“My Boy” made Elvie Shane a star, and its lyrics are personal, but the song’s not the only aspect of his story.
In the tune, the singer shares his message of love for his stepson, embracing the boy as his own though they’re not biologically related. While the story is a true one, Elvie says he doesn’t want to mislead fans into thinking he’s the perfect dad.
Sure, family’s a huge part of his life: “My mom and dad really taught me what it’s like to love someone unconditionally. I think that that’s a huge part of who I am,” he reflects to CMT.
Still, the song “may have painted a better picture of me than who I am at my core,” Elvie admits. “I’m definitely not the poster child for parenting. I just try to do my best.”
Elvie is shedding light on another aspect of his personality in his next radio single, “County Roads,” a track that recalls his early days as a kid in Grayson County, Kentucky.
Thomas Rhett has found a creative way to sign albums for fans!
Just one week shy of the release of his new album, Where We Started,the hit singer is literally taking to the floor in preparation. On Friday, Thomas shared a video of himself in the plank position as he signs multiple copies of the album.
“Thought I would see how many I could sign one-handed planks. Might as well get a work out in,” Thomas struggles to say as he balances on his hands and feet with a pen in hand, autographing a row of albums. “Oh, I’m out of shape,” he quips, hopping from one album cover to the next.
“I’m still sore from this,” he admits in the caption of the humorous video.
The superstar is set to drop Where We Started on April 1. Its lead single, “Slow Down Summer,” is in the top 20 of the country charts. His forthcoming headlining Bring the Bar to You Tour with Parker McCollum and Conner Smith will run from June through October.
Neil Youngwill release three new installments of his Official Bootleg Series of archival live albums on May 6, all solo acoustic performances dating back to the early 1970s.
The albums are Royce Hall 1971, which documents a show that took place on January 30 of that year on the UCLA campus; Dorothy Chandler Pavilion 1971, which captures a February 1 concert at the famed Los Angeles venue that brought Young’s 1971 tour to a close; and Citizen Kane Jr. Blues (Live at The Bottom Line 1974), featuring a surprise club gig that Neil played in New York City on May 16, 1974.
The albums will be released on CD and via digital formats on May 6, while vinyl LP versions will follow on June 3. Fans who pre-order CD or vinyl versions of the releases will also receive a high-res digital download of the records on May 6.
The Royce Hall 1971 and Dorothy Chandler Pavilion 1971 albums were mixed from the original analog master tapes, while Citizen Kane Jr. Blues has been restored and remastered from the best available source recording.
Young launched his Official Bootleg Series in October 2021 with Carnegie Hall 1970.
Here’s the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion 1971 track list:
“On the Way Home”
“Tell Me Why”
“Old Man”
“Journey Through the Past”
“Cowgirl in the Sand”
“Heart of Gold”
“A Man Needs a Maid”
“Sugar Mountain”
“Don’t Let It Bring You Down”
“Love in Mind”
“The Needle and the Damage Done”
“Ohio”
“See the Sky About to Rain”
“I Am a Child”
“Dance Dance Dance”
Here’s the Royce Hall 1971 track list:
“On the Way Home”
“Tell Me Why”
“Old Man”
“Journey Through the Past”
“Cowgirl in the Sand”
“Heart of Gold”
“A Man Needs a Maid”
“See the Sky About to Rain”
“Sugar Mountain”
“Don’t Let It Bring You Down”
“Love in Mind”
“The Needle and the Damage Done”
“Ohio”
“Down by the River”
“Dance Dance Dance”
“I Am a Child”
And here’s the Citizen Kane Jr. Blues (Live at The Bottom Line) track list:
“Pushed It Over the End”
“Long May You Run”
“Greensleeves”
“Ambulance Blues”
“Helpless”
“Revolution Blues”
“On the Beach”
“Roll Another Number (For the Road)”
“Motion Pictures”
“Pardon My Heart”
“Dance Dance Dance”
The clip features the British rockers playing the catchy anthem inside a “Wall of Death” motorcycle carnival ride for an audience of flamboyantly dressed circus performers and other glammed-out misfits. You can watch the video now on Def Leppard’s official YouTube channel.
As previously reported, Diamond Star Halos is a 15-track collection that’s the band’s first album of new original tunes since 2015’s self-titled effort. You can pre-order it now as a deluxe package, a two-LP set and digitally, among other configurations.
Diamond Star Halos includes two duets with acclaimed country/bluegrass artist and longtime Def Leppard fan Alison Krauss — “This Guitar” and “Lifeless.” In addition, famed David Bowie pianist Mike Garson plays on two songs — “Goodbye for Good This Time” and “Angels (Can’t Help You Now).”
The album was recorded remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, with frontman Joe Elliott laying down his vocals in Ireland, bassist Rick Savage recording his parts in the U.K., and guitarists Phil Collen and Viv Campbell and drummer Rick Allen recording their contributions in the U.S.
Diamond Star Halos will arrive in advance of Def Lepard’s 36-city Stadium Tour of North America with Mötley Crüe, Poison and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. The trek gets underway June 16 in Atlanta, and is mapped out through a September 9 concert in Las Vegas.
Back in 1985, as the U.S. and the Soviet Union were in the grip of the Cold War, and the nuclear threat was looming, Sting recorded the song “Russians,” in which he sang, “What might save us, me and you/is if the Russians love their children too.” Sadly, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the message is relevant once again, which is why he’s released a new charity version of the song.
Profits from “Russians (Guitar/Cello version)” will go to HelpUkraine.center, a volunteer storage center set up by Ukrainian business owners to receive humanitarian and medical aid from all over the world. It accepts donations of goods, as well as money to purchase products such as medicine.
“I’ve only rarely sung this song in the many years since it was written, because I never thought it would be relevant again,” Sting says in a statement. “But, in the light of one man’s bloody and woefully misguided decision to invade a peaceful, unthreatening neighbor, the song is, once again, a plea for our common humanity.”
He adds, “For the brave Ukrainians fighting against this brutal tyranny and also the many Russians who are protesting this outrage despite the threat of arrest and imprisonment — We, all of us, love our children. Stop the war.”
As Sting sings in the song, “There’s no such thing as a winnable war/It’s a lie we don’t believe anymore.”
You can watch Sting and cellist Ramiro Belgardt perform the song on YouTube.
Olivia Rodrigo knows a thing or two about dealing with a broken heart, so it’s safe to say she has pretty good advice on how to get over a breakup.
Speaking toEntertainment Tonight, the “drivers license” singer shared how she’s able to move on after a relationship ends. “I think, prioritizing your friends, and especially female friendships for me, was super helpful,” said Olivia. “That kind of love and support is so incredible, and I think more fulfilling than any boyfriend relationship in my life.”
Olivia was also asked about her friendship with Billie Eilish, who once said she wants to put the “deja vu” singer “in a glass box” to protect her.
“I just think she’s incredible,” Olivia raved. “It’s so cool to be able to look up to someone like her. I just really admire how confident she is and how she just marches to the beat of her own drum. And I just think she’s incredible, so, it’s so sweet that she said that.”
Olivia and Billie will meet again at the Grammy Awards, which are set for April 3. As for how the 19-year-old feels about being nominated for seven awards total for her debut album SOUR, she’s a ball of nerves.
“It feels so exciting. I’ve dreamed about the Grammys since I was a little girl,” Olivia gushed. “It’s so exciting. And I’m so excited for the day, and I’ve just been a fan of it forever, and so, it’s just gonna be so exciting to go there in the flesh.”
Olivia Rodrigo: Driving Home 2 U (A Sour Film) is now available to watch on Disney+.
My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way guests on a new song by Ibaraki, Trivium frontman Matt Heafy‘s black metal side project.
The nine-minute track, titled “Rōnin,” refers to the term used for a masterless samurai in feudal Japan. You can listen to it now via digital outlets, and watch its accompanying video streaming now on YouTube.
“Gerard Way has been a long-time inspiration for me,” Heafy says. “I have looked to Gerard as a constant source of motivation to be creative.”
He continues, “While Gerard and I may be from different genres than where Ibaraki and black metal stem from — outsiders of sorts — the spirit and intent of our performances is what unites our passion for pushing boundaries.”
“Rōnin” will appear on the debut Ibaraki album Rashomon, due out May 6. The record also includes contributions from Nergal of Behemoth and Ihsahn of Emperor.
Way, meanwhile, is prepping to return to the road on MCR’s long-awaited reunion tour, which is set to finally kick off this May after a two-year pandemic delay. The U.S. leg launches in August.
Jake Owen is praising the women in his life with his new song, “Up There Down Here.”
The country track finds the singer describing the angel to his devil, the type he can see himself marrying one day as he sings, “I’m a raise a little hell, she’s heaven on Earth/The grace to my grit and the rain on my dirt/I’m a little down-home, cold beer/She’s a little up there, down here.”
“I really loved this song from the minute I heard it. All of us boys are lucky to find these angels here on earth. I happen to be lucky enough to raise two of them,” Jake says in a statement, in reference to his daughters, nine-year-old Olive Pearl and two-year-old Paris.
“Up There” is the latest in a line of new songs by the hit singer, including “Fishin’ On A River,” “Drunk On a Boat” and his current single, “Best Thing Since Backroads,” which is in the top 20 on country radio.
24kGoldn has released “In My Head,” a new song in collaboration with Travis Barker.
The sunny tune is full of the Blink-182 drummers signature pop-punk beats as the “Mood” artist sings about a girl he can’t get out of his head. Barker also appears on the tune’s video, which Goldn co-directed himself.
You can listen to “In My Head” now via digital outlets, and watch its video streaming now on YouTube.
“In My Head” follows Goldn’s 2021 album El Dorado, which includes the chart-topping, iann dior-featuring “Mood.”
Barker, meanwhile, will be in the presence of Oscar gold when he performs during this year’s Academy Awards, airing Sunday, March 27, on ABC.
Ellie Goulding is adding another job title to her resume — global ambassador.
The “Love Me Like You Do” hitmaker has been named the ambassador for wildlife charity WWF, which she has long supported.
“I’m delighted to join WWF as an ambassador because I’m passionate about speaking up for our extraordinary planet,” Ellie exclaimed on Twitter.
Ellie showed up to the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, this past November and has also spoke out about the importance of achieving “net zero” climate emissions — among other things.
Ellie vowed to take her new responsibilities seriously, adding in an official statement on WWF’s site, “I know that the climate crisis and the destruction of nature can feel overwhelming at times, but I promise you when millions of people stand together, and demand change, the dial begins to shift.”
“One thing we know is that every second counts and every second we need to agitate for change,” Ellie continued. “I want to be part of that.”
WWF says it is “delighted” to have the British singer on their team and say her advocacy will help during “a crucial time” for “climate action.”
