Music

A newly empowered Britney Spears spoke out on Facebook Watch Tuesday night, sharing with fans her thoughts about the end of her conservatorship, and her hopes for the future.

She started off by describing how her life has changed now that she’s free, noting that 13 years — the length of her conservatorship — is “a really long time to be in a situation you don’t want to be in.”

“I’m just grateful, honestly, for each day and being able to have the keys to my car and being able to be independent and feel like a woman,” she added. “And owning an ATM card, seeing cash for the first time, being able to buy candles. It’s the little things for us women, but it makes a huge difference.”

She went on to say that she’s “not here to be a victim,” adding, “I lived with victims my whole life as a child. That’s why I got out of my house and I worked for 20 years…I’m here to be advocate for people with real disabilities and illnesses.”

“Hopefully my story will make an impact and make some changes in the corrupt system,” she noted.

Britney concluded by thanking her fans for starting the #FreeBritney movement. “You guys rock. Honestly, my voice was muted and threatened for so long. I wasn’t able to speak up or say anything, and…you gave it awareness,” she said. “And because of you, I honestly think you guys saved my life in a way. One hundred percent.”

Britney signed off by telling fans, “God bless you all. We’re gonna have a good year, a good Christmas — and rock on!”

She captioned the video, “I might as well do a hint of my thoughts here before I go and set things square on Oprah Winfrey.” 

Is that a promise? Stay tuned.

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Just months after losing her biological mother, Keyshia Cole has lost her father, Leon Cole.

The “Heaven Sent” singer revealed the heartbreaking news with fans on Tuesday in an Instagram post, sharing photos of the duo and writing, “Unfortunately my father didn’t make it through his complications, due to covid-19.”

Keyshia, 40, who was adopted by Leon and his wife, Yvonne, when she was two years old, added, “He’s the entire reason my last name is COLE, The only father I knew, he did such a great job here on earth!!!!! He made sure (Even tho he wasn’t my biological father) to keep a stable foundation and roof over all of our heads during our upbringing!!!!”

The powerhouse singer went on to reminisce about Leon and all that she’s learned from him over the years, including relationship advice and “how a man needs to treat a woman,” which she joked was “maybe the reason a man hasn’t been able to hold on to me too long.”

“He was the greatest example of love, 51 years of marriage to my mother Yvonne Cole. Seriously the most loving guy I’ve ever known. And he’s gonna be missed so much! I hate that this has happened !!!” wrote Keyshia, adding, “And that I’ve now lost two beautiful souls within a few months from each other.”

News of Leon’s death comes after her biological mother, Frankie Lons, sadly died of a reported drug overdose in July.

“This is so hard man. Can’t really even find the words. SMH. I honestly don’t even know how to feel,” Keyshia wrote at the time. “You can never prepare for something like this… Ever!!! but you will be missed.”

 

 

 

 

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It seems the beef between Kanye West and Drake has officially been squashed.

On Tuesday, both rappers took to social media to share a video of themselves hanging out. In the short clip, the two are standing next to each other and at one point, the “Way 2 Sexy” artists wraps his arm around Ye. 

Drake, who shared the clip to Instagram, along with a video of Dave Chappelle, captioned it, “You have reached your destination.” 

The Certified Lover Boy tagged the location as Toronto, and according to Chappelle’s speech, he gathered “some of the biggest stars on earth” at his home in the Canadian city — including West — sparking rumors the two have reconciled. 

The reunion of the two artists comes after Ye recently extended an olive branch to Drake, inviting him to Los Angeles on December 7 to participate in a benefit to free former gang leader Larry Hoover from prison.

“I’m making this video to address the ongoing back and forth between myself and Drake. Both me and Drake have taken shots at each other. It’s time to put it to rest,” said Ye. “I believe this event will not only bring awareness to our cause but prove to people everywhere how much more we can accomplish when we lay our pride to the side and come together.” 

 

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If you’re looking for a gift for the burgeoning punk rocker in your life this holiday season, Billie Joe Armstrong is here to help.

The Green Day frontman has announced the launch of the Billie Joe Armstrong Les Paul Junior, a new, signature electric guitar in partnership with Epiphone.

Modeled after Armstrong’s own beloved Epiphone, which he memorably played on Green Day’s Bullet in a Bible concert film, the Les Paul Junior features a Classic White finish, and features the “Basket Case” rocker’s signature on the back of the headstock.

“Working with Billie Joe Armstrong over the years has been an absolute honor for our team,” says Aljon Go, Epiphone Product Manager. “The new Epiphone Billie Joe Armstrong signature guitars will help inspire a whole new generation of guitarists with an accessible, quality instrument to blaze their path in making music, just as Billie has throughout his Grammy Award-winning career.”

The Billie Joe Armstrong Les Paul Junior is available now for $549 via Epiphone.com.

Armstrong recently got off the road playing stadiums on Green Day’s Hella Mega tour with Fall Out Boy and Weezer. The “American Idiot” outfit is set to return to the stage next year in February to play the Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest.

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Genesis‘ The Last Domino? tour arrived in the U.S. on Monday night.  But unlike the last time the British legends toured, back in 2007, frontman Phil Collins, 70, is performing while sitting down, due to nerve damage that affects his hands and back.  However, Phil’s band mates say so far, the singer’s been a real trouper.

“He’s done well,” bassist/guitarist Mike Rutherford says of the European dates the band has already completed.  He tells USA Today, “Funny enough, we almost got through the [European] tour and I got COVID, but Phil was perfect. He’s doing fine. When you see the show, he definitely holds the crowd.”

Keyboard player Tony Banks adds that Phil’s 20-year-old son, Nicolas, who’s taken over for his dad on drums, “really plugs the gap very well,” adding, “The visuals work in a way that a seated Phil isn’t as noticeable.”

“People come to the show and say they forget Phil isn’t moving around,” adds Rutherford.

As for whether or not The Last Domino? tour will live up to that question mark, both Banks and Rutherford say that it will.

“We’d always say never say never, but there comes a point…,” says Banks. “When we do the final show next year, that will be it.”

“I think there will be a lot of tears…It’s been nice for the three of us to spend some reconnected time together,” notes Rutherford. “It makes you solidify things. There are things that only the three of us understand because we lived it.”

“It’s important to know when to stop something,” Banks adds. “So I’d say if you want to see Genesis, don’t put it off ‘til the next one. We’re not like the [Rolling] Stones.”

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This time last year, TikTok star-turned-pop star Tai Verdes had never given a concert. But thanks to the success of his hit “A-O-K,” this year, he did festivals, opened for other artists and is now on his first-ever headlining tour. For Tai, learning to play live has been the final step in his evolution as an artist.

“I’m, like, 60 shows deep now,” he tells ABC Audio. “It really makes a difference. Like, a huge difference. Like, if any artist is put in a position where they perform so many times, you automatically are going to get better because it’s just practice.”

He notes, “That was kind of the last thing that I needed to show — not necessarily people, but kinda myself. [I was] like, ‘If you want to be an artist, you have to be able to perform your songs as well.'”

Tai’s touring to promote his debut album TV, but he just released a new single, “Let’s Go to Hell,” that he says is part of his “new era.”

“These next couple tracks, like ‘Let’s Go to Hell,’ it just signifies the continuation of the story that I was telling with TV, but in a different way — in a way that’s ‘high definition,'” he teases.

While Tai knows that releasing new songs while “A-O-K” is still doing well means he’s competing with himself, he says it’s all part of his master plan.

“I think about longevity a lot…just because I am a business,” he points out. “So in order to keep yourself growing, you got to be creating a product…you’ve got to be planning and you’ve got to be organizing and you’ve got to be putting out music. So I just want to see what happens when I put out more music!” 

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

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Palaye Royale‘s next album officially has a title.

The “You’ll Be Fine” rockers announced in a tweet Tuesday that their upcoming fourth studio effort is called Fever Dream.

“Follow me into this Fever Dream,” the band cryptically added. “We can be anything and everything, we want to be — if we believe.”

The release date for Fever Dream has yet to be revealed. Presumably it’ll include the recently released singles “No Love in LA” and “Paranoid.”

Palaye Royale’s most recent album is 2020’s The Bastards, which includes the single “Hang on to Yourself.”

The moment we all have been waiting for – our brand new album is titled, “Fever Dream”.

We announced the wonderful news on our 1 hour in depth interview with Ted Stryker on his podcast: Tuna On Toast.

Watch the full interview on YouTube!https://t.co/0azPVAxjv3 pic.twitter.com/VOeogibo5L

— Palaye Royale (@PalayeRoyale) November 16, 2021

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