Music

Kesha has a rule when making new music: Dolly Parton has to like it.  

Speaking to Rolling Stone for its Icons & Influences issue, the “TiK ToK” hitmaker explained just how large an impact Dolly Parton had on her life and career.  Growing up, she says her mother, Pebe Serbert, hailed the “Jolene” singer as “Queen Dolly” and even wrote a song for her — the 1980 hit “Old Flames (Can’t Hold a Candle to You).”

“Dolly didn’t seem like a real human to me. It was almost like when you talk about unicorns. I remember as a little kid, it was like she was this fable, like untouchable, unhuman, just bada**,” Kesha explained.  She never lost that point of view and, when creating her Rainbow album, she manifested her life-long dream of recording a song with “the queen.”  

Kesha explained she initially didn’t “think I was talented enough” to ask Dolly to sing with her, but she eventually put on her big girl pants.

“I said, ‘You know what? If I don’t ask, the answer’s no.’ So I just thought, ‘[Screw] it, I’m going to ask Dolly Parton to sing a song with me,'” she recalled. “I wept like a baby when she said she would.”

The two re-recorded the song her mom wrote for Dolly over 40 years ago and, from that point forward, Kesha adopted a new music policy.  “I don’t ever want to put out any music that Dolly Parton wouldn’t enjoy or listen to, or find some humor in,” Kesha said. “She’s so much of a guiding light, and she has no idea.”

Kesha also has another Dolly-centric goal: “If I ever get married, I want to do it at Dollywood.”

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Dua Lipa stars opposite of Henry Cavill in the upcoming spy thriller, Argylle, which comes out next year on Apple TV+.  To help tide fans over, the first promotional image has just been released, which shows a blonde Dua with her arms around The Witcher star.

The “Levitating” singer’s hair is done up in a caramel blonde bob and she’s wearing a shimmering gold dress.  As for Henry, he’s wearing a green velvet suit.  The two appear to be slow dancing as they stare into each other’s eyes.

The streamer also released the synopsis of the upcoming thriller, which is about “the globe-trotting adventures of a super-spy named Argylle across the U.S., London and other exotic locations.”  In addition to Dua, the cast includes John Cena, Catherine O’Hara, Bryan Cranston, Samuel L. Jackson, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell and Ariana DeBose.

Director Mathew Vaughn said previously to The Hollywood Reporter, “When I read this early draft manuscript I felt it was the most incredible and original spy franchise since Ian Fleming’s books of the 50s… This is going to reinvent the spy genre.”

An exact release date for Argylle hasn’t been announced, with Apple only telling fans to expect it in 2023.

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Kelly Clarkson has finally put her drawn-out and sometimes nasty divorce battle to rest.  People reports the “Piece By Piece” singer has settled matters with her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock.

Kelly, who first filed to divorce her husband of seven years in June 2020, has agreed to give Brandon a one-time-payment of $1.3 million in addition to $45,601 every month in child support.  That’s not all — the Grammy winner will also have to pay Brandon $115,000 in monthly spousal support until January 31, 2024.

The amount is lower than what Brandon originally sought and was paid since last July, which was $150,000.

The former couple  also agreed to share joint-custody of their two children, seven-year-old River and five-year-old Remington.  It was also decided that the kids will live with their mom in Los Angeles, California, and will also be vaccinated against COVID-19.  In addition, both parents agreed to allow River and Remington to visit their father in Montana, where he continues to live on Kelly’s ranch for $2,000 a month. 

In other matters, Kelly will also retain ownership of the family pets and vehicles, the latter of which includes a Porsche Cayenne and a flight simulator.  As for Brandon, he was granted the family’s golf simulator, their Patek Philippe watches, several CAT snowmobiles, several vehicles that include a Ford F-350 and Ford F-250 truck, as well as “farm cattle, livestock, stock dogs, and horses,” according to court documents.

Representatives for both Kelly and Brandon have not responded to requests for comment as of Tuesday Wednesday morning.

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Travis Scott is not just talking the talk, he’s walking the walk. 

Taking to Instagram on Tuesday — four months after the Astroworld tragedy that left 10 dead — the rapper announced the launch of Project HEAL, a “multi-tier, long-term series of community-focused philanthropy and investment efforts.”

“Over the past few months I’ve been taking the time and space to grieve, reflect and do my part to heal my community,” Travis began the announcement. “Most importantly, I want to use my resources and platform moving forward towards actionable change.”

“This will be a lifelong journey for me and my family,” added Travis, who has two children — four-year-old daughter Stormi Webster and one-month-old son Wolf Webster — with Kylie Jenner.

Travis went on to state that “as a leader in my community, I need to step up in times of need” and explain that he and his team “created Project HEAL to take much needed action towards supporting real solutions that make all events the safest spaces they can possibly be. I will always honor the victims of the Astroworld tragedy who remain in my heart forever.”

“Giving back and creating opportunities for the youth is something I’ve always done and will continue to do as long as I have the chance. This program will be a catalyst to real change and I can’t wait to introduce the rest of the technology and ideas we’ve been working on. See you all so soon,” he concluded. 

The new multi-tier initiative will work in tandem with Travis’ Cactus Jack Foundation and includes a $1 million pledge to college seniors through the Waymon Webster HBCU Scholarship Fund. Other initiatives include making mental health resources more available, as well as the expansion of Houston’s CACT.US Youth Design Center.

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Biggie Smalls, aka the Notorious B.I.G, aka Christopher Wallace, was shot to death at a traffic light in Los Angeles on March 9, 1997 — 25 years ago today.

The murder is said to have been a culmination of rap beef between the East and West Coasts. There’s still much speculation about who killed the rap giant, including allegations against Death Row founder Suge Knight.

As reported by ABC News and according to 359 pages of court documents, Wallace was murdered as he left the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles after attending a post music awards ceremony. Wallace was in the middle of a three-car caravan when a dark Chevy SS Impala pulled next to him and fired several times into the passenger area where Wallace was sitting. He died minutes later at a local hospital.

The Brooklyn-born artist, who is arguably considered the greatest rapper of all time, rose to fame in the early ‘90s for his distinctive, relaxed delivery that accompanied his grimey, gangsta rap lyrics. He wrote and rhymed songs that mirrored his life growing up, portraying the hardships he endured as an overweight, only child, born to Jamaican immigrant parents and raised only by his mother, Voletta Wallace.

Over the course of Biggie’s short-lived but legendary rap career, he amassed a significant amount of accolades including five Source Awards, three Billboard Awards and four Grammy nominations.

Biggie’s 1994 debut album Ready to Die sold millions, his subsequent and final studio album Life After Death was released a few weeks after his murder and went on to peak at number one on three Billboard charts as well as chart in over eight countries.

Biggie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020 and will forever be regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop musicians of all time.

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Cold War Kids are headlining the 2022 Sound Mind Mental Health Music Festival, taking place May 21 in New York City’s Central Park.

The annual event, now in its fourth year, aims to use music to raise awareness and funds for mental health issues and resources. The 2022 festival will focus specifically on the how mental health has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The lineup also includes OutKast rapper Big Boi and “Best Day of My Life” band American Authors.

Along with their headlining performance, Cold War Kids will also be contributing a signed snare drum to a charity raffle, which you can enter by signing a petition supporting improved mental health crisis response services.

For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit SoundMindLive.org. If you can’t attend the festival in person, it’ll stream live on TikTok.

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It’s Women’s History Month, so now’s a good time to let you in on a little secret: While millions of fans might swoon over male pop stars like Bruno Mars and Nick Jonas, it turns out that in the U.S., it’s the female stars who are the best-known, and the best-liked.

MRC Data, the company that provides Billboard with the info it uses to compile its charts, has a new program called Artist + Genre Tracker, and used it to determine that out of the 10 best-known artists in the U.S., eight of them are women. 

In fact, MRC Data says it found that at least 80% of the population knows who Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé are.  Only Justin Bieber and Kanye West come close to those awareness levels, says MRC Data, with Justin at 80% and Kanye, now known as “Ye,” at 77%. 

But tellingly, the women blow the men away when it comes to likeability scores. 52% to 62% of people who are aware of those female artists say they like them, versus just 34% for Justin and 37% for West. 

If you’re looking for Women’s History Month music programming, AXS TV is a good place to start.  On March 12 starting at 2 p.m. it’ll air documentaries on Stevie Nicks, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Dolly Parton, and on March 19, starting at noon ET, AXS TV brings you profiles of female-fronted groups like Blondie, Eurythmics, The Pretenders and The Carpenters.

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Kacey Musgraves is receiving a distinct honor from the LGBTQIA+ community. 

The multi-Grammy winner will be bestowed with the Vanguard Award at the 2022 GLAAD Media Awards for her support for the LGBTQIA+ community throughout her career, including the release of her queer-friendly song, “Follow Your Arrow,” fighting against legislation that targets LGBTQ people, and taking part in GLAAD’s anti-bullying campaigns. 

“THANK YOU x A TRILLION, @glaad,” Kacey writes on Twitter about the award, alongside a rainbow and heart emoji. 

“From speaking out against anti-LGBTQ legislation in her home state of Texas, to raising awareness about bullying affecting LGBTQ youth, to uplifting the work of LGBTQ artists, Kacey continues to raise the bar for what it means to be an authentic ally and to inspire her fans to do the same,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis says in a statement.

Past recipients of the Vanguard Award include Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, and Beyoncé and Jay-Z. 

The GLAAD Media Awards take place on April 2 in Los Angeles.

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Carrie Underwood has something up her sleeve, but she’s playing coy regarding what it is. 

“I’m always I’m always working on something. Obviously, we can’t spill too many beans right now, but my fans know what I mean when I say ‘soon,'” she says with a laugh. “They actually hate it when I use that word because they’re like, ‘What does that mean?’ But it’s been been busy, for sure.” 

While fans are eager to know what she has in store, the superstar has been keeping busy over the past few years. She released her last studio album, the acclaimed Cry Pretty, in 2018. One year later, she welcomed her son Jacob and hit the road on the Cry Pretty Tour 360. 

The powerhouse singer has spent the past two years mainly focusing on her first Christmas album, My Gift, and companion gospel album, My Savior, both of which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums charts, and in the top five on the all-genre Billboard 200. 

The Cobra Kai fan also made a recent appearance in the season four finale of the Netflix series, performing “The Moment of Truth” from the soundtrack of the original Karate Kid. 

Additionally, she and Jason Aldean took the stage at Monday night’s ACM Awards for a performance of their duet, “If I Didn’t Love You,” which was also named Single of the Year.

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