Music

As Dierks Bentley continues working through his upcoming album, he reveals it took a few tries to get it right.

The hit singer has been working on the project for two years, and after a few failed attempts, he is confident in the direction the album is going. 

“I’ve gone in to record it a few times and it felt good, but I didn’t feel great. So I decided to keep writing, and it just feels so great,” Dierks explains of his process. “This is my 10th album and all the pressure is coming from me. I want it to be great….[L]ike any album you’re making, [I want it] to draw off [of] what you’re interested in. I love the songs I have, love the feel of it. A lot of great country songs, a lot of great instrumentation.”

Dierks also hints that he’s uniting the past and present on the upcoming project, which follows his acclaimed 2018 album, The Mountain. He says the new music will sound different than his recently released hits, but will still fit into the modern cannon of country music.

“It’s going to sound pretty different than the current songs I’ve had out, ‘Gone’ and ‘Beers on Me,'” Dierks explains. “[I’m] trying to draw on some stuff I’ve done in the past, albums like Modern Day Drifter, but still give it a contemporary feel.”

He adds, “It’s gonna be a while before the album comes out, but it feels really good. I’m really excited about it. I feel the way you should feel when you’re making an album, and I hadn’t felt that way in the previous attempts, but this time around…a great band and great songs and really feeling good about the direction.” 

“Beers on Me” featuring Breland and Hardy is currently inside the top 20 on country radio.

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It will be a battle of veteran male crooners when Musiq Soulchild and Anthony Hamilton face off for a special Verzuz event for lovers on the day after Valentine’s Day…Tuesday, February 15.

Verzuz founders Swizz Beatz and Timbaland announced Monday that Musiq and Hamilton will perform for a live audience at Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles. Tickets for the show are now available at VERZUZTV.com. 

The performance also will be streamed on the website and the Verzuz Instagram page beginning at 5:30 p.m. PT/8:30 p.m. ET.

After releasing his first album in five years, Love Is the New Black, in September, Hamilton was nominated two weeks ago for three NAACP Image Awards. The Grammy winner is up for Outstanding Male Artist, and has two nods for Outstanding Duo or Group Collaboration: “Superstar” featuring Jennifer Hudson from the album is nominated, as is the “Complicated” remix with Leela James.

Musiq Soulchild is a 13-time Grammy nominee whose recording career began in 2000 with his hit single, “Just Friends.” The singer from Philadelphia has released nine solo albums, with his latest album, Feel the Real, dropping in 2017.

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Last year, T.I. celebrated the 20th anniversary of his debut album, I’m Serious, and as he begins his third decade in entertainment, he’s looking to diversify.

TIP, who also has enjoyed a successful acting career with roles in such films as ATL, American Gangster, Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp and Dolemite Is My Name, is now expanding into a new area — comedy.

The “Live Your Life” rapper has been doing standup routines for the past two weeks, and he says he’s serious about making people laugh.

“I’ve learned from & earned the respect & approval of some of the funniest people I know in this s***,” he comments in an Instagram post that’s accompanied by a photo of him with comedian Chris Spencer. “I can honestly say I’ve had nights where I tore they a** up & I had nights I was figuring the s*** out but I appreciate having the opportunity to adjust & improve.”

The 41-year-old entertainer knows that many people are skeptical about his skills as a comedian, but he says he’s encouraged by the reception he’s received from the pros.

“I’m also truly appreciative and humbled by the warm welcome I’ve been receiving from real comedic vets in this s***. Allowing me the opportunity to learn, grow & accept harsh critical ridicule from the best!!!” he notes. “I’ve developed a true admiration & respect for the skill set required to stand up in front of people with no hit records or catchy hooks to carry you through the performance.”

TIP has had his ups and downs in the comedy clubs, and he says he’s having fun, declaring, “I think I LIKE IT HERE!!”

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The Billboard Hot 100 is no longer talking about Adele‘s “Easy on Me” because a new song has knocked it out of the top spot.  The viral track “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” from Disney’s Encanto, is now the biggest song in the country.

This marks the first time in almost 30 years that a Disney song climbed to the top of the Hot 100, and only the second time in history it’s happened. The first time was in 1993, when Aladdin‘s “A Whole New World,” sung by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle, soared to number one.

“Bruno” is now songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s first number one hit, and it’s also set the record for having the most credited recording artists ever on a number one song: It features the voices of six different Encanto cast members.

One reason why “Bruno” may have hit number one is because, as Billboard notes, it got a sales boost after the iTunes Store put it on sale for 69 cents.

Coincidentally, the Encanto soundtrack is also the number one album in the country; it’s now held the top spot on the Billboard 200 for three weeks.  This marks the first time in Disney history that one of its soundtracks and songs simultaneously topped both charts.

Meanwhile, another song from Encanto, “Surface Pressure,” has broken into the top 10 and currently sits at number nine.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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When Charlie Puth FaceTimed with The Kid LAROI, he probably wasn’t expecting Justin Bieber to take the phone — and confront him about that infamous on-stage diss from over five years ago.

In 2016, Charlie disparaged Justin while performing “We Don’t Talk Anymore,” a song he collaborated on with Justin’s ex Selena Gomez.  Although Charlie later attested he said it in jest, it seems the two never really fully reconciled… until now.

Taking to Instagram on Monday, Justin shared video of the awkward FaceTime exchange, where he finally confronts Charlie.

“We never really got to talk about just, like, years ago when you said ‘F*** you, Justin Bieber’ on stage,” the “Peaches” singer began, which caused Charlie to break into a nervous chuckle. “I don’t think it’s very funny, to be honest.”

Justin goes on to say the diss “hurt my feelings” — even though it was a joke that Charlie insisted “was completely blown out of proportion.”  

Bieber adds even more pressure by asking what caused the on-stage outburst and remarked he “doesn’t appreciate” Charlie’s repeated attempts at downplaying the event. But, it appears the confrontation itself was a joke because all three, including LAROI, burst out in hysterics.

“You know you had it coming,” captioned Justin. 

Meanwhile, fans are hoping this is the trio’s way of teasing something on the horizon.  Already, followers are begging in the comment section for the three to collaborate on a new song.

In other Bieber news, Justin just dropped $1.29 million on a Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT, which is reportedly 300% more than its valued market price. The Bored Ape #3001 digital collectible is a cartoon drawing of a sad-looking monkey with its eyes welling up in tears. Bieber showed off the artwork on Instagram Monday.

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Korn will be celebrating the release of their upcoming Requiem album with a unique show.

This Thursday, February 3, the “Freak on a Leash” outfit will host Requiem Mass, an “intimate ceremony and epic live performance” held at Hollywood United Methodist Church in Los Angeles. Only 300 tickets will be sold, which will be available exclusively at Amoeba Music Hollywood beginning Tuesday, February 1, at 11 a.m. PT.

If you aren’t able to attend in person, you can watch Requiem Mass streaming live via Korn’s YouTube channel beginning Thursday at 8 p.m. PT.

If you are lucky enough to snag a ticket, note that proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required, as is “appropriate black funeral attire.” A press release also shares that “[g]uests are encouraged to bring a token or item of remembrance to honor a loved one who has passed to leave in the casket as part of the ceremony.”

Requiem will be released this Friday, February 4. It includes the single “Start the Healing.”

Korn will be supporting Requiem in much bigger venues on their upcoming U.S. headlining tour, which kicks off in March. The band also is playing a run of dates alongside System of a Down this week.

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A Change.org petition requesting that Travis Scott be added to the 2022 Coachella lineup has been removed due to fake signatures.

“We are deeply committed to the experience of our users, which means prioritising accuracy, and finding and eliminating fraud,” the site said in a statement. “We have a range of automated systems and teams dedicated to blocking and removing double or fake signatures and detect other fraudulent activity.”

As previously reported, after a petition was created in November demanding that the “Sicko Mode” rapper not be allowed to perform at the next Coachella festival, a competing petition requested that Scott to be added to the 2023 lineup.

Scott fan James Connors launched the Change.org petition. He wrote, “Coachella switched Travis and Frank [Ocean] for Harry Styles and Billie Eilish? What kind of message does that send? Fans are demanding refunds and selling their tickets. Coachella needs to fix this asap. We all know Astroworld tragedy wasn’t Travis fault.”

Connors boasted that he had more than 70,000 signatures; however, last week, the website listed less than 5,000 signatures as fake signatures were removed.

Scott was originally scheduled to perform at this year’s Coachella, but following the Astroworld festival tragedy, which resulted in 10 deaths and numerous injuries, he was removed from the bill.

Over 64,000 people signed a previous Change.org petition asking Coachella promoter Goldenvoice to drop the Houston MC him from the event. 

After Coachella was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic, the annual California festival will return in April with Kanye West among the headliners.

The lineup also features Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion, 21 Savage, Ari Lennox, Baby Keem, Big Sean, City Girls, Cordae, Daniel Caesar, Giveon, Lil Baby and many more.

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