Music – Page 3523 – 105.7 WDNY

Britney Spears talks about “interesting” week ahead of Friday’s conservatorship hearing

November 9, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Britney Spears told fans in a new update that she’s praying hard that, by week’s end, she will be released from her controversial 13-year conservatorship.

“This week is gonna be very interesting for me,” Britney posted to Instagram Monday. “I haven’t prayed for something more in my life.”

The singer’s next court hearing is set for November 12, where Judge Brenda J. Penny will consider terminating the conservatorship.

Britney also admitted to feeling overwhelmed by her ongoing legal battle, saying that complicated emotions may have gotten the best of her on several occasions.

“I know I’ve said some things on my Insta out of anger and I’m sorry but I’m only human … and I believe you’d feel the same way if you were me,” she wrote.

While she didn’t directly reference some of her past controversial statements, she did make headlines last week when, in a since-deleted Instagram post, she accused her mom Lynne Spears of masterminding the conservatorship and, in the process, “secretly ruining my life.”

Britney also admitted in her post, “I can’t say I’m never going to complain again… cuz who knows,” then added she’s focusing on the “new day” ahead.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Britney Spears (@britneyspears)

Ed Sheeran reveals Elton John holiday duet title is “Merry Christmas”

November 9, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Last month, Ed Sheeran revealed that he and Elton John were teaming up for a Christmas single, and during an appearance on The Tonight Show on Monday, Sheeran shared some more details about the song.

The “Shivers” singer told host Jimmy Fallon that Elton called him up last December to wish him a Merry Christmas and extended an invitation to join him on another holiday song, because his classic “Step Into Christmas” had returned to the British top 10.

“So, he rung me on Christmas day and said, ‘I want to do another Christmas song do you want to do with it me?'” Sheeran recalls. “So I said to Elton, I was like, “I don’t really want to do Christmas song unless we’re going in unless it’s like…sleigh bells, ding dong — it needs to be a proper Christmas song. So I wrote a chorus, and then I went to go and stay with him and we wrote three and one of them was this one called ‘Merry Christmas.'”

“I’m like, “We’re gonna have to change that title ’cause there’s probably loads of songs called ‘Merry Christmas,'” he continued.

However, to Ed’s surprise, “I went on Spotify and I typed in ‘Merry Christmas.’ Nothing. There’s ‘Merry Christmas, everyone,’ there’s ‘Happy Xmas.’ There’s ‘Merry Xmas (War Is Over)’… There’s not a song called ‘Merry Christmas.’ And then I went on YouTube and checked it out; it baffled me…it’s kind of like this glitch in a video game where no one saw.”

A release date for “Merry Christmas” has yet to be announced.

Drake addresses Astroworld tragedy: “My heart is broken”

November 9, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Declaring “My heart is broken,” Drake is sharing his thoughts following the events of Travis Scott‘s Astroworld Festival on Friday that left eight dead and hundreds injured when the crowd of 50,000 concertgoers rushed the stage.

Taking to Instagram Monday night, the “Way 2 Sexy” rapper wrote in a statement, “I’ve spent the past few days trying to wrap my mind around this devastating tragedy. I hate resorting to this platform to express an emotion as delicate as grief but this is where I find myself.”

“My heart is broken for the families and friends of those who lost their lives and for anyone who is suffering,” he continued. “I will continue to pray for all of them, and will be of service in anyway I can. May God be with you all.”

Drake’s statement comes after Scott shared his sentiments on the unfortunate events on Saturday, saying he is “absolutely devastated” by what happened and that is “committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need.” Scott also promised to refund concertgoers for their tickets, and plans to cover the funeral costs of those who died.

Both rappers are being sued over the events that unfolded at Astroworld, which took place at Houston’s NRG Stadium.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by champagnepapi (@champagnepapi)

Go, Go, Go: Graham Nash says he’s recording a new album with ex-Hollies band mate Allan Clarke

November 9, 2021 by WDNY Radio

As Graham Nash prepares for the November 16 release of his new photo book A Life in Focus, which offers a career-spanning look at his photography, the 79-year-old folk-rock legend also has some interesting music projects on the horizon.

Nash tells ABC Audio that one project reunites him with his childhood friend and Hollies co-founder Allan Clarke.

“I’m actually working on an album with Allan Clarke, my friend since I was six years old,” he reveals. “We’ve been remotely recording. We’ve got eight tracks, and it’ll be a really fun album.”

Clarke, who was The Hollies’ lead singer, retired from the group in 1999, partly due to vocal-cord issues, but he returned to the music in 2019 with a new solo album, Resurgence.

“[Allan’s] singing…really, really well,” Nash says. “He’s a very underrated singer. He’s one of the most underrated lead singers in a pop band ever…He’s got a great voice, and it’s back.”

Meanwhile, Graham also reports that he’s continuing to work on a follow-up to his most recent solo album, 2016’s This Path Tonight.

Nash already had reported that he had seven songs left over from writing sessions for This Path Tonight that he plans to include on his next album, and now he tells ABC Audio that he’s continued to write during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has recorded five tracks remotely with his touring musicians.

As Graham explains, he records acoustic guitar and vocal tracks, which he sends to Shane Fontayne, who adds guitar and bass. The recordings are then sent to drummer Toby Caldwell and then Toby’s brother, keyboardist Todd Caldwell. After Todd records keys, he sends all the tracks back to Nash for mixing.

Graham says the process is “an interesting sonic journey.”

Luke Bryan reflects on CMA Awards milestones that “put a peace in my heart”

November 9, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Luke Bryan feels a deep sense of responsibility and pride in hosting the CMA Awards for the first time, viewing himself as a stalwart of country music.

“To be a representative of the music that I love, to be someone to carry on a tradition and to be the the host and to conduct this show with elegance, class, humor, reverence,” he remarks of his approach to the gig. “To really make the show an example of country music and to represent the show to the best of my ability to the people watching at home is a big task and it’s something that I’m so honored to have the chance to do.”

Reflecting on some of his CMA highlights, Luke points to his rowdy performance of his hit “Country Girl, Shake It for Me” at the 2011 CMA Awards and taking home the night’s biggest honor, Entertainer of the Year, at the 2014 and 2015 ceremonies as personal milestones that validated all of his hard work over the years.

“When I look back on my experiences, when I did ‘Country Girl, Shake It for Me’ for the first time on the CMAs, I was about to literally have a full-on panic attack. I was so nervous about it,” he recalls. “Winning the Entertainer of the Year was the highlight of my musical achievements. To have won that really put a peace in my heart for everything, why I moved to Nashville, why I moved away from my family, why I gambled on so much. To win that award put my mind and my heart at peace.”

Luke hosts and performs at the CMA Awards live in Nashville on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Damn It Feels Good to Be You: Andy Grammer hopes new single will “help people connect with themselves”

November 9, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Andy Grammer‘s latest single “Damn It Feels Good to Be Me” is a song that he wrote, he says, as a reminder to “follow the beat of my own drum.” But he also believes it’s a song with a message that everyone can relate to and benefit from.

“It’s just a big, bombastic track about [how] it just feels good to be at a place where I know who I am,” Andy tells ABC Audio. He says it takes the concept of his 2019 album Naive one step further.

“The whole idea of Naive is like, ‘I’m in on the joke and I don’t care,'” he explains. “But that’s still a little bit defensive. And ‘Damn It Feels Good to Be Me’ is like, ‘This is what I am,’ like, with a smile on. And I think a lot of people are gonna wrap their story around it.”

Andy compares “Damn It Feels Good to Be Me” to his previous hit “Don’t Give Up on Me.” That track was written from personal experience, but it was then adopted by fans as an anthem for whatever personal situation they happened to be struggling with.

“You’re trying to find a mixture of something that’s broad and specific enough so it really hits and people can use it,” Andy explains. “I love songs that people can use. And I think that ‘Damn It Feels Good to Be Me’ is gonna be a song that helps people connect with themselves.”

“Damn It’s Good to Be Me” is the first official single from Andy’s forthcoming album, which is due out in early 2022. He’ll perform his other recent song, “Lease on Life,” tonight on ABC’s The Bachelorette.

Christina Aguilera’s September LadyLand performance to stream online November 30

November 9, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Back in September, Christina Aguilera performed in Brooklyn, NY at the LadyLand Festival. If you weren’t able to attend, you’ll be able to enjoy it later this month..

Christina’s 40-minute performance, which was her first New York City show since 2018, will be streamed globally Tuesday, November 30 via the Moment House platform. Tickets and merch bundles are on sale now via Moment House.

The September show featured outrageous costumes, choreography and guest appearances by RuPaul’s Drag Race stars Aquaria, Milk, Jaida, Essence Hall and Dahlia Sin. In addition, Christina performed her hits “Dirrty,” “Genie In a Bottle,” “Lady Marmalade,” “Candyman,” “Ain’t No Other Man,” “Beautiful” and more.

Christina recently released the new single, “Pa Mis Muchachas,” the first release from her upcoming Spanish-language album, her first since 2000.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Christina Aguilera (@xtina)

Father of KISS’ Paul Stanley dies at 101

November 8, 2021 by WDNY Radio

KISS‘ Paul Stanley is mourning the death of his father, William Eisen, who has passed away at 101 years old.

“My dad William Eisen has left this earth after 101 years & 7 months,” Stanley tweeted Sunday alongside a photo of him and his dad.

“His thirst for knowledge never [waned],” the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer added. “He could speak on virtually any subject. His pride in my accomplishments was heartwarming as was seeing his love of my family. He said he’d always be with me and he will.”

Stanley, 69, and KISS are currently off the road after playing the KISS Kruise earlier this month. Their planned Las Vegas residency, which was scheduled to kick off in December, was recently canceled.

My dad William Eisen has left this earth after 101 years & 7 months. His thirst for knowledge never wained. He could speak on virtually any subject. His pride in my accomplishments was heartwarming as was seeing his love of my family. He said he’d always be with me and he will. pic.twitter.com/uKWHP9Okax

— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) November 8, 2021

ABC-TV comedy inspired by Alanis Morissette’s life in development

November 8, 2021 by WDNY Radio

While some of the things that Alanis Morissette has experienced in her career seem like no laughing matter, she’s teaming with ABC to develop a comedy based on her life, Deadline reports.

Alanis is serving as an executive producer for the show, which called Relatable, and she’ll also write original music for it. The show focuses on a 40-something married woman with three kids who spent her early years as a rock star famous for her “anthems of female rage and teen angst” — sound like anyone you know? The comedy will apparently arise from her inability to get her children to listen to her.

The characters, according to Deadline, are “fictional and non-biographical,” though Alanis’ life will “loosely inform” the show.

A documentary on Alanis will also air later this month on HBO, though the singer has publicly denounced the film.

Ticket sales for Billy Joel’s Houston show put on hold following Astroworld concert disaster

November 8, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Billy Joel announced last week that tickets for his show on September 23, 2022, at Houston’s Minute Maid Park would go on sale this Friday. However, those plans have now been put on hold following the tragedy at this weekend’s Astroworld festival, which left eight people dead and hundreds more injured.

“Out of respect for the Houston community after the events at Astroworld on Friday, organizers for the upcoming Billy Joel concert scheduled for Minute Maid Park in Houston…announced they are delaying the on sale until further notice,” reads a statement on Billy’s website. “Organizers will provide an update shortly on when ticket sales will begin.”

On Friday night in Houston, the Astroworld festival, organized by and featuring rap superstar Travis Scott, ended in disaster when the crowd of 50,000 surged forward; many fans were crushed or trampled and multiple people collapsed.

The concert’s promoter reportedly agreed to halt the show, but Scott continued to play. Two concertgoers have already filed lawsuits in the festival’s aftermath as of early Monday.

Scott has said he’ll pay funeral costs for the victims, and will provide refunds for anyone who bought tickets to the event. He described himself as “absolutely devastated” by the tragedy, and said he is “working closely with everybody to get to the bottom of this.”

+ More