Music

Hard to believe it’s been five years since Dua Lipa released her eponymous debut studio album, which propelled her into superstardom with hits “New Rules”, “IDGAF” and more.

The Grammy winner marked the milestone occasion on Instagram Thursday and shared throwback photos of herself taken five years ago. Photos included her on tour, signing copies of her album and Polaroid snaps.

“5 years ago today I dropped my debut album,” she said. “i’m so proud of every baby step and stepping stone, every room, club and venue, every artist, songwriter and producer that i’ve been lucky to write and collaborate with and that has led me to where I am today.”

Dua continued, “i thank my lucky stars everyday and I thank you all for being on this insane journey with me.”

Dua Lipa, the album, debuted on June 2, 2017, and garnered positive reviews from music critics. It was nominated for numerous awards and earned her the golden gramophone for Best New Artist at the 61st annual Grammy Awards.

The “Cold Heart” singer rereleased the album as a two-disc “complete edition,” which included the standout tracks “Electricity,” “No Lie” and “One Kiss.”

After a nearly three-year wait, she released her sophomore album, Future Nostalgia, on March 27, 2020. Fans are anxiously waiting for her third album and hope she has something to tease very soon.

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On June 2, 2002, the groundbreaking series The Wire debuted on HBO. Due to its in-depth focus on Baltimore’s narcotics scene and its raw portrayal of the city’s drug trade, education, government and bureaucracy, the show was highly scrutinized by some. But to many others it is considered one of the most beloved and celebrated TV shows of the 21st century. 

The Wire spanned 60 episodes across five seasons on prime time television. The series’ creators, former police reporter David Simon and former cop Ed Burns, drew upon real-life experiences to craft complex, accurate storytelling that, to this day, influences and inspires similar projects. 

Some of today’s most celebrated stars trace their beginnings to The Wire — Golden Globe-winning actor Idris Elba is widely known for his role as antagonist Stringer Bell, while Creed star Michael B. Jordan got his start as a young Wallace in the series. The late Michael K. Williams received great praise for his portrayal of stickup man Omar Little, and Wood Harris is well known for his character, Avon Barksdale, a big-time Baltimore drug dealer. 

Twenty years later the show still garners critical acclaim, including the boastful but indisputable — as many critics refer to them — comments made by the creators themselves, who say they’re more than aware of The Wire’s cultural impact. 

“I told you so,” is a phrase Simon uses frequently in a New York Times’ article about the show’s legacy. Because, as Burns tells it, “this show will live forever.”

In honor of The Wire’s 20th anniversary, check out HBO’s official podcast episode, featuring Simon and Burns, narrated by Clifford “Method Man” Smith Jr. 

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The closest thing to a new Queens of the Stone Age album in the last five years may be a new record from country artist Nikki Lane.

Lane has teamed up with QotSA frontman Josh Homme to produce and mix her just-announced new album Denim & Diamonds, due out September 23. Additionally, Homme brought along his bandmates Dean Fertita and Michael Shuman to play organ and bass, respectively, on the record, as well as frequent Queens collaborator Alain Johannes on guitar.

Denim & Diamonds also features Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders, who previously played with Homme on Iggy Pop‘s 2016 Post Pop Depression record, and former Jack White live member Carla Azar.

“I was blessed with the opportunity to deep dive into these songs with Josh Homme and the wonderful band he put together…smack in the middle of lockdown,” Lane shares.

You can listen to the first Denim & Diamonds single, “First High,” now via digital outlets.

The most recent Queens of the Stone Age album is 2017’s Villains.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

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Mickey Guyton, who shared the stage with The Black Pumas at this year’s CMT Music Awards, is reuniting with the soul duo once more for a new installment of CMT Crossroads, according to a report from People.

Their performance is the newest episode of the Crossroads series, which pairs two acts from different musical genres together for a performance of their respective hits.

This time around, they’ll perform highlights from Mickey’s discography, such as “Black Like Me” and “Better Than You Left Me,” plus Pumas’ hits “Fire” and “Confines.” Before the show airs, you can check out a sneak peek of the live trio version of “Fire.”

“We are huge Black Pumas fans in my house, so I was so excited to do this CMT Crossroads!” Mickey says in a statement. “Eric [Burton] and Adrian [Quesada] are just incredible and I hope everyone enjoys it as much as we did.”

Mickey and the Black Pumas’ Crossroads episode will air June 15 at 10 p.m. ET on CMT.

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Sara Bareilles played the Baker’s Wife in the New York City Center Encores! production of Into The Woods this spring — and the “Brave” singer revealed she was given just days to memorize everything.

“It was wild. It’s a fast process through Encores! at City Center,” she told The View. “You get 10 days to learn the show. It is insane.”

The show, which ran for a few weeks before wrapping May 15, also starred Neil Patrick Harris. Sara revealed everyone on the cast was overwhelmed by the grueling schedule. 

“We all had meltdowns, we were all, like, crying in the bathroom during our breaks and stuff. But we just felt like we stumbled on lightning in a bottle,” the Grammy winner said.

Sara said the hard work was well worth it, adding the show “won a Pulitzer Prize for a reason! It’s really, really special.”

The singer also shouted out the “really special cast,” adding everyone was “so excited” to be part of Into The Woods.

The New York City Center production was so successful, it is now heading to Broadway. It will return to the Great White Way for an eight-week engagement at Broadway’s St. James Theatre starting June 28.

Tickets are on sale now via SeatGeek.com/into-the-woods.

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Andy Grammer cares more about bringing joy and comfort to his fans than writing a big radio hit. The “Fresh Eyes” singer opened up about his mission and his music-making process in a new interview.

“I used to have to write a lot of songs to get one that is good,” he told Albuquerque Journal. “And still there is no guarantee that it will be a hit. You throw a lot of darts and most are hitting the board.”

He added, “When you have a moment to really listen, music reminds you that there’s so much more in front of you than there is behind you. In my opinion, to be able to give somebody this reminder in the middle of the day is wizardry.”

“That’s my favorite part of being an artist and what makes me jump out of bed to write in the morning,” he raved.

Andy also revealed he writes his songs by himself, adding he takes special care in crafting words that’ll have an impact on the eventual listener before bringing his music to his manager for refining.  

“I realize that I’m more intoxicated by art,” Andy continued. “I’m enjoying the process more because it keeps me writing and sharing what I feel. It’s so freaking fun.”  

The “Honey, I’m Good” singer has said that he doesn’t necessarily care if a song is a hit — what he focuses on is how his music resonates with the audience and how it makes people feel.

“My career is less about writing and more on focusing on community. I’m grateful for every moment that I have and take advantage of making each moment count,” he said. “A great musician is like a spiritual chiropractor and it hits you in all the right places.”

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Maren Morris hits the road next week, launching her 2022 Humble Quest Tour. It’s the first full headlining tour she’s mounted since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s a big first in another way, too: She’ll be on the road for the first time since becoming a mom.

Back in March 2020, as pandemic shut-downs were ramping up in the U.S., Maren and her husband, Ryan Hurd, welcomed their first child, baby boy Hayes. Now, Maren’s planning her very first tour with her son joining her.

“I think he thinks the tour bus is like camp or something,” the singer tells E! News’ Daily Pop. “‘Cause he just has no idea what’s going on, but he gets so excited.”

Maren knows that having two-year-old Hayes along for the ride will make touring a little different, but she’s optimistic about the changes, Maren goes on to say.

“This will be my first time touring with a baby or a kid, so I’m excited,” she continues. “It’s gonna change my way of doing things, in a good way, I think.”

Before she hits the road, Maren recently hopped on social media to give fans a virtual tour of her newly revamped bus setup, including special modifications so that Hayes can be comfortable on the bus.

Maren’s Humble Quest Tour takes its name from her newest album, Humble Quest. That project includes Hayes, too: “Hummingbird,” a song Maren wrote the day she found out she was pregnant, features audio of Hayes’ voice saying “Mama.”

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Lil Nas X had the most on-brand reaction after a hacker gained access to his Facebook account and posted an anti-Pride message.

An unknown person commandeered the Grammy winner’s page and wrote, “F*** PRIDE MONTH, I faked being gay b**** [thank you] for the [money].”  The comment was quickly removed, but not before fans grabbed screenshots of the inflammatory message.

Of course, Lil Nas X, who is openly gay, is way more active on Twitter than Facebook and laughed out loud at the screen shots. “i’m screaming because this is something i would actually say,” he tweeted. He also joked the hacker had better grammatical skills because they used commas and periods, as well as capitalized letters.

Of course, the “Industry Baby” rapper wasn’t through with having fun with the hack and even got a T-shirt made. He took to Instagram to show off his new tee, which reads, “White, Straight, Conservative Male.  Are you triggered?”

Lil Nas X did a full on photo shoot with his new shirt, which he accessorized with leather pants, clunky platform heeled boots, diamond grillz and luxury sunglasses.

He also shared some outtakes to his Instagram Stories, which showed him holding a boat load of cash, riding in a limousine with his friends, going to a club, falling asleep at a card table and leaning against a white sculpture of a theater mask.

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Asking Alexandria is dropping of the remainder of the band’s co-headlining tour with Nothing More due to frontman Danny Worsnop battling a “severe throat infection.”

The English rockers had already missed a few shows on the run as Worsnop battled the infection, which led him to consult with a voice specialist.

“Unfortunately, the news we received was not the news were were hoping for,” the band writes in a statement. “We have been told that Danny cannot sing for the next few weeks and needs to remain on vocal rest. Obviously this means we will not be able to continue on with our North American tour and it breaks our hearts to have to say that.”

The tour, which just launched in mid-May, will still continue with Nothing More and support acts Atreyu and Eva Under Fire on the bill, though any ticket holders who had their heart set on seeing Asking Alexandria may request a refund from their point of purchase.

In the meantime, Asking Alexandria is currently “working diligently to book a new tour.”

“Thank you to everyone who came out and supported us at one of these shows and thank to everyone else for your understanding,” Alexandria’s statement reads. “We love you guys and we will be back as soon as possible.”

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