Music

System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian has premiered a new song song called “Amber.”

The track is sung in Armenian, and its title, which is pronounced ‘ahm-be’r,’ is the Armenian word for “clouds.” Armenian vocalist Sevak Amroyan also guests on the song.

Tankian first wrote “Amber” in 2017 in response to that year’s Armenian parliamentary election.

“I was so distraught by the slick theft of the elections before ever reaching the ballot box that I wrote this song as a response,” Tankian shares. “The lyrics however seem to be more poignant today when Armenians are divided politically and socially following the devastating attack on Nagorno-Karabagh and Armenia by Azerbaijan and Turkey in 2020 and the continuous fallout over negotiations with those two dictatorial regimes.”

“‘Amber’s’ message is that of unity and harmony,” he adds. “Those are the only truly powerful weapons of the Armenian nation.”

You can watch the “Amber” video streaming now on YouTube. It will be released on digital outlets this Wednesday, June 8.

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Maren Morris has something special planned for fans on her upcoming Humble Quest Tour. 

The superstar singer revealed on social media that she’ll be diving into her vault of past songs, as she plans to play acoustic versions of deep cuts off her previous albums as requested by fans. 

“There is a moment of this tour set that I’m gonna try to sing older, random album songs that weren’t singles. Just me & my guitar if you shout it or write it on a poster,” she explains in a Twitter thread, adding with a crying laughing emoji, “seriously having to learn some archival sh**…”

In the comments, several fans requested numbers off her chart-topping debut album, Hero, including “Bummin’ Cigarettes” “Company You Keep,” “Once” and “Space.”

“That one is always in my back pocket,” Maren said in response to requests for “Bummin’ Cigarettes,” while assuring another fan who asked her to sing “Space” during her show in Asheville, North Carolina, next week that she “will learn it!”

The tour is named after Maren’s new album, Humble Quest, which includes her current top 10 single, “Circles Around This Town.” It kicks off on June 9 in Raleigh, North Carolina, and runs until December 2, when it wraps at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.  

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Shakira and soccer player Gerard Piqué are going their separate ways after 11 years. The duo announced over the weekend that they have ended their relationship.

“We regret to confirm that we are parting ways,” the two told E! News in a joint statement. “For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect their privacy. Thank you for your understanding.”

The duo met when Shakira was filming her 2010 music video “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” which was the official song of the FIFA World Cup. The two confirmed they were dating the following year.

Shakira, 45, and Piqué, 35, share two sons — 7-year-old Sasha and 9-year-old Milan. The two have largely kept their sons out of the limelight by posting limited pictures of them and rarely mentioning them during interviews.

The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer had to dispel rumors about her health recently and took to Twitter to address the photos taken of her in an ambulance around the same time news of her breakup surfaced.

“I just wanted to let you know that those photos are from last weekend (the 28th), when my dad unfortunately had a bad fall and I accompanied him in an ambulance where he is recovering now,” she explained, sharing a photo of her father with a bandage on his head and a severely bruised face. “Please do send all of your best wishes his way and thank you as always for all of your love & support.”

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Imagine if Harry Styles was your date to prom. That actually happened to one Scottish fan who worked up the courage to ask the “As It Was” singer to accompany her to her high school dance.

Scottish Sun reports Anna Carty, of Glasgow, Scotland, tasked her local radio station — Capital Scotland — with helping her land her dream date. She hoped that, because Harry is set to perform at her city’s Ibrox Stadium the same weekend as her school dance, he’d agree. Anna’s dance is June 9 and Harry’s concert takes place two days later.

Radio station staff worked their butts off to make Anna’s dream come true and captured the moment they told her the wonderful news. Well, actually, they just played a message from Harry himself.

The “Watermelon Sugar” singer said the station “passed on your invite to the prom and I’m sure it’ll be a good Scottish party.” He remarked, “I would love to be there, so just send me the details and I’ll see what I can do!”

He signed off by telling Anna, “See you soon.” Of course, the fan couldn’t stop screaming and exclaimed, “I actually can’t think!”

As for the kind of dress Anna is planning for prom, she picked out a black and white dress, which means Harry should have no problem finding a matching tux. 

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The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas is selling his music publishing catalog to the company Primary Wave Music.

According to a press release, Primary Wave now owns “a stake in Casablancas’ share of music publishing on all Strokes compositions, as well as his share of master copyrights and master royalties,” including songs such as “Last Nite,” “Reptilia” and “Someday.” The agreement is described as a “multimillion-dollar deal,” though an exact number was not published.

In addition to those multimillion dollars, Casablancas will also receive “access to the Primary Wave marketing and branding teams, as well as the publishing infrastructure which includes licensing and [sync] opportunities.”

“Primary Wave is thrilled to partner with Julian Casablancas for his works in The Strokes,” says Primary Wave Music’s David Weitzman. “Julian’s extraordinary talents as a songwriter, singer, and leader infuse the magic that is The Strokes. The Strokes are one of the most important bands of this century and are beloved by a multi-generational audience who have made them a global festival headliner.”

The Strokes are set to return to the stage as a global festival headliner this week after missing a few shows, including Boston Calling and Primavera Sound, due to a positive COVID-19 case within the band.

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Dustin Lynch is still in party mode.

The hit singer is extending his Party Mode Tour into the fall, with 11 new dates across the U.S. He’s booked two shows in Kansas and Oklahoma in July, followed by a pair of stops in Missouri and Georgia in August.

He also has a handful of new dates in September and October, beginning on September 9 in Flagstaff, Arizona, and concluding the trek on October 7 at the MGM Music Hall at Fenway, which is attached to the historic Fenway Park in Boston. 

“Having too much fun on the Party Mode tour, so we’re keeping it going!” Dustin shares on Instagram. 

The Tullahoma, Tennessee, native launched the tour, which is named after his current top 30 single on country radio, in March. He and MacKenzie Porter recently spent six weeks at #1 on the country charts with their hit duet, “Thinking ‘Bout You.”  

Tickets for the new shows go on sale to the public Friday at 10 a.m. local time. Visit Dustin’s website for a full list of dates. 

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In a horrific tragedy, Metro Boomin‘s mother was reportedly killed by her husband in a murder-suicide.

On Friday night the producer’s mother, Leslie Joanne Wayne, was killed by her husband — not Metro’s biological father — who died by suicide after, according to TMZ. The outlet also reported that Metro received the news over the weekend, when his mother’s body was discovered by police outside of the Atlanta area, according to law enforcement sources.

Reps for the Metro confirmed Wayne’s death to TMZ and shared that the family is requesting privacy during this difficult time. An autopsy is currently underway to determine the exact cause of death.

Metro Boomin has produced some of the biggest hits for artists like Future, Kanye West, Travis Scott, Migos, Drake, and more.

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Shinedown, Korn and Five Finger Death Punch will headline the 2022 Rocklahoma festival, taking place September 2-4 in Pryor, Oklahoma.

“ROCKLAHOMA 2022! It’s time!!!” says Shinedown frontman Brent Smith. “We are so excited to announce that we will be one of this year’s headliners. We are bringing you guys and girls the biggest show of the year. We cannot wait to see you. LET’S GO!!!”

The bill also includes Evanescence, Megadeth, Seether, Three Days Grace, Jelly Roll, Cypress Hill, In This Moment, Skillet, Underoath, Ice Nine Kills, Motionless in White, Black Veil Brides and The Hu, among many others.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, June 10, at 10 a.m. CT. For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit Rocklahoma.com.

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season of Stranger Things, the often press-shy singer has shared a statement commenting on the song’s resurgence.

“You might’ve heard that the first part of the fantastic, gripping new series of Stranger Things has recently been released on Netflix,” the statement reads. “It features the song, ‘Running Up That Hill’  which is being given a whole new lease of life by the young fans who love the show — I love it too!”

“Because of this, ‘Running Up That Hill’ is charting around the world and has entered the UK chart at No. 8,” Bush continues. “It’s all really exciting! Thanks very much to everyone who has supported the song.”

Since the new Stranger Things season, which is the first volume of the show’s two-part fourth season, premiered May 27, streams of “Running Up That Hill” have increased by 8,000%, according to Variety.

“I wait with bated breath for the rest of the series in July,” Bush says. The second volume of season four will premiere on Netflix July 1.

“Running Up That Hill” was originally released in 1985 as the first single off of Bush’s album, Hounds of Love. Meg Myers debuted a cover of the song in 2019, which eventually hit #1 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart in 2020.

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