Empire of the Sun frontman Luke Steele is set to release his debut solo album.
In an Instagram post, Steele reveals, “My first solo record is done. It was a wild ride but I survived.” He adds that the first single from the album will premiere on February 10.
Empire of the Sun’s most recent album is 2016’s Two Vines, which spawned the single “High and Low.” In 2019, they released a 10th anniversary vinyl reissue of their 2008 debut album Walking on a Dream, as well as a new, one-off single called “Chrysalis.”
In between, Steele teamed up with Daniel Johns of Silverchair to form the new band DREAMS. The duo’s debut album, No One Defeats Us, dropped in 2018.
Rihanna shocked fans this week by confirming she and boyfriend A$AP Rocky are expecting their first child — and according to an insider, the two will be welcoming their bundle of joy very soon.
The couple, both 33, have yet to make a formal announcement about the pregnancy, but US Weeklyquotes a source who claims the baby is “due this spring.” The source adds, “They’re both very excited.”
The insider claims that Rihanna and A$AP Rocky “shared the exciting news with trusted confidants about a month ago” because they “basically couldn’t” keep it a secret anymore.
As for how the “Umbrella” singer is preparing for motherhood, the insider says she “can’t wait to be a mom!”
“She’s embracing her pregnancy body and sees it as a beautiful thing. She’s been taking care of herself and her growing baby,” the spy noted, claiming says Rocky is “definitely treating her like a princess.”
The source predicts that the beauty mogul will “be an amazing mother” because she has “had some practice already with her nieces and nephews.”
The insider also revealed that the pair will “continue working on music and continue other projects” until the big day arrives, at which point they’ll withdraw from the spotlight to put “all their energy into raising a healthy baby.”
The two artists have been romantically linked since January 2020. Rihanna debuted her baby bump over the weekend while out in New York City with the rapper.
Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Interscope Records
Billie Eilish secretly headed to the salon again: On Tuesday, she debuted a new hair color that has fans predicting that the singer’s next era may be upon us.
In an Instagram photo, the “bad guy” singer revealed that she traded in her brunette locks for a jet-black dye job, which is reminiscent of her early 2019 style. The photo was seemingly taken inside of a plane and depicts Billie sitting in her seat while wearing an equally dark face mask. She captioned it with a simple black square.
This is only the latest transformation for the chameleon-like pop star, who seems to casually update her look every couple of months. In December, Billie showed off a brand new caramel-colored shag cut, revealing that shade was the closest she’d been to her natural hair color for quite a while.
Before that, she revealed she was secretly a redhead for a week after transitioning from the platinum blonde bob she rocked starting in March 2021.
While she’s best-known for her black and green ‘do, which she sported from July 2019 to March 2021, she’s also dabbled in various shades of blues, greens, grays, and even white hair.
So, what does it mean now that Billie is back to black? Fans think it’s a clue that the “Happier Than Ever” singer is back in the studio preparing for her next era of music. Stay tuned.
Four-time Grammy winner India.Arie is explaining why she’s pulling her music from Spotify in an interview on the Tamron Hall show, which airs Friday.
As previously reported, Arie is following legendary artists Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. They had their music removed from the streaming service because it hosts Joe Rogan‘s wildly popular podcast, which they feel is spreading misinformation about COVID-19 and the vaccine. But Arie’s decision isn’t based on that: She has other problems with Rogan, and with Spotify itself.
“One [reason] is the Joe Rogan conversation, and for me his language around race and some of the things I’ve seen and heard, but also coupled with that, there is the treatment of artists by Spotify,” Arie explains to Hall. “And so artists are underpaid and Joe Rogan gets paid all this money and it’s hard for me to, these days, just sit back and go, ‘Oh, well, that’s how it goes.’”
“I’m a little bit nervous about it because I know people are gonna conflate the conversations and some people are gonna judge me and they’re gonna say it’s not my business…because it is a little bit of a different reason than Joni [Mitchell] and Neil [Young] but also, it’s my truth.” she continued.
“And it’s not always my job to educate people about how I feel, although I try,” she adds. “I know that my truth is mine. And so I am working to have [my music and podcast] pulled down [from Spotify].”
Prior to her interview, Arie wrote on Instagram, “What I am talking about is respect — who gets it and who doesn’t. Paying musicians a fraction of a penny? And [Rogan]$100M?” she wrote. “This shows the type of company they are and the company that they keep. I’m tired.”
Korn has premiered a new song called “Lost in the Grandeur,” a track off the band’s upcoming album, Requiem.
“Lost in the Grandeur,” which you can download now via digital outlets, is the third Requiem cut to be released, following lead single “Start the Healing” and album opener “Forgotten.”
Requiem, the follow-up to 2019’s The Nothing, arrives in full this Friday, February 4.
Korn will celebrate Requiem‘s release with a special performance on Thursday, February 3, at Hollywood United Methodist Church in Los Angeles. The show will stream live via Korn’s YouTube channel.
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Centrepoint
Durannies everywhere are celebrating the fact that Duran Duran have been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the group themselves couldn’t be happier.
“Just to make it onto the nominations list is an honor that I never expected to experience… But for sure, this distinction is due in large part to the fact that we have an army of fans around the world who have unwaveringly supported us for the past four decades,” says singer Simon LeBonin a statement. “We are all extremely grateful to all of you for making this happen.”
Bass player John Taylor adds, “To be nominated by such a highly esteemed organization is truly special in this, our fortieth, year. For decades now Duran Duran have been inspired by the incredible support of our beautiful and diverse fanbase around the world. To be considered by the Hall of Famers is truly next level. Let’s hope we make the cut!”
And drummer Roger Taylor notes, “The feeling was pure gratitude when I heard this morning that we are nominees for the rock n roll hall of fame. A big thank you to not only the Rock Hall for making us part of the ballot, but also to all the DD fans that have made so much noise. The 12-year-old drummer in me just screamed very, very loudly!”
If chosen for induction, the original five members of Duran Duran — Simon, John and Roger, plus Nick Rhodes and Andy Taylor — will get into the Hall, but so will Warren Cuccurullo, who played guitar with them from 1986 to 2001 and co-wrote their hits “Ordinary World” and “Come Undone.”
Fans can vote for which artist they want to be inducted every day from now until April 29 at Vote.RockHall.com.
Tommy Garcia/E! Entertainment/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Meghan Trainor candidly spoke about being a first-time mom and, despite enduring several unforeseen challenges, the singer says she’s already planning for baby number two, three and four!
Speaking to Parentsmagazine, the “Title” singer reflected on how scared she was when giving birth to Riley, her first child with husband Daryl Sabara. “We had a lot of bumps,” said Meghan, noting she experienced gestational diabetes and, when Riley was born via cesarean, he spent his first five days in the NICU for breathing problems.
“When I saw Riley in the NICU, all hooked up to these wires, I just saw the most adorable baby redhead I’ve ever seen,” she recalled.
Meghan also revealed she has PTSD stemming from that traumatic experience. The Grammy winner wants to discuss “the hard parts” of motherhood because “It feels like I’m telling my truth.” Another truth is she’s struggling to love her postpartum body. “I love my baby, but I can’t look at my stretch marks and honestly say, ‘Wow, I love them,'” she confessed.
Meghan is expressing her journey through her music. “I heard that when you have a baby, you get more creative, and my lyrics are changing,” she said. “Instead of writing songs to make everyone feel better, I’m writing about how I feel in this moment. But it’s not like every day is sad. It’s more like: Yes, I am a bada**, but this ain’t easy, and I have to get up and keep going.”
Despite experiencing numerous “bumps,” Meghan says she will happily go through it all again. The “Me Too” singer is committed to having a large family and stated, “I’m gonna try to get to four… We’ll see what happens after three. I’m not doing less than that. I need three.”
Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood has celebrated his famous band with a new painting, a Pablo Picasso-inspired piece title “Abstract Performance” that offers a surreal depiction of the legendary rock group playing live.
Wood was on hand to debut the painting on Tuesday during a surprise visit to Wood Lane in London outside the popular Westfield shopping center. A billboard teasing the painting appeared at the same location earlier this week. You can check out photos of Ronnie’s visit to Wood Lane, including a pic of him with his wife, at his Twitter page.
Limited-edition prints of “Abstract Performance” are available for purchase now through February 15 at the Art Store section of RonnieWood.com, priced at $2,000. Each print will be hand-signed and hand-numbered by Wood and feature a personal dedication from him.
“Abstract Performance,” which Wood completed in 2020, is among a recent series of abstract, Picasso-inspired paintings of The Rolling Stones that Wood has created.
“Picasso did his own take on a lot of artists, but I bet he never thought no one would ever do a take on him,” Wood says. “I hope and think he’d be flattered, but also a bit shocked and pleasantly surprised at my take on his work.”
Meanwhile, a new post on Wood’s Instagram page reports that “[e]xciting new works [are] coming soon from Ronnie’s art studio.” The message is accompanied by a photo of a variety of paintings on which he apparently is currently working, including another abstract of The Stones and a portrait of Buddy Holly.
Evanescence‘s “Bring Me to Life” has certainly brought the band a whole lot of views. One billion, in fact.
The video for Amy Lee and company’s breakout single has officially passed one billion views on YouTube, making it the first Evanescence visual to hit the milestone.
“So very proud to have reached a billion views!” Lee tweeted Tuesday night. “What a crazy thing. Thank you for all the love, all the memories. I’m speechless.”
“Bring Me to Life” first premiered in 2003, and its video was uploaded to YouTube in 2009. The track earned the Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2004. That same year, Evanescence won the Best New Artist Grammy.
It seems few would deny Dolly Parton‘s a metaphorical rock star — but she could soon be one for real.
The Country Music Hall of Famer is now one of 17 nominees for potential induction this year into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. That puts Dolly in the same category as fellow contenders Lionel Richie, Dionne Warwick, Carly Simon, Pat Benatar, Eurythmics, and Duran Duran, among others.
Of course, the superstar from East Tennessee is certainly not without cred in the pop and rock world. She made it to #3 with “Here You Come Again” as far back as 1977, following that with lesser crossover hits like “Two Doors Down” and “Baby I’m Burnin’.” By 1980, she’d made it all the way to the top with “9 to 5.”
“Her songwriting transcends just maybe her home base, which is country,” the Rock & Roll Hall’s Jason Hanley points out. “And you’ve got Whitney Houston having one of the biggest selling songs ever with ‘I Will Always Love You.'”
“You’ve got other bands recording ‘Jolene,'” he adds. “You know, she has hit singles with Kenny Rogers, ‘Islands in the Stream.'”
Dolly returned to the top of the pop charts in 1983 with “Islands,” before Whitney’s cover smash in 1992. Rock duo The White Stripes covered “Jolene” in 2004, with Dolly most recently winning a Grammy for guesting on the Pentatonix version in 2017.
We’ll find out if Dolly makes it into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame when the final inductees are revealed later this year.
