RIP the legend Ronnie Spector. Thank you for the music, for being so freaking cool.”
After previously saying only that it’ll be out in spring 2022, Thomas now has an exact release date for fans: Where We Started will arrive April 1.
He also shared the cover art on social media, revealing a close-up shot of his face in sepia tones. The album’s title is written on the top right corner in bold, orange print.
Eager fans can look out for something special in mere hours, since Thomas also said he’s planning to drop not one but two songs off Where We Started on Friday at midnight. It’s still not clear what those songs might be, although TR has been sharing plenty of unreleased music on his socials over the past several months. It’s certainly possible that fans have already heard acoustic snippets of some of the songs on Where We Started.
The upcoming project is sandwiched between Country Again Side A and Side B. Thomas dropped Side A last year, and he’s planning to put out Side B in the fall.
When he first announced that Where We Started was coming out in addition to Side B, the singer told fans his wealth of new music was due to writing “so many songs” during the COVID-19 pandemic and first year back on the road.
“What we have decided to do is put out two albums next year,” he said at the time.
Tai Verdes has released a new single called “LAst dAy oN EaRTH,” in which he imagines what he’d do if he only had 24 hours to live.
“I made this song for the purpose of reflection. I want everyone to listen to this song, you know…really listen to it,” he explains. “To stop, breathe in the air, feel, think about where they are, and realize that this isn’t gonna last forever, and by ‘this’ I mean life.”
“Sometimes, life’s journey can feel long, sometimes it feels short, but we all know it’s going to end,” he adds. “It’s kind of like jumping out of a plane. We’re all in the freefall, and sometimes we just get so caught we don’t realize it.”
Tai also says it’s “time for everyone to see the world in HD,” and on Instagram, he writes that the song is the “first episode of HDTV.” Since Tai’s debut album was called TV, and his upcoming tour is called the HDTV Tour, it’s possibly that HDTV is also the title of his next project.
The tour kicks off April 19 in Santa Ana, CA and is right now scheduled to wrap up in L.A. on May 22. He’s also planning to perform at a number of festivals, including Bonnaroo, Bottlerock, Lollapalooza Argentina and the U.K.’s Reading [PR: Redding] and Leeds festivals.
And if all this Tai Verdes news is making you hungry, you can order a custom Tai Verdes Bowl at Chipotle, which features the chain’s new plant-based chorizo.
Ahead of the final installment of the Hotel Transylvania franchise hitting the streaming world on Friday, star Selena Gomez lets fans in on what kind of monsters are cool in her book.
Speaking with Pop Sugaralongside co-star Andy Samberg, the “Lose You to Love Me” singer was grilled on the type of monsters she would rather become.
When faced with the choice of turning a loved one either into a vampire, like her character Mavis, or a mindless zombie, Selena selected the former option. “I would rather someone turn into a vampire — even if they were threatening to eat me because I don’t care,” the Grammy nominee deadpanned.
Selena would also rather be covered in hair than fish scales, noting “it would be fun to braid” her new, luscious locks. When faced with picking centaurs or mermaids as the better half-human monster, the 29-year-old selected the sea creatures because, “I love the ocean.”
Most hilariously, when posed with the question if she’d “rather turn into a skeleton that can play xylophone on its bones or just be really good at drums,” Selena wanted to become the latter because, “I think that’d be cool.”
And, finally, when forced to choose what eight-legged monster she’d rather be turned into, the Rare Beauty mogul said she’d want to become a giant spider. “I would like to be a spider,” she mused, but admitted that choosing between that and a giant kraken was “hard.”
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is available to stream on Amazon Prime starting Friday, January 14.
Sergione Infuso/Corbis via Getty Images; Scott Legato/Getty Images
Add America and founding Free/Bad Company frontman Paul Rodgers to the list of artists who have recently sold off all or some of their song publishing rights to the Primary Wave Music company.
Primary Wave announced Wednesday that it had acquired the rights to the music catalogue of America co-founders Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell. The multi-million-dollar deal includes rights to such enduring hits as the chart-topping “A Horse with No Name” and “Sister Golden Hair,” and the top-10 singles “Ventura Highway” and “Tin Man.”
The agreement also includes some name and likeness rights.
“We are pleased that our catalogue is now in the able hands of the good folks at Primary Wave, where the music we have created over the last 50 years will be given new attention and exposure,” says Bunnell.
As for Rodgers, his deal includes Primary Wave acquiring a stake in the Free and Bad Company catalogues, as well as “master recording income streams from both bands.”
Free is best-known for the 1970 smash “All Right Now,” while Bad Company had a string of popular songs during the 1970s that Rodgers wrote or co-wrote, including “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” “Shooting Star” and “Wishing Well.”
Also as part of the deal, Rodgers will create an imprint that will be distributed by the Sun Records label, which Primary Wave acquired in late 2020. Via the imprint, the singer will sign new artists and also curate compilations.
“Given [Primary Wave’s] deep knowledge of my catalogue, joining forces with them seems a natural progression, to ensure that the messages and the music live on for the fans,” Rodgers says of the deal.
