Music

“I Hope” singer Gabby Barrett is hoping to someday walk in the footsteps of the legendary Shania Twain.

Speaking to Billboard, the 21-year-old spoke about the possibility of launching an international career similar to the “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” singer.  “I would love to eventually sell out Madison Square Garden one day. That’s definitely a bucket list goal,” Gabby raved.  However, that dream of hers will have to wait because, she says, “my role first and foremost is being a good mother to my daughter and raising her correctly.”

Gabby welcomed Baylah May in January 2021 with spouse Cade Foehner.  While being a mom is her number one priority, she added, “I think everything just follows the way that it’s supposed to be.”

An example of that is her breakout anthem “I Hope,” which she believes came out at the right time. “I don’t think I could write that now,” she admitted, “I am in a very happy marriage, so I think I would write that a little bit differently.”

Gabby, who finished third on American Idol, reflected on her music journey and credits an unlikely person for her success.  Apparently, the former coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bill Cowher, is the reason her dad even allowed her to sign to her label, Warner Music Nashville. Gabby said CEO John Esposito wanted to sign her so badly, he exploited her father’s love of the Steelers and reached out to Cowher to personally change his mind. 

“My dad was a big part of the journey coming up for me. When Coach Cowher gave him a call, he called me freaking out. He was like, ‘Do you know who just called my phone? Coach Cowher! He’s iconic,'” Gabby recalled, laughing. “He was all for my signing with the label after that.”

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Walker Hayes has signed on to help kick off a partnership between the NHL and TikTok. The singer will take the stage ahead of the 2022 NHL Stadium Series game later this month.

He’s performing on the TikTok Tailgate Stage at the NHL Pregame, and his set will be available to watch on TikTok beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 26.

Of course, it’ll include his breakout hit, “Fancy Like,” which went viral on TikTok after the singer posted a clip of himself dancing to it with his teenage daughter, Lela. Since then, the video has amassed over 34.9 million views on the app, and “Fancy Like” skyrocketed to the top of the country charts.

Ahead of his performance, Walker told NHL.com that he’s still not used to his newfound stardom.

“Just being involved in something of this caliber is still very new to me,” he pointed out. “‘Fancy Like’ — the song that exploded my career — is not even a year old. For [me], my wife and kids, especially playing a show like this involved with the NHL, these are dreams coming true for us.”

“Fancy Like” is on Walker’s new Country Stuff: The Album.

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Ed Sheeran is mourning the death of his friend Jamal Edwards, who passed away at age 31 on Sunday.  The “Shivers” singer reached out to fans to explain why he had been silent on social media over the past few days.

“I haven’t posted anything coz I can’t find the words, I can’t reply coz I don’t know what to say,” Ed wrote on Instagram, and shared a photo of the two. “Jamal is my brother. His light shone so bright. He only used it to illuminate others and never asked for anything in return. A stars light shines for millions of years after they go, and his will continue to light up every dark moment, we are all witnessing his power.”

Ed adds that he “would not be here without [Jamal], professionally and personally,” before closing, “There will never be anything close to what he is, but I’m so grateful to have existed within his orbit.”

Jamal, a British music entrepreneur, is credited with helping to launch Ed’s career.  In February 2010, he featured Ed on his SBTV channel for an acoustic A64 session, and the two remained friends since.  Most recently, he urged the Grammy winner to collaborate with Fireboy DML, a Nigerian artist, which resulted in the hit single “Peru.”

A cause of death has not been announced.  Jamal was 31.

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Any press is good press, right? Maybe not, Thomas Rhett discovers, in a hilarious skit he posted to social media this week.

Thomas is gearing up for the release of his Where We Started album, so of course, he needs publicity. In this goofy clip, the singer “hires” a new PR expert named Rodney, who coaches TR through some unorthodox approaches to selling his record.

For example, Rodney — who bears a resemblance to Dwight from The Office, with a personality to match — encourages Thomas to get on the phone and cold-call potential album buyers. First up on the phone is Brent, who apparently previously bought pool chlorine from Rodney, and who has no clue who Thomas Rhett is.

“Hey buddy,” Rodney says, hopping on the phone when he sees that TR isn’t impressing this potential customer. “He’s gonna make you a custom monogrammed duck call, Brent.”

“Brent, I can’t promise you that,” the singer adds drily.

TR might not make you a custom duck call, but you can pre-order his new album, Where We Started, now. Its lead single, “Slow Down Summer,” is out now, and the full project will drop in April.

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The world woke up on Thursday to reports that Russia’s military has launched its long-feared invasion of Ukraine in the early morning hours. Russia’s forces are attacking its neighboring country from multiple directions.

Celebrities including Cher, Annie Lennox and The Weeknd expressed sympathy for Ukraine, condemned Russia and are calling for peace.

Here’s what the music community has said so far:

Annie Lennox: “Now that the tanks, soldiers and war machinery are on the brink of entering Ukraine…what now? The hell that ‘warfare’ unleashes? A frenzy of blood letting…Crushing of flesh and bones…The collective trauma of suffering of pain, grief, anguish and despair for innocent men, women and children? What kind of ‘price’ must ordinary people pay for the nightmarish madness and brutality of ‘invasion’ and ‘warfare’?  Or is this just an elaborate hoax? A scare tactic? A threat? Apologies for this dark reflection, but I’ve had the privilege of living in a ‘peaceful’ context since I was born — a decade after the end of WW2 — 67 years in total. I don’t take this for granted in any way and therefore find the notion of ‘war’ to be unacceptable repugnant barbarism. Sorry friends I just had to express this.”

Cher: “Why Ukraine’s Important 2 Putin’s despot, trump Hero, & If Given Chance Putin Will Devour Sovereign Countries, Till He Resurrects USSR. This Will Leave Europe, Small & unprotected.”

Camila Cabello: “Taking a moment to pray for peace.”

The Weeknd: “unfortunately i’m just now seeing what’s happening with the conflict and will pause on tomorrow’s announcement. i pray for everyone’s safety.”

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BTS have set many a record in the past year, and now they’ve racked up yet another one.  The IFPI, which represents the recorded music industry worldwide, has named them the Global Recording Artist of the Year for the second year running.

The K-pop superstars are now the first act ever to take that title in two consecutive years. The award is based on the worldwide performance of an artist’s entire catalog across all formats, from streams to vinyl.  In 2021, BTS certainly dominated, thanks to their number-one singles “Butter,” “Permission to Dance,” and “My Universe” with Coldplay.

Expanding the list to the top 10 Global Recording Artists of the Year, Taylor Swift is number two for the second consecutive year, followed by Adele, Drake, Ed Sheeran, The Weeknd, Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber, K-pop group Seventeen and Olivia Rodrigo.

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Christina Aguilera says her new Spanish language EP, La Fuerza, came “from the heart.”

“I never stopped singing in Spanish,” the Grammy winner tells Billboard. “Whenever the opportunities came about where I was really passionate about a project, I’d go for it.” 

Christina revealed her mother was fluent in Spanish and her father was from Ecuador, and said that was why she wanted to sing in Spanish again: “I’ve always had it in me.”

Christina said La Fuerza, which means “The Strength” in English, was just “the first chapter” in her all-Spanish project, and explores her relationship with motherhood.  She’s the mother to 14-year-old Max and seven-year-old Summer.

“Being a mom also you just want what’s best for them. You don’t want anything to affect them in a negative way. I try to separate these two worlds,” Christina said.  “I honor and respect my family and our dynamic and making sure they know mommy’s work is just that.”

“Each body of work represents a different tone and different mood and a different release of the journey that I’m on as a woman,” Christina further explained. “You start with the strength, and we’re going to be more tender and open up to be a bit more vulnerable with the material in the next chapter and then we’ll close on this healing note.”

Christina said making La Fuerza “was very personal to me” because “I wanted it to come from the heart.”

La Fuerza was released on January 21 and is the first of three chapters in what will later be assembled into Christina’s upcoming ninth studio album.  That as-yet untitled record will become her second all-Spanish album following her 2000 effort, Mi Reflejo.

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Now that Snoop Dogg has purchased Death Row Records, he’s teasing a collaboration with another iconic label, Bad Boy Entertainment.

Snoop began his career on Death Row in 1993. Now, 29 years later, he plans to revive the label, which also launched the solo career of Dr. Dre, who he performed with at the Super Bowl

In a 43-minute-long film accompanying his new album, Bacc on Death Row, Snoop talks with Bad Boy owner Sean “Diddy” Combs, who congratulates Tha Doggfather on the acquisition.

Diddy calls the “Gin & Juice” rapper one of his “greatest students,” and praises him on buying Death Row, saying, “I’m so proud of you, that’s so incredibly dope.”

Snoop responds, “You taught me how to play chess, not checkers,” and adds that he’s simply trying to make Diddy “proud.”

The 50-year-old icon suggests they work together, saying, “Now, we can do what we want to do, Death Row and Bad Boy.”

Combs loves the idea, replying, “Yeah, let’s do it!”

Snoop makes it known that he’s gonna take the initiative of getting the ball rolling on the pending collab, promising, “I’m going to put it in the air, quit playing with me. I’m going to put it in the air.”

In addition to music by Snoop, Dre, and many other artists, the Death Row catalog also includes two albums by Tupac Shakur: The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory from 1996, and the classic 1995 RIAA Diamond-certified All Eyez On Me, featuring “California Love,” which was performed during the recent Super Bowl halftime show.

Bad Boy artists include The Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans, Mase, 112, Total, The Lox, Craig Mack and many more.

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Lady Gaga is not only up for a Screen Actors Guild Award this Sunday, she will also be presenting at the ceremony.

Billboard reports that Gaga, who earned a nod for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for portraying Patrizia Reggiani in House of Gucci, will take to the stage and introduce the movie before a clip of it plays.  She will speak alongside Jared Leto, who played Paolo Gucci in the film and is up for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role.

Actors from four other movies also vying for the night’s highest film honor — Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture — will also take the stage.  Both Leonardo DiCaprio and Tyler Perry will introduce a clip from their film Don’t Look Up, while Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton will introduce King Richard.  Other films up for the award are Belfast and CODA.

The 28th Annual SAG Awards will take place Sunday, February 27 at 8 p.m. ET.  The ceremony will broadcast live from Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, on TNT and TBS.

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