Music

If there’s an artist you really hope to see live in concert soon, here’s a great reminder why you need to access those ticket pre-sales.  Ticketmaster announced that BTS managed to sell out their Las Vegas concerts before general admission sales even started.

Ticketmaster tweeted, “Due to overwhelming demand during today’s @BTS_BigHit BTS GLOBAL OFFICIAL FANCLUB ARMY MEMBERSHIP Presale, all tickets for the @AllegiantStadm shows have been purchased.” Four shows had been set for Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas next month.

Because members of the BTS Global Official Fanclub Army had first dibs at tickets, Ticketmaster explained, “All shows are now sold out. There will not be a General Verified Fan Presale or General Public Onsale.”

Upset fans were quick to vent their frustrations, and it appears they had good reason. Those hoping to catch BTS in Vegas will now have to purchase tickets another way, such as via StubHub, SeatGeek or elsewhere, at inflated prices.

The BTS PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE – LAS VEGAS show runs for four dates between April 8 and April 16 in Vegas.

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ESSENCE has revealed the lineup for its 27th Essence Festival of Culture this year, and with stars like Janet Jackson, Nicki Minaj, Jazmine Sullivan performing, the event will surely be one not to miss.

“This is Not a Drill ESSENCE FEST has returned to NOLA with an All-Star lineup that literally can’t be touched!,” ESSENCE wrote in an Instagram announcement.

ESSENCE  called upon some of the culture’s biggest, most influential names to help celebrate this year’s theme, “It’s the Black Joy for Me.” Kevin Hart, Summer Walker, New Edition, The Isley Brothers and The Roots and Friends are among the long list of celebs who will be in attendance at the annual concert series.

After hosting the event virtually the last two years, the highly anticipated ESSENCE Festival kicks off live and in person this year from June 30-July 3 in New Orleans.

Over the course of four days, festival-goers will have the opportunity to enjoy good food and free daytime experiences, take advantage of career advancement workshops and of course, witness Black joy live, by way of the many musical performances.

“As the nation’s largest festival by per day attendance, the ESSENCE Festival of Culture is a staple that celebrates community and empowers equity. We are excited to welcome the family back live to New Orleans and thrilled to connect with more of our diasporic family through new digital experiences,” said ESSENCE CEO Caroline Wanga.

Additional talent and experiences will be announced soon. Tickets for the festival are on sale now at EssenceFestival.com

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Britney Spears has to take it easy for a couple of days after she overdid it at the gym.  Although she admits she is “embarrassed as hell” by how she managed to hurt herself, the “Toxic” singer says there is a silver lining.

Sharing a video of her enjoying the tropical view from her balcony, Britney — affecting a faux British accent — explained, “My fiancé [Sam Asghari] is extremely strong [bicep emoji] at the gym … I was an idiot who pushed it and hurt myself and couldn’t move yesterday morning. Literally embarrassed as hell but extremely painful !!!”

Despite the bruised ego, the Grammy winner revealed the bright side of her injury — she was able to take charge of how she wanted her injury treated, especially when it came to selecting medication.

“I’ve never experienced Excedrin PM but it’s wonderful for pain !!! You have to understand I was only able to have Tylenol 4 months ago, so independently owning things I haven’t been able to for 13 years is actually a big deal for me,” she told her fans. She also assured she is on the mend, adding, “I woke up this morning and I’m better !!!”

She also joked about using the British accent when filming her update, saying it “makes things a bit more sophisticated.”

Britney later shared a video of her posing in a tight yellow dress and showing off her vast shoe collection.  She admitted she has “a lot of shoes” before quipping, “So stop telling me to buy new shoes.”

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Certified girl dad Thomas Rhett recently made a very special visit to Walt Disney World.

The singer and his wife, Lauren, took their two oldest daughters — six-year-old Willa Gray and four-year-old Ada James — for a special Disney vacation to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Walt Disney World resort. The best part?

“I think princesses probably tops the list,” Lauren tells People. “I think seeing their princesses is their favorite thing.”

Thomas agrees that the Disney princesses were a highlight, though he adds that a trip to Space Mountain was another favorite part of the experience, because “that’s my lifelong favorite ride.”

Meanwhile, back home, the rest of their girl gang is waiting until they’re a little older to experience the magic of Disney. Thomas and Lauren are parents to two more girls: Two-year-old Lennon Love and three-month-old Lillie Carolina.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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Kane Brown’s got a new song coming out, and he gave fans a little preview from the driver’s seat of his car on Thursday.

“Leave You Alone,” a steamy love ballad that falls on the more traditional country end of Kane’s diverse catalog, will be out tonight at midnight, the singer explained on social media. To whet fans’ appetites, he shared a clip of himself singing along to the song as he blasts it in his car, rolling the windows down and driving along the highway.

Kane’s been holding on to this new song for a while now. He shared a snippet of the demo for “Leave You Alone” on his socials last summer.

Meanwhile, Kane’s still riding the high of his latest success at country radio, the number-one hit “One Mississippi.”

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Ava Max is getting ready for her new music era and teased that an upcoming new song will set the stage for her next album.

Speaking with Billboard, the “Motto” hitmaker revealed, “I spent all year writing on this next album.  I spent all last year writing and it was the hardest year of my life, last year, personally.”

When pressed for details, Ava added, “This music will say a lot.  Especially this new song coming out later this month. I’ve never written anything so personal and it’s probably some of the best music I’ve ever written.”

The “Psycho” singer is “excited” to be coming out with a new body of work soon, and teased, “It’s still anthemic and pop and amazing, but I think it’s a little different.  It’s more personal and I hope the fans [like it].”  Although she’s eager to kickstart her next era, Ava added that she’s “terrified” because her new music is more vulnerable.

“I feel like a piece of my heart is coming out and I’m super nervous about it,” she admitted before revealing her next album is titled, Maybe You’re the Problem.  She also hinted that she possibly included more collaborations on her upcoming work.

In addition, Ava gave a shout-out to her “Motto” collaborator Tiesto, saying he “inspired this whole new sound for me.”

Ava also revealed what inspired her dramatic makeover, where she went from her signature platinum blonde hair to a cherry-red chop cut. 

“I was blonde for a long time, like four years, and I didn’t change it much.  I just kept it blonde and I was like, ‘What’s the craziest thing I could do?’ and ‘What’s my favorite color?’ Red!” she explained. “Literally, I wear red lipstick all the time.  Why not match my lipstick?”

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Oscar winners Kevin Costner, Lady Gaga and Minari‘s Yuh-Jung Youn will be among the presenters at the 94th Annual Academy Awards, taking place March 27th.

Also added at the podium for this year’s festivities will be stand-up icon and Fargo vet Chris Rock and The Batman‘s Zoë Kravitz.

In the announcement, co-producer Will Packer said, “Movies inspire us, entertain us and unite us across the globe. That’s the precise goal of the show this year, and we’re thrilled to welcome the first of a stellar lineup joining the Oscars stage to help us celebrate the power of film and honor the year’s best in filmmaking.”

More presenters will be announced in the coming weeks. 

Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall will host the 94th Annual Academy Awards, live from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood starting at 8 p.m. Eastern on ABC.

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Jack Harlow is going from starring in music videos to starring in a feature film — one that’s a remake of a beloved ’90s comedy.

Deadline reports that the “Nail Tech” rapper will be featured in a remake of the 1992 Woody Harrelson/Wesley Snipes film White Men Can’t Jump.  Black-ish creator Kenya Barris and Doug Hall are writing the script for the new movie, which will be directed by Charles Kidd III, aka Calmatic.

Jack will play the Woody Harrelson role of a street basketball hustler who teams up with his one-time rival, played by Snipes, to make even more money.  The Snipes role is currently being cast, as is the role that Rosie Perez originated in the film: the Jeopardy-obsessed girlfriend of the character Jack is playing.

But can Jack jump in real life?  Apparently so: He showed off his skills on the court during the recent NBA All-Star Weekend Celebrity Game.  And according to Deadline, he can act, too: Even though it was his first-ever movie audition, he impressed everyone so much that he immediately landed the role.

The rapper will film the movie around his scheduled late-May headlining gig at the Forecastle Festival in his home state of Kentucky.

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Chris Janson had exciting new details to share this week about his next album, All In.

Before making the full announcement, the singer dropped a couple of songs off the project, including the title track, “Cold Beer Truth” and the lead single, “Bye Mom.”

With the latest batch of details, though, Chris sets an April 29 release date for All In, and also clues fans into some special collaborators. Eric Church is a duet partner for one track, “You, Me & The River,” which is a song that Eric wrote solo. The track list also contains “Flag on the Wall,” a song that Chris and Eric co-wrote together.

But the Chief isn’t the only country legend that Chris tapped as a collaborator. The 16-song track list also includes “Things You Can’t Live Without,” a duet with ‘90s hitmaker Travis Tritt.

“There are all kinds of songs on this project, but they all flow together because they are genuine to me,” Chris reflects. “I went all in on every part of this process, from writing to singing to playing to producing. I feel like it’s my best, most true-to-myself album to date.”

Meanwhile, the singer is on the road for his Halfway to Crazy Tour, which runs through April 9.

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