Music

Britney Spears turned heads on Instagram when she appeared to referenceher ex, Justin Timberlake, in a since-deleted post that painted him in a bad light.

Britney said mother Lynne Spears and sister Jamie Lynn Spears, about whom she’s spoken out previously, aren’t the only people she says are guilty of using her for “FAME and ATTENTION.” Britney also seemingly put Justin on blast, writing, “Your ex did the same thing … he served with his first album using your name claiming you did him dirty !!!!”

Justin sparked rumors Britney cheated on him, thus dooming their fairytale romance, by using a lookalike in the music video for his heartbreak hit “Cry Me a River.” The former NSYNC singer previously apologized to Britney after fans became upset when his post-breakup actions were revisited for the Framing Britney Spears documentary.

While Britney’s latest post was removed, she referenced another ex in another post — Kevin Federline.  She shared a drawing his 19-year-old daughter, Kori, drew and said the teen’s talent “makes me feel so stupid.”

“I think she was 12 when she did this … I’ve kept it all this time … she did it by hand no tracing,” Britney raved. “I respect people who can draw like this … My son can do the same thing … I mean wow … wow !!!!”

Kori’s mother, Shar Jackson, reacted to the shoutout and commented, “So crazy you posted this now because she’s working on a new one for you.”  Shar shares a 17-year-old son, Kaleb, with Federline.

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Jungkook has tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the final member of BTS to contract the virus.  J-Hope, V, RM, Jin, Jimin and Suga all previously tested positive for COVID-19.  

NME obtained a statement from the band’s label, BigHit Music, that confirmed Jungkook’s diagnosis.  The singer had tested negative for the virus when departing South Korea for Las Vegas on March 27.  Jungkook then began experiencing discomfort in his throat and took a PCR and rapid test that returned positive results.

According to the statement, “Jungkook has been currently under self-quarantine and treatment, following the guidelines of health authorities in the United States.  He is not exhibiting any symptoms other than a mild sore throat, and we will attentively monitor his health during the quarantine.”

It’s unknown if Jungkook will miss Sunday’s Grammy Awards.  BTS is not only nominated for an award, but they are slated to perform, as well.

In addition, it is unclear if Jungkook’s illness means he will miss the sold-out Permission to Dance On Stage — Las Vegas concert series that runs April 8 to April 16.  BigHit says his participation for both events “will be determined by the local COVID-19 regulations.”

“We would like to extend our sincerest apologies to our fans for causing you concern despite our effort to take all necessary measures for our artists’ health prior to and throughout the schedule in the United States,” the statement continued.

Jungkook also took to his Instagram stories on Tuesday and told fans in Korean that he is doing okay and that his symptoms are mild.

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Kelsea Ballerini is getting real about mental health. 

The singer took to Instagram for a “therapy appreciation post,” sharing her experience of how talking things out in a safe space has helped her process her emotions. 

“My brain is currently a mix of the little kid version of me that is freaking out how cool life is and sees silver linings in rain clouds and the practical adult that is terrified because what goes up must come down and life always proves it,” she expresses in the post, alongside a photo of herself softly smiling in the sun. “The tug of war keeps me from being present. From feeling it all. That’s what i’m workin on right now.” 

The “Half of My Hometown” singer concludes the post with a note of encouragement, checking in on her fans while reminding them that “your mental health matters.”

Kelsea hasn’t been shy about her mental health issues in the past, sharing that she has anxiety and has been in therapy off and on throughout her life.

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Justin Bieber’s “Ghost” has materialized into another Billboard chart milestone for the star.

The song has just climbed to a new peak of number five on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s Justin’s 20th top-five hit of his career — only nine other acts in history have scored that many top fives. 

Justin now has had as many top five hits as Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson.  The only acts who’ve had more are Elvis Presley, Rihanna, Janet Jackson, Drake, Mariah Carey, Madonna and The Beatles.

But wait, that’s not all. Justin’s song “Stay” with The Kid LAROI is currently number two on the Hot 100, making Justin the first artist to have two songs in the top five in more than six months.  The last one to do that was fellow Canadian star Drake, in September of 2021.

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Dierks Bentley took part in in the Gosh Darn bike rice, and it looks like it was quite the adventure. 

The superstar chronicled his journey on the 100-mile trip on Instagram, revealing that he endured three flat tires and got lost along the way, adding seven miles to the trip. The journey also began with Dierks and his fellow riders crossing a creek at 7 a.m. in 40-degree weather that left him with freezing-cold feet.

Clips show Dierks carrying his bike as he wades through a creek, and cycling a winding road as wind blows in his face. “I need the eagle to carry me home,” he says, panning to the bald eagle and American flag emblem on his shirt. 

But Dierks persevered and completed the excursion, which took more than 10 hours. “It was…..fun?” Dierks writes in the caption about the “epic” day. 

Gosh Darn, an annual gravel race in Middle Tennessee, benefits Oasis Bike Workshop the helps youth refurbish bicycles for transportation. Dierks also used to host the Miles & Music for Kids motorcycle event in Nashville. 

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When the members of The Head and the Heart were finally able to meet up and record their upcoming album Every Shade of Blue, they decided to head home.

“We chose to go back to Seattle,” vocalist Jonathan Russell tells ABC Audio. “We chose to go to the same studio that we did our first two records at.”

That return to the city where The Head and the Heart was first founded in 2009, coupled with the fact that the band members hadn’t seen each other in person in over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, made recording Every Shade of Blue feel like a “homecoming.”

“We just had so many memories there,” Russull says. He recalls stumbling upon a bike that he had left at the studio a decade earlier.

“My bicycle was literally in the same position in the garage in the studio,” he shares. “It had some flat tires, but other than that, it was good to go.”

For a recording process so steeped in Seattle, it may seem odd that the current single off Every Shade of Blue pays tribute to a place on the complete other side of the country. The song, titled “Virginia (Wind in the Night),” refers to Russell’s pre-Seattle home, where he’s since moved back to and lives now.

Writing a song about Virginia with a band formed in Seattle, Russell says, represents the “strange dichotomy” of The Head and the Heart.

“We all met in Seattle…but the funny thing was it was purely coincidental,” Russell says. “Two people were from California that came up in completely separate times for different reasons, two of us were from Virginia at different times, and then two members were born-and-raised in Seattle.”

Every Shade of Blue drops April 29.

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