Music

2021 was a big year for Britney Spears. She finally won her freedom from the 13-year conservatorship that had controlled nearly every aspect of her life. Here’s how Britney’s year unfolded:

— The fight for Britney’s freedom really ramped up in February, following the release of the New York Times’ unauthorized documentary, Framing Britney Spears, which shined a light on how the singer was unfairly treated by the media, as well as by her own family. Britney wasn’t exactly a fan of the doc, but it prompted an outpouring of support and even a long overdue apology from her ex, Justin Timberlake.

— In June, Britney spoke out for the first time publicly about her conservatorship, delivering explosive comments during a court hearing in which she asked for her father, Jamie Spears, to be removed as her conservator. She detailed a long list of grievances against her family, as well as some disturbing claims about the abuse she said she’d endured, telling the judge she believes everyone involved in the conservatorship “should be in jail.”

— Jamie Spears was suspended as the conservator of Britney’s estate in September, shortly before the New York Times dropped a follow-up documentary, Controlling Britney Spears, which included allegations that Jamie bugged Britney’s room and would secretly monitor her emails, phone calls and private conversations.

— Also in September, Britney got engaged to longtime boyfriend Sam Asghari.

— The conservatorship itself was finally terminated in November, “in its entirety, effective immediately.” Judge Brenda Penny delivered the ruling in an LA courtroom as #FreeBritney supporters cheered outside.

— After the court decision, Britney delivered a message to fans, telling them, “I honestly think you guys saved my life in a way. One hundred percent.” She’s since become more outspoken on social media, giving fans glimpses of her truth and hinting she may one day reveal the full story of what she went through.

— On December 2, Britney celebrated her 40th birthday as a free woman.

 

 

 

 

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After the in-person ceremony was replaced by a virtual special in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction gala returned this year in full force with a star-studded event held October 30 at Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

The honorees in the Performers category this year were Foo Fighters, Todd Rundgren, The Go-Go’s, Tina Turner, Carole King and JAY-Z. The other inductees included Musical Excellence Award recipients LL Cool J, late Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Randy Rhoads and the late Billy Preston; and Early Influence Award honorees Kraftwerk, late blues great Charley Patton and late soul/jazz poet Gil Scott-Heron; and music executive and entrepreneur Clarence Avant, who received the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

Here are some of the evening’s many highlights:

—Paul McCartney inducted Foo Fighters, and compared frontman Dave Grohl‘s post-Nirvana career to his own time in Wings, noting, “We had a great time with our groups, but eventually tragedy happened and my group broke up. Same happened with Dave. His group broke up under tragic circumstances. So the question is, what do you do now?”

Macca continued, “In my case, I said, ‘Well, I’ll make an album where I play all the instruments myself.’ So I did that. Dave’s group broke up…what’s he do? He makes an album where he plays all the instruments himself. Do you think this guy’s stalking me?”

The Foos performed “Everlong,” “Best of You” and “My Hero” before taking the podium. Grohl delivered a short acceptance during which he thanked his band and crew family, and his actual family. Drummer Taylor Hawkins campaigned in his speech for the eventual induction of Soundgarden and George Michael.

The night concluded with McCartney and Foo Fighters jamming on the Beatles classic “Get Back.”

–Rundgren, who’d said for many years that if inducted, he wouldn’t attend, pointedly booked a concert in Cincinnati on the night of the ceremony. He was virtually inducted by Patti Smith, who has known Todd since their twenties. A tribute video included commentary from  Daryl Hall and The Bangles‘ Susanna Hoffs.

—Drew Barrymore inducted The Go-Go’s and paid homage to the cover of the all-female group’s debut album, Beauty and the Beat, by wrapping her hair in a bath towel and applying face cream, emulating the album’s cover image. “Beauty and the Beat blew the doors of my life off,” she told the crowd.

While the group accepting their honor, bassist Kathy Valentine said now that The Go-Go’s had been inducted, they’d be “advocating for the inclusion of more women.” The band then rocked the crowd with “Vacation,” “Our Lips Are Sealed” and “We Got the Beat.”

–Turner and King became the second and third women to become two-time Rock Hall inductees, following Stevie Nicks in 2019. Tina was first inducted in 1991 as one half of Ike & Tina Turner. Welcoming her as a solo performer was actress Angela Bassett, star of the Turner biopic What’s Love Got to Do with It. Tina didn’t attend the event, instead sending a pre-recorded thank-you video.

King, who’d been inducted as a songwriter in 1990, was ushered into the Rock Hall this time by Taylor Swift.

—Ringo Starr appeared via pre-taped video to induct Preston, who famously played and recorded with The Beatles during the making of Let It Be.

–JAY-Z was inducted by Dave Chappelle; Rhoads by Rage Against the Machine‘s Tom Morello; Kraftwerk by Pharrell Williams; LL Cool J by Dr. Dre; Scott-Heron by Common; Patton by Gary Clark Jr.; and Avant by Lionel Richie.

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New music from Ciara is on the way! Speaking with ABC Audio, the R&B singer teases, “All I gotta say is I’ve been cooking up some stuff and I can’t wait to share it with the world.”

It’s been almost three years since fans were blessed with Ciara’s last studio album, Beauty Marks, which featured the hit track “Level Up.” In the time since, she says she’s just been “enjoying life” with her “babies,” seven-year-old Future, four-year-old Sienna, and one-year-old Win. 

“I think it’s so important to pause and do that,” Ciara shares, adding, “It’s been really amazing building out businesses this past year but my heart is always with the creativity as well.” 

“I can’t wait to share with the fans what I’ve been working on and its about that time. So sometime soon should be the mark,” she promises. 

Although Ciara didn’t share an exact release date for her new tunes, the “Goodies” singer, who is co-hosting Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rocking’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest for the fifth time, shared that viewers can expect “a little something-something” from her during the show. 

“It’s gonna be a lot of energy,” she says of the annual event. “There’s gonna be that good nostalgic feeling that’s gonna happen at points mixed with some also cool energy, new energy.”

Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rocking Eve airs live December 31 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

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After touring was sidelined due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, live music made its return in 2021, but not without complications.

Tour announcements started to pick up in the spring and summer as the vaccine rollout continued in the U.S., a welcome change of pace from the past year of show cancellations and postponements. One of the first biggest concerts back was Foo Fighters headlining New York City’s Madison Square Garden in June, marking the famed arena’s first full-capacity show since the pandemic began in March 2020.

Big tours that had been planned for 2020 finally happened in 2021, including the Hella Mega tour featuring Green Day, Fall Out Boy and Weezer, and The Rolling Stones‘ No Filter tour, which was the highest-grossing tour of the year.

Other artists who returned to the live stage included Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Slipknot, Twenty One Pilots, Dave Matthews Band, Machine Gun Kelly, KISS, The Black Crowes, Tame Impala, Evanescence, Megadeth, St. Vincent and Shinedown. Additionally, festivals including Lollapalooza came back after going virtual in 2020.

COVID-19 safety measures including proof of vaccination or a negative test were often required for attendees. While many artists promoted and endorsed these policies, they were a source of contention for others. Eric Clapton claimed he wouldn’t play any venue with a vaccine requirement, while 3 Doors Down canceled two shows at venues with COVID “regulations.”

Beyond arguments over safety protocols, COVID-19 still took its toll on tours. The rise of the Delta variant forced some artists to reconsider their plans, whether that meant moving shows to outdoor venues or postponing dates.

Tours were also affected when artists themselves caught COVID-19, including System of a Down‘s Serj Tankian, KISS’ Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, and three members of Korn. Fall Out Boy missed three shows on the Hella Mega tour due to a touring party member testing positive; Evanescence postponed the last five dates on their co-headlining tour with Halestorm for the same reason.

Even with many bands returning to the road, some of the biggest tours originally planned for 2020 forewent 2021 entirely in favor of 2022. Among the tours set to finally happen next year include My Chemical Romance, Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Mötley Crüe.

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In 2021, two of music’s biggest superstars — Ed Sheeran and Adele — released their eagerly awaited new albums to an adoring public.

–In February, Ed celebrated his 30th birthday. In June, he released a new single, “Bad Habits,” and in August, he announced that his new album would be called = [Equals] and that it’d be released on October 29. 

–In September, Ed celebrated the 10th anniversary of the release of his debut album, + (Plus), with a special concert at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, and announced a massive 2022 European stadium tour kicking off in April.

–On October 24, after a massive worldwide promotional blitz, Ed and his daughter Lyra both came down with COVID-19, just days before the release of = [Equals]. However, he managed to make it out of quarantine to perform on Saturday Night Live November 6.

— = [Equals], Ed’s first new solo album since 2017’s world-beating ÷ [Divide], debuted at number one in the U.S. and has so far spun off three hits: “Bad Habits,” “Shivers” and “Overpass Graffiti.“

–While = [Equals] sold a respectable 118,000 equivalent album units in its first week in the U.S., in the U.K., it had the biggest opening week of 2021, and the biggest overall since ÷ [Divide] in 2017.  Both of those records were broken the following week by ABBA‘s comeback album, Voyage.

–“Bad Habits” peaked at number two in the U.S. but topped the charts for 11 weeks in the U.K.  In November, it received a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year.

–And in December, Ed and his pal Elton John teamed up for an instantly successful holiday single, “Merry Christmas.” 

But any dreams that Ed had of truly dominating the charts in 2021 were squashed by Adele.

–In October, after years of speculation, Adele announced a new single, “Easy On Me.” That was followed by the news that her her first album in six years, titled 30, would arrive November 19.

–“Easy On Me” arrived October 15. In five hours, it entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 68, and then rose to the number-one spot a few days later, becoming Adele’s first number one since 2015’s “Hello.”

–After a promotional push that included a sit-down with Oprah Winfrey on CBS, 30 entered the chart at number one, earning 839,000 equivalent album units in its first week, giving Adele the biggest debut week of any album in 2021. 

–By December 6, 30 had earned one million in traditional album sales — meaning CDs, vinyl, cassettes and digital album downloads — making it the first album in more than a year to do so.

–On November 30, Adele announced a Las Vegas residency, Weekends with Adele, which will see her playing two shows at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas every weekend from January 21, 2022 through Saturday, April 16.

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No band had a bigger breakout year in 2021 than Måneskin.

The Italian rockers started out the year by winning Europe’s long-running Eurovision Song Contest, which  previously helped launch the careers of artists including ABBA and Céline Dion. Soon, Måneskin made their way to the States thanks to their viral cover of The Four Seasons‘ “Beggin’,” which was the longest-running number-one single of 2021 on Billboard‘s Alternative Airplay chart.

Måneskin kept the momentum going with the singles “I Wanna Be Your Slave,” which earned them a collaboration with Iggy Pop, and “MAMMAMIA.” They’ll close out 2021 with a performance on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2022.

Here are a few of 2021’s other breakout rock and alternative artists:

It may seem strange to call Glass Animals a “breakout” artist of 2021, since they’ve been alternative radio mainstays for the past seven years. Still, it’s hard to deny that the U.K. outfit really kicked things up a level in 2021, thanks to their hit single “Heat Waves,” which hit the top 10 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. The leap was so big that Glass Animals received a Best New Artist nomination for the 2022 Grammys.

Wolfgang Van Halen released his debut single as Mammoth WVH in late 2020 with “Distance,” a song dedicated to his recently deceased father, the iconic Eddie Van Halen. “Distance” would hit number one on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay in early 2021, a chart Wolf would again conquer later in the year with the single “Don’t Back Down,” proving he’s more than just a famous last name.

British duo Wet Leg came out of nowhere in 2021 with their debut single, the Mean Girls-referencing, double entendre-ing earworm “Chaise Longue.” They’ll release their first full-length self-titled album in April 2022.

Canada’s Spirtbox helped bring new blood into the metal scene in 2021, thanks in part to Courtney LaPlante‘s compelling vocals. The band released their debut album, Eternal Blue, in September, and charted their first radio rock single with “Secret Garden.” Spiritbox might’ve gotten even bigger in 2021 if their tour opening for Limp Bizkit hadn’t been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Three weeks after begin introduced as Playboy’s first Creative Director in Residence, Cardi B has announced her first project for the iconic publication.

“Introducing CENTERFOLD, so excited to share this platform with so many amazing creators,” the “Please Me” wrapper wrote on Instagram. 

The Centerfold website is described as “a platform for creative freedom, artistic expression, & sex positivity. The home for the world’s top creators to interact with their fans.”  The site features photos of its “founding creators” — who include Playmates, Instagram stars, drag queens and adult film stars —  and an invitation to sign up.

When the Grammy-winner’s new position was announced, she said in a statement, ​​“It is a dream come true to officially join the Playboy family. I can’t believe this is real. For as long as I can remember, I’ve felt connected to Playboy. It’s truly the original platform for uncensored creativity and I’m inspired by its incredible legacy of fighting for personal freedoms. I have so many ideas already—I can’t wait!”

Cardi’s role will include artistic direction for the magazine, digital editorial content, merchandise, expanding the Playboy brand, and more.

 

 

 

 

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After hitting number one in their native U.K., Elton John and Ed Sheeran‘s joint single, “Merry Christmas,” has now topped Billboard‘s Adult Contemporary radio airplay chart.

The last time Elton was number one on this chart was in 1997, with “Something About the Way You Look Tonight.”  It’s his 17th Adult Contemporary number one overall, extending his record as the artist who’s topped that chart the most. 

In the number-two position is The Carpenters, who racked up 15 number ones from 1970 to 1981. Barry Manilow is next with 13, Celine Dion and Lionel Richie have 11 each, and Whitney Houston and Olivia Newton-John both have 10.

Elton also now has the longest span of number-ones on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Radio Airplay chart: It’s been 48 years, seven months and three weeks since his first chart-topper, “Daniel” to “Merry Christmas.”  The previous record holder was Chicago, who had a span of nearly 26 years between their 1971 hit “Beginnings” and their most recent number-one, 1997’s “Here in My Heart.”

For Ed’s part, this is the fifth time he’s topped the chart.  He first did it in 2015 with “Thinking Out Loud,” and most recently with “Bad Habits” earlier this month.

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Remember when Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a bat during a concert? It’s back, in NFT form.

According to Rolling Stone UK, the metal legend is launching his own run of non-fungible tokens inspired by that infamous 1982 incident. The collection, titled CryptoBatz, consists of 9,666 digital bats designed by Ozzy in collaboration with the NFT studio Sutter Systems.

“I’ve been trying to get in on the NFT action for a while,” Ozzy says. “I asked Sharon for a Bored Ape for Christmas after several failed attempts of buying my own, and she said no, so I decided to create my own.”

“CryptoBatz is a f***ing mental project for NFT collectors and fans,” the Black Sabbath frontman adds. “The design pays tribute to one of my most iconic on-stage moments and is a chance to acquire a rare piece of art history. I love it!”

CryptoBatz is set to launch in January.

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Jennifer Hudson loves Christmas so much that she began her holiday celebration right after the day of ghouls and goblins.

“Let me just say that Christmas starts the day after Halloween in my house,” the Oscar and Grammy-winner told Entertainment Tonight.  “All we do is watch holiday movies, shop and have festive moments.”

Her Christmas decorations have been up since November 1, and for this holiday season, she shared a special visit to a Christmas movie landmark with her 12-year-old son, David.  Since Jennifer lives in Chicago, she took David and his cousins to the McCallister House in The Windy City, where the iconic 1990 film Home Alone was shot.

Jennifer is rarely “home alone” herself — her house is known as “Camp David,” because it’s where her son is usually joined by numerous friends and cousins.

“Normally I house eight boys at one time and I hang out with them, play basketball with them, do whatever. I love it. It’s the best! Being able to experience things from their perspective,” the Respect star continued. “[We’re] the neighborhood house that all the kids want to come to and I love all the babies.”

The 40-year-old entertainer is nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song for “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” from the Aretha Franklin biopic, Respect. The song is also on the Academy Awards shortlist for Best Original Song. Hudson previously won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Dreamgirls in 2007.

“Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” is also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media.

 

 

 

 

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