Music

Michael Bublé‘s video for “I’ll Never Not Love You” has Michael and his wife Luisana recreating scenes from romantic films like Casablanca, Titanic, Jerry Maguire, Love Actually and The Notebook. But Michael says he initially had some very different movies in mind.

“At first, the films I came up with were…like, Star Wars and Spider-Man and all these sort of sci-fi things,” he tells ABC Audio. But he was afraid that if he did that, people would think it was a satire. 

“It’s just really a beautiful and, in ways, a sad, almost a morose song,” he explains. “So I wanted to make sure that I had these moments that could reflect that.”

After recruiting Luisana to co-star, Michael realized he could make the video a sequel to 2009’s “Haven’t Met You Yet,” because she was in that video, too.

“The second she said yes, I started to think about ‘Haven’t Met You Yet,’ and what we’d done,” he explains. “And…I thought, ‘Y’know what? Why can’t I go through these films and why can’t I get to the end and wake up, and realize this is all part of the cinematic universe of our love story?'”

That led to the idea of the couple using the clip to reveal that they’re expecting their fourth child.

Michael says, “We knew we were pregnant, so we said, ‘Why don’t we put that as the Easter egg in the video? We won’t even say anything. We’re just going to have it there, and people will either discover it or not.”

Unfortunately, TMZ “discovered” it first.

“Somehow, TMZ found out before we released the video,” Michael groans. “So at this point, I just check TMZ every day to see if I’m dead or not. ‘Cause I have a feeling they’re going to find out before I do!”

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Zac Brown has nothing but kind remarks for Luke Combs, with whom he co-wrote two songs for Zac Brown Band‘s latest album, The Comeback. 

Zac shares that Luke traveled to his home in Georgia for a co-writing session that resulted in a pair of songs that made the album: the current radio single, “Out in the Middle,” and “Old Love Song.” It was the first time the two hitmakers spent time together, and Zac has fond memories of the experience. 

“Luke is such a great singer and great artist, but he’s also a great writer,” the ZBB frontman praises. “I brought him down to Georgia and we sat in the kitchen while the kids were at school, and we hammered out a couple of songs in a few hours. I’m really proud of those songs. I love them. They’re two of my favorite ones on there.”

Part of what made the experience special was the fact that neither one of them brought any ego to the table, which Zac says is crucial to the songwriting process.  

“When you’re writing something to serve the song, you want to have people that are there in service of it. And when there’s ego involved, it’s about your idea winning rather than listening and trusting the people in the group,” Zac explains. “When that right idea pops up where everyone agrees, that’s the positivity that you need when you’re collaborating.”

Last year, ZBB celebrated their 14th #1 hit with “Same Boat.”

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Judas Priest canceled their concert on Monday, April 4, at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Massachusetts, because of a reported “non-[COVID] related illness,” and now comes word that the cancellation was due to frontman Rob Halford battling a cold.

Blabbermouth.net reports that in an interview Tuesday with East Coast Live, Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner explained that the band was “resting up,” and that “the reason for [the cancellation] is so that we can preserve our health and get better,” while noting, “Rob’s got a bit of a cold.”

Faulkner added that the band is now aiming to “get back on track and do the rest of the shows in Canada.”

The North American leg of Judas Priest’s 50 Heavy Metal Years tour has four more concerts scheduled, all in Canada — on April 7 in Halifax, Nova Scotia; April 10 in Quebec City; April 11 in Laval, Quebec; and April 13 in Hamilton, Ontario.

Faulkner also told East Coast Live, “[W]e all get sick from time to time. It’s gonna happen. When you’re on the road, it’s a rigorous schedule. And even pre-COVID, now post-COVID, so to speak, you’re gonna catch bugs and stuff like that; it’s just part of the life we lead.”

He continued, “[I]f it was me or [bassist] Ian [Hill] or [drummer] Scott [Travis] or [guitarist] Andy [Sneap], I think we could maybe just hammer through it, but obviously when your instrument’s your voice, it’s a bit harder to do. So [Rob is] resting up, he’s resting his voice, he’s on some meds, and he’s gonna get through it.”

Fans who had tickets to the Lowell, Massachusetts, concert can get refunds at the point of purchase. Judas Priest also says they’re “hooping to make this show up in the near future.”

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Justin Bieber’s music may already be considered therapeutic to some, but the singer is taking things one step further to ensure fans prioritize their mental health.

Justin, who’s currently on his Justice world tour, is teaming with BetterHelp to provide free access to therapy to his fans and his touring crew.

With the partnership, his entire 250-plus-person tour family will receive 18 months of free access via BetterHelp’s online therapy platform. Justin and BetterHelp are also offering a free month of therapy to his millions of fans, which they can use or share with a friend or family member.

“The one thing I’ve learned over the years is that we all go through our ups and downs, and we all need help sometimes,” Justin says in a statement. “Being able to offer access to free therapy to my fans and tour family is a real blessing, and I’m humbled to be able to do it.”

To sign up for access to the one month of free therapy, go to BetterHelp.com/JustinBieber.

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Jack White has announced a series of listening parties to mark the release of his new solo album, Fear of he Dawn.

The events will take place in independent record stores across the country this Friday, April 8, the same day Fear of the Dawn drops. In addition to hearing the record, you’ll also be able to pick up various exclusive Fear of the Dawn-related items.

If you want and advanced listen of Fear of the Dawn, you can tune into White’s Twilight Receiver program. If you go to TwilightReceiver.com on your mobile device and bring it outside before sunrise each morning, you’ll be able to hear snippets of three previously unreleased tunes from the record.

White himself will be celebrating Fear of the Dawn‘s arrival with the launch of his Supply Issues tour, which kicks off Friday with a hometown show in Detroit.

Fear of the Dawn is one of two solo albums White will be releasing this year. The second, Entering Heaven Alive, is due out July 22.

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Mammoth WVH‘s stint on the Young Guns tour has ended earlier than expected: Wolfgang Van Halen and company are canceling the final six shows on the tour, which also features Dirty Honey. The reason for the cancellation?  COVID, of course.

Van Halen says in a statement, “After an incredible weekend in Las Vegas with my family for the Grammys, I flew back yesterday to meet up with my band and crew in North Carolina to continue the Young Guns tour. This morning, as everyone took COVID tests to re-establish the bubble that has served us on the tour, we came to find that members of our band and crew who didn’t travel with me were positive.”  Van Halen himself is negative.

“With only 6 shows left in the tour, it breaks my heart that we unfortunately won’t be able to continue,” he adds. “Mammoth WVH will do our very best to make up the dates that we missed to the fans in those markets in the future.” 

Dirty Honey will still perform on the affected dates, which include tonight’s show in Raleigh, NC, as well as April 6 in Charlotte, April 8 in Nashville, April 9 in Dothan, AL, and April 10 and 12 in Orlando, FL.  Refunds are available at point of purchase.

Mammoth WVH will return to the road April 29 for a series of headlining shows.

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Vera Farmiga proved that she’s equally adept at channeling the power of heavy metal as she is demons and other supernatural spirits with a rocking cover of Iron Maiden‘s “The Trooper.”

The actor, known for her role The Conjuring series and films including The Departed and Up in the Air, put her spin on Maiden’s 1983 classic during a recent performance at the Rock Academy music school in Woodstock, New York.

Farmiga recently shared an Instagram video of the rendition, which included Anthrax‘s Scott Ian on guitar. In the caption, she paid tribute to her parents’ home country of Ukraine — which continues to fight against Russia’s invasion — with hashtags including #GlorytoUkraine and #IStandWithUkraine.

We’d guess that “The Trooper” wasn’t a random choice, as its lyrics make reference to another Russia-involved military conflict, the Crimean War of the 1850s. 

Last month, Iron Maiden canceled their upcoming shows in Russia and Ukraine due to the war. 

“Our priority is, and will always be, the safety of our fans,” the metal legends said.

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The Doobie Brothers, Metallica and longtime Tom Petty guitarist Mike Campbell and his solo group The Dirty Knobs are among the many artists set to play the 2022 Bourbon & Beyond festival, taking place September 15-18 in Louisville, Kentucky.

The Doobies — featuring the band’s 50th anniversary tour lineup, including Michael McDonald, Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons and John McFee — will headline the festival’s final day, along with Grammy-winning country star Chris Stapleton. Campbell and The Dirty Knobs also will perform on September 18. Pearl Jam will headline the fest’s third day September 17, alongside contemporary rockers Greta Van Fleet.

This year’s other headliners are Jack White, Alanis Morissette, Kings of Leon, Greta Van Fleet and Brandi Carlile. Other performers include Jimmie Vaughan, Crowded House, Elle King, Robert Randolph Band, Marcus King, St. Vincent, Cold War Kids and more.

Billed as “The World’s Largest Bourbon & Music Festival,” the four-day event will showcase more than two dozen craft bourbons, and also will feature special culinary experiences and much more.

Tickets are on sale now. For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit BourbonandBeyond.com.

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