Music

Following the release two weeks ago of “Poison,” featuring the late Aaliyah and The Weeknd, the former’s posthumous Unstoppable album will be released later this month with more all-star collaborations.

Aaliyah’s uncle, Barry Hankerson, confirmed the news Monday on The Geno Jones Show. Hankerson owns Blackground Records, which controls the rights to Aaliyah’s music. “Poison” will be on the album, and Hankerson says in addition to The Weeknd, there will be more collabos on the project.

“Because of that success, we think it’ll only get better with people such as Ne-Yo and Snoop Dogg, Future, and Drake — one of her biggest fans,” said Hankerson. “Those are the features that’ll be on the record and that’ll be out in January.”

Hankerson did not specify an Unstoppable release date.

Two Aaliyah albums that were released after her death became available on digital platforms for the first time in October. I Care 4 U, from December, 2002, features 14 tracks, including Aaliyah’s hits “Back & Forth,” “Are You That Somebody?,” “One in a Million” and “Try Again.” It also has songs that were previously unreleased, including “Miss You,” “I Care 4 U” and “Come Over.” The compilation debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart.

Ultimate Aaliyah originally arrived in May 2005 as a posthumous box set. The first disc is a greatest hits collection. The second, titled Are You Feelin’ Me?, has songs from the Romeo Must Die soundtrack and additional tracks produced by Timbaland. The third disc is a DVD documentary titled The Aaliyah Story.

August 25, 2021 marked the 20th anniversary of Aaliyah’s death at the age of 22. She died in 2001 with eight other people in a plane crash after shooting the “Rock the Boat” video in the Bahamas.

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Sara Bareilles candidly spoke about her recent struggles with mental health, saying she endured a “very low year,” and detailed the steps she’s taking to heal.

Sharing an Instagram slideshow of photos from a recent vacation, the “Brave” singer explained that she had been quietly struggling for a while.

“I went to the coldest place with the warmest people. The Northern Lights graced our final night and we chased them on snowmobiles and yelped with delight,” Sara wrote, adding she is “grateful for these kind hearts” for providing her a trip to remember.  The photos include snow-covered landscapes and the Northern Lights in the night sky, as well as a video of the singer stripping down to a bathing suit to dunk herself in ice-cold water.

Sara then revealed the effect her trip had on her mental health, saying it allowed her to feel “seen and loved by my Bub,” a likely reference to husband Joe Tippett, to whom she’s been married to since 2016.

“It has been a very low year for me with regard to my mental health, and I am also grateful that part of the reason I can touch my joy again is I finally got the help of some medication. It’s been a journey to try and pull up, and I found this year I needed more help,” the Grammy winner admitted. “It is helping. I am relieved and feel more like myself- and I will find my way again and now it feels possible.”

Sara closed her post with a message to those who may find themselves in her shoes, writing, “If you’re struggling- I see you, and I hope you remember you’re not stuck as long as you’re willing to change the view. Begin Again.”

 

 

 

 

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An icon and a new star are teaming up, as Cher and Saweetie are starring in the new M·A·C “Challenge Accepted” campaign. The initiative invites users to put M•A•C makeup to the test, showing how it goes “above and beyond the call of beauty” — and then share the results by using the hashtag #macchallengeaccepted.

“Being an icon to me is thinking outside the box and stepping outside of your comfort zone, so this challenge is right up my alley,” Saweetie says in a statement. “I was so honored to partner with a legend like Cher and a brand I’ve always loved like M•A•C, it was the perfect fit.”

The “Icy Chain” rapper continues, “M•A•C Lipgloss has always been my favorite go to lipgloss. I’ve been using it for as long as I can remember. Cher’s regal energy is so contagious so being alongside her in Challenge Accepted has been an unforgettable experience.”

2021 was a breakout year for Saweetie, who rang in 2022 performing on the Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party special on NBC. She secured several partnerships, including her “Saweetie Meal” with McDonalds, and won the BET Hip Hop Award for Hustler of the Year. In addition, the 28-year-old entertainer is nominated for two Grammy Awards: Best New Artist, and Best Rap Song for “Best Friend” with Doja Cat.

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Taylor Swift‘s life and career has taken many twists and turns, but you wouldn’t exactly call it true crime — or would you?

Disgraceland, the world’s number-one most downloaded music podcast, and the first one to combine music with true crime, is kicking off its ninth season on January 11 with an episode all about Taylor.

According to the trailer for the new season, the Taylor-themed episode will focus on her “dodging deranged stalkers,” while a press release notes that the program also will touch on her “vanishing masters, love letters and more.”

On Instagram, host Jake Brennan adds that Taylor’s episode will detail how she used “facial recognition software at her shows to recognize the creeps that were stalking her and keep them out.”

Other artists featured on the new season of Disgraceland include late Beatle George Harrison, late legends Tom Petty and Miles Davis, Motown icons The Temptations, classic rockers The Eagles, late rapper Juice WRLD and the ’90s band Sublime.

New episodes of Disgraceland will be available exclusively on Amazon Music starting January 11, and then across all other podcast platforms on January 18.  Visit DisgracelandPod.com for more information.

Coincidentally, Taylor’s BFF Selena Gomez stars in a TV series about a true crime podcast: Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building.

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Kelsea Ballerini is walking into the new year with confidence. 

The “Half of My Hometown” singer took to Instagram to kick off 2022 by honestly sharing with fans the struggle she had solidifying her resolutions, explaining that she had written “pages and pages” of ways she wanted to “better” herself, from her body to relationships to her career. 

But Kelsea admits that after completing the exercise, it dawned on her that putting these expectations on herself may not be the best for her mental health. 

“I realized that was only going to bring more anxiety and unrealistic expectations into my world and I just don’t have the room for it this year,” she noted. “So I ripped the pages out and replaced it with ‘doing my damn best’. And that’s it. That’s the goal for the year.” 

Kelsea then added a note of encouragement to her fans, writing, “Because maybe the ‘better-ing’ happens when we just show up and see what meets us simply where we are. Just thought I’d share in case any of your algorithms were also sending you into a shame spiral of not being good enough already. We are.” 

Kelsea’s vulnerability drew support from many of her peers, including her husband, Morgan Evans, who commented, “Babe.” Meanwhile, Lindsay Ell wrote, “Love this so much” with a white heart emoji, Little Big Town‘s Kimberly Schlapman responded with several raised hands emojis, and Brittney Spencerreplied with a simple “love.” 

Kelsea and Morgan welcomed 2022 in Morgan’s hometown of Newcastle, Australia, where they surprised his family for the holidays.

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Cardi B is always juggling multiple things at once, but the responsibility she takes the most seriously is being a mom to her two young children.  

On Tuesday, the “Up” rapper shared what her morning routine really looks like — dirty diapers and all.  Cardi’s day begins super early, she revealed in a series of Instagram Stories posts, starting off with a clip showing a timestamp set at 6:03 a.m. about giving her newborn son his first bottle of the day.

“Just finished feeding him and putting him back to sleep.  I’ll be preparing another bottle for when he wakes up in a few,” she captioned the video, later revealing that her little one enjoyed a new round of milk at 7:57 a.m.

At 8:19 a.m., her little one was “awake with full energy while I have NONE.”  Cardi then explained that she was waiting to change a very dirty diaper, because “I know it’s coming.”  Not even 10 minutes later, the infant left his mom a stinky gift and Cardi remarked, “I know him too well.”

Around 8:52 a.m., Cardi enjoyed some morning snuggles with her newborn and her three-year-old daughter, Kulture, whom she shares with husband Offset.  His six-year-old daughter from a previous relationship, Kaelea, also enjoyed their company.  The two were playing with their iPads, but their screen time ended a few minutes later, because by 9:06 a.m., Kulture was starting her day with a good teeth brushing.

Cardi revealed that the day was off to a different start, because normally her daughter heads off to school, but “we’re enjoying her right now,” she explained.

That was the “WAP” rapper’s final update because, as she admits, “It gets busy quick” at her house and she needs “both my hands.”

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Jimmie Allen reveals that he’s taking “musical risks” with his upcoming tour. 

The “Make Me Want To” singer will embark on his debut headlining Down Home Tour next month, and in an Instagram post, he gets honest with fans about what to expect from the show that promises theatrics, along with raw emotion. 

“Been working on the new show and taking musical risks. I want this to be more than a concert, I want it to be a theatrical journey through music,” he expresses. “We will laugh together, cry together, get inspired together and learn to truly love who we are together.”

Jimmie will bring duo Neon Union on the road with him. They’re the first act signed to Jimmie’s new management and production company, JAB Entertainment. 

The CMA New Artist of the Year will launch the trek on February 3 at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, concluding on May 13 at The NorVa in Norfolk, Virginia. Jimmie’s hit duet with Brad Paisley, “Freedom Was a Highway,” is currently in the top 10 on country radio. 

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BTS members Jin, RM and Suga have overcome their battle with COVID-19 and are officially on the mend, their label announced Tuesday.

Big Hit, which manages the K-pop sensations, confirmed that the trio have recovered and are out of quarantine.

“We would like to inform you that BTS members RM and Jin have made full recoveries from COVID-19 and his quarantine has concluded as of today at noon, Jan. 4,” the label announced in a statement obtained by Billboard. “RM and Jin who had been receiving treatment from home for the past 10 days from Saturday, Dec. 25, are now able to return to their daily activities. Neither member exhibited any particular symptoms during their quarantine.”

Big Hit added that Jin experienced a “slight fever” during his bout of COVID-19.

Suga, who was the first BTS member to test positive for the coronavirus on December 24, was cleared to “return to his daily activities” on January 3.  Big Hit said in a previous statement, “Suga did not exhibit any particular symptoms during his quarantine and is currently recuperating while resting at home.”

BTS is currently on an “extended period of rest,” which was announced early last month.  Since then, the septet launched their individual Instagram accounts so fans can keep up with their day-to-day lives outside of their music careers.  

The group will return to work in March with a performance scheduled in Seoul, South Korea, and will start a “new chapter” with an all-new album due out later this year.

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Ciara was so inspired by a young girl with cancer dancing to her “Level Up” song, she surprised her and her family with a trip to Disney World.

The Grammy winner appeared Monday on Good Morning America during the “Level Up Your Life in 2022” segment, which featured six-year-old Aubrey English and her family. Aubrey was diagnosed with cancer before she was three years old, but she remained positive and full of energy. While in the hospital, she danced to Ciara’s 2018 RIAA-certified Platinum hit, “Level Up.”  Thankfully, Aubrey’s cancer has been in remission for the past three years.

When the 36-year-old singer saw the viral video, she was in awe of Aubrey’s spirit.

“I’m in tears right now. Aubrey, I just want to say that you are a superhero. You are the real superhero,” Ciara shared. “I’m so impressed by your strength and how you never gave up in your battle against cancer. You inspire me and so many people and so many others, and when I saw you dance to ‘Level Up,’ I could not wait to talk to you today. You have no idea how much joy you bring to my heart.”

“You are a real ‘Level Up’ princess so keep leveling up and inspiring so many, Aubrey,” she continued. “I’m so proud of you and rooting for you always.”

The family made Aubrey her own princess castle in the hospital, and now Aubrey will go to Disney World to meet Princess Tiana from the Disney film The Princess and the Frog. Tiana sent Aubrey a video message, saying, “You and your mom sure prove that if you do your best each and every day, good things are sure to come your way. I look forward to seeing you very soon.”

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